Page 68 of The Road to Hell

I was feelingrevolutionary.

I wanted to raze my father’s kingdom. Burn it to the ground. Watch his empire of pain and fear crumble into nothing but ash.

For the first time in my life, I wasn’t afraid of him. More like enraged. The fire in my veins had nothing to do with my celestial nature and everything to do withhim. With everything he’d taken from me. With everything he’ddoneto me.

I wanted to be the one who broke him.

But wanting something and making it happen were two very different things.

Which was why I needed Levi.

Exhaling, I pressed a hand to Mephisar’s neck as I considered my next move. At present, I had no idea where Levi was. For all I knew, he’d slithered off into some deep, dark corner of Hell. Or perhaps he was still at the cave. I’d only left him there a few hours prior. It was the best lead I had.

“Take us down,” I called to Mephisar, my hand stroking his scales.

His wings shifted and he banked to the left. The hellscape stretched beneath us, vast and endless, its molten rivers like veins of fire cutting through the land. From up here, I’d always felt like I had a connection to the realm. The fire that ran through it coursed through me as well. We were one and the same.

The rocky outcropping that housed Levi’s cave loomed ahead, a dark scar against the crimson horizon. I bent over Mephisar and pointed at our destination. He descended smoothly, his powerful wings kicking up thick, red dust as he touched down.

Before he had even fully settled, I slid off his back and landed in a crouch. I straightened slowly, stretching out the stiffness in my limbs. I rolled out my shoulders and extended my wings for a moment before retracting them against my back.

Sable landed next to us a heartbeat later. She huffed at my shoulder as I strode up to her, the low grumble in her throat more greeting than threat. I paused to give her a pat as well, grateful to have the two of them at my side.

“Stay close?” I said to them.

Hell was a dangerous place even with allies, and right now, I had exactly two of those in the form of carnivorous reptiles. I didn’t even have my swords—I hadn’t been armed when Lucifer summoned me to his throne room. The absence of their weight left me feeling exposed, vulnerable in a way I wasn’t used to. But it wasn’t like I’d had time to grab them while fleeing for my life.

Mephisar let out a deep rumble and shoved me forward, pushing me toward the cave.

I sighed. “I’m going, I’m going.”

The entrance loomed ahead, shrouded in darkness, its gaping mouth nothing but a yawning void. I half-expected to see the fire still burning inside and to find Levi seated next to it.

But the entrance was empty.

Caves were prime real estate here. The chances of this one being empty were slim to none. And waltzing in like I owned the place wasn’t the wisest move.

But I couldn’t leave without checking.

So. Guess I was going in.

My hands instinctively fell to my waist to adjust my daggers—only to remember, once again, that they weren’t there. Great. No swords, no daggers, no weapons of any kind. Well, save for my own two fists, my celestial powers, and the two protective hellwyrms at my back. Maybe I wasn’t as bad off as I’d thought.

I took a deep breath then entered the cave. The shift in temperature was instant. Hell’s sweltering heat faded, replaced by a damp chill that settled in my bones. Shadows stretched deep into the cavern, their inky tendrils licking at the edges of my vision. My footsteps echoed faintly, swallowed by the stillness.

I slowed my pace, every nerve on high alert as I adjusted to the dim lighting. The deeper I moved into the cave, the more I could make out—the rocky walls, and the stalactites looming overhead like fangs. My boots scraped against the uneven stone, each step echoing back at me in a way that made the space feel impossibly vast. Or maybe that was just my paranoia kicking in.

“Levi?” I called out, voice hushed.

But no one answered.

I braced myself, then stepped farther inside. If he wasn’t here, I’d have to come up with a new plan, and fast.

A faint sound whispered through the cave—a rustle of movement just ahead.

I stopped short, pulse spiking.

“Levi,” I tried again, this time more insistently.

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