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DANTE

“This feels like a joke,” Dante muttered to Ollie as they landed on the roof of an old-style building in the Business District.

Ollie gave a soft chuckle. “I know, but if I’m safe at a vampire-owned strip club, who cares.”

Dante couldn’t argue with that.

He reluctantly set Ollie on his feet. Ollie was trying hard not to let his nerves show, but the occasional jolt shot down the bond.

“It’ll be all right. Luc won’t kill any of us. We’ll always be able to get back to you, even if the worst happens.”

“That’s not exactly comforting.” Fear shone in Ollie’s eyes. “I don’t want the worst to happen.”

“I don’t either. But we’ve prepared for it, so you’ll be safe either way.” And that was the most important thing.

Ollie gripped Dante tight around the waist. “Can we share our emotions while you’re gone? Will I still feel you even if you’re in another realm?”

Dante’s breath caught. “Yes, you should be able to feel me no matter where I am. But are you sure? ”

“More than sure.”

Dante hesitated. His emotions were bound to be tumultuous and physical altercations weren’t out of the realm of possibility. “Luc won’t go down without a fight. Feeling everything might not be reassuring until it’s over.”

Ollie’s resolve seemed to harden. “I know this isn’t going to be easy, but I’m not just looking for reassurance. I want to be there for you. Hold you through it. Give you…I don’t know, inner strength.”

Dante kissed Ollie. How could he not? Dante felt warm and fuzzy, and not even returning to the Realm of the Damned could dampen his joy for one bright moment.

“Thank you, Ollie. You don’t know how much that means, or maybe you do. Having you with me is going to make this so much easier.”

“Good.” Ollie traced one of Dante’s horns. “At least if I can help in some way, I won’t feel like I’m sending you off to fight for me.”

“You aren’t sending me. I’m doing this because Lucifer hurt you but also for all the times he hurt me, Onyx, Ash, and all the demons in the Realm of the Damned. Maybe we should have done this centuries ago…”

But they hadn’t been sure their escape would work until they tried. Fighting Luc and trying to crack the riddle of how to steal his power before escaping had seemed impossible. Too many things could have gone wrong and they couldn’t have risked him discovering their plans.

And when they were finally free, they’d put it behind them. Maybe Dante hadn’t had the strength to face turning their escape into a full-scale exodus back then. Maybe he needed Ollie to help him see a better future. He’d never stopped believing, but things had been bleak for a long time .

Now, Dante’s world was bright, and he needed everyone to see it. They all deserved their mates.

Ollie took his hand. “Don’t worry about the past. There’s no point looking back and beating yourself up. Let me take care of you while you do this, then come home, and the other night will seem like nothing compared to what I’ll do to you.”

Dante let the walls guarding their bond drop and purred at the affection pouring out of Ollie. “The other night could never be nothing, but I’m sure we can build on it.”

“Knew you two wouldn’t be out of the bedroom long,” Onyx taunted, appearing beside them.

“Don’t eavesdrop.” Dante flashed fiery eyes at the menace.

Onyx stuck out his tongue. “Where’s this witch?” He looked around the rooftop. “I’m going to give him nightmares.”

Harper shot off a text. The vampire and his coven ran the strip club on the first two floors of the building and an underground casino on the floors above that operated on an invite-only basis. Apparently, Nico was already here.

Rowan must trust Nico a great deal, allowing Nico to lead him blindly into something like this. In Dante’s experience, vampires didn’t usually trust witches that much.

“He’ll be up in a minute,” Harper said, putting his phone away.

“Excellent.” Onyx gathered power around him, shedding the illusion that tricked other magical beings into thinking he had no magical power.

Even with his shirt on and demonic features away, there was no mistaking him as benign. Magic thrummed, electrifying the night air. Onyx’s eyes glowed with cold fire, casting an eerie blue light on his cheeks and sharpening his brow with shadow.

Ash curled his lip in distaste.

Before Dante could comment, Nico exited a service stairwell, the door banging open .

“Everything’s ready down…” Nico stopped in his tracks.

Onyx let his fangs drop and hissed, the sound so wrought with emotion chills ran down Dante’s spine.

“Hi, Nico.” Harper rushed forward. “Don’t worry about Onyx. He’s mad you found out about them, but it’s fine.”

Nico’s eyes didn’t leave Onyx, seemingly fixated on the fire crackling at Onyx’s fingertips. “It doesn’t look fine.”

“It is. Promise. Come on, Ollie.” Harper waved him over. “We don’t want to hold you guys up. Get back soon, or I’ll spend all my money on lap dances.”

Ash rumbled and Harper gave him a sly look.

“Figured I’d pick up some tips and tricks.”

The sound deepened to an appreciative growl.

Ollie covered his mouth, his mirth tickling Dante’s insides through the bond.

Onyx didn’t move, frozen except for his burning eyes and sparking fingers. It wasn’t a bad display. They’d better get out of there before Nico changed his mind about helping.

“Thank you, Nico,” Dante called. “We’ll make sure he’s better behaved next time. Had to let him get it out of his system.”

“Right…” Nico almost looked hesitant to leave. Maybe he was afraid to put his back to Onyx. “We’ll be in Rowan’s office on the top floor unless Harper is serious about going to see the dancers. The building is secure either way. You won’t have anything to worry about.”

Ollie and Harper nudged Nico toward the stairs, and he jolted, shaking himself, and hurried to lead them away.

“Thanks, Onyx,” Ash said dryly. “Do you feel better now?”

Onyx turned his fiery glare on them, panting slightly. “No. I feel like kicking my brother’s ass.”

Dante held his tether to Ollie tightly as Ash surrounded them with his orange glow. Magic quickly obscured the view of the rooftop, and Dante’s power rose to meet Ash’s, joined by Onyx’s.

This was it. Dante dropped his fangs. He wasn’t only hunting Luc for Ollie, but he let anger fuel him. Pain still crushed him every time he remembered Ollie limp in his arms.

Lucifer’s reign ended now.

Darkness engulfed Dante, pressing in as they moved between realms.

With a pop, the constriction disappeared and Ash’s glow dissipated, revealing familiar stone walls.

They stood in their old quarters inside Lucifer’s fortress. It was a risk to enter here, not knowing what the rooms had become since they’d left, but it was less of a risk than entering the Realm of the Damned elsewhere and having to sneak into Luc’s heavily guarded lair.

Dante turned from the wall, hit with recognition and a sinking sense of déjà vu. The room was unchanged. Their old possessions crowded the space, color muted by time and dust as thick as snow.

This wasn’t what Dante had expected. Forgotten despair threatened to pull him down, clawing at his insides. He took a deep breath and choked. Fuck, even the air was stale and oppressive.

Onyx picked up a tarnished goblet, a detached look in his eye, all his intensity gone. “What…?”

The sitting area was a time capsule, the curtains drawn and moldering. A picture of their old life. Was it exactly as they’d left it? Had Luc not been in here since Dante, Ash, and Onyx escaped?

“It’s a fucking tomb.” Ash frowned at a pile of clothes on a settee. “I remember dumping these here.”

Dante’s skin crawled. Why hadn’t Lucifer repurposed the space? “We should go. Luc might have sensed us enter like you do in the Human Realm.”

Ash grunted, turning away from his old clothes.

Dante’s footsteps were muffled on the stone floor. So much dust. Centuries worth.

He led the way out through the suite’s foyer. Hinges creaked as Dante pushed the door open, revealing a dim stone corridor. Early morning light filtered through the uncovered windows, doing nothing to chase away the heavy air of abandonment.

Dante stepped into the hall, greeted by more dust. Was the whole floor unused?

“Come on.” Ash pulled Onyx along.

“Why the fuck is everything abandoned?” Onyx whispered.

Ash closed the door behind them. “Luc must not use this wing anymore.”

Dante hurried to the stairs, finding them covered in dust. The hair stood up on the back of his neck, and he reached for Ollie’s warm presence. His mate sent soothing tendrils of affection his way, but Dante’s soul remained cold.

“I don’t like this,” he said as he headed downward.

“Look.” Onyx caught his wing, pointing out the window.

Dante turned. The view was unrecognizable. He remembered fields and greenery and the city to the south. Not anymore.

Barren dirt marred the foreground, and in the distance, huge high-rises dominated the skyline, obliterating what had once been rolling hills.

Lights blinked, creating colorful displays on the sides of the enormous buildings.

The sprawl had a strange formation, nowhere near as dense as a human city, like it was only a few blocks deep, favoring a wide expanse.

“It almost reminds me of the Dawn Cliffs,” Ash said, referring to the capital city in the Eternal Realm, built into cliff faces so high they touched the clouds.

He was right. The buildings seemed divided into two sides with a large gap between them, even though no river flowed there.

The Eternal Realm was all mountains and valleys, huge raging waterfalls and rivers. There was almost no flat land. As winged beings, it suited Eternals perfectly.

The Realm of the Damned was a stark contrast, nothing higher than a gentle slope, created as if to remind everyone of the perfect place they’d lost.

“Good for them.” Onyx turned from the window. “Just because the council tried to ground us didn’t mean we had to stay down here. Demons were always talking about building mountains.”