Page 4 of Hellfire to Come (Infernal Regions for the Unprepared #5)

Chapter Four

DOMINIC

I used to believe I’d already met Hell on Earth.

I thought I knew what it meant for your soul to ache, truly ache, when my entire family was ripped away from me in the most gruesome ways imaginable.

For so long, I was numb. Revenge became my lifeline.

That was an acceptable existence. Clean.

Simple. Until my mate barreled into it and shattered every wall I’d built, forcing me to feel everything I never wanted to feel.

And then, the Fates reminded me: you can still wither inside. You can claw at the ether, gasping for breath, even after you thought you’d drowned.

They gave me Brooklyn. And then they poisoned her blood. They dangled her life in front of me, a carrot on a string, reminding me just how easily they could rip her away, too. I remembered the old philosophy: if you are afraid of dying, you will not live.

But that wasn’t it.

I wasn’t afraid of dying. Never that.

I was scared shitless—for her.

Watching Brooklyn fall apart as Alice was taken... It stripped me raw from the inside out. Her guilt chewed through her like acid, and I could do nothing but watch. Powerless.

Helplessness was a curse I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.

I was worried for the human, yes, but not like Brooklyn was.

They had something, the two females. A bond I couldn’t name, couldn’t wrap my head around. I had horribly miscalculated how deep that connection ran. I almost lost Brooklyn when Alice was gravely injured. She unraveled before my eyes, piece by fragile piece.

And just when I let myself breathe, just when Alice began to heal, the cursed Council took the human.

And here I was again: blind with fear for Brooklyn, sick to my stomach thinking of what they were doing to Alice.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to split up,” Echo murmured, barely audible, like that would somehow stop us from hearing her.

“I don’t need an escort, Echo.” Brooklyn’s voice was so tired that it cleaved through me like a blade. “I won’t do anything impulsive to jeopardize Alice’s life.”

A week ago, I would’ve called that madness. Brooklyn, not acting on impulse.

But now? Now I believed her.

There was something behind her eyes, quiet and sharp and terrifying. It should have scared me. Hell, it should have scared all of us.

But I trusted it to protect her. Trusted her to take calculated risks.

Brooklyn’s fury was a wildfire; Consuming, blood-chilling…but this?

This was something else.

Something colder.

Something that didn’t burn…

It froze.

My thoughts churned, and I nearly flinched as a shiver crept down my spine. We’d already reached the garage, rows of Samir’s vehicles resting in stillness beneath their pristine covers. The air inside pressed in, heavy and expectant.

The silence noticed me. And I, foolishly, noticed it back.

The air thickened more, breathless, until ghostly fingers traced the nape of my neck. My body tensed, instinct coiling tight, every nerve whispering run.

I turned, slowly, unwilling to shatter the moment and found her eyes waiting.

Brooklyn watched me, her focus so absolute it stripped everything away. It was just the two of us.

Her gaze pinned me in place, sharp and intimate, and for the first time in a long while, something primal within me stirred—fear, ancient and bone-deep, whispering that I wouldn’t survive this.

She arched a brow, her lips curling into a half-smile that had broken lesser men.

“What?” she asked, velvet over steel. “Nothing to say to that?”

I blinked, once, twice, trying to shake the weight of her presence. But she carried gravity now—pulling, inevitable and relentless—I was helpless to resist.

Brooklyn had always been beautiful, dangerously so. The kind of beautiful that drew glances, then stares, then hearts. But this was something more. A shimmering, electric hum beneath her skin. An enchantment I could feel in my teeth.

And it wasn’t just me.

The male demon, eyes wide and vacant, began to sway toward her, hypnotized. He moved as if lulled by music only he could hear, a snake lured by the piper’s spell. Echo looked dazed as well. The wolf whined miserably, curling in on himself, tail tucked under his trembling body.

And in that moment, I understood.

Whatever this was, whatever she was becoming, it was no longer just mine.

It was still my mate, I could feel her heartbeat in my chest, just as mine echoed in hers.

But there was something more now.

Something darker.

Something ancient.

And, strangely, I accepted it… even as it terrified me.

“You don’t need to explain yourself,” I said, though my voice trembled more than I liked. The moment the quiver broke free, her smile deepened, and I hated that she noticed.

My animal paced restlessly in the background, unsure if he should take over or disappear entirely.

“I’ll follow you anywhere, mate,” I said. “All you have to do is lead the way.”

A long moment passed.

Whatever was hiding behind Brooklyn’s gaze stepped forward, measuring me, stripping me bare.

I prayed fiercely, silently, that it would find me worthy. Because there was no doubt in my mind—I would fight the gods themselves to stay by my mate’s side, and I would die trying if I had to.

One breath dragged through my lungs, thick and heavy, every inhale a struggle against the weight of the air.

Then, suddenly…

A pressure burst.

The weight vanished.

It was as if the world sighed and let me breathe again.

“You truly mean that,” Brooklyn murmured, soft as starlight, and completely unconcerned that we weren’t alone.

“I will defy Death to stay by your side, Brooklyn.” With an iron will, I forced my body forward and took her fingers gently into mine. “The Fates can’t be that cruel to finally give you to me, only to take you away.”

Her chilled skin warmed beneath my touch.

I clung to her fingers with the desperation of a drowning man grasping dry straw. She stepped closer, our bodies brushing. I could feel the soft curves of her pressing into me, and it hit me just how long it had been since I’d truly felt my mate.

“You speak the truth,” she said on a breath, lips barely parting.

“With everything I am.”

Echo cleared her throat, shattering the moment, but Brooklyn didn’t let go.

In fact, her fingers threaded deeper between mine, tightening the hold. A silent promise. An understanding. I hoped she felt it too.

“I’d hate to be…” Echo began, only to yelp and leap backward with a startled shriek.

“If you hated it, you would’ve kept your trap shut,” Chester growled, glaring as he held up a clenched fist, strands of her hair dangling like a prize. “That was the most beautiful moment I’ve ever witnessed. And you ruined it.”

“You truly are preposterous!” Echo gasped, rubbing the spot on her head where the strands had come loose. “Did you seriously just pull my hair?”

“I thought tearing off a limb might be too dramatic.” He sniffed, shrugging. “Don’t make me regret it.” He ducked just in time as her fist swung for his head.

“We should go,” Brooklyn said with a quiet chuckle, shaking her head. “Before the children burn down the garage.”

All I could do was stare at her, struck dumb. I hadn’t heard her laugh in what felt like forever.

Another link in the chain around my chest loosened.

“What?” she asked, ducking her head with an awkward smile, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“Don’t shut me out. Please.” I pressed my forehead to hers, cupping her face as I breathed her in. “I’ll do anything you ask. Go anywhere you lead. Just… don’t push me away. I want to help bring her back.”

“I know.” She surprised me with a soft kiss, barely a brush, but it lit fire along my lips.

“Let’s take the fastest car,” she added with a wicked grin, “just to annoy Samir a fraction of how much he annoys me.”

“How about this one?” Chester called out, bouncing beside a dust-covered Bentley.

Brooklyn’s eyes gleamed with a wicked glint. “I’ll drive.”

“Whoop!” Chester pumped his fist victoriously, still clutching Echo’s hair like a trophy.

“Yeah… I think I’ll drive.” I darted toward the car, tugging my snickering mate behind me.

“She doesn’t know how to drive, so do not encourage her,” I growled at Chester, who wisely kept his mouth shut.

“Get in.” Brooklyn opened the rear door and ushered the wolf inside before sliding in after him.

Echo joined them, leaving Chester and me to take the front.

I looked across the hood at the demon. “I hope I can count on you to watch my mate’s back.”

Chester’s usual humor faded. “Our interests align, shifter. As long as they do, I’ll protect her with everything I’ve got. If they don’t…”

He left it there, but the message was clear. His loyalty had an expiration date.

I respected his honesty. I gave him a firm nod.

The car purred to life as I gunned it out of the garage.

In the rearview mirror, Brooklyn’s eyes met mine. She knew me too well. My subtle nod was returned with silent understanding. She’d heard everything. And she believed him too.

I just hoped I wouldn’t have to kill the demon any time soon.

He was starting to grow on me.