Page 73 of Hell Gate

I blink as it fades away.Always. The warmth in his tone echoes through my mind.

He inclines his head. “Lilith.”

My lips part. “That feels like I know it.”

“It should. It’s your name.” He steps closer, repeating it in his crooning accent. “Lilith.”

The way he says it makes my knees go weak. I clutch at the railing. His gaze darkens with a hint of deviousness at my reaction.

“Your disappearance three hundred years ago was shrouded in mystery. You were just—gone.” He clenches his teeth. “On my watch. I thought you were just out exploring the realm, but I couldn’t find you. No one could. We never thought to look in the mortal realm. The king was furious. You were meant to become the queen of Hell and rule alongside Lucifer as his bride.”

Everything in me revolts at the thought of being married to the Devil, the bond bucking uncomfortably.She’ll never be queen. I inhale sharply. That’s what the demons meant. Why they’re out to kill me.

“This hasn’t been about you betraying the underworld,” I say slowly as my gears turn. “They didn’t want me to become queen. Whoever kidnapped me is pissed I’m still alive.”

“I think so, yes. They’re covering it up by labeling me the leader of a rebellion to unseat the queen Lucifer did marry. If he finds out people in his court conspired against him, it would mean true death for anyone involved.” His eyes roam my face and his tone turns gravelly. “They were right to suspect I’d recognize you before long.”

Relief spirals through me. The Devil hasn’t spent three centuries looking for a lost queen he intends to wed. It doesn’t matter if my true identity is Lilith, I don’t want to be queen or marry anyone besides Alder, Matthias, and Valerian. I abandon my coffee on the railing to wrap my arms around his waist, breathing in the spicy sharpness in his smoky scent.

His fingers sink into my hair with a low growl. “They stole you away from me.”

More images flash in my head—glimpses of how dedicated he was in protecting me, watching me wherever I went, the way we danced around each other but never acted on the spark between us. He shows me wielding my powers with deadly skill in some kind of tournament. Sneaking out of the castle to ride a beastly underworld creature and him tracking me down, but not forcing me back to a castle that makes me restless right away. Stolen moments ofwhat ifwhere our eyes would meet across the room.

Each memory he sends into my mind is tinged with the strength of his feelings for me, illicit yet inescapable. I can tell that much from the small flashes he allows me to see of our past. The depth of his love feels like it’s spanned years, carried in his heart.

With a rough, broken noise, he pulls my head back by my hair and his mouth collides against mine. It’s everything he’s held back. The kiss is a passionate storm, all-consuming and wild. A claiming demand on my mouth, my heart, my very soul, telling me I’m his and will always be his. A cry escapes me and he drinks it in, his grip on me tightening as he devours my mouth.

Vale wrenches away, pressing his forehead to mine with a jagged breath that breaks my heart. “I failed you once before. The thought of ever losing you again terrifies me to the depths of my being.”

He pulls back and a panicked noise leaves me at the thought of him retreating behind his brooding walls after that. I push on tiptoe and kiss him, unwilling to let him go. He clutches me to him as we kiss again, and again, and again until my heart feels ready to burst.

“I found you,” he says against my mouth. “I won’t let you go this time.”

I shake my head, pressing so close I think I’m trying to climb inside him so we’re never parted again.

Once my racing heart slows, I’m able to think more clearly. The others come outside, Alder sitting on the edge of the empty hot tub and Matthias hopping up to sit on the railing. Vale squeezes me like he doesn’t want to share, but lets me slip out of his arms. I shyly fit myself between Matthias’ knees to kiss his cocky smirk away, ending up smiling into our kiss. Then I go to Alder and give him a soft kiss, humming when he pets my hair.

He grazes my nose with his. “You’re radiant.”

My cheeks tingle and another smile breaks free. I return to Vale, leaning back against him. His tattooed arms move around me without the hesitation he’s had with me before. At last my world’s axis finds its alignment with all three of them.

“You said you had something important to discuss today,” Alder says. “Are we ready to move?”

“Soon now that I’m healed. I know who Lily is.” They both lean forward in anticipation. I trace his inked fingers interlocked around my waist, the abstract whorls shifting and curling around the places I touch. “Lilith.”

“Lilith?TheLilith?” Alder’s brows hike up.

“Shit,” Matthias breathes.

“Shit indeed,” Valerian mutters. “It brings the entire chain of command for the last few centuries into question. The council serves both as the overseers of the factions, and as royal council to Lucifer. We don’t know which members are behind this other than speculating based on who benefited most in power.”

The amount of time my demon has been missing stumps me. “If it was that long ago, how am I here now? I was found as a baby.”

Alder crosses his arms, his muscles bulging. “Your bloodline is royalty amongst the demon fae. All demons descend from the primordial fae gods and the original Lilith is said to be one of those goddesses who reincarnated herself to become a demon because she fell in love. Every she-demon born to your bloodline inherits the original goddess’ gifts. You are the daughter of a line that has never been broken, one of the strongest the underworld has. It’s why you were destined for the throne.”

Jesus. My gaze falls to my scarred hands. After everything I’ve been through, that’s what awaited me in the place I truly come from? Respectfully, fuck that.

“That’s some heavy shit,” I mumble. “Still doesn’t answer my question.”

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