Ramiel watched out the open window as the carriage landed on top of a small building. “What the hell?” he asked as the roof disappeared and they fell through the opening.

To his horror, flames covered their bodies. Before he could scream that Kara's plan hadn’t worked and he was going to die, the fire disappeared. Unfortunately, his soul fought to remain anchored in place. It was Zakara’s tug that brought him entirely through the veil.

“You didn’t puke. That’s a good sign. Every time we cross into a new circle, our bodies will be covered in flames while our souls object to moving forward. It’s how the rulers of each dimension keep you trapped in their circle,” Zakara explained.

“Did you ever rule an area in Hell?” he asked, shuddering at the thought of experiencing that unpleasant sensation again. At least now he was prepared, so perhaps it would be easier next time.

“No way. I ruled my household and took in low-level demons and many others that wanted my protection. I left them safe in my house in Mammon’s domain. No doubt someone else has taken ownership in my absence,” Kara replied as she grabbed his arm. Heat suffused his body, and it felt like he was on fire again. Apparently, their little tiff at the cemetery hadn’t diminished their attraction.

“Where are we?” he asked, looking around. They were standing inside a building surrounded by coffins. There was a door on one side, but Zakara didn’t head toward it.

As the temperature increased, Rami realized it wasn’t their sexual chemistry at all. He looked around for the source of the heat. Given the flickering light, Rami expected to find torches along the walls, but there were none. He noticed small, stained-glass windows along the top half of the walls where he could see a pulsing light outside.

Muttering a curse, it dawned on him why it was so hot. They were standing inside a burning mausoleum.

“We’re in Belial’s realm, but he won’t keep us here. He knows better than to try and pull his shit with me. Any second now we will be moving on. Remain calm,” she informed him.

“What won’t Belial try with you?” he spat, unable to stop the jealousy that spurred the questions.

“He whispers in your mind, trying to get you rebel. He rules the unfaithful, and without our bond, he’d have a field day with your blatant rebellion against Camael. He should remember the feel of my steel well enough. He wouldn’t dare try and pit us against one another,” she announced, yelling the last part aloud. “And, don’t bother trying to get us to give up on our mission. Nothing will deter us.”

Ramiel blinked at her, and before he could ask any more questions, flames covered them, and his soul was pulled in several directions. He closed his eyes as the world spun, trusting his Fallen to get him through the veil and one step closer to rescuing Isobel.

* * *

“I will never get used to that,” Rami complained as he bent over with his hands on his knees.

Kara watched him, hoping he didn’t hurl all over her shoes. The last thing she needed was sand wyrms chewing on the leather. Sturdy shoes were priceless in the Underworld with its unpredictable terrain.

“There aren’t that many more to cross before we get to Lucifer,” she informed him as she searched for the Guardian of this circle.

“What?” Rami asked as he stood straight and glanced around. “Where’s the threat?”

“Not sure yet. Amon rules this section,” Kara indicated, gesturing with her hand. The terrain was typical for the Underworld. The ground, trees, and sky were all varying shades of black. It was the slightly sweet scent of decay and burned flesh that conjured many feelings. Her life hadn’t been entirely negative since the fall, as her mixed emotions attested.

“And, before you ask, Amon is a large male with enormous horns and wings. And, like most in Hell, he is driven by his lusts,” she relayed.

“I hate to ask, but what is it that he wants?” Rami asked with a curl of his lip.

With his Light pulsing through her veins, she had to battle constant nausea that she’d never felt before in the Underworld but also saw things through his eyes. And, it was bad enough to make her want to raze the place with cleansing flames.

“Amon’s particular lusts are for the blood of the virtuous. An angel like you will be a tasty treat for him, so we need to get the fuck out of here. And fast,” Kara said as she cast him a meaningful glance. She didn’t want Rami to confront the massive demon for many reasons. The least of which was her safety. “Drinking their blood keeps his skin red. And, the reason he risks so much to send his lows to Earth to retrieve his meals. With the passages closed he’ll be hungry, so we need to get past his giant minotaur quickly.”

Rather than shaking in fear, Rami narrowed his eyes and met her gaze. “Minotaur. As in giant man with the head of a bull?”

“Yep. The minotaur guards the entrance and will take you straight to Amon. Normally, I can distract him with a bit of sex, but separating isn’t in our best interest,” Kara told him, refusing to hide her true nature from the judgmental angel. She would never apologize for how she lived her life. For some odd reason, she wanted Ramiel to know everything about her.

She wasn’t deluded into thinking he’d fall for her, but she wanted to know anything they shared was done freely and with full disclosure. A small part of her ached to be accepted and loved. And, that included her scars and her past choices. The angels in Heaven she knew would shun her then cast her out. Perhaps she wanted so much from Rami because having him care meant she’d regained some favor in Heaven.

Shaking her head, she mentally cursed herself for being an idiot. None of those uppity angels mattered in the grand scheme of things.

“You’ve certainly led an interesting life,” Rami said with a forced smile. It wasn’t full acceptance, but she’d take what she could get. So, why isn’t he here to greet us?” he asked, looking around.

The landscape was what humans often depicted as Hell with black dirt, dead trees with spindly arms like giant spiders, and little else. What humans didn’t realize was Hell had buildings and cities. They weren’t near one, but there were several cities in Hell, the most prominent being Dis.

“He’s easily distracted, so my guess is he’s having sex somewhere,” Kara replied as she walked forward.

“Do demons do anything but torture and have sex?” Rami said, kicking a rock. It tumbled over the sand then slammed against a tree. The limbs shook, but there were no leaves to fall to the ground.

The lack of life was one thing she hated about the Underworld. Sure, some Circles had more girth to their trees than the rest, but there were no Evergreens or other green foliage. And, there were no flowers or fresh fruit.

For demons born in Hell, they hated the taste of fresh foods, having known only the rotten sludge that passed for food in the Underworld. But Zakara, like most other ancients, had existed on fresh foods until the time of their fall. Forced to a realm that had little regarding food, they had to make do.

Existence had been rough back then. Lucifer's imprisonment started when he immediately froze in the Lake. However, he used what powers he had to bring life to the realm. The twisted, black trees were as much from lack of sun as they were the result of his rage. Everything he tried to make was a perverted version of trees, shrubs, and beings on Earth. They ended up with creatures mashed together and vegetation that was bitter and often poisonous.

Most households in the Underworld, Zakara’s included, turned wildlife, like the fanged fish into delicacies. The fish wasn’t so bad when dried and made into jerky. Hellhound flesh tasted like ass no matter what you did with it, so they weren’t hunted for food. Neither were pus demons, for that matter. Food was one thing the Fallen enjoyed most on Earth, whereas the demons preferred hunting for human prey. Fresh souls were tastier than those that were broken and lost.

Her angel was utterly out of place in this bleak world. His Light was enough to blind the Inits that lived in the dark. No doubt it would draw some curious Imps who loved to cause trouble and play pranks. Usually, she’d join them and give Amon a headache, but not with Ramiel’s life on the line. Not to mention, Izzy.

The idea of the child suffering, or being forced to free Lucifer was repellant to her, and that was when urgency hit home. Rami’s Light was beginning to change her. She needed to move fast, or they would both die on this quest.

Ramiel readily accepted this as a suicide mission so he could rescue the child, but Kara hadn’t. She was selfish and wanted to live. It’d be great if they could save Isobel, too, but she wanted to get out of Hell and back to her bar in one piece.

“A Fallen has to have her hobbies,” she replied, as she focused on his question. “But I prefer sex over knives and needles. Unless they’re used during sex.”

Rami twisted his face and gaped at her. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

She couldn’t help bursting out in laughter. “Yeah, I am. I like a little pain with my pleasure, but nothing that involves blood and guts. I’ve always been different that way. Most of the Fallen carry so much anger and resentment that they take it out on everyone around them.”

“Do you hear that?” he asked as he put his arm out, stopping her. Cocking her head to the side, she listened as the roar echoed again, followed by the ground trembling.

“Call your sword, Virgin. The minotaur is coming,” she warned.

Tucking her hands into the small of her back, they came away with her blades in hand. A second later, an eight-foot creature barreled around the corner then stopped to stare at them.

“Hey, Mini. How are you doing?” she asked as she put her body in front of Rami.

“What are you doing?” Rami barked and tried to step around her.

“Could you roll around in some mud, please? You’re an angel, and have attracted unwanted attention,” she scolded.

“What are his weaknesses?” Rami asked, his tone lethal.

Kara hadn’t spent much time with AORs or Warrior Angels when she was in Heaven and was now realizing she’d missed out. She wouldn’t have given her heart to the weasel Jared if she’d spent any time with an angel with substance. Ramiel had it going on with his sexy walk, talk, and everything in between. He drove her girly parts mad with desire, making it difficult to focus on the rampaging demon charging toward them.

“I planned to slice off his dangly bits and toss them to the sand wyrms,” she said with a shrug as she widened her stance and held her weapons at the ready.

“Cutting his dangly bits? You stick with that plan. I’m going for his horns. If they’re half as sensitive as yours, then cutting one off will distract enough for me to finish him off,” Rami countered.

“Oooo, very devious. I like it, but the minotaur is rather hard to kill,” she warned right before the minotaur was on them.

The beast charged toward Rami with his head lowered and Rami stood there without a weapon. What the fuck was the angel doing? Zakara couldn’t do anything but throw her arms open and swipe her blades through what flesh she could reach. The tug on both hands told her she’d managed to hit the demon.

Black blood spurted as she ducked and rolled. A loud shout and vile curse had her heart pounding. And her eyes were watering. Jumping up, she turned to see Ramiel soar through the air.

He spread his black wings, and they caught a split second before he slammed into a gnarled black tree with a loud crack. Kara wondered if the sound was the branches snapping or Ramiel’s bones. The angel was tough, but that looked painful.

The minotaur raced toward him when a grunt left the injured angel, making Kara sigh in relief. She wasn’t ready to part with him yet and refused to allow Amon to have her tasty treat. Amon would destroy Ramiel’s beautiful Light, and she wouldn’t have it. Zakara was holding it close, despite the pain and discomfort it caused.

Ramiel laid on the ground, panting for breath. She could see one of his eyes was swollen shut. He was severely injured and would be killed by the beast if she didn’t act quickly. Kara sprinted as fast as her legs would carry her, and in desperation, threw one of her daggers at the monster’s back. It lodged in the demon’s shoulder, which made him stop and turn, snarling her way.

The minotaur took three steps and swung a club made from a limb off a nearby tree. The wood slammed into her midsection, and her body sailed backward. The creature snorted then turned his attention to the real prey. Ramiel.

Zakara landed on the rocky ground and felt a snap in her leg before pain blinded her. For several panic-filled seconds, she couldn’t see or breathe as agony raced through her system. She heard snarls and howls and crashing.

A heartbeat later, air whooshed back into her lungs, and her vision returned. Ramiel stood fifty feet in front of her with blood dripping down his temple. His wings were stretched wide, taking up the landscape behind him and he held his flaming sword aloft.

The angel swung at the demon as it jumped and avoided the blow. The minotaur was bleeding down the back of his shoulder where her weapon was lodged, as well as, several other injuries inflicted by the angel. They were evenly matched, but Ramiel was highly motivated, and that gave him an edge.

His blade raced through the air, making it blur. The smell of burning fur turned Kara’s stomach, or maybe that was the pain in her leg, she amended as she tried to stand. Falling on her ass before making it two feet, she glanced down and nearly threw up.

Blood poured from a wound in her thigh, and she could see the bone protruding. Sucking in a breath, she shoved the bone into place and sent healing cells to the area. She healed fast, but not fast enough to help Ramiel with this fight.

The minotaur swung his club and hit Rami in the side. This time the angel took several steps backward but didn’t lose his footing. Instead, he snarled back and grabbed hold of the club.

His sword disappeared as he yanked the weapon from the beast and tossed it aside. Clawed hands wrapped around Ramiel’s throat and found purchase. As his angelic blood spilled, it burned the minotaur’s hands.

Ramiel stretched his hands out, and his sword flickered but didn’t manifest in his hands. “Focus, dammit. I’m taking a nap. Don’t make me get up,” she called out to Ramiel.

He glanced over the beast’s shoulder, and his eyes narrowed as he caught sight of her. Yeah, the red blood had been a shock to her, as well. Her blood had been a dark brownish color for centuries. The ancients were the only ones in Hell that had red blood, but they’d all decayed to the point it had turned black. All except for hers.

The beast slammed Rami into the trunk of a tree, and the timber snapped when his body impacted the third time. Black bark went flying and Rami finally connected with his weapon of Light. Bright flames flashed before it sank into the demon’s chest.

“Go to Hell,” Ramiel growled as he sent a pulse of his energy and Kara felt it through their bond. It scalded her, sending her Darkness into hiding which left her vulnerable in a way she’d never experienced.

“He’s already in Hell, Virgin,” she called out.

The minotaur roared as he fell to his knees, his claws slicing furrows down Ramiel’s neck. Rami cursed and stumbled before he kicked the beast to its back. Breathing heavily, the angel made his way to her side.

“You look like shit, Salsa,” he said as he knelt beside her and touched the tear in her jeans and her broken leg.

“You interrupted my beauty rest with all that racket,” she groused and winced as she climbed to her feet.

The bone was mending, but the skin was sealed shut, so no nasty critters were going to get into her system. The wound would disappear in the next few minutes.

“Sorry. I’ll be sure to slit their throat next time,” Rami said as he leaned against a tree trunk, catching his breath. “Is he dead?”

“Definitely. Angel fire burns demon souls from the inside out. But, Amon will have sensed his Guardian is dead. He’ll arrive any minute, but he’ll be too busy recreating another to focus on anything else. So, shake it off, Virgin. We need to head toward the outer ring where he punishes the murderers and plunderers,” Zakara called over her shoulder as she limped away.

After watching his display of power, she’d love nothing more than to find an empty house and fuck her angel senseless. He knew how to make a demon hot.