Page 54 of Her Sinful Saints (The Seven Sinners of Hell's Kingdom 4)

I holler in rage and swipe my hand across the brilliant light, trying to grab onto them. My skin burns and sizzles at the touch of angelic power, and I have no choice but to jerk my hand back.

“Damn it! Raven, fight! Come back to me!” I land on the ground with a thud and lace my fingers to the back of my head, spinning around and staring up at the fiery world around me.

“Dante?” Raven’s voice trickles to me, and I see a strange gray haze in the spot that Elias and Cassius disappeared through a portal. “Dante, where are you? I can’t see you. I’m scared.”

“Hold on, pretty soul. I think you’re in between planes. Elias must not have been able to take you from Hell.” I spit venom into the air, hoping to shatter the plane.

The world quivers, and bright light fissures through until Raven falls out of the hole with a scream. Launching toward her, I catch her before she falls into the pit of screaming souls. She gasps with a screech and clings onto me, burying her face into the crook in my neck.

“Thank you,” Raven whispers, her voice shaking. “Elias is fucking possessed with Heaven. It’s like he can’t control it.”

“I know, pretty soul. I’m just glad he couldn’t take you. We will figure this all out. We just need to ensure that you don’t get lost between planes. Right now, you are bound to Lucian’s kingdom, but we need to take more drastic steps. I hope you’re okay with getting a couple of tattoos. We want to bind you to us.” I stare at the sight of Raven’s face, trying to decipher her reaction. It wasn’t something we wanted to do, permanently marking her with our Hell power, but we don’t know what else to do. We need to be able to reach her no matter what. “It will ensure that your soul and our beings are bound for eternity.”

She bobs her head in agreement. “Why haven’t you guys suggested this already? I’m assuming it’s because it is something I probably won’t like, huh?”

She’s right about that. “We have been putting it off because what happens is that you will never be able to cycle again. Once you have been tagged, you will belong to all of us. The problem is that if you die, there is no trying again if we fail to bring the kingdoms together.” I remain expressionless with my words. I know how important creating Purgatory is to her and everything we have been fighting for.

“That’s not so bad. I’ve already decided that I want to be in this life forever. I don’t want to go again even if we fail.” Raven turns her beautiful eyes to me and stretches her neck to kiss me softly.

“You haven’t told her the worst of it, Dante,” Andre says, landing behind me.

This bastard. Of course, I wasn’t going to mention the worst of it. It’s nothing Raven needs to worry about. We have it handled.

“There’s more?” Raven turns her neck and looks at Andre.

I press my lips together in silence. I’m not telling her. Andre can be the one to explain the shitty circumstances and what happens.

“Another reason why we haven’t considered this yet is because while you will be bound to us, your soul is pure. It means that if you die, Heaven can very well intervene. It is not the same as having a contract with a devil. It means that Hell has a claim on you, but because you don’t get anything in return, Heaven can and will try to save you.” Andre expands and closes his wings, hiding them on his back. Fire lights his eyes, and his jaw twitches with the thought.

“Oh.” Raven falls silent and loses herself in her thoughts.

“I wasn’t going to tell you because we would never let that happen.” I readjust her in my arms so she can hug me with her body instead of me cradling her.

“Dante...you can’t be sure. Look how Elias tried to remove me from Hell. Think about the crazy abilities carrying a spawn of Heaven and Hell has given me. What if that changes things? What if I accidentally move on to Heaven or some shit?”

I growl deep in my throat and flare my nostrils. “I should punish that bubble butt of yours for questioning my ability to protect you.”

“Her concerns are valid, Dante,” Andre says, strolling even closer until he can look at Raven from over my shoulder. He doesn’t realize that he’s so attentive to her that his damn boner is poking me right in my ass crack.

I reach behind me and whack his dick. It only makes it worse, because the fucking massive pole jerks down only to swing back up between my legs, snapping against my damn balls through my pants.

I fly a foot in the air, knocking him back with my wings. My emotions get the best of me, and I flash my fangs and spit venom, nearly getting him right in the face.

“Dante, calm down. We have enough to deal with right now. He’s only trying to relate with me.” Raven’s soft voice snaps me out of my anger. I almost tell her that it’s not because he agrees with her, but then I decide to drop it. The sting in my balls subsides enough to focus again, or maybe it’s because Andre hits me with a wave of hormones and turns the pain into fucking pleasure, and now I want to jerk off. I should’ve been the fucking king of the Lust Kingdom. I’m jealous that he can do that.

I puff out my chest and release my breath, relaxing my shoulders. “Sorry, pretty soul. I didn’t mean to react like that. I know that your concerns are valid, but I also know that binding us together is more beneficial and worth the risk. You have to trust us.”

“Of course, I trust you, Dante. That’s why I agree. It is worth the risk. I know that we will get through this. Cassius is coming around. I know it. I felt it. We will only have to worry about getting Elias back for his throne. I just don’t know how. He’s tried. What happens if this ascension is permanent? Is there anything we can do?” Raven rubs her lips together, thinking about her own comment.

I wish I had the answer for that. I have never known an angel to give up their light only to get it back. Usually, they just fall into Hell and become part of our kingdom. From there, they either suffer for eternity, or they join our ranks. They usually give in eventually. They were once mortal, after all.

“I have a few things that we can try once we find him again. But first, we need to take care of you. We need to make sure that our little spawns are safe. Okay?” I turn to Andre and nod my head at him. “Do you want to go grab the others? Fly them here to speed things up. We’ll do the binding ceremony here. Lucian’s kingdom is best for that kind of transfer of power. It contains all the sins of Hell.”

Without a word, but with a quick kiss to Raven’s head, Andre launches into the air and leaves. I turn my head back and watch him go, his expansive black wings a bit larger than mine. I can’t help appreciating his body. Andre has always been good-looking, but as a devil, damn. Raven is one lucky woman. Especially knowing what he can do to her. It’s the one thing that keeps me from becoming super envious of him. He is perfect for our pretty soul.

Raven presses her lips to my throat, drawing my attention from Andre. I tip my head and graze my lips to hers, kissing her softly and sensually just the way she silently asks for.

“Damn, Dante. I am so fucking horny, but I am also so confused and nervous.” Raven grins with her words, reaching her hand between us until she rubs it along the length of my aching cock. “It’s worse here, isn’t it? How are you not already trying to fuck me?”

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