Page 66 of The Road to Hell

We fled the palace, Hell’s heat hitting me like a wall. My lungs burned as we ran, the air, like always, thick with sulphur and ash. Rathiel’s hand remained firmly gripped around mine as we navigated the familiar terrain.

The moment the kennels came into view, I almost cheered. Mephisar’s familiar growl reached my ears, and I grinned, knowing he’d recognized me. I pushed through the last stretch and stumbled to a halt in front of his cage.

“Hey, buddy,” I whispered. “It’s time for us to leave, for good. You ready for that?”

He butted his massive head against the cage bars, his horns nearly catching me in the eye.

I evaded them, laughing breathlessly. “Careful, big guy. I kinda need my eyes to see, deal?”

Mephisar huffed a mewling sound, then backed away from the door, giving me space to free him. I immediately reached for the latch on his cage, my heart racing. The metal was hot against my fingers, and I fumbled with it for a moment before it finally clicked open. Mephisar nudged the cage open with his massive head, his eyes gleaming with what I liked to think was loyalty and fierce protectiveness. But really, it was likely something more akin to hunger.

“Good boy,” I whispered, running my hand along his scaled neck and unclasping his chain. “We’re getting the hell outta here. Sound good?”

Rathiel popped open Sable’s cage, his movements quick and efficient. Sable uttered a low, threatening growl, one that had Rathiel stepping back before she blasted him with fire. Eyeing him warily, Sable slithered over to me and Mephisar, her attention all on the fallen angel.

“Be nice,” I chided her. “The four of us are in this together, so we all need to get along.”

She ducked her head, as though chagrined. I smiled and patted her side, softly cooing to her.

“It’s time to go,” Rathiel murmured, his voice quiet. “You need to get out of here.”

“You meanweneed to get out of here,” I corrected.

When he didn’t respond, I glanced back at him. His tight expression sent a spike of fear through my heart.

“You meantwe, right?” I demanded, stepping closer to Rathiel. “You’re coming with me.”

His gaze darkened and his mouth pressed into a grim line. “I can’t leave, Lily.”

I barked a laugh. “Are you kidding me? You can’t stay here. Not now. He’ll kill you.”

“I can’t, Lily,” Rathiel repeated, his voice breaking. “Ican’tleave. Just like I couldn’t tell you about the prophecy. Do you understand?” He gripped my shoulders. “I am bound to Lucifer in every way possible. I am physically and mentally unable to disobey him.”

My eyes slipped closed as his words clicked in my head. Finally—finally—I understood. Everything made sense now, in a way that made me want to weep. Why hadn’t I realized this before? I wasn’t the only one trapped here. Of course Lucifer would strip his generals of their free will. They couldn’t do anything without his permission. And since my father had commanded him to keep the rebellion and the prophecy a secret, those were orders Rathiel couldn’t break, no matter how much he may have wanted to.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I whispered.

Rathiel ignored my question. “He told me to take you away, but he didn’t explicitly command me to take you to Belial. It gave me some freedom,” Rathiel continued. He cleared his throat, then took that final step toward me until our bodies touched. “Now, listen to me. Find Levi. He’ll protect you.”

Surprise widened my eyes. “What? How do you know about Levi?”

Rathiel shook his head. “Now’s not the time. You have to go.”

“Will I ever see you again?” I asked, tears pricking my eyes.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he yanked me closer and his lips crashed down onto mine. For a split second, I was too stunned to react. This was Rathiel, after all. But then he tilted his head, deepening the kiss, and my world exploded. The next thing I knew, I was leaning into him, my hands fisting in his shirt as I kissed him back with everything I had.

I’d never been kissed before, obviously. And now that I had, I wasn’t sure I ever wanted him to stop. The feel of Rathiel’s mouth, his tongue stroking mine, lit a fire within me unlike anything I’d ever experienced before—and I could summon hellfire. His lips were demanding, insistent, and I mindlessly abandoned myself to him. Everything else seemed to melt away until there was only us.

Rathiel was the one to break away first, tearing his lips from mine as if it physically pained him to do so. His breath came just as ragged as mine, but the moment was already slipping away—already being buried beneath the crushing weight of reality.

His hands found my waist.

Before I could speak, before I could protest, he lifted me onto Mephisar’s back with effortless strength. My hands scrambled against the thick scales, grasping for something solid as my heart slammed against my ribs.

“Rathiel—”

He stepped back, his hands falling away, his wings shifting slightly at his back. “Go.”

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