Chapter 44
Jase
I have known terror. Ice-cold terror that stole the strength from my muscles, froze the pulsing blood in the heart, and strangled the screams. My brother embodied that feeling when he killed our parents and went after me.
But the Devil … was so much more frightening than Andrei ever was. My hand squeezed Rachel’s, and she gripped back with equal strength, as if to assure me she was there. Andrei was a few steps ahead, while Jackson stood on Rachel’s right, frozen in fear with us.
Lucifer smiled, running a long, sharp nail down Valentina’s arm in a delicate caress. “Well, you’ve become quite the captive audience. Good. We can get started.”
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A black metal chain shot from the ground and wrapped around Rachel’s upper body, yanking her toward him and out of my grasp. She collapsed on her knees before him, thrashing against the chains that kept her arms tied down.
“You fucking piece of shit!” I growled, my fangs bared. “I’ll fucking kill you!” I charged toward him, each step fueled by a primal rage to protect her. My vision tunneled to Lucifer’s arrogant smirk.
“Andrei,” he said calmly, “restrain your brother for me.”
Andrei spun so fast I barely saw him move, his arm reaching out to grip me by the throat. His eyes were crimson, the veins bulging beneath them. He shoved me backward, but I seized his wrist and shoulder, yanking him forward so my forehead smashed into his. Using my heightened strength, I threw him off-balance and kicked him in the ribs, sending him flying back. A grunt left his lungs as he slammed into the cave wall, and a spiderweb pattern formed from the impact.
Surprisingly, Jackson made no move to attack me. His dark eyes met mine, and he gave a slow, deliberate nod. Approval? It shocked me, which left me wondering what the fuck my brother did to turn his best friend against him.
My attention snapped back to Rachel as she shouted over the chaos. “Jase, no!” she cried, the chain slowly winding up her chest toward her throat. “He’ll kill you.”
The fear painted across her face halted my steps.
Andrei was slow to rise but made no move to grab me again. It felt as if … he was waiting for something.
Shit.
Lucifer snapped his fingers again, and multiple chains emerged to keep Valentina anchored to the floor. He turned toward me with that familiar predatory grace all us monsters possessed. He raised his hand and used a slow, languid flourish to address us again.
“This is ridiculous. What exactly is your plan, Jase? Was this supposed to be a heroic rescue? Overthrowing the King of Darkness? That is very bold, I’ll give you that. But allow me to show you some pointers.”
I growled, my fangs bared and ready to tear this fucking bat’s throat out.
Lucifer spread his arms wide before swinging them together, his palms clapping with a deafening crack that boomed in my ears like thunder. My head swam from the force, and I pressed my hands against my ears, feeling blood squelch beneath my palms. The fucker busted my eardrums.
“Fuck!” The ringing in my head was all-consuming, and the world seemed to tilt beneath my feet. That’s when another concussive blast hit me square in the chest. An invisible current seized my body, icy claws wrapping around my arms and throat and freezing me entirely. My feet felt encased in ice. Panic flared in my guts. I couldn’t move.
“Jase! Jase, are you okay?” Rachel’s screams sounded so muffled in my head. My ears itched fiercely as the perforated eardrums started healing.
Shouting erupted beside me, and Andrei’s and Jackson’s curses echoed through the cave. I couldn’t see what was happening, but I heard a scuffle cut through the hum of Lucifer’s power. From the noise, I could tell Jackson was grappling with Andrei, trying to get him to calm down.
“Come on, man, please snap out of it. You can’t let that fucker get in your head,” Jackson pleaded.
There was a snapping, popping noise, and Jackson fell to his knees, a force of blistering energy shoving him down. Andrei stalked forward, pushing past Jackson, and summoned a ball of fire. The heat was unbearable, and I was sure the rocks would melt any second.
As he passed me, he threw it at Lucifer’s head.
Thank fuck.
But it was pointless. Lucifer snatched the flames mid-air, closing his fist around the magic like he was snuffing out a candle. The embers dissolved into nothing, and the asshole laughed. Fuck. I could only stare at the Devil and hope the chaos from the cave reached Lucy. She’d stayed behind below the hill, just as I ordered. Tony would have only slowed us down, and she refused to leave him behind, choosing to stand guard in case any more enemies came up the trail. Right now, though, I needed her to ignore that order and get the fuck in here, or there’d be nothing left of us to save.
We were so fucked.
“Oh, come on. This is a little too dramatic for me,” Lucifer mocked, wrapping his arms tightly around Valentina’s waist like the beast couldn’t bear to be away from her. His eyes burned with hatred as he moved closer to us, dragging Valentina behind him like a dog on a leash. “All of this fighting is just going to wear you out and get you killed.” He paused, lips curling into a wolfish grin. “Let’s calm down and have a civilized adult conversation instead.”
His gaze shifted lazily to Valentina, who thrashed against the chains. “How long?” she asked. “How long have you been on Earth, disguised as someone else?”
He reached out and tucked a red strand of hair behind her ear in a slow, intimate gesture. “Ever since Jase brought you back to life with Rachel’s blood in that church. You see, the moment they broke the spell, I climbed through the gates with my demons. Remember, darling, that blood oath you made allows me to come and go as I please so long as you live. Since then, I’ve played a little role in manipulating Andrei to hire me to work with his clan, creating this faux character named Liam, and making them all believe the Black Onyx assigned me to them. They don’t even know I exist. Nor could anyone see me unless I allowed it.”
Valentina’s breath hitched, and she tried to move away, but he only squeezed tighter on the chains.
“My love, I’ve been watching you since you awoke in that crypt. I am the Devil, of course; I see every dark heart that roams the world. But since I couldn’t step into this pentagram or use that key, I needed Andrei to do my dirty work. In time, his weak mind succumbed to my power. His obsession with your daughter was the driving force to get you back. Granted, I may have helped grow that obsession through my power. Now, he’s practically unhinged for her.”
Using my dwindling strength, I turned to look over my shoulder. My brother was kneeling, nails buried in the dirt and rubble. Andrei’s face was pure rage, but he couldn’t move anymore. We were all trapped.
“You bastard.” Valentina’s voice drew my eyes back. She scowled at him before spitting in his face. Rachel’s jaw dropped, a ghost of a laugh in her mouth, despite the shit we were in.
Instead of lashing out, Lucifer wiped his cheek with the back of his hand and then wiped it against his pants. “Oh, my queen,” he purred, tilting his head. “You’re going to give yourself wrinkles if you scowl like that. I don’t think you want to ruin that beautiful face of yours, do you?” He reached out, wrapping a crimson lock around his forefinger to brush it from her face. “A queen must be untouchable.” His voice sounded like a velvet caress. My stomach twisted in revulsion, and Rachel’s face reflected the same sentiment. “Poised, breathtakingly beautiful, and absolutely mine .” His eyes turned to a deep midnight green as he leaned to whisper in her ear. “Save that energy for when I fuck you.”
Valentina’s eyes burned with defiance, even when her body stilled under his hands. “I have told you for thousands of years that I will never be yours. Ever!”
Lucifer smiled at that. “Ah, that fire,” he mused, his fingers trailing down her cheek to her jaw. “It’s what makes you so exquisite. It’s why I chose you. You’re constantly fighting me at every turn, yet here you are. Completely at my mercy.” He leaned in, his lips barely a breath away from her ear. “Do you feel it, love? What the two of us will become together?” She jerked her head away, but his hand slid to the back of her neck, holding her so firmly she winced. “Hate and scream at me, and try to run—I welcome it. None of that fucking matters, because at the end of the day, you’ll always end up right here.” He pressed his forehead lightly against hers, his voice dropping to a low whisper. “With me. Not Cyrus. Not Darius.” He smirked. “I took care of that one for us.”
Valentina’s eyes turned dark, but all the rage inside her would still do nothing.
Rachel remained frozen like the rest of us but turned her head to look at me. I wanted to run to her—to save her — but all we could do was watch.
“Not even these chains can hold you tighter than I already do, my queen,” he purred before twirling her around and placing his grip on her throat. “Now that everyone is where I want them, it’s time for the next step of my plans.”
“What do you want?!” Rachel cried out. “She already rejected you once, you fucker. You killed the angel and destroyed that sword’s power. What more from us do you want?!”
Lucifer reached into Valentina’s pants pocket and pulled out a stone with his free hand.
“No!” Valentina cried out. “That doesn’t belong to you. It’s mine!”
Lucifer held it up to the dim light of the illuminating crystals in the cave. “This stone will temporarily break down the elements, severing all power on Earth. Unfortunately, now that I’m here in the flesh, I’m not entirely immune to getting hurt. We can play a little back in the States with the covens. I guess it’s a gift for Valentina. She’s been dying to enact her revenge on the Black Onyx Coven for years. And I’m tired of those fucking witches killing my vampires … the children that will soon unite in the Underworld with me . ”
It was then that I realized Lucifer wasn’t going anywhere. He was on Earth to stay, for now at least.
I looked back at Andrei. His head was hanging low, his disheveled dark hair covering his face. “Andrei, now’s the time for us to settle our feud once and for all. Help me fight this fucker.”
He raised his head, and my blood froze. Andrei’s dark eyes, our father’s eyes, were pitch black, the veins prominent again. Something moved behind those eyes, like smoke.
“Ah shit,” I cursed. “Jackson, I need you!”
“I can’t even fucking move,” Jackson groaned, but our eyes locked, and we both knew the same thing. Lucifer’s smoky power fully had a hold on Andrei.
Lucifer’s Cerberus advanced toward me, its hot, reeking breath skating over my cheeks. It took all my resolve not to look away as it advanced.
“Andrei, I have a task for you,” Lucifer said, standing straight.
“Of course, my king,” Andrei replied, swaying a little as he climbed to stand. Burning fear ate at me, and I thrashed harder. This version of my brother was more horrible than when I was a child in that shed.
“Once we’ve settled these matters, you’ll bring my beloved pets home. Don’t forget to feed them. They enjoy the souls of murderers for dinner and animal abusers for breakfast. My servant, Charon, will assist you with whatever you need,” he said. “Someone needs to guard the Underworld while I’m gone. And it may be a while .”
No. No fucking way.
“He’s not doing shit for you,” I warned. “Let us go, or I swear—”
“You’ll do what?” Lucifer taunted, those twin pillars of smoke behind his back dancing. “You knew, deep down, that something was off with me. Jackson suspected it, as well, but you couldn’t quite figure it out, huh?”
The beast was so close to me now that a glob of greenish slobber dripped on my arm.
Gross.
“Not to worry; I have other plans for you and Rachel.”
My eyes narrowed at the Devil, no longer caring about the deadly creature’s teeth next to my face.
With a sigh, Lucifer released Valentina’s throat, the chains rattling as he stepped forward. The twin pillars writhed faster and solidified, morphing into enormous bat wings. Crimson and black flesh that pulsed with a tangible, unholy aura. Atop his head, black, curved horns formed, the points reaching to the back of his head.
He flared his wings wide as he shouted, “Kneel!” The compulsive power in his voice slammed against all of us except Andrei, and my knees slammed into the rock floor, pain searing up my thighs and back. Rachel was also dragged to her knees and forced to face me, panic wild in those blue eyes. She tried to speak, but no words came.
We were mere feet apart, yet I couldn’t reach her.
Lucifer sauntered toward us with grace, bending his knees to rest his elbows on his thighs, eye level with us.
“You never told your brother, did you?” he asked, shifting his eyes to Andrei, who walked to his side, eyes still black. “Andrei won’t save you. My power has taken root within him, and he will obey my every word, but he is still aware of what’s happening. I can’t wait to tell him this next little secret.”
I shook my head, knowing exactly what he was about to reveal.
“Andrei, I know you fucked this pretty little thing, but I have bad news. She’s fated to your brother. They’re soulmates.” Lucifer flashed his white teeth. “This is why you stopped feeling her through the guardian bond. Jase’s connection was snuffing yours out.”
Rachel’s eyes widened, and she shook her head right before staring into Andrei’s penetrating, heated gaze. When I looked up, Andrei’s expression had changed. Though his eyes hadn’t returned to their usual brown, the deep hurt in them suggested he was close to fucking tears.
“Impossible,” Andrei said. “It’s not true.”
“Oh, but it is,” Lucifer breathed. “They even know it. Jase has known this entire time since he’s been living under your roof. I’m guessing he told Rachel about it during the brief road trip down here because, by the look in her eyes, she seems to have accepted it. In fact, she loves it.”
“Lucifer, stop!” Valentina shouted. “I’ll go with you. I’ll be your fucking queen. Just leave her alone. Leave them all alone!”
“Oh, that’s rich, coming from you, sweetheart,” he said, standing up and turning slightly to face her. “Aside from Jackson, you’re responsible for everyone’s misery in this cave. You turned these poor brothers into monsters. Murdered their parents. You created a hybrid for your own selfish needs by fucking a human man when I had forbidden it. Funny enough, that’s the reason we are all still here. My queen, albeit perfect, needs to be punished for her actions. You see, I have a secret myself.”
Lucifer looked back at us before walking toward Rachel. I struggled to break the spell that bound us, but I couldn’t move to save her. The Devil’s blackened nail extended, and he pressed his finger under her chin, raising her face to stare directly into his eyes. His other hand touched the hem of her shirt and lifted it.
“Don’t you fucking touch her!” I growled, but Lucifer only smiled and touched the rune on her stomach. Immediately, I felt mine burning to life, drawing out the power between the bond. My insides felt like they were on fire, stoked by my desperation to protect her.
“When that Hades Blood Moon occurred four months ago, a tether of power reforged their lives together,” Lucifer continued. “The first link occurred two hundred years ago, as her mother lay on the floor of the church after Jase had consumed her blood. The fate of the Underworld and the Blood Moon’s lunar influence bound their souls together. Oh yes, your little brother never lost his soul. It’s there, nestled inside. Valentina was enraged at the idea of her child being fated to another, especially him. To have Rachel’s choice stripped away and tied to one of her enemies.”
My eyes widened, and my stomach clenched painfully. I hadn’t felt nauseous in centuries, but right then, I wanted to be sick.
“Shall I read the meaning of the runes to you all?” Lucifer mocked. “ By the stars and the moon bathed in blood, let two souls become one . Poetic, isn’t it? As the stories all say, I, too, was once an angel of great power before my father cast me out and trapped me within the Underworld to rule as its king. But he didn’t strip me of all my celestial powers. One gift remained—to grant unique souls their destinies … or fate, so to speak.” His bemused smirk deepened, sharp as a blade. “Get it now? It was I who tied you two together. Not some sanctimonious goodie-two shoes, Upper World angel. Me. A fitting punishment for your mother’s … deception.”
No … he’s fucking lying. I really was going to be sick. “You like to talk, don’t you?” I choked out.
He moved closer to me now. The black energy rolling off him was suffocating. “It helps that you and Rachel understand everything. You’re not only bound as fated mates because of me but by Hell itself. Your souls? They belong to me. Ring or not, I own you. If you deny each other, you perhaps could escape the consequences. But something tells me it’s already far too late for that.”
I didn’t want to look at Andrei’s face. I could feel the murderous rage emanating from him. Lucifer’s hold over him was the only thing keeping him from killing me.
Lucifer turned his piercing gaze solely on me. Fury ignited in my chest, and my blue fire raged, desperate to burn the smug motherfucker in front of me. The feeling was searing and all-consuming within my soul—a soul I didn’t know I possessed. “Especially for you, Jase Halpert,” he continued, his voice dropping to a low, taunting whisper. “Your love for this woman burns brighter than any star in the sky or flame in Hell could conjure. I’ve seen countless souls across eternity, yet yours stands apart. Rachel may not feel that love yet, but you … you’ll endure damnation, eternal torment to keep that love alive. However, since I am benevolent , I will offer a choice.” Lucifer stood between us now. “Keep the fated bond, and your souls will remain together, but when death comes, I will take your souls to the Underworld. If you want to be free, I shall remove those marks from your body, but you’ll never see each other again, nor will you ever love another again.”
“Oh my God,” Rachel breathed.
Lucifer made a face like she’d just insulted his entire existence.
But she wasn’t paying attention to him. Her eyes locked onto mine, and something in her expression knocked the air from my lungs. She shook her head, and I wished like hell I could hear what was running through her mind.
“Jase …” My name barely made it past her lips.
I held her gaze, keeping her from looking at the bastard beside us. She had to focus on me. Not him. Not what was coming.
As if Rachel could read my thoughts, she shook her head. “Don’t,” she said softly, yet her voice was pleading. “I … I don’t want you to.”
I knew how I felt about her, but even with her begging me not to deny that fate, I still didn’t know how she truly felt.
Her head slightly turned, and a tear fell from her eye, dripping down her cheek. “I don’t know how I feel,” she said, keeping her eyes locked on mine. “But I know that whatever this is, I’m not ready to let it go.”
My gaze looked into hers, brimming with tears for me. “I would gladly surrender my soul to the shadows of Hell if it meant I could see your light every day for eternity. You have given me a reason to feel alive again—a solace for the broken parts of me. I choose you, my angel. I will always choose you.”
Andrei growled.
“Mmm,” Lucifer murmured, standing straight. “That was easy—”
The crack of gunfire filled the cavern, cutting him off—a bullet whipped overhead, slamming between Lucifer’s eyes.
As he staggered back and fell, the binding power lifted slightly. Rising to reach Rachel was like moving through thick mud. Somehow, I managed to grab her, pulling her up.
“What the hell was that?” she asked frantically.
Before I could answer, Lucifer was already on his feet, brushing debris from his legs. The cave walls started to shake as he flared his monstrous wings. There was a flash of movement by the stairs that led out of the cavern. Lucy charged inside the pentagram, Rachel’s Gunslinger revolver in her right hand. She took cover behind a large stalagmite.
There was another crack as the magic slowing us down finally fell, and I lurched forward, my fire sparking back to life. Rachel took a deep breath beside me, and cooling mist brushed against the side of my face.
Lucifer straightened, a grimace twisting his godlike features as his dark energy swirled around him like a raging storm. The hole between his eyes sealed, black tendrils pulling the flesh together, and the bullet clattered harmlessly to the floor. His green eyes shifted to that blood-red shade I knew too well, sparkling with indignant fury and something akin to amusement. “Well,” he said. “That was rude. Ironwood stings, you know.”
Lucy sprinted forward with her vampiric speed, but Lucifer was ready this time. Lucy took another shot at his head, but he quickly dodged the bullet, which smashed into the wall behind him. When she came close, her arm pulled back with a knife clenched in her fist. Lucifer seized her arm and wrenched it until the weapon dropped to the ground.
“Lucy!” Rachel screamed, throwing her hands out and sending two spears of water at Lucifer. He released Lucy’s arm and batted away the oncoming magic. Jackson grappled with Andrei, throwing punches to subdue or knock some sense back into his head.
From my peripheral, Tony appeared and sprinted to where Ezrylos fell, and the sword lay. Tony’s fingers closed around the hilt and lifted it as he ran toward Rachel. Though the wielder was dead and the runes gone, I hoped it could still do some damage. Lucifer’s smoke-like energy rushed past my head, and before I could cast a shield, it struck Tony, slamming him back into a column of stone. The sword slipped from his hand and skittered across the ground toward Rachel. We looked at each other, and she took off for the weapon. Lucy followed, taking a defensive position over Tony. She fired two more shots at Lucifer.
Valentina remained anchored to the ground, completely immobile. She screamed at Lucifer to stop, to leave her daughter alone and take her instead. The collar around her neck dug deeper into her skin, and thin streams of blood oozed out.
As I turned to help Tony, Andrei was on me, his fiery fists swinging for my head. I dodged and glanced over his shoulder to see Jackson sprawled on the ground, alive but stunned, with a smoking wound on the side of his head. Andrei’s possessed eyes locked on mine, empty and strange.
“We know what happened the last time we fought,” I taunted, conjuring flames in my hands as I ducked his blows. “Either get ahold of yourself or I’m putting you down again.” We clashed in a blaze of heat, brilliant flames locking in a dance of death. The surrounding spaces began to shimmer, and the ground beneath us glowed.
Jackson lunged at Andrei from behind, the wound in his head now healed. Though he was a blur, Andrei reacted faster. He spun fast, raising his right arm across his body, and lashed out, sending a whip of searing heat across Jackson’s chest. With a grunt of pain, Jackson fell back, a large smoking gash slicing through his shirt and skin. He rolled to his feet and snarled at Andrei.
“Focus on Lucifer!” Jackson coughed, his voice strained as he healed. “I’ll take care of Andrei.”
I barely had time to register his words when Rachel’s voice cut across the chaos. “Jase!”
I turned to see her grab the sword while Lucy helped Tony to his feet. With both hands wrapped around the hilt, she staggered a little, like the weight of it was too much. Once she steadied herself, she took on a warrior’s stance, wielding the sword high.
Lucifer paused when he saw her. His expression darkened, the smirk fading into something colder. “That won’t kill me, sweetheart. Not anymore.”
Rachel raised the sword higher, her grip steady now. Her ice-blue eyes blazed, unyielding in the face of evil. “I guess we’ll see what damage I can do, then. Maybe scar that smug fucking face of yours.”
She charged, the blade cutting through the air with an ethereal hum. Lucifer raised a hand, and a black-red whip lashed at her, but the sword cut through the magic effortlessly, meeting him head-on. The force of her swing knocked Lucifer back, slicing through his left arm and chest.
I summoned a ball of fire and threw it at Lucifer. He sidestepped the attack and raised a brow at me. “That was quite an aim. You almost got me,” he taunted.
I grinned at him. “I wasn’t aiming for you.”
Valentina looked down at the weakened binding hex now severed by my magic. She whipped the broken chains around the Devil’s arm, pulling him off balance. Rachel dipped low and sliced into his knee, making him fall. Lucy appeared from the other side, her fists finding their marks. The three women were making that bastard suffer, and I fucking loved it. I drew deep within my wells of magic, calling on the fire of all the stars. It was time to send this demon back to Hell.
For a moment, we had him cornered.
Then Lucifer let out a deafening roar, his power exploding outward in a wave that sent all of us flying backward.
My head cracked against the ground, momentarily stunning me, but I forced myself up. That was when Andrei tackled me, his arm locked around my neck. He had Rachel by the throat, and she was clawing at his hand. Lucy and Jackson lay unconscious, and Tony hunched over near the stalagmites. I heard his shallow breaths, his broken ribs dangerously close to puncturing a lung.
Fuck!
Whatever possessed Andrei had enhanced his strength. I went to use my fire again, but nothing happened. I reached up and felt his fingers, moving my hand around until I noticed he was no longer wearing the ring. It had vanished.
“Goddammit, Andrei! Fight it! You can’t let this fucking bastard control you,” I yelled, struggling against his grip around my neck. Rachel tried freezing his hand with magic, but the purple mists skated over him. The amplified demonic power possessing him was snuffing it out. We only had our strength, and it wasn’t enough.
Valentina lunged for him, but the broken chains reconnected themselves, and a force yanked her back to the ground. Lucifer stepped forward, his grin back in place and his bloodless chest wound healing. “You tried, at least,” he mocked as his lip turned up. “But it would never be enough.”
Valentina jumped forward, but the chains tightened and wrenched her back. Behind him, the earth cracked open, splitting in two as a hellish red light poured from the depths. Flames licked at the jagged edges, their heat making the air reek with the stench of brimstone and scorched earth.
“Andrei,” Lucifer called to him, “bring them to me.”
“No!” Rachel screamed, thrashing against Andrei’s grip while she attempted to slide the sword over to her with her feet.
“You’re the only one who can kill me now, Rachel, so I think it’s best you hang out below deck for a bit while I play house with your mother up here.”
She shook her head. “How could I possibly—”
“Your arm,” Lucifer said, and we all looked at her.
No. The symbols from the sword were etched onto Rachel’s forearm like a bright red scar.
“Seems my brother, before I stabbed him, did one last thing before he died. Once he stops breathing, the sword tied to his powers dies with him. So, it looks like he passed that magic onto you … a new vessel … making you the next weapon to kill me. And we can’t have that.”
Fuck. Horror now gripped my throat.
“This all worked out for the best. I needed Andrei to fall into darkness, so he could guard the Underworld in my stead. Not only that, his guardian bond was perfect for weakening Rachel and pushing her to Jase. Get my fated mates together, only to rip them apart in the end. Such misery is delicious. Now that the symbols are on your arm, I’ll have to hide you below, or the Black Onyx will really come looking for you. I’m glad Andrei will have some company while I’m gone.”
The pull of the Underworld intensified, dragging us closer as Lucy, Jackson, and Tony shouted behind us. Andrei didn’t loosen his grip. His strength, fueled by Lucifer’s will, tightened around my scalp, making it burn as he adjusted his hold and now dragged us by our hair. Hell’s gate flared to life, its heat brushing against my cold cheeks. We struggled against Andrei’s hold, but the darkness consumed us, swallowing us whole as we fell through. The last thing I heard was the echo of Rachel’s screams fading into the void.
When my feet hit the ground, I looked up. Andrei was no longer holding me, and I spun around, panicked.
“Rachel?!” I shouted, but she, too, was gone.
The Underworld was not a realm of fire and brimstone like the books said. At least, not where I stood. It was much more frightening than that. It was a world crafted from breathing shadow and ice. The ice-covered ground held no light; the air was thick with sulfur, and each draw of breath felt like iron coating my lungs. Distant screams and wails echoed off the pillars of black obsidian that peeked from the roiling darkness. It was so cold it burned my bones from the inside.
This place made nightmares look like pleasant thoughts.
As I cast my eyes around the world once more, there was a clearing of someone’s throat from behind me. I turned around, and my breath caught.
There, standing in a long black leather bodysuit, was someone I hadn’t expected.
“Well,” Meredith said, stepping out of the shadows with a broad, wicked grin that revealed her crimson-red lips. “The Underworld just got a lot more interesting. Lucifer has a brand-new favorite demon … me. And I’ve got some very specific instructions. Payback for killing me is going to be a veritable nightmare, sweetheart. Now we’re going to play my game. ”