Chapter 13
ARAN
Daisy is a natural.
She was born to be a queen. And I don’t just mean because she’s the reincarnation of the first queen.
I mean because people love her. The flamebeast, Theodus, Marta the village mother.
Every soul we have passed has looked at her with adoration, and she hasn’t even noticed.
Even the guards are softening to her. Especially after she pouted over the tarts like an overgrown child.
She isn’t like other rulers that Hell has known—distant, untouchable, shrouded in ceremony. She’s just herself. And it’s working.
Despite Daisy’s wish to walk, likely to delay Gehenna a little longer, I convince her to let me open a portal.
The path skirts too close to the wastes, and the creatures that crawl there…
I shudder at the thought. They are vile things that are so rotten even Gehenna spits them out.
Decaying husks with hollow eyes, wandering like carrion with no purpose but hunger.
Before I get the chance to start opening a portal, Daisy dives into Marta’s box of tarts and pulls one up to her mouth, taking a large bite. I swipe one before she can stop me, shoving it whole into mine.
“HEY!” she shrieks, trying to snatch it back, but it’s too late. I groan dramatically as the sweet heat of emberfruit melts over my tongue, rolling my eyes back for effect.
“You asshole,” she mutters, snapping the lid shut. But her frown crumbles and she laughs.
“You weren’t going to share,” I grin. “I saw the fire in your eyes when she gave you that box. It’s every man for himself.”
She huffs and wipes at the corner of my mouth. “Animal. You’ve got crumbs everywhere.”
I fake bite at her hand. “Aright, mother hen. Back off.”
“Ready to visit the biggest pain in my ass?” I ask, dusting off my hands and ensuring my suit is still pristine.
“I thought that was me?” she teases.
“The second biggest,” I wink.
She polishes off her tart, sucking the sticky sugar from her fingers while I conjure the portal.
The gates of Gehenna blaze on the other side, a land of smoke and ruin that always feels like stepping into another universe.
I take her arm in mine, holding a breath as we cross over the threshold together.
The screams hit first. Distant, raw, and endless. Daisy’s grip on my arm tightens almost painfully as the landscape unfolds around us. Mountains like jagged teeth stretch high into the smoke-choked sky, and rivers of molten lava cast hellish light that seem to make the dark clouds glow.
“Gods,” she whispers. “This place is awful.”
“What did you expect, rainbows and unicorns?” I reply dryly.
She smacks my arm. “Of course not. Just—” she swallows, chewing her lower lip nervously. “Is Ethan here? I remember Lucifer sending Korithax a letter… thanking him for personally delivering Ethan’s soul.”
“Yes.” My voice hardens. “He’s here. Korithax made sure he became the devil’s favourite plaything. He even came down a few times himself to… help.”
Her brows rise, horrified. “Torture him?”
“Yes. It was… cathartic for him.”
We don’t speak again until we reach the enormous stone doors to the Pits. They groan open and there he stands—immaculate as ever. Tailored black suit, crimson tie, face cut from sin itself.
“Lucifer,” I say flatly.
“Aran. Hell’s loyal little hound.” His grin is all teeth, his eyes glinting with cruelty. “How the devil are you?”
I roll my eyes. He’s the only creature alive who can piss me off simply by breathing. Well, him and Maelkar.
“And our little princess,” he drawls, his gaze dragging over Daisy like she’s a piece of meat.
“Come to play queen today?” He lets his eyes travel down, slow and deliberate, before smirking.
“At least they put a fine piece of ass on the throne. You won’t rule for long—but at least you’re easy to look at. ”
My fists clench. I’m half a heartbeat from breaking his jaw when Daisy moves first. The crack of her slap echoes through the smoky air.
Lucifer’s head snaps sideways, a trickle of black blood sliding down from his now split lip.
I freeze in place, shocked—not by her courage— but by the dangerous grin spreading across his face.
“You know,” he chuckles dryly, dabbing at the blood with a crimson handkerchief from his pocket, “when I called you a pretty blonde bitch to Korithax, he attacked me, too. Seems neither of you take kindly to pet names. Noted.”
Her voice is steel. “You may not see me as your queen, Lucifer, but I am. Don’t disrespect me again.”
He smirks, his crimson eyes burning like embers. “Aw, but it’s so much fun.”
She steps closer, glaring up at him though he towers above her.
“Korithax may have tolerated your bullshit, but I won’t.
Friendly games I can handle. But cross me again, and I’ll see you stripped of your dominion.
And wouldn’t that be a shame, to lose access to all your toys?
We both know how much being an evil bastard gets you off. ”
I almost choke. Did she just say that… to Lucifer? My gaze darts between them, ready to drag her back, but she doesn’t flinch.
He grips her chin suddenly, tilting her face up. My blood runs cold at the sight of him touching her. “Lucifer,” I growl, stepping forwards.
“Easy, hound.” He releases her with a wicked grin. “I just wanted to see if you’ve got teeth. Turns out you do. I like that.” Then, with mocking elegance, he sweeps his arm out. “Come, let me show you around el hogar del apuesto diablo.”
I blink, scrunching up my face. “Did you just say, the home of the handsome devil?” He just laughs, curling his arm through Daisy’s like she’s a prized guest, and leads us deeper into Gehenna’s Pits.
Lucifer parades us through his lair of despair like a proud tour guide from Hell, pointing out chambers of torment, the Pits where souls writhe, and which demons excel at which particular horrors.
It takes every ounce of self-control to not vomit up the tart I stole from Daisy.
Her face is two shades paler with a tinge of green, and one of the guards even excused himself.
When he returned not long after, he reeked of bile.
I know war will drown us in blood and brutality, but nothing will ever compare to watching a soul get dismembered—then fed its own organs piece by piece.
Gods. I can’t wait to leave this place.
Lucifer finally ushers us into a cavernous chamber on the second level.
The floor gleams with red and black marble, a grotesque mirror of elegance.
A massive dining table stretches across the room, able to seat at least fifty.
Beyond, a window yawns wide, overlooking the Pits below.
The screaming rises up like a hymn, only slightly muted by the glass separating us and the damned souls below. I grimace and quickly avert my gaze.
“Please,” Lucifer drawls, gesturing Daisy towards the seat beside his oversized throne of a chair at the head of the table.
Black marble, carved like a crown of thorns.
Of course. They sit, and I take place opposite Daisy, my back straight and eyes fixed.
The guards linger at the edges of the room like restless shadows, each one with a hand resting on the pommel of their swords.
“Wine?” Lucifer offers, swirling his own glass that looks eerily more like blood, than it does wine.
Daisy shakes her head. “No, thank you. I need a clear head for the rest of the tour.” Her smile is polite, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. She holds a grudge and clearly hasn’t let how he spoke to her at the gates slide. Neither have I.
“So,” Lucifer leans back, grinning. “What brings you to the devil’s playground, Your Highness?”
Daisy folds her hands neatly atop the table. “I’m meeting the leaders of my dominions. Seeing what they need from me, and what I need from them. And to discuss the war, which I trust you’ve heard plenty about.”
She glances at me, nerves flickering behind the mask she wears so well. I give the faintest nod of reassurance. She’s doing fine. More than fine actually, considering the monster she’s seated next to.
“Ah, right. The war.” Lucifer chuckles darkly, flailing his hands around for dramatic effect. “The one you dragged to our doorstep because Korithax couldn’t settle for a regular whore like the kings before him.”
“That’s enough!” My voice cracks through the air, making Daisy flinch. “I am sick of you speaking to her this way. She is your queen, Lucifer.”
His smirk grows almost evil, his eyes glittering with malice. “Come now, she knows I’m only joking. Don’t you, little flower?”
The temperature in the room shifts. Daisy’s ocean eyes darken, the obsidian rings around them swallowing the blue whole.
Heat pours from her in waves. Before I can move, fire races down her arms, licking across her palms. She unsheathes the dagger from her thigh as she pushes to her feet, and drives it into the marble table, straight between Lucifer’s fingers.
The crack echoes throughout the room as her flames hiss.
Every guard in the room draws their blades, the shriek of metal vibrating in my ears as I keep my eyes trained on Lucifer.
“Say that name again,” she snarls, teeth bared. “I dare you.”
Lucifer actually loses his smirk, staring at the blade buried an inch from his hand. Black blood slicks his finger where the deadly sharp edge kissed his skin.
“You can call me a whore. You can call me a piece of ass. You can call me a useless queen. But what you will not do,” Daisy leans forwards, pulling the dagger from the table and pressing its tip beneath his chin, “is use the name Korithax gave me. You would never have dared speak to me this way in front of him. Don’t think for a moment I need him to defend me. I can take you myself.”
Her voice vibrates with grief, fury, and power.
I barely recognise her. This isn’t the Daisy who stumbled into Zeriavoss.
Not even Dasmyrin. This is something new and old mixed together.
This is something that has been forged by loss.
And gods, it terrifies me. The way I see her flame licking at her skin, not at all harming Lucifer, shows the growth and control she has gained in such a miniscule amount of time.
It’s incredible. It’s like she’s so angry she doesn’t even need to concentrate on the power surging from her.
It just obeys. I think of Velentha. Of losing her.
And I know—I would be worse. I would burn worlds and not care who burned with me, and I don’t even possess the power of fire.
Lucifer, gods damn him, grins. “Loud and clear, queenie.”
He blows her a mocking kiss. But his eyes… his eyes are different now. I think he actually sees her. Truly sees her. Not a girl draped in fine dresses and a shiny crown, forced upon a throne. But a queen with fire in her veins and grief sharp enough to cut anyone who dares try to come for her.
Daisy withdraws the dagger, flames guttering out, her eyes fading slowly back to blue.
She exhales slowly, lowering herself back into her seat, but sitting straighter.
Anger still radiates off her like heat from a forge, but she reins it in with steel control.
Stronger than me, that’s for sure—I would’ve smacked the smirk from his lips.
Before she can speak again, the doors slam open. A gangly demon stumbles inside, skin ashen grey, horns stroked black, eyes wide with panic.
“Your Lordship,” he gasps.
Both Daisy and I wrinkle our noses in unison. “Lordship?”
Lucifer groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. “What is it, Jamixon?”
The demon bows low, voice trembling. “It’s a message for Queen Daisy.” He turns his panicked gaze to her and my hackles rise. “My Queen—the village. It has been attacked.”
My chair scrapes back so fast it falls backwards, hitting hard against the marble as I rise. “Attacked? What do you mean attacked?”
Daisy is already on her feet, striding towards Jamixon with panic crackling through her voice. “I was just there—how?”
He stammers, clearly anxious at addressing her. “A message came through. The village is in ruins. Casualties are… heavy. That’s all I know.”
I look to Lucifer. He only shrugs, as if he’s bored. Like slaughter is beneath his notice. Bastard.
“Aran.” Daisy rushes to me, gripping my shoulders tightly. Her eyes are wide and desperate. “We have to go. Now. Marta is there. Theodus—everyone. Please!”
I grit my teeth, entirely torn on the situation in front of me. “Daisy, it isn’t safe. You should return to the palace. I’ll go with the soldiers—”
“No!” she cuts me off, fire sparking at her fingertips. “These are my people. I will not hide from them.”
I sigh and nod once, turning to Lucifer. “Have someone alert the palace. Tell them to send soldiers immediately.
Lucifer inclines his head, for once without sarcasm.
He clasps Daisy’s hand briefly, his expression unreadable.
“Be careful, little queen. You may not be my first choice, but you’re what Hell has.
Don’t get yourself killed before the war even beings.
” He strolls out of the room, hands in his pockets, as if none of what is happening even matters.
“Thanks… I guess?” Daisy mutters.
She turns to me, flicking her hands at me impatiently, signalling at me to hurry the hell up.
I call the guards into formation. In an instant, a crescent shield of guards is formed around her, protecting her from all angles.
I roll my shoulders and attempt to conjure a portal.
Lucifer must have dropped the wards because it materialises almost instantly.
Through the shimmering veil, a scene of pure horror stares back at us.
Flames lick at the sky, smoke is everywhere.
Screams fill the air. There’s nothing left of the once glorious village but ruin. The sight makes my gut clench.
Daisy doesn’t hesitate, despite her complexion paling. She steps through first—the crescent formation staying tightly around her— with her dagger drawn and a bright flame shakily igniting in her palm.