Her Darkest Devils by Ginna Moran

Chapter 2

RAVEN

Wrath’s Kingdom

AM I DEAD? How the fuck am I here? Where exactly in Hell is here? I have no idea. I’ve only really been to Micah’s kingdom, but that was through visions and his bond to my soul. I feel weird, and I’m nearly certain I’m here in mind and body. Confusion washes over me as I stare at the blood-red ground. I would know if I were dead, right? I’ve died before. I felt it. Something about this is different.

Screams and shouts fill the air, startling me, and I force my body to get its shit together and work with my mind. The disconnect I had before—my body and mind warring with each other—is why I am here in the first place. I was stupid as fuck to think I could create a banishing circle to send Lucian back here. He’d have just returned anyway. I was just so fucking mad. I still am.

Now, Elias could be lost to me. I could be lost.

Micah wouldn’t have freaked out like he had if he thought I’d be okay.

Shit.

Pushing my palms into the hot, squishy ground, I get to my knees and peer around. Tall, gnarled trees litter the landscape, creating the creepiest forest I have ever seen. The yells of pain and anguish continue to fill the air, but I can’t see anything amid the trees. It’s like people are here but aren’t. Like they’re figments of my imagination.

I’d believe as much if the blur of a massive figure didn’t materialize several dozen feet in front of me. Oh shit.

Rushing to my feet, I race toward the nearest tree and duck behind the thick trunk. The mangled branches climb toward the orange sky with thick brown clouds. Everything looks off like I’ve lost the ability to see certain colors, but it might be because they just don’t exist here in Hell.

The beastly demon snarls, the ear-shattering sound whipping through my head. I hold my breath like it could make a difference and slowly peek in its direction. I wish I hadn’t. Jabbing its clawed fingers into its gut, the demon yanks out something from inside and drops it to the ground.

It’s not just something. It’s a figure. A man.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I recognize him.

Joel pushes up on one arm, his other one a bloody, partial limb, missing from where Kase bit it off. Hollering, he tries to drag himself from the demon, but it’s no use. He can’t escape. This is part of his eternal punishment from the twisted, murderous life he led.

And he’s here because Kase wanted to ensure his damnation. I think that’s where I am. Wrath’s Kingdom. Now how to call upon the king of its throne? Shit. I’m guessing there aren’t phones here. Or maps.

If I survive this bullshit, I’m going to need my devils to show me around. I really fucking didn’t want the grand tour until I cemented my place in Purgatory, but if Lucian is capable of sending me here while I’m alive...

That’s it. I need to find Andre. My time with him was supposed to be in his kingdom. That’s where I need to go.

“Leave me alone! Please!” Joel’s howl of agony whips my attention back in his direction.

Could I dare intervene? Maybe he knows his way around these creepy forest lands. He might be remorseful enough to help me in exchange for...who the fuck am I kidding? The asshole will try to get me back. He probably blames me for all of this.

Summoning my courage, I peer at the gnarled tree branches and find one that looks sturdy yet easy enough to break. If I’m going to travel through Hell, I need something to defend myself with. I’m sure screaming and telling any bastard demons or damned souls that I’m the one the devils want beside them will only leave me in danger. They’ll try to use me to their benefit.

I stretch up and grab on to a branch nearly out of my reach. Swinging and throwing my weight forward, I snap it from the tree, using all my strength. Thank unholy Hell for my devilish strength, enhanced by my contract. Without it, I don’t think I could even break a twig here.

A loud crack reverberates through the air, and a wave of liquid shoots from the jagged stump of the branch. My eyes widen, and I stumble away in shock. The tree gushes a waterfall of blood. I gasp and drop the mangled branch, realizing it might not be a tree at all—at least, not completely. A hunk of what could possibly be bone peeks from the end of the branch, dripping the same red liquid still pouring from the tree. I study the bark. I’m nearly fucking certain I see a face within the strange, rough texture like it could possibly have been a human or soul or something at one point.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I inhale a soft breath. “Just fucking pick it up. What’s done is done, and you need a damn weapon. Who cares if it’s some weird-ass limb and bleeding.”

Damn, I’m twisted. My devils would be so proud. It’s the thought that pushes me forward. I can’t back down now. There is no fucking way I’m going to cower. If I want to help rule Hell, I need to act like the queen my devils want and need me to be.

Wiggling my fingers, I take a small breath and snatch the bloody branch from the ground. It’s heavier than I expect it to be, so I flip it vertically and hold it like I would a walking stick. At least one side doesn’t drip the blood. I wonder what the soul or whatever had done in life to deserve this sort of eternal torture.

“A living mortal. How curious.” The gurgling voice booms from behind me as a demon creeps away from the other side of an enormous tree with several silently screaming faces protruding from the dry, cracked bark. “I’ve never seen such a sight.”

Jagged, yellow teeth fill its lipless mouth as it regards me. I recognize the demon. It’s the same one who pulled Joel from its stomach. Shit. Straightening its back, the demon towers over me, blocking out the view of the world. I shift on my feet, flicking my attention to my surroundings. I can try to run and hide, but I doubt I’ll get far. The fucker’s legs are as tall as my stomach.

“Get the fuck away from me,” I snap, swinging the severed branch toward the demon.

It startles and jumps back, clutching its hands to its bulbous belly. “Feisty, aren’t you.”

The demon’s mouth widens. I settle on thinking it’s a male, considering the strange cluster of appendages whipping around just above the apex of his legs. Shivering, I swing the branch again, not giving him a chance to try to step closer.

“I said get away. I will bludgeon you until the ruler of Wrath’s Kingdom comes and tears you apart for even speaking to me.” I swing the branch again, clocking him in his swollen stomach.

It shudders and screams, suddenly exploding open. Joel tumbles onto the ground in front of me, and I jump back, shrieking uncontrollably. Roaring, the demon skulks toward me, gnashing his teeth. I do the only thing I can think of. I dodge around him and whack him with the branch in the back of the head. Then I do it again and again, my hellish strength giving the branch enough force to knock the demon’s head off.

“Raven, hurry! Run! I know where we can go!” Joel’s voice snatches ahold of my good senses.

Facing the now hollering, flailing demon or my ex? This really is fucking Hell. What kind of choices are those? Sucky ones. Impossible ones.

Screw this.

“Raven, seriously. We have to go. Now!” Joel shouts.

He extends his hand to me, and I automatically recoil and swing the branch, smacking him in the shoulder.

“The only place you’re going is back in that demon’s gut.” I shove my hands into Joel’s chest and knock him toward the demon.

His eyes widen, his arm pin-wheeling, but he manages to catch his damn self a foot away from the monstrous demon. Throwing himself forward, he charges toward me, using the side of a tree trunk to keep balanced. I don’t have a chance to react as he slings his arm around me and drags me with him.

“You’re fucking coming with me whether you want to or not. I’m not letting that demon get either of us. Now let me take care of you.” Joel’s voice digs under my skin, reminding me of our relationship, or our break up, of my desperation and return to him. It reminds me of the moment I realized he was drugging me to keep me with him. How he beat me so badly that I almost died alone in a dumpster.

“Joel, stop. I don’t need you to take care of me. Just put me down. You’ll only make things worse for you.” I ram my fist into his chest, trying to force him into dropping me.

Joel doesn’t relent, only adjusting me over his shoulder. “Please, Raven. I forgive you, you know. Those assholes pushed you into—”

I thrash and kick, doing everything in my power to break from his hold. Fury whips through me at his comment. He forgives me? Is he fucking serious? Of course he is. I’m more aware of his manipulative attitude and how he would gaslight me, making me feel crazy and unreasonable and like everything was my fault.

The world jerks, and I smack into the ground, landing on my ass. It barely fazes me. Dante’s spanked me far harder, and I want to kiss him so badly for desensitizing me toward a little ass-ault.

“You fucking bitch! You’ve always been so selfish. I gave you everything, and this is how you repay me? None of this would’ve happened if you had just been—”

Sweeping my leg out, I knock him off his feet. Joel doesn’t have a chance to get up. He doesn’t even have the chance to block my attack. Wrath ignites inside me, turning my vision red. It’s like I can feel the heat and power of Kase’s wrath exploding through me on a soul-deep level.

I punch him in the nose hard enough to feel the cartilage crack under the force of my hand. I don’t know exactly how this works, but he feels as real as I do. He obviously feels pain too. There is no resting in peace for the damned. They can’t even rest in pieces. And as for Joel? I want to ensure it more so than anything in the world.

“This is for ruining my life!” I throttle him in the face again. “For all the years of making me feel like I wasn’t worth better. For isolating me from my friends and family. For nearly killing me.” I punch him over and over again, the overwhelming desire to get vengeance for the bullshit he put me through consuming me.

I only feel the quiver of the ground shaking when it’s too late. A massive shadow swallows the red light around me as the hulking demon prepares to attack me.

Once again, Joel will be the reason life as I know it will end.

Fuck me.

Cracking his jaw, the demon widens his mouth like a damn snake. Wider than I’ve ever seen Dante do, and it freaks me the hell out. He stomps his feet and pounds his fists against his chest. Slamming my hands into Joel’s chest, I shove myself away and somersault. And damn it. I barely get a foot away. If I make it out of Hell, I need to work out. I need to train. That’s how I should spend the rest of my mortal life. Because this shit is hard, and I’m unprepared.

“My soul!” the demon shouts, his voice echoing like he calls through a megaphone.

Joel groans and raises his hands. “Not me! Take her! She’s who you want. The king of this kingdom thinks he has a claim on her. Prove him wrong.”

This fucking bastard.

“Several kings,” Joel adds. “With her, you can get power. I swear. You have to believe me.”

What the hell? How does he know this? He hasn’t been around to see that I’ve built a relationship with my devils.

“They’ve told me as much, thinking they could use it to torture me.” Joel digs his feet into the ground, trying to put space between him and the monstrous fucker, hell-bent on taking someone.

The demon’s attention turns away from Joel.

Shit. That someone is me.

“You sound like you have a connection to their majesties, soul. I think I’ll be keeping both of you now. Come on. Get in.” Snatching Joel by his feet, the demon lifts Joel up.

“No! No!” Joel thrashes, trying to break free.

I stare in shock, watching as the demon silences Joel by shoving his head into his mouth. Like a snake eating its prey, the demon swallows Joel inch by inch. I don’t stick around to enjoy the show and instead haul my ass to my feet and make a mad dash away. The demon said he planned to keep the both of us, and there is no fucking way I’m about to join Joel in some demon’s gut.

The ground quakes, rumbling under my feet. I stumble, nearly crashing into one of the gnarled trees. Whipping my hair, I crane my neck and catch sight of the demon fucking chasing me as he still swallows Joel, his waist and legs still kicking. How such a thing is possible? Well, this is Hell after all.

I pick up my pace and run, wishing with everything in me that I knew how to call one of my devils. I swear to God, the saviors, and every damn holy thing in the world that if I make it out of here, I will chop Lucian’s balls off. I’ll then take his cock and slap him in the damn face with it. And then when that’s over, I’ll figure out how to summon Joel from here and figure out how to shove his head up Lucian’s ass. Am I psychotic? Most likely. But I have to be. I have to embrace the darkness shoved into my soul by a shitty deal. By the devil who plans to break my bonds with the others and force me away from the man who had given me his angelic light.

My breath heaves, and I clutch my side, trying to push through my body cramping. Anger lashes over my skin in waves of heat. This was not how I wanted to start my day. I shouldn’t be running from demons in Hell. I should be controlling them by my devils’ sides in the Mortal World.

A loud crack echoes through the air, and one of the high mangled branches of a tree falls from above. It misses me by inches, but I trip over some sort of root sticking out of the ground. I crash to the ground, scraping my palms. Another snap of a branch sounds out, and I propel back to my feet in time to spin around to find the demon within a dozen feet. The demon’s neck swells with Joel’s feet inside it and his stomach bulges. I nearly puke at how his skin thins, revealing Joel’s silently screaming face stretching the demon’s flesh.

“There’s plenty of room for you, mortal. It’ll be easier if you die. I’d prefer just your soul.” The demon stretches his arms forward, widening his mouth.

I screech and scramble away, but I fall on another root—no, not a root. It’s a fucking bone of some sort. And I realize they’re everywhere. The trees seem to be dropping their branches, littering the world with pieces of what most definitely look like dry, disgusting limbs. I’m going to have to have a fucking talk with Kase about this bullshit.

“That’s good. Don’t run,” the demon says, cracking his jaw and widening his mouth. Ugh. I can see the bottom of Joel’s soles peeking from the back of the demon’s throat as he stomps closer, moving faster than I thought possible.

“Stay away!” I grab the nearest branch and swing it as hard as I can, whipping it across the demon’s face.

But he doesn’t stop.

He growls and launches at me like a damn rabid animal. My dumbass loses my goddamn senses, and all I can think about is how I don’t want this monster touching me, but the thoughts do nothing to increase my ability to defend myself. I can’t even swing the branch again, because the demon snatches it right from my hands.

He snatches me from the ground.

“Help! God, please! Fuck!” I scream, trying to jab my fingers into the demon’s eyes. But it’s pointless. His eyes are protected by some weird clear shell.

“God doesn’t exist here,” the demon says, his voice humming.

And fuck. I can see down his throat. I can see Joel’s shoes. Along the inside of the demon’s mouth and from what I can see of his esophagus, a strange collection of what looks like suction cups expand, ready to clamp to my skin to suck me into this monster.

I clench my jaw and brace myself. I have no idea whether I can die in Hell, but I’m sure I’ll want to. But then again...

“Release her!” a familiar voice bellows, tightening my chest.

Bright light engulfs me, blinding me.

I fall from the demon’s grip and land on my back. Brilliant white wings with golden tips expand above me, shielding me protectively. I watch in awe as heavenly light glows from Zade’s skin.

Raising his arm, he ignites his sword with angel fire.

I’ve never seen something so satisfying.

The fucking demon will have Heaven to pay.