Page 32 of Queen of the Wicked (Afterlife #1)

Alessia

S tanding outside the elevator that would deliver them to the entrance of the pits, Alessia tried her best not to let her nerves show.

She wouldn’t be the weak link of the group when Izara seemed bored, leaning against the stone wall with a foot propped against it like this was just another day for her, and maybe it was.

Who knew what she saw on her travels to the soul yard?

Alessia hoped she’d share just a drop of her courage to get her through the next few days.

With Isla instructed to prepare her for the mission, she braided Alessia’s hair this morning to pull it away from her face, laying out a white, long-sleeved blouse and loose pants for her to change into.

Then she spent most of her morning fussing over her backpack, ensuring it had everything she would need for the next few days.

Weapons, food, a canteen of water, and a spare change of clothes were only a fraction of what Isla managed to stuff in the pack, and Alessia shifted uncomfortably on her feet from the weight of it.

“Do you have everything you need?” Isla asked.

She stood before her, hands clasped below her stomach as she waited expectantly.

Clad in a black dress that hugged her curvy figure just right, she looked stunning.

The darkness brought out the blue in her eyes, and her pale skin seemed to glow beneath the sconces above them.

“Isla, if I don’t have what I need, there’s a problem.” Alessia grunted, shifting the pack to her other shoulder. “Pretty sure I’ll be good for the next month.”

“Oh, please. The pits will not take a month to travel through.” She bit her lip, contemplating it. “At least, I don’t believe so.”

“Would you stop worrying? You should celebrate my departure since it’ll give you some rest time you wholeheartedly deserve.”

A flush crept up her neck and spread to her cheeks. “Yes, I suppose I’ll have to indulge in the books that were delivered to my room this morning, courtesy of His Majesty.”

Alessia’s face brightened, her heart clenching at the realization that Erebos did listen to her. “I was hoping he would deliver them. When I return, you can sing my praises after that series changes your life.”

Before she could reply, Erebos and Eryx rounded the corner, each with their own backpack.

Alessia couldn’t help but admire how casual the lord looked in only a pair of trousers and a t-shirt.

It was far from the tunic and dress pants he wore on a daily basis, and where his hair was usually slicked back with gel, now the curls fell freely in disarray with a few strands flopping onto his forehead.

“You’re late,” Izara muttered, examining her nails.

“Our apologies,” Erebos replied. He came to stand beside Alessia, resting his bicep against her shoulder. “I had business to finish before our departure.”

Callum? Alessia asked through the mind link.

Yes. I’m happy to report his soul is no longer with us.

Alessia had figured as much, but she still didn’t know how to feel about Erebos taking on that responsibility for her.

Callum tried to hurt her, so it should have been her decision whether or not to kill him.

Erebos didn’t need to act as her knight in shining armor, yet he did so without any questions asked.

What had plagued her since it happened was the question of why. They had agreed to be cordial for this mission, but cordial didn’t equate to taking a kill for someone else so that they wouldn’t carry the weight of it.

“I will see you when you return,” Isla said to Alessia, reaching to squeeze her hand.

Izara jabbed the button on the elevator, tapping her foot impatiently against the marble floors when Eryx stepped up beside them, bowing slightly to the handmaid.

That sign of respect wasn’t normal here in Hell.

Alessia had read more of the Book of Death in her free time, and those who had not been freed yet were deemed insignificant to the realm.

They were meant to be ignored, but with the way the general stared at her, she was anything but.

“Did you receive your package this morning?” he asked.

Isla’s eyes widened. “ You delivered it? Did you…”

“See what was inside? Yes, given I was the one tasked with chasing the books down.” He leaned in closer to her ear and whispered, “I hope you enjoy your scandalous reading material, Isla. It sounded riveting .”

Her cheeks were the color of a cherry now as she dipped into a curtsy. “Thank you, Eryx. I hope you all return safely.”

“Likewise. I’m looking forward to a book report.”

Alessia failed to hide her smile at the strangled squeak that worked its way up Isla’s throat. The handmaid fled down the corridor, escaping the general as fast as she could. It left Eryx grinning as he stared after her, so deep in thought he hardly noticed the elevator doors opening.

“Well, come on then,” Izara beckoned, breaking him from his trance. “The Seeker isn’t going to find itself.”

“It’s worse than I thought,” Alessia whispered.

When they approached the pit’s entrance a mere hour ago, she assumed nothing could be more intimidating than the spiked edges surrounding the cave’s mouth, resembling a warning of foreshadowing for those who dared to enter what awaited them on the other side.

It turned out she was sorely mistaken.

In the depths of the pits, light was nonexistent.

Izara had shot her flames to light the sconces on the walls, which provided a faint golden glow along the jagged stone pathways.

Judging from the cobwebs clinging to the archways and cracked stone, it was clear no one had been inside the cave in years, if not longer.

With each step they took, the feeling of unease grew.

Alessia couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding, wondering at every turn if they would encounter one of the various beasts depicted in the texts Erebos had read.

She had never been claustrophobic before, but with the way her chest squeezed, she assumed she’d developed a new fear.

“Turn left,” Eryx instructed, squinting to stare at the map. “We should be—” He came to a sudden halt, lifting his foot clad in a black boot. “What is that ?”

The group drew closer, examining the boot in question, where a string of sticky green goo was stuck to the sole. Izara ignited a ball of flame, squatting to investigate it further. “It looks to be a mucus of some sort.”

“ Mucus? ” Eryx’s face paled. “From what?”

“Let’s not stick around and find out,” Erebos replied.

The general grumbled, using his sword to cut through the goo to release his boot from the floor before they continued onward. With the substance weighing heavily on their minds, chatter ceased, and they walked cautiously through the eerily quiet passages.

Water dripped from the ceilings, creating a steady rhythm that Alessia latched onto if only to quell the fear leeching into her bones.

She kept close to Erebos, whose presence seemed to provide a sense of calmness she desperately needed.

It wasn’t until she felt a tug at her arm that she realized the lord was stripping her backpack off.

“What are you doing?” she asked .

He arched a brow as he slid the strap onto one of his shoulders, where his own already resided. “What does it look like I’m doing? You’re uncomfortable.”

How did he know that? Her back had ached for the last twenty minutes, but she thought she had concealed her discomfort from the rest of the group. “I can handle carrying my backpack,” she said.

“You could, but why suffer when I am willing to carry it for you?”

Alessia stared up at him with pure astonishment.

“What?” he prodded.

“Where was this version of you when we trekked miles across the forest to Allegra’s? I didn’t see you offering me any help then. ”

He smiled, and just for a second, she forgot they were in the most feared place in the realm. “I was angry at you for stealing my powers, so I did everything I could to push you away.”

“And now you’ve suddenly forgiven me?” She shuddered as the group ventured into a tunnel of sorts that hardly allowed room for Erebos and her to stand next to each other.

The lord and Eryx had to dip their heads due to their height, Alessia not far behind them.

The top of her head brushed against the stones while Izara strode ahead freely, small but mighty as she led the pack.

“I thought the Lord of Hell was supposed to be someone who terrified those he came into contact with, not offer to hold their bags for them.”

Eryx chuckled, but his eyes never strayed from his surroundings. He continued to rest a hand on the hilt of his sword. “You receive a much different version of the lord than other demons in Hell,” he said.

“Eryx,” Erebos warned, but Alessia wouldn’t let him off the hook that easily.

“Why?” she pressed. “If you resented me for stealing your powers when we first met, what changed?”

“Would you all be quiet ?” The three of them collided into Izara’s back when she drew up short at the opening of the narrow tunnel. They all held their breath, straining their ears for the sudden abruption. “I heard something.”

Panic latched onto Alessia’s heart with a tight fist, the hair along her arms standing on end. She didn’t miss when Erebos stepped closer to her, the heat of his body like a furnace against her back. Still, it did nothing to stop her anxiety from running wild.

And then she heard it.

A slithering echoing within the walls.

“That sounds promising,” Eryx muttered under his breath.

Entering into full-blown general mode, he unsheathed his sword and stood before Erebos, attempting to block him from view even though he was a few inches shorter.

The hard lines of his face were set in stone as he assessed the area, searching for the source of the danger.

“It’s coming from the right,” Izara murmured. They were at a crossroads at the end of the tunnel. “Is that where we’re headed?”