Her Darkest Devils by Ginna Moran
Chapter 6
ELIAS
Saving Grace
I’M GOING TO fucking destroy him. Lucian will pay for doing this to me and stealing my chance to make it up to Raven for how I failed her in our past lives. I was so close to proving myself worthy of our bond as soulmates. But now? Fuck. If I die alone, I won’t be able to claim a throne in Hell. I’ll...I don’t know. I might be reincarnated. I might end up in fucking Heaven. My soul was bound to Hell because of a demon. Because of Vincent.
I’m going to kill his fucking monstrous ass too.
Because fuck this.
I will not die in this damn room. I won’t.
I already have my mind, body, and soul set on going out with a fucking bang—banging my damn perfect woman—until I just keel over. There is no other way I want to go. Not now. Not ever.
Strolling to the window, I fling the billowing curtain open and stare at the city lights. I pop the lock and slide it open. I’m on the fourth floor of an apartment building with a demonic guard at the door. I’ve thought about jumping at least a thousand times. Maybe if I wasn’t constantly hacking or if I had the strength to grab onto the ledges of the windows on the way down, I would. Right now, if I jump, I’d probably kill myself. If only three days hadn’t passed by.
Something is wrong if Raven and the other devils haven’t hunted me down yet.
Fuck. Who knew I could miss living in a mansion with the fucking devils. I honestly don’t give a damn as long as Raven remained by my side. I planned to go to Hell for her.
I slam my palms to the window. “Fucking damn it! Piece of shit, son-of-a-bitch bastard! Let me the fuck out!”
My lungs seize, and I bow forward and cough, wheezing and gasping. Pain explodes through my body, sending me to my aching knees, black and blue from getting the shit kicked out of them when I tried to run.
I slump onto my side and groan. “Please, God. I know I shouldn’t pray to you after what I’ve done, but I’m not the same man. I’m begging you to hear my pleas. Raven doesn’t deserve this fate because of me. It was never her fault. Not in this life or in the last. God, please give me the strength to survive for her. Please don’t let me be the reason her soul gets damned to Hell.”
“My fallen brethren. Can you manage to get up? We cannot cross the shield.” A soft, masculine voice whispers above me, humming through the glass. It scrapes as it slides open. “If you can get close enough, I can help you the best I can.”
I blink and stare at the glowing light trickling in. Opening and closing my mouth, I try to respond, but all I can get out is another wheezing cough. My ribs throb, still tender from getting punched in the side. At least Lucian’s burning handprint faded. I was worried I’d be stuck with it until—well, until I die.
“Elias, please. It’s Zade. I don’t have a lot of time. They’ll sense I’m here.” Zade’s light grows brighter, his silhouette now shadowed on the wall across from the window. “Come on. You can do it. I have faith in your strength.”
This asshole. Faith in strength I don’t even fucking have. What he asks feels impossible. I can’t even catch my breath.
“If you can’t do it for yourself, then do it for Raven. She’s been in Hell because she stood up to Lucian. I’m here because of her, so I’m begging you. Please try.” Zade sends a cool breeze through the cracked window, clearing the agonizing fog from my mind. At least enough to plant my palms to the ground.
With all my remaining strength, I push to my hands and knees and hang my head.
Zade’s light grows brighter almost like someone shines a flashlight into the room. “Almost here. If you can kneel—”
“Zade, what are you doing? You were supposed to keep an eye on Dante and Kase. They’ve been more active in their recruitment with the arrival of Lucifer. The devils’ estate was empty.” A deep, gruff voice cuts Zade off, and I recognize Cassius’s voice from when he interrupted a hot as fuck moment with Raven and Micah, something we hadn’t even had a chance to try again because it’s hard to get her alone.
A blip of fear tightens my chest, or maybe it’s my oncoming coughing fit trying to kill me, either way, I start hacking, my chest rattling. I drop back to my stomach, wishing my body would chill the fuck out. Being here is already torturous enough. I don’t need the coughing bullshit.
Cassius intakes a sharp breath. “What are you doing with him? Raven made herself clear about where she stands. We cannot intervene. He’s not our threat or problem. The blasted devils are what trouble us. Lucian is.”
The angelic light illuminating the wall and ceiling fades with Zade’s lack of response. I inhale slowly, trying not to cough again as I push to my hands and knees again. Silence hangs in the air, and I fear that the angels left, and I lost my chance for help.
“Saviors, please. Please, I’m begging you. Don’t leave,” I mutter, forcing the words to come out. “I’m getting up. I can be of use to you if you hear me out.”
I groan and struggle, dragging myself to my knees using the windowsill. Cassius and Zade flap their wings, managing to effortlessly hover in place. I envy their brilliant, heavenly wings right now, more than I thought possible. I don’t remember the moment I lost mine, and I couldn’t give a fuck about such a thought, but I want wings just to be able to get out of here. If what Zade says about Raven is true—fuck.
“Oh, Elias. How pitiful you look. Do you carry any regret for your actions? I don’t know what it’s like to have been reborn as a mortal, nor do I think you understand the full extent of what you have done, but surely you remember something. Your very essence—your soul, I suppose—would never forget. Not after living amid Heaven’s chosen.” Cassius thins his lips, giving me a once over. “Such a shame, to be honest. You should have to suffer for all the pain you put so many through.”
This fucking dickhead. How am I supposed to ask him for help and to show mercy after I punch him in the face? Because that’s what I plan to do. Someone needs to fucking knock his righteous ass down a few notches, and I’ll gladly do it.
“You’re being unfair, Cass,” Zade says quietly, keeping just out of arm’s reach of his angelic brethren. “Elias has been through enough. Just give him a moment to speak to you.”
I bet Cassius would hit him and call it a smiting for trying to reason with him instead of accepting that he’s all knowing. At least in his eyes.
And they say Lucian was the one who fell because of pride. No, Lucian fucking jumped because he was on a damn power trip. Maybe he thought he could do better. Have some fun. I can see how it might be a blast if you’re a ruler of Hell and not getting an eternity’s worth of punishment fucked into you. Damn. I clench my ass cheeks at the thought. I swear to everything unholy and holy across every plane that Raven better come out of Hell unharmed on every level. If she doesn’t, I’ll show the other devils what true torture is like for not being there for our girl—for my soulmate. That bond is something no one will ever have, and I won’t take it for granted.
Which is why I suppress my deep-seated need to attack Cassius.
As much as a dickhead that he is, he can help me. He can ensure that I don’t die without Raven. He just doesn’t know it yet.
“Go on, traitor,” Cassius says, snapping my attention from my thoughts. “How is it you can be of use to us? You’re standing at the edge of your life and mortal existence, still chained to Hell without even having a demonic contract anymore.”
I clutch my window frame and swallow my anger. “You admitted that the devils—that Lucian was a problem. I can help with that.”
“You keep saying you can help, but I need more than your false hope and assumptions regarding these matters.” Cassius’s bright wings glow, illuminating the world enough that I have to squint. He does it on purpose to make me uncomfortable. I know it.
“Have you forgotten that I’m one of the sinners to take a throne in Hell...like you?” I flare my nostrils and leer, loving how his smug expression falters. “I might be trapped in the apartment because of Lucian and his hope that I’ll die unbound and without Raven or the other devils to help me, but I know that he’ll fail because Raven is my soulmate and the fiercest woman I know. She will get to me before that happens.”
“I still don’t see your point, Elias. If you’re so certain that’s the case, why ask for a moment of my time?” Cassius glances at Zade as if his brethren might know the answer.
And to be honest, I’m not even sure if I know for myself. What am I doing? I should wait it out the best I can. Raven has a whole lot of Hell on her side that Lucian won’t win. It’s funny to think where my faith falls. It’s not with these angelic bastards, but I need a backup plan. I need to be certain Raven doesn’t fail to uphold her end of Lucian’s contract.
“The fucking point is that I can help convince Raven to listen to you. You know you wouldn’t have to worry about your own ass getting kicked and sent to Hell by Raven if she wasn’t determined to save her soul and create Purgatory as its queen.” I slowly inhale and exhale, trying to ease the tightness in my chest. “If you help me out of here—”
“You’re forgetting that Raven thinks her soul belongs among the other devils. She made it clear that she wouldn’t turn her back on Kase and Dante.” Cassius glowers, fisting his hands. “I’ll take my chances by leaving you here. Come on, Zade.”
Fuck. I punch the screen off the window, sending it clattering to the ground. I’ll jump on one of their damn backs and ride them down if I have to.
Except an electric shock zings through me, stealing my breath.
Something burns on my back. A mark of some sort. I can see the top of it. I couldn’t jump even if I wanted to.
“Wait! Please!” I shout, slapping my hand to the wall. “Don’t leave me here to die. My brethren, I’m asking for mercy. I love her. I can’t see her fail.”
Cassius drops down and hovers in front of the window. Zade remains a few dozen feet up, being useless and silent. I was rather surprised he was the first to show up, considering I’ve only ever seen him just watching and only getting involved in fighting if he had to. He could stand up to Cassius, but he doesn’t. Raven must’ve did or said something to get him to act.
I heave and cough, my yells setting my body off again. The edges of my vision shadow. My legs shake, threatening to give out on me. Kneeling, I rest my chin on the sill, blinking the fog from my vision. It’s all I can do as Cassius glows before me.
He sighs and rubs his palms over his cheeks, turning his gaze toward the night sky as if he can see Heaven among the faint stars, hidden by the light pollution. Closing the space, he rests one hand on the ledge and holds his other one up, testing the invisible barrier without pushing through. My head warms, but it isn’t uncomfortable or painful. It’s like I’m sinking head first into a heated pool made of something indescribable yet familiar. Heavenly light.
“I can’t heal you of your ailments because your human body is too far gone, but I hope this brings you some reprieve.” Cassius’s voice turns soft with pity.
I open and close my mouth, trying to find my voice. The pain in my side disappears as do the tender bruises on my legs. “Thank you, Cassius.” The familiarity of saying his name stirs something inside me, perhaps the feeling caused by a lost memory when we fought together for the Higher Power. “And I’m sorry. I don’t know exactly what happened before I gave Raven’s soul my angelic light, but I hope you can forgive me.”
“I have already, but I cannot let go and forget. I don’t know why your declaration of love surprises me, even now, as I heard it before when you were saving Grace. It’s rather perplexing knowing that you seem to be stuck in a cycle together, but maybe, just maybe, the Higher Power put me in your path tonight to help break it.” Cassius glances toward the sky and stares silently as if he’s having a conversation with himself—or someone else I can’t see or hear. And maybe he is.
“Break the cycle? What do you mean?” My curiosity gets the best of me. I have to know what the fuck he thinks this is all about.
“I suppose you wouldn’t remember how you fought so fiercely to keep her from us. You knew we’d ensure her angel-kissed soul would’ve found a place bound forever in Heaven and far away from the hands of the devils. How you knew that particular deaths lead to rebirth.” Cassius shakes his head. “I guess none of that matters. Now that you two have found each other and we can now break the cycle once and for all...if you do as I say.”
A dozen thoughts whirl through my mind. What the fuck is he even talking about? “Breaking the cycle better not fucking mean Raven failing to fulfill her contract.” I push up on the windowsill. “I already told you that I can’t see her fail.”
“I’m not insinuating that. What I’m suggesting is breaking this cycle the Mortal Realm seems to have you in. Unfortunately, I can’t force Raven to do the one thing that could help her,” Cassius says. “And neither can you. But there is something you can do if you truly want to save her from the grips of Hell.”
“What is it?” I ask, locking my gaze to Cassius’s. If he knows of something that could help Raven stay far away from Lucian if I should die before I escape, then I’m willing to do it. Her devils will understand, and if they don’t, then they can punish me in Hell for the rest of eternity. I don’t give a fuck as long as my soulmate doesn’t suffer at the hands of a monster.
Cassius smirks, his expression getting under my skin. “Have Lucian void her contract. If you get him to do that, then I will see to it myself that your soulmate finds peace. And who knows? Such an act of selflessness and work for the Higher Power might even sway your soul back to where you belong.”
I tip my head back and roar a laugh. “You’re fucking out of your mind. Why the fuck would Lucian do that?”
“Because he gets caught up on things that do not go his way and has always been like that. I know Lucifer better than anyone, even after all this time. His pride always gets the best of him, and Raven hurt it by choosing others. She hurt it by denying him the chance to know what it’s like to have her willingly share her soul with him. He would rather allow Heaven to obtain her than see the others cherish her. Because his envy and greed consumes him too.” Cassius shifts his jaw, his amethyst eyes shining brightly, making him freaky as fuck. He looks more devil than angel, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was about to start spitting fire. “He carries the seven deadliest sins, after all. Now that he is no longer chained to his throne, you can use it against him. All of Heaven can.”
Shit. He might be right.
But can I do this? Should I even humor the thought? I know that Raven already has her soul set on a future in Purgatory, and I thought I wanted to claim a throne in Hell to be with her...but if I could save us both?
I don’t want to ruin her ideal future. I really, truly fucking don’t. But if all else fails, I’d rather her hate me forever than see her burn under Lucian’s psychotic form. And this way, Kase and Dante will be safe. This will be my last resort.
“How do I know you’ll stay true to your word?” I ask, a part of me hating myself for letting things come to this, but what else am I supposed to do?
“You have to trust me. I will not let you down.” Cassius remains expressionless, though his light shines brighter than ever.
Can I trust him? Should I? Fuck. I don’t think I have a choice.
“What if Lucian doesn’t come here? I won’t be able to convince him.” It’s hard to stay hopeful when nothing is certain. I wish I wasn’t in this position at all.
“I will handle that. Convince him to void Raven’s contract, and everything will come together how it should be. I know it. The Higher Power has never led me astray with my feelings.” Cassius opens his palm and brings it as close as he can without hitting the invisible barrier. “Have faith, my brethren. You’ll be set on your rightful path agai—”
The door flings open and clatters on the wall. I whip my head to see Vincent standing in his hellish disgust in the doorway. He snarls at the sight of Cassius near the window and rushes forward. Igniting the room aglow with heavenly light, Cassius stops Vincent in his tracks and disappears.
“Fucking damn it! We have to fucking relocate,” Vincent yells, turning his attention to me. “I should just kill you and be done with it.”
“Why the fuck haven’t you?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.
Grabbing my shirt, he hauls me forward. “Shut the fuck up.”
I swing at his boney arm. “You can’t, can you?”
Shoving me against the wall, he growls in my face. “I might not be able to kill you, but I can cut out your tongue, so I suggest you shut the fuck up like I asked and be a good mortal. We’re leaving.”
Shit. I have no choice but to comply.
