Page 5 of The River of Hatred

“We willbothbe flying her,” Sariel counters, possibly just to be contrary. “It’ll cut the travel time by half again. We’ll take turns taking her,” he adds with a lascivious smile.

Lana sighs. “Ugh, ignore him, Jess. If he’s not flirting or making pervy comments, check his pulse.”

“What makes you think I have a heart, Lana dearest?” Sariel places a large hand on his broad chest, the flexing of his muscles not hidden by the tight leather vest he wears. Lana sputters, eyes wide in panic. “Just kidding,” the fallen angel chimes. “My blood’s always pumping into all the right places.” He turns away from Lana and locks his gaze with mine. “I can demonstrate if you’d like.”

“Cease talking with such vulgar innuendo,” Ithuriel growls and everyone freezes, staring at the angel.

“No need to be jea–”

“That’s enough, Sariel,” Lana interrupts him with a palm over his wicked mouth. Her eyes flash with warning and he seems to pick up that she’s being serious, because he nods, places a kiss on her palm, and gently removes it from his face.

“Apologies, Jessica, Ithuriel.” He tips his chin at us both. “Father usually locks me in his dungeon when I’m being a dick. A night spent alone and cut off from ether normally does the trick. For a while.”

Ithuriel hisses, drawing my gaze. “You call him Father?” he whispers and Sariel actually fidgets in his chair under that stricken gaze.

“That’s what he’s been to me for about a thousand years.” He shrugs. “I was very young when I left Heaven, as you know, just a few hundred years into my existence.”

Daniel gently clears his throat. “Jessica will require more sustenance than she can carry. You will require more than you are used to in a mortal form as well, Ithuriel, being nearly cut off from Heaven’s well of power.”

Sariel speaks up, serious now. It’s as if disappointing the angel achieved far more than Lana’s warnings did. “The Lethe runs through a part of Belial’s lands. While we can’t drink from it, it does keep animals and plants alive. That domain’s a lot lusher than the majority of Hell. There are springs and plenty of trading posts, run by the less bloodthirsty of Belial’s peoples. It’s a good thing I’m going along as no one would serve you two.” His smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“It’s still Hell,” Maalik warns us and I remember he briefly lived there after falling from Heaven; a long, long time ago. “The plants will try to eat you back,” he adds, his deep voice gruff. I’m sure he doesn’t like thinking of the time he was more demon than angel.

“I know the area well,” Sariel reassures him. “Ash never trusted Belial. Well, he doesn’t trust anyone,” he chuckles darkly.

Lana rolls her eyes. “He trusts you, Sar.”

The black-haired Fallen’s smile seems more genuine now. “He’d still feed me to those flesh-eating plants if I hurt you,sweetness, laughing with glee all the while as my body dissolves. So, I’ll do my best to keep your friend safe.” He swings an arm over her shoulder and tucks her close.

“That’s… oddly romantic,” I comment, sounding skeptical even to my own ears.

Lana snorts. “Yeah. Ash has the most fucked up ways of showing he cares, believe me.” She toys with the enormous gem of her wedding ring.

“An archdemon is not capable of caring for anyone.” Ithuriel sounds like the topic is making him nauseous.

“Agree to disagree,” I chirp at him, feeling more comfortable in my own skin after getting used to their presence. “You haven’t seen the lengths that spicy-hot snack has gone to for our girl.”

Sariel chokes. “Call him that to his face, I dare you.”

I widen my eyes and shake my head empathetically. “Fuck, no. I prefer tonotpiss myself in public.”

Everyone but Ithuriel and Daniel laughs loudly, though Daniel’s lips are curled up into an indulgent smile. Ithuriel just looks like he’s rethinking the choices that led him here among us.

“It’s settled then. Find the rift, follow it to the human realm, and close it before you continue with your mission.” Maalik concludes the meeting and pushes his chair back.

“I’ll go grab my things,” I tell no one in particular and scurry off toward my room. There are butterflies in my stomach, and I can’t tell if they’re just from apprehension due to the enormity of our mission, or something else.

It certainly can’t be from the thought of being carried by those two angels for the next couple of days.

Chapter 3 – Lana

Icross the length of the throne room in my home with confidence, ignoring the line of demons waiting for an audience with my husband. It’s not a particularly long line. Not when plenty of such audiences end with the supplicant’s untimely death at their archdemon’s hands. As most are terrible creatures, I don’t lose sleep over it.

Ashtaroth’s gaze is on me, not listening to the whining words of the demon kneeling under the dais of the massive throne. “Sweetness.” His voice is a purr that reaches inside me to somehow wrap around both my heart and my ovaries, and I pick up the speed of my strides. The corners of his lips curl up into a sexy smirk. This fucker is well aware of the effect he has on me, even after I’ve been indulging in him constantly for months now. Sariel wasn’t lying – we are all over each other every chance we get, the location not a consideration.

I climb the dais and straddle his lap. “Husband,” I whisper over his lips as his long fingers circle my waist to hold me steady.

“Wife.” His voice is a low growl and just like that, I’m soaked. We got married a couple of weeks ago, the same day he presented me with a ring. He used hellfire to set a gem that’s been his since he was an archangel in Heaven into a circle of black demonic steel. It’s his hellfire that glows within the gem, just as it does in the rubies decorating my armor and swords. I’ve been carrying a part of him with me since he brought me to his domain. Now my domain as well.

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