Page 31 of The Road to Hell

Silence.

Her jaw tightened, but she didn’t look away.

“If I had known this was your idiotic plan, I never would’ve agreed to come here,” I bit out. “I never would’ve letyoustep one foot in Hell.”

“I’m done letting others die for me,” she said, her voice low. “Maybe the prophecy is right. Maybe it isn’t. But one way or another, I will kill my father. This is my fight. And you have no right to dictate to me how I fight it.”

“Yourfight,” I repeated, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. “You actually think this is justyourbattle? That you’re the only one with stakes in this?”

Her shoulders stiffened, and I took a step closer, refusing to let her retreat. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but the prophecy, the gate—it all points to you. You arenotexpendable. And you don’t get to throw your life away just because you’re afraid of losing again.”

Her eyes flared with anger, but I caught the hint of pain underneath. “Afraid?” she snapped. “And just what exactly do you think I’m afraid of losing? I’ve alreadylosteverything, Rathiel.”

Her comment was meant to disarm me, but I refused to let it.

“You’re out of your damn mind,” I growled. When she didn’t answer, I grabbed her hands and held them, squeezing tightly. “You can do this, Lily. You can lead the rebellion, fight the war—but not like this. This isn’t a plan, it’s a death sentence. I won’t stand here and watch you throw yourself into the fire just because you think you have to do it alone. That’s not leadership. That’s not victory. That’s juststupidity.”

Her fingers twitched in my grip, but she didn’t pull away. “I don’t see another option.”

“Thenlook harder,” I snarled.

She yanked her hands free. “This is my choice.”

“It’s abadone.”

“It’smineto make,” she snapped.

I raked a hand through my hair, barely resisting the urge to put my fist through the rock wall. “You don’t even remember how he fights, Lily. You don’t remember how he broke you.” The words came out harsher than I meant them to, but I didn’t care. She needed to hear this. “I do. I remember everything. And I sure as hell won’t stand here and pretend this is anything other than a damn suicide mission.”

Her lips parted, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw hesitation. Doubt.

Then she squared her shoulders, lifting her chin. “I don’t need your permission, Rathiel.”

My jaw clenched. “And I don’t need to stand here and listen to this insanity.”

Silence stretched between us, thick with tension and anger. I forced myself to breathe, to shove down the sheerrageburning through me. I hadn’t felt this furious in a long, long time.

A quiet cough broke the standoff.

I turned my head, only to find Eliza propped up on her elbows, watching us with wide eyes. Next to her, Vol sat cross-legged on her bedroll, tail flicking as he chewed on a piece of dried meat. Both of them had clearly been listening for a while.

“I can’t fucking do this right now,” I muttered.

I stepped toward the cave entrance, the heat slamming into me the moment I moved out into the open. If I stayed, I might do something I regretted, like wringing her neck. Unfurling my wings, I pushed off the rock face. I cut through the thick, smoky air as I launched into the sky.

ChapterNine

LILY

I yanked my pack’s strap with a little too much force, the worn leather creaking in protest. It still wouldn’t tighten the way I wanted, which was infuriating because I was the one who’d packed this damn bag in the first place. The stubborn buckle, much like everything else right now, seemed determined to make my life harder.

The main culprit in that department was Rathiel, but thankfully, he wasn’t here right now to see me murdering my bag. He hadn’t returned since he’d stormed out a few hours back. Clearly, he didn’t want to be around me right now. But hey, the feeling was mutual.

I would have killed for a few minutes alone, but without wings, Icouldn’t fly off like he could. Instead, Eliza, Vol, and Purrgy sat near the fire, eating their breakfast, while watching me cuss under my breath as I pounded the stuffing out of this stupid bag.

I growled something obscene under my breath and wrenched on the elastic cords one more time. When they slipped from my hand and the bag popped back open, I slammed it down onto the rocky ground. Purrgatory flinched, his eyes narrowed, while Vol bit back a grin. Yes, my pain wassoamusing.

“Would it be silly to ask what’s bothering you?” Eliza questioned.

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