Page 94 of Hell Gate

His eyes go round, beady with apprehension. Without the seal, I realize how much my life was dulled down, tamped by magic. It wasn’t me that made myself less—it was the curse. My senses sharpen, hearing what I couldn’t before while the fighting rages around me, my eyesight keener to take in the nervous sweat beading Brone’s saggy forehead.

I bolt to him through the charred trees with newfound speed, my hellfire springing forth before I visualize my attack. The ground turns molten wherever I step, the heat coming off me explosive from being bottled up, ready to let loose.

Brone collapses to his knees. “Mercy, Lilith. I beg of you.”

“You’re pathetic,” I growl. “You fold at the first sign you won’t win. Spoiler alert, shithead: you won’t.”

Grabbing him by one of his curved horns, I rake my claws across his greasy face. They’re sharper and longer now that I’ve broken the curse, my demon traits no longer locked inside. He shrieks, wriggling to escape.

“Samael! Cessair!”

“They won’t help you,” I hiss.

Kicking his chest, he flies back and crashes against a tree. I trace a circle in the air with my arms, calling on the natural power of the underworld feeding into the deep well of my power. It heeds my call, the ground splitting open with rattling fractures. A cloud of brimstone floods the misty air and fire rises from the depths of the underworld with molten earth to encase Brone against the tree.

His droopy features go slack. “That’s not possible. No daughter of Lilith has power like this.”

I clench a fist, then leap across the crevice separating us and drive it into his face. His head snaps to the side and I pull back again to throw another punch like Alder taught me. This one knocks him unconscious. And breaks his jaw, the bone crunching against my blazing knuckles.

I want to help Vale and Alder in their struggle against Alastor, but Rainer and Matthias are both fighting alone. Matthias is holding his own against Cessair, but Rainer has lost his sword to Samael.

When I join the fray, Samael’s focus locks on me and he releases a hair-raising predatory sound. My heart pounds, recognizing it from the depths of my fragmented, lost memories. He was in charge of my torture, keeping me at the edge of death with curse upon curse.

Fucking bastard got off on every second of pain I endured.

My fire races to my fingertips, burning a bright, scorching blue. Panting, Rainer falls back a step from the sweltering heat coming off me. Blood trickles into his eye and his sleeve is torn.

“Go help the others,” I say.

“And let you handle the fun on your own, princess?” He holds up his hands at the ferocious look I shoot him.

“I owe him a world of pain,” I mutter.

Samael bares his teeth and sprints at me. I throw my hands up, dissipating the billow of flames he throws at me with my hotter ones, using them as my shield to get close enough to blast his head with an endless stream of blistering heat. He roars, skin burning. Jerking back, he swings a fist at me. The blow knocks me off balance. Alder’s steady voice in my head reminds me to recenter myself to stay upright.

“You’re twice as ugly now.” I swipe the back of my hand across my mouth. “When Lucifer finds out what you’ve done, he’ll charge you with treason and true death.”

“He is a fool, hiding away in his castle. He practically handed the crown to us,” Samael snarls.

“You’re the idiots. You should’ve killed me when you had the chance. Now I’m back and I’m pissed.”

I launch myself at him, calling once more on the underworld to aid me. The ground melts at Samael’s feet. His eyes widen and he sinks faster the more he thrashes to escape. I stop when he’s up to his shoulders and wrench his head back by his hair.

“Hell and the underworld realms will never be yours,” I spit before smashing his head down on my knee with ferocious strength repeatedly until he’s unconscious.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE

LILY

Once I’ve dealt with Samael, I find Alder, Valerian, and Rainer handling Alastor with unrelenting attacks. Matthias is still on his own against Cessair.

I narrow my eyes. They’ve got this, and I want payback for the arcade and for trying to kill Matthias.

Cessair and Matthias trade blows with their blazing fists, both of them fighting off dueling illusions while brutally attacking each other. Serpents wrap around Cessair’s leg, constricting tighter to knock him off balance, while Matthias deals with a horde of the nasty fairies Cessair had spying on us, their spindly teeth tearing into his arms and neck.

Closing the distance between us, I jump onto Cessair’s back, winding one arm around his neck and clapping a hand over his eyes. Furious energy buzzes through me and I push a torrent of savage blue flames through my palm. His skin bubbles beneath my grip. I hope I’m melting his goddamn eyes.

“Augh! Fucking bitch!”

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