Page 119 of Hell Bound

“No,” she said firmly. “He was a fair king by all accounts, firm when needed, but he actually cared about the people of the Infernal Court.Allof them, not just the nobles.”

Admittedly, I’d wondered if there were residents beyond the nobility and the servants. I’d yet to see a regular person while trapped here, and I had no memory of what lay beyond these walls.

“Asmodeus was desperate to prove himself, though, to amass more power. So he forced the Crone into helping him. He wasn’t strong enough to outright defeat the King or Killian, so she cursed them into different forms.”

I frowned. “Killian is a wolf, but what is Beleqor? He’s not one of Odragir’s wolves, he couldn’t be. They’re too loyal to Asmodeus.”

“You’ve met him.” I stared blankly, not getting what I was missing. “In the forest.”

Memories of that night flooded my mind, but I hadn’t met anyone new in my desperate attempt to flee–

“You can’t be serious.” Pyp just nodded. “Beleqor is the beast in the forest?”

“It was the only way Asmodeus could contain him. I don’t think we’re supposed to know, but word has spread over time. Most demons in the Infernal Court would probably still side with Beleqor if they knew how to free him of the curse, or if he was in any condition to lead.”

After centuries trapped as that monster, I doubted there was much of the king left.

“But how did that end up with Killian unable to speak?”

“The curse forces us to remain here, and the only way to escape it would be death. Asmodeus made even that impossible. After Beleqor’s defeat and his enslavement, Killian tried anyway. He was strong enough to actually make an attempt, but it wasn’t enough. Instead, the curse broke him.” She looked at him again, that same pity from before even stronger.

My heart ached as I, too, looked at the gentle giant. I wish I’d had a chance to know him before Asmodeus had done this to him, but the Killian who remained wasn’t broken.

His kindness and empathy were still there, even if his ability to express himself had been stolen.

Pyp returned to the movie after that, while I stared at the screen, not really seeing it.

I was too busy trying to figure out how I was going to get myself, Lucifer, Hana, Deasley, Killian, Pyp,andJovran out of the Infernal Court without getting us all killed.

How hard would it be for Deasley to get a passenger van over here?

Chapter28

Lucifer

Iavoided Lilith for three days, and in that time, the entire Infernal Court went to shit.

Pypentha was training with Deasley under Jovran’s direction. He’d risen to the task of overseeing Deasley’s training, and the young demon was already showing improvement.

My second-in-command was right; everyone had paid a heavy price.

We had to do whatever we could to mitigate the damage.

When Jovran, Deasley, and I had returned to the palace, Pypentha had practically slavered over me in her attempts to let me know that Lilith had, in fact, escaped Odragir’s attentions.

“She bargained her way out of it, she said she used her power,” she said, crimson eyes wide. “Her demoness aspects are finally returning!”

I’d brushed past her, pleased by that, but still tense over Deasley’s unknown fate.

“He didn’t touch a hair on her head. She spent the night in the Clubhouse with me and Killian. We watched human movies. How do they fit the people in the box—?”

“Pypentha.” I was pleased by Lilith’s resourcefulness. Turning her into a mortal had drawbacks, but in some ways she had come out better on the other side.

If her power was indeed returning, our chances of escape could only increase.

I was beginning to feel like I could trust her to take care of herself. In the days before, when she’d been a broken, porcelain doll, I would’ve had to intercede at every turn.

Finding a way to save herself was a welcome change, but I couldn’t dwell on it without wanting to go to her and praise her ingenuity. Her strength. Her bravery.

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