The silence that followed was thick and uncomfortable.
Eliza stared at me for a long moment, eyes searching. I just didn’t know what she hoped to find.
“I’m fine,” I told them again. “I promise.”
She studied me another beat, then finally nodded. “Okay. If you say so.”
I turned back to my army, jaw tight. I refused to let them ruin this moment. Because Iwasfine. Better than fine. I’d accomplished something extraordinary today. Reached into the bones of this realm and created something from practically nothing.
That was something only one other being in all of Hell had ever managed to do.
My father.
He would’ve recognized what this meant. The scale of what I’d accomplished. The power I’d held in my hands.
It was just too bad he wasn’t here to see it.
Chapter Six
RATHIEL
The others atethe evening’s delicacy—charred hellcat courtesy of Gorr, who’d dragged the still-twitching beast through camp with the proud swagger of a soldier returning from war. Lily had lit the fire with a flick of her fingers. Eliza had skewered the kill. Levi had managed the rotation. Vol had performed a “hunger dance” around the roasting corpse—whatever that was. An hour later, they had dinner: hellcat, with a side of boiled and filtered liquid no one dared to question. I was just grateful I didn’t eat food. Blood was all I needed.
Everyone sat clustered around the low-burning fire, trading idle chatter and half-hearted barbs. I, however, kept my distance, and was leaning against a massive outcrop next to the bedroll Lily and I shared.
Arms crossed, I watched Lily. She sat with the others, one leg tucked under the other, a grin playing at her lips as she listened to something Eliza said. And when she laughed, it sounded soft, easy, and real. It loosened the knot in my chest. A little.
She looked perfectly fine. Better than fine, even. A little tired, perhaps. But then, weren’t we all? She passed around whatever rations remained, teased Eliza, rolled her eyes at whatever Calyx said, stroked Purrgy’s back, even flicked an ember at Levi when he cracked a joke. Just Lily being Lily. There was no strain in her posture. No crack in her voice. No hesitation in her magic.
And yet, only a few hours ago, she’d dropped to the ground screaming. The sound lingered in my head, even now. It was almost like someone had put it on repeat. And every few minutes, it fired off between my ears again and again.
I’d tried changing my position, shaking out my body, taking deep breaths, but nothing helped. She’d collapsed so hard, without any warning. One moment, she’d been standing tall, magic arcing across her skin like lightning, and the next, she’d dropped. Sweat had beaded her brow, her breath had turned ragged, her skin had darkened, and she’d begun convulsing.
Worse had been the sight of Eliza standing next to her, dagger drawn. I’d seen the determination in the siren’s eyes. Knew that if Lily showed even a hint of darkness, Eliza would try to run her through. I’d wanted to rip the damn dagger from her hand and hurl it across the realm into the deepest lava pit I could find. But my arms had been full of Lily, holding her down while her body seized. The very idea of Eliza evenconsideringdriving that blade into Lily’s chest had lit something violent in me.
It was why I stood all the way over here. A part of me still wanted to rip the siren’s throat out. The monster inside me hungered—I hadn’t fed in a few days now. But the rational side of me knew Lily would never forgive me if I killed her friend.
I still needed to talk to Lily about all this. About what happened. About whatever agreement she and Eliza had made. But not tonight. Not when she sat by the fire looking so relaxed, so unburdened. The grin, the laughter, the teasing—it was the first time in alongtime I’d seen her looking so much like herself.
I couldn’t steal that from her. At least, not right now.
She glanced up then, as though she’d felt my gaze. Her eyes met mine across the firelight. For a moment, everything around us dimmed. Then she smiled, and my world felt complete.
I smiled back, all too aware that my damn heart was shining in my eyes. It always did with her.
She turned back to the conversation at hand, but after a few minutes, the circle around the fire began to thin. Vol and Purrgy wandered off together, the imp muttering something about needing his beauty sleep. Gorr curled up next to the fire and promptly began snoring. Eliza and Calyx launched into an argument about who was on cleanup duty, while Levi leaned back, watching them with keen, quiet interest.
As for Lily—she rose to her feet, stretched, then walked toward me.
I pushed off the rock and let my arms fall to my sides.
“Staring at me all night isn’t as romantic as you think,” she said, halting a few feet away. “It gives off serial killer vibes.”
I arched a brow. “Noted. I’ll try blinking next time.”
She smirked, stepping closer. “You could just admit you’re obsessed with me.”
“Would that get me out of trouble?”
