Revealing the Monster (Playing with Monsters #4) by Amelia Hutchins

“They’re little monsters,” Ivy snickered, but she wrinkled her nose at the children who did it right back to her and laughed when she stuck her tongue out. “But they’re good kids. Not a single one of them freaked out when days turned into a week. I can’t say I didn’t write you off as my hero.”

“I don’t blame you there. I was preoccupied trying to find my daughter. She was taken when we were crowned and has been missing ever since. We can talk more about that later. For now, let’s get you guys out of here and to someplace safe.”

“Club Chaos has enough room for everyone for a few days. They can go there until you can take them to Faery or find another location to house them,” Lucian offered, tugging me back into his arms.

“Thank you, Lucian. I can’t express how much that helps us at the moment,” Ryder stated, nodding to Adrik. “Help them pack their belongings. Until we can refortify this place against the new threat, it won’t be safe for you or them to stay here. We’ll secure the exit while you get them moving.”

I turned toward the doorway, exiting, with Lucian right behind me. As I left the tunnel, something slammed into my body, knocking me sideways. I gasped in pain, slowly pushing off of the ground where I’d been thrown. My gaze met Lucian’s as his eyes rounded and he shouted.

My gaze followed his, finding a pair of violet eyes studying me. Lucifer smirked, tilting his head as he walked to where I had gone down. The earthy scent that mingled inside the room was off from his usual aroma of cinnamon and brimstone. He was dressed in armor, his chest covered in what looked like platinum metal, but it shimmered with his movements.

“Do not touch her, asshole,” Lucian warned.

“Oh, I intend to do a lot more than just touch her, Lucian.” Lucifer chuckled. In front of me, he smiled seductively, using his pointer finger to lift my chin. “Hello, beautiful. You shut me out, so I’ve come to claim what will be mine.”

“I am not yours, Lucifer. I won’t ever be yours,” I whispered. “Don’t do this, Luc. Please don’t do this.”

“Too late,” he stated, pulling me up with him.

Another male stepped from the shadows as I prepared to fight my way back to Lucian. Asmodeus laughed, shaking his dark head while he studied me. He was dressed in a dark suit, his hair pulled back into a leather strap, with a few stray pieces framing his angular-shaped face.

There was a coldness to him that terrified me, but the furies inside me beamed with pride, chiming in my body at his presence.

“I wouldn’t attack him, woman. Lucifer might have a soft spot for you, but I assure you that I do not. I only care about those things within you. I don’t care about the shell they’re using. Now, be a good girl and tell Lucian goodbye,” Asmodeus ordered, shoving his hands into his suit pockets, a darkened look blossoming in his depths. “It is a beautiful shell, though, isn’t it?” he asked, turning toward Lucifer. “I may have to taste her as well, brother.”

“Lena is mine!” Lucifer exclaimed.

“For now,” Asmodeus replied. “I’m going to need my furies back for what comes next. I do believe they’re the only thing keeping this shell alive, aren’t they?” He directed the question to Lucian, who had gone deathly silent, his hands balled tightly at his sides.

The space between us reeked of brimstone now. I felt the familiar heat that sizzled around us; the obnoxious stench of sulfur that clung to the air made my throat constrict. It was a struggle to get air deep enough into my lungs since every breath I took increased the amount of sulfur I inhaled.

“I said, tell him goodbye, bitch,” Asmodeus growled.

“Goodbye, Lucian,” I replied like a sheep heading to the slaughter.

Fear spiraled through me as I realized I was standing inside Hell. They’d opened a Hell Gate within the guild and had hidden it from us. I’d walked right into it without knowing it was here. The walls began glowing with crimson veins that exposed the flames of Hell in their cracks.

“Luc,” I pleaded, but he shook his head, cutting me off.

“I gave you a chance to come to me willingly, Magdalena. You chose Lucian, which was a bad decision, considering he will never love anything ever again. If you beg me, I may lessen your punishment, pretty witch.”

“You think this barrier will stop me from finding you?” Lucian asked, his eyes glowing with the eerie blue of his world leaking from them.

“Long enough for us to free Pandora and open her box. After that, I’ll be sure to take your bitch’s head and send that sliver of your soul back to you,” Asmodeus taunted. “She, however, won’t survive this if you come for her. I promised Luc that I wouldn’t murder the bitch outright. Apparently, he is as addicted to her pussy as you are. Why is it you both weaken over a tight cunt? There are literally thousands of them readily available to be used, yet you both pick one to fight over. It’s pathetic, really.”

“Fred, you fucked up. You think I’m crazy? You’re about to unleash something that causes me to appear sane on my worst day. Let Lena go, and we’ll discuss your punishment later,” Erie injected, her eyes slowly sliding between Lucifer and me.

“Send me your guy, Mórrígan. I’ll show him how to handle you by using this one as a demonstration. I bet she makes the sweetest music as she’s being dissected. When Pandora is free, I am coming for you, Goddess. Mark my words, you will be inside my freezer once Hell is fully opened, and the world falls to those it has condemned. Now, we’re leaving. Oh, but before we do, Magdalena, is it? Kiss Lucifer and demonstrate to your man how easily your loyalty can be swayed.”