CHAPTER 1
Kobal
“What is this?” River inquired.
Her amethyst eyes widened as she gazed at the river of red Hell water winding before us. Jagged black rocks stuck up from the middle of it, forcing the water to flow around them and creating strong currents. Those currents were capable of smashing to pieces anything caught within them. A few feet away from us, calmer water lapped against the rocky shoreline of the pathway we traversed. The color faded from River’s face, her head tilted back, and she blinked at the sharp rocks jutting from the ceiling.
“The River Asharún,” I replied. This place had never bothered me before, but seeing the dread in her eyes and knowing her reaction to wraiths, I didn’t intend for her to be here any longer than necessary.
“Are we here to travel on the river?” First Sergeant Sue Hawkson asked from beside her as he ran a hand through his short, dark brown hair. He stood with his broad shoulders thrust back, and his blue eyes filled with determination as he gazed at the Asharún.
“The Asharún is the quickest and safest route,” Corson replied.
“We will not be traveling on the Asharún,” I said and clasped River’s elbow. “There are other ways to my chambers. Come.”
Her eyes swung toward me. “Why aren’t we going to travel it?”
I pulled her a step closer and cupped her cheek tenderly in my hand as I studied her. She tried to hide it, but I knew being in Hell tired her. As Lucifer’s only living descendent, and with her angelic and demonic abilities, she had been able to make it this far into Hell. However, sweat beaded her forehead and stuck her dress to her body. Her flushed skin warmed my hand, and her exhaustion beat against me, yet she refused to let me carry her as we made our way to my private chambers—chambers where I had once slept and lived when I resided in Hell, but I hadn’t been to them in years. I had no doubt they would still be secure, as few others had known where they were located. Those who had known of them wouldn’t have dared to enter them while I was away.
We’d done nothing but walk since leaving the chamber housing the Fires of Creation behind hours, if not days, ago. I had no way of knowing how much time had passed. Before I’d left Hell, it wouldn’t have bothered me. There was no concept of time in Hell, no sun to mark the passing hours, but now that I’d lived on Earth, I wondered about the time of day.
There were only the constant fires in Hell, and I found myself missing the sun. That was something I never would have believed possible months ago. Then River had walked into my life, changed my perspective on things, and become my home. Before, I had always planned to return to Hell to reign, but now I would take my throne from Lucifer and leave this place behind to live on Earth with her.
I brushed back a strand of River’s raven-colored hair from her cheek. Her eyes closed as she turned into the palm of my hand, her full lips brushing over my skin. The scar at the corner of her right eyebrow was more visible against her flushed skin, as were the freckles on her slender nose. Her sweeping black lashes fell to shadow her eyes as her inherent scent of earth, fresh spring rain, and flowers assailed me.
My gaze latched onto my marks on her neck. The evidence of my four fangs piercing her skin was unmistakable to everyone standing with us and all those we encountered. Even if she didn’t bear my marks right now, every demon would know she was my Chosen. I had claimed her, and I was never going to let her go.
I would keep her protected from the countless things looking to tear us apart and her weaknesses. Unfortunately, that included the Asharún river. Reluctantly releasing her, I lowered my hand to my side again.
“Why aren’t we going to travel it?” she asked again.
“Because, Mah Kush-la, the Asharún is a place for the damned spirits who enter Hell. Some of the souls we feed on become so weakened that they are ensnared by the currents of the water.”
Her full mouth parted on a breath of realization. Goose bumps broke out on her tanned arms before she ran her hands over them to ease the chill. “Wraiths,” she murmured.
“Yes. Countless numbers of them are trapped in the water.” And wraiths weakened her, something we couldn’t afford to let happen now.
“So is this like the River Styx?” Hawk asked.
“Human mythology twisted the Asharún some. It’s not the boundary between Hell and Earth, but basically yes, the humans who glimpsed the Asharún river through veils separating Hell and Earth called it the River Styx,” Magnus replied.
Hawk frowned at the water. “Why did they call it Styx if it’s Asharún?”
“In the human’s Greek mythology there are five rivers separating Hell from the living. They were wrong about there being five of them. There is only the Asharún. However, the Greeks did name one of the five rivers the Acheron, the river of woe,” Magnus said. “But to many humans, Styx became the most popular and well known of the rivers. Probably because it was easier for them to pronounce, and we all know humans don’t like to tax their tiny brains.”
Though River wasn’t entirely human, and Hawk no longer was, they both scowled at Magnus. His eyes shone with amusement when he smiled back at them.
River glowered at him for a minute more before focusing on me. “Okay, so it’s the river of woe—”
“And of anger, forgetfulness, hatred, and hostility, amongstnumerousother things,” Magnus interjected.
“Enough,” I growled at him, and his mouth clamped shut.
“But it’s the safest and fastest way for us to reach your chambers?” River asked me.
I lifted my head to glare at Corson for mentioning it in the first place. Corson’s citrine eyes warily held mine as he stepped away from me. Magnus and Bale inspected the ceiling while the skelleins all studied the blades of their swords and the hellhounds padded away to explore the water.
Corson had nowhere else to look as I pinned him to the spot with my stare. In the dim light playing over this part of the river, Corson’s hair appeared midnight blue. His pointed ears stood out from the curls falling over them. Thankfully, since we’d entered Hell again, he no longer had the earrings of the human women he’d slept with dangling from his ears.
