My heart stopped. “Wait a minute. No swords.”
“You have a weapon.” He nodded at the stake. “It’s only fair if I have one as well.”
Shit.I took a step back.
Rafael reached behind him and pulled a sword out of thin air. He passed it to Lucifer, grinning. I wet my lips and tried not to panic when he slid the weapon from its scabbard. It was massive. At least as tall as me and almost as wide. I’d never seen anything like it before, and I was pretty sure it could chop down an entire tree in one blow.
It had to weigh at least a hundred pounds.
He wouldn’t even have to stab me with it. One tap on the head, and I’d be out.
I was in way over my head.
Squaring my shoulders, I lifted my stake—that now looked tiny—before me. Lucifer spun the sword in his hands, whistling an eerie tune that sounded horrifyingly familiar. It sounded like death and pain and fear. The melody dug into my skin and stayed there.
I shook my head to block it out. He was trying to unnerve me, and it was working. And I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.
The bastard.
He flipped his sword. I angled my stake. And then he swung. Everything happened in the blink of an eye. The sword arced through the air, hurtling right toward my throat. A scream ripped from the very depths of me as my life flashed before my eyes.
Az. Me. Then and now.
The memories filled my mind until it was all I could see.
With a roar, Lucifer swung the blade up toward the ceiling just a second before it would have sliced my head clean off my body. The sword tumbled out of his hands and clattered across the stone floor. It slid through the hellgate and vanished from the cave.
I gaped at him, my chest heaving.
I’d been two seconds away from death, and then—
He’d saved me?
“What was that?” I whispered. “Why did you stop yourself?”
Lucifer’s face hardened. “You’re mistaken.”
“No.” I shook my head and stepped toward him. “That sword was about to go right through my throat.You stopped it.”
Lucifer growled, fisting his hands. Rafael had slowly started inching away, almost as though he feared what would happen next. The King of Hell had clearly spared me. But why? None of this made any sense. He’d killed me in a past life, and he’d had it out for me ever since.
There was something I was missing. Memories were still lost to me. Lucifer wanted to keep me away from Az, but he wasn’t willing to kill me. He needed me for something else.
And I refused to give him the chance.
With a roar, I lunged toward him with my stake raised. His lips parted. I slammed the weapon into his chest. It sliced through his clothes and burrowed into his chest. Blood poured from the wound, painting my hands.
Swallowing hard, I released my grip.
His hands latched around mine, holding me there. His eyes lit with fire. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
“You’ve given me no other choice,” I spat into his face. “This has to end. Here and now. I’m no longer going to play your stupid games. I’m done being your pawn, your plaything. This ismylife, the only one I have left after you took the last one from me. And I’m going to live it the way I want.”
Tears poured down my face. I hadn’t realized how much pain and anger had built inside of me. It was desperate to get out.
Lucifer tipped back his head and laughed. His hands still clutched around mine, he yanked the stake out of his chest and shoved me back. Heart pounding, I stumbled away as his skin shuddered back into place, as smooth and unmarked as if I’d never stabbed him.
“I am the King of Hell.” He stalked toward me. “You cannot harm me, Mia McNally.”
I spun on my heels to run, but his hands latched onto my arms before I could even make it a single step. He threw me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing at all and darted through the cavern at a speed that could rival the sun.
He dropped me on the floor beside the gate. Tears burning my eyes, I tried to crawl away, but he grabbed my feet and tugged me back.
My scream was the last thing I heard as he dragged me into Hell.
* * *
