Before I could see his reaction, I slung him over my shoulder like he weighed nothing.
Only he didn’t land on his back like I wanted.
He vanished. Most likely ported.
I had to remember that I was in his domain. Anything could happen. It was hard to be careful, though—especially when I’d been forced to live that way my whole life.
Adrenaline surged through my veins as I spun in a slow circle, waiting for him to reappear.
That was when the cellblock changed. The rows of cells vanished before my eyes, and darkness crept into every corner. The air turned icy. So cold I could see my breath with every step.
I smacked into a chain hanging from above, but when I looked up, all I saw was endless darkness. A rusted hook hung from its base. I shuddered.
Another chain descended. It held a wailing woman in a tattered white dress, her body suspended midair. A hook pierced through her mouth, and bugs crawled in and out of her decayed flesh.
“Didn’t your father teach you what happens to everyone who ends up in Hell?” The Devil’s voice rang out from every direction—impossible to locate. “I’d be careful who you pick fights with, especially when you’re at my mercy.”
“So, you don’t like Spot?”
My words were all I had to keep my shit together. But he probably heard the hammering of my heart against my ribs. And the smell of my fear? It had to be a beacon for monsters like him.
“What scares you the most about becoming mortal again, Kitten?”
His voice felt like it came from right beside me, whispered against my ear. I swore I felt the heat of his breath. I spun around, but no one was there.
“What’s the worst thing I could do to you?” he continued. “What are you most afraid of? Do you think I can’t find out?”
The Devil punished people through their fears.
I knew he could figure out mine, but I didn’t know the answer to that question myself. Worry crept into my bones.
“Does my existence displease you so much?” I asked. “My dad believed you tried to kill me before.”
“You don’t know how much you disgust me.” His words scraped against my skin like sandpaper. “I tried so many times when you were a child to find a way to make you mortal. To end you for entering this world and pretending to be something you’re not.”
“You’re the one who cursed us,” I snapped. “This is a direct consequence of your own actions. Typical. A man blaming a child for something she had no part in. I never cared about the Devil. You were just the boogeyman. A scary story. The enemy my parents warned me about.”
He paused briefly before saying, “So, you’re repulsed I’m no Prince Charming?”
The question caught me off guard.
“Let me guess,” he drawled. “When your siblings started finding mates, you got excited. Maybe your toes curled, your heart raced—not from fear, but from hope. You dreamed of someone meant for you.”
I had fantasized about the possibility of a soulmate, and the embarrassment heating my cheeks made me instantly regret my silly hopefulness.
He could feel my fear, so he could probably sense everything else, too. I had to be careful.
“I have a heart, demon. Unlike you.” My voice was firm. “Yes, I liked the idea of having someone. But don’t worry. The disgust you have for me is mutual.”
“Good,” he muttered, slipping out of the darkness and appearing in front of me.
“It would be embarrassing to fall for someone who has waited an eternity for your father’s demise, would it not? Imagine how disgusted he’d be if I—”
Fury surged in my chest as I hurled my blade at him.
The sword struck him square in the chest and he smiled.
“What did I say?” he taunted, wrapping his fingers around the blade. “You should be more careful. You’re in my domain. You’re not going anywhere.”
