“Her vanity wouldn’t allow it if she truly had all her memories, Rafael,” another haggard dude says.

My breath goes cold in my lungs, and the guys stiffen at my sides.

This guy is Rafael? The guy with an ungroomed beard that is sticking out in ten directions and looks like he’s slept in a gutter for five straight days? This is who killed me?

I’m clearly not as badass as I thought.

“She studied that hole for long enough. She was considering it. She knew how to get out, but—”

“She checked to see how deep it was, brother, as a last resort and not a destination,” another one of them says, seeming overtly bland and not at all attached to the intensity of the moment.

“But she found it,” Rafael grinds out, the only one to have a temper.

The four other haggard guys look at him, and Rafael closes his eyes, taking a deep breath.

“Memory echo,” one of them says.

These guys are angels? Where are the ethereal halos and gorgeous wings, not to mention the immaculate clothing and beautiful faces? They all look like they’ve spent ten years making a survival film and forgot to shower for this gathering.

When it looks like Rafael has schooled his features and tucked away that impure anger of his, the one on the far end looks back at me.

“One last test then.”

“Excuse me?” I bite out. “We’re not your little pawns. We’ll—”

“You’ll have no choice in the matter if you truly can’t remember how to work your powers to their fullest extent,” the man interrupts, a dismissive shrug of his shoulder following.

Jude and Kai twirl their weapons, a smirk appearing on their lips like they’re about to make bad life decisions and attack five angels we legit know nothing about. And they call me impulsive.

“Paca doesn’t have the ability to be deceitful. It was the deal I made before creating her,” Lucifer goes on, standing and toeing just the edge of that white line.

“She’s not overly concerned with her current circumstances. Not likely of one so confused about the world around her,” Rafael says with a sneer.

Okay…

So the ages’ old rivalry is still firmly in effect. At least that knowledge seems accurate for a change.

“Five angels, including my alleged executioner, are sitting on the same platform as hell spawn and Lucifer himself. I’m definitely confused,” I assure him. “I’ll let you know how it makes me feel when I figure out what exactly is going on right now.”

His eyes narrow.

“He’s right. She’s not good at deceit, but she’s excellent at concealing anything and everything she’s feeling or thinking. Master of it, really,” another castaway says in a bored tone. “There’s only one way to check her for deceit. Force her to emotion.”

As soon as those words leave his mouth, it feels like I’m kicked in the chest by a fifteen-ton earth worm monster. My body bows in on itself from the phantom impact, and a breath tumbles from my lips in a pained grunt as I’m flung backwards.

Flipping through the air, I crash against a set of boulders that crack and groan against my impact. Another pained sound escapes me as I drop to the ground in a heap, the taste of singed ash in my mouth.

I look down as the black blood drips from my lips, and with dizzied motions, I stumble back up to my feet. I blamed the Devil’s poison once for the black blood I was leaking. Apparently, it’s just the natural color of hell spawn blood.

My blurry vision scours the land as a persistent ringing drones in my ears.

I see four familiar figures all beating their fists against a dim, mostly-transparent barrier that is barely visible even to my sensitive eyes. My head darts to the left, spotting my audience for this evening’s entertainment.

I crack my neck to the side as I roll my shoulders back and spit out more of the ashy blood.

Lucifer’s dark eyes collide with mine just as my vision steadies. There’s a peculiar apology in the depths of his gaze that doesn’t buy him any favors.

My lids lower for a blink, and my gaze lands on Rafael when my eyes open again.

He drops from the platform as it levitates into the air, and his eyes narrow lethally on mine as he smirks. A menacing look such as that is rather unbecoming on an angel.

With two quick steps, I throw my hand out, ready to unleash hell, but I’m…spinning suddenly. A sickening stone metaphorically tosses around in my stomach as the world rocks all around me. Am I airborne? What the hell is going on now, dammit?!

A roar sounds just against my ear as I slip against something wet and sloppy, gargling for air as I slide down the slick surface. The light vanishes, and not even my night vision gives me more than a few glimpses of some rather alarming sights, as I continue getting jostled around in the wet, slimy shit.

That’s when I realize what the hell is going on.

“I’m so not getting fucking eaten by a monster when I’m in the middle of killing a murderous angel!” I curse, slamming my fist through the slop in a bile-inducing punch.

Something crunches against my knuckles before I feel it give way.

Hot air wafts over my fingertips in an electrifying breeze, as I use that leverage to drag myself out of the side of the long throat of the monster currently eating me.

An explosion of guts push out of my way when I get particularly agitated, and I leap out of the screaming beast before it can drag me under the ground on its retreat.

I’m dropping in the air when the sight of its grayish, scaly tail rattles into the ground, disappearing from sight as a monster scream lingers in the air.

I land with a squishy squeesh squash sound, running a hand over the gooey hair in my face to push it out of the way. It just sort of sticks there like it’s soaked in quick-drying cement and remains plastered to the side of my head.

This is going to drive my vanity impurity insane. It’s like sandpaper to my inner nerves.

Glaring at the hole in the ground, I make a series of really angry screams and sling off some of the disgusting goop. “Allow me to introduce myself!” I shout into the hole. “I’m The fucking Apocalypse. I will sooooo find you one day!”

I can’t be certain, but I think I hear a somewhat satisfying, terrified squeal echo back from that hole.

My gaze flicks back to the only important ones here. My guys all seem to be struggling with fury and relief and something else entirely. They seem angry at me for getting eaten. Or just really angry that they’re trapped while I was being eaten. One of the two.

I give them a fuck-my-life look coupled with a helpless shrug.

Then I turn my attention back to Rafael, who’s simply staring at me with a quirked eyebrow.

“Clearly, someone forgot to tell it I’m The Apocalypse,” I explain, wiping away the gross, foul-smelling goop from my mouth and flinging it away. I know how unprofessional this all looks and how it sort of steals from the intensity of the situation. “I’ve been gone a while, as you’re aware.”

Quite a few groans sound out at this particularly serious moment, as though these people don’t understand the magnitude of what’s going on right now. Terribly insensitive, even considering the evil audience in attendance.

“You expect us to believe she was killed topside by a simple blade with your poison,” one of the so-called angels asks Lucifer.

“Possibly an echo of her true death,” Lucifer bites out, drawing my attention real damn fast. “The bond hadn’t been reaffirmed. She was more vulnerable. And she’s still vulnerable. This can’t go any farther.”

“That’s not your call, brother. Her existence is a complete imbalance,” Rafael says with a sneer that doesn’t exactly scream angelic.

“The only one here imbalanced is you,” Lucifer snarls.

I have to agree with the Devil on that. I don’t think angels should be this petty.

“He’s right. This is our call,” one of the other good guys says to back Rafael up.

I cock my head. “Shall we get on with it then? You spanking a girl’s ass who has no idea how to control her powers to their fullest just yet? After all, you’re the one who killed me the last time. I thought angels were supposed to be the good guys. Not the bullies and murderers.”

He studies me like he’s searching for something.

I hold my arms out, not even bothering to pretend I know how to fight an angel. Or what it would do to the balance if I even attempted it…

“Hit me again. See if inflicting pain is your new calling. I’m sure that won’t do anything horrible to a pure being’s balance at all,” I go on.

His lips tense like he’s frustrated.

“I still can’t tell,” he says, and I brace myself for the next hit…seconds before I hear my guys yelling in pain.

My gaze darts to the dim barrier, and I rush toward it as my eyes widen.

They’re on the ground, struggling to push up, as blood rushes from their ears. My pulse explodes as panic claws at my chest, and I turn my attention to Rafael, shoving out all the power I can, but I’m launched backwards as a cry of pain echoes in my ears from Gage.

I land in a crumpled pile, and then I feel something slam against my face. The spray of black blood splatters in the path my head is flung back, and the next hit comes so hard at my other side that I spray back over the same pattern in reverse.