Page 28

LILY

Ilay curled against Rathiel, his arm draped over my waist, his body warm and solid against mine. The ruined platform beneath us was cold, uneven, but I hardly noticed. Not with him here. Not with the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath my cheek, his heartbeat a quiet, grounding rhythm.

The world felt…still.

It wouldn’t last.

Even now, I could feel the weight of reality creeping in, tightening around me like a noose. We had taken back this piece of ourselves, but the war wouldn’t wait for us to bask in it. It never did.

Lucifer obviously knew I was here. And he was one problem we couldn’t outrun. Nor did I want to.

He would come for me. He would send his forces, his hellspawn, his remaining fallen, and he wouldn’t stop until he had me in his grasp—or dead. Clearly, the latter was his preference.

I sighed, my breath ghosting over Rathiel’s chest. Eliza’s plan was still the only way forward, and now, with more allies at our back, we had a real chance of making this happen. But I wasn’t ready to tackle any of that just yet. Not when I was here, wrapped in Rathiel’s arms, warm and content for the first time in what felt like lifetimes.

His grip on my waist tightened slightly, not to hold me down, not to keep me pinned against him, but because even in sleep, he reached for me. I traced my fingers over the firm lines of his chest, allowing myself these few moments before the world came to find us.

I wanted to stay here forever, but alas, there was so much to do.

Reality always had a way of killing a girl’s mood.

Sighing, I sat up.

Rathiel’s arm slipped away as I moved, and his eyes blinked open instantly alert despite the haze of sleep. His gaze found me first, sweeping over my face, searching for any sign of trouble before scanning our surroundings, instincts honed from centuries of war.

“What is it?” His voice was rough with sleep, but his body tensed beneath me, ready to fight.

I shook my head. “Nothing. But if we don’t get back soon, the others are going to come looking for us.”

He dragged a hand over his face before pushing himself upright beside me. He didn’t argue. Didn’t ask me to stay in this moment with him just a little longer. Because he knew as well as I did, this wasn’t over. Not yet.

“When all this is done,” I murmured, reaching for my clothes, “we’ll have as many moments like this as we want. But right now, we still have five fallen to kill, and we need to rebuild the rebellion. As much as I’d love to stay here with you, we don’t have time.”

“Three,” Rathiel told me.

I glanced at him. “Three what?”

“Three fallen,” he said, pulling on his shirt. “Gremory’s dead. And Mephisar killed Raelia.”

I froze, one sock in my hand, and stared at him. “What?”

He grinned at me, slow and wicked, his fangs peeking out just enough to make my breath hitch. Bastard. He knew exactly what that did to me. But now was not the time to get distracted—no matter how tempting it was.

“They attacked us before you woke up,” he said, reaching for his boots. “And in the words of one Lilith Morningstar, we kicked a little ass.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that as I yanked on my pants. “Eliza told me about the attack, but never said anything about Gremory and Raelia’s deaths.”

“I ordered her and Calyx to leave with you,” Rathiel said, pressing a kiss against the top of my head before straightening. “So, Eliza wouldn’t have known.”

Wow, only three fallen remained? Gremory and Raelia were dead?

The weight of it hit me like a hammer. Three fallen still stood between us and Lucifer. Three. Not five.

We were closer than I’d thought.

A slow sense of satisfaction curled through me. We had a real shot at this. At cutting down every last one of my father’s champions before we dragged him from his throne.

I finished dressing in record time, barely taking a second to fix my tangled hair before stepping toward the edge of the ruined platform. Rathiel was already beside me, fastening his pants, his gaze flicking toward the encampment below. Or what remained of it.

The only signs of life came from the figures still moving within the wreckage—Mephisar and Sable, their massive forms curled near the outskirts like sleeping sentinels, and beyond them, the distinct silhouettes of our other allies.

“Think they made it through the night without bloodshed?” Rathiel asked.

“If they didn’t, I know who I’m blaming.”

He huffed a quiet laugh and stepped behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist as he lifted us into the air.

We touched down near the heart of the encampment, the thud of our landing stirring movement among the others. Eliza was the first to spot us, her eyes sweeping over us before landing on me with something dangerously close to relief.

“Oh, good,” she drawled. “Alive and clothed. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect.”

I glanced at her, then asked, “Where’s Levi?”

Eliza jerked her chin toward the back of the encampment where our leaders had once set up the war tent. A new tent stood in its place, one far smaller, but it was better than nothing. “Trying not to murder Calyx.”

Rathiel muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like what a shame . But I ignored him and moved toward the tent, following the faint murmurs of a conversation I already knew was more tense than cordial.

As soon as I stepped into the tent, I saw them.

Levi stood on one end, his arms crossed and expression carved from stone, while Calyx stood on the other end, a picture of ease. The tension between them was thick, crackling like lightning in the air, but at least neither of them was actively trying to stab the other. Small victories.

“Did you two play nice while we were gone?” I asked.

Levi’s face softened when he spotted me, but his displeasure didn’t wane. “Define nice.”

Calyx grinned. “I think we had a rather enlightening conversation, actually.”

Levi’s jaw flexed. “That’s one word for it.”

I sighed, rubbing at my temple. “Should I even ask?”

“No. It doesn’t matter right now,” Levi said. “Did Rathiel tell you the good news?”

Rathiel told me many things, but there was likely only one thing Levi had in mind. “About Gremory and Raelia?” I met his eyes, the satisfaction still curling warm and deep in my chest. A slow grin spread across my lips. “Yeah. He told me.”

Calyx let out a scoff, crossing his arms. “Glad the death of my brethren brings you so much joy, princess.” His scowl deepened, the usual glint of amusement absent from his eyes.

I shifted my weight, considering him. Honestly, it did make me happy. Gremory and Raelia had been dangerous, cruel, and entirely too loyal to Lucifer. Their deaths were a blessing. But Calyx had once been one of them, had fought alongside them for millennia, even if he’d switched allegiances now.

I wasn’t going to apologize. He knew exactly what he was getting into when he threw his lot in with us. But I could at least keep from rubbing it in his face.

“Welcome to war,” I said instead. “You’re with us now. Or are you rethinking your choice?”

Calyx’s lips curled, but he didn’t answer. Levi’s gaze lingered on him for a moment longer before turning back to me.

Before anyone could respond, the tent flaps rustled, and Eliza stepped inside, Rathiel following close behind.

“Ah, everyone’s still alive,” Rathiel commented. Though he didn’t say whether that was good or bad.

Eliza rolled her eyes. “I’d say we’re all getting along splendidly.”

Levi huffed, but didn’t argue. Clearly there was no love lost between him and Calyx, but at the moment, there wasn’t anything I could do—nor wanted to do—about that. If Calyx wanted Levi’s trust, he had to earn it, simple as that.

I straightened and let my gaze sweep over everyone who had gathered in the tent. “All right,” I said. “Time to lay this plan out so that we’re all on board here.” I paused on Calyx. “And I do mean all of us .”

He rolled his eyes in response.

“Levi, since you’ve just joined us, I’m not sure how much you know. Our plan is currently to kill all the remaining fallen. Without the fallen, my father won’t have his strongest soldiers, and he won’t be able to replenish his hellspawn forces, giving us a leg up on him.”

Levi gave a slow nod, his gaze moving to Eliza and lingering there. “Yes, your charming siren friend, Miss Eliza, was kind enough to share your plan with me. I agree with the assessment—it won’t weaken Lucifer himself, but it will weaken his power structure. But I must advise you, while this move will make him more vulnerable than ever, it will also make him more dangerous. Lucifer relies on his flunkies to do most things. He rarely lifts his own hand. And the one time he did?—”

“I nearly died,” I stated matter-of-factly.

Levi bowed his head. “By now, we must assume Lucifer is livid. You’ve stolen not only Rathiel from him, but now Calyx. And you’ve killed Tavira, Zera, Gremory, and Raelia. This is more than enough reason for him to come looking for you personally. Again.”

Rathiel stiffened at my back, and his hands found my waist, pulling me closer to him.

“I might advise focusing first on your army,” Levi said. “To give you protection in numbers, before you take on the last three fallen. Seeking them out could bring you right into Lucifer’s path. Should that happen, we may not be enough to protect you from him.”

This time, my hand found Rathiel’s and I clutched it hard. My heart sputtered in my chest at the thought of my father getting his hands on me again. But after a few deep breaths, I nodded.

“Agreed. So, tell us, you’re the one who built the rebellion last time. Where do we start? What do we do?”

Levi’s mouth spread into a wide grin, and beside me, Eliza cleared her throat.

I shot her a glance, stunned to see the siren a bit red in the face. How…interesting.

“That’s the best part,” Levi said. “We don’t need to raise a rebellion. We need to resurrect your old one.”

Everyone inside the tent fell silent as they digested that suggestion.

“Elaborate,” Rathiel said.

Levi studied Rathiel, then glanced at me. “This is Hell. Souls don’t move on from here. They don’t get peace. They stay.” He let that sink in before continuing, voice low but charged with certainty. “The soldiers who fought for you, the ones who died believing in you, their souls didn’t just disappear. They’re still here. Trapped.”

His jaw tightened. “I’ve visited the battlefield where Lucifer massacred your forces and I’ve felt their presence. I believe Lucifer is tormenting them. Punishing their souls for betraying him. For siding with you. If we can free them, we can bring them back.”

I frowned. “I don’t understand. How would we bring them back? They’re dead, are they not? They don’t have bodies. Those have long-since rotted. Right?” Or was I forgetting something?

“How does your father create hellspawn?”

My frown deepened. “He takes the souls of the newly damned, infuses them with the essence of his fallen, and forges their bodies somehow.” I shrugged a bit sheepishly. “I admit, I don’t know how he does that part.”

“I know how he does it,” Rathiel said, his voice dark. “We’ve seen it firsthand.”

I turned to face him fully, awaiting his explanation.

“Lucifer forges their bodies from Hell itself, in whatever way he envisions. Much like I have control over blood, and Calyx over nightmares, Lucifer himself has control over the entire realm. He uses the raw materials such as obsidian, stone, lava, forges them a body, then fuses the soul to the physical form. What Lucifer wants more than anything is to create. He sees himself as God. But he cannot simply create from nothing. He makes use of the raw materials here, and crafts the body completely to his own whims. Some end up monstrous, others eerily human—it truly depends on his mood.”

“So you’re saying he quite literally sculpts them from Hell itself?” I said.

“Yes,” Rathiel confirmed. “And then he binds the body and newly infused soul together permanently. The soul becomes trapped inside a prison of Lucifer’s own making, reforged, reshaped. He doesn’t give the hellspawn a choice in what they become. They just…are.”

Eliza paled slightly. “That’s… horrifying.”

“That’s Lucifer,” Rathiel murmured.

A sick weight settled in my gut as I let the information sink in. My father had spent eons perfecting the art of taking something intangible—something once human, once celestial, once free—and forcing it into an existence of his own design. His own control.

And now Levi wanted to use that same method to bring back my fallen soldiers?

I turned toward him, unsure how I felt about this.

“That’s how he does it,” Levi said. “And that’s how we’re going to bring your rebellion back.”

“And you intend to ask Lucifer to do this for us?” I said with a breathy laugh.

“Lily.” His voice was steady, firm, and entirely terrifying. The way he looked at me, I didn’t need to be a genius to see where he was going with this.

I immediately threw my hands into the air, knowing exactly what he meant to say. “No.”

“Yes. You were born from him. You are his true spawn, not a forged creation. And that means, whether you realize it or not, you likely have this power.”

I shook my head hard. No, I absolutely did not. Nor was I willing to explore my powers to find out. I had powers, yes—control over flame and shadow. I didn’t resurrect the dead. That type of magic was Lucifer’s territory—not mine.

Rathiel’s hand came to rest at the small of my back, a quiet, steadying presence, but it did nothing to loosen the knot forming in my gut.

“I don’t have that power,” I said. “I don’t. I would know.”

Levi raised an eyebrow. “Would you?”

I opened my mouth, ready to snap back, but nothing came. The words stalled, caught on something unspoken. Because deep down, in all my efforts to not become my father, I had buried the darkest parts of me. Exploring my powers to see if I could create hellspawn felt…wrong. That was his thing.

“You are his child,” Levi said, not unkindly. “And whether you want to admit it or not, you are the one the prophecy spoke of. You have a connection to Hell, stronger than anyone else. Eliza told me you opened the gate without any difficulties at all. No one’s ever done that before. Not even Lucifer. When he opened the gate for Deidre, it drained him more than he’d ever admit. But you? You walked through untouched. You are the one. And you can do this. You can resurrect your rebellion.”

My stomach curdled at the thought.

Calyx let out a low whistle. “Well, now. Guess you really are just a mini-Lucifer.”

I shot him a glare, but he only grinned, utterly unbothered. Of course he found this amusing.

“She is nothing like him,” Rathiel said, voice low, dangerous.

“We’re not talking about his morality,” Levi said. “We’re talking about his abilities. You are his blood. In theory, any powers he possesses, you could as well.”

I sucked in a slow breath, dragging my fingers through my hair. “Even if I do have his abilities—” I refused to confirm it, refused to even acknowledge the possibility “—it doesn’t mean I can use them. It doesn’t mean I should . Creating hellspawn is… evil .”

Levi tilted his head slightly. “Would you rather leave them there, suffering eternal punishment?”

I stiffened.

“They died for you,” Levi murmured. “They still suffer because of their choice to fight with you.” He held my gaze, unwavering. “If you had a way to save them, can you really turn away?”

“But even if I could reforge their bodies, what about their souls?”

“You have two of Lucifer’s fallen currently standing at your side. You can merge their essences with the souls of your fallen soldiers,” Levi said. “You have all the same tools your father used. It’s how you use those tools that makes a difference.”

A heavy silence followed, pressing against my ribs.

Eliza shifted at my side, arms crossed. “Look, I’m all for finding an army in the most unexpected places, but let’s be real for a second. Even if Lily could do this—and that’s a big if—how exactly are we supposed to test it? Just drag her out to that battlefield and hope for the best?”

Levi’s lips curved slightly. “Something like that.”

Eliza snorted. “Fantastic.”

I swallowed hard, my stomach twisting. This was too much. It was too much.

But Levi was still watching me, waiting.

“I don’t know how,” I admitted. “Even if I wanted to—I don’t know where to start.”

Levi’s expression softened, just slightly. “Then I think it’s time we found out.”

I glanced at Rathiel. His eyes met mine, dark and storming, but he didn’t speak.

After everything—after all we’d lost, all we’d suffered—if there was even a chance that I could undo what my father had done, that I could give my soldiers another chance…

My thoughts circled to Korrak, Calder, Varz, Sareth, and the countless other hellspawn my father had murdered. If there was even the slightest chance I could save them, I couldn’t walk away from that.

I let my gaze sweep over the tent, taking in every face.

Rathiel stood at my side, unyielding, his expression carved from stone, his presence a fortress around me. He didn’t like this, not one bit, but he wasn’t stopping me. He never had.

Eliza, arms crossed, shook her head like she couldn’t believe we were even having this conversation. But she wasn’t arguing either. If anything, she seemed intrigued. Curious.

Calyx, ever the bastard, was grinning, looking like we’d handed him front-row seats to the greatest show in Hell.

And then Levi—steady and knowing, the weight of history in his gaze. He believed in this. In me. Even if I didn’t yet.

Beyond the tent, more allies waited.

Mephisar and Sable, their massive forms curled near the outskirts, sentries in the dark. Gorr, the monstrous war-beast who had chosen me despite everything. Vol, my ever-loyal imp, no doubt lurking nearby, waiting to share some unsolicited opinion on my latest terrible decision. And Purrgy, well… Purrgy would continue judging me from whatever perch he deemed worthy.

We weren’t an army. Not yet.

But we could be.

My soldiers had died for me, for the rebellion, for the future they believed in. And in return, Lucifer was punishing them.

No more.

If I could bring them back, I would. If I had even the slightest power to free them from my father’s grasp, I would.

I met Levi’s gaze, steady, certain, the decision settling deep in my bones.

“Fine,” I said. “We’ll go to the battlefield and bring back my soldiers.”

I inhaled slowly, my fists clenching at my sides.

“And then we’ll end this war.”

For good.

Did you enjoy Rath and Lily? Continue their story in A Crown For Hell …

Lucifer’s relentless daughter, forged for war. A vampire bound by love. A final war that could save Hell—or turn her into the very thing she fears.

Turns out being Lucifer’s daughter doesn’t just make me a target. It also makes me the only one powerful—and reckless—enough to kill him.

To do that, I have to resurrect the army he slaughtered and forge them into hellspawn all over again. Which means tapping into my father’s powers. No pressure, right?

The idea terrifies me. Not only because it’s dark and dangerous, but because it feels right . What does that make me?

This is the only way to win the war. But if we survive—if I somehow take the throne—then what? My father’s blood runs through my veins. What if claiming his crown means I become the monster he tried to shape me into?

Rathiel says we’ll face it together. That I won’t lose myself. That no matter what happens, we love each other. We’ve survived so much together—war, torture, heartbreak—and somehow made it out stronger. But we’ve never faced anything like this before.

This is the final battle. For my people, for the kingdom, for the celestial I used to be before my father turned me into a weapon.

And when it’s over, I’ll either be free…

Or just another devil wearing a crown.