Page 7

Chapter Seven

LILY

Hell wasn’t forgiving in any sense of the word, and my ten years away had left more of an impact on my physique than I’d realized. Every muscle ached, and I was pretty sure my legs were plotting a mutiny. Ah well, who needed functioning calves, anyway? Not me, apparently. If only I’d had the foresight to work out a bit more—or at all —while on Earth. Between the crumbling paths and the occasional nearby growl, it was a miracle we’d made it this far without one of us dying.

Poor Eliza had struggled the most out of the three of us, which didn’t surprise me. No one could prepare themselves for Hell without actually experiencing it for themselves first. And those who did were, well, dead. The terrain was treacherous at best, designed to break limbs and spirits. Twice, Eliza had tripped, her boots slipping on loose rocks. On the third, Rathiel had caught her arm before she’d tumbled into a canyon deeper than the Mariana Trench. By the end of the trek, she looked less like a gorgeous siren and more like a flambéed marshmallow—sticky with sweat, caked in dirt and ash, and clearly on the verge of losing her temper.

I didn’t comment on her appearance, though. Why bother when I likely looked just as pitiful? Rathiel was the only one of us without a hair out of place. A vampiric trait, if I had to guess. But we were all exhausted. Even Vol, who hadn’t made so much as a peep in the last hour—asleep in his bag, I suspected. At least we didn’t have much farther to go. The Blazing Cliffs—and the cave—were directly above us.

“Well, isn’t this just peachy?” Eliza muttered, her head craned back and her hand shielding her face from the heat.

We could have found shelter elsewhere, but fewer things flew in Hell than walked, slithered, or crawled. Other than my father, only his fallen and his hellwyrms had wings. Anything else would have to scale the side of the cliff, which took time and effort. It meant the chances of a sneak attack were slim. We would be safe up there. More so than down here where everything could find us.

I reached out and touched the rock, only to pause when Rathiel rested his hand atop mine. I glanced his way and watched as he removed his pack and unfurled his wings, careful not to strike Eliza with them.

I almost wilted in relief.

“I’ll fly you guys up. It’ll be quick so no need to climb. Once I have you both in the cave, I’ll return for our gear.”

Guilt flashed through me. Rathiel was doing all the work. But I didn’t have my wings anymore, so I couldn’t help with anything that required flying.

“Eliza first,” I said.

His jaw tightened and he shook his head. “You.”

Irritation prickled my skin, and I drew in a breath of sulphurous air to keep from sniping at him. “I have more experience with Hell. If something comes slithering out of the smoke, I can handle myself. She’ll be safer in the cave than down here.”

Eliza’s narrow gaze darted to me. “Excuse you. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much.”

“Yeah, I know. But just take the win and say, ‘Thank you, Lily.’”

She did not, in fact, thank me. Instead, she crossed her arms over her chest and rocked back on her heels, staring me down.

I glared at both of them until Rathiel finally ran a hand through his pristine hair and nodded. “Fine.”

The three of us stripped off our gear and laid the packs at the base of the cliffs. I unclipped Purrgy’s carrier from the top of mine, which earned me a low, judgmental yowl.

“Calm down, fuzzball. I’ll free you in a few minutes, once we’re all settled in the cave,” I said.

I unzipped my pack and pulled out the folded duffel bag I’d stashed in there earlier. I handed it to Eliza. “Here—we’ll use this to transport our weapons.”

Her daggers were sheathed, so there wouldn’t be any risk of accidentally stabbing ourselves, but carrying a passenger armed with weapons wasn’t exactly comfortable. No one wanted a blade handle wedged into their ribs or spine at thirty feet up.

She nodded. “Good idea. But I’ll keep one on me, just in case.”

Practical.

Eliza stripped most of her weapons, keeping one tucked inside her boot, where it wouldn’t bother anyone, then slid the rest into the duffel and handed it back to me. She turned to Rathiel and grimaced. “All right. Let’s do this. But if you drop me, I swear, I’ll haunt you forever.”

Rathiel didn’t dignify that with a response. He simply snatched up Purrgy’s carrier, handed it to Eliza, then scooped her up in one fluid motion. I removed Vol’s satchel—sleeping imp included—and passed it to her as well. She tucked it against Purrgy’s carrier.

“Ready?” Rathiel asked.

He didn’t give her a chance to respond before kicking off the ground with a powerful whoosh of his wings.

“Don’t look down!” I called up.

She responded with a near instant, hysterical shriek. “I looked down!”

I smirked, then leaned against the rock face and watched them ascend. “That’s on you, girl.”

The wait felt longer than it likely was, but I didn’t like standing idle, especially not out in the open like this. I needed to shed a few weapons before our little flight as well. I kept Inferno’s Kiss strapped to my hip as a precaution—in case something grew bold and decided to attack me in the next few minutes—but removed the others and tucked them carefully into the duffel bag.

When Rathiel finally swooped back down, his landing was perfectly smooth. He relaxed his wings, his gaze sweeping over me as though checking for damage.

“Your turn,” he said with a softness that tugged at something deep inside me.

I stepped closer and allowed Rathiel to pull me into his arms. Except, he didn’t scoop me up like he had Eliza. Instead, his hands settled on my waist, his touch practically burning through the thin tank top I wore. “Wrap your arms around my neck,” he murmured.

I hesitated for the briefest moment before obeying, my fingers tangling in the soft strands of his hair as I looped my arms around him. His hands slid to the small of my back, the pressure anchoring me in place.

“This okay?” he asked, his voice a rough whisper, his breath brushing the top of my head.

I swallowed hard, then nodded.

He tightened his grip on me an instant before his wings unfurled in a rush of wind.

“Hold on tight,” he murmured, then launched us into the air.

Having once had wings myself, flying didn’t frighten me, not like it had Eliza. Instead, I closed my eyes, tipped my head back, and revelled in the freedom. I lacked some memories, yes, but flying was not one of them. How I missed the feel of the air rushing around me. A smile came to my lips, and I finally opened my eyes, taking in the sight of Hell stretched out below us in its fiery splendor. I instinctively wrapped my legs around Rathiel’s hips, anchoring myself more securely. The movement brought us even closer, my head now level with his as I clung to him.

Rathiel’s gaze snagged mine, his expression unguarded for once. My breath hitched at the sight of his small smile, and my pulse pounded in my ears. The world below blurred, the roar of the wind fading into the background as our gazes locked.

The sensation of flying, the rush of the air, the weightlessness that I so missed, all vanished, paling in comparison to this intimate moment. Without thinking, I leaned my forehead against his, our noses touching.

Rathiel’s breath hitched, a sound so faint I barely heard it over the wind, but I felt it brush against my skin. He repositioned himself so he could see, resting his cheek against my temple. It was only because of our proximity that I heard him whisper my name.

I closed my eyes again, savoring this moment, surrendering myself to all the doubts I’d faced in the last few days. This close, held so tightly, I could almost see how it must have been between us—before the failed rebellion, before my father stole my wings, before my exile. Something about this felt utterly natural. And in my head, I silently begged that this moment never end. That I could remain in his embrace forever.

Rathiel expertly guided us into the cave, where he landed effortlessly. His arms tightened around me briefly before he set me down, slow and deliberate, as though reluctant to let go. My feet hit the solid ground, and his touch lingered even after he released me.

For a moment, neither of us moved. We simply stared at each other, his gaze a mix of emotions that made my chest tighten. There was something raw in the way he looked at me, something that sent a shiver down my spine despite Hell’s sweltering heat. I rested my hands on his chest and leaned into him, the world narrowing to just the two of us in the cave’s hushed stillness.

Until Purrgatory’s miserable yowl shattered the moment.

I blinked and stepped back, my arms falling to my sides. Rathiel reached for me, but I tore my focus away from him. Instead, I turned my attention to Eliza, who stood at the back of the cave, watching us with an amused smile and lifted brow.

“I’ll go get the packs,” Rathiel said, his tone gruff, before launching himself back into the sky.

I cleared my throat, dropped to my knees, and immediately opened Purrgy’s carrier. The little terror was not in a good mood, and his muffled growls told me he was one second away from obliterating anything and everything in his way.

“Hold on, you little drama llama,” I grumbled. He slinked out, tail flicking with pure feline disdain.

Rathiel returned a few moments later with all three packs and the duffel bag of weapons. The moment he handed the packs over, I fished Purrgy’s harness from mine and clipped him in. He did not look amused.

“Don’t give me that look,” I said. “You’re not wandering away and falling off the cliff. Or worse, making friends with something that has more teeth than I can count.”

I secured his leash to a nearby heavy rock and left him to his own devices. As he started sniffing around, a sinking realization hit me—I hadn’t packed a litter box. Fantastic. Because nothing screamed “ideal camping experience” like the possibility of marinating in the fragrant essence of cat pee all night.

“Rathiel, would you mind taking Purrgy back down? He needs to do his business.”

Rathiel stared at me, confusion in his eyes.

“He has to go to the bathroom,” I told him. “Business is just another word humans use to describe urination.”

“Right,” he said, his wide eyes flicking to the cat. “I’ll…just go do that, then.”

It wasn’t the most elegant solution, but it was better than nothing. “Just watch the claws,” I warned.

“I think I can handle it,” Rathiel said drolly. “You two stay here and set up camp.”

Before I could ask him exactly where Eliza or I would go, considering I had no wings, a muffled but undeniably furious voice shouted from the bag hanging at Eliza’s side. “Oi! Did everyone forget about me? Or are you intentionally leaving me to suffocate like a peasant?”

Guess Vol was awake.

She lowered the bag to the ground, opened it, and my little imp came tumbling out with dramatic flair. He brushed imaginary dust from his stubby arms and shot me an accusing glare.

“Finally!” he huffed, planting his fists on his hips. “I’m a being of high standards and delicate constitution, not luggage!”

“Stop whining. You had it the easiest,” I shot back. “Now, go with Rathiel and Purrgatory while I set up camp.”

Vol grumbled something about “ungrateful companions” as he trudged toward Purrgatory, who had already curled up near the edge of the cave. Purrgy flicked his tail and gave Vol a withering glare, clearly unimpressed with his babysitter. I left them to their silent battle of wills and turned my focus back to the packs.

Rathiel approached the duo, clearly trying to figure out the logistics of this makeshift errand. Vol refused to climb back into the bag, and instead scrambled onto Purrgatory’s back like a tiny, disgruntled jockey mounting his steed. Purrgatory tolerated it—barely—and Rathiel gave me a long-suffering look before scooping the pair into his arms. With a powerful sweep of his wings, they descended into the fiery landscape below.

The moment they were gone, I exhaled deeply, the tension in my shoulders easing for the first time. Finally, some breathing room?—

“So,” Eliza drawled, her tone laced with curiosity. “Care to explain what’s going on between you and Mr. Broody?”

—or not.

I looked up to find her crouched over her pack, rummaging through it for supplies. Her eyes, however, tracked me, sparkling with barely contained amusement.

“Nothing,” I said, maybe a bit too quickly.

“Hmmm.” She tilted her head, the corners of her mouth twitching. “What I just saw wasn’t nothing. You two burn hot. And thanks to this place, I now have a whole new definition of the word.”

When I didn’t respond, she pushed a little harder.

“Oh, come on. You practically melted in his arms, and he looked just as lost. That’s not just ‘nothing.’”

I ignored her, focusing on setting up my bedroll with more force than strictly necessary. “It’s complicated.”

“Complicated? That’s just code for ‘I don’t wanna talk about it,’” she said, unrolling her bedroll with a grin. “I’m not judging. He’s…well, let’s just say I get it.”

“Great,” I said, straightening up. “You and Vol can start a fan club.”

Her laugh was light, genuine, and annoyingly infectious. Against my better judgment, I found myself smiling too, though the heat creeping into my cheeks was harder to ignore. Luckily, Hell’s relentless furnace-like atmosphere made blushing less noticeable—or at least so I hoped.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it,” she added after a moment, her tone softening. “But if you do, seems like now’s the best time, while we’re alone.”

I hesitated, crouching down to fiddle with my bedroll, even though I had already laid it out perfectly. Talking about Rathiel—even just thinking about him—felt like prodding at a wound that just wouldn’t heal.

“As you pointed out earlier, there’s a lot of history between us. I wouldn’t even know where to begin in the little time we have before he returns.”

“All right—bullet point it for me,” she said.

I blinked at her. “Bullet point it?”

“Yup. Imagine you’re making a list. Give me the cliff notes version. Bullet point it.”

I quirked my head, then laughed. “Okay.”

After a quick glance at the cave entrance to ensure Eliza and I were still alone, I lifted my hand and started ticking things off with my fingers, hoping I caught everything pertinent to this situation.

“Rathiel was my mentor growing up. My father’s second-in-command. I hated him. Thought he hated me. Turns out, he didn’t.”

I bit my lip and considered how to handle the next part and decided chronological order might be best.

“This is where it gets fuzzy, because I don’t remember half of it,” I admitted. “According to him, we waged a war against my father. Fell in love. Lost the war. My father tried to kill me. Stole my wings. Rathiel saved me. Erased a good portion of my memories. Sent me to Earth.”

I paused and glanced at Eliza, who was listening intently, her brows lifted high.

“Lucifer found me. Sent Deidre after me. We killed her—thanks again for helping with that. I started dating Jack. Rathiel showed up again. Told me my father wants me dead—how unoriginal, right? Rath promised to protect me. Dropped the bombshell that he still loves me. And now…here we are. In Hell.”

Eliza sat silently, blinking in the shadows of the cave. After a moment, she released a breath and rubbed her palms on her thighs. “Wow. That is a lot.”

“I warned you.”

“You did,” she said, her head bobbing. “You truly did.” She leaned back against the cave wall, her expression somewhere between amused and overwhelmed. She let out a soft whistle and shook her head. “I mean, I expected drama, but that was…epic. You’ve lived three lifetimes’ worth of soap opera in, what, ten years?”

“Longer than that,” I said dryly. “The Earth portion alone was ten years. As for everything before, it’s hard to say. Time doesn’t pass the same here as it does on Earth.”

When she didn’t respond, I shot her a glance and grinned. “Welcome to my life. If you wanna leave?—”

“No chance,” she said, nestling against the cave wall. “I’m invested in this now. Besides, your life is far from boring. Horrifying and terrifying and ludicrous, but definitely not boring.”

I laughed softly. For a moment, the silence stretched between us, comfortable despite the heavy subject matter.

Eliza tilted her head toward me, her gaze thoughtful. “So, what’s your plan with Rathiel?”

“Plan?”

“Yeah. You know, the part where you stop pretending it’s complicated and just admit you love him too.”

I shot her a glare, but the heat behind it was half-hearted at best. “You’ve been here for all of five minutes, and you think you’ve got us figured out?”

“Yup.” She popped the ‘p’ with infuriating confidence. “I’ve seen the way you look at him. The way you two talk to each other—well, when you’re not brooding or bickering, that is. It’s obvious to anyone with eyes. You’re just too stubborn to admit it.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but no words came out. Instead, I let my head fall back against the cave wall with a groan. “It’s not that simple.”

“Because nothing in your life is, apparently,” she said. “But maybe it could be if you let it.”

I didn’t respond immediately, my gaze fixed on the many stalactites hanging above us. Could it be simple? No. It never would be—not with my father looming over us like a shadow, not with the wounds of our past still bleeding into the present.

But the thought lingered, stubborn and unwelcome.

Eliza reached out and patted my knee, her tone softer now. “Hey. Whatever happens, I’ve got your back, all right? Even if that means dragging you kicking and screaming toward your own happiness.”

I snorted, a reluctant smile tugging at my lips. “Thanks, Eliza. That’s…weirdly comforting.”

“You’re welcome,” she said brightly, leaning back and crossing her arms behind her head. “Now, let’s just hope Purrgatory hasn’t killed Rathiel or Vol while they’re out there. I don’t feel like babysitting a hellcat with a taste for vampiric blood.”

The faint flapping of wings rose to my ears and I lifted a finger to my mouth, silently shushing Eliza. She winked, then nodded. A moment later, Rathiel appeared in the cave entrance, Purrgatory and Vol perched indignantly in his arms.

Rathiel stepped inside, his wings vanishing in the blink of an eye, and set Purrgatory down with an almost comical amount of care, as if the cat might explode at any moment. I stood to tie our resident kitty’s leash to a rock, then stood back and watched him. Purrgatory twitched his tail, clearly unimpressed, before stalking off to reclaim his corner of the cave with Vol once again astride his back.

“It’s clear outside,” Rathiel said, his voice calm. “For now.”

I nodded, offering him a canteen without meeting his eyes. “Good. Let’s keep it that way.”

As he took the water from me, our fingers brushed, a fleeting touch that sent an unwelcome jolt up my arm. I quickly pulled back and refocused on setting up camp and making us some food. Rathiel sank onto his own bedroll, and Eliza smiled knowingly at me from across the cave. Oh yeah, this was going to be a super fun night.