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“Don’t resist, my queen. You’re mine. You will bow to me and accept your rightful place. We will rule Hell together. Bow and give me your power.” The guttural voice shocks terror inside me, and I sweep my leg out, trying to knock the demon off his feet. He catches himself on his tentacles, making it impossible to shove him away.
“Never. You’re not my prince. You’re not going to ever be a king.” I charge forward again, jabbing my fist into his gruesome face, trying to get him to move back again. The crack to Hell lingers behind him. If I can just get him close enough, I can push him through. I know my purpose now. This is why I jumped from grace. I’m supposed to take him out and save humanity. This is why I sacrificed everything. It’s what brought me to the demon hunters.
“If you don’t bow, then you will be my slave.” Dagan grows in height, his towering form trying to intimidate me. But all I can think about is what it would be like to send him to Hell. I need the satisfaction. I need to know that falling was worth it.
If only I had my blade.
Dagan lashes one of his tentacles at me, dragging me forward. I scream, asking the heavens for help, but no one responds. They don’t listen to the fallen. I buck my body and dig my nails into the floor, searching for anything to grab onto. Dagan yanks me closer and closer to the crack leading to Hell. I brace for agony. I brace for darkness.
Two familiar voices shout in unison as River and Storm chant an incantation. The wall of flames parts, and I see Damien and the two hunters standing on the other side. They caged us in. But they realize that I’m no longer enchanted. If only I could get free.
Caused by my desire for freedom, my hands light up with hellfire. I gasp at the energy coursing through me. Dagan drags me closer to Hell, and my body slackens as if my very being refuses to resist. Oh, no.
“Riella, damn it! Fight!” Storm shouts, continuing to chant alongside River.
Damien growls. “If he takes you...”
I screech, twisting my body and throwing myself back hard enough to jerk my leg free of his hold. Dagan snarls and whips another of his tentacles at me, snatching my wrist. The world shakes as the crack widens, and he brings Hell to us. My body trembles in fear. I’ve never felt this emotion in my life until today. But I can’t let it consume me. I’m better than this. I’m better than this demon. I don’t need a weapon. All I need is me. I’m strong enough. I just have to believe it.
The hellfire bursts brighter in my hand, and I lock my fingers around the tentacle, searing it off. Dagan releases me with a howl. Sweat trickles over my forehead and down my hairline. I scramble to grab onto anything I can. My fingers slip across the bloody floor, and Dagan snags my ankle once more. The world zooms around me as fire burns in my vision.
My wings expand again, and I flap them, launching myself the two feet I need to grab onto the ledge before the crack closes on me. Dagan hollers and tries to lock another tentacle on me, but my hellfire explodes in my palm, turning into a blade. I almost don’t believe it. It’s my angel blade, and despite it burning my palm, I still manage to grip it. Jerking my arm, I slash Dagan again, cutting his hold free of me. The world quakes and the crack begins to close around me. Dagan falls into the depths of Hell, calling my name. Panic bashes through me. I cry out, trying as best as I can to climb free.
The light of the world above me fades, and with my last bit of strength, I flap my wings again and launch from the crack. I land on the floor, my palms splashing the sticky blood. My whole body convulses as the presence of Hell slices through me, determined to shatter me into a million pieces. But I don’t let it. It can never have me. I might have fallen from grace, but I still follow my path. I will not turn my back on what needs to be done. I will not let Hell rise.
“Holy shit, Riella. Not even Lucifer can escape the pull once it grabs hold.” Damien drops to the ground beside me, touching my shoulder and moving his hand to graze along my wings. “That’s incredible.”
I lick my lips, pushing myself up and not letting him help me. “I was only doing my job. Adriel was right. Hell is rising and Heaven’s warriors need to be ready. We need to be ready.” Turning to look at the hunters, I hold out my hand to them. “You have been blessed by the Almighty, and I was guided here to you.” I shift and look at Damien next. “All of you. I know it is my path to follow, helping with your mission.”
Storm takes my hand in his, holding my fingers. “You’re who we’ve been waiting for, Riella. I’ve seen it. You’re going to change the world.”
I can’t stop the smile from crossing my face. “And you will change it with me. If you agree.”
“Hell yeah,” Damien says, smacking both River and Storm on their backs. “What do you say, assholes? Can you manage fighting beside demons?”
They slowly nod.
I spread my black wings, the color not as shocking the more I look at them. Just because I no longer carry grace, doesn’t mean I’m any less. I’m still powerful. I’m still me. “Good. With your help, we’ll save the Universe. Humanity will finally thrive without evil. Heaven will win.”
15
Envy’s Lair
Dagan
AsIlandbackinto my small little piece of the envy realm, I glance around, pissed off that I find myself here without my queen. Nothing but dead rock and rivers of molten lava surround me. Even the trees are nothing but burnt shriveled remains of trunks. I slam my fists on the ground, causing the earth to tremble beneath me. So help me, Satan. If I get my hands on those two demon-hunting assholes and that traitor demon, they’re worse than dead. Only eternal damnation and torture will suit them.
As for my future bride and mate? She’s absolute perfection. The best part about her is that she has already fallen and is so close to giving in to the allure of Hell and my rising kingdom. It won’t take long to persuade her into the fiery depths of our future home. Today wasn’t a failure. It was a learning experience, and I can strategize a better plan of attack.
I’m going to need it.
With Riella, I can claim the throne to all of Hell as its king. All souls on this plane will be mine, and united, we can destroy everyone in our way. It’ll take Riella some time, but eventually, she’ll come around to my way of thinking, and then we’ll be unstoppable. With her by my side, we’ll rule Hell together, as it was always intended.
Stomping into my lair, which looks more like a brownstone on the Upper East Side in New York City, I slam the door shut. “Mico, where the Hell are you? I need you. Now!” I walk past the formal living room and down the vaulted hallway to my sitting area and cross it toward the bar. The whole Hell house is done up in grays, whites, and reds. Yeah, I know, not very original but it suits me. Modern paintings from those artists new to Hell adorn the walls, and the sleek, leather furniture comes from this decade on Earth. I walk over to the bar and go behind it, grabbing a crystal glass and a decanter full of a very expensive Irish whiskey. A swirl of red smoke, followed by the smell of brimstone, distracts me from pouring a glass. I really loathe the grotesque smell that follows most lowly demons everywhere.
Speaking of my least favorite lowlife... “Yeah, Your Highness, you wanted to see me?” Mico fidgets around, bouncing from foot to foot.
I swallow my whiskey and slam the glass on the bar. Looking at him, I realize just how much I hate his weaselly little eyes. They’re beady and remind me of a rat. But that’s probably closer to the truth than anything, knowing where he came from. “I almost had her. If it wasn’t for those good-for-nothing saintly assholes and a traitorous demon, she would’ve been mine and here with me now. Now I have to figure something else out. She knows the truth about who I am. I need you to go topside and see what the hell is going on.” Sending him to spy, despite my better judgment, might leave me with useless information, but I don’t want to waste one of my better henchmen.
