“She bitches at us when we ignore her, and bitches at us when we do what she says. I think never being satisfied is part of her balance. Fucking women,” Kai grumbles.

“Just for that, you’re on probation from being my favorite,” I go on, kicking a rock into the hole and counting as I strain to hear it land.

“One orgasm and I’ll be back on top,” he answers dismissively as I get to fifteen-Mississippi.

“Sort of late to spit out a comeback, don’t you think?” I feel the urge to say as I continue listening and silently counting.

“We’re assuming Lucifer was telling the truth about who killed us. We all know the Devil and his games. He’s legendary for being a fucking sociopath. Hell, he was the original sociopath and snake in the grass,” Ezekiel is saying as I get to twenty-nine-Mississippi.

There’s a little bit of silence for a second as I continue to count, getting increasingly nervous about just how deep this curious, gaping hole might be.

“The Devil didn’t kill you. Manella recycled you because you all lost your minds after my death and tried to destroy the world.” May as well set that record straight.

Forty-eight-Mississippi and still going.

“What?” they all snap in unison.

“It was apparently a mercy killing, because you couldn’t live without me. Unsurprisingly,” I add, still only halfway paying them any real attention.

“How do you know this?” Kai asks.

“You were sneaking around. I had to balance that betrayal by also sneaking around. At least my sneaking around produces useful info—assuming my info is true,” I state, my attention still fixed on the hole.

Fifty-seven-Mississippi…son of a bitch, this thing might actually be endless.

“You had to be restrained again after my death,” I go on. “I was spared any details, other than the fact you weren’t put back in Hell’s Black Heart. But it must have been bad to inspire Manella to take action, since his deadly sin and dark influence is sloth. It’s why he’s not in any of the paintings. He’s too lazy to take on a mortal life or push any influence. I read that last part in my journal.”

Silence ticks on for a few beats.

Seventy-one-Mississippi…

A distant tink finally sounds, and I shake my head. That’s a long fall, but it didn’t have the landing sound I expected.

“Why are you telling us this right now?” Gage asks really close to my back as I continue staring down the hole.

“Because I’m not entirely sure we’re going to survive whatever is coming—today, tomorrow, whenever—and I don’t want secrets between us,” I answer just as I hear a louder thunk.

My stomach tightens. My rock just hit. Apparently the tink was it grazing the side of the hole instead of landing.

“That’s a whole lot of Mississippis,” I say very warily as I turn and find all four of them sucking in a breath as they stare out the cave entrance.

I dread looking to see what’s happening, but I dart to the entryway, observing something that has my stomach sinking.

Gray dust is flying into the air as a ripple effect of the land breaking apart in the distance grows louder and more visible, meaning whatever is happening is heading straight toward us.

“Is that what I fucking think it is?” Kai asks somewhat hollowly.

“What do you think it is?” I immediately demand, my eyes widening as the land continues to break like a semi-melted, weakened glacier, and red water…or blood…starts rising through the cracks, boiling hot as it bubbles over the ground.

“Draining day,” Jude bites out.

“Draining day? That doesn’t sound so bad,” I state, not feeling confident at all about that.

“It’s the day everything on the surface or too close to the surface of purgatory is cleansed with the blood of the damned,” Kai answers quietly.

My eyes dart to that nefarious hole, a sense of dread unfurling in me. Will we even survive that damn fall? I realize we’re somewhat impervious to most things, but I just had my body break and heal once today.

It wasn’t fun. It wasn’t easy. And it wasn’t a huge Mississippi drop.

“How the hell is the blood of the damned supposed to be cleansing?” I snap.

“Really don’t have fucking time for explanations. We need a plan of action and very damn fast!” Kai snaps.

My breath comes out in a rush when I’m hit with a familiar sense of envy, and I turn around just as a flash of red hair catches my sight. Before I can process that Lilith is in the cave with us, warm lips are on mine.

It’s brief. Chaste. Completely fucking weird, since she’s my sister. I don’t condone incest even as the Devil’s daughter.

It’s so quick that I almost wonder if I’ve imagined it when she pulls back, smirking as her red hair starts to turn dark. She winks as she shoves me hard, catching me off guard, all of it happening in less than one-Mississippi.

I’m…falling…

My eyes widen in horror when I realize there’s no ground beneath me, and the guys shout for me and reach too late to grab my hand.

“You’re welcome,” I hear on a feminine, laughing echo as I continue to helplessly fall, flailing my arms like I might fly.

But apparently The Apocalypse doesn’t have wings. Even dark angels should have wings, damn it.

“Paca!” I hear Ezekiel roar, just as I see two shadows come through the hole.

Another two shadows quickly follow before I lose sight of the hole’s entrance altogether.

Those idiots are following me?!

“Paca!” Gage shouts this time, his voice echoing all around me as my gray vision leaves me even less visibility than it did in that creepy freaking hell’s belly forest.

“I strongly suggest leaning right!” I shout up to them. “I’m seventy-two percent certain my rock hit the wall on the left before it found the ground!” I shout back up.

It’ll take less Mississippis for me to hit the ground than the rock, but I really can’t do math when I’m freaking out and falling and trying to see them.

However, I think my rock must have never really hit and that this tunnel really is endless, because I fall for too many Mississippis.

There’s a point when falling stops being terrifying and leaves you with a sense of nervous boredom.

“Any chance you four have popcorn on you?” I call up.

“Really?” Jude snaps.

“Yes, really. I don’t joke about popcorn—”

A familiar shock of blinding light cuts off the rest of my words.

Chapter 9

I hit the ground roughly, grunting as I dart a look around and scramble to my feet, my eyes widening as I take in my new surroundings.

Lucifer is here. And…he is glaring at some unkempt, raggedy, dirty guy who is wearing clothes that have rips and stains all over them. Two rows of chairs are facing me, divided by a visible white line. Which is a little random.

Quickly, I take note of our surroundings, feeling like I’m in an ancient arena meant for gladiators, and they’re all sitting on the royal viewing platform.

The guy’s gladiator skirts spring to mind. I don’t like where this feels like it’s going.

All the heirs, with the obvious exception of myself, are sitting on one side. Five unknown guys are sitting on the other, all of them looking just as haggard as the one being glared at by the Devil.

A few grunts find my ears from behind me, and I dart a look over my shoulder, counting four important men who scramble to their feet with the same reaction time I did. Quickly, I return my attention to the freaky, unsettling scene at hand.

The haggard men look annoyed. Lucifer looks like a murderous psychopath. My siblings look bored or disinterested. I’m sure I look confused and ready to kill someone.

“Satisfied?” Lucifer growls.

Why does Lilith have my hair color?

I glance down, and I gasp in a little horror.

I have red hair.

With a red dress.

I know how I got the red dress—I leveled up. How the fucking hell did I get red hair?

Clashing shades of red is not the important thing right now, so I ignore that niggling little vanity impurity and focus on the real issue. Even though a purple dress would look so much better with red hair…

Four distinct presences draw close to my back.

Jude and Kai flank my sides. Ezekiel and Gage share space behind me, all of them touching me as we give the onlookers a collective glare. At least I assume they’re glaring. After all, it’s what they do best.

Hera narrows her eyes on Lilith, and then she glances over at me, arching an eyebrow.

I’m more interested in the haggardly men who are just staring at me like I’ve failed some test.

Something crashes in the far distance, but I’m too wary to turn my attention away, just in case someone strikes. I can feel the palpable tension electrifying the air around us.

“I hate to agree with Lucifer about anything, but clearly he’s right on this. She’d have never let Lilith save her,” one of them says, and I back into the guys a little more as Kai and Jude move in closer to my sides.

“They all play their games—the Devil and his twisted spawn. There’s no way to be certain they didn’t plan this,” the one Lucifer is still glaring at says.