Lilith: Eden's Planetary Princess (The Michael Archives Book 1)

by Robinson, C. E.

  “And ‘Goddess’ ain’t no big deal either,” she continued, as if reading Collin’s mind. “I mean, really? Who in the Eden theatre… No, no, no. Let me back up a few quantum leaps. Who in the constellation of Norlatiadek isn’t a God or Goddess anyway?”

  Josephine continued quickly. “How about Skillit? Skillit’s a Goddess. Ever feel like you oughta worship on your knees in front of Goddess Skillit?”

  Collin looked skeptical.

  “Collin. Just think about it for a second. El Elyon doesn’t send Gods and Goddesses out of Havona to be worshipped by the Ascenders. He sends us to be of service to them. And who do you know is more a creature of service than Skillit? The entire Creation is filled with hopeful Personalities that hold The Path of Service as a way to our Infinite Mother. And who better than Goddess Skillit, unless it’s Fran of course, to show us that path? They show us what Service looks like every single day, day after day.”

  It suddenly sounded so obvious to Collin.

  “So. Anyway… The point is not a single one of my peers gives a rat’s scrotum if I’m a Goddess or anything else. They just want to know if I can get a job done.”

  Collin’s face melted with admiration, his heart opening to her.

  “You please me, Lieutenant Collin Striker,” Josephine said as she kissed him. “I shall keep you as my lover.”

  Her words flowed through him like rich warm honey. There was so much difference between the hurt, victim-Josie of less than an hour ago, and the reborn Warrior Goddess Josephine.

  Okay Striker? Just how exactly did this happen? Collin knew it was Sipheria mocking him for the ‘woe-is-me’ attitude he had been carrying for the past days. You say there’s no Divine Grace? Look and see who just kissed you. Looks like Divine Grace to me.

  “Now sit.” Josephine collapsed her ankles and knees, and they both plopped softly on the sand. “There are things we must discuss and work out.”

  Collin realized they were still holding hands. He melted. Speechless. Creamy white skin. Rich green eyes. Such timeless beauty. Just enough breeze to move her auburn hair back and forth across a perfect face. The blue moon was now high overhead, making her thick auburn hair fluoresce with Celestial light.

  “Now. We need to talk. You know what’s going to happen, right?” Josephine asked. “You will be making love to Princess Parvarti tonight. Peg and I can be long gone before you two, newly-bonded love birds emerge.”

  “Please don’t tell me that,” Collin said, nervously. “I have a really bad feeling about this one. You should have heard what she was blabbing about the entire time. She truly has no clue what I’m really like.”

  “Sorry, stud. There’s simply no way out of it this time. She’ll just have to make the same stupid mistakes every other stupid Princess makes.” Josephine kissed his hand and then held it to her cheek. “And if you think she’s jealous now. Just refuse or back out, or pretend to pass out. Then you’ll really see some jealousy.”

  “No choice?”

  “No choice.” And one other thing. I promise you that little liar Princess Parvarti has had a much higher strikeout rate in the flesh with lovers than I have. She’s going to become wonderfully possessive, controlling, insecure… She’s going to jack you around in ways you never thought possible, all the while firmly believing she’s doing the right thing for both of you.

  Oceania

  Karolita sent Eros into the woods to find a better place to hide while she, Guard1 and Guard2 watched from the thick trees along the beach to see if anyone was following them.

  Buckets of rain fell from the sky, and she was freezing. She did not know if Eros, Guard1, or Guard2 were cold. She did not know because she did not ask. And she did not ask because she did not care. She sent Guard1 back to the park to confirm they were not being followed.

  In the park, there were several nicely sized fire pits. The fire pits were covered by rainproof tarpaulins with a hole cut in the middle to let out the smoke. They were large enough to keep a dozen Angels dry.

  Only minutes after leaving, Guard1 returned. Karolita was pleased that Guard1 had chosen to walk on the beach a hundred meters away so if followed, Karolita would not be seen.

  “They immediately noticed me,” Guard1 said out of breath, “as if I were wearing bright red blinking lights. I didn’t see them at first but there were two Valkyrie in military raincoats sitting under the tarpaulins with the others. One was an SAS general. The rest were wearing normal civilian rain gear, but when I looked at their faces, they also looked like Valkyrie.

  “They were all nice enough. They even seemed genuinely concerned about me and asked if I was all right. They told me raincoats were being handed out free at a store inside the mall. They said I should get one and then come back and join them. One of them even winked at me, so I smiled and thanked them for the information, then walked back into the mall area. There were hardly any lines, but the guards were still hanging around the entrances. When I walked in, it felt like they were staring at me. So I wandered around the entrance area as if I was waiting for someone, then came back out.”

  Karolita was still thinking about throwing her purse away even if it would leave her without the protection of her Celestial weapons. But hearing how the Valkyrie eyed Guard1 suspiciously, maybe tonight there was simply no way to get back to their warm underground rooms.

  They heard a bark coming from the beach. Five guards with two black dogs came out of the tree line. It looked like they came out exactly where Guard1 had entered the beach. Karolita flipped. Even though the rainclouds obscured light from the red moon, she saw the guards and their demonic canines clearly. Karolita sprang to her feet but Guard1 stopped her.

  “Shush,” she whispered. “If we run, they’ll probably see the movement and set their dogs after us. Let’s just calmly walk to the place Eros found in the woods.”

  Isle of Belize

  “You know the thing I like least about her?” Parvarti complained to Pegasus as they sat on the sand 20 meters from Josephine and Collin. She knew Josephine had stolen Collin and all her hopes for romance.

  Filled with angst. Just like me, Pegasus thought as she listened to the complicated mixture of Parvarti’s insecurities.

  As they had walked along the beach earlier that evening, Pegasus could not stop admiring Parvarti’s attractive Personality, her cute face, and desirable body. More than once, they strolled with their arms around each other’s waist. And even though Parvarti’s right palm seemed to find it comfortable to ride at the top of the curvature of Pegasus’ buttocks, Pegasus, being the elder and supposedly more responsible, tried to remain vigilant, making sure her own hand remained politely high on Parvarti’s slender waist without, of course, appearing distant or uninterested. While Pegasus attempted to keep her hand artificially high, by the end of their walk, Parvarti’s was resting quite naturally on Pegasus’ hard buttocks.

  Pegasus prayed for the strength and wisdom to deal with her own torn, mixed feelings. She was relieved when they finally sat down.

  Now you just listen to me, you silly horse, you, Pegasus chastised herself. Any horny, self-serving misstep at this delicate juncture will do nothing but harm everyone involved. Especially Parvarti. Kuko might find your ‘strong face’ desirable, but that’s no guarantee this one does. And as far as you know, she’s pure hetero. So, keep that idea stuck in your stupid head.

  “No. What’s the thing you like least about Josie?” Pegasus asked, pulling herself back to the present.

  “Her ability to make me feel stupid. Collin would have never considered being here alone with me, so I had Skillit trick him. The only thing The Exquisite Josephine had to do was show up.”

  Pegasus understood. Oh, doesn’t it help so much for the wounded to be reminded they’re wounded. Come on Sipheria, I wasn’t expecting these feelings. How do I handle this?

  You do the best you can, of course. You silly horse.

  Pegasus tried to breathe through her own uneasiness. “Parvi, you are extra
ordinary by your very design. It would be impossible for the coupling of any Creator Son with any Mother Spirit to generate anything less than brilliance and goodness at every level of Personality. Let alone the exquisite Divine Twins of Nebadon. You just haven’t matured enough to see what exquisite gifts you inherited from them.”

  Just like you, you silly horse. You too haven’t matured enough to see what exquisite gifts you have already inherited from your own exquisite parents.

  “I’ve always considered Josie a friend and a leader. I’ve never been in competition with her, so I’ve never been defeated by her.”

  “Well, you’re not interested in guys, are you? So why would you be in competition with her in the first place?” Parvarti lashed out, her right hand clutching her knee — her left digging a hole in the sand.

  “That’s what this is about? Guys?” Pegasus reached forward and clutched Parvarti’s left hand.

  “Is there some creature down there we need to collect for your analysis? Maybe Eden’s pollution has affected you more than your scientific lab tests can detect,” Pegasus said with some gentle sarcasm.

  “No. I guess not,” Parvarti said. She pulled away from her sandy hole, briskly brushing her two hands together, then crossing her arms across her chest.

  “So what’s the deal about this one particular guy?” Pegasus continued. “There were a lot of guys checking you out at the Institute this morning. I thought some of them were a lot more handsome and attractive than that worn-out, man-whore sitting over there.”

  Parvarti cocked her head. She was so infatuated with Collin, she honestly had not paid much attention to how others looked at her. She opened her mouth to complain, but Pegasus cut her off. “And don’t you even get me started with any of this, ‘but you’re a lesbian’ crap. I can appreciate a beautiful painting and still not want to buy it.”

  Parvarti smiled.

  “Parvarti, just look at them. What do you see?”

  “Well, I can most assuredly see the way Collin is reacting to Princess Lovely,” she said, shaking her head to the sand, as if the only thing that would find her own mundane appearance worthy was sand.

  “So it’s his reaction to Princess Lovely? That’s what you’re jealous about? What about Princess Adorable?”

  “Who’s she?”

  Pegasus leaned toward her, kissed her softly on the cheek, and whispered in her ear. “Why you, of course, sweet Princess. Don’t you realize how adorable you are?”

  An unexpected burn ignited inside Pegasus, which led to an almost uncontrollable urge to shift the kiss to Parvarti’s lips, followed by a series of visual images that could have come straight out of Kuko Kiena’s Kama Sutra training manuals. She quickly rectified her posture, trying to purge herself of the inappropriate feelings and imagery.

  “Stop looking at the male. The Creation is filled with untold trillions of males that would do almost anything to be where Collin is sitting right now. I’m talking about the geometry of their bodies relative to ours.”

  Parvarti shook her head.

  “Parvi, look at Josie’s face.”

  Parvarti did not want to look but did anyway. She was surprised to see that Josephine was not looking at Collin but rather at her. There was no sense of competition or victory. Her expression was kind and gentle — filled with accepting love.

  Parvarti looked back to Pegasus.

  “Parvarti, look at your cousin again.”

  Her heart held a familiar ache. Her sex life had been filled with lies right from the start. Lies were one thing — jealousy quite another. She knew she was messing up again. She half expected Sipheria to manifest any moment and kick her ass good and hard. Parvarti looked anyway. The expression on Josephine’s face now held a touch of expectant curiosity, as if waiting for her young mind to catch on to some amusing joke.

  “I still don’t understand,” Parvarti said while giving her head a series of small shakes.

  “I guess you’ve been on Oceania long enough to see how flocks of Angels vie to be the next one Yummy takes to bed. Clearly, he’s great at sex,” Pegasus smiled reflectively, thinking back to some of the details Josephine told her earlier in the day.

  “At least that’s what I assume. Josephine feels a lot of genuine affection for Collin. Just like any healthy woman, she too has her wants and needs.

  “But what’s really going on here…,” or at least part of what is going on here, cause I can certainly see Josie’s tricky little mind plotting something that has nothing to do with Parvarti, “…is that Josie is really far more concerned with your happiness. She’s still Colonel Josephine Doulmahel — Eden’s Theatre commander. She’s still your guardian and coach. So, when you look up and forward, and Josie looks up and forward, it’s you two who are looking into each other’s eyes. She wants you to see the empathy she has for you. I’ve known her long enough to recognize love when I see it. The thing I’m trying to get you to see right now, on that perfect face of hers, is the special love she holds for you. It’s you that Josie is trying to help right now.”

  Parvarti instantly saw it. Her eyes overflowed with tears. “Great. I’m still just being a stupid, insipid, self-absorbed, immature child who…”

  Pegasus gently touched Parvarti’s lips with her fingertip. Parvarti felt an unanticipated warm stir inside.

  Pegasus continued. “Of course, you’re all that. And why not? Josephine was born hundreds of thousands of Creations ago. It was this last Creation that gave birth to you. You’re young and therefore have a great advantage. Irrespective of how much you screw or screw up, you still have the perfect defense of being a stupid, insipid, self-absorbed, immature child. Considering some of the blunders I’ve recently pulled, to have that kind of excuse would be liberating. I strongly suggest you use it for as long as you can.”

  Pegasus felt something stir in Parvarti. Somehow, Pegasus understood what the problem was. How could such a thing happen right under Sipheria’s nose?

  “Parvarti? Why are you so upset?”

  Parvarti refused to answer.

  “Is it because you’re still a virgin?”

  At that, Parvarti began to openly sob.

  Oceania

  There was still a light, steady rain falling. The dogs had not followed them into the woods, so Karolita sent Guard1 back to buy food at one of the temporary bars, one that seemed to have the least number of torchlights. It took Guard1 ages to return. Karolita was convinced she had been captured.

  “It felt like I was waiting forever to get my order filled,” Guard1 said. “Then I heard this voice beside me. When I turned, it was the same girl who winked at me from under the tarpaulin. I think her name is Akriel. ‘Not got around to getting a raincoat yet?’ she said. ‘Or are you just trying to tease me?’ She scanned me up and down with one of those kind of looks.”

  Eros sneered.

  “So I smiled at her and said, ‘Maybe, or maybe I’m just so drunk I don’t mind showing off what I have.’ I took the long way around to make sure no one followed me.”

  “So what,” Eros sniped.

  “So what?” Karolita replied angrily, giving Eros a hard slap across the face. “It means no one’s looking for Guard1 thinking she’s a Nephilim or a Yukta Yogi. Are you stupid?”

  Guard1 had discovered not all the stores were closed. They had long ago sold out of raincoats and umbrellas, but they did have some comfortable walking shoes and socks. Guard1 bought new shoes and socks for Karolita and Eros — the two bodyguards were already wearing comfortable walking shoes. Karolita would have taken the guard’s shoes for herself were her feet not two and a half sizes too large. Karolita would have also insisted that the others give her their clothes, but they were soaking wet too. Moreover, if someone happened upon them, it would look suspicious if three of them were naked and Karolita wore four sets of clothes. Not to mention Eros’ diversified plumbing.

  The rain changed from a slow steady sprinkle to a downpour again. The woods all around them exploded with life.
The only woodlands in Glamoria were all beautifully manicured Gardens. Long ago, The Children of Luminosity had successfully purged many of Eden’s countries from all its crude physical animals. As a part of the treaty between King Joshua and Lord Smigyl — who represented the other Overlords in these matters — none of the Overlord heavens were allowed to possess any Celestial animal archetypes. This meant that Glamoria’s parks and gardens had no animals or insects.

  Before leaving, Guard1 did an extensive study and knew Oceania would be quite different. Oceania and the surrounding Celestial seas were packed with all manner of Celestial life. Strangely enough, other than insects and the many species of birds, they had seen only a few animals while on this trip, all quite tame. Now, the heavy rain seemed to cause the animal life to spontaneously spring forth from the ground and out of the trees.

  The salamanders erupted from the ground first, their brightly colored skin glowing in the night as they slowly crawled as if still half asleep. Then scurrying lizards came, looking as if they were deeply confused about what kept hitting them in the head from the skies above. Serpents began to slither. Frogs began to jump. The larger toads hopped out from under the leaves first, and then the trees all around them seemed to take on the ability to speak — actually, yell.

  “YAAAA,” Karolita shouted as she saw the ground literally moving. She catapulted herself off the ground and into Guard1’s arms. Luckily for Guard1, she caught Karolita.

  “What the…”

  Guard1 instinctively held her close. “Karolita,” she said quietly, trying to soothe her. “It’s okay. It’s just the animals reacting to the rain.”

  “Reacting? You call this reacting?”

  Karolita’s aching head jerked this way and that, trying to find the source of the racket attacking her ears. It was impossible that the trees had learned how to shout. Worse, all the leaves below her were moving as vile creatures emerged from their sanctuary of cover.