Chapter Three #2
Lily rose, dusted the ash from her pants, and turned to face us. Her eyes locked with mine, and I caught a flicker of fear within. She masked it well, but I knew her well enough to see it without her saying a word. I gave her a small, encouraging nod.
She could do this—I had no doubt. But I also understood her concerns.
Becoming her father was her worst nightmare, and she feared using that type of magic might awaken something within her.
But she wasn’t only Lucifer’s daughter. She was Sofiel’s too.
And while Sofiel had fallen alongside the rest of us, Lucifer had never infected her with a demon.
Because she’d been the purest and most beautiful of us all.
Across the ages, she’d borne Lucifer many children—all of whom he’d murdered—so when Lily was born, Sofiel had run.
Where she’d planned to go, none of us knew.
There wasn’t anywhere in Hell she could hide without Lucifer finding her.
But she would have done anything to protect her daughter and keep him from destroying her.
That blood, that innocence and light, existed within Lily.
I saw it every day, even if she didn’t. I believed her mother’s blood wouldn’t fail her now.
Lily had to believe it too, though, which was a difficult ask when she had no memories of her mother.
She’d been far too young when Lucifer killed Sofiel.
Lily looked to the others, her gaze moving from face to face until finally settling on Eliza. The two locked eyes, and I saw it again—the silent exchange. The stiffening of Eliza’s shoulders. The subtle twitch of her fingers as they ghosted toward the dagger strapped at her hip.
My eyes narrowed just as Eliza turned and met my stare. I didn’t miss the flicker of guilt in her expression. Then, just as quickly, she glanced away.
What the hell was that?
I’d spent enough time around the two of them to know when they were excluding me from something. This wasn’t the first time, and I doubted it would be the last. But before I could demand answers, Lily spoke.
“Rath, Calyx, are you two ready for this?” she asked, drawing my attention back to her.
No. I was not. Not until she explained herself.
Calyx, however, gave her a grim smile and nodded.
“It’s nothing we haven’t experienced before,” he commented, his voice devoid of emotion. “We’ll need to rest for a day or two afterward, but we’ll be back on our feet in no time.”
Lily turned her gaze on me again, the anxiety bright in her eyes. Then she faced Levi. “Take care of them.”
Gorr wasn’t the only one who twitched. I took an involuntary step forward, my instincts roaring to life. Something was wrong. I knew the whole concept of her resurrecting her army scared her, but this was beyond that. She looked like she was going to her execution.
She released a slow breath and looked once more at Eliza.
“You know what to do.”
The siren squared her shoulders, raised her chin, and nodded.
And just like that, it all clicked into place.
Lily and Eliza had struck an agreement of some sort. And the way Eliza’s hand settled on her dagger hilt told me everything I needed to know. Lily looked like she was going to her execution, because in her eyes, that was exactly what was happening.
She was expecting this to go sour.
Adrenaline surged through me, and I took another step forward, determined to demand the truth, but Lily moved. She lifted her arms, palms up, and began summoning her magic.
“Lily—” I started, desperate to press pause on this.
She shook her head, then turned those crystal blue eyes of hers in my direction.
“No, Rath. Stay back. I don’t know what’ll happen, and I don’t want to hurt you.”
Fuck that. I wasn’t going to let her do this alone if she was that worried. Nor would I let her do anything that might get her killed. Nothing was worth that cost.
I took another step, ready to put a stop to all of this, when a hand clamped down on my shoulder.
“Calm yourself,” came Levi’s voice. “I won’t let anything happen to her. I promise.”
Every instinct screamed at me to go to her, but something in Levi’s voice stopped me. He seemed so sure of this. Of her. And I wanted to offer the same support. I truly did believe in her.
Gritting my teeth, I turned away from Lily and spun back to Eliza. If I couldn’t help Lily, then I could at least get answers from the siren.
“What the fuck did you two agree to?”
“It’s what she wanted,” she breathed. “You know Lily. She doesn’t leave things to chance. You should have known she wouldn’t go into this without a backup plan.”
“And the backup plan is to what? Kill her?”
Eliza simply grimaced.
My stomach churned at the thought. “I won’t let you lay a finger on her,” I growled. “I don’t care what she asked you to do.”
“I know,” Eliza said.
I stared at the siren. “You’d really do it? You’d cut her down?”
Eliza didn’t answer. But she didn’t deny it, either.
I liked Eliza. Respected her. Trusted her even. She’d been through a lot with us and hadn’t once betrayed or abandoned us. Perhaps that sounded like a low bar, but Lily had a history with traitors. Regardless of her loyalty, I would kill Eliza if she so much as pointed a dagger in Lily’s direction.
Calyx stood a few paces away, but close enough to overhear. His pale grey eyes locked on me. “And that, kids, is why she didn’t ask you to do this for her. She knew you wouldn’t be able to.”
He didn’t say it unkindly. If anything, he sounded proud—like he approved of her choice.
I turned back to the battlefield, my body tense, and watched as the one I loved summoned her magic.
She would come through this. I had to believe that. Because there was no other option. I wouldn’t allow this to end any other way.