As for the other seven fallen angels, we’d killed four. Gremory, Tavira, Zera, and Raelia were dead. That left only three: Ezrion—an inferno demon with power over hellfire, much like me. Gavrel—a chaos demon who reveled in sowing discord and turmoil. And Miriel—demon of pestilence and rot. Of the three, Gavrel was my biggest concern. His ability to cause chaos had obliterated my forces last time. He didn’t need a sword. He just needed to unleash his magic, then stand back and watch while my soldiers massacred each other.
I had stolen six of Lucifer’s strongest soldiers, either through death or by earning their loyalty. And as we all knew, my father didn’t exactly handle betrayal well. Which was ironic, considering who he was.
Doubtful he was sitting on his charred throne, sipping a brimstone martini—whatever that even looked like—and meditating on his losses. No, my father would be planning. Seething. Concocting. I just wish I knew what.
The others were relying on me to resurrect my fallen army, to supply us with numbers great enough to rival Lucifer’s. And I…I was waffling. Because I was scared. Scared of turning into him. Of becoming another devil who wore a crown.
Levi believed my mother’s angelic blood would keep me pure, help me balance the darkness. I wasn’t so sure.
I hadn’t spoken any of this aloud. Not even to Rathiel. I couldn’t. Not when everyone was staring at me like I was their best and only shot at winning. And I’d already agreed to try, so there was no turning back now.
A gentle brush of fingers startled me out of my reverie, and I blinked to find eight pairs of eyes watching me. Rathiel, Levi, Eliza, Calyx, Vol, Gorr, Mephisar, and Sable. But not Purrgy—the little orange turd was fast asleep now, curled up like a fuzzy dot against Mephisar’s body.
“Lily?” Rathiel murmured. “You okay?”
I hadn’t spoken for a few moments, lost in my thoughts. Now would have been a good moment to confess my fears, but again,eightpairs of eyes were staring at me.
So, instead, I nodded and forced a smile. “Yeah,” I said, squeezing his hand. “I’m good.”
“Great, then let’s get started,” Levi said. “The battlefield is just over that rise.” He gestured south of the rebellion camp.
A flash of memory returned to me, of the night my army marched over that exact rise to face Lucifer. Brave. Hopeful. Only to walk straight into a massacre.
When Rathiel, Eliza, and I first returned to Hell, it’d felt abstract to me. Like I was merely returning after an extended time away. Now that I’d regained my memories, everything felt painfully sharp. Almost like I was about to march to my death. Again.
“Yeah,” I said, forcibly bright. “Let’s go.”
Levi offered an approving nod, then headed toward the small patch of camp he’d claimed as his own. Calyx and Eliza followed suit, as did Mephisar and Sable, leaving me with Vol, Rathiel, and Purrgy—not that he was aware of us.
Rathiel cleared his throat and nudged Vol. The imp took one look at me, sighed like this wassuchan inconvenience, and scampered after Eliza.
The moment we were officially alone, Rathiel reached out and tucked a strand of my windblown hair behind my ear.
“You’re not okay,” he said softly.
I tried to laugh, but the sound came out a tad broken. “What makes you think that?”
Rathiel offered me one of his rare smiles before he leaned in and kissed me. Then he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me against his chest, holding me tightly.
Tears pricked my eyes. Damn him for always knowing exactly what I needed.
“You’re allowed to be scared,” he quietly murmured so no one overheard us. “Levi isn’t asking for a simple favour. I know your worst fear is turning into your father, and tapping into a well ofhismagic has to be terrifying. No one else understands what this might cost you. But I do.”
“What if I fail?” I whispered. “What if I try and nothing happens? Or worse…what if somethingdoeshappen, and I resurrect them and lose myself in the process?”
His arms tightened around me, and he brushed his lips across the top of my head. “Then I’ll be here to pull you back. You know you’re the most important thing to me. I willnotlose you. Not to this war, not to your father, and certainly not to your magic.”
I closed my eyes and revelled in the feel of Rathiel. This closeness, this ability to touch him, felt so different now that I remembered our entire history together. A week ago, I would have pushed him away, but now I craved his touch. He grounded me when everything else spun out of control.
“If you’re still worried, just know I’m not afraid of whatever darkness might be inside you. I love you. All of you. If something happens, we’ll fight it together.”
His words hit harder than they should have. Not because they were perfect, but because they reminded me of a time lost to us. Back before he’d cast me to Earth and separated us for ten years. During the last rebellion, he’d been my biggest supporter, and before that, he’d been my strongest protector. He understood that life wasn’t fair and that we had to play the cards it dealt us. All that mattered was we tried. And I knew he would. I also knew he would never stop. Just like he hadn’t stopped loving me during the ten years we were apart.
“And if I end up likehim?”
“You won’t,” Rathiel said simply.
“You don’t know that. What if?—”
