Page 29

After leaving Camille in bed, I shower and dress in record time, then meet my council in the car. Blake is behind the wheel, the passenger seat left empty for me, while Francesca, Jude, and Roman are in the back. Greer is still more than a little on edge after losing Declan, so I opt to have her stay back.

I can only ignore the tension filling the vehicle for so long before I grumble, “What is it?”

Jude sighs from the seat behind me. “You couldn’t wait to bed your human fixation until after the final trial?”

“She brings out the worst in you, which is something we needed to avoid,” Francesca adds.

The worst being any ounce of humanity in this scenario.

I could lie and call it a momentary lapse, or argue I didn’t know when I’d face my last trial, but I don’t feel the need to defend my choices. I did what I wanted.

“When were you home last, Fran?” Blake asks to fill the silence after it’s clear I’m not going to respond.

We’re heading to the portal in the Olympic National Park after I had it scoured for hunters, ensuring we won’t run into any upon our arrival in a little under five hours.

“Hmm,” she hums. “A few years ago. I found myself lost in this realm and needing a break. Humans are positively exhausting. At least in hell I don’t have to be anything but what I am.”

Blake chuckles. “You can do that here so long as you don’t give a fuck about anything or anyone.”

She sighs, the sound intentionally dramatic. “Yes, well, we’re not all like you, Blake. That’s not as easy for some of us.”

“I can’t tell if that’s meant to be a compliment or an insult.”

“Best not to analyze it too closely,” I chime in, drumming my fingers against my leg.

By some small miracle, the rest of the drive is smooth and goes by quickly. Once we arrive, Blake parks in the public lot, and we start the trek into the forest. It’s an overcast afternoon and there’s a bite of coldness in the air that makes me grateful for the jacket I grabbed on the way out the door.

Francesca is dressed impeccably, as always, in a black pea coat, leather pants, and boots with an almost ridiculous heel. Blake and I are dressed in similar black dress pants and shirts, but while my jacket is black, Blake opted for a sandy brown leather zip-up. Paired with his blue hair, some might view his appearance as strange, but Blake’s confidence helps him pull off frankly any look, and he knows it.

Jude and Roman are in jeans, hiking boots, and black rain jackets. Roman’s hair is combed back neatly, while his sister’s is twisted into an intricate braid down her back, as dark as the forest floor beneath our feet.

The leaves crunch under my hikers as we follow the trail into the thick cover of trees, and I swallow past the unease clogging my throat. This portal, at the crossing of Seattle’s ley lines, is the same one I came through a decade ago when Lucia decided I needed to be socialized with humans. So I could ‘fit in and learn to manipulate them.’ Needless to say, it’s not the fondest of memories. I was an adolescent already struggling with his humanity versus his demon side. I was never given a chance to discover who I was on my own. My future—my fate—was sealed even before I was born.

Blake leads us off the trail, between the dense trees, until the silence of the forest falls on us. We trudge through the brush, the air damp and earthy. Each breath I take is a plume of fog in front of me as the temperature seems to drop and the air fills with a light mist.

Jude and Roman walk behind, while Francesca stays next to me, the only sound coming from her the steady beat of her heart. My stomach dips, my pulse spiking as we approach two noticeably larger trees that stick out from the others. They’re older, their trunks thicker, with massive roots crawling along the forest floor.

Blake stops, propping his hands on his hips, and glances between the trees before turning to regard me. His expression is focused, serious. “Are you ready?” he asks in a level tone, his gaze flicking toward Francesca before returning to me.

I nod before I can hesitate, and Francesca pulls out an obsidian dagger that makes the monster clawing at my chest growl low.

“Relax,” she mutters, seemingly unperturbed. “We need your blood to open the portal.”

I pluck the dagger from her hand, gripping it tightly until my hand stops shaking. Inhaling slowly, I stand between the two larger trees and open my palm, slicing deeply into my skin as I exhale through my teeth. Fire licks across my skin at the contact of the obsidian, and my jaw works as I fight not to snarl in pain. I turn my palm over, letting the black blood pour from the wound to the forest floor.

Nothing happens at first.

I glance around at the members of my council, who are watching me.

Waiting.

And then, the ground starts shaking.

“Do you know what comes next?” Blake asks from my right, while Francesca steps up on my left.

Before I can remind him I haven’t been back to hell since I left over a decade ago, the ground opens beneath our feet, and we’re falling.

The air rushes from my lungs.

Darkness clouds my vision.

Blood pounds in my ears.

I can’t tell which way is up. My senses escape me for what feels like a short eternity. I squeeze my eyes shut as the nausea rolls through me in violent waves. Darkness consumes me, and I have no choice but to let it.

At some point, though, the ground becomes solid under me. Slowly, the darkness recedes and my senses return. Everything rushes into focus, so sharp and fast, it’s disarming. The air is thick, smoky, and reeks of sulfur. The trees surrounding us are black as charcoal, and the cloudless sky red like blood.

“I nearly forgot how fucking bleak this place is,” Blake comments, brushing dust from the sleeves of his jacket.

I glance around at the desolate wasteland where I grew up. The underworld—or hell—is a mirror of the human world, but…darker. Sinister . Everything appears mostly normal at first glance, but look too long and it’ll quickly become twisted into your worst nightmare. With demons lurking anywhere and everywhere, the smoky atmosphere is heavy with torment and despair.

Time ceases to exist here, which is to blame for the distant echo of endless screams. Hope is nowhere to be found, and yet, my veins sing with power, as if I’ve fed on a human buffet of fear.

“How are you doing, mate?”

I turn to look at him and force a blasé smile. “Home sweet home.”

He snorts, and we make the trek through the forest, but the parking lot we left in the human world has morphed into a wooden-plank bridge over a wide chasm. Below is a rapidly flowing river of blood, its sharp copper scent burning my nostrils and making my stomach roil.

Being in the human world so long has made you weak , my mother’s voice reverberates hauntingly in my head, and I shove it away, gritting my teeth as I step onto the swaying bridge, the first plank groaning under my foot.

“Where are we going exactly?” Jude asks, stepping onto the bridge behind me, and Roman behind her.

“I imagine Lucia’s estate is where she left it when she came to the human world years ago. We’ll head there until the royal guard decides to grace us with their presence.”

We cross the bridge in silence, the river whooshing below us as I attempt to ignore the red mist in the air and coating the thick braided rope guardrails on either side of us.

Roman sighs. “You’re not going to make us walk all the way there, are you?”

I keep my gaze trained ahead as we near the other side of the bridge. “What do you…” I trail off as realization dawns on me. “I can portal here.”

“Theoretically,” Blake calls out. “Your mother could, so now that you’re in her position, with the power of the reigning monarch, you presumably can too.”

We get to the other side of the bridge, and I exhale a steadying breath. While the surge of energy from being back in hell is undoubtedly beneficial, I’ve never felt so out of my element.

“We’re about to have company, gentlemen,” Francesca says under her breath seconds before three demons spill out of the forest no more than twenty meters away.

In an instant, I’m gravely aware that these are high-level demons. They mostly exist in the depths of the underworld and rarely venture topside, choosing to feed on the souls of the damned that are trapped here for eternity. With appearances more animal than human, my posture straightens as they get closer, their all-black gazes focused on me.

I’m to be their king , I remind myself.

Except they don’t bow to me when they get close as they should.

The male in the middle with a mouth full of grotesque, bloodstained fangs snarls a greeting before lunging at me.

Blake dives into action immediately, grabbing him around the waist as he swipes near my face with filthy, wolf-like claws. He throws the demon to the ground with a laugh. “Quite the warm welcome, mate,” he tosses over his shoulder at me.

Francesca advances at preternatural speed toward the other male demon, and I follow without missing a beat, not about to let them fight alone. Another move that’d be sure to disappoint my mother. She always expected those loyal to her to fight so she didn’t have to lift a finger.

I grab the female demon, wrapping my hand around her throat as she growls at me, her skin ashen gray, like dark granite. She has icy white hair that falls in loose waves down her back, and her black leather bodysuit clings to her narrow frame. This demon is small-but-mighty personified. And if she wasn’t attacking me, I’d likely appreciate that more.

“Weak human scum,” she spits in my face, and I get a flash of the piercings in her forked tongue. She attempts to slam her knee into my groin, but I manage to twist to the side so she hits my thigh.

I tighten my grip, leaning in as I bark, “Stand down or I will put you down.” When her eyes narrow in defiance, I smile grimly and add, “Go ahead. Allow me to make an example of you.”

She seems to consider it. I watch her face, picking up the exact moment she makes a decision. Her mind is made up about me.

A cool sensation ripples through me as I give myself over to the monster lingering just beneath the surface. I grab both sides of the demon’s head and twist hard, snapping her neck. Stepping back, I let her body crumple to the ground. Killing demons works differently down here—her body won’t turn to ash like it would in the human world. We’ll have to sever her limbs and burn the pieces to ensure she doesn’t come back as a low-level demon.

I clap my hands together and exhale a sigh as I turn toward the others. Blake and Francesca each hold a demon by the throat as I walk closer, gravel crunching under my boots.

“Perhaps we can discuss why you saw fit to attack your king,” I offer in a level tone. I may not be king yet, but I’m fucking close enough. “Alternatively, I have no problem if you’d prefer to join your snake-tongued friend in eternal nothingness. Your choice.”

Slowly, both of them bow their heads, and when I nod at Blake and Francesca to release them, they sink to their knees. Jude and Roman, who were covering our backs, walk forward to stand with us.

“Forgive us, my lord,” one of the males says in a low, gravelly voice. He appears older than the other, maybe early forties, and has short, salt and pepper hair with a matching beard.

“Tell me,” I say as they keep their gazes trained on the ground. “Should I expect more greetings such as yours?”

The younger demon looks up first, meeting my gaze. When he opens his mouth to respond, his teeth are shockingly human, though his ears are slightly pointed, as if he could be one of the fair folk. Maybe in another life he was.

“Was the welcome into the monarchy topside friendlier than down here?” The serrated edge to his voice makes my lips twitch.

“That’s truly how you want to speak to me after I just killed your friend for disloyalty?”

He chuckles. “Not a friend.”

“You have two options,” Francesca chimes in. “Respect your king, or I’ll kill you myself.”

The demon doesn’t look at her. Doesn’t take his eyes off me. “We all wondered when you might take the throne. Some of us didn’t think you ever would. I personally don’t think you’re cut out for it.”

“And why do you think your opinion matters?” Blake asks, and I can see the muscle in his jaw ticking. He’s itching to fight, but despite the adrenaline rush of battle, I would rather not have to kill another today.

I wave Blake off, flicking a glance toward the other demon who still has his head bowed. “Rise,” I tell them both, and they get to their feet. “You don’t share the same fear of me your acquaintance here does.”

He shrugs. “I don’t fear death.”

“Death is not what you would have to look forward to if I end your life here. Have you forgotten that because you do not have a soul, once you die in hell you’re damned to an eternity of nothing but darkness—and I mean that quite literally.”

“Are you waiting for me to beg for my life?”

“No,” I say honestly. “I wouldn’t wait. If I was going to kill you, I would have. I want to make it clear how things are going to go moving forward. Lucia ruled for a long time, and near the end of her reign did so with the promise of power over the human world. I can understand why that might be appealing to many. That said, I’m not continuing my mother’s legacy.”

“And you wonder why many aren’t pleased with you. We are loyal to our ruler to an extent. However, a lot of demons are not supportive of a half-human king.”

“He isn’t human,” Jude speaks for the first time, her voice sharp.

“Taking the throne meant sacrificing his soul,” Roman adds. “He’s as much a demon as any of us now—and more powerful than all of us.”

I glance to the less combative demon as he clears his throat.

“What is your plan then?” he asks.

“To fulfill my duty,” I answer simply. “To enact punishment on those who deserve it.”

“Will you return to the human world then?” the snarky one asks. I can’t quite pinpoint his angle. He seems to despise me, but in an oddly playful way.

“I plan to, yes. There is still the issue of the demon hunters.”

“And do you believe eradicating that issue as your predecessor would have is not the right idea?”

“Lucia’s plan is not mine,” is all I say. “Now—” I nod toward the demon I killed. “I leave it to you to deal with this.”

“Of course,” the older demon says, bowing his head again before grabbing the elbow of the demon next to him and pulling him away. He holds my gaze for a beat longer before the two of them walk back toward the body.

The five of us continue on our way, heading for Lucia’s estate. Once we’re under the cover of trees, we stop, and Francesca folds her arms over her chest, asking, “Do you know how to portal?”

“In theory. Of course, I haven’t done it before.” From what I know, it should be as simple as closing my eyes, focusing on where I want to go, and poof , I’ll end up there.

“No time like the present to give it a shot,” Blake says with a grin in my direction.

I nod and direct everyone to join hands as I close my eyes. Physical contact will make it easier to ensure I don’t portal away without them as I visualize the parlor in Lucia’s estate. The massive stone fireplace with crackling flames that never seemed to run out of firewood, and the antique chest set that sat between the dark leather couches.

Without warning, the world tilts, and I hold my breath as everything starts to spin. Seconds later, the ground is solid beneath me once more, and I blink my eyes open, releasing my friends as we all look around to the place I remember from years ago.

“Easy peasy,” Blake says and claps me on the back, grinning wide. “Nicely done, mate.”

“Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I need a drink,” Roman adds.

“I’m with you there,” Jude agrees immediately, linking arms with him and Francesca, and the three of them walk to the brass bar cart in the corner of the room in front of a floor-to-ceiling window draped with heavy blue velvet curtains.

“How does it feel to be back?” Blake asks in a quieter voice.

I exhale a sigh. “This place never felt like home, but the familiarity of it amidst the final trial is oddly comforting.”

“Fair enough. I’m going to get myself a drink. You want one?”

I shake my head. “I’m going to take a beat.”

“Do you need—”

“All good.”

He eyes me for a moment, then nods.