After creating Baylor, I slept for three days straight. When I woke up, the guys had B positive blood bags ready for me to devour, and devour I did.
Thankfully, Baylor took care of all the paperwork, and Priamos was working with Mortala undercover in the ring, like Thaddeus had suggested. They reported back daily, and Thaddeus took over my work with Aziel while I slept for my body to recover. I hadn’t realized creating a demon would take that much out of me. I didn’t even bat an eye when I was a full demon. I could create five demons in a row and still be fine...but it only made sense. This time around, I was born half human and not created. It was a strong power, and this body isn’t able to wield my demon magic as well as a full demon body would be able to.
I was fucking appreciative of everyone’s help.
“Where are we going?” Kai asked, dipping his head to avoid a jagged stalagmite on the low ceiling of the red, glowing cave.
“We’re going to the heart of Hell, sweetheart.” I winked, hopping over a puddle of boiling, glowing blood. “I want to show you something.”
He hesitated before jumping over it and reached out to lace his fingers through mine. “You’re nuts, and I love it.”
I squeezed his hand and inhaled his scent. There was something about the smell of the forest after a storm mixing with sulfur that was comforting to me. “We haven’t had a lot of time together since our mini-lessons.”
He snorted. “Like you need lessons on anything. You’re bloody Lilith. You’ve been around a hell of a lot longer than I have.”
“I may have been around longer, but I have zero-fucking-control over my emotions. Demons don’t really have...control.” I ran my tongue over my bottom lip. “You do.”
“I had to be level headed for my sisters growing up.”
I drew in a shaky breath. “Yeah, about that. The reason I snuck us away from the rest of the guys today was because I wanted to give you some more closure.”
“What do you mean by closure?”
We approached a small cave-like tunnel with black goo moving around inside it. There was a demon guarding it, and he dropped to a knee as he saw me.
“Lilith, Mother. It’s good to see you. How may I help you?” His red eyes met mine as he lifted his head.
“It’s good to see you as well.” I smiled at him. “I’m wanting to enter the heart of Hell. Specifically, I want to visit a damned soul.”
He nodded, pulling out a stone slab from a duffle bag next to him. “Of course. Who would you like to visit?”
“Gerlick Pennington.”
Kai sucked in a sharp breath as the demon spilled his blood on the slab and motioned for us to go through the small portal.
I turned toward him and cupped his face. “Do you want to see the torture he’s been enduring in the heart of Hell?”
His light blue eyes turned a shade darker and darted to my lips. “He got himself thrown into the heart?”
I nodded. “Yes. Prolonged abuse of any living thing, especially children, is an automatic sentence to the heart.”
He swallowed hard. “Will he see us?”
“Only if you want him to. He won’t see us at first, but I can make us visible.”
“I don’t know if I want him to see me,” he said.
“Then he won’t unless you tell me otherwise.” I tip-toed, pressing my lips against his. The plumpness of his lips sunk against mine for a minute or so before he pulled back.
“Okay, I’m ready.”
“I’ll see you on the other side.” I stepped forward, kneeling down and proceeding to crawl through the tunnel and into the goo of the portal.
Hot rocks sliced my knees and hands over and over until I crawled out the other side and into a white room. I climbed to my feet, and my hands and knees tingled from being freshly healed.
I looked back in time to watch Kai climb out and get to his feet. “Shit, that’s the worst bloody portal. I take back what I said about the other one.”
“It’s to make sure the tortured souls can’t get out,” I explained, grabbing his hands.
