Page 106 of Hell Bound

This prison was awful for a great many reasons, but one of the worst was how it inhibited my urge to explore.

I was fascinated by the landscape of this place, and I longed to venture beyond the walls and learn for myself what Hell was truly like when Asmodeus wasn’t within spitting distance.

I couldn’t help but compare it to what the human world had been like. Growing up around constant traffic, electronics, and American culture definitely hadn’t prepared me for anything like this.

There were things I sorely missed, like margaritas, streaming services, and my ereader.

I should ask Deasley if he has one. I miss books.

If this place had a fairytale library, I had yet to find it. And, given Asmodeus’s nature, I wasn’t betting on there being any decent reading material even if there was.

But inevitably, my mind always went back to Lucifer.

What would it be like if he could take me from here whenever we wanted, go explore the town that I could make out in the distance?

Or maybe I could show him Miami. He would flip his shit, and I would enjoy every second of it.

I could just see him scowling at the crowd in Firebrand, my—and apparently Deasley’s—favorite nightclub.

Then again, he’d probably claw the shit out of someone just for looking at me, so it might be better to stick with a trip to the beach.

It didn’t seem like that was in the cards for us, though. Unless he found some way to break free of Asmodeus’ leash on him, we were doomed to remain here, under his rule.

And the cycle would repeat.

He would watch me die, and then I would be forcibly returned to the living and made to dig my own graves.

The tiny ruby waves in the lake mesmerized me, and suddenly I wasn’t watching the water anymore.

I was staringat Lucifer as he walked into the dining hall, decked out in princely attire with magnificent black wings rising from his back.

He strode in with a full retinue of Fallen demons behind him, all wearing colors that matched their prince’s outfit.

He was a smug bastard, but in an annoyingly sexy way. I sat at the raised table on the dais, uninterested in the evening’s festivities, but the moment he entered the room, he captured my attention.

I’d heard of him and his exploits many times before. All the demonesses of Hell knew his name, and many knew much more than that.

He was a notorious womanizer. He’d exiled his own general and right-hand man to the Reviled Court.

And he thought he owned every inch of Hell he walked upon.

Striding through the space like it was his own and not that of a rival court, he climbed right up the steps and stopped across the table from us.

“Asmodeus,” he greeted, giving only the barest inclination of his head. There were a few sharply indrawn breaths, but the courtiers of the Infernal Court knew better than to make a scene.

They’d learned from my mistakes long ago.

Not only hadn’t he addressed him as King Asmodeus, but he also hadn’t offered a full bow.

I clapped inside.

“Lucifer. I was under the impression you would be arriving yesterday. Was there somewhere more important you needed to be than here for our discussion of an alliance?”

“My sincerest apologies. We were… waylaid.” That cocky smirk returned, and this time I fought not to roll my eyes.

So he’d found a demoness more important than maintaining the tenuous truce between the Infernal and Fallen Courts? The arrogant fool.

My own court had been destroyed by Asmodeus once he’d gotten what he wanted from it.

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