Page 29

“Are you ready for this?” Rathiel asked, his voice pitched low enough so only I heard.

Not fifty feet away, the others waited—Levi, Mephisar, Sable, Gorr, Calyx, Eliza. My ragtag crew of supporters, all watching from a respectful distance, pretending not to overhear anything Rathiel and I said.

The answer to Rathiel’s question was a resounding no. I was not ready. Because who would be? Who in their right mind was ever ready to raise the dead?

Having grown up in Hell, the dead didn’t frighten me. They were the one and only import into this realm—the souls of condemned humans. They were ferried here across the aptly named River of Souls, only to be sorted, stamped, and offered up to my father like meat on a celestial assembly line.

And what did he do with them?

He took their souls and merged them with the essences of his fallen angels, thereby forging Hellspawn.

Forging them out of what, one might ask?

And the answer was simple. Out of Hell itself.

Hellspawn were hideous things, some made of rock, others hide. But each and every one was a monster in its own right. My father bred them for war, and war they did. They loved nothing more than a good battle, provided they were the last ones standing.

They were also abominations. Never meant to exist in this realm—in any realm. But Lucifer loved to create, even if he was incapable of creating beautiful things. He tainted everything he designed because he was the Devil.

“Lily,” Rathiel murmured, his fingers brushing mine.

I didn’t look at him. I simply curled my hand around his and held on. Tighter than I meant to.

Levi believed resurrecting my fallen soldiers and reforging them into the hellspawn they once were was the only way to win this war. His plan made sense on paper. But in practice? It terrified me.

He was asking me to be like my father. To reach into the darkest pits of myself. To take the souls of my loyal dead and merge them with the essences of Rathiel and Calyx. Not in one sweeping act, but slowly. Carefully. So I wouldn’t burn them out.

To be honest, I wasn’t even sure I could do this. And if I could, I wasn’t sure if I should.

I had celestial powers, yes. Fire and shadow. Light and dark. I was a mix of both worlds. According to a prophecy, I was the one destined to restore Hell to its rightful state because I was the best of both worlds.

But I’d never tried to create hellspawn before. Nor did I want to. Souls were the purest form. I firmly believed that. However, according to Levi, my father was tormenting the souls of my fallen army. As punishment for siding with me. Levi believed this would free them. I couldn’t deny them that. They’d fought for me, and we’d lost. Because I hadn’t been strong enough. And they were paying the price.

“Hey,” Rathiel finally said, tugging on my hand.

I slowly turned and faced him. Whatever he saw on my face made his expression soften.

Without a word, he pulled me toward him, tucking me against his chest.

“You’ve got this,” he said. “If anyone can do this, it’s you.”

“I’m the only one who can supposedly do this,” I corrected him.

Because I was Lucifer’s daughter. His only child, thanks to his murderous ways. He’d destroyed the rest of his children the moment they’d become “troublesome.”

I’d long since become troublesome for him. I led a rebellion and dared to challenge him. Unfortunately, we’d lost the battle. He’d decimated my forces and nearly killed me. Only Rathiel’s quick thinking had saved me. He’d lopped off my father’s hand Darth Vader style—the same hand that had been wrapped around my throat—then imprisoned my father behind a massive blood barrier.

Too bad his imprisonment hadn’t lasted.

“If this works, if I succeed, what does that mean about me?” I asked.

“It simply means you have one of his powers,” Rathiel said.

“No.” I shook my head. “It means I’m just like him.”

“Never,” Rathiel said vehemently. He crooked a finger under my chin and lifted until our gazes met. “You could never be like him, Lily. Yes, you’re his daughter. But you’re also Sofiel’s daughter. And she was nothing but pure light and love.”

I wanted to believe him. So much. Rathiel’s faith meant the world to me. He loved me. Levi trusted me. My fallen army relied on me to save them.

So, for them, I would try.

I would dig deep and tease out the darkness.

I just hoped we didn’t suffer any consequences.