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I bet Cassius would hit him and call it a smiting for trying to reason with him instead of accepting that he’s all knowing. At least in his eyes.
And they say Lucian was the one who fell because of pride. No, Lucian fucking jumped because he was on a damn power trip. Maybe he thought he could do better. Have some fun. I can see how it might be a blast if you’re a ruler of Hell and not getting an eternity’s worth of punishment fucked into you. Damn. I clench my ass cheeks at the thought. I swear to everything unholy and holy across every plane that Raven better come out of Hell unharmed on every level. If she doesn’t, I’ll show the other devils what true torture is like for not being there for our girl—for my soulmate. That bond is something no one will ever have, and I won’t take it for granted.
Which is why I suppress my deep-seated need to attack Cassius.
As much as a dickhead that he is, he can help me. He can ensure that I don’t die without Raven. He just doesn’t know it yet.
“Go on, traitor,” Cassius says, snapping my attention from my thoughts. “How is it you can be of use to us? You’re standing at the edge of your life and mortal existence, still chained to Hell without even having a demonic contract anymore.”
I clutch my window frame and swallow my anger. “You admitted that the devils—that Lucian was a problem. I can help with that.”
“You keep saying you can help, but I need more than your false hope and assumptions regarding these matters.” Cassius’s bright wings glow, illuminating the world enough that I have to squint. He does it on purpose to make me uncomfortable. I know it.
“Have you forgotten that I’m one of the sinners to take a throne in Hell...like you?” I flare my nostrils and leer, loving how his smug expression falters. “I might be trapped in the apartment because of Lucian and his hope that I’ll die unbound and without Raven or the other devils to help me, but I know that he’ll fail because Raven is my soulmate and the fiercest woman I know. She will get to me before that happens.”
“I still don’t see your point, Elias. If you’re so certain that’s the case, why ask for a moment of my time?” Cassius glances at Zade as if his brethren might know the answer.
And to be honest, I’m not even sure if I know for myself. What am I doing? I should wait it out the best I can. Raven has a whole lot of Hell on her side that Lucian won’t win. It’s funny to think where my faith falls. It’s not with these angelic bastards, but I need a backup plan. I need to be certain Raven doesn’t fail to uphold her end of Lucian’s contract.
“The fucking point is that I can help convince Raven to listen to you. You know you wouldn’t have to worry about your own ass getting kicked and sent to Hell by Raven if she wasn’t determined to save her soul and create Purgatory as its queen.” I slowly inhale and exhale, trying to ease the tightness in my chest. “If you help me out of here—”
“You’re forgetting that Raven thinks her soul belongs among the other devils. She made it clear that she wouldn’t turn her back on Kase and Dante.” Cassius glowers, fisting his hands. “I’ll take my chances by leaving you here. Come on, Zade.”
Fuck. I punch the screen off the window, sending it clattering to the ground. I’ll jump on one of their damn backs and ride them down if I have to.
Except an electric shock zings through me, stealing my breath.
Something burns on my back. A mark of some sort. I can see the top of it. I couldn’t jump even if I wanted to.
“Wait! Please!” I shout, slapping my hand to the wall. “Don’t leave me here to die. My brethren, I’m asking for mercy. I love her. I can’t see her fail.”
Cassius drops down and hovers in front of the window. Zade remains a few dozen feet up, being useless and silent. I was rather surprised he was the first to show up, considering I’ve only ever seen him just watching and only getting involved in fighting if he had to. He could stand up to Cassius, but he doesn’t. Raven must’ve did or said something to get him to act.
I heave and cough, my yells setting my body off again. The edges of my vision shadow. My legs shake, threatening to give out on me. Kneeling, I rest my chin on the sill, blinking the fog from my vision. It’s all I can do as Cassius glows before me.
He sighs and rubs his palms over his cheeks, turning his gaze toward the night sky as if he can see Heaven among the faint stars, hidden by the light pollution. Closing the space, he rests one hand on the ledge and holds his other one up, testing the invisible barrier without pushing through. My head warms, but it isn’t uncomfortable or painful. It’s like I’m sinking head first into a heated pool made of something indescribable yet familiar. Heavenly light.
“I can’t heal you of your ailments because your human body is too far gone, but I hope this brings you some reprieve.” Cassius’s voice turns soft with pity.
I open and close my mouth, trying to find my voice. The pain in my side disappears as do the tender bruises on my legs. “Thank you, Cassius.” The familiarity of saying his name stirs something inside me, perhaps the feeling caused by a lost memory when we fought together for the Higher Power. “And I’m sorry. I don’t know exactly what happened before I gave Raven’s soul my angelic light, but I hope you can forgive me.”
“I have already, but I cannot let go and forget. I don’t know why your declaration of love surprises me, even now, as I heard it before when you were saving Grace. It’s rather perplexing knowing that you seem to be stuck in a cycle together, but maybe, just maybe, the Higher Power put me in your path tonight to help break it.” Cassius glances toward the sky and stares silently as if he’s having a conversation with himself—or someone else I can’t see or hear. And maybe he is.
“Break the cycle? What do you mean?” My curiosity gets the best of me. I have to know what the fuck he thinks this is all about.
“I suppose you wouldn’t remember how you fought so fiercely to keep her from us. You knew we’d ensure her angel-kissed soul would’ve found a place bound forever in Heaven and far away from the hands of the devils. How you knew that particular deaths lead to rebirth.” Cassius shakes his head. “I guess none of that matters. Now that you two have found each other and we can now break the cycle once and for all...if you do as I say.”
A dozen thoughts whirl through my mind. What the fuck is he even talking about? “Breaking the cycle better not fucking mean Raven failing to fulfill her contract.” I push up on the windowsill. “I already told you that I can’t see her fail.”
“I’m not insinuating that. What I’m suggesting is breaking this cycle the Mortal Realm seems to have you in. Unfortunately, I can’t force Raven to do the one thing that could help her,” Cassius says. “And neither can you. But there is something you can do if you truly want to save her from the grips of Hell.”
“What is it?” I ask, locking my gaze to Cassius’s. If he knows of something that could help Raven stay far away from Lucian if I should die before I escape, then I’m willing to do it. Her devils will understand, and if they don’t, then they can punish me in Hell for the rest of eternity. I don’t give a fuck as long as my soulmate doesn’t suffer at the hands of a monster.
Cassius smirks, his expression getting under my skin. “Have Lucian void her contract. If you get him to do that, then I will see to it myself that your soulmate finds peace. And who knows? Such an act of selflessness and work for the Higher Power might even sway your soul back to where you belong.”
I tip my head back and roar a laugh. “You’re fucking out of your mind. Why the fuck would Lucian do that?”
“Because he gets caught up on things that do not go his way and has always been like that. I know Lucifer better than anyone, even after all this time. His pride always gets the best of him, and Raven hurt it by choosing others. She hurt it by denying him the chance to know what it’s like to have her willingly share her soul with him. He would rather allow Heaven to obtain her than see the others cherish her. Because his envy and greed consumes him too.” Cassius shifts his jaw, his amethyst eyes shining brightly, making him freaky as fuck. He looks more devil than angel, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was about to start spitting fire. “He carries the seven deadliest sins, after all. Now that he is no longer chained to his throne, you can use it against him. All of Heaven can.”
