After taking a seat next to me, Raksha leaned in closely. “Everyone at the Dark Prince’s residence has been ordered not to touch you outside of training sessions, and to obey my command as if it were his.”
She pulled away with a grin, and I could see she liked the power the Dark Prince had given her. Hell, I’d do the same thing. I’d lord over these assholes, barking insults all damn day.
But I knew better than to respond. I simply nodded and grabbed a piece of bacon, chewing it slowly as my tablemates stared at me.
If Shea were here, she’d tilt her chin up and stare these bitches down, but I just kept my gaze on my plate. I knew I was way in over my head. My spirit had been broken, and I was very aware of the fact that, against my will, James’s version of the prophecy was coming true.
“So, the Dark Prince really trusts her to join our mission?” a Dark Mage with jet-black hair asked Raksha, while glaring at me over her plate of food.
Raksha nodded curtly. “He does.”
I raised one eyebrow. “Mission?”
Raksha’s hand snaked out under the table, squeezing my thigh so hard that I almost throat-punched her.
The raven-haired Mage grinned. “Makes sense that he wouldn’t tell you yet. He’ll wait until the very last moment. Until he absolutely has to. That’s his style.”
Raksha snorted. “As if you know his style. You’ve met him twice.”
The table erupted into snickers and jests, but I just kept my face blank. I didn’t want to do anything that would earn me an ass beating later.
Raven rolled her eyes, and then tipped her head to me. “Is it true you trained with Archangel Michael?”
Oh God. What did I say to that?
I shrugged. “A few times.”
Every head at the table was now pointed in my direction, sizing me up carefully.
Raven smirked. “Can’t wait to see what you learned in the training arena.”
Bitch.
Continuing to stare at my plate, I shoved a spoonful of runny eggs into my mouth.
Raksha reached over and patted my forearm. “She’s not ready to train yet. She’s still on the medicine.”
Raven nodded as if in understanding. “Some days after a hard day of training, I miss the medicine.”
What did she just say?
I frowned, unsure if I should ask the question that was now burning a hole in my tongue.
One sharp look from Raksha told me I shouldn’t say anything, but the question still rattled around my brain like a broken record.
Are we all prisoners here?
Chapter Three
After breakfast, the others went to “train,” whatever that entailed, and I went with Raksha to run an errand. What that errand was, I had no idea; I was told nothing, and I’d learned early on to ask no questions.
As we traversed the halls, Raksha looked over at me. “It’s half a mile there and half a mile back. This will be your exercise while we wean you off the medication. You’ll be permitted a short nap after, and then you’ll take your dinner tonight with the Dark Prince.”
I faltered at that last part, nearly tripping over my cane.
“Will I eat with him every night?” I tried to keep my voice calm.
God, please say no.
She side-eyed me with amusement. “I doubt it. He’s very busy. This is a special occasion to welcome you to the group.”
Oh great. I’m being welcomed to the evil Hell squad.
“Right.”
We walked slowly, stopping for me to rest against the wall when fatigue got the best of me. Raksha never complained, never snapped at me, just stood there, quietly waiting for me. I knew it was probably unhealthy, but it made me like her. There was more to her, I felt. Yes, she threatened to kick my ass if I embarrassed her, and she’d thrown me across the room before, but she was also helping me. Feeding me, making sure I got a bath, helping me regain my strength.
Maybe I was so lost and alone that I needed a friend, even if it wasn’t a real one.
“Do you have family?” I asked casually, wondering if we could perhaps become closer.
The color drained from her face and she straightened her back. “Come on, they won’t wait all day,” she snipped before stalking off down the maze of halls.
Awesome.
If offending Raksha were a class, I would have an A+.
I struggled to keep up, my heart hammering in my chest, my weak legs quivering until finally I saw sunlight filtering in through windows up ahead. Raksha was standing in front of one, arms crossed as she waited for me.
Sunlight? In Hell?
When I finally caught up, I gazed out the window only to realize it wasn’t sunlight filtering through—it was fire. I could see now that we’d slowly walked in circles, gradually rising higher and higher until we’d reached the top floor, which was ground level. That meant we were living underground. A terrifying thought.
Surrounding the huge stone castle-like structure was a ring of what I could only assume was hellfire. Beyond the fire ring were hordes and hordes of demons and spectral ghosts, milling aimlessly around the desolate land, seemingly lost.
She obviously didn’t like personal questions, but maybe she wouldn’t mind a general one.
“So bad souls come here forever?” I watched a young man fight with a demon over food.
Raksha followed my gaze. “Fallacy. Souls come here for a length of time that is adequate for their soul to learn its lesson. Then it reincarnates and is given another chance on Earth.”
My jaw dropped. Reincarnation. Raphael had mentioned that, but I hadn’t thought souls could reincarnate from Hell. It gave me hope in the grand scheme of things. Maybe God wasn’t as cruel as I thought.
“And even though they’re souls, they still need food?” I watched the spectral ghost fight for an apple.
She eyed me suspiciously, probably wondering how much to say. “The demons need food, the souls don’t. Lucifer provides them with the illusion that they need food, so they feel hunger, and fight over what little is left, but they don’t actually need it to survive.”
I scoffed. “How lovely of Lucifer to do that.”
Is that a grin curling at her lips?
“Come on, it’s just through here. Keep your head down and don’t ask any questions,” she quipped, and then we were moving again.
My legs were Jell-O, and my hand was sore from holding up all my weight on the cane, but I pushed through the pain out of pure curiosity as to where we were going. We passed a darkened hallway and came upon a single red door. It was lacquered to the extreme; so shiny it seemed lost in this dark place.
Raksha checked her watch, standing there for a whole minute in silence, then finally reached out, and opened the door.
“Head down,” she hissed.
I tucked my chin in as I dropped my gaze to the floor, trying to act as submissive as possible, which was hard as hell for someone as fiery as me. In my peripheral vision, I could see someone inside the door was opening a portal as Raksha and I waited.
Suddenly, a dark figure stepped into the light, male from what I could tell.
“Greetings, Raksha.” He spoke in a clipped tone.
“Mathias,” Raksha shot back, equally clipped.
He reached out, handing her some type of package.
“And from my family?” she asked, taking it from him.
There was silence for a beat. “Oh, were they supposed to write?”
I could tell he was playing with her by his tone. I wanted so badly to look up, but I knew better. Play the part, stay alive.
“Don’t. Fuck. With me!” Raksha rumbled, and he burst into laughter.
“You know, you’re sexy when you’re pissed,” the man informed her, then handed her some type of envelope that she quickly placed in her pocket.
“Same time tomorrow,” she replied begrudgingly, before turning on her heels.
“Look forward to it!” he called after her, and then she shut the red door.
Was it an Abrus demon, or a human of some kind? I couldn’t tell, and everything down here smelled like demon, so my nose was no help.
I hobbled after Raksha in silence, trying to process what just happened.
The portal must go to Earth.
It looked like the man controlled the portal, not Raksha.
The man is also bad.
What’s in the package?
Raksha does have a family.
All of those things swirled in my brain, and for the first time since I’d landed in this hellhole, I had the smallest sliver of hope that I might get out of here.
With each step I took back to my room, I felt stronger and stronger.
I’m going to get out of here. I have to.
By the time we reached my room, I was exhausted. Raksha unlocked my door, told me to nap, and then locked me inside without another word. Kicking off my boots, I slipped into my little twin bed with the rumpled red cotton blanket.
I lay there for a while, just staring at the stone ceiling and processing the day. Could I get Raksha to send a letter telling Lincoln I was alive? It would take a lot more trust and bonding than we currently had, but I vowed to work on it right then and there. Raksha seemed to be the only one who gave a shit about me. If my family knew I was alive, it would give me something to live for until my escape.
I was drifting off to sleep when I felt something familiar. A tug on my mind. I couldn’t figure out what it was or what was familiar about it, until I heard her.
‘Brielle!’ Sera shouted into my head.
A sob escaped my throat and I bolted upright, hands shaking as adrenaline coursed through me.
‘Sera! Oh my God.’ Tears streamed down my cheeks as I felt her energy consume me. The huge gaping hole in my heart felt a little bit more full right then.
‘You’re okay? You can hear me?’ she queried in disbelief.
Sobs racked my body as I clutched my chest. ‘I can hear you. I can hear you.’
Up until that moment, I’d been so alone, but hearing Sera’s voice, knowing she was down here with me, made everything better.
‘I’d have thought you were dead, but I could still feel you. Far away yet alive. What happened?’