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MAGGIE'S POV

Zul immediately tosses me into my old cell once we're back in Hell. Everything looks the same except this time someone finally turned on the lights.

I wish they hadn't because my neighbors sitting in the cells across from me look like something that'd been plucked straight out of a sci-fi horror flick. Some of the beasts have multiple heads and limbs. Some of them don't even have mouths, just massive claws that look like they'd slice you in half with one swipe. I thought there'd only be humans on this level, but I guess I was wrong.

The only reason why I don't put up a fight with Zul is because I'm trying to preserve my energy. I can't place my finger on what it could be, but something tells me that now is not the time for me to act out. None of that stops me from yapping off at the mouth, though. I give Zul an earful as he locks me into my small cell, claiming that he'll send someone for me when the time is right.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I ask before he turns to walk away. "Hey, stop! I thought I was supposed to be used as a distraction. I thought you were taking me to see Laudon!"

"The plan has changed," Zul snaps, nose flaring. "My watcher has informed me that Laudon is up and about, presumably looking for me which should be impossible because that wine was meant to keep him down for several more hours. Seems like one of his little helpers came to his aid before I could track them down and eliminate them." Zul exhales, visibly looking bothered as he shakes his head. "I should have done that earlier on. A mistake on my part. Nonetheless, I must create a diversion while I..."

"Don't, Zul. Whatever you're thinking about doing right now, please don't do it."

The look on his face is terrifying. His pale skin is covered in dark war paint, his black eyes are opened wide, and his unnerving smile mirrors that of the Cheshire Cat. His entire demeanor screams unhinged. I can do nothing but plead for him to stop as he mutters a spell to unlock all the cell doors, every single one except for mine.

A few shell-shocked looking humans who'd been unlucky enough to spend the rest of eternity here, along with monsters that vary in shape and size all exit their cages and pour out into the walkway. Zul tells them that they're "free" and to "do whatever your wicked soul desires" and none of them ask questions. They simply take off running and yelling and... roaring.

"Listen well, little one. I must leave now, so I need you to be on your best behavior and stay put." Zul reaches into my cell and grabs me roughly by the arm before I can step away. He yanks me forward so hard that my face is pressed against the thick metal bars. "I will come back for you once I get Laudon alone and... calmed down. Do not try to escape unless you are ready to meet your maker, though, given your special situation, I doubt he will want anything to do with you."

"Are you sure you still have time for all of this?" I yell after he releases me. "Because I can tell that you know you're running out of time. I bet you thought you could betray Laudon without any interruptions until you heard the news that Lucifer was back. You're basically on a suicide mission right now. Do you even have a Plan B? I'd say I feel sorry for you but then I'd just be lying."

"Are you trying to get under my skin?"

"Maybe. Is it working?"

"No. And I will burn this entire kingdom to ash before I die by Laudon or Lucifer's filthy hand. Nothing and no one will stop me from becoming king, so I encourage you to quit wasting your breath trying to plant fear and doubt into my head. You should be grateful that I have not killed you yet."

I do appreciate him not killing me, so I shut up after that. I know when to stop poking the bear. Time is of the essence anyway, and I don't plan on sticking around here fidgeting with my fingers while Zul does God knows what else to Laudon.

After the irritable giant leaves, the tension in the air only thickens. Meanwhile, I work on trying to get my powers back.

"Neira, can you hear me?" I call out for her, praying that she's still alive. "I wish you would've told me what it is that you did to me. I feel so stupid and useless just standing here waving my hands around hoping that something will happen."

"Then how about I help you break out of this shithole and get you back to wherever it is that you're supposed to be? Because it definitely isn't Hell."

I gasp and spin around at the sound of the familiar male voice, making eye contact with a lanky dirty blond. His hair is short and wavy and wild, reminiscent of a surfers, and when he flashes me a smile his cheeks dimple. I instantly smile back, tears of joy streaming down my face because I'm no longer on my own.

"E-Erik? Oh my God...is it really you?" I stand back as he raises the large metal pipe in his hands, and after three hard whacks, the lock on my cell hits the ground.

"I'm surprised you remember me considering our one and only conversation lasted less than fifteen minutes," Erik smirks while opening my cell door. "So, what'd you do to get sent back here a second time? Wait. Don't tell me you actually killed that Andrew boy..."

"No, he's still alive. Shut up and let me hug you already!" I exit the cell and give him an awkward hug, almost forgetting we're total strangers. "I'd like to catch up but I don't have much time to waste. I need to get out of here and help Laudon."

"Who is that again?"

"The Prince of Hell."

"And you desperately need to help the second most evil being in all existence... why?"

"Long story short—I'm not 100% human and I kinda have something going on with Laudon. But before I can even begin to imagine a future where we could actually be together, I first have to stop Zul from killing him and taking over the throne. He's a traitorous piece of garbage who doesn't deserve to be Hell's new ruler. I'm also currently out of juice regarding my powers, so it's all hands on deck. Think you can help me out?"

Erik blinks several times before responding. "I'm literally just a dude with a pipe, Maggie. Also, this is the first time that I've been outside of my cell in almost eight hundred days. If you're needing a tour guide to help you find Laudon, I'm useless."

"But I'm not."

Erik quickly shoves me behind him at the sound of the new voice. He raises the pipe in our defense as I look past him, my self-esteem plummeting to whatever is below Hell because the most gorgeous woman that I've ever seen in my life is running towards us. She's decked out in similar fighting gear as Zul, each hand carrying a scary looking weapon. Her long red hair is styled into a slick ponytail, the color looking vibrant against her pale skin and black eyes.

"Laudon is going after Zul, so he sent me here to protect you." The woman completely ignores Erik after stopping in front of us, her gaze zeroed in on me. "There is no time to waste, so let's go."

"Wait! H-How do I know this isn't a trick? You could be working for Zul..." I cower behind Erik despite him being no match for this woman. "I don't trust anyone here except for Laudon."

"And me," Erik adds, raising the pole a few inches higher.

"Laudon told me that you are his true mate." The woman smiles, looking me up and down in a way as if she approves of what she sees. "He and I used to have a past, a very intimate one, but then he met you and essentially told me to fuck off. He cares for you deeply, Maggie. And he will have my head if anything happens to you under my watch, so if need be, I will pick you up and carry you out of here."

I stare at the woman with my jaw touching the floor, everything after 'you're his true mate' having gone in one ear and out the other. Holy shit. Did Laudon really tell her that? He seriously believes that I'm his soulmate? Oh, God. Neira... I remember she told me Laudon's curse was activated because he found his soulmate. But it can't be me, right? I admit I feel an unexplainable pull towards him whenever he's around, and yeah, maybe I have a little crush—

"Darling, I can see that you're having a bit of a mental breakdown, and while it is completely understandable, I must ask that you please postpone it because I really need to get you out of here."

The woman shoves Erik aside and grabs me by the arm. Her touch pulls me back into the moment and I don't know why I scream but I do. Erik, bless his non-beating heart, tries to help me out by swinging the pipe at her. She dodges it like an expert and scoops me up as if I weigh absolutely nothing, tossing me over her shoulder and leaving just as she said she would do.

"Hey!" I shriek while bouncing up and down in the air. "I can walk just fine, Miss. P-Please put me down. I won't freak out again, I promise."

"My name is Lila."

"Okay, Lila. Please put me down and I'll come with you willingly."

"So you believe what all I told you?"

"Yes, I do."

Lila sets me down and then begins jogging again. I follow behind her because it feels like it's what I need to do, and because he has nowhere else to go, Erik tags along with us.

"I assume you're already caught up to speed on the whole Zul situation?" I ask Lila, trying to make conversation as she leads Erik and me through a maze of dark halls. "We have to stop him before—"

"Laudon is working on it," Lila interrupts. "I offered to kill the bastard myself had I run into him while on my way to find you, but Laudon insisted he be the one to do it. I just hope we make it to the show in time. That fool Zul deserves a slow and painful death for being such a backstabbing prick. I'll spit on his corpse right after Laudon tears him to pieces."

"Damn. I know we just met but I think I might already be in love with you," Erik says, dreamily staring at the back of Lila's head while the three of us continue running. I can't help but slap him on the shoulder and laugh. "Shit. Did I say that out loud? Because I totally did not mean to say that out loud."

Lila looks like the type of woman that has a sharp tongue and thinks quickly on her feet, someone who always has a spicy comeback. If she has one for Erik, she decides to keep it to herself, only offering him a soft chuckle in response to his cute confession.

"Don't worry, bud. We'll pretend we didn't hear you." I tease Erik. "Hey, Lila. How'd you know where to find me? And why can't we just teleport to wherever it is that you're taking us?"

"Honestly? I got lucky," Lila answers. "The holding cells just seemed like the perfect first place to look. And not all demons can teleport like Laudon. Some of us have to—"

She's silenced by the deafening growl from one of the two headed beasts that I'd seen earlier. It has the body of a bear but is hairless with thick patchy skin that's covered in demon blood and fresh cuts. The beast stands several feet tall on its hind legs, both heads staring in our direction. The fangs in its mouths are equally as long and terrifying as its massive claws, and behind it on the ground are several mutilated bodies.

I'm so fucking scared that I can't even open my mouth to scream.

"Goddamn it, I do not have time for this shit." Lila snarls, readying the weapons in her hands. "You two stand back. I'll try to handle this as quickly as I can."

"Just take Maggie and go," Erik speaks up, pushing past the both of us. "I'll lead the ugly bitch in the opposite direction. And who knows? Maybe this'll be enough to make up for all the fucked up shit that I did on Earth." Erik looks at me and smiles, his brown eyes showing no fear as they tell me goodbye. "Maybe God will give me a second chance too, huh?"

I try to reach out and grab Erik by the shirt, but Lila snatches my hand back, tugging me away as he charges toward the beast at the end of the hall.

"Erik, no!" I exclaim. "You don't have to do this!"

"Pull it together, Maggie!" Lila yells, practically dragging me behind her as we begin to run again. "We need to keep moving or else his sacrifice will have been for nothing."

I struggle to pick up the pace while wiping the tears from my eyes, unable to ignore the screams in the distance. It's ridiculous to be crying over someone I didn't even know, then again, a lot of wild shit has happened recently that doesn't make much sense, so fuck it. I'll mourn for Erik even if no one else does.

"We are almost there," Lila says. "And hopefully, this nightmare will all be over soon."

Lila and I run for so long that when we enter a new area where she then tells me we have to conquer eight flights of stairs before we reach the nameless place that she refuses to give me any details about, I literally collapse in front of her. She picks me up and laughs, carrying my overheated body the rest of the way without even breaking a sweat.

"You can rest easy in here, princess." Lila teases after we come to a stop in front of a white door. She produces a key from her cleavage and unlocks the door, walking inside and gently depositing me onto the softest bed my body has ever touched. "Now I must share with you some bad news."

I sigh heavily, my head and muscles throbbing. "What bad news?"

"I was never taking you to Laudon."

"What?!" I try to sit up, but my arms immediately give out. I'm so exhausted I can't even cry. "I thought I could trust you... Why are you doing this to me?"

"Laudon told me to keep you safe, Maggie. Me taking you to watch him and Zul fight to the bloody death is quite the opposite of that. You can trust me, and I promise you by saying that this is exactly what he would have wanted for you."

"Lila, please... Don't leave me here like this. I need to be with Laudon. I'm supposed to be by his side or else he... Oh, God. You don't understand... I have to be there. I have to help him!"

"I'm sorry, Maggie. It's sweet that you want to help out, but I'm not sure there is much that you can do for him in your current state." Lila gives me a sympathetic look before turning for the door. "Get some rest, okay? I will lock you in here and ward the room off so that only Laudon, Myrlande, and I will be able to enter. When the fight is over, I'll tell your mate where to find you."

"Lila!" I blink and she's gone in a flash. Frustration and anger fuel me as I force myself to roll off the bed and onto the floor. I ignore the pain and I ignore the incessant pounding coming from the base of my skull as I sluggishly crawl to the door.

My luck seems to finally run out, however, because I blackout before I can even raise a hand to touch the doorknob. 

. . .