The Devil You Know

by Zahra Stone

  “Yes. But if you’re waiting for me to thank you for saving me, don’t hold your breath.” I sat up and scooted to the far side of the bed, away from him.

  He chuckled, but there was no humor in the sound. “And if you’re waiting for an apology, ditto.”

  I stood up and faced him, idly smoothing the white gown over my hips. It was really rather lovely but not something I’d wear unless I was going to a ball. And I had absolutely no intentions of going to a ball anytime soon.

  “You let him take me,” I pointed out. “You could have stopped him then and there, but you let him take me. I think that deserves an apology.”

  He was silent for a moment, watching me. He hadn’t moved from his chair, which was a good thing because despite him healing me and taking me from the dungeon, I wasn’t sure I could trust him. This could all be a trick. Punishment of a different sort. One to play with my mind, with my emotions.

  “You broke the rules. You had to be punished.”

  “Considering I don’t know the rules, that’s a trifle unfair, wouldn’t you say?”

  He cocked his head then nodded. “Fair enough. But I’m sure you had a fair idea that spiriting them out of here wasn’t going to be acceptable to mother.”

  This time I nodded. “True. So…what now? Is this my new cell? Did I get an upgrade?” I waved an arm around the room, full of French-inspired furniture, tapestries, lush carpet, and thick velvet drapes. Purple, of course.

  “This is a guest room. If you misbehave, you’ll be returned to your cell.”

  “And if I behave?”

  “Then you have free reign of the castle. Within reason.”

  “The castle? We’re in a castle?” I rushed to the window, pushed the drapes aside to look outside. What I saw sucked the breath from my lungs. We were perched on top of a mountain. I could see part of the castle—it was huge, and below us, down in the valley, I could see a silver city. In the skies flew dragons of every imaginable size and color.

  “Wow.” I breathed. It was breathtakingly beautiful. “So, this is Toqith?”

  “Yes. Your new home.”

  He’d come to stand by my side, to look out over our mother’s kingdom. I shook my head. “This is not my home,” I said. “It will never be my home. She may force me to stay, strip me of my powers, but I will be waiting, watching for a way to leave, for this is nothing more than a gilded prison to me. I have my own home to get back to.”

  “Hell is gone,” he said flatly.

  “I don’t believe that.” I couldn’t. For if I gave up the notion that Hell couldn’t be saved, then I’d fall into a pit of despair so bottomless I’d never climb out. I had to believe I could rebuild. For Levi was there. I could still feel our bond and knew he was there. Surviving. Waiting for me. And I would move Heaven and Earth to return to him; I’d never rest in my quest to be with the man I love.

  “Then you are foolish.”

  “Gabriel, what has become of you?” I turned to him then, clasped his hands in mine, truly anguished at what had become of my brother. “Michael is lost, I can see that his soul is tainted, and there is no saving him, but you? You are good. How can you let this happen? How can you help them? Lilith is destroying all that we hold dear.”

  “She is our mother. We owe her our loyalty.” He wouldn’t meet my eyes, instead looking over my head at the vista outside.

  “And what of Father? Do we not owe him loyalty?”

  “I…”

  The door opened before he could finish, and Ashliel strode in, red hair blazing.

  “Ashliel!” I’d never been happier to see her. “You found me! Tell me it isn’t true. Hell isn’t fallen!” Not giving her time to answer, I spun to Gabriel. “See! Hell can’t be fallen if Ashliel is here to rescue me.” Back to Ashliel. “Is Lilith captured?”

  Gabriel barked out a laugh, and I looked at him in surprise.

  “Oh, Lucy.” He was shaking his head, his eyes back to being puppy dog sad.

  “What?” I looked from him to Ashliel and back again. “What’s going on?”

  Ignoring me, Ashliel crossed to Gabriel and slapped him on the back. “Good to see you again, Gabe.”

  Gabe? She called him Gabe? Were they…friends?

  “Look at her face…it’s priceless.” She chuckled, laughing at me. Laughing. At me. I frowned. What the fuck was going on here?

  “Just tell her,” Gabriel muttered, looking uncomfortable.

  “Oh, fine. You spoil all my fun.” Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she faced me head-on and said, “The truth is, Lucifer, I’m with Lilith. Always have been from day one. You were right thinking you had a spy in Hell. Tadaa! That spy is me, fooled you—fooled you all.”

  My mouth dropped open. I had no words. None. I was numb with the shock of her betrayal. All along, she’d been spying on me for Lilith? My friend, my second in command, was a traitor? I was shaking my head, unable to believe it.

  “But…you…when? How?”

  “Lilith and I were friends in Heaven before she left. She knew things were going south with your dad, so when he put you in charge of Hell, she asked me to go with you, keep an eye on things, help her put her plan into motion.” Ashliel shrugged as if it were no big deal.

  I sat on the edge of the bed, unable to believe what I was hearing.

  “Oh, look, she’s gone comatose.” I’d never heard Ashliel’s voice so gleeful. How had I missed this? I looked at her now with narrowed eyes. She let the façade drop, and I could see the evil surrounding her, like poison, like Michael. Her eyes were dark with it. Her hair no longer flamed; instead, it flowed over her shoulder in sleek tresses of chocolate brown with just a hint of purple. Lilith’s color. She bore Lilith’s color all along.

  “Come on.” Gabriel grabbed Ashliel’s elbow and led her to the door. “She’s had enough for one day.” They left, the door clicking quietly behind them. I heard no key turning in the lock and knew I should flee, but I couldn’t make my legs move. I was frozen in shock.

  Something wet landed on the back of my hand, and I looked down, frowning when another drop fell on it. Water. Was the ceiling leaking? I glanced up, but there was no leak to be seen. Then I realized it was me. I was crying again; tears were flowing down my cheeks and splashing onto my hands. I couldn’t stop them, yet I wasn’t sobbing. It was as if my eyes had turned into waterfalls. The tears kept coming and coming, yet I was numb inside. From almost dying at the hands of Michael to Ashliel’s betrayal, I wasn’t sure I’d survive this day after all—my heart was in pieces. The only thing that kept me going was knowing, somewhere out there, somewhere in the Universe, Levi was alive and waiting for me. I just had to get to him.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The slap on my cheek stung, but I didn’t show her that. I’d tried to escape three times now, and Lilith was getting tired of it. This time I’d made it out of the castle and had been halfway down the mountain when one of her dragons had scooped me up and deposited me back to the castle where Lilith had been waiting.

  “This is too much, Lucifer,” she scolded, fire and ice dripping from her words. “Stop resisting your fate.”

  “This isn’t my fate. I don’t believe in fate. I make my own destiny.” She hated it when I remained calm, when I showed no emotion. The first time I’d been stopped, I’d been blazing with anger, and it was as if she fed off it. The second time, I’d been desperate, I knew it leaked through despite my best intentions, and she soaked it up like a sponge. I was on to her now, though. This time I kept a tight lid on my emotions, but that didn’t mean I’d given in. I’d never stop trying to escape. Never.

  “My words will never convince you, but I have something that will.”

  I studied her face, her skin as smooth as porcelain, poreless and pale, her dark hair and brows in stark contrast. I idly played with the ends of my own hair, knowing I bore a strong resemblance to the woman in front of me.

  “And look what you’ve done to your dress,” she admonished, taking in the
torn and dirty white dress I’d been wearing for the last three days, my tangled hair still contained twigs and leaves. But I didn’t care about the dress, didn’t care about anything other than getting out of here. I planned to get as far away from her as possible, so far away that her magic would lose its hold on me—I hoped. For without my magic, I couldn’t leave this dimension.

  She peered intently at me for another moment before seeming to get tired of the conversation. “Never mind. It’s time.” With a wave of her hand, my dress changed, my hair fixed, my attitude not.

  “Seriously?” For now, I was dressed in purple. Her color. I still wore the white dress, restored to its former glory but over the top a tunic of purple with silver trim. “And time for what?” I asked, watching as the guards at the door pulled it open, and my brothers walked in, followed by Ashliel. The sight of her stung, and my emotions almost fell out. The hurt. The anger.

  “Ready, Mother?” Michael asked, approaching her and holding out his arm. Lilith linked hers through it and nodded. They turned and headed to the large double doors on the opposite side of the room, Gabriel linking his arm with Ashliel and falling into step together.

  “Bring her,” Lilith called, and my arms were seized, and I was propelled forward with a guard on either side.

  “What’s going on?”

  No one answered. We continued in a silent procession, down a hallway, and into a vast, decadent room. The ceilings were at least two stories high, and purple drapes abounded. On a platform at one end sat a throne, gold arms, and back, purple cushions.

  “What’s this place?” I said more to myself than anyone else.

  But Gabriel answered, “The throne room.”

  Of course, it was. I sighed. All the dramatic flair, the pomp, and ceremony of it all were wearing thin.

  Lilith regally made her way up the three steps to the throne, turned, and sat. Michael stood to her left, and Gabriel moved to her right. Ashliel curtsied—curtsied—and then settled onto her knees at the foot of the steps. I watched it all with my mouth hanging open. What was going on? Was this some sort of coronation? The doors opened, and people began filing in. I was hustled to the side, my guards keeping a firm grip on my arms, while the room filled, everyone approaching Lilith, bowing or curtsying before moving aside.

  Space had been left in the middle of the room, directly opposite Lilith. A second later, I knew why. Guards carried in two clear boxes. In one of them, the Sword of Angels. The other housed the Sword of Souls. I ached to call the Sword of Souls to me, but our connection was blocked, and all I could do was tug against the hands holding me, earning myself an angry reprimand from one of the guards.

  Lilith shushed the crowd. “It is time.”

  “Time for what?” I muttered, flinching when I realized she’d heard me and cast her dark eyes my way.

  “It is time to call the witnesses.” She smiled triumphantly and nodded at the guards carrying the swords.

  “You’re down a couple.” The words slipped out before I could stop them, but defeating Keres and the Valkyrie had sent them back to their own dimensions, Lilith wouldn’t have enough witnesses to do what she planned, and that pleased me.

  “Silence!” Evidently tired of my interrupting commentary, a gag appeared over my mouth, pulling tight around my head, and I raised my eyebrows in surprise and challenge. Did she think I’d stay silent forever? True, I was powerless right now, but I was still me. I stood by my beliefs and loyalties, and shutting me up wouldn’t change that. I had every intention of escaping this realm as soon as I was able. I had my family to get back to.

  Using tongs, for only the creators could handle the swords, the Sword of Angels was laid on the floor, then the Sword of Souls laid diagonally over the top. A flash of light shot straight up into the air, dazzling in its intensity, before a display of fireworks that changed into an orb with nine symbols blazing. My eyes widened when I recognized the symbols as the same as the sigils engraved on the Gates of Hell.

  One by one, the symbols popped and disappeared. As they did so, a witness arrived. All-female. All magnificent. Strangers who I’d never seen before, yet on a fundamental level, I knew who they were. Bellona, Goddess of War. Selene, a Moon Goddess. Aphrodite, Goddess of Love. Nut, Goddess of the Sky. Hestia, Goddess of Fire. Gaia, the Earth Goddess. Amphitrite, Queen of the Seas. Freyja, a war Goddess. And Nyx, Goddess of the Night.

  “Who has summoned us?” Freyja demanded, “Who dares to call upon us in such a manner?”

  “It was I.” Lilith stood but didn’t descend, standing above the powerful entities in front of her. “Lilith, daughter of the Night.”

  I blinked. I’d never heard her describe herself that way before.

  The witnesses turned in unison and studied the woman who had summoned them. They didn’t look happy. Not at all.

  “And what makes you think you have the right to call upon us,” Bellona, the Goddess of War, drawled, hand curling around the hilt of a sword strapped around her hips. “You are not a goddess.”

  “I am married to a God,” Lilith replied. “I am the wife of Elohim.” I couldn’t contain my eye roll, to use Dad’s name to gather favor was outrageous. She’d left him and was doing her utmost to destroy him. I tried to speak, but the gag held firm, muffling my words. Still, it drew the attention of the Goddesses gathered, and they all looked at me with great curiosity before turning their attention back to Lilith.

  “You bind your own child?” Aphrodite asked, an edge to her voice indicating she was displeased.

  “She is yet to learn her place,” Lilith replied. “No matter. She is not why I have called you here. I have called the witnesses to rule against Elohim, to take action.”

  “The accuser is not present?” Hestia looked around. “I have not seen Eli in some time. Why is he not here?”

  “I need you to hear my case first.” Lilith sounded confident, but I noticed the way she clenched her hands into fists by her side. She didn’t like answering to the Goddesses, I realized. But she needed them. Needed them to punish God. I wondered what lies she was about to spin.

  “This is a domestic dispute?” Nyx sounded angry, and Selene and Bellona began whispering to each other.

  Lilith had the grace to look worried before smoothing her face back into a neutral expression. “Elohim neglected me. I am his wife, and he neglected me, forcing me out of my home.”

  “This is not a case for the witnesses. This is gross misconduct of power,” Freyja replied, gathering nods from the other Goddesses present.

  “I have called you. You must hear me out. It is the law,” Lilith said triumphantly.

  The Goddesses looked at each other for long silent moments, and I realized they were communicating telepathically with each other. I closed my eyes in relief. They would see through her, see through this pathetic charade, and put an end to it. I would be free. My eyes widened in surprise when Freyja nodded her head,. “Very well. We will hear your case. But Elohim must be present, and he is to be given the same opportunity. His side must be heard. We will then make a ruling.”

  “But…” Lilith protested.

  Freyja cut her off. “That is the law. Do you wish to proceed?”

  Lilith nodded, but I could see the tension in her, the way her breaths were coming short and shallow, the bead of perspiration on her upper lip. She had thought to summon all women, to gain favor with them against a man who she believed had wronged her. I had a feeling she was about to be sorely disappointed.

  “Very well. We shall summon Eli, and then we will begin.”

  The women formed a circle and held hands, closed their eyes, and a second later, Father appeared. By his side, Dacian! I choked against the gag, my eyes filling with tears. Dacian was alive. Father had saved him. I stepped forward, but the guards jerked me back into place.

  “What is the meaning of this?”

  I met Dad’s eyes, saw the change in him immediately. He was stronger now; he was back. I closed my eyes briefly, thankful. I wrig
gled again, wanting to join my father, but the guards held firm, fingers digging painfully into my arms.

  Dacian saw and pushed through the circle of Goddesses, sword drawn. “Release her at once!” he demanded.

  They didn’t. But I felt their hesitation, saw them look to their Queen, and then back at the threat of the angry angel who had a sword resting against one of the guard’s throats.

  “Do not make me draw blood.” Dacian warned, voice deep and low, the threat genuine. “For this is a fight you cannot win.” A second later, the guards released their grip, and Dacian was reaching up to remove my gag gently.

  “Okay?” he whispered.

  I nodded, my eyes filling with tears again. “You’re alive!” I hugged him, my arms wrapping around his neck, tight.

  He returned the hug with one arm, the other keeping a firm hold of his sword. “Thanks to your dad. We’ve been looking for you.”

  “My magic has been suppressed,” I murmured. “I couldn’t leave.”

  “We got the key. Knew you had to be alive,” he replied, voice equally low.

  But Dad heard us, and he turned to Lilith, his voice shaking with rage. “You took her magic? Her power?”

  Lilith swallowed, shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “That’s not why we are here!” Her voice went up. “I called the witnesses to hear the case against you. Lucifer has nothing to do with this!”

  “Other than you kidnapped me, held me here against my will, and allowed me to be tortured by my own brother!” I shouted, my anger rising.

  Startled gasps echoed around the room, and Dad took a step toward her. “You tortured her?” he growled, his voice so menacing even I shivered. I’d never seen him angry. Ever.

  “I didn’t!” she cried, looking frantically to Michael, who was standing in stoic silence.

  “You told him to punish me. He did. You allowed it.”

  “Punish. Not torture,” Lilith corrected.

  “So, why have a dungeon? All equipped for inflicting pain?”

  “Michael?” Dad cut across us, his eyes drilling into his sons. “Explain.”