Page 63 of Unholy Fate

Lucifer’s grip on my face tightened possessively as he leaned in, his breath hot against my skin. “Let me show you,” he said, before claiming my neck with searing lips.

I wanted to resist, to cling to my pride and push him away. But Lucifer’s touch sent jolts of twisted pleasure through my veins, insidiously chipping away at my resolve. I was slipping, succumbing, and part of me hated myself for it.

A ragged gasp tore from my throat as Lucifer’s teeth grazed my collarbone, his claws raking down my sides. I was betraying everything I’d fought for, but in that moment, pinned between the Devil’s unyielding body and my own treacherous need, I couldn’t bring myself to care.

A blinding pain exploded through my skull, jolting me back to the present. I was still chained to the stone slab, Lucifer’s mocking laughter echoing off the dark walls as he delivered another brutal blow.

“Still defiant after all these centuries?” he said with cruel amusement. “You’ll come back to me, Ian. You always do.”

I gritted my teeth, refusing to give him satisfaction. The pain was excruciating, but as my demonic healing kicked in, knitting torn flesh and shattered bone, a new clarity crystallized.

My body trembled as I dragged myself to my feet, rage and humiliation coursing through my veins. The pain from Lucifer’s torture still lingered, but it was nothing compared to the fury building inside me. That smug bastard thought he could break me, seduce me back into submission. But not this time. Never again.

I strode out of the chamber, my steps purposeful despite the weakness in my battered limbs. The throne room stretched before me, a mockery of infernal grandeur, but I didn’t spare it a glance. My resolve was set on one goal: finding my brothers. Not Levi—Hyperion. Not Aziz—Cronos. They needed to know the truth about Lucifer’s manipulations. They had to remember.

The journey to Levi’s apartment passed in a haze of simmering anger. I shoved the door open, stepping into the dimly lit interior of Levi’s rented place near the convent. Levi himself was sprawled on a couch, nursing a drink as he eyed me with mild curiosity. Aziz leaned against the far wall, a thick tome open in his hands, his eyebrows raised in silent question.

“You look like hell,” Aziz said.

I ignored the jibe, dropping heavily into a vacant chair, my body suddenly exhausted as the adrenaline faded.

“Lucifer’s screwing us over,” I said bluntly.

The words poured out of me, each syllable laced with bitterness and disgust as I recounted the memory of Lucifer demanding our submission to him.

As I spoke, Aziz and Levi’s expressions darkened, their eyes growing distant as if they, too, were lost in memory. Aziz’s jaw clenched, his fingers tightening around the book in his hands until his knuckles turned white. Levi’s gaze grew haunted, his usually laid-back demeanor replaced by a tense stillness.

When I finished, silence hung heavy in the room, broken only by the soft clink of Levi setting his glass down on the glass coffee table. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “I remember the moment we gave fealty to Lucifer. He didn’t save us, he claimed us.”

Aziz snapped the book shut, tossing it aside with a snarl. “We were fools to believe his lies. He never intended to give us freedom, only a gilded cage.”

The pieces fell into place with sickening clarity. “We’re all the same. Titans, brothers bound in Tartarus, freed only to serve as Lucifer’s playthings.”

My voice grew colder, hardening with resolve. “We’ve given him enough fealty. It’s time to cut him off.”

“If not him running Hell, then who?” Aziz asked.

Levi smirked, his gaze sliding to Aziz. “Why not us?”

We exchanged a look, centuries of shared ambition and resentment coalescing into a single, unified purpose for the first time in millennia.

The door swung open, interrupting our silent pact. Evelyn strode in, her presence commanding the room like a queen taking her throne. Her expression was sharp, her eyes burning with a determination I’d never seen before. “Why not me?”

We turned to her, our jaws dropping in unison. I recovered first, my shock giving way to disbelief. “You?”

Evelyn crossed the room, sliding into the empty chair with an air of authority that seemed to come naturally to her. She met our gazes, unflinching. “I remember. I remember everything.”

Evelyn’s expression turned distant as she spoke, her gaze unfocused. “Memories have been flooding my mind... I was Lilith. The power I once held...”

Shock jolted through me as the realization hit. How did I not see it before? Aziz and Levi looked equally stunned.

Evelyn continued, her tone growing firmer. “I wasn’t afraid of anything. No one could make me feel small. I want that back. I need to feel that again. How do I get there?”

I reached over to squeeze her hand, trying to offer some comfort. But Evelyn snatched it back, fixing me with an icy glare. Her gaze swept over all three of us as she said coldly, “Looking back on the last few days, I can’t believe I let you treat me the way you did. Whatever reason you’ve fixated on me, it stops now.”

Aziz leaned forward. “We could just force you.”

Evelyn bared her teeth in a feral grin. “This kitten has claws. I’m not the same woman I was a few days ago or even a few hours ago.”

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