“You want her to suffer?” I bellow, growing more irate with every second.
I won’t allow them to hurt her.
I’ll tear down every inch of Hell to find her, and anyone helping Nolda will meet the most horrific fate imaginable. And I’ll do it on my own.
“Don’t be an idiot, Lucifer. We’d never allow Victoria to be hurt,” Michael says, drawing the attention of every angel present.
“I don’t understand,” Zeke says. “Don’t get me wrong—I care about her, but why do you? She fell.”
I frown. “Zeke’s the lowest order of angel present, yet he’s the only one here talking any sense.”
Michael looks to Leeanna and Malachi before he speaks. “Heaven allowed Victoria to fall. We… encouraged it.”
My head snaps to Michael, and Leeanna gasps.
“What?” The word escapes my lips in equal parts horror and complete shock.
“We needed a solider on the ground to help rally the Nephilim. You’ve been sleeping on the job, Satan. We need to keep humans safe from your demons.”
My teeth grind. “I’m not Heaven’s operative.”
“You’re Hell’s keeper, and your demons continue to get braver. This Nolda is just the latest example.”
That might be true, but there’s more to this that Michael isn’t saying. There are plenty of soldiers to convince to help their cause. And Michael forgets, I can taste lies. No, there’s something more to Tori.
“I’m to believe that’s the only reason you’re barring me from Hell? Bullshit. Unless God plans to replace me with Victoria, this makes exactly zero sense.”
Zeke’s brow peaks and a frown mars his face. He’s not buying it either.
“She’s important. That’s all you need to know.”
“What do you want from me?”
Michael takes a step forward. “Your oath that you’ll take back control of Hell when it’s time.”
My eyes narrow. “Fine. You have my oath.”
Michael takes one more step until we’re nose to nose. “And your oath to leave Victoria alone to fulfill the destiny she was born for.”
Not happening.
PRISONER
My body shivers at the indescribable cold seeping into my bones. Curled up into a ball on the floor of a gilded cage suspended over a dirt floor, I try and fail to warm myself. The room isn’t truly cold; it’s simply my body’s reaction to the evil permeating from every crevice of this place.
As I’m surrounded by brimstone walls painted a chilling red, it isn’t hard to deduce where I am.
I’m in Hell, literally and metaphorically.
I don’t need to have ever stepped foot here to know that I’m surrounded by evil that I can’t see. They lurk in the shadows. Watching. Waiting. But for what?
The better question is probably who.
“Cowards!” I yell out, but nobody answers.
They want me to feel alone, likely to drive myself crazy.
But instead, I’ve focused on trying to summon up my powers that have been stifled.
