Page 74 of Hell Gate

“Remember when I explained the laws surrounding reincarnation?” At my nod, he continues. “With your bloodline descending directly from our gods, it would take an immense amount of dark power to force you to reincarnate. It’s likely they kept you on the brink of death for centuries wherever they had you hidden away before they were able to force you through it to bind you.”

“Fuck,” Matthias bites out fiercely.

Alder’s expression hardens. “By weakening you enough to trap you in a changeling form, they probably thought their plan was complete since they never had anyone watching you. They kidnapped you. Tortured you. Then left you to die in the mortal realm by the humans’ neglectful hands or by your own volatile untrained powers being too great for a human form to withstand.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR

LILY

Learning the truth leaves me torn. I thought finding out the identity of the demon trapped inside me would make things clearer. It only leaves me conflicted.

Do I belong in the underworld realm I’ve forgotten, sitting on a throne I don’t have any desire to take?

Am I Lilith? Or will she destroy me when we find a way to break the seal imprisoning her within me? I have her power, but a small corner of my mind still fears that who I am as Lily Sloane is only a stand-in shell born of her need to survive the mortal realm until her demon knight could rescue her. Someone who took the brunt of abuse while she remained hidden behind the magic seal trapping her inside me.

My throat tightens. Then why do I have a fated mate connection to all three of them? Is that hers, too? Would she have eventually found my warrior and trickster demons destined to love her?

No. The bond pulses in my chest in refusal. Fuck that. These demons are my home. My fate. No one will take them from me. They’re the only good my rotten life has granted me.

They’ve given me so much already. I’ve experienced more life with them than I was ever allowed the privilege of before. I belong with them, allowed to take up space instead of being shunned and tossed aside.

I hold on to hope that we are one in the same, needing to believe I won’t be separated from the three men who fill my heart.

“If this hadn’t happened, would I have found you?” My throat constricts. “Vale knew me, but… How would I have found you guys if I was supposed to get married?”

“It’s possible the reincarnation rewrote your magic. You’re a rebirth of the Lilith I knew, and we never…” Valerian’s forearms flex, his tattoos shifting restlessly with his thoughts. “The witch was right. You might not have most of your memories of your past life after going through hundreds of years of torture and surviving as a changeling that was likely meant to be your final death sentence.”

“I’ve seen the underworld in my dreams.” I slide my lips together, unsure why I’m trying to reassure him when I’m afraid he’s only interested inherand not me. “Maybe it’s not all gone. And…her memory lives on in you.”

“What was between us was a possibility. This bond—” His palm splays over my heart and our bond swells to brush against his touch. His own heartbeat thumps against my back. “—is fated. You needed us and we needed you to bring us together. No one in the underworld would deny that as this incarnation Lilith, we are the mates fate chose for you.”

Alder and Matthias come over and place their hands over Valerian’s, the three of them circling me where they belong. The bond dances in my chest, the glow of warmth emanating through my skin. Fascinated, I turn my translucent, glowing hand back and forth.

“You’re ours, Lily.” Matthias takes my hand and brings my scarred knuckles to his lips.

“Fate brought us together. That’s all that matters.” Alder tucks my hair behind my ear. “Loving you is a gift bestowed upon us by the gods.”

“Ours.” Vale’s embrace tightens with his rough echo.

“Yours,” I murmur. “All of yours.”

Three pleased rumbles sound around me. A happy, light laugh escapes me.

We stay like that for several moments until I think about everything standing between us and what I want—to be with them wherever our lives take us. We can’t have that until we stop the corruption in the underworld that wants us all dead.

“So what will we do? As much as I’d love to ignore all of this, we can’t stay here forever in our perfect bubble at the cabin.”

Matthias jokes around with a scandalized gasp. “Don’t let the Mothman shrine in the basement hear you talk about leaving him behind.”

I give him a flat look. “No. You’re not bringing that costume with us.”

He grins. “I totally am, petal. I’ll make Alder pin you down while I wear it and feed my cock to these gorgeous lips.”

Maintaining my stern expression is hard when the mental image stirs a throb of desire in my core at the thought of Alder holding me down for Matthias to torment me with sinful pleasure. Damn him.

He laughs at my expression and leans in to kiss me. “Such a dirty girl. I love making you blush like that.”

“She’s right.” Alder’s gruff tone is thicker, his green eyes darkened with interest by Matthias’ teasing. “We need to move and decide what to do.”

---