Page 68 of Not Today, Satan
I can’t bear to end it, so I wrap my arms around him and pull him closer until I’m not sure where I end and he begins.
He breaks the kiss with a sigh, then brushes his lips over my forehead. “You’re a good person, Devica. I’ll always be grateful to you for saving me—from more than just Hell.”
“Nate—”
But he’s turned from me and stepped through the wall before I can finish my thought. I close my eyes and take long breaths, my chest aching, lips still tingling from his kiss.
Pushing Nate away will be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But if I’ve learned anything the last few months, it’s that I can do hard things. He taught me that.
And that I’ll do whatever it takes to finish this journey and set him free. He deserves at least that.
He deserves more.
My breath stalls as I step through the wall onto a long wooden suspension bridge.
The “River of Fire” lives up to its name. Pits of green flame extend hundreds of miles below us, and the air shimmers like a mirage. Sweat builds behind my neck and along my collarbone.
Across the bridge high in the blue-velvet sky, the portal to Earth blazes like a shimmering sun.
Nate stands at the edge of the bridge, his mouth agape.
I step beside him and peer over the railing. I’ve never been to this part of Hell, and goose bumps prick my arms despite the heat billowing from the fires below.
My mom may not have died here, but I’ve known others who did. Their memories claw at my skin like ghosts and I shudder, imagining how long they screamed before succumbing to the flames. If they screamed at all.
I turn away and swallow the bile in the back of my throat. I’ll never understand why this place even exists.
“If that can kill a demon, what would it do to, say, me?” Nate asks.
“You’d cease to exist.” My voice cracks, and I clear my throat. “Your soul would burn, and there’d be no bringing it back. So, you know, make sure you don’t fall.”
I attempt to smile at him, but it falters and I look away. He makes this joking-through-hard-things look way easier than it is.
Nate wipes at his brow with the back of his hand. “Got it.”
Taking his hand, I lead us across the bridge. The planks sway beneath my feet, and I grip the railing with my free hand, burning my palm on the ropes.
We’re halfway to freedom when a familiar voice cuts the air behind us. “I’m afraid that’s as far as you go, Princess.”
The blood drains to my feet and my body numbs, but I continue along the bridge without looking back. “You’re too late, Ferus. We’re getting out of here, whether you like it or not.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Princess.”
The bridge shakes beneath us, and figures in black pour out of the darkness ahead.
No. Not again.
Souldiers.
They descend onto the bridge with weapons raised, blocking our path. We turn, and Ferus growls, another army at his heels.
How have I fallen for this ridiculous trap twice?
“I knew it was too easy in Nix,” I whisper, spots dancing across my vision. “You wanted ushere.”
“Exactly.” Ferus grins, his teeth whiter than the snow melting off our shoulders. “We opened the lots hoping the shadelings would take you out. Those creatures may have been lazy on Earth, but when it comes to finding a heat source, they’ll do anything.”
My stomach roils as the sound of cracking bones and thumping bodies fills my head. “I noticed.”
