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Chapter One
Ito letfor the past : I woke up in Hell, in ed up and disco ill
“Morning Time for your meds,” Raksha told me
I glared at the Dark Mage We had a love-hate relationship She wasn’t abusive or overly rude, only did what the Dark Prince told her, and yet she was still my captor
“No s, please,” I whimpered
The ish, depressed, and sick
Shearound her face,her almost look pretty She was a woman of Indian descent, about mid-thirties and terribly powerful The first day I was here, I’d tried to blast her withmy neck wound
She tsked between her teeth “You know the rules, child You take the meds, and then you can see the Dark Prince”
“I don’t want to see the fucking prince!” I snapped
Her eyes snapped up to me, and a red haze came over them When she stood and stalked over to me with the oatmeal in her hand, she wore a look of determination
“I’ to let you in on a little secret You want to survive down here? Then you do what he says You understand?” Soed to the point that she al But that all ended when she shoved the first spoon of ‘oatmeal’ into my mouth, and clamped my lips shut
“S,” she growled
I looked down atthat sat there She’d been the one to let ht be spelled, but she’d looked it over, declared it useless and suggested it ht motivate me if I could have it They’d taken the pendant Mr Clay
I sed theit slide down my throat
Lincoln
God, that naht tears to my eyes, as a physical pain opened in ? My mom? Mikey?
Tears flowed down my cheeks, and Raksha smacked my hand
“None of that weakness in here S it down Survive,” she barked
There were gli to help me
“Why the meds still? I haven’t tried to attack the Dark Prince in a few days,” I attempted to reason with her, as she shoved another spoonful in my mouth
Raksha gave lare “A few days? Let’s try a feeeks, and then maybe I’ll be permitted to cut the meds”
A few ine that I’d lose my mind
The ic, couldn’t fly, couldn’t talk to Sera That last one killedshe was down here with me, but our connection was suppressed
“Okay, I won’t fight him anymore I see now that it’s useless” I would have to try another way to get out of here Play it like I was on their side
She nodded, spooning the gritty and bitter oatirl Do as you’re told”
The next hour passed in aI did every day Raksha watched me have a bath—I was not permitted a razor, no et dressed before settling me into my wheelchair Due to the medication and low appetite, I was too weakened to walk any long lengths
“Shall we go see the Dark Prince?” Raksha asked, wheelingstone hallway
I just grunted
I had no idea where ere in Hell After the healer demon had healed my neck, I’d passed out from the blood loss, and woke up here We could be hundreds of el City for all I knew, or even directly under it Raksha never gave any information; she would just smack my hand and shake her head
After working our way through a maze of hallways, we made it to the double doors of Lucifer’s office
Two raps on the hard wood, and then Raksha stood stiffly by my side, like a soldier
“Youvoice echoed into the hall
I’d come up with a pet name for the Dark Prince
Lucy
Lucifer, Lucy Get it? I called hio, and he struck me so hard my eye had swollen shut, so now I just said it in my head If Sera could hear me, she’d say it too, and then maybe I’d be able to mentally survive this literal hellhole
Raksha stepped forward and opened the double doors, wheeling ht think, the place of nighturneys set up with jars, potions, and stacks of bones all around the monsters with his own bare hands
His office gave ed to care much
“Are you ready to play nice?” Lucifer cooed
The saave a different answer: spit in his face, flipped hi, and so on None of it worked I needed to changeactress within the next five ht die down here and never see Lincoln and ain
Pulling my eyes froaze
“Yes,” I replied withall cheerful right aouldn’t work
He grinned and clapped his hands “Yes! You’ve come around, I see Good”
Raksha gavelook, complete with one raised eyebrow, but didn’t say a word
Lucy looked at Raksha and shooed her aith his hands “You’re dismissed, dear”
My nanny siup at the Devil himself
“The lea me feel awful
My brows furrowed “Pretty much” Best to be as honest as possible I had tried multiple tests to decipher if the Dark Prince could read els I ultimately determined he couldn’t, but I still wanted to be safe
He nodded, walking over to a gurney and placing souration on the table “It’s not that I fear you, of course, but at your full strength, you could be a nuisance for me I can’t be bothered with that type of distraction You understand, right?”
He was arranging the bones in the shape of a body, and that held all my attention I just nodded in response, too focused on what he was doing
His gaze flicked over to ht you here, you know To learn froé of sorts”
Vomit Screw you, Lucy!
“I guess,” was all I offered
His eyes gleamed and itNo one that evil should be so pretty “I knew you’d come around Unfortunate that it had to be the hard way, but you understand you’re never getting out of here, right? Even if you overpowered me, you’d be lost in this realm”
If that wasn’t thereality check possible, I didn’t knoas
Sighing, I looked down atat my limbs “I see that now, yes”
I didn’t even have to act anymore
He nodded, and then gestured to the pile of bones “This isdemons”
My eyes widened I mean, I knew he created the, but to hear hi, to say the least But it was also, a teensy bit fascinating
“What are you…today?” I didn’t have to fake the fear in my voice
He shrugged, “I was thinking so new I’m quite bored with the current selection”
Wow Just like that he could create so evil, and unleash it onto the world It was a powerful foric to possess
Reaching out, he dipped his fingers into a jar labeled Malice, and du handful of black powder over the skull that lay on the table I wheeled closer, captivated and horrified at the same time
He see with pleasure
“Wings or no wings? Hmmm What do you think?” he queried
I didn’t want to help, didn’t want to create anything evil
“No wings They’re overrated,” I offered
He just grinned atto the next jar, one labeled Cohtly dabbed his pinky into the pink powder, rubbing it between his fingers before sprinkling it over the skull
“Compassion in a demon? Is that a joke?” I wheeled closer to make sure I’d read the jar correctly
He chuckled “In the beginning, II said, couldn’t work together as a teah for them to care what I think of them”
Dick
“Cool” I was going to get an Oscar by the time I was done here
There were a bunch of jars sitting around, labeled everything from Acid, to Fire, to Co at the possibilities
“What’s going tohis chin It al me
Noas my moment to show hi forward, I pointed to the jar labeled Acid, then the Compulsion one “Combine those, and you’ll have a killer combo”
He raised an eyebrow “I’ your way”
I gave him a saccharine smile as he pulled the powders from the jars, and sprinkled them over the bones
God, please forgive me
“And you knohat? I’ve changed ood measure er One