Silence fell as they overlooked the scene below. The cliff descended directly into the Ninth Circle, and Zakara imagined Ramiel’s outlook. Torture and despair the Underworld, along with, greed and rage. Kara hadn’t considered the degree of suffering that permeated everything. The demons, the souls, the air, water, and even the soil. It suffocated every being with its pervasiveness.

Ramiel’s Light was making it difficult for her to function. She couldn’t fathom how hard it was for him to continue. She knew he must be insane from his inability to eradicate the enemy. It was his primary objective as an AOR, and he’d turned the other cheek too many times since they arrived.

The fact that he made his way down the cliff without so much as a wince was further proof of his dedication to Isobel and Zakara softened more toward the rugged angel. Was she capable of something more than gratifying sex? Could she love again? This adventure with the sexy, yet bitter, angel changed her, and she didn’t know what she would be like at the end of this mission. The prospect was frightening.

Zakara’s keen eyesight barely detected movement, but she saw enough to know there were countless demons below them. Precisely what they didn’t need. Seemed Lucifer had beefed up his security. That’s how she viewed the demons that did his bidding.

She found it odd that the Dark Lord was frightened of a small child, but if Izzy was a miniature Goddess, then she guessed he had reason to be terrified.

“This trek won’t be risk-free,” she muttered, breaking the silence. “We need to get past the souls that line the walls of the cliffs.”

Ramiel groaned, and his shoulders stiffened as he continued to walk. “Of course we do. God forbid the Underworld to have ten whole feet without demons torturing some poor soul.”

“A demon’s gotta have a hobby. You’ll be happy to know cannibalism amongst the Underworld’s inhabitants is at an all-time high,” Kara teased.

“Now you're just mean. What’s an Angel of Retribution to do if the demons take themselves out?” he replied with a smirk.

“You’ve mentioned killing demons before. Are they your sole focus of vengeance?” Kara asked curiously.

“Yes,” he growled. The ominous tone coupled with blazing red eyes and burned wings made him appear more demon than angel. If it weren’t for the Light shining in his soul, she’d think her Darkness had taken control of him.

Cocking her head, she considered his tone. “What happened that made you choose this path? Most of your kind take care of human foes like drug lords or murderers,” she stated as she stared at his stoic expression.

Something big must’ve happened to him. Most of those killed by demons never became AORs. His soul had to be beyond pissed at the time of his death. Given the massive chip on his shoulder, she imagined it was a doozy.

“What happened to you?” she asked again when he didn’t answer.

He was silent for so long that she worried her inquisition pissed him off. His mind was apparently somewhere else. Finally, he murmured, “A foster kid I was helping killed me. He’d been turned into skirm by an archdemon named Kadir and ripped my throat out one night when I overheard him trying to coax two other kids to join his nefarious world.”

A gasp left her throat at what he described. Skirm attacks were vicious and painful. She found them more violent than most demons because they had a single focus. Death. After suffering such a brutal attack, she knew there was no way he would ever see her as anything but evil. And to think she was falling for him. She was beyond fucking screwed. There was no way to turn off her feelings now.

Curses filled her head, scolding her for going against her better judgment. As if she needed another painful reminder to keep her distance and never get involved. This situation was going to be worse than Jared’s torment. Where he was cold and distant, Ramiel was hot and passionate, cracking her icy exterior.

Turning her back so Rami couldn’t see her turmoil, Kara focused on the countless souls marching in lines. The pour souls stood there to be beaten by various lesser demons.

“Kadir was a giant slimy jackass. I never liked him. Those kids didn’t stand a chance against him,” she replied.

“I know you’re right. I just wish I could go back in time and kill Kadir before Izzy managed it. He was the one demon I was determined to eradicate. Kadir caused all my problems. I lost my life, and Elsie, because of him,” Ramiel muttered as he began walking again, and Zakara fell into step beside him. She could sense his pain over losing Elsie, and she wondered what it would feel like to be loved so deeply by this male.

“It wouldn’t have helped if you’d been the one to kill him. That bitterness would still haunt you. Nothing would be different except you’d have more blood on your hands,” Zakara replied absently.

“What do you know about it?” he snarled as he bent to avoid a low-hanging branch. He winced, unable to hide the pain his movement caused.

“I know it didn’t help when I killed the angel that betrayed me by sleeping with Jared during the Great War. I was hell-bent on making them pay, but after I killed her, I felt worse. Ultimately, it’s what gave Jared the opportunity to take my wings,” she admitted.

Jealousy and rage consumed her. If it hadn't, she might still have her wings. Whether she would be in Heaven or Hell was another story.

“I’m sorry you suffered such betrayal. No one should be treated so poorly, especially not you,” Rami said, stopping to grab Kara's hand. “I can’t believe there is such treachery in the Heavenly Host. It never occurred to me there would be such drama. I wish I would’ve been there for you,” he said and reached up to caress her cheek.

His words comforted her more than she thought possible. She met his heated gaze, and her heart skipped. It confused her even more that this angel had become so important to her.

She waved that away and shoved her useless emotions to the side. “I need to kill something,” she announced, needing the outlet.

“Now you’re speaking my language,” Rami replied. “But, won’t that put a bigger target on our backs?”

“Murder and mayhem is the only common factor in all nine circles. But, you need to embrace my Darkness and bring it to the surface. No one will think you’re anything but a pissed off Fallen angel.”

“Small price to pay to take out the trash,” he declared, and she watched as her Dark swathed his Light. It wasn’t a perfect disguise but was enough to fool the lower-level demons they would encounter.

Picking up their pace, they reached another ledge about twenty-five feet further down the cliff. Here, the poor souls’ heads were stuffed inside holes in the black granite mountain. Their feet stuck straight in the air while fury demons held torches and burned the soles. She supposed this was Hell’s version of art, she surmised, as she shook her head at the grisly sight.

“Keep your anger in check,” she reminded Ramiel when she felt him bristle beside her.

“How can you remain so calm? Nothing about this is right. I can see through their bodies, but I also smell the burning flesh. How is that possible if they are phantoms? And, where does the blood come from? I see it dripping down their ghostly legs?”

“Demons are vile creatures with twisted cravings. This depravity is how they get their kicks. You must admit the flailing, and white bone is a brilliant touch. Must’ve been a Behemoth demon that added that to the mix. These Fury demons think about only one thing. Torture,” she shared.

After the demons inflicted enough damage that the souls’ legs went still, they moved onto the next. Then, they would go back when first soul’s feet had healed and repeat the torment. It was an endless and vicious cycle.

Her comments didn’t help calm Ramiel’s anger and resentment, so she changed direction in hopes of distracting him. “Do you want to kill the Fury demons or some of those with the swords?” she asked, pointing in the distance.

About ten feet beyond the Fury demons, there were souls lined in soldier formation, and surrounding them with sword-wielding demons. Her stomach turned when the creature closest to them began swinging his sword and hacking a body into bloody pieces. She’d forgotten the horrors found in the Ninth Circle.

“Those fuckers with the swords,” Ramiel barked. “I can’t watch that for another second,” he added before he charged forward.

Zakara followed, thinking of the evil that fed these demon’s morbid appetites. Like most souls in the Underworld, the bodies reassembled themselves, so their dismemberment happened all over again. Ramiel was right. The sight was disgusting and harsh. It made Zakara want to grab onto Ramiel’s Light and let it flood her entire being. Anything to wash away her connection to this realm.

Ramiel clashed with the demon closest to him, and she opened her mouth to warn him not to call his weapon of light, but it was too late. It was blazing in his hand and slicing the demon in half. Reaching his side, she scooped up the discarded sword and handed it to him.

“Put that fucking thing away. It does you no good to shield your Light if you’re going to call your lightsaber,” she yelled at him.

He shrugged, and the glowing weapon disappeared. He grabbed the sword Kara held out to him and inspected it.

“This will do,” he said then released a war cry that sent a shiver down her spine. He was as ruthless as any demon she’d ever encountered.

He swung the sword at the demons heading their way. The giant, red creatures were savage, and their arms moved nearly too fast for her eyes to follow.

Two raced to where Ramiel engaged with three others. Their swords swirled and clashed together with an ear-piercing sound. She swore she heard Ramiel laugh as he swung and ducked the attackers. Not the time to ogle the hot angel, she scolded then focused on the steel heading for her neck.

“Motherfucker!” she shouted as she ducked, but she wasn’t fast enough. One of the blades sliced through one of her horns. Red blood trickled down her face as pain assailed.

Swooping low, she sliced the Achilles tendon on one demon and dodged the second blade from striking her stomach. She thrust her hand out, her blade sunk into the chest of the injured creature. He wasn’t getting up anytime soon.

Tucking her knife away, she snatched the sword from the grip of the injured demon and ran from the other barreling toward her. Turning after a couple of feet, she caught the demon off guard and swung with all her might.

The demon was quick and escaped her blade. They danced around one another. She came to a halt behind Ramiel’s back. “Fancy meeting you here, Virgin,” she called over her shoulder.

A loud roar bellowed and reverberated off the cliff walls, reminding her who soared above the Ninth Circle.

“What was that?” Ramiel asked as he searched the skies.

“That is Geryon. He calls this place home sweet home. He plays an important role in our journey that I’ll explain later,” she replied as the part human, part beast flew overhead.

The creature was massive, its wingspan easily fifty-feet wide. Geryon had the head of a man on a lion’s body with wings and tail of a dragon. The sound that escaped its throat would scare even the bravest warrior, and she could only imagine the terror it caused Izzy. She hoped the little girl was as strong as Rami described because this place was where nightmares were born.

Zakara battled and fought as if her life depended on it, slicing her way through limbs and ducking blows. The demons stepped over the debris of their downed comrades to get to her and Ramiel without stopping to consider the danger they faced. Fucking idiots, she mused.

Reaching her hand behind her back, she encountered Ramiel’s leather-clad ass and squeezed it. “Get us out of this without me breaking a nail, and I’ll blow you,” she offered with a purr as she kicked a demon in the head and sent him sailing into three others. They simultaneously dropped like bowling pins.

“What? Are you serious?” Rami shouted as he jabbed and thrust his blade into the chest of a demon in front of him. “You’re insane!”

“A girl’s gotta have a hobby. Don’t tell me it doesn’t get your juices flowing,” she countered as she jumped on the back of a demon and brought her sword to its neck, beheading the creature.

“Oh, they’re flowing, alright. Can’t get the image out of my mind,” Rami grunted as he slashed through the middle of a demon. “But we’re getting you a new hobby when we get out of this hellhole. You’re done offering sexual favors as payment. You deserve better treatment. You're a queen, Salsa. And, I’m the king you need,” he declared, and his lips briefly crashed against hers.

Zakara shoved Rami to the side, and her blade met a demon’s skull when it snuck up behind them. “Sorry about that, babe. We got work to do,” she huffed, stunned by his confession. She had no idea if the angel was serious or just yanking her chain. No male had ever said anything like that to her, and it scared the ever-loving shit out of her.

Kara quickly scanned the area. They’d killed all but two of the demons close to them. Tossing the sword aside, she folded her arms and watched Ramiel. He moved swiftly and confidently in his attack.

“Did you study Tae Kwon Do or something?” she asked nonchalantly. Every move highlighted his musculature and reminded her of a Ninja. His fluidity spoke of martial arts.

He glanced over and rolled his eyes when he saw her staring at her fingernails. “Karate. I was a third-degree black belt when I died. It’s like riding a bike. You never forget the moves,” he said before his blade sliced the last demon in half. “By the way, you’re a very naughty Fallen, distracting me like that.”

“It’s called motivation,” she replied as she picked her way through the bodies to stand by his side. His bare chest heaved as he caught his breath. His muscular chest was sweaty and covered with dirt. Kara licked her lips as she imagined stripping his pants then fucking him senseless.

“You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever met. I think I’m falling for you, Salsa,” Ramiel confessed.

Her heart raced and pounded against her chest. What was Rami trying to say? That he loved her? No, he couldn’t mean that. She didn’t know how to love anymore. Fucking had nothing to do with love, and that was all she knew. Jared destroyed her ability to give herself entirely to another.

She turned and started down the cliff, ignoring his comment. She didn’t know what to say to him. Her breath left in pants as she tried to regain control. Descending the cliffs into the heart of Lucifer’s domain was not the time to have a meltdown. She acknowledged that the bitter angel wormed his way past most of her barriers and showed her the meaning of loyalty and honesty but for her to say she loved him was absurd.

She glanced over her shoulder and met his gaze. She could see the confusion and hurt. “We’ll see if you still feel that way after this is over. We have to rescue Izzy first,” she stated, hoping to appease him.

“You’re right, Izzy needs us, but my feeling won’t change,” he murmured and grabbed her hand, stopping her. When she looked up, he grinned, “When we get out of here, what do you say we spend a week in bed?”

“Only a week, Virgin?” she countered with a smile.

Another roar had them looking toward the sky. “You mentioned that flying monstrosity plays an important role. Tell me I don’t have to fight it next.”

“You won’t have to fight it unless he sees your Light. Or if you take his treasure. Its cave is our way out. That’s what makes him important. We’ll have to do some digging, but that’s the exit. It’s the other half of the veil we crossed through. Geryon caused a collapse in that part of its cave centuries ago, and it’s not going to be a straight shot to the barrier, but your flaming sword should dig through the rubble and reach the veil before he catches on to what we’re doing.”

Ramiel shook his head. “And the hits keep coming. Is there anything easy about this venture?”

“The only easy exit from the Ninth Circle is through Lake Crocytus which is currently frozen. If it thaws, that means Lucifer is free,” she replied. And, that was a certain death sentence for her. Those bound to hell could not pass through the veil in the lake, but she kept that information to herself.

“The Rowan sisters sent me with a spell to bind him to the Underworld if he managed to get free. I have no idea how it works,” Ramiel muttered. “They had no idea if we would get through the veil, but said if we could get to Isobel that meant he was free and we needed to ensure he wasn’t able to cross into Earth.”

“It’d take potent magic to bind him to the Underworld,” Zakara replied thinking of the spells used to banish and bind them to this Godforsaken realm.

“The Rowan sisters are the most powerful witches in the Tehrex Realm. Regardless, he’s not getting free, so that won’t be an issue,” Ramiel replied as they continued making their way deeper into the Ninth Circle.

Zakara felt Lucifer’s power beating against her skin the closer they got to him. Razor blades would be more pleasant than his energy flaying her flesh. Glancing down, she expected to see rivulets of blood trailing down her body, but there was nothing. It was his Darkness trying to obliterate every ounce of Light in her system.

If she felt like this, Ramiel must be in immense pain. She noted his tense jaw and narrowed eyes, as well as, the sweat beading his brow. The time had passed for Kara to take off if she wanted to make it out of this quest alive. She needed to stop now and turn back to the cave. Kara never planned on seeing it to the end. She hoped she could get Ramiel close to Lucifer then take off, but now she didn’t want to leave his side. He needed her help.

But the hard truth was if she accompanied him to face Lucifer, she would die.