Page 52 of Underworld

I hated to leave it that way, but it was better than knowing the truth.

Cole was one Virtue who wouldn’t fall in line and I couldn’t help but feel like it was my fault.

I’d called a freakingdemonto my side, Lucifer’s brother, at that. He wasn’t like Kaito where he could be reasoned with.

No, Cole was a lock of Hellfire, a Virtue that I would make or break me. I didn’t need a key to unlock him, I needed a hammer.

Maybe that would destroy him, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.

Slapping a branch out of my way, I ignored the tinge of burning wood as flames bled from my clawed fingertips.

Yeah, I was letting Cole’s rage infect me. It didn’t matter, because when I found him, he’d feel the full force of my wrath.

And he would fall the fuck in line.

My uni-hare popped into view, chittering at me in complaint.

“Sorry for leaving you behind,” I said, honest about it. I hadn’t wanted to leave so suddenly, but there hadn’t been a choice.

My uni-hare sniffed the air, then tilted its head. He seemed to understand I was pissed, so he followed me as he hopped along.

“I’m going to find the mostpainfuldeath a demon can imagine, kill him slowly. Then bring him back and do it again.” I kicked at a fist-sized rock in my path so hard, it shattered.

That made me paused a moment. Looking down at the ground, I found another rock, this one heftier. I picked it up and hurled it. It flew far out of sight.

I picked up another rock, this one smaller. Slowly closing my fingers around it, I tightened my fist.

Dust drifted to the earth when I uncurled my fingers.

“Better yet,” I decided. “I’ll chain him to a wall somewhere and use him for a punching bag.”

There had to be magical chains that would hold even a rage demon.

The erotic image he’d offered me entered my mind, because even now, imagining him chained up brought other things I could do to him that would torment him into submission.

I’d make him hard, tease him, but never let him come for me. I’d fuck my Virtues in front of him and let him feel my ecstasy through our connection until he begged to be let go.

Until he submitted to me.

The intensity and fury of my thoughts should have scared me, but I wasn’t human. I was something else entirely that even Hell feared.

I was thePrincess of Hell, a Champion of Calamity.

And because of that, Cole would kneel.

I broke into a run with my uni-hare easily keeping up with me.

Leaping over a fallen tree, I hit the ground only to gasp in pain as the unfamiliar wings caught on something. Bright pain tore me but I ignored it, jerking forward.

“Lily!” came my mentor’s voice.

I plowed into Kaito even as a groan of pain escaped me.

“Stop!” he bit off, voice full of authority.

I hesitated, resisting the urge to bolt.

He was a demon, too. Perhaps he would understand.