Page 3 of The Road to Hell

“Yeah, ‘oh,’” he repeated. “It was your name for me,” he continued, the words thick with emotion. “When things were good. When it was just us. Before everything fell apart. You were the only one to ever call me that.”

I started to brush it off again—but stopped. This wasn’t just about a name. Not to him. And if I was being honest, not to me either.

For more years than people could count, Rathiel had served my father. After falling from Heaven, he’d pledged himself to Lucifer. But that vow had stripped Rathiel of his identity and his free will. My father had owned him completely, body and soul, for millennia. Until the day Lucifer released Rathiel from that vow. Lucifer had only done it to give Rathiel the freedom needed to infiltrate my rebellion, to convince me that he had forsaken my father. Except Rathiel had taken that newfound freedom and chosenme. He’d chosen to fight beside me, to protect me…to love me—or so he claimed. Unfortunately, I had no way of knowing whether anything he said was true. While I wanted to believe him, to trust the sincerity in his voice when he told me about our past, the blank spaces in my mind made it impossible.

There was clearly something between us, something I couldn’t ignore. Whenever Rathiel touched me, it was like my body remembered things my mind had long since forgotten. There was a heat that lingered between us, a connection that was as undeniable as it was unforgettable. Even though my brain rejected everything he claimed, my body ached for him to hold me, longed for him to love me. But fear held me back. Fear that if I let myself fall, I’d lose everythingagain. Fear of giving my father any additional power over me.

“It’s just a name,” I mumbled, though my voice lacked conviction.

He nodded as if in agreement. But his eyes told an entirely different story.

“Let’s just focus on what’s ahead,” I said. “We have a lot to do.”

His jaw worked for a moment, but he didn’t press the issue. “Fine,” he said, his tone clipped. “Let’s start with the list.”

I blinked at him. “The list?”

“Yes, the list,” he said, his piercing gaze locking onto mine. “The one you’ve been building in your head for days. If we’re going into Hell, I want to know exactly what you’re planning.”

“Right.” I cleared my throat, brushing off the tension from moments ago. “Okay. First, I need to buy us some gear.”

“Gear,” he repeated.

“Well, yeah. We don’t exactly have anywhere to stay, considering the only place we’ve ever lived in Hell was my father’s palace, and that’s a bit occupied at the moment. And we can’t exactly rely on the hospitality of the locals. They’ll sell us out to Lucifer the first chance they get. So, we’ll have to stay off-grid, which means camping in caves. And that means sleeping bags, food, water—the works.”

“You want us to sleep in caves?” he asked, his brows drawing together.

“Do you have a better idea?” I asked.

His lips pressed into a thin line, and though he clearly didn’t like this part of the plan, he didn’t offer an alternative. “Fine. What else?”

Now came the part I knew he really wouldn’t like. “Eliza and Mason,” I said, carefully. “I want them to come with us.”

Rathiel’s eyes narrowed. “No.”

“No?” I repeated, arching a brow.

“Absolutely not,” he said, his voice firm. “We’re already taking your imp and…cat. We’re not bringing your friends too.”

I almost laughed at his tone, but the scowl on his face told me he wasn’t in the mood for jokes. If I wanted this to work, I’d have to tread lightly. “They can handle themselves,” I said. “Eliza helped me take down Deidre.”

Technically, I’d done most of the work, but…details.

“And Mason has extensive knowledge about hellspawn,” I finished.

Rathiel crossed his arms. “You and I have extensive knowledge about hellspawn. We don’t need two earthbound paranormals slowing us down. They don’t belong in Hell, Lily. They belong here, where it’s safer.”

“Nowhere is safe,” I countered. “The fallen angels are here too, in case you’ve somehow forgotten. And if we don’t win this fight, you and I both know Lucifer will bring Hell to Earth. He’s already opened the gate once. All bets are off now. We’re simply lucky he hasn’t invaded yet.”

Rathiel grunted his displeasure, but I pressed on. “Eliza can fight. She’s a mercenary. Not to mention, her siren abilities may come in handy. And she’ll want to help us stop Luciferbeforehe invades.”

“And the gargoyle? What help can he offer beyond spouting information we already know?”

“Mason can see magical energies. He could see the gate and its aura. He can see our energy too. Maybe that can be helpful.”

“How?” Rathiel demanded.

I threw my hands into the air. “I don’t know, Rathiel. But I’m trying to build us a team. The two of us aren’t enough to win this war. It’s literally you and I againstallof Hell. Anyone who stood with me supposedly died ten years ago—remember?”

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