Page 29 of Hell Hath No Fury (Tear Down Heaven #4)

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M EANWHILE, HIGH, HIGH ABOVE in the bright light of Gilgamesh’s Highest Heaven, Adrian was struggling to get the princess to walk faster.

Things had started off well enough. After getting his brother’s permission to visit the Hells, they’d both gone out the door like a shot.

She must’ve just wanted to get out of the Crown Prince’s office, though, because the moment they started the long, loooooong climb down all those damned beautiful stairs, the Princess of Wrath’s pace got slower and slower until Adrian was practically towing her behind him like a boat anchor.

“Would you please go faster?” he growled through clenched teeth.

“Why?” she asked, giving him a look that would’ve set his heart pounding if he’d seen it on the actual Bex’s face. “You already got permission, and Prince Demetrios has a long journey up from the Hells. Why shouldn’t we enjoy this rare chance to get out?”

Adrian found absolutely nothing enjoyable about having to wait while his jailer strolled at the pace of a geriatric grandmother.

He was trying to think of a way to make her get the lead out that wouldn’t start a fight when the princess suddenly moved faster than his eyes could track, vanishing from the gold-patterned window where she’d been gazing out over the Holy City to reappear right beside him.

“I know you’re in a hurry to impress your father,” she murmured as she slid her hand—the left one made of carved bone, not the gloved right one that had been stolen from the real Bex—into his. “That’s exactly the kind of prince I want to serve, but doesn’t this remind you of something?”

“How could it?” Adrian asked, yanking his hand away. “I’ve never been to this part of the palace before.”

“I didn’t mean literally,” the princess said with a laugh as she snatched his fingers back. “I was talking about the day we did the stakeout. You know, when we walked up the stairs to Pike Place?”

Adrian scowled at his trapped fingers. He supposed this was vaguely similar to the time he’d taken Bex’s hand and walked with her to the market from the ferry. That day was one of his most treasured memories, which was why he wasn’t about to let it be spoiled by a fake white doll.

“I don’t like to think about those times,” he lied, using the fact that she refused to let go of his hand to drag her down the stairs at the pace he wanted.

“I was ignorant of Gilgamesh’s true intentions back then, and I did many things that I regret.

That’s why I’m so eager to keep moving now.

I want to complete the Queen of Pride’s horns and redeem myself in my father’s eyes as soon as possible. ”

It was a sign of how much this place was getting to him that Adrian was able to parrot the typical fawning Heaven-speak without choking. The princess, however, was staring at Adrian like he’d just asked her to marry him.

“Do you mean it?” she cried, golden eyes sparkling. “Have you finally realized the wisdom of our Eternal King? Do you really want to take your place at his side as a true Prince of Heaven?”

Adrian blinked. He hadn’t thought he’d said any of that, but she was finally moving at a decent speed, so he kept it up.

“Of course,” he lied through his teeth as he hurried them down the stairs. “King Gilgamesh is the smartest man I’ve ever met. We’re going to have to stay on our toes if we want to impress him, so let’s get to the Hells and—”

He cut off with a yelp as the princess suddenly came to a stop. The abrupt change in momentum nearly pulled his arm off, but when he looked back to see what in the Hells was the problem, the fake Bex was staring at him with a look of awestruck delight.

“I knew it,” she whispered, squeezing Adrian’s fingers until he gasped in pain.

“The Crown Princess said you couldn’t be trusted, that I’d have to watch you every minute to make sure you didn’t betray our king, but I knew you’d come around.

No one can witness the greatness of Gilgamesh’s vision without coming to love him, for he is our glorious and eternal King!

The one who will end all wars and lead us to true peace, and you will be his chosen heir, first among all princes! ”

She dragged him closer, forcing Adrian, who’d been trying desperately to free his hand before she crushed it, to stumble back up the stairs before she pulled him off his feet.

“This is the moment I was made for,” she said, finally letting go of his hand so she could pull off her white glove. “Here!”

Adrian stopped rubbing his bruised fingers to stare at the bare hand she’d just shoved in his face, Bex’s stolen hand with Drox’s heavy ring gleaming like a sheet of black ice on her small, elegant finger.

He’d known it was hidden under her glove, but the princess had never revealed it in his presence before.

Adrian had assumed that was because she didn’t want to remind him that she was a fake.

Now, though, he was beginning to think he’d missed something very important, because the princess was offering him Bex’s bare hand like a knife. Or a sword.

“Take it,” she ordered, staring at him with an eerily perfect copy of the real Bex’s resolve.

“I was made to be your weapon, so take my hand and claim the Bonfire of Wrath for your king. I might not be as strong as the Armor of War, but my fire is the hottest ever created, for I was the Executioning Blade of Ishtar, the flame that burned the goddess’s enemies to dust!

She used me as a tool of oppression, but you can use me for good.

Your sacred blood is the forge that will turn my black blade white.

All you have to do is take my hand. Accept your birthright, Prince Adrian, and together we will make me the strongest Blade of Gilgamesh ever to fight in our king’s sacred name! ”

Her golden eyes were glowing by the end, lit from within with the same smoldering fire that used to shine from the real Bex’s eyes.

Adrian could even smell her familiar smoky scent.

It was the closest he’d felt to the real Bex since the night they sat under his tree in the Anchor, and Adrian missed it so badly that his bruised hand almost reached out to grab hers on its own before he curled it into a fist.

“I won’t,” he said, which was the absolute truth. The next part, however, was a lie so brazen it made his teeth hurt.

“I’m not worthy yet,” he said, reaching out to touch her hard white cheek instead.

“The Crown Princess was right. I haven’t proven myself, but I will.

I’m going to finish Pride’s horns and present them to Gilgamesh before he even knows to expect them.

Only then, when I’ve performed an actual service to advance Heaven’s mission, will I be able to draw you without shame. ”

“My prince,” she whispered, closing her glowing eyes as she rubbed her cheek against his hand. “You are truly a son of Heaven. I never doubted, but now that I’ve seen the proof with my own eyes, I will not rest until I’ve helped you climb to the top of Gilgamesh’s favor.”

“Thank you for understanding,” Adrian said, giving the princess a brief hug because it was the only way to keep her from seeing him flinch. “Once I prove myself to my father, I promise I’ll draw you as my sword and we’ll take our place together at his right hand.”

“Not even the Crown Princess will be able to doubt you then,” the princess agreed, her voice bright with excitement as she seized his hand yet again and started bounding down the stairs. “Come on! I don’t want to waste a second. Let’s hurry to the Hells and get you what you need to finish!”

Adrian was too busy running after her to reply, but that was for the best. His stomach was still churning from what he’d just forced himself to say.

If he had to betray any more of his core principles sucking up to his father’s neurotic parody of the woman he respected most, he was going to be sick right there on the stairs.

Fortunately for him, the fake Bex locked onto goals as hard as the real one.

She was already charging ahead, forcing him to run or be dragged as they descended the Tower of Heaven.

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The rest of the trip went almost too fast. Adrian hadn’t cared when all they were doing was walking spiral after spiral of endless, badly spaced, white-and-gold stairs, but the lower part of the palace where the multiple towers came together was a treasure trove of opportunities he desperately wanted to explore.

Right at the bottom of the Crown Prince’s tower, they passed a room full of white-robed sorcerers working on stone tablets that looked a lot like the ones he’d seen in the Anchor Market’s control room.

Adrian would’ve bet his hat it was a command center for the palace’s magical infrastructure, but which infrastructure, and how much command?

He dragged his feet hard in an attempt to slow down long enough to see something useful, but now that he’d tied their current mission to making her his sword, nothing could stop the princess.

She blazed through the palace like a charging bull, forcing servants, sorcerers, even warlocks surrounded by their war demons, to jump aside or get run over.

At one point, they passed right by another prince in full golden armor with a princess sheathed at his side.

The Princess of Wrath didn’t even slow down to acknowledge him, for which Adrian was extremely grateful.

He’d yet to meet one of Gilgamesh’s sons who wasn’t a pompous, violent, pain in the ass.

This one certainly looked like he wanted to take him down a peg, but Adrian’s princess yanked him away before the other prince could do more than glare.