“Yeah,” I answer shakily as I pick up my head from his chest to look at him. “Thank you,” I tell him, my eyes pricking with tears. “Thank you,” I repeat again, my whole heart and soul pouring out into those words. That was fucking terrifying.
His blue eyes burn into me, even as the coldness of his skin seeps through his suit to calm me. “You’re welcome. I told you, Delta, we got you.”
I nod my head gratefully as his words sink into me. I almost died. Holy shit. It was so close to things being over for me, and it all happened so fast. I’m shaky and reeling, and not at all sure how to feel. I probably shouldn’t be focusing on Iceman and what’s happening between my thighs. I should probably just sit here, grateful to be alive and promising the powers that be that I’ll use the rest of my life for good. But I’m a demon, so I’m not even sure what good that would be.
“Damn, that was intense,” Crux says, running a hand over the back of his neck. “We need to put a leash on her. I’m so sorry I didn’t fucking catch you, Delta.”
I look over, snapping out of the emotions splashing through my head, and see Crux helping Echo up from the ground. The shadow demon stands and helps me to my feet, allowing Iceman to get up behind me.
“It’s not your fault,” I assure Crux. “Really. Don’t feel bad. I don’t even know what happened. I’m not usually that wobbly. I feel weird, though. Like some fucked up combo that has me feeling invincible and also like I want to cry.”
“I smell blood,” Echo interrupts, his expression pinching with a frown. “Where are you bleeding?” he asks me as his pale hands start skimming over me.
My shirt is all stretched out and ripped from the hem up to about the middle of my back. All four guys come forward to stand around me, crowding around the steps, but Iceman keeps a steady hand at the middle of my back, like he’s worried I’ll fall over the edge again.
To answer Echo’s question, I lift the front of my shirt, giving everyone, including me, a look at where my stomach is all scraped up. It looks like I have another case of road rash on top of the road rash I already had. Crux sucks in a breath. “I’m fine,” I assure him before dropping the shirt.
“You should heal quickly, especially after we get you through your Ring and hopefully remove the rest of whatever block is on you,” Echo tells me.
“She might heal, but until then, she reeks of blood. Nothing calls trouble faster than the scent of blood,” Jerif says, arms crossed in front of his chest. “She’s making everything more complicated at every fucking turn.”
My eyes flick over to him, anger rising up in me. And here I was, giving him the benefit of the doubt. I thought maybe he’d been harsh with me to snap me out of my panic and force me to act—to get moving and reach for Iceman before it was too late. But no, I’m pretty sure he’s just a dickhead.
“Sorry to inconvenience you, Jerif,” I say, my tone on the edge of scathing. “If I live long enough to meet your mom, I’ll be sure to tell her all about what an asshole she raised.”
It’s a shot in the dark, because what the fuck do I really know about his mom? Maybe she thinks the meaner, the better.
But I know I hit the mark when his eyes widen slightly, and I see it—parental panic. I had it many times when my parents were alive and I was worried I was going to disappoint them and earn a lecture. I smirk at him and turn away, seeing Crux’s grin.
“Thanks for catching me,” I tell Echo. “I’ll try not to bleed everywhere and smell up all of Hell.”
Echo snorts and takes my hand as he starts leading me down the stairs again. “Come on. Now Ireallywant you to meet Jerif’s family.”
“Fuck off,” Jerif says before leading the way again. Crux gives me another apologetic look and then follows behind the angry lava demon.
I grin at Jerif’s back. “Is he gonna get in trouble with his mommy about how he hasn’t been using his manners with me?” I snicker, and I feel the adrenaline and fear that was just pounding through me give way to relief and safety. I exhale, oddly feeling more centered, anchored even, and once again focus on my feet as we climb down the stairs.
Behind me, Iceman hooks a finger through my belt loop with a deep chuckle. “Yep. His sisters will lay into him too.”
My smile spreads wider. I never thought I’d look forward to visiting someone in Hell before, but I’m practically giddy now. Payback’s a bitch, and her name is Delta Gates.
* * *
As we continue to make our way down the evil flight of stairs, I start to make out the view below. There’s what looks to be concentric circles rippling out to cover the cavern’s floor. I can’t tell how high up we are, and it’s not like Hell’s lighting helps much, so I squint at the rings and tell my heart to calm the fuck down.
“Are those the Rings of Hell?” I finally ask as we make our way closer and I’m more certain of what I’m seeing.
Damn. How far down to these stairs go?My thighs are going to be killing me tomorrow, especially if we have to hike back up these things. Then again, given my little tumble, maybe I can convince Jerif that it will be safer if his rude ass just carries me back up on his back. I’m not too proud for a piggy back ride.
“That’s the Vestibule,” Iceman tells me, his mouth closer to my ear than I realized. I jump a little and have to fight off goosebumps at the same time. I swear I hear him chuckle.
“It’s set up like a mini version of what the Rings of Hell look like,” Crux explains. “But if you look down the middle, you’ll spot a line.” He points, and I follow his tan, well-muscled arm and see exactly what he’s talking about. “That’s the aisle that leads to all of the Ring Gates. We can get to each Ring from that passageway.”
I study the line that bisects six layers of circles. The Outer Ring is the largest, with every interior ring growing smaller inside of it until you get to the very middle. It somewhat resembles a bullseye. I see that the pathway that Crux pointed out goes straight down the middle, all the way to the center circle. That must be Nihil, where Satan and his former Heavenly homies all live.
I try to tamp down the anxiety that starts to hammer at my chest. I’m about to find out what kind of demon I am. I’m going to hopefully get some answers, and then I’m going to be inducted as the fifth Guardian of the Perdition Estate Hellgate. No pressure.
An image of my mother and father before they died flashes through my mind, and a stinging sensation resonates through my chest with each beat of my heart. I want to tell them that this will all be okay. That they’ll always be my parents no matter which one of them fucked a demon, thus resulting in them becoming the proud parents of literal demon spawn. I mean, we all make mistakes, right? I think I turned out pretty good for a hellion, if I do say so myself.
