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Ansel shifts from hoof to hoof. “Yes, my liege. You’re now the proud owner of the best penthouse hotel with a rooftop restaurant in all of Noire Canyon. The owner was reluctant to sell, but he quickly saw the error in his ways.” Smirking, the demon looks at Dagan.
Dagan adjusts his cufflinks on his black suit and smiles back, his eyes lighting with fire. “Please tell me you had the floors cleaned afterward. I don’t want my queen seeing a mess. She’s skittish toward that sort of thing.”
I glance at Riella, thankful that Dagan seems to not be able to see us. She’s far from skittish, and if she could confront him, she would. Her face reddens with anger, and heat radiates from her very core, sending flames flickering from her hands. Hopefully she doesn’t burn the firehouse down before we can pull ourselves free.
Glaring daggers at him, she says, “I’m not, nor ever will be his queen. We’ll be sending him back to Hell and sealing his ass in here forever.” She looks at me in shock at her language, and I can’t help but snort. She adds, “Oh my...I’m sorry. I can’t believe I said that!”
Chuckling, I say, “Don’t apologize to me. I’ve heard and said far worse.” We both turn back to see what else we can learn.
Dagan claps his hands together. “You know how to summon me if anything goes wrong while I’m topside. I shouldn’t be there for more than a few days. My queen won’t take long to track down, and I’ll get her to join me quickly. Now, do you have any questions?”
Ansel bows. “No, my liege. Your name is Dagan Harbinger. There is money and your ID in the safe along with credit cards. You shouldn’t need anything.”
Dagan smiles. “Well, this is going to be fun. My little warrior will be mine soon enough.”
With his words, he disappears from Hell. I can only assume a group of his followers summoned him.
Riella glares at the place he just stood. “If he thinks I’ll even—” The world blurs around us, the heat of Hell vanishing as we’re pulled out of the vision.
I gasp a breath of fresh air and steady Riella as she clings to me. We both shake off the dizziness from the vision. Something darkens in her violet eyes as she stares at the ceiling, refusing to meet my gaze. Her trembling hands tighten around mine as she composes herself, trying her best not to show how much the vision messed with her. This woman, this fallen angel, is one of the strongest, fiercest women I have ever met.
“You did great. Amazing. We now have a location for Dagan. We can use this to our advantage.” Visions show some of the possibilities of the future, after all. “Come on. We need to go tell the other two.”
Swallowing, she intakes a deep breath. “We need to get to Noire Canyon now. Humanity depends on it.”
I clench my jaw. “You should let us handle it. He wants—”
She glowers and drags me with her out of the room. “Dagan will fall by my sword. Do you understand? The demon is mine. He belongs in Hell.”
I just pray he doesn’t drag her with him.
19
Dark Desires
Riella
I’vebeentrainingmyentire angelic existence for this moment, and this time, I won’t be caught off guard. I know what Dagan is capable of and what he wants with me. The information only fuels the raging fire brewing inside me, giving me the strength and bravery I need to face one of the rulers of Hell.
With the destruction of Dagan, Heaven will be one step closer to saving humanity. By ensuring the prince never leaves Hell again, I can find my way back into Heaven’s light. I’m starting to believe this is all a test. It has to be. If I was intended to fall to Hell, I’d already be there now.
“Riella, slow down. If you move any faster, you’ll be airborne and none of the rest of us have wings.” Damien strides next to me, keeping my pace.
We entered the city limits of Noire Canyon a mile ago, and I need to figure out how to locate Dagan—Dagan Harbinger. His fake name digs under my skin. How dare he return to the mortal plane and attempt to live among humans. How dare he cross my mind, our kiss igniting something dark and exhilarating inside me. He showed me his Hell, and it still lingers.
“We need to hurry. You don’t understand how crucial the mission is.” I summon a long dagger, using the fire inside me to manifest it onto this plane. I’ll never get used to the heat that warms my skin but doesn’t burn me. It’s completely opposite from my angelic light.
“I understand, angel, far more than you realize. You can’t underestimate the Prince of Envy. If he’s not returning to the mortal plane with an army, then he has another plan. We must be cautious. I know you’ve been training to fight against Hell, but it’s not as black and white as you think. Not now, at least.” Damien laces his fingers around my elbow, forcing me to slow down.
I swivel and look at Storm and River, remaining close behind us. “What do you two think?” They haven’t said much, keeping their attention on our surroundings.
River shrugs his shoulders. “Does it matter what we think? You’re going to do whatever you want anyway, little demon.” He calls me that to mess with me, knowing that I can’t stand the thought.
Storm whacks him in the shoulder. “I think you should let us lead. We aren’t susceptible to Hell like you are. As we know, Dagan thinks he has a claim on you. If we can figure out why, we can strategize better. It’s going to take a lot more than a blade to his heart to get him to stay in Hell.”
“But a blade to the heart might make him give us answers,” I argue, ruffling my feathers, watching as one floats through the air.
“She makes a good point, brother.” River pretends to twist the knife in front of him as if I would allow him the pleasure of stabbing Dagan.
