by Avery Rae
"Zach," Gael said with another sigh, "what are you doing in here?"
"You told me to come 'round so we could try a little ménage action." Zachariah winked at me.
"Wait, what?" I sat up and shot a disgusted look at Gael. "I don't know how things work in Hell, but I'm not okay with that."
"I asked him to come train with us. Tomorrow. Even if Berith doesn't send more than one warrior at you, she'll send someone as strong as two."
Right. I was going to have to fight for my life. A reminder of my fate sank into my stomach like a brick, clearing away the lust that clouded my mind.
"I love that crazy woman." Zachariah looked wistful. "What I wouldn't give to tame myself a lady like her, show her what a real man can do."
"Zach," Gael interrupted. "You know the rules."
"Rules?" I asked.
"I'm not to engage in, ah, inappropriate fantasy because it's maladaptive behavior," he replied boredly, then looked at Gael for confirmation. Gael nodded, satisfied, but didn't provide anything more.
It didn't take much guesswork to figure out that he was trying to help Zachariah with whatever got him punted down here after death. Considering I thought of him as a friend, sort of—at least as far as demons I just met went—I was ashamed by just how much my stomach churned. What had he done in his former life?
I shook the thought away, not wanting to consider it. I liked Zachariah even if he had done the sort of things that he wouldn't speak about. He'd been nice to me since I arrived. Whatever his wrongs were, he seemed to be trying to make amends.
"Anyway," Zachariah said with a chuckle, "I just wanted to know when to meet you. First thing in the morning?"
"Yeah, I figured," Gael replied.
"Sounds good to me. I'll leave you two lovebirds alone then. Don't want you to miss out on any sleep and not be able to train, huh?" Zachariah clicked his tongue as he ran his eyes over me. "Ronove would have a field day with you."
I shivered at the thought. For a man who was in the business of torturing souls for all eternity, Ronove honestly didn't seem all that bad either. But that sort of made it even worse. How could he be so casual and good-humored? Did he get that much joy from it? All I knew was that I didn't want to find out. Which meant I needed to stop doing things like mashing faces with Gael.
Zachariah paused in the doorway. "But if you don't mind me watching—"
"Zach," Gael warned.
"Temper, temper." The other demon lifted his hands high into the air and backed into the hall. "I'm leavin'. See you two tomorrow. Try not to wear yourselves out, would you?"
Before either of us could reply, he slipped through the door and pulled it shut. On the other side of the door, Drina let out a grumpy growl.
"You're even worse than they are," said Zachariah's muffled voice.
I was honestly thankful he had shown up, despite the fact that I knew he would probably tell everyone about what he'd seen. If he hadn't come through that door, I wouldn't have been able to stop myself. And he was right. I had to be thinking about my trial first. I quickly got to my feet, adjusted my clothes, then went over to the bed. I hopped in, grabbed one of the pillows, and put it in the middle.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Gael asked. I couldn't look at him, because he was still proudly showing off his nude body and I had no self-control.
"I'm not sleeping on the floor, and I bet you won't either, so this is a preemptive compromise."
"Are you kidding me?" Gael asked in disbelief. "Not even two minutes ago you were just grinding my—"
"Good night." I got underneath the covers, fully clothed, and tossed the blanket over my head.
I could've sworn I heard laughter as Gael got into bed on his side of the pillow, but he otherwise let me be. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh of relief. I needed a night of sleep to get my priorities back in place. Priorities which did not include getting animalistic with a handsome, naked demon who had condemned me to Hell.
The moment we strode into the training room the next morning, Zachariah let out a long, loud sigh. "Y'all should be ashamed. Life or death on the line and you can't control yourselves. Never seen a thing like it. You should've been resting last night."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Zach," Gael replied airily. "You should stop wasting time, though. Life or death and all."
Zachariah gave me a knowing look, and I made it my business to look anywhere else. When he realized he wasn't going to get a reaction, we began training in earnest. Zachariah and Gael attacked me from opposite sides, forcing me to make split-second decisions. Honestly, I wasn't doing bad at all. The demon-muscles definitely helped in that regard because fitness was normally the one thing that was my overachiever kryptonite. Now, though? There was something about fighting that I was finding invigorating. Like it was what I was meant to do. Almost. It felt so cathartic to punch into something and feel it give beneath my fist.
Even as I took hard blows, I caught myself smiling. Maybe the demon life wouldn't be so bad. If I made it. With that thought in mind, I doubled down, focusing hard on dodging the incoming blows. These muscles of mine hardly felt like my own yet, but it was as if they came pre-built with a memory of their own. I picked up the rhythm quickly, jabbing, punching, kicking, and dodging. I even managed a few smooth combat rolls that made me feel like a badass.
"Shit," Zachariah said as he doubled over, clutching his stomach from a blow I'd landed. "You've got some anger in you, lady. You sure you don't belong in Berith's squad?"
"She seemed to think I couldn't cut it."
"Maybe she shouldn't judge a woman by her pretty package. I think you're going to ruin her warrior's day during your trial."
I grinned at him. "I appreciate the vote of confidence."
Gael's eyes were on me the whole time. I told myself he was just watching my form, but he was definitely more focused on certain parts than others. My night of sleep was supposed to have cured me of this distraction, but I had woken up in the middle of the night with the pillow gone and Gael at my back. I bit down hard on my inner cheek, trying to get myself under control and shake away the memory. I had never wanted someone so bad and it was going to be the death of me.
The door opened suddenly—a thankful distraction. Samael bent down and stepped inside, carefully maneuvering his folded wings through the doorway. They were so beautiful up close, with lush layers of glossy black feathers. I was tempted to ask if he ever shed them, but I figured that was best reserved for a time when he didn't look quite so grim.
"Samael?" Gael came to stand beside me, posture stiff. "Has something happened?"
The dark angel lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry, but Berith is out for blood. I couldn't convince the others not to do this so soon. I've been outvoted."
"Her combat trial?"
"Hold on," I interrupted. "I thought I had a week?"
"Berith is insisting that now is the only time she can provide an opponent of equal strength."
"That's ridiculous," Gael replied. "She has the biggest faction of us all. She hasn't even fought against Heaven for thousands of years. What else are her warriors doing?"
"If only she had a war to fight." Samael sighed deeply. "Maybe she wouldn't be so keen on warring with Lilith about every little thing."
"Wait, so our souls are being thrown to the sharks because they're pissed at each other?"
"There's been a power vacuum since Lucifer abandoned Hell. The Tribunal was supposed to be a solution, but it's been clear for some time that it's unstable."
"Yeah, it still sounds like I'm getting screwed because of politics." I winced and gave the angel an apologetic look. "Sorry, I know it's not your fault."
"It is true, however. You are the victim of politics." Samael looked toward the ceiling with a sad smile. "Even in Heaven such things cannot be avoided."
That seemed like a real nice way of saying that he couldn't do jack to stop this from happening. I was going to have to fight for my soul.
"Forg
ive me for not being able to help you."
"I'm sure you did all you could. If a former angel can't help me, who can, right?" I joked, my voice hollow. Gael touched a hand to my lower back, and I looked to the side with a smile just as empty.
"Well, if this ain't the sweetest thing I've ever witnessed," Zachariah cooed.
Samael gave him a humorless look, then turned his focus back to us. "Gael, please escort her to the Ring of Trials and get her prepared for battle."
13
Priscilla
My heart was on the verge of giving out as we descended into the depths of the fortress. I snapped my head up as I heard the muffled roar of a crowd. "There's going to be an audience?"
"Many of Berith's men and the Brotherhood will be there. In fact, I can guarantee Edwin's out there taking bets."
"If you see him, tell him I don't want to know my odds." I meant for it to be a joke, but as it turns out, humor is hard when your life is on the line.
"You really don't." There was no laughter in his voice either. "When you're out there, tune everyone out. They're demons. There's a reason why the Brotherhood is so small. There aren't many that Samael finds worthy. Remember that when they taunt you. They want to see you fail. Don't give them that satisfaction."
A knot had formed in my throat as he spoke. All I could manage was a nod. The gravity of the situation was hitting me all at once. Of course he wanted me to focus. Because this was his life on the line as well. I was going to have to fight some sort of warrior demon to save both our souls from eternal condemnation. Who thought this was a good idea?
"You have to be ready for the worst," he said, voice quiet as he opened an ominous-looking door at the base of the stairs. "Berith's warriors take no prisoners. If you're defeated out there—" He sighed and rubbed a hand along his jaw. "They'll kill you then and there. No goodbyes."
"Would you even want to say goodbye to me?" I found myself asking as we stepped inside a room lit by only one torch. It was completely bare otherwise. A holding cell, I realized. Where I could be kept until the fight for my life began.
"You're a pain in my ass, so I say good riddance," he replied, humor creeping into his tone this time. He moved toward me. My heart started to thrum with anticipation. Unable to hold back, I met him halfway. I sank a hand into his hair and brought his lips down to mine. With all of my frustration, fear, and worry slamming to the surface, my movements were frenetic and hard to control. I just needed to feel something—anything—else. When I pulled back, Gael stared down at me with glossy eyes that held a confusion I'd felt many times.
Heavy footsteps sounded from the opposite door, then Samael strode inside.
"Gael. It's time for you to go. Her trial will begin soon."
"Yeah, I was just on my way," he replied as he backed away like he was being pulled, eyes never leaving mine. His feet dragged with each step. Finally, he closed his eyes, clenched his jaw, then turned and stormed through the open door. It was as if he didn't think he could make it through that door without forcing himself.
"Wait here," Samael said to me. "Someone will come collect you when the trial is to begin."
"Alright." I looked from side to side, unsure of what to say at this point. "Um, thank you for everything." It felt like the right thing to say, at least.
Samael gave me a sad look, then walked through the door once more, pulling it shut behind him without another word.
So, this is it. Just me in a dark room, staring at a torch, tempted to touch it and see how it feels. Would that be what I felt for eternity when I failed? I wasn't certain, but for once, I was okay with not finding out the answer. It wasn't something I wanted to know.
To my surprise, I heard the door open behind me once more, then shut. Heart pounding in anticipation, I turned around, hoping it was Gael. Instead, a hooded figure stepped out from the shadows. Slender fingers carefully pulled back the hood, revealing the face of Lilith, smiling coyly.
"Hello, darling," she greeted me.
"What are you doing here?"
She pursed her lips, then smiled. "No niceties, then? Well, that's fine with me." Her smile grew, revealing the sharpness of her fanged teeth. "I thought with your trial looming so near, you might want to reconsider your choice."
My brows knitted together. "But I can't. Samael said that once I chose—"
"I don't care about what any of them say. I'm telling you that if you want to join me, I can make this happen."
"But why? What am I to you?"
She paused in the doorway once more. "Because I don't want to see any more women get hurt."
There was something cryptic in her words that told me she was speaking about more than my upcoming foray into hand-to-hand combat. "Is someone trying to hurt me?"
"Haven't they already?"
"Please," I said with an exasperated sigh. "I'm sick of all the riddles people talk in down here. Just tell me what you're getting at."
"The politics of this wretched place are far too complicated. Just know that I have your best interests in mind. If you're not going to join me, you should at least know that this came early because Berith is furious today. She's looking for someone to punish and it's going to be you."
"Why is she furious?"
"A favorite soldier of hers attacked one of my maidens. She had no choice but to defend herself and that didn't end so well for the soldier." The glint in her eyes told me that story was either a stretch of the truth or a complete fabrication. As much as Berith had terrified me at first, I was starting to think that Lilith was far, far more dangerous.
"I want you to have this." She took my hand and placed a long, smooth, curved bone in my hand. "Berith will cheat. This will even the odds."
"What is it?"
"The fang of a very large snake. No matter your opponent, they won't be able to withstand being pierced by it."
"Will it kill them?" I asked.
Lilith cupped my cheeks in the palms of her hands and gave me a doting smile. "How sweet are you? If she sends the sort of warrior I expect, then no, it will not kill them, but it will grievously wound them. What you do from there is your choice."
Leaving me speechless, clutching the long tooth in my hand, she turned away. She flipped the long hood back over her head as she walked through the door. It wasn't closed for long before a loud knock slammed through the room, causing me to jump. I quickly tucked the fang into my sleeve, alarmed to have something so dangerous that close to my skin. I figured getting caught with it would be much, much worse.
The door thudded open and a large demon stepped inside. His skin was a deep, leathery tan and his eyes were the same milky white as Ronove's. A jailer of souls. Would he be the one to collect mine, or would it be Ronove? I shivered at the thought.
"Get a move on, initiate," the demon barked in a gruff voice.
I held my head high. "Lead the way."
The gruff demon led me down farther into the fortress. I could feel the world pressing down around me the deeper we went. Finally, he stopped in front of double-doors the height and width of a small house. There were two other guards standing on either side. On his signal, they grasped the handles and pulled the doors open. I saw nothing except darkness ahead.
"Go on," the demon beside me said.
My heart leapt into my throat. I swallowed it back down.
Toughen up, Prissy. There's no going back from here.
I strode forward with all the confidence I could muster and was quickly swallowed by the dark. As my eyes adjusted, dim flames began to burn to my right, revealing a large dais. On it, the members of the Tribunal sat on four straight-backed stone thrones, a ring of flames illuminating the surrounding ground.
Despite having left me only moments ago, Lilith was already in her seat, looking calm and collected. Beside her was Samael, watching me with wary eyes. To his other side, however, Berith eyed me with distaste. Ronove gave me an eager wave before settling back into his seat. This must have been fun for him because he won n
o matter what.
The only reason I knew there was more of an audience was because of the eyes glowing back at me from the veil of black blanketing the rest of the room. The moment I took another step forward, flames roared to life at my feet and split into a fork, arcing out to create a circle of fire. It finished at the feet of another demon.
Shock tore through me at the sight of a hulking behemoth made of solid slabs of muscle—but that wasn't even the worst part. He had horns. The only demons I had seen with anything beyond some kooky eyes were old. Was this really Berith's idea of an equal opponent for me? Muscles aside, he had the sort of look in his eyes that said he was going to stomp me into a gooey puddle the moment he was told go.
I looked up toward the dais and saw Berith sitting forward now, eyeing my opponent with pride. Her eyes moved to me. As she noticed me looking, one side of her mouth curved into a mocking smile that triggered fury inside me. Lilith was right. Berith was trying to screw me over. And for what reason? Because Lilith showed an interest in me?
I couldn't imagine being so cold and callous that I would sacrifice someone's soul over a petty squabble. Was that the future I had to look forward to if I made it through this alive? Why even bother? It sounded as if I would be suffering either way.
My eyes caught on a few faces in the crowd. Lucas, Amberlynn, Zachariah . . . Gael. Unlike the rest, their lips were unmoving. They watched me with solemn expressions—except for Amberlynn, who seemed more like she was excited for me, but, well, it kind of made sense with her.
The flames roared higher and brighter, signaling that it was nearly time to begin. I looked toward the audience as a swell of noise came from them. Roaring. Cheering. Catcalls. It was all a mess of sounds that I just as quickly tuned out. Gael had been right, the last thing I needed was a distraction. My two measly days of throwing and taking punches with Gael and Zachariah had only been a warmup, but things were getting real now.