Simone's voice cuts through the wails of the damned, barely audible above the roaring flames beneath our cages. She’s gripping the bars so hard her knuckles are white, her beautiful gray eyes fixed on a point behind me.
“You'll bind yourself to Asmodeus?” Sataniel's reply is immediate, like he never really stopped listening to us. He probably hadn't.
“For our child,” Simone clarifies, one hand moving protectively to her stomach. “Not for him.”
Her words slice through me like a blade. I deserve this pain, but knowing that does nothing to lessen the sting.
Sataniel laughs, the sound bouncing off the cavern walls. “How delightful.”
Reality bends around us. The scorching heat of the Burning Pits gives way to the oppressive atmosphere of Sataniel's throne room.
The ground beneath our feet is littered with skulls and bones. Mostly demon, though I see some of the human variety. It's been a long time since I was last here.
Simone stumbles, her balance thrown by the sudden change oflocation. I reach for her elbow instinctively, my fingers barely brushing her skin before she jerks away.
“Don't touch me,” she hisses. The look she gives me burns worse than hellfire.
“The ground is uneven,” I murmur, gesturing to the carpet of bones beneath our feet.
She straightens her spine even as she trembles at the sight. “I'm fine.”
Sataniel settles onto his grotesque throne, looking far too pleased with himself. “Shall we proceed?” He steeples his fingers, diamond eyes glittering with anticipation. “Kneel, both of you.”
Simone hesitates for another moment before lowering herself to the bone floor. I follow suit, positioning myself opposite her.
“Hold hands,” Sataniel commands, still sounding vaguely bored.
I extend my hands, palms up. Simone places her smaller ones on top of mine, her touch featherlight, as if contact with my skin repulses her. It's so different from how she touched me just yesterday.
Sataniel circles us, his footsteps silent on the bone floor. “Asmodeus, do you willingly relinquish a portion of your power to your Cambion, Simone?”
“I do.” The formal words taste like ash on my tongue. Hell’s version of wedding oaths.
“And do you, Simone, willingly surrender your soul to be bound to Asmodeus, knowing that in the event of your death, your soul will return here to the Burning Pits?”
Simone's eyes flutter closed briefly. When she opens them, they're filled with resignation. “I do.”
Sataniel smiles, revealing perfect teeth. “So it shall be.”
Fire erupts inside my chest, the agony of having part of my power ripped away. My back arches involuntarily as white-hot pain courses through every nerve ending.
I grit my teeth to keep from screaming. I don't want to showweakness in front of the Dark Prince. But fuck, it hurts. It feels like someone is carving out pieces of my being with a dull blade.
A grunt escapes me as my power leaves my body and enters hers unseen.
Through the haze of pain, I catch her glance at me, her cold mask slipping for just a moment. Is that concern in her eyes?
“It is done,” Sataniel announces, sounding too fucking pleased with himself. “You may rise.”
Standing takes more effort than it should. I haven’t felt pain and weakness like this in millennia. Not since I was a child.
“How do you feel?” I ask Simone, my voice rougher than usual.
She blinks, looking down at herself. “Just... I'm fine.”
“Good.”
Sataniel claps his hands together. “Well, this has been delightful, but I have other matters to attend to. You're free to leave.”
