“Now, there’s a good little girl.” Malachi reached a hand outward as if to grab me then stopped. “Remove that fucking necklace.”
Cain growled. “You’re going to pay for this, you son of a bitch.”
With shaky fingers, I unclasped the chain and pushed it toward Malachi.
“Uh-uh. Nice try, though.” Smiling deviously, he twirled his fingers in Cain’s direction. “Give it to him.”
I turned and held the necklace to the light, blinking back tears and trying not to think about the horrible reality of the situation.
I’m sorry, Mom.She’d be broken-hearted after I disappeared.And just like Dad, she’ll never know what happened.But at least she’d be safe and alive.
Cain’s eyes, tight with worry, scoured my face. He held out a hand, and I let the jewelry pool into his palm. He clamped his free hand around mine, shoving the other into a pocket and placing his mouth near my ear. “Trust me?” he asked, his warm, minty breath whispering against my cheek.
I gave his hand a squeeze, unable to speak against the terror closing my throat.I’m about to go to Hell and meet the devil.An insane urge to laugh maniacally rose inside, and I had to shut it down.
Please, God, I know I haven’t been the most devout Christian, but I swear if you deliver me and Cain from this, I’ll do better.
Malachi laid a hand on my arm, but Cain raised his sword. “Get your filthy fingers off her.”
“Oh,” he purred, “I’m going to be putting much more than my fingers on her delectable skin, so you might as well get used to the idea.” He swiped his tongue over his bottom lip. “Pure souls create the sweetest screams.”
“No!” Cain surged toward his enemy with the tip of the steel aimed straight for the fallen angel’s heart.
Malachi laughed, freezing Cain’s forward momentum as if subduing a child, then grabbed Cain by the wrist. “Your passion will be the death of you, thank Lucian.” With a firm grip on my elbow, he jerked Cain’s stiff body closer. “I have absolutely noideawhat Lucian sees in you. He hates humans—always has—except for you.”
A muscle twitched in Cain’s cheek.
I struggled against Malachi’s hard grasp, desperate to throw myself against Cain’s body.
“Well, let’s get this over with. I can’t wait to claim my prize.” He gave an evil grin, then a screaming, whining tornado of power whipped against my clothes and hair, forcing my eyes closed.
After a few seconds, the maelstrom died, and silence greeted my ears.
The pressure of Malachi’s crushing grip left my arm, and I fell to my knees, fighting the nausea raising my gorge.
Opening my eyes, I stared and sucked in a breath. I’d expected spouting gouts of flames and wailing shrieks. Instead, fine dirt lay at my feet, bordering between sand and silt, the texture silky and the color somewhere between dull-red rust and lackluster gray.
Above, a blanket of charcoal-colored clouds rolled across the sky, occasionally revealing an angry, scarlet sun behind the barrier.
“Up,” Malachi demanded, nudging my form with the toe of his boot.
“She’s not a dog.” Cain glowered then extended a hand.
I took it, grateful for the gesture but still unable to keep my stare on his. He pulled me to my feet, and I stumbled along, trying to come to terms with our situation.
Hell seemed so barren and sad—not scary as I’d always imagined. But the Bible had gotten one thing right: the air buffeted my skin like waves of fire pouring out of a hot oven in the middle of an August heatwave.
In the distance, a conical, black mountain rose. Every few seconds, fire and smoke belched high into the sky, its rumble low with deep vibrations shaking the ground.
The scent of burning wood, mixed with a chemical smell, met my nose, unpleasant but not overpowering. It reminded me of burning hair mixed with campfire smoke.
“I thought Hell was underground,” I whispered to Cain, who kept an arm around my shoulders.
“Another lie amongst the many,” answered Malachi while marching ahead. “Hell is a dimension. Or if your little human brain can’t comprehend that, think of it as another world.”
I scowled at his back, resisting the urge to add a snarky comment.
“Like Heaven, it can only be accessed by angels,” Cain murmured.
