Page 111 of Hell Bound

My wolf and demon side were in agreement: this could not be allowed to stand.

I took the wolves’ exit, slipping into a dark hall and tracing my way towards the staircase that led to Lilith’s chambers.

My blood was boiling, my own enraged heartbeat filling my ears. I turned a corner and found myself staring at a mouthful of teeth stretched in a wide smile.

Asmodeus’s arms were crossed over his broad chest, the lamp he stood under illuminating his hair like a crown. “Were you hoping to find someone else,PrinceMorningstar?”

I glared at him, feeling the chains of the curse entwining around me tighter. Asmodeus’s curse knew damn well when I was considering defying its constraints, such as savaging its creator.

My claws extended, my sharp teeth digging into my gums.

If I could break the chains, I would savage him here and now, leaving his ravaged carcass for someone else to find.

The heat of my anger became a frigid chill, a contemplative sort of rage.

It would be pain beyond imagining, but if I broke through those chains for only a few moments, it would be enough.

“I do love watching you struggle.” Asmodeus let out a low, dark chuckle, his eyes gleaming as they ran over my face. “The crown jewel of my collection… reduced to temper tantrums and sneaking around like a thief in the night.”

I took a step forward, fighting against the invisible bonds to raise my hand. To rake my claws over his face.

Asmodeus saw the twitch of my fingers. “If you can land a single blow, I give you permission to stop Duke Odragir. If you hurry, you might catch him before he can fuck my wife.”

But it was like fighting through mud, the air itself conspiring against me.

He cocked his head, watching me battle against invisible bonds and wholly unconcerned. “How does it feel to want her so badly—when I possess her completely, and do nothing? You are like a child, all this jealousy over a toy on a dusty shelf, abandoned and unwanted.”

A growl escaped me. My hand had barely risen above waist level. The chains were burning, red marks blooming on my skin where I fought against them.

“So utterly pointless. You will never win against me.” He reached into his pocket, smirking, and pulled out something that my mind struggled to make sense of at first.

It was only when he held it up to the lamplight that I understood.

It was a scrap of glittering black cloth, still dusty from the hay of the stables.

He threw it, and the cloth slapped across my mouth and fell to the floor between us.

I silently cursed myself.

Why had I used my claws… why had I touched her at all… why hadn’t I gone back through the fucking hay to make sure not so much as a single thread was left behind?

“See now why Duke Odragir was rewarded,” he said coolly. “A pity you can’t be such a good dog like he is.”

The bonds were too tight, choking and strangling. I allowed my hand to drop back to my side. “I willneverbe your loyal dog.”

Asmodeus smiled, circling me like a shark in the water. “Oh, I know. The endless amusement you bring me. It’s one of the reasons why I keep you around, Lucifer. Anyone else caught sniffing around the queen would be subject to death, and yet, for you, I feel there are far worse punishments.”

He was close enough that his robes brushed my skin as he passed around my back. A prickle ran down my spine, the wolf warning with a growl never to let an enemy move unseen behind me.

Asmodeus circled, looking me up and down, and stopped in front of me again.

“Pain wouldn’t break you, would it?” he asked quietly. “You would relish it, I think—becoming a martyr for her sake.”

The wolf knew where this was going, growls now pouring out in an internal, unbroken stream.

“But there is one game we haven’t played yet.” Asmodeus couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “Perhaps I’ve been selfish, keeping the amusement all for myself. I have yet to watch you choke the life out of her with your own hands, Lucifer.”

Even the wolf went silent. My hands twitched.

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