Page 42 of The Road to Hell

Then I summoned my power.

Hellfire erupted within my palms, flames licking up my arms, crackling like an inferno desperate to be set loose. Shadows slithered at my feet, stretching outward, feeding off the power thrumming through me. My magic came fast and furious, not just waking but raging, spilling through me in a way I’d never felt before. Bigger. Stronger. Like I wasn’t just drawing from myself, but something deeper and vast. Something that wanted me to burn the whole realm. Maybe my return to Hell had affected me in more ways than one.

The netheron’s eyes glittered with excitement.

But before I could move,a low growl rumbled through the market, and a deep voice said, “Enough.”

The netheron barely had time to react before a massive hand clamped onto his shoulder and threw him aside like he weighed nothing.

He crashed into a nearby stall, sending crates and weapons spilling across the ground.

The netheron snarled and scrambled up, but the moment he saw who had thrown him, his anger faltered.

A brimlord stepped forward, his looming figure blotting out some of the light.

His body radiated heat, his molten veins pulsing with Ezrion’s fire. He was bigger than any of the other brimlords I’d seen, standing close to eleven feet tall. His obsidian horns curved backover his skull, and his black lips peeled back to expose a mouth full of teeth sharp enough to shame a vampire.

Oh, hell yes.

This was exactly what I’d hoped for.

“This fight is mine,” the brimlord rumbled. “Let’s see if you’re worthy of calling yourself Lucifer’s daughter.”

I mean, I tried very hard not to call myself that, but I didn’t mention it, since these hellspawn followed and respected my father. Wewantedthem to respect me. To consider siding with me. To believe I was someone worth fighting for.

If this one beat me? That would be it. The rebellion would die before it even began.

Guess I needed to make sure I didn’t lose.

The brimlord eyed me, rolling out his shoulders, and I watched the embers along his body pulse hotter.

Rathiel approached my side, but didn’t speak. He merely shot me a glance, his brow raised. I nodded, reassuring him that I had this. I would wipe the floor with this brimlord. Part of me was entirely too excited.

I spun Inferno’s Kiss once more, then twirled Shadow’s Embrace in a tight arc, both blades catching the hellfire’s glow. Flames sparked down one, while shadows coiled around the other. The sight drew the attention of all the surrounding hellspawn, their eyes flicking to my blade with a newfound wariness.

Grinning, I faced the brimlord. “All right, big guy. Let’s dance.”

He lunged for me, his meaty hands swiping at my throat.

I ducked, then slashed upward with Inferno’s Kiss. At the same time, I swept Shadow’s Embrace across his thigh, the curved blade biting deep into his flesh and drinking in the shadows it carved through. The brimlord barely had time to snarl before Inferno’s Kiss cut deep across his chest, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. He stared down, then lifted his head and raised his brow. While holding my gaze, he batted the flames away.

I couldn’t help but laugh as I repositioned myself.

He struck, and I blocked it, sparks flying as his claws scraped against Inferno’s Kiss. I countered with a slice from Shadow’s Embrace, aiming low and scoring a hit along his ribs. He lunged again, faster this time, but I was ready. I twisted out of his way, hooking his leg with mine and slamming him to the ground. His head cracked against it with a sickening thud. Not that it affected him any—brimlords had solid skulls, after all.

He uttered a low, angry growl before he dug his claws into the ground and shoved himself back to his feet like I’d done nothing more than inconvenience him.

“Not bad,” he rumbled, rolling his shoulders. The embers in his fissures flared hotter, sending waves of heat rippling through the air. I had to be careful here. Brimlords were fireproof. Alas, I was not. “But not good enough.”

He struck with the force of a falling meteor, his fist slamming into my ribs.

White-hot pain exploded through my side, the impact sending me skidding backward across the stone.I barely kept my footing, boots scraping against the ground as I wrenched myself to a stop.

Oh, shit. That hurt.

But I laughed as I danced backward, guarding my side. I made a mental note to dodge better, then sliced Inferno’s Kiss through the air. As he dodged left, I brought Shadow’s Embrace up from below, catching his upper arm and slashing a diagonal line that oozed glowing blood. I didn’t give the brimlord a chance to adjust, and instead, struck out with my foot, clocking the spawn in the jaw.

With an enraged snarl, the brimlord stumbled back, fury burning in his dark eyes. Without warning, he lunged, his thick arms grabbing at me. I twisted just in time to avoid a second crushing blow and ducked beneath his arms, my blades carving dual arcs as I slashed across his exposed ribs—hellfire and shadow dancing in tandem.

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