After a few minutes, the weight of a stare dragged my gaze upward. Rathiel stood across the courtyard in the shadow of a ruined arch, leathers dark against darker stone, wings folded tight. When he caught my eye, he beckoned me toward him with a crooked finger.
Well, this girl didn’t need to be asked twice.
I wove through the maze of hellspawn until I reached him. Without a word, he hooked an arm around my waist, hauled me flush against him, then swept my legs out from under me. Before I could even screech my surprise, he shot us up into the sky. The ground vanished, the camp shrinking fast as he carried us toward the ridge—the same one Calyx and I had used to scout this place.
He put me down the instant we landed, and the scorching wind whipped through my hair as I gazed down over the outpost.Up here, we were alone and out of sight, and I didn’t realize until now how badly I’d needed that.
“You know, I could have flown myself up here,” I told him with a sly grin.
“I’m well aware,” he said. “But this way gave me a reason to hold you.”
I rolled my eyes, though the grin stuck. “Like you need an excuse to hold me.”
His arms came around me again, and he yanked me against his chest, then nudged my chin up so our gazes met. “No, I don’t.”
I kissed him before I could think better of it, savoring the taste of him like it might be my last. Because truthfully, it might be. The hellspawn weren’t the only ones whose future was a little murky. Mine and Rathiel’s were too. If I succeeded in killing my father, great—fantastic even. But if I failed? Not only would the hellspawn remain cursed to this miserable existence, but that would be the end of me. Lucifer was many things, cruel and tyrannical to name a few, but he wasn’t stupid. He would have learned from our last battle, and this time, there’d be no escaping him. This time, one of us would die. I just prayed it wasn’t me.
Once we parted, I brushed my lips against Rathiel’s once more, then leaned against his chest. His chin came down on top of my head, and he just held me. I absolutely cherished moments like these. They didn’t come often. When I thought back through Rathiel’s and my relationship, we’d spent more time hating each other or apart than we had together. I wanted to change that. It wasanotherreason I had to win this fight with my father—like I neededanotherreason. I had to do this, and I had to succeed, for me, for Rathiel, for everyone.
“Rath…” I murmured. I pulled back and stared up at him. “If I don’t make it through this?—”
His expression hardened. “Don’t.”
I sighed. “Please, just listen.”
His jaw flexed, a muscle twitching near his temple, but after a long beat, he reluctantly nodded.
“If I don’t make it, I need you to promise me you’ll get everyone out. I won’t be there to open any gates, but you’ve done it before. I trust you to do it again. Take Eliza, Levi, Vol, Purrgy…all of them, and get them out of here. And you”—my voice and heartbrokejust thinking about this—“have to go with them. Keep them safe for as long as you can.”
Because we both knew if my father won, if he killed me, he would invade Earth next. He knew how, it just required more power than he was willing to sacrifice. But that wouldn’t hold him back forever. His aspirations were far too grand for him to remain in Hell.
“Lily—”
“Please, Rath,” I pressed. “Don’t tell me I’ll survive. We both know that may not happen. If we lose, Lucifer won’t spare me. And I don’t want to hear that you’ll die fighting with me. That’s not what I want. If I fall, then we’ve lost the war. You dying serves no purpose. But you can protect them.”
I saw the refusal and denial in his eyes. I knew Rathiel better than anyone in the universe. I knew hewoulddie fighting for me. Securing this promise was my way of protecting him. Of giving my best soldier one last mission after I was dead.
“Promise me,” I begged.
Finally, he nodded. “Fine. I promise. If the worst happens, I’ll get them out. I’ll protect them. You have my word.”
Relief washed through me. If I died, Rathiel would break. I knew that. But I also knew he would do this for me. Because he loved me. He’d get them out—and in return, Eliza would put his broken pieces back together.
I sank into his embrace again and wrapped my arms around him. “Thank you.”
His arms tightened. “I want you to promise me something in return.”
I lifted my head.
“Don’t let him take you from me,” he said, his words so quiet I almost didn’t hear them. “Don’t give him the chance. I don’t care what you have to do—burn him, break him, call every shadow in this damned realm to your side. I don’t care if it means succumbing entirely to the darkness. If that’s what you have to do, do it. Don’t hold back. Anddon’tdie.”
My throat tightened. “Rathiel?—”
“I watched him rip you apart once before. I can’t do that again, Lily. I made you a promise. Now, you promise me that you’ll do whatever it takes to survive. Even if it terrifies you. Even if it breaks you.” His eyes practically burned with conviction. “You are stronger than him, Lily. Stronger even than you were ten years ago. And you don’t give yourself enough credit. That damned prophecy isn’t wrong—you will end this. But I need you standing here afterward. Understand?”
I forced myself to swallow. I couldn’t make that promise in good conscience, because I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t lose this fight or die trying. But I could modify it slightly. “I promise you I will fight with every ounce of my being. That I won’t give up or surrender. But I can’t promise I’ll survive the battle. You know I can’t guarantee that.”
He clenched his jaw again, a storm flickering in his eyes, but eventually, he nodded. “Then fight like survival is your only option. Because it is.”
