Her Darkest Devils by Ginna Moran
Chapter 28
RAVEN
Darkness
MY HEART SMASHES into pieces as fire consumes Dante and he vanishes right before my eyes. I scream and run forward, stepping over the ash left in his wake. I can’t believe these angels. I can’t believe Heaven. They’re monsters and far worse than anything I could’ve imaged. These blessed beings are vicious. They’re ruthless. They’re going to ruin everything.
“He’s fine. Go!” Kase hollers, shooting an angel with power from the sky.
Lucian jumps on top of the angel and slices his claws across his wing, severing it. “Go!” he shouts, repeating Kase.
I summon my speed and strength and race toward Micah and Elias. Micah blasts his orange power, fighting the angels from the ground as they try to swoop toward me. A short, buff angel drops in front of me, and I whip the fire chain, lashing him from his shoulder to his leg, searing his clothing.
Micah roars and flings a dagger, piercing it into the angel’s golden wing. I swing the fire chain again, aiming for his other wing, stopping the angel from trying to tackle and fly away with me. Channeling my devil strength, I bow down and ram into his stomach, knocking him onto his back. I punch and slap, slamming my palms to him so quickly that he doesn’t get a good hold on me.
“Run!” Micah yells, roaring with his words. “Five feet!”
I shove my hands to the angel and stumble away, catching my balance enough to run the rest of the way to Micah. Heat engulfs me for a split second, and the world around me blazes with the fires of Hell.
Like all of Heaven is seeking vengeance, a flock of angels flies toward him. Lucian spins and blasts fire, catapulting into the air. He rams his horns into one of the angel’s stomach and flings her over his head. The female angel hits the ground and rolls. She unsheathes a short dagger and sets it aglow with holy fire. I scream out in warning, but it’s too late. The flaming dagger sinks into Lucian’s ass cheek.
He snarls and rips it free, throwing it back to the angel, hitting her in the chest. His moment of distraction leaves his back open, and four angels dive toward him and each one of them stabs him—his shoulder, torso, leg, and neck.
Summoning a huge orb of red Hell power, Kase thrusts it at the group of angels, but it only stops them for a second. More fly down, lighting up the night like falling stars shooting toward Earth.
“Kase, leave him!” Micah shouts, releasing a loud whistle.
Kase roars and bounds away, using his tail and horns to clear a path. “I’ll hold them off. Raven, take his life. Now!”
Don’t fuck up. Don’t fuck up. Don’t you dare fucking fuck up. I chant the words to myself over and over, dropping to the ground at the same time bright light blinds me as the fires of Hell swallow Lucian, sending him back to his kingdom.
Kase circles our summoning circle, blasting angels away, but they don’t stop. They keep trying over and over.
“Raven,” Elias says, his soft voice sounding through the air. “Hurry.”
I swallow my nerves and take deep breaths, cupping his head in my hands. Leaning in, I kiss him, using his love to push me forward. The world crashes and booms around us, light and fire shaking the foundation of the summoning circle.
“Raven, shit. Shit!” Kase tumbles across the ground and lands on his back a few feet away.
A loud gunshot rings through the air, hitting Kase in the chest. He roars and tries to get up, but a couple more bullets spray across his body.
Angelic light streams above, turning the yard as bright as day. I shield my eyes, my mind whirling. Everything happens so fast that I can barely think. Micah roars and shoots his power toward the sky. Kase thrashes, getting hit with orbs of heavenly light. The ground opens up, and the fires of Hell drag him into a portal but not without him lassoing an angel and dragging him down too.
“I can’t focus to guide you. Protect him. Stay low! I’m going to channel all the devils,” Micah shouts, blasting his power at the shield. The fiery barrier grows higher and higher, finally cutting the angels off.
“Raven,” Elias says again, shifting his body as he tries to sit up. “Raven, watch—”
Fire and agony swallows my leg, the pop of a gunshot echoing in my ears. I screech and clutch the back of my leg, feeling the warmth of blood. What the actual fuck?
“Mi-Micah,” I gasp, heaving through the pain in my leg.
Micah doesn’t get a chance to respond because the angels hit the barrier full force. Their power can’t get to us, the protection of Hell too strong, but damn it. It didn’t stop the damn bullet. Where did it come from? I...
A rumble quakes the ground and dirt explodes toward the sky, raining down on us. Andre’s beautiful leathery wings expand out, and he launches from his Hell portal, flying toward the sky. His monstrous form fills the world above, and he impales angel after angel with his huge stinger, dropping them to the ground.
Micah growls and cuts off his wave of power, not wasting even a second to drop to his knees beside us. Helping me lift Elias upright, he holds him against his chest, propping him up. Elias’s head lolls as his eyes struggle to focus.
“I know you’re in pain, but you’ll heal. We have to finish this now.” Micah reminds me where to place my hands on Elias. “One quick motion. Use all your strength.”
I nod, tears pooling in my eyes, a mixture between heartache and agony from the bullet lodged in my leg. With a soft whisper of love, I summon the strength of all my devils. A soft smile crosses Elias’s lips, and I squeeze my eyes shut. I can’t watch. I can’t think about it. All I can do is pray to Hell that I don’t fuck this up.
“Raven, stop! Stop! Don’t do this!” Tamia’s voice rings through the air.
I snap my eyes open and watch as an angel drops her from above. She lands in the grass and scrambles to her feet.
“Raven, please,” she calls, waving a hand.
I can’t believe this shit.
“Micah, behind you!” Andre swings his tail, trying to knock Cassius out of the way, but another angel crashes into him.
Wielding his flaming sword, Cassius enters the circle, his whole body set aglow. Micah punches his heavy hoof-like hand, trying to knock him away. Another angel joins him, and the two attack Micah as Andre tries to get them away from the barrier.
Elias squeezes my arm. “Raven, she’s possessed.”
His words jerk my attention away from the battle between my devils and the fucking angelic army to where Tamia strides closer and raises a gun. It was her. She was the one shooting at us. She was the one who shot me.
I throw myself in front of Elias protectively. “Tamia, stop. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Tears shine in her glassy eyes, the same shape but bluer than my teal irises. “I can’t. I can’t stop. Please, you have to move. The angel is giving me only twenty seconds to convince you to move. She will make me shoot you otherwise.”
“Fuck,” I breathe, stealing myself. “Fight her. Kick her fucking ass out of you. It’s your body.”
Tamia clenches her jaw, her whole body shaking. “Please, Raven. I have to kill him. If you don’t let me, she will make me kill you too.”
Well this isn’t going to fucking work for me. Elias must die by my hands. It’s the only way. Right now, he must descend for Hell to rise. If the angels take his life...it’s over. Everything is over.
I gather my courage and raise my hands. “Then fucking do it. Shoot me.”
“Raven,” Tamia begs. “Ten seconds.”
“Shoot me!” I scream, stumbling to stand upright, the agony in my leg nearly sending me back down. “You can’t fucking kill him! He’s mine! He will descend!”
Tamia’s whole body trembles as her eyes flash and light up with Heaven’s glow. Anger and rage course through me, and I flip the angel possessing my cousin off. Aiming the gun, the angel forces my cousin to pull the trigger. I screech and clutch my stomach as she shoots me in the abdomen. Shadows edge my vision, and I fall backward and onto Elias. I do the only thing I can think of and twist around, lacing my fingers to his throat. This is it. I have to do this. It has to be now.
“Micah! Get ready!” I scream, begging for him to risk losing the circle to help carry Elias to Hell.
I squeeze harder, feeling Elias’s muscles tighten and spasm. His body fights against my strength, but I don’t let go. I can’t. The ground rumbles and splits open just outside the circle, and Dante catapults from his kingdom in all his hellish glory. He spits venom, sending a cluster of angels scattering, giving Micah the chance to turn to me.
Something firm taps the back of my head.
“Please, Raven. This is your last chance.” Tamia’s voice cracks.
I don’t stop. Micah roars, gathering his power.
Heat courses through my veins, the power of Hell snaking around me. The world slows and I look down at Elias, his eyes wide, his head shaking. Like he summons strength from the kingdom his death will build, he jerks his hands up and rips my fingers from his throat. He hollers and shoves his hands to my chest, knocking me onto my back.
I can’t even process what’s going on. Elias climbs on top of me and shields me with his body. Angelic light illuminates the world around us, cutting us off from Hell.
“I can’t let you die first. I’m sorry, darlin’. I’m so sorry.” Elias pushes on his hands, his neck struggling to keep his head up.
My ears ring, deafening me, and I stare in horror as Tamia shoots Elias in the chest, sending him sprawling forward and onto me. I scream, my vision turning red. My whole world collapses and burns around me. Fury snares my thoughts, refusing to let me go. Yells cut through the air as the angels retreat, shouting their joy.
Happiness.
They stole humanity’s chance at changing.
They stole Hell’s ability to rise.
They stole my throne in Purgatory.
“Raven,” Tamia whispers, shaking and crying, standing a foot away. Suddenly, her face hardens and a smile crosses her face. I spot the glow of the angel shining in her eyes, stealing control from my cousin. “Your sacrifice will not be forgotten. You’ve done a great thing for Heaven.”
Something dark and dangerous stabs me in the soul, and I reach out and grab Tamia by her ankle, yanking her over the barrier completely. She lights up in flames as the holy power of the angel explodes, dragging the fucking bitch from my cousin’s body. A gust of wind puts out the flames of Hell from Tamia’s clothing, but she stumbles, trying to escape.
Except the ground crumbles beneath her feet, and there is nothing I can do as Hell swallows the essence of the angel and drags my cousin with her into its fiery depths.
I stare in shock and horror, my whole body roiling with a thousand emotions as I try to process what happened.
“Angel-girl. Take a breath, okay. We’re going to figure this out.” Kase materializes beside me, slinking his way closer to where I stare at Elias’s bare leg, praying with everything in me for his toes to curl or something, anything, to show me that Heaven failed.
But I know in the depths of my being that they didn’t. They forced my cousin to kill my soulmate. They forced her to sacrifice herself. And for what? What did they truly accomplish? Hell isn’t going anywhere.
“Raven, please. Will you look at me?” Micah drops to his knees beside me, taking my hand. “I’m so sorry I’ve failed you. I tried to grab his soul and guide him, hoping that he was strong enough.”
My mouth quivers with his words. “I just don’t understand. Why did he do that? Where is he?”
Micah doesn’t respond right away, and the other devils close the space, circling me. I raise my gaze to meet his, but he looks at the other devils instead. Reaching out, I grab him by the chin, forcing him to look at me.
“Micah, tell me. Where is he?” I heave a few breaths, my nerves getting the best of me.
“He died unbound,” Dante says, speaking up. He scoots close to my other side and drapes an arm over me. “But don’t worry. We’ll find him.”
I blink a few times and release a breath. “Fuck. Go now. He can’t be there by himself!” Fear flutters through me. “Get him!”
Kase’s tail wraps around me and drags me from my spot on the ground and into his arms. I slap my hands against his shoulders, my mind swirling with the memory of me walking through Hell. If he’s unbound, then any demon can get to him. He is at the mercy of those who torment Hell.
“Let me go! I need you to find him!” I screech, thrashing. Kase only holds me tighter. “They’re going to torture him. Your fucking legions are going to steal everything good he carries.”
Another hot body presses against my back. “Raven, Elias is strong. He’s not an ordinary soul,” Dante says, sandwiching me to Kase. “He will be okay until we can get a good sense of him. Right now, his soul is finding its place. Even if we scoured all of Hell this second, he could still be between planes. He might not even realize what’s happening or what he needs to do yet.”
I breakdown, a sob stealing my breath and sending unbearable anguish crashing through me. “Why?” I ask, my words stuttering with my sobs. “Why did you do this, Elias? How could you just leave me?”
I push away from Kase and Dante until they finally let me go. My eyes burn with my hot tears, and I crawl across the charred grass to where Elias’s body lies, his chest ravaged with bullet holes and blood. I bow beside him and rest my head on his cool shoulder, hiccupping and bawling more tears than I knew were possible.
“Why did you protect me? You were more important,” I say, feeling the heat of the devils surrounding me. “I’m so fucking pissed. I would’ve been okay. I could’ve survived.”
Micah clears his throat and rests his big hand on my back. “You might not have, Raven. If you had died before him, you’d have failed to uphold your contract. Elias protected you because with his end, your soul would be free from Hell. He was saving you.”
His words zap me right in the heart, and I whip my head up and glower at Lucian. My body reacts before my mind has a chance to comprehend what I’m doing, and I throw myself at him. I scream in his face and whack him, hitting him as hard as I can over and over again.
“This is your fault!” I screech, punching him in the nose.
I expect him to shove me off. To react. To do something. It pisses me off that Lucian lies placidly beneath me, just accepting my wrath.
“You should’ve just ended my contract! You should’ve just accepted your damn place. Now Elias is lost in Hell! Heaven has won. This is what you wanted, wasn’t it? I was so stupid!” I swing and hit him one more time before two hands hook around my waist and pull me off.
Lucian scrubs his hands over his beard and gets to his feet, striding to stand in front of me while Andre tries to settle me down with his presence alone. Fire flashes in his eyes, and he flicks his gaze toward the stars once and back to me.
“You can blame me all you want, but it doesn’t change things. You damn fucking know that I was on board.” Flaring his nostrils he leans even closer. “There was a fucking reason I never ended your contract. You had to be bound to Hell for Elias to descend. Not to mention, if I had freed your soul, Heaven would’ve taken it immediately. You’re already fucking close to Zade. You probably wouldn’t have realized it until it was too late. I re-negotiated the contract with Elias so that upon his unbound death, you’d be free. It was the only way to give you time to negotiate something with someone you prefer. So like I said, hate me. Blame me. I don’t give a flying fuck if it makes you feel better, but don’t accuse me of trying to sabotage Hell.”
We remain in a staring match until I break first, hanging my head and letting the silent tears leak from my eyes. I thought I survived the worst day of my life, but it could never compare to this moment. My eternity is ruined. Purgatory can’t exist without the power of all eight of Hell’s kingdoms.
“Okay,” I manage to squeak out.
“And I hope you know I am sorry. Not for everything, but for some things. I will fucking find the bitch who possessed your cousin. She will pay.” Lucian tightens his jaw and reaches up, caressing my cheek. “That, I promise you.”
I only nod and push thoughts of Tamia away. What the fuck convinced her to allow an angel to possess her? Was she tricked? Manipulated? Does it even matter?
“And we will fucking ensure Lucian stays good on his word,” Dante says, staring around. “Heaven thinks they fucking won, but we’re the damn rulers of Hell. This isn’t over.”
“Damn straight.” Kase takes me from Andre, gathering me in his arms. “You can still be the queen of our kingdoms. Heaven will regret their decision to put a stop to our plan.”
“They assuredly will, especially when they realize we’re strong, and will only continue to grow in power. Just because we don’t have Greed’s level doesn’t mean we still can’t take Sloth and Pride’s.” Andre motions with his finger, pointing toward the trees at the back of the property. I spot Zade’s familiar glow as he watches us from a distance. “He can’t keep away.”
I tighten my mouth. “I want to take the guardians down. I want the saviors to pay.”
“I’ll help you get my brother to his knees,” Lucian says, gathering hellfire in his hand.
“I don’t want just him to fucking bow.” I clench my fingers into fists. “I want every last angel.”
As I stare at Zade’s glowing light disappear, I realize there is only one thing certain in my life now. The angelic army will pay.
I’m no longer going to rule Purgatory.
I’m taking Hell as my devils’ queen.
Hell, the world, and Heaven will be ours.
