Chapter 17
The Death Lotus vibrated in my palm.
I’d taken it. There was no going back now.
I held it up to my face and breathed in its coursing power. Its petals glittered like black diamonds and an immense wave of magic surrounded it in a mystical aura.
The power of its dark magic seeped into my skin, immediately changing me and forcing me to suck in a breath.
The touch of the Death Lotus was electric. An irresistible calling to devour its essence made my heart race.
It was almost alive, vibrating with ancient energy that was both terrifying and beautiful all at once.
This was Kaito’s creation. I felt him as the flower seeped its power into my skin.
Holding it to my chest, the world around me came to a standstill.
Time had frozen. Lucifer’s wings were spread and his tail was in the air, suspended as if caught in a powerful gust of wind.
Logan’s wolf was also in midair, his jaws open as if trapped in a roar of warning.
Asher himself was still, his red eyes glowing and alight with power as he watched me.
The army of Derek’s men and shadow wolves were caught in an array of battle stances, claws extended and daggers ready to launch at Lucifer.
Another chandelier that had been sent crashing to the ground remained suspended above us like a golden sun, its light refracting off the walls and creating a kaleidoscope of colors.
The atmosphere within the time-frozen space was heavy with energy that emanated from the Death Lotus that seemed to draw in all the magic around it and absorb the light.
And all of it was seeping into me.
I released a rising cry as something inside me tore open. My hidden angelic genetics had been dormant, but now they exploded.
Memories rushed in of another part of me that had traversed time and space.
I had spent a year with the twins. I had taught Cole a lesson.
I’d never been strong enough to awaken the divine part of my soul—but now it burned to the surface hotter than Hellfire.
The Death Lotus wasn’t just a creation of Hell. Kaito had made it, and he was a little bit of both.
He had been an angel before his fall. His time in Hell’s Heart as a caretaker had made this powerful bloom.
He’d had a hand in creating Ambrosia, too.
It was little wonder that my angel twins hadn’t found success in cultivating it.
I found him watching me from the doorway. He was the only one able to move during this standstill in time.
He approached me, crashing to his knees as I assumed my full form.
My power as a Champion of Calamity rushed all of my gifts to the surface.
The power over Hell.
The power over death.
The power over life.
Everything.
All of it coursed through me; a thousand times more powerful than any magic I had ever wielded before and the room began to tremble with the intensity of my awakening.
A dark energy encased my body in a protective bubble, pushing away any threat as golden chains formed around Lucifer’s wings and torso.
A crown pressed on my forehead. It was a combination of my Hell Crown and my crown of Angelstone Dust.
For the first time, I found a balance between the two opposing forces. Wielding both at the same time generated incredible power. Like two sides of a magnet, they pushed against one another and I kept them in place.
Forcing a generation of infinite energy.
Enough energy that could contain even a force such as Calamity.
“Move,” I said, pushing my voice toward Logan and Asher.
Their bodies slid across the room, leaving Lucifer alone so that I could begin my work.
“Chained,” I ordered. “Imprisoned,” I commanded.
The air around me crackled with electricity as my wings expanded behind me. Bejeweled feathers shimmered down my angel’s wing. My left wing was borrowed from Cole, but my powers accepted it as my own, hardening the thick skin and turning the talons into long, deadly shards of onyx.
With a single beat of my wings, magic swelled inside of me and I lifted into the air.
My body hovered through magic alone. My wings behaved as a balance to my powers rather than a means of propulsion.
I waved my hand and power surged at my command. The space around Lucifer melted into a golden sphere, refracting the light as magic broke reality.
I knew in this moment I was the most powerful creature to exist.
And it wasn’t going to last.
The powers of Heaven and Hell fought a battle inside of me, desperately trying to push the other away.
My skin stretched and my bones pulled.
I’d be torn apart if I held onto this much longer.
Luckily, Balthazar was going to take this power. Perhaps he knew I wasn’t yet ready to wield it, not without all of my mates to keep me in one piece.
It was a necessary loss, one that was going to buy me the time I needed.
Mind set, I continued my work of building a prison that Lucifer and the power of Calamity within him would find difficult to escape.
I summoned the power of Creation. It was the same energy that brought forth life and breathed it into existence.
Something the divine had control over—and I was a little bit divine, in my own way.
The initial sphere I had created was only one layer of protection.
I needed another.
Forcing the power of Creation to obey my command, I called forth unbreakable walls that shot from the ground and broke through the ceiling. The walls were so thick and tall, not even Lucifer’s wings would carry him over them.
I sealed it off with an exhale of breath. The material couldn’t be penetrated. A combination of diamond dust, Angelstone, and Hellfire metal merged to create an indestructible surface.
Nothing short of divine intervention would be able to tear it down.
A final whisper of an ancient language—one that was spoken by the angels a long time ago, I inherently knew—sent a spattering of symbols all over the wall’s surface. Moons, stars, constellations, and glyphs that spanned the entirety of this realm’s creation.
It bound Lucifer to this world so he couldn’t portal out. The walls themselves weren’t just to physically keep him in place, but to bind him to this ground.
Lastly, I added one final layer of protection for when Lucifer would eventually break free of my prison.
The binding spell squeezed around my heart, directly linking me to the protective barriers so that I would feel if he escaped.
Time unlocked as the air popped like a burst balloon.
Sounds rushed at me from all directions and I crashed hard to the ground. Kaito wrapped his arms around me, a silent reminder that I wasn’t alone in this, as Asher and Logan rushed to my side.
“Koneko-chan,” Kaito breathed with apology. He pressed his forehead against mine. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for this. Had I known—”
“No time for apologies,” Asher bit out. He heaved for breath and his well-fitted shirt was practically shredded off of his perfect body. “You were right about your prediction, Kaito. She’s leaning over to the other side.”
Logan’s wolfish growl added to my confusion as dizziness washed over me.
Other side? I wondered.
Kaito pressed his lips together as he turned to look at the prison I had created.
“Only Creation magic would be powerful enough to imprison Lucifer with Calamity.” He squeezed my arm. “You did well, Lily, but prepare yourself. You aren’t ready to hold the powers of Heaven and Hell like this, not without all of your mates to ground you.”
The ground beneath us rumbled in protest, making my teeth chatter.
I’d overcompensated my power with the gift of Creation.
The gift of the Heavens.
Now I was heading to Hell, and not just any place in Hell.
Hell’s Heart.
Here we go…
The world spun as something pulled us under.
A massive portal formed at my feet, forcing Derek and his army to retreat.
My stomach dropped as I was sucked under. Kaito held onto my hand with a grip that promised me I wasn’t going to go through this alone.
Asher held onto my arm.
Logan’s wolf pressed against my side.
I closed my eyes as we fell into the darkness.
And I prayed to any deity who would listen that we would be able to make it out.