Page 81 of Hell Gate

We roll the windows up and I take in the small beach town we drive through. It’s quiet this late in the fall. The only stores open are a tiny supermarket and a flower shop with baskets of mums decorated with wooden turkeys and pumpkins. The car turns down a road one block from the ocean and I crane my neck to see past the dunes at every intersection.

“We’ll go through the gate as soon as we’re sure your strength is fully restored.” Vale catches my eye in the rear view mirror, sending heat zipping down my spine at his leer. “Once we get to our destination, I’ll contact Rainer and let him know to meet us when we’re prepared. Cessair likely went back to the underworld after he retreated. I’ll have Rainer track his movements to learn what we can before we face him in the underworld.”

“That suit guy.” I frown. “You all knew him. And the other demon with him.”

“Petra,” Alder growls. “Another warrior demon. She was a dedicated leader to her warrior clan and was always close with the council. Never a match against me, though.”

“Is she, uh… Coming back from what you did? You said before the hellhounds could keep getting back up to track us.”

“No, they’re different. Arguably the hardest to put down. Cessair left Petra behind. Even immortal demons capable of reincarnation can be seriously wounded and killed in the mortal realm if they don’t return to the underworld as quickly as possible. Only the bond of a mate could have kept her alive long enough to heal from that. The assassins you killed when you were attacked at the witch’s place, and the ones that attacked us at the motel outside of Brim Hills also met their ends.”

Unlike Lane, I don’t feel remorse that Petra died at Alder’s hand. She’s our enemy and he was protecting me. The three of them kill for me without mercy, even back when we hated each other, and I’d do the same for them.

“And Cessair is a trickster like me,” Matthias says. “He’s our boss and one of the oldest members on the council. Gate guards report directly to him.”

“He’s behind this.” Vale’s tattoos shift across his stiff knuckles. “Corruption is poisoning the council. If he’s involved in it, then it might not have been a mere demotion when I was assigned my gate in Brim Hills.”

Alder’s grip clenches my hand. I soothe my thumb across his knuckles. “What makes you think that?”

Valerian works his jaw. “He was…aware of my interest in Lilith. That it went beyond what a demon knight should feel for the king’s betrothed he’s sworn to guard. I think he wanted to keep me distracted from looking for you and keep a close eye on me to ensure I never did.” He releases a sharp laugh. “He underestimated you because you survived and found us instead.”

“They’re all like that,” Matthias grumbles. “Old farts with superiority complexes the size of Texas.”

I snort. “Do you know what you’re saying?”

He shrugs, shooting me a lopsided grin that makes my heart flutter. “I’ve always wanted to use that one.”

“He’s not wrong,” Alder says. “The demon council is made up of the oldest bloodlines. They’re powerful and experienced.”

The light mood in the car evaporates. They exchange glances, then Vale stares at me from his reflection.

“What?” I narrow my eyes. “New rule. No mind speak if you’re going to exclude me. I hate being left out.”

Valerian’s lips twitch. “It’s for your protection.”

I hang my head, chewing on my lip. Honest vulnerability bleeds into my voice. “Don’t keep me out of the loop. Please.”

Alder twists to face me with a repentant expression. “They won’t be easy to fight. Less so to kill.”

“You’ll need your full power for us to stand a chance against the council.” The steering wheel creaks beneath Valerian’s grip. “We’re worried because Cessair alone almost killed you.”

“The seal…” I trail off, pushing aside my doubts about being able to break it myself. His gaze sharpens and I inject confidence into my tone to cover so he can’t read my feelings so easily. “We just have to believe our plan will work. When we get to the underworld, I’ll break it and bring the pain.”

Matthias chuckles when I sit up and punch my fist against my palm, sending a gust of smoke and sparks into the air. “Our fierce little fighter.”

“We’re here,” Valerian says.

A crumbling lighthouse stands at the end of the road. The car rolls to a stop at the gate with a danglingCONDEMNEDsign. Alder gets out and wrenches the gate open with brute force, his muscles flexing. He trails after the car as we follow the sandy driveway to a small caretaker’s house at the base.

“How did you know about this place?” I climb out and pause at the salty breeze shifting my hair and the distant sound of waves crashing beyond the lighthouse.

“The gate is inside the lighthouse,” Alder says.

I smirk. “Oh, so when you said near our destination, you meant we’re camping out right at the door to Hell.”

“It’s seldom used,” Valerian says. “It’s a one-way portal rather than one that grants access both ways, like in Brim Hills.”

I follow them inside the tiny abandoned beach house, marveling at the glimpses of the shoreline through the windows. “Can I go down there?”

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