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“We can’t let her come,” I say, tightening my jaw.
“For once, I agree. Riella needs to close Lucifer’s portal to Hell. It’s the only way to suppress his power.” Dagan sits up on his elbow. “The veil grows too thin. If we don’t hurry, all of the planes will collide.”
Shit. This is as bad as I thought.
With Lucifer rising from Hell comes the apocalypse.
It very well might be the End of Times.
37
Devil in Disguise
Riella
Fireburnsaroundme,the heat of Hell baking my bones. I startle awake, but nothing changes. Fire climbs the world around me, doming over me as if I’m trapped in a flaming bubble. Damien and River are no longer by my side, and I grab at black stones, crushing them between my fingers.
“My warrior, don’t panic.” Dagan’s voice swirls through the air, humming against my ears as if he’s everywhere and nowhere.
“Riella, focus on me. I need you to concentrate. Something happened. We were caught off guard, and Lucifer managed to trap us in a Hell circle. We need you to listen.” Storm’s voice stabs me in my very being, igniting a wave of panic. They were never supposed to confront Lucifer. All they were supposed to do was locate him and call us.
My mouth dries, and I lick my lips, staring at the bright flames engulfing the world. I concentrate on Storm’s voice, trying to imagine him standing before me, but a part of me doesn’t want to see him in this flaming abyss. I don’t want him anywhere near Hell.
“That’s my good queen. Keep focusing. We can almost see you through the veil in your mind.” Dagan materializes in front of me, his presence like a black void while Storm’s lights up the world like a white orb of pure angelic light. The striking contrast is the most magnificent thing I’ve ever seen. How two entities could be so different and feel the same and so incredible is beyond my scope of knowledge.
I gasp as the flames explode like red and orange blasting fireworks, raining down over all of us until I see Storm and Dagan come into complete focus. But I can’t touch them. I can’t move from my spot. This is all in my mind as they connect to my very being.
“Thank God, Riella. I’ve been so afraid. Lucifer plans to use us as bait, so we need to strategize. I had a vision of him and Adriel. They both want to use you against each other. Lucifer expects you to come running here to save us, but we need you to find his Hell portal and close it off.” Storm flickers in and out of my vision, his spirit struggling to hold on.
“If you cut off his access to Hell, it’ll weaken him and stifle his power. It’ll give us a fairer fight.” Dagan steps toward me only to vanish completely from my mind’s eye.
The fire fades, disappearing, and I can no longer feel Storm or Dagan.
I snap my eyes open and stare at the dark room around me. I don’t know how long I’ve been sleeping, but Damien and River remain by my sides.
“What’s wrong, angel?” Damien groans and stretches his arms over his head.
I scoot toward the edge of the bed and ruffle my black wings, searching for the first shirt I find. “Lucifer captured Storm and Dagan. He’s trying to use them as bait. We have to go.”
River sits up. “What the fuck? This wasn’t supposed to happen. He wasn’t supposed to confront him.”
“Their shields must’ve faltered.” Damien hands me my pants, letting me use him to brace against to slide them on.
“Whatever happened doesn’t matter. We need to go. Dagan says we must close Lucifer’s Hell portal. It’s the only way we’ll get a chance to destroy him.” I swivel on my feet, gazing around the room. “Get every weapon you can. I want you guys to get to Dagan and Storm. I will handle Lucifer. This is what I fell for.”
River frowns. “But—”
Damien grabs his shoulder. “Come on. You heard our angel. We need to get the others so we can back her up.”
I quickly hug each of them and rush toward the stairs, not waiting to watch them gear up. My heart hammers, threatening to escape my body. I summon fire in my palms, watching as the power flickers over my fingers, licking my skin without burning me. If only it was enough. But it will have to do. I just need to get Lucifer to turn his back on the world to focus on me. And when he comes, I’ll be ready.
I reach the outside of the firehouse and bend my knees, launching into the air to take flight. The world blurs around me, and I open my very soul, saying a prayer to the Almighty and to the Universe. I have to find the gateway Lucifer used to cross through to the mortal realm. It shouldn’t be far from here, but I know that with it comes a huge risk. I know what happens when I get too close to Hell. It calls to my very soul, trying to lure me in. But I must resist.
There is no purpose for me to serve in Hell. I belong in Heaven. I must use this chance to climb back to the world I have known and was created for after my mortal death.
The city sprawls for miles below, and I spread my wings and glide, descending slowly, cautiously, keeping my eyes open and searching the world around me. It has to be around here somewhere. I can sense the heat rising from the buildings, and it’s familiar. It calls to me, the strange whispers begging for mercy as I hear the voices of the damned.
I spot the glowing portal, shimmering with power, disguised by darkness so that no mortal could see it. But I’m not mortal. I’m a fallen angel and no illusion can work on me.
