by Avery Rae
Gael started to laugh and pulled me up from the floor, holding me tight against him. "I'm glad you're finding this all so funny."
"If I didn't laugh, I would be crying or screaming at this point. I've literally been through Hell."
"Because of me," he replied, his eyes dropping from mine.
"Stop taking responsibility for Zachariah. None of this is really your fault. It's on Lilith and Zachariah. And you tried to help him, Gael. That was all you could do."
In the quiet of the moment, I touched my hand to his cheek and lifted his head back up. Now that I was touching him, when his eyes met mine, a fire ignited inside me. I bit down on my lower lip as I trailed my fingers along his jawline. There was a hunger there that hadn't been there before. My desire for Gael had always been strong, but this . . .
"I feel different," I whispered.
He touched his hand to mine. "Samael said he wasn't sure how much succubus would be left in you. Obviously there's some. We'll just have to find out with time."
When I leaned forward and touched my lips to his, I let out a content sigh. A simple kiss eased the fire that burned inside me, even though I wanted more. However, the footsteps in the hallway made it clear I would have to wait.
The door slid open and Samael ducked inside. His expression alone was enough to make my heart jackhammer against my chest.
"Samael?" Gael asked. "What's going on? Did you find Zach?"
"No, he's still missing." With heavy footsteps, the angel moved to stand at the foot of the bed. He let out a deep sigh as he gripped a bedpost in his large hand. "We had to lock down the fortress. Lilith is outside demanding that we either let her in or give her the succubus she sired."
"So? Tell her she's not a succubus. I was late, but not that late."
"But she is. At least, some of Lilith's blood still remains in her." Samael took a deep breath, then shook his head with a grim smile in place. "I fear that Lilith has manipulated us all, and I include myself in there just as much as you or Zachariah."
"What do you mean?" Gael asked.
"I believe she's aiming to take Lucifer's place."
"Like . . . become the Devil?" I asked in disbelief.
Samael nodded. "If she could somehow seize the throne, I fear that there would be no end to her tyranny. She would aim for Earth next, then Heaven."
"But why take over everything? What does that get her?"
"Only she knows for certain, but she's always thought that she could do everything better. Heaven and Hell have been without guidance for so long that they are truly in disorder, but I do not think Lilith is the answer."
"I don't get how Prissy and I fall into this," Gael said, echoing my thoughts.
"Lilith has long tried to sway me to her side. She needs the power of an angel to walk on Earth and within Heaven." Samael's eyes shifted to me. "Priscilla has the blood of an angel and a succubus within her. Through her, Lilith could sire more demons like her. Demons with loyalty to her and the ability to walk on Earth and enter Heaven."
"So, she wants to turn me into a demon breeder?"
"Yes, I fear that is the case."
Gael shoved a hand into his hair, struggling to speak for a moment before saying, "She couldn't possibly have predicted things would happen like they did."
"She could. She did not have to calculate exactly how things would unfold, she simply had to depend upon our personalities to play things out favorably for her.
"Zachariah is a killer. She knew Gael carried affection for you, Priscilla. Your risk of going to Ronove was high. She knew Gael would save you. And if by some chance he resisted the urge, it wouldn't have hurt her any. As for me, my weakness for humans meant I would ensure you were in front of the Tribunal and that I would take you in."
"We made it so easy for her," Gael said in disbelief.
"I was made a fool of just the same. Lilith has been at this since before she was condemned. I would have been more surprised if she was not skilled at manipulations by now."
Gael suddenly took hold of my hand. "We're leaving."
"What are you planning on doing, Gael?" Samael asked.
"Yeah, what're you planning?" I asked, confused.
"I'm going to take Prissy to Earth."
"We'll be forced to hunt you down, Gael," Samael said with sadness in his eyes. "You know that."
"And you know I'm not going to let Lilith use Prissy as a pawn."
"I understand, but Lilith won't let her go either. I guarantee her lamia are already guarding all the portals."
"We can take them."
"It will not be the end. Lilith is sensitive to betrayal and you've interfered with this plan of hers as is. She'll recruit Ronove to her cause. You'll be plagued by her demons and the souls of psychopaths. The Brotherhood will not stop either, Gael. It's our duty to hunt down any of those who escape Hell—souls and fellow demons alike."
Gael grabbed my hand the moment I slid out of bed and held it tight. "I accepted all of that the moment I made my decision."
"Then go. You never belonged down here in the first place. Run and take what freedom you can. I'll try to convince Ronove to go easy on your souls in the end."
"Thank you, Samael. It was an honor to serve you."
The towering demon actually let out a huff of laughter. "No, it wasn't."
Gael gave him a half-smile. "You were an upgrade from my last boss. I mean, he had me killed and all."
A bittersweet look crossed Samael's expression. "If only I could've helped you sooner."
I bowed my head ever so slightly to Samael. "Thank you."
"You would have made a great addition to the Brotherhood," he said with a faint smile. "Leave now, both of you. Ten minutes, then the Brotherhood will begin their hunt in earnest."
We dashed into the hallway together, where our hounds were waiting. They leapt to their feet and followed after us. We ducked out of the back of the castle and ran across the gray landscape. My heart leapt into my throat with each thump of my feet against the ashen ground, yet it wasn't from fear. It was excitement. I might have been running yet again, but it was with Gael and that made it worth it. As my powerful legs pumped to keep up with his blazing speed, I looked to my side to give him a grin and he did the same.
"Tired of fighting for your life yet?" he asked.
I had once lived my life just waiting for the end. It took reaching the end to help me realize that if I had the chance, I would do it all over again. I had that chance now, and I was going to make the best of it. Fighting for it every step of the way only made it that much better.
"Nah." My grin widened. "Let's go fight some lamia."
23
Priscilla
As Gael and I approached the portal, it was eerily quiet. Our labored breaths and the crunch of the ground beneath our feet stood out in stark contrast. I slowed my pace as we crested the hill. Gael did the same, scanning the area with a hard set to his expression.
"Samael was right, wasn't he?" I asked. "They're here?"
Gael pointed to the ground. There were smooth, curved grooves in the ash, as if something had slithered through recently. If I had to guess, I would say that meant the lamia had come to play. I swallowed deeply and nodded, readying myself for the battle to come.
We started toward the portal. I swiveled my head from side to side, keeping an eye out for any signs of danger. Atlas and Drina stalked low to the ground alongside us as we moved.
My heart skipped a beat as the red sky flashed with a burst of lightning that slammed into the surrounding trees. The sky rumbled and the trees crackled and glowed as fires roared to life in their branches. Between the burning branches, I saw the same chilly eyes from the shadows of Lilith's palace. They bobbed up and down as they drew closer. Hissing and rattling began to fill the silence, starting low and building with each passing second.
I looked at Gael out of the corner of my eye. "These must be the lamia?"
"Keep an eye out for their bite and the tail."
>
"Bite?"
A shriek pierced the air as the first lamia shot out from the darkness, the bottom of her body resembling a snake, her top that of a human woman. A mouth, gaping open unnaturally wide, told me all that I needed to know about her bite.
The lamia's teeth were needle-sharp, and she had two particularly long, nasty-looking fangs. They dripped with viscous saliva as she slithered toward me. It was hard not to stare even as my body trembled and itched for me to run. For some reason, I had thought the lamia would be beautiful, like the rest of Lilith's progeny, but this creature was straight-up horrifying.
"I see why you stick to the darkness," I said as I dodged the lamia's first strike. Her jaw clacked together from the force of her bite as she got nothing but air. It didn't faze her. She was already rounding on me for another when I lowered myself to the ground, picked up a handful of ash, then tossed it into her mouth. Her hideously stretched mouth snapped shut. She almost looked normal as she coughed and sputtered.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gael fighting a second lamia with Drina and Atlas running for a third. Atlas let out a mighty growl and leapt into the air, powerful jaw locking around the lamia's midriff. Before she could recover, Drina hit her from the other side. That makes this one all mine.
I barreled forward and slammed into the lamia, taking the creature to the ground. I held her there, unsure of what to do, as she hissed and began to wrap her tail around my legs. The incessant buzz of her rattler made it hard to focus on what she was doing, and I was going to pay the price if I didn't think of something fast.
For all the strength I had, it was nothing compared to the slab of dense muscle constricting around my knees. Even as she fought, she began to crush them together with such force that I couldn't help but cry out. As I struggled with her upper half, she began to dislocate her jaw again, those long fangs extending once more. Each wet crack of flesh and bone made my stomach turn.
She reared her head back to bite me. In a flurry of movement, I let her go, then grabbed her by the lower jaw, her sharp teeth sinking into my fingertips. As she pushed forward, I shoved upward. Her tail went slack around my legs. I looked up at my handiwork and saw her fangs piercing through the bottom of her mouth. Her serpentine eyes were wide with shock. There was just enough of a gap left in her bite for me to painstakingly pry my fingers from her teeth.
"Jesus Christ," I murmured as I got to my feet and stumbled backwards.
"I don't know that he would approve," Gael said as he moved beside me. It was a relief to see that he was none the worse for wear, despite a few scratches here and there. The lamia he'd been fighting was sprawled out on the ground, her dislocated and dented rattler lying near her head.
"Did you seriously bludgeon her with her own rattler? Grim."
"Like you have any room to talk. Why didn't you just use your fancy new sword?"
The sword was still strapped to my back. I had completely forgotten about it. I gave Gael a crooked smile. "Old habits?"
I looked down at my hands, coated in my own blood. The holes from the lamia's sharp teeth were already healing over, but it still wasn't a pretty sight. I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. "You're not wrong."
The lamia fighting our hounds let out a frustrated shriek and slid away from them. In a flash, she scooped her wounded sisters up from the ground. With a hiss over her shoulder, she helped them limp—or, rather, slither—less-than-smoothly away.
"Should we just let them go?" I asked.
"They're too fast. Besides, we have somewhere else to be." Gael pulled me against him, taking my lips in a fierce kiss. When he finally relented, he pulled away and said, "It's only going to get worse from here, you know that, right?"
"You say worse—I say better."
"You know how to make a guy feel loved."
"I do, you know that?" I brushed my lips against his. "I love you, Gael. I don't know how I can be so sure of that, but I am."
"Same here," he replied with a grin—one that faded as he looked off into the distance. "Berith?" His confusion had me following his line of sight. I saw war banners lifted high into the sky. At first, I smiled at the sight of Berith's legions—I was a little honored at the thought that we deserved so many—but then I saw the rapid flicker of black slithering along the ground in front of them. They weren't just coming for us. They were chasing Lilith.
"We need to get the hell out of here."
Gael lifted a brow. "We need to get the hell out of Hell?"
"I'm going to do such terrible things to you later."
"You promise?"
"Absolutely. Now, let's get a move on." I clapped my hands together and pointed toward the portal. "Drina, Atlas, let's go."
They bounded toward the portal but quickly stopped in their tracks. They bared their teeth in matching snarls at a large, inky black serpent. It looked like Lilith, but smaller, and had curled itself around the portal.
"Sister," the snake hissed in a voice that was hauntingly familiar, "you cannot leave us. Lilith would be so very disappointed."
"Delilah?" I asked.
"Yes, my sister. Do you see? You can feel me just as I feel you. We are family. We are bound. We—"
"It was actually just a guess," I interjected with a frown. The little time I had spent with the pleasure demons had given me my fill of their dramatics. "Move, or we'll make you."
Delilah laughed—which I now knew was creepy when a giant snake does it. "I'm no fighter. But he is."
"Prissy!" Gael shouted. But it was too late.
24
Gael
I wanted to punch myself for being so unaware. Zach had Prissy pinned against his chest. I hadn't even heard him coming—not surprising considering he was a scheming little fucker. Sneaking came with the territory. I still shouldn't have let my guard down. I had been too focused on the stupid succubus blocking our exit.
Zach smirked at me. If he wanted me to beg and plead for him to let Prissy go, Zach didn't know me half as well as he thought. That made sense, considering he decided I'd appreciate him killing the woman I loved. I would make sure it didn't happen twice even if it meant killing a fellow brother.
I let out a sharp whistle and Drina snapped her fiery eyes to me. I started to run, and she did the same, flanking Zach from the back. I leapt into the air, fist yanked back, but then I saw it—a stone not unlike the ones we used to capture souls. Only this one carried an ember inside. Fire from Lucifer himself. It could rip the soul from a demon and Zach was holding it in front of Prissy's chest.
"Drina, stop," I shouted as I dropped to the ground and rolled to the side. When I looked up at them, teeth clenched in fury, Zach only smiled.
"Now we can talk, hm?"
"You going to plead your case again?" I couldn't help but laugh. "I've already tossed it out, Zach, because it was bullshit."
He jerked the stone closer to Prissy again. "Maybe you shouldn't talk to me like that. Things can get a lot worse, my friend."
"Gael?" The confusion and fear in Prissy's eyes tore my heart to shreds, but I kept it from my face. She had no idea what the stone could do, but she was smart enough to know it was bad.
"What do you want from me, Zachariah?" I growled.
"It's not Zach anymore, is it? I thought we were the best of pals."
"Back when I thought you actually wanted help. You got me good, but then again, that's exactly what a sociopath does, isn't it? Put on a nice face and fool everyone because you're too fucking broken and empty inside to do anything for real."
"Perhaps. But I liked you, Gael. I did this for you. Who do you think told Lilith about her? I was only trying—" Zach's next breath came out in a wheeze. Prissy's elbow was jammed into his stomach. In a blur of movement, she had him on the ground, the arm with the stone locked between her legs. I had never seen Zach taken down like that, but then again, he probably underestimated her. That was a huge mistake.
Sensing their chance, Drina and Atlas closed in on Zach with te
eth bared. If he even breathed wrong, they would rip him limb from limb, and no demon could heal from that.
Prissy gave me a crooked smirk. "You gonna come get this stone of unknown dangers or what?"
I shook off my surprise and rushed forward to snatch the stone from his hand.
"I wish I could kill you again," Zach seethed at Prissy, his scowling face bright red. "You made the most pitiful noises when you were on the ground, like a little kitten—" Prissy's fist connected with his jaw before he could finish. I winced at the crunch of bone, which was soon followed by his pained cry. Sucked to be him. His teeth and jaw had been taking a real beating lately. Not that he didn't deserve it.
"You sound pretty fucking pitiful yourself," Prissy hissed at him. She was still looking down when a large shadow loomed over us. Not again.
"Priscilla—" My warning came too late. But she wasn't the target this time.
I was.
25
Priscilla
Darkness crashed down around me. A strangled shout that wasn't my own filled the air as I was knocked backwards, landing in a cloud of ash. I heard the hounds growling and snarling as they gave chase to whatever hit me. I scrambled to my feet. Orange-red eyes glowed from within the ash, but I knew they weren't Gael's.
"Looks like we get some alone time." Zachariah stalked in a circle around me, his form obscured by the particles in the air. "I'd sure love to kill you again, but Lilith wouldn't like that. Don't worry though. There's still fun to be had."
My stomach churned at thoughts of what Zachariah considered fun. I didn't want to find out for certain. I backed away, trying to keep one eye on him as I looked for Gael.
"Gael?" I called out. There was no reply. "Gael?!"
"He's not here anymore, buttercup." Zachariah chuckled. "I imagine Lilith has killed him by now."
