I eased forward, intent on padding down the stairs, but Sam stepped in front of me and blocked my path. His blazing red eyes collided with mine, revealing his rapid slip from an angel welcome in On High and one that was forever banned. I’d done that to him. No, I didn’t steal control of his arm or force his hand, but knowing me—mating me—caused this racing tumble out of favor.

“Sam?”

“You’re not going down there when we don’t know what we’re gonna face.” His lips were firm, jaw tilted in a way that said he wasn’t about to change his mind.

TFB. That’s right, it was too fucking bad.

“So it’s okay for you to sacrifice the rest of your soul to this?” I narrowed my eyes. “You know you’re balancing on the edge, Sam. How many more unsanctioned deaths will it take before you’re here forever?”

“I’m already here forever, Caith.”

“No.” I shook my head. “On High, for all his bluster, is a forgiving deity. He would have gotten over our mating—eventually. All of this death…”

“We have an agreement of sorts. It’s fine,” he snapped and I wondered how much of his soul he’d sacrificed to be with me while reaching some sort of “agreement” with On High.

“It’s not fine. What’d you have to give up, Sam?”

“It’s doesn’t—”

The ground rumbled and shook beneath our feet, sending pictures on the wall swaying and antiques falling to the ground. Sam lost his balance and took a tiny step back. The small quake was just what I needed. I jumped past my mate, intent on saving him from himself. My feet rapidly thumped down the slick stone steps. My pounding run echoed off the moldy walls and I ignored Sam’s curse.

“So much for sneaking in,” he hissed, and I brushed off his admonishment.

Dead Nettle had to know we’d arrived. I didn’t imagine he’d miss the fact that his entire security force was dead-slash-dying.

So I made a mad dash into the darkness and my hellfire was quick to react to the sudden lack of light. It flared, coating my skin and casting a red glow over my surroundings. I didn’t miss Sam’s hurried pursuit, but rather than race ahead, I waited for his approach. I had to because my body was… frozen. Not truly held captive, but I couldn’t wrap my head around the scene before me.

The initial entry to the dungeon consisted of a large, circular room, aged and stained cobblestones lining the surfaces. Four hallways led away from the space, luring visitors deeper into the midnight depths, but I wasn’t concerned with what remained hidden. No, I couldn’t understand what remained in sight.

Bodies, dozens of bodies, filled the open space. Scores. And not random tweens, either. I could handle seeing the dead bodies of unknowns, it was something I’d become accustomed to over the years. But seeing my friends—friends—was a different story.

Bile rose in my throat, threatening to fill my mouth. My attention shifted from face, to face and I dropped my swords to wrap my arms around my stomach, clutching my belly as I fought the nausea.

“Caith?”

“Sam,” I wheezed and bent over, battling the new waves of grief and heartache. “Do you see them?”

His large hand stroked my back, my fire automatically parting to allow my mate’s touch. “Who are they?”

I lifted my head and forced myself to survey each body to confirm what my mind refused to acknowledge.

“Daffodil, Freesia, Carnation, Peony, Iris…” Another sob escaped when my gaze landed on the tiny body nearest to me. She was such a sweet, sweet baby. Hardly thirty years old. “Tulip.” Tears stung my eyes. “They’re Dead Nettle’s family. Every single one. He… He used their souls to come after me. I fucking hate blood magic.” So much blood… I forced myself to reach for my sword, grasp the handle and stand. “He wanted me…” The metal sparked and scraped the ageless stones, cutting through hundreds of years of grime and exposing the paleness beneath. “And now he’s going to get me.”

My hellfire flared with my swirling emotions, the colors rolling from white to blue to red, that heat unstable and anxious. My wolf tensed and crouched low, ready to pounce and tear into our enemy. Where my hellfire was reckless, my wolf was cautious. Where the fire roared into a situation, the wolf waited and observed. Those two sides were often at odds within me, fighting for supremacy, but it seemed—for now—they recognized the benefit to both approaches.

Hellfire would burn hot and fast, and while my enemy writhed in pain, the wolf would finish him off.

Dead Nettle was truly dead. He just didn’t know it yet.

“Second from the left,” Sam’s low voice seemed like a massive boom in the silent space.

I tipped my head back and the wolf lent its assistance, helping me sort through the scents. It fought beyond the stench of death from my friends and continued to hunt for Nettle.

Hunt and discover. Second from the left.

That particular hallway entry was blocked by bodies four deep. Familiar shining eyes weren’t sparkling any longer but dead and flat. Pale with the lack of life.

“Do you want me to…”

To move them. That was the rest of his question.

I shook my head. “No,” I licked my lips and closed my eyes. “I’m going to…” I fought my tears. “I can’t let them become fodder for other magic users. I can’t let them remain as they are.”

“You’re going to turn them to ash.”

I nodded. “I’m going to turn them to ash.”

And die a little inside as I did.

Sam’s heat overpowered the soothing warmth of my hellfire and his body coated my back as his arms encircled my waist. “Can you do it with me here, holding you?” I swallowed hard and nodded again. “Then I’m staying. I’ll catch you when you fall, Caith. And then we’ll seek justice.”

I closed my eyes and ignored the soft sizzle as a tear streaked down my cheek.

Hell reluctantly granted me the heat I needed, slowly gifted me with the level of warmth necessary for my task. Humans were easy to cremate, but tweens…

So, I drew it into me, sliding it into my heart as I gathered bit after bit. The flares eased past my eyelids, visible despite the fact I hid my orbs. The wind whipped at me, tugging at my clothes and sending my hair fluttering in the breeze. All the while, Sam remained plastered to my back, his hold unyielding.

His presence allowed me to do what was necessary.

I lifted my hands, holding them a foot apart as I called the hellfire and directed it to that empty space between my palms. It twirled and danced, the hint of evil that was inherent in hellfire seeming to ache for the taste of flesh. That was another reason I hated asking for help with such a task. Hell always coated my actions with a thin veil of evil. Not enough for most to realize the soft layer of darkness, but I did. I always did.

“Release them, Caith.” Sam’s murmur shattered my hesitation and I freed the tumbling sphere of heat, allowing it to roll through the room. Without looking I knew when it stroked against my friends.

Daffodil, Freesia, Carnation, Peony, Iris… Tulip.

It didn’t take long for the hellfire to do its job, leaving behind the charred scent of death and destruction. The heat still bathed my front and I forced my lids apart and focused on the hovering ball of hellfire. It danced in the air, the swirling mass seeming to beg for another assignment. With luck, its next task would be Dead Nettle. Even luckier, he’d still be alive when it struck.

I refused to look at my surroundings, refused to acknowledge the small piles of gray that represented my friends and loved ones.

Love. Yes, love. My mother knew nothing of the emotion, but once again, I wasn’t my mother’s daughter. I knew of love and knew it’d been shattered by Nettle.

I couldn’t wait to shatter him.

I reached for the burning orb and it gleefully hopped into my hand, caressing my palm with its warmth. “Let’s go.”

The tears remained unacknowledged. If I didn’t think of them, they didn’t exist.

Sam released me and remained silent.

Silence. Lots and lots of silence.

My boots hardly made a sound as moved down the darkened hallway, my eyes vigilant as I sought any threat. The hellfire danced forward, anxious to destroy something else. It floated five feet ahead of us and then whipped back to my side like a child not wanting to lose its mother. In some ways I was the parent of this orb.

The clang of metal on metal reached me, cutting through the quiet, and I froze, listening for another. My wolf crept forward, sending my fur sliding free of my pores and turning my nails into claws. I could still swing a blade, but the sharpened tips gave me an added edge if I was disarmed. My canines lowered, fangs growing as the beast changed my body.

I stared at myself in the mirror once, wanting to see exactly what others witnessed when I was ready for true battle. My lover at the time was right. I was a person’s worst nightmare. I wasn’t the devil, I wasn’t an ageless warrior, I wasn’t a werewolf… I was them all and more.

Nettle was about to meet everything that lived inside me and I didn’t have a hint of remorse.

The sound didn’t come again. Or rather, that sound didn’t come again. Instead it was a jangle of chains followed by a curse. Followed by… the thin, desperate wail of a newborn.

Bryony. The sweet little boy.

“Bry,” I released a hoarse whisper, pain etched in the single syllable. “Sam, he has baby Bryony.”

Evil may live inside me, but there was just as much good and it roared for the small boy. There was no waiting, no cautious approach, not timid creeping forward now.

I brushed off Sam’s soft touch and shoved past the hovering orb of hellfire. I roared down the hallway, hunting Nettle through the darkness. My feet pounded on the cobblestones, my stomps echoing off the walls like a ghoulish laugh.

Dim light finally reached me, the glow of Nettle’s torch reaching out for me and my own fire greeted it with a sharp reprimand. The natural fire retreated to its source, slowly guttering and blinking out. Nettle’s curse was unmistakable and I smiled as I stepped into view.

The hellfire hovered at my side, illuminating the room. In particular, it showed the stooped brownie approaching the torch with a spell on his lips.

“That’s pointless, Nettle.”

The brownie gasped and spun toward me, the look of surprise quickly transforming to rage. “You.”

“Me.” I stepped into the room, conscious of Sam’s location. I wanted him protecting my back, but I didn’t want him killing Nettle, either. I couldn’t let my mate lose any more of his soul because of me.

I let my gaze flick to the altar in the center of the room. The massive stone slab was coated with blood fresh and old. On top of those dried stains, lay Bry. I remembered going to his mother’s baby shower, recalled eating cake with blue icing and forcing smiles to my lips. He was snug in his mother’s womb, waiting to make his appearance. He was such a perfect, precious child.

Now he was a child with runes carved into his skin and blood dripping from wounds on his arms and abdomen.

Nettle raced from the torch to the boy, placing the altar, and Bryony, between their bodies.

“Toss the weapons.” Nettle lifted a blackened blade and placed it against the baby’s chest. “Now.”

I was quick to comply. I didn’t need metal to do the dirty work. I had hellfire, fangs, and claws. “You’re not leaving here alive, Nettle. You know that.”

His face reddened. “I will. I’ll walk out of here as quickly as I please and you won’t do a thing.” He lowered the knife, pricking the baby’s skin. “Or I’ll kill him, I will. Kill him dead like your papa did your gator.”

My hellfire flared, sparking my fingertips as the roiling sphere grew in size. It threatened Nettle, bolting forward while I could not.

“Uh-uh. Keep that bit back.” Nettle gestured at the orb. “Get rid of that too. None of that hellborn magic.”

I glared at the brownie and raised my hand, gesturing for the ball to return to me. It stuttered in its movements, whining in its own way. It wanted to taste blood almost as much as my wolf craved the coppery fluid.

“What’s this about, Nettle?” I flexed my fingers and the tips thickened, taking on the texture of my wolf’s paws. “Why this destruction?” I tilted my head at the squalling infant. “Why the baby? Why did you murder your entire hive?”

His face turned purple with anger. “It’s your fault, it is. If you’d just died that first time I wouldn’t have had to use so many of them, but you lived.” Nettle sneered. “Because of this one,” he jerked his chin at Sam, “you lived and more and more had to die.” He pointed the knife at me. “It’s all because of you.”

“But why?” The more he talked, the less he focused on the child. I needed to keep him distracted. I didn’t care how he’d managed to destroy Jezebeth’s wards or enchant zombies and vamps. I just wanted the brownie distracted. I trusted Sam and knew if he had the chance, he’d save the boy, which would leave cleanup to me. “After all these years, why me? Why now?”

“I’s tired is all. All the tweens, all the dems and gels, always making brownies do things. Go and clean and fix and… We run this town! You do nothing without us! We rid ourselves of you and then Orlando will be ours!”

I glared. “There is no ‘we’ or ‘ours,’ Nettle. You’ve killed them all! Your entire hive is dead.”

“No,” he shook his head. “Dead for a moment, but once you’re gone, I’ll return them and all will be well. I just need to get rid of you.” The tip of that knife penetrated skin once again. “Bryony’s death will help me—”

I snarled. “How will you return them from ash?”

An inch of the metal crept into Bry’s flesh, but no farther as Nettle focused on me and shock coated his features. “You didn’t.”

“You think I’d allow my friends to be used? To be turned into brainless zombies or wraiths?”

“We’re not your friends!” Nettle roared, following the shout with a hysterical laugh. “We’re not your friends. You use us, you use us all, and now we’ll use you. We will. Orlando will be ours. We’ll have it all.” Manic eyes met mine and that blade punctured Bry once again. “You just have to die first.”

“Nettle…” Fury burned, scorching my veins and searing my skin. It carved flesh from bone and I wasn’t sure I could restrain myself much longer. The evil, the hate inside me, demanded it be released. It’d tear through the brownie, rip out his soul and shove it into Hell. The male would not reemerge. Ever.

The brownie focused on Bryony. “It will not hurt, sweet boy. One push and you will release every brownie from slavery. Such a small sacrifice, sweet…”

“It’s not going to happen, Nettle. Release him.” I shoved the words past gritted teeth, the pain of holding back my shift pummeling me with agony.

“No,” he shook his head and raised his arm. The knife glittered in the light from my hellfire. “This will solve all my problems.”

A flash behind Nettle distracted me for a moment, drawing my gaze to the shadows behind the brownie. What I saw had my eyes widening.

Sam with his deadly eyes burning with the fires of Hell lurked behind Nettle.

There was no doubt of his plans. He was there, so close to the crazed male, and it’d take…

“Goodbye, sweet Bry.” That arm lowered, the blade rapidly growing closer to Bryony, and Sam moved.

The gel rushed forward and gripped the brownie’s skull between his hands. One, giant wrench was all it took to snap Nettle’s neck. One fierce yank to decapitate the brownie. Now dead, the body tumbled to the ground and Sam tossed the head away.

It ended. In a split second, the threat to me was gone. But how much had it cost my mate?

I stared into his eyes, fighting to see some hint of goodness that may remain after the death on his hands. “Sam?” I took a step forward. “Are you—”

“Finish him, Caith.” His voice was husky and rough, not the smooth silk I enjoyed.

Finish him. Right. I had to scorch him from the earth to ensure he never returned. “Yeah. Check on…”

I was speaking to thin air. Sam was no longer standing on the other side of the altar. He had vanished, a cloud of midnight smoke. He left me. He left me alone in a room bathed in blood and ash with a small child covered in its own slices and cuts.

The sulfur stung my wolf's senses and I fought against the need to sneeze and rid myself of the evidence of Sam’s fallen status. Because he was fallen now. Completely, irrevocably tossed from On High.

Pain pummeled me with the agony of his abandonment and loss. But it wasn’t just his desertion that speared me. Heartache over what I’d made him do sank into my bones as well.

Bryony released another weak cry, the sound tearing me away from the hurt of Sam’s departure. I had a job to complete and didn’t have time for tears. I had to rid the world of Nettle and then take care of the small child who now depended on me.

A glance at Bry revealed he was safe for the moment, the child too small and weak to roll off the edge of the altar. I rounded the platform and crouched beside Nettle’s body. I needed to remain close, unwilling to inadvertently harm the baby due to distance.

The hellfire was quick to respond. Quick to jump to my fingertips, anxious to destroy what had caused so much pain. I reached for Nettle, lingering fingers hovering an inch over his bare skin. The heat reached for the dead body unable to wait to rid the world of his presence.

I dug deeper into Hell, reaching for more and more power, desperate to pour everything I had into the small body. He wasn’t going to hurt me ever again, he wasn’t going to hurt anyone ever again as long as I lived and breathed. I’d destroy every trace of the damage he’d caused. The pain of the past two weeks assaulted me, joining the heat of my fire. It all reached into Nettle’s body so I could end him before another magic wielder could bring him to life once again.

Gone. Gone. Gone.

The first lick stroked his skin, charring the flesh with the sudden heat. I couldn’t wait for the rest of him to be wrapped in flame. Couldn’t wait to watch the red and white and blue fire consume him from head to toe. He’d taken so much… Tulip, sweet Tulip. Now I was taking from him. Another spot of blackened skin. The fourth caught his clothing, sending a river of fire along the fabric. But it wasn’t enough, not nearly.

He’d burn, burn, burn…

Except a voice broke into my desire.

“I see you still depend on hellfire to do your dirty work.”

I froze in place, the flames ceasing their continued travels along Nettle’s body, and I turned my attention toward the source of those words. “You…”

“Me.”

It wasn’t possible, there was no way he could… I’d… And yet he stood before me. No, not before me. He was beside Bry. The sweet child continued his cries, pain still etched in his small features, and yet again his tiny life was threatened.

“It is me. Now, move away from the brownie.”

I swallowed hard and pushed to my feet ignoring my wolf and fire’s desire for blood. My beast stretched against my skin, claws digging into my flesh and stretching the thin layer that kept the wolf captive. Fur slid free of my pores coating my skin in the midnight hue of my animal. And the fire… How it burned. It burned with the need to destroy not just Nettle, but this man as well.

I hadn’t seen this asshole since… Chicago.

Chicago with all the heat and pain and screams and cries… It wasn’t the first time I lost control but it was definitely the worst.

“Liam,” I took a deep breath and released it slowly. “It’s been a long time. The last time I saw you it was your bare ass while you had your cock in Mary Katherine.”

His expression didn’t change. He didn’t even flinch when I brought up his infidelity. “It hasn’t been that long, dear Caith.” He ran a long finger down Bryony’s small chest. “Have you missed me?”

“What are you doing here?”

He tsked, green eyes flaring bright in the low light of the dungeon. “That’s not an answer. Have you missed me?”

I tilted my head to the side. “It’s been you, hasn’t it? You did something to Dead Nettle. Your hand guided it all, didn’t it?”

I took a step around the altar, eyes scanning his body from head to toe, hunting for any telltale clues that would confirm my suspicions. His skin was gray, no longer the lush peach of life. The flesh on his face was sunken exposing the harsh lines of his features, but his eyes were what struck me. They were no longer the chocolate brown I used to admire as we cuddled in bed.

We’d make love for hours, bodies entwined and then collapse into a heap on the straw mattress. I’d seen him as… Not my mate, my wolf hadn’t been intent on claiming him, but he hadn’t been a random male either. I’d loved him in my own way. As much as Satan’s niece could love another person that my wolf wasn’t aching to claim.

Liam had been mine and mine alone. At least, that’s what I’d thought.

Yet, I’d been so very, very wrong.

It wasn’t just Liam who’d suffered for his actions back then. The town of Chicago had as well. The screams and cries, and the agony I unleashed on the population still vibrated in my bones. My wolf howled with guilt while my fire flared hotter in appreciation of my actions. It wasn’t just those two parts of me that remembered Chicago. I hadn’t killed in battle, had I? No, I snuffed out so many lives because of pride and pride alone.

“You destroyed an entire hive, and for what? Revenge? You took control of the zombies and vamps, you destroyed my car, asshole, and you forced my father to…” I swallowed the sob that rose to my throat, pushing it back into the recesses of my body. I wouldn’t let him see me cry, wouldn’t let him see the grief that overtook me when I thought of Georges. “You forced my father to kill an innocent animal.”

Liam grinned, lips parting to reveal two rows of blackened, rotted teeth. “I failed with the zombies and vamps. It wasn’t until I saw you with that gel, that I realized how to truly hurt you.” Liam pressed harder against Bry, drawing a line of blood over the child’s skin. “For all the evil that lives inside you, you still have a heart. A worthless heart, but one nonetheless.” Those green eyes glowed in the darkness and that smile seemed to grow. “The car was a bit of fun, but the gators… Those were pure joy.”

I fisted my hands, battling my hellfire once again. My wolf’s claws dug into my palms, drawing blood to the surface. The red fluid dripped and puddled at my feet. I shouldn’t injure myself in this way, but it was harm myself or attack Liam which would put Bryony at risk.

“You still haven’t told me what you want.” I’d sate my curiosity and then burn him to a crisp. Done. Just like I should have, or tried to, all those years ago.

“That’s obvious, even to you, Caith.” His gaze collided with mine. “You.” Liam drew another line over Bryony’s body, and I fought to suppress my wolf’s howl. “First, I want you beneath me. I want to possess you, I want to fill you, I want to listen to your pain-filled screams. She screamed, Caith. She begged for death.” The words came with a harsh rasp.

She. His lover. Mary Katherine. Yes, the woman had screamed and writhed, suffering under the twisted weight of my anger.

“Then I want to destroy you.” Tainted magic swirled around him in sparkling tendrils of power. “But I can be generous. I’ll even give you a choice. You can submit, and give yourself to me voluntarily, or you can watch me feast on this child’s heart.”

“What’s to say you won’t kill him anyway?”

Was I really considering this deal? I’d almost call it a deal with the devil, but I didn’t think my uncle could even be this much of an asshole. Uncle Luc was a lot of things, but he wasn’t one to destroy innocents in this way. He was content to go after people whose souls were already blacker than midnight.

“Trust, dear Caith. Trust.”

“That’s not something I have in abundance right now. Why don’t you quit with all your bullshit and finish this right now? We both know that you’re a lying sack of shit. You were a lying sack of shit all those years ago, and you’re a lying sack of shit today.”

Fury filled his features, that gray skin flushing with more darkness, and I realized why Liam had hit me with the undead first. Because he was so near that condition himself.

“How long has it been? Hundred forty-three, hundred forty-four years, right? So you managed to survive my hellfire. How? Who saved you? Who made you this way?”

“No one made me,” he sneered. “I did this myself. Magic born aren’t the beginning and ending of power. There’s so much more.” A vivid green light filled his eyes. “The born tweens try to keep it to themselves, but I found the truth.” He smirked. “You can bury the truth, but you can’t destroy it.” He licked his lips. “And I survived because you’re a poor excuse for a demon,” he sneered.

You can bury the truth, but you can’t destroy it…

Ugh. I so didn’t want to think about what he’d unearthed that allowed him to transform into this disgusting powerful sack of rotted flesh and bones.

He wasn’t done. “You may be the princess of Hell, but you’re also nothing more than a whiny, weak girl.”

I sighed. I could withstand a lot of insults. I’d endured more teasing and taunting growing up than I’d ever admit. But being called a poor excuse for a demon? That was not something I could tolerate. “So… You’re basically saying you read a book.” I prayed it was only one book he’d discovered. “Which just makes you a really big nerd, not some badass warlock or whatever.” I took a step closer to him. “You’re a dork and a bully, Liam. Quit trying to be someone you’re not. I may not have ended your life in Chicago, but you can bet you’re not walking out of this dungeon alive.”

Triumph filled his gaze. “You’re willing to kill an innocent then? The only way to save the baby is to submit.”

“Nothing is going to happen to the babe. Just you.” With that, I struck. I didn’t give him a chance to react or retaliate.

One great shove pushed him away from Bryony, putting space between the baby and the piece of shit I was ready to get rid of already. Everything inside me was put into the shove, every morsel and snippet of power I possessed sent Liam flying through the air. But unlike my other recent opponents, he simply slid a few feet.

Not enough space.

I went after him again, another punch, another slip until six feet separated Liam and Bry. It was enough room for me to place myself between the male and the child. I’d already lost so much, I wasn’t about to lose Bryony.

“Nice. I knew you were stronger. It will make my success that much sweeter.” He peeled his jacket from his shoulders, letting it drop to the ground with a low thump. “Are you ready to be mine?”

“When we celebrate Christmas in Hell.” The last syllable had barely left my lips before I was on him, going after the man who’d caused so much pain over the last two weeks. My car was an annoyance. But Georges… The brownies…Sam… And now he was after Bry.

One strike of flame became two, then four. Liam responded with his own magic—my red battling his green. I did my best to duck and dodge his blows, but more than a handful struck home. It wasn’t long before blood soaked into my shirt and stained the cloth a deep red. More than a dozen magic-coated wounds peppered my body and I was heartened by the fact that just as many marred Liam’s skin.

We exchanged distant blows, fire and magic doing our jobs for us, but with each new hit, more of my strength fled. I wouldn’t last much longer, not when I was doing my best to destroy him and nothing else. I didn’t have the quiet and focus necessary to kill him and leave everything else unharmed.

Could I level Orlando? Sure. Hell, I could rid the world of all of Florida, even the United States. But I wouldn’t allow myself to sink that deeply ever again. Life was worth more than anger.

So I went to him, pouncing like the wolf that lived inside me, and taking him to the ground. I straddled him, claw-tipped fingers digging into his flesh as I reveled in the midnight blood that welled to the surface. My wolf knew the fluid was poisonous. It would harm us, but I craved it anyway.

Liam struggled, countering my strikes with blows of his own. It came to a point where I wasn’t sure where he ended and I began. Claws were met with sharpened fingernails while his magic-smeared fists were met with fiery skin. I no longer felt pain, no longer recognized the agony that slid through my veins. My thoughts were consumed by the desire to end his life.

This went beyond the rage that consumed me in Chicago. It went beyond the craving for blood after Georges’ death. The demon inside me rose, clawing from the depths of my purity-wrapped soul. It wanted to be free, ached to bathe in the blood of the man who’d hurt me so long ago. Who hurt me still.

He rolled our bodies forcing me beneath him as our raging battle continued. He struck out at me, digging those nails into my flesh and exposing bone. I snarled at him, baring my wolf’s lengthening fangs. It would take only one bite, one closing of my teeth around his throat, and this macabre battle would be at an end. But it was easier said than done. Because while I tired with the continued loss of blood, he seemed impervious to weakness. While my movements became sluggish, his were as firm and strong as ever.

My clothing was in tatters, the blood-soaked fabric sticking to my skin, exposing me. Yet he continued to rip at the cloth even more. Then I remembered his other promise. He didn’t just want me dead, he wanted me. He wanted my body. He wanted me now, even though he hadn’t desired me so long ago.

It was easy for him to part my shirt, and it was no effort to rip my bra from my body. His green eyes sparkled as his gaze traced my curves and snarled when his eyes landed on the waist of my pants. I continued to fight him, continued to struggle against his stronghold, and yet I still couldn’t break free of his grip. My arms were held above my head, one of his hands pinning me to the cobblestones, while he straddled my thighs.

Once again I was captured beneath a dangerous being, once again close to losing my life.

Despite the grief that overwhelmed me when I thought of Georges, I knew Liam would suffer the same fate as my friend. There was no going back. There was no redemption. There was only death. My demon couldn’t wait, my wolf couldn’t wait, and even the pure heart that came from my father couldn’t wait to see Liam dead.

He reached for the waist of my pants, fingers curled under the hem, and tore the zipper from the leather. My body was exposed to him, flesh that belonged to Sam, and Sam alone, displayed to this embodiment of evil. He wanted me. This bastard wanted me.

Meeting his gaze, I didn’t see anything left of the man I knew over a century ago. I had thought I loved him, I had been prepared to speak with Helene Renard about extending his life, and I had been ready to promise myself to him until the end of time. Now he resembled a demon destined to call the ninth circle his home.

Well, I would send him there. I would draw on what I desired most, I would go into the layers of Hell and wrench what I needed from those very depths.

As my essence dug into the earth, I slid past the first circles that contained the weak beings. I continued on and flew beyond the circles of lesser demons, and into the home of my uncle. It was where my demon soul ached to live and breathe, it was where it felt most at home, and it was where I collected the hottest and brightest flames. I held them close, gathering them to me, and waited as Liam continued his assault. He palmed my bare breast, his hand running over my exposed skin and then his fingers delved beneath the waist of my torn leathers. I was prepared for him, ready to give him everything I collected.

It burned me, blood searing my veins, scorching me from inside out and yet I held it, waiting for the perfect moment. I was ready for him, ready to destroy and demolish him as I had tried to do in the past. His right hand left my body just as I was prepared to turn him into a pile of ash, and those fingers yanked at his own pants. The leather that held his arousal captive was soon gone. As much is it sickened me, I rejoiced in this additional skin that became available to my touch. His dick was thick and flush with arousal, showing me just how ready he was to violate my body. Yeah, so not happening.

“Liam…” When his gaze met mine I licked my lips teasing him and hoping he believed my feigned desire. “Liam,” I whispered. “I accept your bargain. If you swear he’ll live, I won’t resist.”

I rocked my hips pressing myself more firmly against his aroused body writhing just how I knew he would like. We’d been lovers for so long, I knew exactly how to touch and stroke him, tempt and tease him. The actions revolted me, sending my stomach roiling, and I swallowed the bile that grew in my throat. I had to pretend to want him, pretend to crave him. Bryony’s life depended on it.

“Liam.” He narrowed his eyes, his glare weighing my words, and I prayed he believed me. I added another promise to the pile. “I’ll stay with Uncle Luc. You’ll never see me again. I’ll call Hell home.”

When his hold on my wrist slackened and gradually allowed me movement, I knew I’d won. I let desire fill my gaze, let my body twitch and tremble as if his every touch aroused me. In reality, I was lulling him into believing my silent message.

He wrapped his hand around his dick, stroking himself from root to tip and back again, drawing my attention to his hardened cock. The sight had me fighting nausea once again, but I didn’t let the need slide over my expression. Instead, I gently tugged one of my hands free of his grip and slid my fingers down my chest. I teased my breasts, a single finger ghosting over my soft nipple as I continued my travels south. Instead of touching myself, I reached for his shaft, wrapping my fingers around his thickness.

“You win.” I let a smirk toy with my lips. “One fuck for the road?”

Thankfully the guy was as dumb today as he had been when were together. Instead of brushing my hand away, he allowed me to strengthen my touch, become more firm in my strokes. Even the hand capturing my wrist released me so he could palm my breast, squeeze and knead my flesh. Now was the time to rid the world of Liam’s hatred and evil. Now was the time to do what I had tried to do so long ago.

The fire bubbled beneath my skin, ready and waiting for me to release the stranglehold on the power. And release I did. In one blinding rush it flew from my fingertips, sailed from my skin onto his and sank deeply into his flesh and bone. I knew what would happen first, knew that his very structure would turn to ash. Next it would eat at his muscles, and cook him from inside out. Then there was his skin… His skin that blackened and charred beneath the strength of my hellfire.

Shock registered on his face first. His disbelief that I’d managed to gather so much of that powerful heat in one pull on my uncle’s domain was almost laughable. But I had, and now I would give it to Liam.

At first he tried to resist, trying to send his magic into my body to stop me, but it was a useless attempt at protecting himself. He knew I was Caith Morningstar, niece of the devil, but like so many others, he refused to see me as anything but a woman.

And in a man’s world, in the world he came from, in a world of On High, tween, and Hell, I didn’t pose a threat. Which meant Liam wouldn’t just be the elimination of a threat, he would be a reminder to everyone in Orlando that I was not a bitch to be messed with.

His body burned, crumbling into a useless pile of ash beneath my gaze, but I didn’t stop. No, I continued, heating him, gathering what was left of him with my hands, and then finally pressing my palms together with a pressure that rivaled the deepest recesses of earth. I pushed, concentrating my strength and heat in that small space until my hands glowed the purest white with the heat.

Seconds passed, time sliding beside me and beyond me, and it was only Bryony’s soft wail that managed to tear me from my task. As quickly as the heat rose, it dispersed and slid back into the ninth circle of Hell where it belonged. My breath heaved in the aftermath of losing all that power and my muscles no longer allowed me to hold the remnants of Liam’s body. I dropped the colorless rock clutched in my palms, ignoring the way it tumbled over the cobblestone, and went to the wounded child.

I gathered him close, brushing off the way my wounds screamed with the movements. “Hush, sweetheart.” I pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, “I have you. You’re safe. I have you.”

I let my senses spread through the house, reaching and hunting for anyone else within the home. And I found… Nothing. No Sam, no brownies… No one but me, Bryony, and the woman upstairs.

Which was fine, I didn’t need anyone else. I was okay on my own. Hell, I preferred it that way. I would simply take the baby and the massive diamond that used to be Liam and forget this day ever happened. No dark elves, no brownies, no Nettle, or Liam, and definitely no Sam. Because if I thought about Sam—about his pure red eyes, the stench of sulfur that clung to him like a second skin, and the evil that gleamed in his gaze as he vanished—I may just destroy everything I’d worked so hard to build.

Bry whimpered and I tightened my hold. “I have you, sweetheart. I’ll protect you.”

But who would protect me? I almost kicked my own ass for the question. Who would protect me? No one. I’d protect myself and everyone else could suck a dick.