Page 19

Chapter Nineteen

RATHIEL

A full day had passed, and Lily still hadn’t woken.

Nor had I moved from my spot—sitting against the cavern wall. Watching. Waiting. And feeling completely useless.

She hadn’t stirred. Not a twitch of her fingers. Just the same slow rise and fall of her chest. A good sign, I supposed. But the longer she stayed like this, the more it gnawed at me.

I could endure pain— had endured it more times than I could count. I could fight through exhaustion, push my body past its limits, carve through enemies without hesitation. But this? Sitting here, watching the only person who mattered to me lost somewhere I couldn’t follow?

It was unbearable.

And I wasn’t the only one feeling it.

Eliza sat nearby, arms draped over her knees, absently flipping a dagger between her fingers. She hadn’t said much in the last few hours—just the occasional muttered curse, mostly directed at Calyx. He slouched against the far wall, looking entirely too at ease for the one responsible for this whole mess.

Vol had stationed himself on Lily’s other side, his usual comments absent as he sat cross-legged, watching her with an uncharacteristic stillness. Even Purrgy, who had spent the last few hours pacing, had finally settled, curled up on Lily’s chest, his tail flicking with quiet agitation.

No one spoke.

There was nothing to say.

Calyx, for once, wasn’t running his mouth. A scowl had replaced his usual smirk as he watched Lily in silence. Every so often, his brows pulled together before he rubbed at his temples like a human nursing a bad headache. Whenever I asked, his answer was always the same—she was reliving her memories, and she would wake when she was ready.

And so we waited.

I swallowed, then leaned my head back against the rock, eyes closed. I’d fed yesterday by draining the hellbeast that had resided in this cavern. It should have been enough. But a new hunger crawled beneath my skin. It had started a few hours ago and refused to abate. It gnawed at me, likely fed by my fury, frustration, and fear.

The thought of leaving to feed while Lily lay there, unconscious and defenseless, churned my stomach. I could almost hear her voice in my head, calling me a starving stray. She’d roll her eyes. Maybe laugh. Order me to go hunt something before I lost my mind.

I dragged a hand down my face.

“You look like shit,” Eliza muttered, still twirling her dagger, her voice flat.

“I’m fine,” I muttered.

“Uh-huh.” She tossed the dagger in the air and caught it without looking, studying me now. “You’re pale. Paler than normal. What’s going on?”

“He’s hungry,” Calyx answered before I could. His tone was bored, but his eyes shone with interest. “Curse of the vampire. They need blood to survive.”

Eliza’s brows lifted slightly. “You just fed . ”

My jaw tightened. “I said I’m fine.”

Calyx chuckled softly from his side of the cavern. “Strong emotions stir the appetite in the blood-inclined. He’s fine for now but give it time. He’ll need to feed again. Sooner rather than later.”

I glared at him.

Unbothered, he stretched his legs out and leaned back against the rock. “What? I’m just stating facts. You’re coming apart, brother. And while I’d love to see what happens when you finally lose it, I assume you’d rather avoid making a meal out of your precious friends.”

My fangs ached. My instincts screamed to take. Sink my teeth into something. Tear and drink and feed.

“Oh, I know that look,” Vol piped up. “Lily gets like that when she’s hangry.”

Eliza snorted. “Yeah, difference is, her version of hangry doesn’t involve murdering the nearest warm body.” She nudged my foot lightly with her boot. “You should probably do something about that before you get any worse.”

“Not happening,” I grumbled.

Eliza gave me a pointed look. “You do realize you’re not useful to her like this, right?” When I didn’t respond, she rolled her eyes. “Go find something to eat before you lose what little sanity you have left.”

The hunger scraped against my ribs, a cold, twisting thing, but I shook my head. “No. Not while she’s like this.”

Calyx hummed. “Ah. The self-sacrificing, brooding type. Classic.”

I ignored him.

Eliza let out a long sigh and slid her dagger back into its sheath. “You’re being stupid . ”

“Noted.”

Vol’s tiny hands smacked against his face. “He’s being so dramatic right now. I almost respect it.”

“I don’t. It’s painfully predictable,” Calyx said. Sighing, he sat forward. “Go, brother. Before it gets any worse. I vow I will not harm a single hair on your girl’s head. And her enchanting friend here can watch me the entire time.”

Eliza arched a brow at Calyx. “First of all, don’t call me enchanting. Second, yeah, I’ll be watching you like a hawk. So, don’t get any ideas.”

Calyx spread his hands, all innocence. “Perish the thought.”

Eliza turned back to me and jabbed a thumb toward the cave entrance. “Go. Find yourself a nice, fat hellcat to snack on before you start looking at us like food. And as much as I’d love to see you lose your mind and attack Calyx—I’d pay to see that again, honestly—I don’t want you getting yourself killed because you’re too damn stubborn to take care of yourself.”

I dragged in a slow breath, the hunger scraping at the edges of my restraint. She wasn’t wrong. But leaving Lily…

I turned my gaze back to her. Still unmoving, still lost in her memories. I ground my teeth. I hated the thought of walking away, even if only for a short time.

As if sensing my hesitation, Vol huffed. “She’s not gonna suddenly keel over while you’re gone, vamp-boy. We got this.”

Even Purrgy, who had been eerily quiet, flicked his tail and let out a low, unimpressed mrow, as if to say, Go already.

Calyx leaned back, looking pleased with himself. “See? Even the sweet…kitty—is that what you called that thing?—agrees.”

Eliza shook her head. “Get. And then when you come back, you’ll be more useful. It’s as simple as that.”

I cursed under my breath and pushed to my feet. “Fine.”

Eliza shot me a satisfied nod. “Good. And maybe, if you’re lucky, the blood will improve your mood.”

I shot her a dry look before shifting my attention back to Lily one last time. Reaching out, I brushed my fingers lightly against her cheek. Just a fleeting touch. A reminder that she was still here .

Then, without another word, I turned left the cave, stepping out into the Hell’s blistering wasteland. I barely registered the heat. My focus was singular—hunt, feed, return to Lily.

Unfurling my wings, I took to the sky in a controlled ascent, scanning the craggy terrain below with a predator’s gaze. Every flash of movement was a potential target. Hellcats were common enough, and easy prey if I attacked from above. The sooner I found one, the sooner I could?—

A shadow below caught my eye.

Instinct kicked in, and I angled downward, narrowing my focus. But it wasn’t a hellcat I’d spotted. No, it was three hellspawn—a brimlord, netheron, and vexori. I adjusted my flight, circling lower. They weren’t heading directly toward the cave, but they were too close for comfort. If they kept moving in this direction, it was only a matter of time before they stumbled across our trail. Good thing I didn’t mind snacking on hellspawn. I shifted my position, my muscles tensing as I prepared to attack.

Until their voices reached my ears.

“Slaughtered,” the brimlord said, his voice a guttural rasp. “Bodies torn apart.”

“I’ve seen battlefields,” the netheron said. “Seen hellspawn ripped to shreds before. But this? This was pure malice. I’ve never seen so much blood before.”

“Think it was her?” the vexori asked. “I’ve heard stories about her.”

The brimlord grunted, adjusting the weapon strapped to his back. “Who cares how it happened? What matters is that someone slaughtered a hellspawn patrol in our territory. This wasn’t some random fight. It was a damn execution.”

The netheron cuffed the brimlord upside the head. “It matters because if it was her , then Lucifer needs to know.”

At that, my focus sharpened. Lucifer didn’t need to know anything . Especially not now, while Lily was vulnerable. I shifted my trajectory, tucking my wings in tight as I dove toward them, silent as a blade slicing through the air. The moment my feet hit the ground, I moved.

The brimlord barely had time to turn his head before my sword found his throat. A clean strike, no hesitation. Blood splattered me and his friends as he crumpled, a wet gurgle escaping his lips.

The netheron snarled, reaching for his weapon. Too slow. I was already there, grabbing the hilt before he could draw and twisting his arm at an unnatural angle. Bone cracked, his howl of pain silenced by my next strike. I drove my blade up beneath his chin, punching through soft tissue and into his skull.

The vexori bolted.

I was on him in seconds.

The hellspawn barely made it three steps before I grabbed him by the back of the neck and slammed him face-first into the ground. The impact sent a dull crack through the air, dust rising in thick plumes around us. He convulsed, his body jerking beneath my grip, legs kicking uselessly against the dirt. His claws scraped the ground for purchase, but it didn’t matter. He was weaker. Slower. A lesser predator caught by something far worse.

I yanked his head back and struck.

My fangs pierced deep, blood flooding my mouth. It burned—thick, acrid, tainted with a distinctive infernal stench—but I drank anyway. It wasn’t like Lily’s blood. Hers was celestial, rich with power, uniquely hers in a way I could never forget. This? This was just fuel. A means to an end.

The vexori spasmed beneath me, his body jerking, the last remnants of his strength bleeding away with every pull. His heartbeat faltered, his fingers twitching against the dirt. Finally, the hunger dulled and strength flooded my limbs.

I drank until there was nothing left.

When he stilled, I released him and sat back, exhaling slowly. The heat of his blood still lingered on my tongue, metallic and bitter. I licked the last traces from my lips, then returned to my feet and scanned the area around me. The bodies were proof that someone had been here. Not usually an issue, except I didn’t want to bring attention to our presence.

It only took a few moments for me to clear them. Then I returned to the air and quickly flew back to the cave. I landed at the entrance, my steps steadier and my body lighter. The moment I stepped inside, the others looked up.

“That was fast,” Eliza murmured.

I ignored her and moved toward Lily, still asleep. I’d hoped that I would return and find her awake. A foolish hope.

Calyx studied me, then gave an approving nod. “Ah, you look much better. See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

I didn’t dignify him with an answer.

Instead, I placed a hand on Lily’s neck, feeling her pulse. She wasn’t awake, but she was still alive. And right now, that was all that mattered.

After a few moments, I turned my attention back to the others. “I found three hellspawn nearby,” I said.

Eliza sat forward slightly, narrowing her eyes. “How close?”

“Close enough,” I said. “They weren’t heading toward the cave, but they were in the area. And they weren’t just wandering.”

Calyx tilted his head, watching me with quiet interest. “Scouting?”

“Or tracking,” I said. “They must have found the last cave we were in. They were speculating on what’d happened and debating whether or not they needed to inform Lucifer.”

Eliza swore. “And?”

I met her gaze. “And I took care of it.”

Relief had her eyes closing briefly.

“But that doesn’t mean more hellspawn won’t discover the cave,” Calyx commented.

“I know,” I said. “I thought about that too. We need to relocate. We’re too close in proximity.”

Eliza and Calyx both nodded.

“I can fly with Lily,” I continued. “Calyx, you can take Eliza.”

Eliza’s head snapped toward me, her expression incredulous. “Whoa, I thought we covered this already. I refuse to let him fly me anywhere.”

Calyx sighed. “If you’d rather take the scenic route and dodge hellspawn on foot, by all means.”

Eliza’s fingers flexed around her dagger hilt, like she was preparing to stab him. “I’d rather crawl through a pit of razors than fly with you.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, inhaling slowly. “Eliza. I can’t fight and carry Lily. We need to get to our next location fast. Walking when she’s in this state is incredibly dangerous.”

She turned her glare on me. “No. Absolutely not. I am not putting my life in his hands.”

Calyx pressed a hand to his chest in mock offense. “I’m hurt. Do you really think I’d drop you?”

“Yes,” she deadpanned.

He grinned. “Fair.”

I sighed. “Fine. I guess I’ll just have to carry you both separately.” I hated that plan even more. The thought of leaving Lily’s side for that long physically hurt.

“Oh yes, brilliant idea,” Calyx drawled. “Take twice as long, waste precious time, and leave your sleeping beauty all alone with me while you ferry Eliza. What a perfectly sound strategy.” He eyed the siren. “Of course, one option is much smarter than the other.”

It didn’t escape my notice that Calyx and I agreed about something.

“Eliza,” I said, “think about this. I realize you don’t trust him?—”

“ You don’t trust him,” she shot back. “So why should I? One slip, one ‘oops,’ and I’m free-falling to my death.”

Calyx grinned. “Oh, darling , I’d never let someone as stunning as you plummet to your demise. Just imagine the tragedy, your lovely face all?—”

“Calyx,” I snapped.

He held up his hands, amusement still dancing in his eyes. “I’m merely reassuring her.”

Eliza scoffed. “More like making me want to stab you. Hard. Multiple times.”

I rubbed a hand over my face. “We’re wasting time.”

She crossed her arms. “Then come up with another plan.”

I met her glare head-on and kept my voice level. “This is the fastest way. The cleanest. I can’t just stroll through Hell with Lily unconscious in my arms.”

Her eyes flashed. She clearly hated being forced into this situation. But she also wasn’t stupid.

Finally, she let out a breath. “Fine. But if he tries anything?—”

Calyx sighed. “Yes, yes, I know . You’ll carve out my ribs, pluck out my eyes, fashion my bones into a charming little necklace—I’ve heard it all. Frankly, I’m flattered by your violent attention.”

Eliza just scowled. “Let’s just get this over with.”

I reached for Lily and scooped her into my arms. “Let’s go.”