Page 120 of The Devil's Trials

Being in the human world so long has made you weak, my mother’s voice reverberates hauntingly in my head, and I shove it away, gritting my teeth as I step onto the swaying bridge, the first plank groaning under my foot.

“Where are we going exactly?” Jude asks, stepping onto the bridge behind me, and Roman behind her.

“I imagine Lucia’s estate is where she left it when she came to the human world years ago. We’ll head there until the royal guard decides to grace us with their presence.”

We cross the bridge in silence, the river whooshing below us as I attempt to ignore the red mist in the air and coating the thick braided rope guardrails on either side of us.

Roman sighs. “You’re not going to make us walk all the way there, are you?”

I keep my gaze trained ahead as we near the other side of the bridge. “What do you…” I trail off as realization dawns on me. “I can portal here.”

“Theoretically,” Blake calls out. “Your mother could, so now that you’re in her position, with the power of the reigning monarch, you presumably can too.”

We get to the other side of the bridge, and I exhale a steadying breath. While the surge of energy from being back in hell is undoubtedly beneficial, I’ve never felt so out of my element.

“We’re about to have company, gentlemen,” Francesca says under her breath seconds before three demons spill out of the forest no more than twenty meters away.

In an instant, I’m gravely aware that these are high-level demons. They mostly exist in the depths of the underworld and rarely venture topside, choosing to feed on the souls of the damned that are trappedhere for eternity. With appearances more animal than human, my posture straightens as they get closer, their all-black gazes focused on me.

I’m to be their king, I remind myself.

Except they don’t bow to me when they get close as they should.

The male in the middle with a mouth full of grotesque, bloodstained fangs snarls a greeting before lunging at me.

Blake dives into action immediately, grabbing him around the waist as he swipes near my face with filthy, wolf-like claws. He throws the demon to the ground with a laugh. “Quite the warm welcome, mate,” he tosses over his shoulder at me.

Francesca advances at preternatural speed toward the other male demon, and I follow without missing a beat, not about to let them fight alone. Another move that’d be sure to disappoint my mother. She always expected those loyal to her to fight so she didn’t have to lift a finger.

I grab the female demon, wrapping my hand around her throat as she growls at me, her skin ashen gray, like dark granite. She has icy white hair that falls in loose waves down her back, and her black leather bodysuit clings to her narrow frame. This demon issmall-but-mightypersonified. And if she wasn’t attacking me, I’d likely appreciate that more.

“Weak human scum,” she spits in my face, and I get a flash of the piercings in her forked tongue. She attempts to slam her knee into my groin, but I manage to twist to the side so she hits my thigh.

I tighten my grip, leaning in as I bark, “Stand down or I willputyou down.” When her eyes narrow in defiance, I smile grimly and add, “Go ahead. Allow me to make an example of you.”

She seems to consider it. I watch her face, picking up the exact moment she makes a decision. Her mind is made up about me.

A cool sensation ripples through me as I give myself over to the monster lingering just beneath the surface. I grab both sides of the demon’s head and twist hard, snapping her neck. Stepping back, I let her body crumple to the ground. Killing demons works differently down here—her body won’t turn to ash like it would in the human world. We’ll have to sever her limbs and burn the pieces to ensure she doesn’t come back as a low-level demon.

I clap my hands together and exhale a sigh as I turn toward the others. Blake and Francesca each hold a demon by the throat as I walk closer, gravel crunching under my boots.

“Perhaps we can discuss why you saw fit to attack your king,” I offer in a level tone. I may not be king yet, but I’m fucking close enough. “Alternatively, I have no problem if you’d prefer to join your snake-tongued friend in eternal nothingness. Your choice.”

Slowly, both of them bow their heads, and when I nod at Blake and Francesca to release them, they sink to their knees. Jude and Roman, who were covering our backs, walk forward to stand with us.

“Forgive us, my lord,” one of the males says in a low, gravelly voice. He appears older than the other, maybe early forties, and has short, salt and pepper hair with a matching beard.

“Tell me,” I say as they keep their gazes trained on the ground. “Should I expect more greetings such as yours?”

The younger demon looks up first, meeting my gaze. When he opens his mouth to respond, his teeth are shockingly human, though his ears are slightly pointed, as if he could be one of the fair folk. Maybe in another life he was.

“Was the welcome into the monarchy topside friendlier than down here?” The serrated edge to his voice makes my lips twitch.

“That’s truly how you want to speak to me after I just killed your friend for disloyalty?”

He chuckles. “Not a friend.”

“You have two options,” Francesca chimes in. “Respect your king, or I’ll kill you myself.”

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