HELLION'S WARNING

  Hellion walked the dimly lit halls toward his mother’s chambers the m. Around his neck hung Andell’s jagged horn, suspended by a golden . He hadn’t bothered to it—small droplets of blood still dripped from its sharp edges, staining his chest. The faiallic st lingered in the air as he moved.

  He stopped in front of the ornate wooden door, his hand h over the handle. For a moment, he hesitated. Instead of barging in as he usually would, he knocked.

  “Hellion, e in,” Lilith’s cool, anding voice called from inside.

  He pushed the door open and stepped into the room. Lilith stood by her wardrobe, methodically pag a small bag. She looked up briefly, her expression posed but curious.

  “Going somewhere, Mother?” Hellion asked, his deep, gravelly voice reverberating through the chamber.

  “Yes, son,” she replied, not pausiask. “Now, what I do for you?”

  Hellion smirked, his lips curling in that familiar, uling way. “It’s not about what you do for me, Mother—it’s about what I do for you.”

  Lilith arched a sharp brow, her hands momentarily stilling as she turo face him. She waited, her eyes narrowing in expectation. Hellion’s smirk faltered for a split sed under her pierg gaze.

  The woman before him was the only person in the world he both feared and loved with equal iy. Swallowing the lump that suddenly formed in his throat, he shifted unfortably.

  “It’s a warning,” he said finally, his voice steady but carrying an edge of reluce. His hand brushed against the jagged horn hanging from his neck. “Andell has a grudge against Isabel. The kind e that makes a demon desperate—desperate enough to do anything to get rid of her.”

  Lilith’s eyes flicked to the horn dangling from his neck. “Is that why you’re wearing Andell’s horn? Still bloodied?”

  “Yes,” Hellion answered, his tone dark and deliberate. “I ear. A trophy for my troubles, wouldn’t you say?”

  Lilith sighed, her shoulders sagging slightly. At times, she wondered if her children would ever truly find peace with one another. “Why are you really here, Hellion?”

  “I’m here,” he began, his voice dropping to a growl, “because Andell willingly gave up his horn—in exge for five of my men to kill Isabel.”

  “What?” Lilith’s head snapped up, her gaze sharp.

  “You heard me, Mother,” Hellion replied, his tone ced with grim satisfa. “I suggest you warn her. Not that she needs it—Isabel’s a great warrior, after all.”

  Lilith’s lips curved into a faint smile, catg him off guard.

  “Why are you smiling?” Hellion asked, narrowing his eyes.

  “I’ve always known you and Isabel share a… plicated bond, Hellion. But I didn’t realize you cared for her this much.”

  Hellion shough a flicker of something softer crossed his face. “I don’t care,” he said quickly. “I just don’t want to see you weeping over her corpse. That’s all.”

  “So, you do care about me after all,” Lilith teased, a knowing glint in her eye.

  Hellion’s expression softened—a rare moment of vulnerability. A faint, genuine smile tugged at his lips, ohat Lilith hadn’t seen in years. Her heart swelled at the sight, her stern facade momentarily dropping.

  Rising onto her toes, she cupped his cheek, her fingers cool against his skin. Hellion leaned down instinctively, his t frame bending to meet her. Lilith pressed a light kiss to his forehead, feeling the subtle embarrassment that radiated from him.

  “Thank you, Hellion,” she said softly, her voice ced with warmth.

  Hellion straightened, clearing his throat as he stepped back, the moment quickly dissolving into the usual tensioween them. But Lilith held onto it, knowing how rare it was to see her son’s guarded walls crack, even for a fleeting sed.

  Hellion turoward the door, pausing with his hand on the handle. “Be careful, Mother,” he said, his voice low but ear. “And… don’t let yuard down around Isabel. Even the best warriors fall.”

  Without waiting for a response, he opehe door and stepped out into the hall, his heavy footsteps eg down the corridor.

  Lilith stood in silence for a moment, her haing lightly on her chest. Her son’s rare, unguarded moments were fleeting, but they meant more to her than he would ever know. As she turned back t, pns swirled in her mind but first, she o visit Isabel's other mother.