Page 71 of The Road to Hell

A plaguebearer stepped forward, its eyes burning with cold fury and sickness dripping from its fangs. Its voice was quiet, but lethal. “Why should we listen to the devil’s daughter?”

I met its stare head-on, tilting my chin up just slightly. “Because I plan to kill him.”

Well,thatgot their attention. The plaguebearer didn’t move, its gaze locked onto mine, as though trying to decide if I was lying.

A bitter laugh rose from the middle of the crowd. “You?” A netheron, broad and scarred, stepped forward, his twisted horns gleaming in the dim light. “Lucifer’s own flesh and blood, claiming she’s going to kill him? And you expect us to believe that?”

I arched a brow. “I don’t particularly care what you believe.”

A fresh wave of snarls rippled through the rebellion as their hands clenched their weapons. We were one wrong word away from combusting.

Levi sighed. “What she means to say is?—”

“I meant what I said,” I cut in, my voice sharp enough to draw blood. I swept my gaze across the gathered hellspawn. “You want me dead? Go ahead and try. But ask yourself—how many of you will die in the process?”

The crowd grumbled, shifting uneasily.

I smirked. “Exactly.”

The netheron’s grip on his spear tightened. “Arrogance won’t save you here.”

“No,” I agreed. “But neither will killing the only person who has a real chance at putting Lucifer in the ground.”

That earned me a moment of hesitation. Small, but there. I pressed forward.

“I knowexactlywho my father is,” I said. “Far better than any of you. If you think he’s madeyourlife a living hell, try livingmyreality.” I paused and cast a glance around the camp. “You can waste your time fighting me, the one person who wants him dead more than you, or you can use me. He had his best generals train me. I know their weaknesses. I knowhisweaknesses. I am your best shot—youronlyshot. But I can’t do this alone. Help me, and we can end him. For good.”

Their bitter grumbles morphed into something else—something more contemplative and considering. The hate in their eyes dimmed, giving way to something I could work with. Curiosity.

The netheron spoke, addressing Levi. “You vouch for her?”

Levi didn’t hesitate. “I do.”

The netheron shook his head, his lips peeling back to reveal a mouthful of snaggly teeth. “Then you’re either a fool or a traitor.”

Levi met his glare without flinching. “Or I’m the only one here who understand that we need her. If we don’t start making smart choices, we’re dead.”

The crowd shifted uneasily. They loosened their grip on their weapons, but tension still sang in their muscles. Levi had made progress, but one wrong word, and they’d attack.

A moment later, the crowd split in two and a brimlord stepped forward, towering over the others, his presence alone commanding the space between us. He was massive, easily over ten feet tall, his skin a shifting expanse of dark volcanic rock, pulsing faintly with the molten heat that coursed beneath the surface. Every movement sent tiny fractures glowing along his body, his veins filled with liquid fire instead of blood. His horns curved back in wicked arcs, their surface ridged and battle-worn.

The other hellspawn gave way at his approach, their heads dipping in wary respect. This wasn’t just any soldier. This was someone who had earned his place in the rebellion through sheer brutality.

When he spoke, his voice was a low rumble, like distant thunder rolling through the deep. “You want to stand with us? Then prove you deserve it.”

I arched a brow, keeping my stance loose but ready. “And how, exactly, do you expect me to do that?”

His lips peeled back in a slow, deliberate grin, his fangs glinting like ivory daggers.

“Oh,” he said, his molten eyes burning into mine. “You’ll see.”

ChapterEighteen

LILY

The massive brimlord didn’t bother waiting for me to respond. He simply turned and strutted his massive body through the crowd, forcing the others to part around him like a tide breaking against a stone. I had a feeling that he was the one I had to impress, that the opinions of the others didn’t matter near as much as this brute’s.

The rest of the hellspawn followed, though not without a few lingering glances in my direction, some wary, some curious, some hostile. Most kept their weapons drawn—an unnecessary flex, really, given that the entire camp had threatened to kill me not five minutes ago. I didn’t comment on it though. Let them play their games. I would win in the end.

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