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But why had nothing come of those dreams until recently? For nine hundred years, the Realm of the Damned had hardly changed.

Ash followed Onyx down the stairs. “Interesting that they went with skyscrapers rather than natural formations.” With magic at their disposal, building either would have been equally possible.

“They really are making it like the Human Realm.” Dante turned away from the view. “I don’t think we’re going to find Luc here.”

Every floor of the fortress seemed as deserted as their old quarters. Dust coated everything, and it appeared Lucifer had taken nothing with him when he left. Art hung on the walls. Vases and statues marked the doorways. The courtyard was overgrown and the front gates rusted shut.

Dante looked at the sky. “I don’t sense any protective spells. We can fly out and track Lucifer down.”

It wasn’t ideal. If Luc had sensed their arrival, he’d had plenty of time to prepare, compared to the three of them running through the fortress and bursting in on him.

Onyx shrugged off his shirt and freed his wings. “I don’t think we’ll have to track him. Didn’t you notice one building was taller than the rest?”

“He would put himself in the highest tower.” Ash launched into the air, and Dante and Onyx followed. “Strengthen your illusions. We don’t need anyone seeing us coming, whether Luc knows we’re here or not.”

They flew over barren flatland and a slow-moving stream. A few remnants of the old city remained, even though it hadn’t been long enough for the ruins to crumble away completely. It must have been dismantled. Had it been a war or a cathartic kind of destruction?

The Realm of the Damned was devoid of animals, only inhabited by demons and witch souls, another reminder they weren’t in a natural realm.

Dante had forgotten how much that unsettled him.

No birds in the trees. Nothing grazing in the expanses of grass.

Not a single creature to ever join him on his flights.

He’d avoided the outdoors in an effort to forget.

But as they approached the towering cityscape, birdsong filled the air.

“Those are morning fowl.” Dante scanned the sky. The rare creatures came out in the first few hours of daylight, perching on the tallest peaks of the Eternal Realm.

Ash caught an air current and drifted higher. “I don’t see anything.”

Dante didn’t either, but no other bird sounded quite like these. He might not have heard them in thousands of years, but it wasn’t the kind of thing he’d forget.

They reached the edge of the city. Up close, the buildings looked like they were constructed of smooth gray stone.

Windows of all shapes and sizes glittered and harsh neon lights flashed in every color.

Signs and screens were everywhere except on the rooftops, where each building was adorned with a lush garden.

Onyx followed a string of lights from one garden to another. He hovered next to the pole securing the cord. “It’s not birds at all. It’s coming from here.”

Dante flew over. Mounted on top of the pole was a small speaker. It looked almost like something he’d find in the Human Realm. “But how did they create the sound? It can’t be a recording.”

“Must be magic.” Onyx gave Dante a look as if to say come on . “It’ll be a crafty little spell. Something linked to memory, no doubt.”

Ash appeared, wrinkling his nose at the speaker. “Fascinating, but we’re wasting time.”

Dante turned away and flew with him toward the tallest tower. A few wing beats later, he noticed Onyx hadn’t followed.

“What’s his problem?” Ash grumbled before doubling back.

“Being here is hard. Don’t pretend it’s not.” Dante reached for Ollie and a hint of his sandalwood scent filled his nose. No matter what happened, he’d return to where he belonged. In the human world, at his mate’s side.

Onyx didn’t have a mate to tether him. Maybe that’s what was wrong.

As Ash and Onyx caught up, a window opened in the next building over and a gray-and-white-winged demon leaped from the ledge, taking flight. She flew to the garden across from Dante and perched on a bench.

Ash and Onyx hovered at Dante’s side. None of them moved, all eyes fixed on the demon as she stretched her wings.

A moment later, a second demon joined the first. Dante recognized him. His name was Niall or Neil. He handed his companion a drink. Wait, Dante recognized her too. Cora.

“Have you heard the Hounds are mated?” Cora asked.

Niall-Neil nodded. “Yes, but do you believe it?”

“What would be the point in lying?”

Ash dragged Dante and Onyx away, flying higher into the sky until they’d cleared the buildings by a longshot.

“How do they know?” Dante stared down at the two demons, now leaning into one another with their heads bowed. They should have stayed to listen.

Ash herded them forward. “We sent Lillian and Maxwell back with instructions to spread the truth, but they didn’t know about our mates.”

“So what? Lucifer announced our mated status?” Dante couldn’t see it.

If Luc had a new trusted inner circle, he might have told them, but Niall-Neil had been vehemently against Luc for a long time, and Cora had been no friend of his. Neither would be the first to know or to hear any leaked secrets, given how they avoided anyone in Lucifer’s good graces.

Unless all that had changed.

“We can wonder about it later. We’ve taken too long already.” Ash didn’t wait before flying off.

Onyx caught Dante’s eye as they hurried to catch up. He didn’t seem to like this development either.

Lucifer must have mentioned their mates to someone. Maybe a secret like that would travel faster than anything else, reach demons who normally avoided Luc as much as possible. It had been a couple weeks since Ollie’s attack, so it wasn’t unreasonable for news to have circulated .

As they approached the tallest building, windows opened on all sides and the sky filled with demons. Early rising was typical for their kind, but it seemed Dante, Onyx, and Ash weren’t the only ones heading toward the ornate building towering above the rest.

What the hell were they flying into? Hiding behind illusion felt less secure than it had in centuries.

Ash led them in a circle around the tower, away from the other demons, who seemed to be congregating on one side. “It would have been better to turn up in the middle of the night.”

“Could you remember where we were in the time gap between realms?” Dante hadn’t thought about that difference in so long. Days didn’t change length in the Realm of the Damned. There were no seasons. It was one long, unchanging existence.

The top of the tower was more glass than stone, shimmering like a polished jewel. Dante, Onyx, and Ash hovered out of sight of the crowd.

“I feel him inside,” Ash muttered.

The glass reflected the rising sun at their backs, completely obscuring the interior of the building. At least their illusions held firm. Not even a shadow betrayed their presence.

Should they burst in or try to open a window quietly?

Abruptly, the birdsong cut off. Two large panes of glass in front of Dante swung open, revealing Lucifer in full demon form, his expression hard, fangs accentuating his frown.

Impossibly, his burning red eyes focused on Dante before flicking to Ash and Onyx on either side.

“Brothers, I was hoping to find you.”