Angelina's POV
I didn't believe him at first. The generous devil letting me walk away? It felt like a trap.
But Richard's soul was still up there, still fading, and standing here arguing wasn't going to save him.
I spread my wings and launched myself toward where the portal should be. The air shimmered near the chamber's entrance, a faint distortion that marked the space between worlds.
I reached for it, felt my fingers brush against the veil.
Nothing happened.
I tried again, pressing harder this time. Channeling my power into the barrier the way I'd done to create the portal in the first place. The symbols burned in my mind, the forbidden magic rising to my call.
Still nothing.
"Problem, angel?"
His voice drifted up from below, laced with amusement. I spun in the air to find him watching me, arms crossed over his chest. That same infuriating smile played at the corner of his mouth.
"What did you do?" I demanded.
"Me? Nothing." He examined his nails like this was all terribly boring. "You're in Hell now. My domain. My rules. And rule number one is that nobody leaves without my permission."
The words hit me like a physical blow. I'd been so focused on getting in, on reaching Richard, that I hadn't considered the way out.
Stupid. So incredibly stupid.
"Let me go." I flew down to his level, landing a few feet away. "You said I could leave."
"I said you should leave. Bit of a difference." He tilted his head, studying me. "But by all means, keep trying. It's adorable watching you struggle."
Heat flooded my face. Anger or embarrassment, I couldn't tell. Maybe both. "This isn't a game."
"Everything's a game, angel. You just don't know the rules yet."
I wanted to scream. Wanted to launch myself at him and make him open the portal through sheer force. But I could feel the power radiating off him in waves. Ancient and terrible and so much stronger than anything I possessed.
Fighting wouldn't work. Which left only one option.
I dropped to my knees.
"Please." The word scraped out of my throat. "Please let me go. Let me take Richard and leave. I'll do anything."
"We already covered this." His voice had gone flat. "I don't want anything from you."
"Then why are you keeping me here?" Tears burned behind my eyes. I refused to let them fall. "If I'm so boring, if this stopped being entertaining, why not just let me leave?"
Silence stretched between us. Long enough that I looked up, trying to read his expression. But his face had gone carefully blank, like a mask sliding into place.
"You want to save the human," he said finally. It wasn't a question.
"Yes."
"Why? What is he to you?"
"He's..." I hesitated. How could I explain? "He's the father of a child who deserves better. A little girl who's already lost her mother. She can't lose him too."
Something flickered in his eyes. There and gone so fast I almost missed it.
"A child." He said the word like he was tasting it. Testing its weight. "And you thought you could play savior. Rewrite fate. Bring daddy home to his little girl."
"Yes." I lifted my chin. "Is that so wrong?"
"It's naive." He moved closer, circling me like a predator. "It's foolish. It's exactly the kind of blind idealism that Heaven loves to exploit." He stopped in front of me. "But it's also brave. In a stupid, reckless sort of way."
Hope sparked in my chest. Dangerous hope.
"So you'll help?"
"I'll make you a deal." He crouched down, bringing himself to eye level. This close, I could see flecks of red in his dark eyes. Like embers buried in coal. "The child's father gets to live. His soul returns to his body. He gets his second chance."
"What's the catch?"
"The catch is you." His smile was sharp. "You stay here. With me. As long as you remain in Hell, he remains alive. The moment you leave, the moment you try to escape, his soul comes right back to where it is now. Only next time, I won't be feeling generous."
The words settled over me like chains.
Stay in Hell. With the devil himself. For how long? Forever?
"That's not a deal," I whispered. "That's a prison sentence."
"Call it what you want." He stood, offering me his hand. "But it's the only offer you're going to get. Take it or leave it. Decide now, because Richard's soul has maybe an hour left before it winks out completely."
I stared at his outstretched hand. At the claws that tipped each finger. At the scars that crossed his knuckles like he'd been fighting since the dawn of time.
Behind him, Richard's soul pulsed weakly. Fading.
I thought of the little girl. Sarah. I'd seen her portrait on Richard's desk. Gap-toothed smile and pigtails. She'd already buried her mother. Already knew what loss tasted like.
I couldn't let her lose her father too.
"If I agree," I said slowly, "you swear Richard lives? Really lives? Not some twisted version where he's technically alive but suffering?"
"He goes back exactly as he was. Healthy. Whole. Complete with all his memories and that annoying optimism you humans are so fond of."
"And the girl? Sarah? She'll be taken care of?"
"The girl gets her father back. Isn't that what you wanted?"
It was. It was exactly what I wanted.
Even if it cost me everything.
I took his hand. His skin was hot against mine, almost burning. The moment our palms touched, I felt something snap into place. A bond forming. Solid and unbreakable.
"We have a deal," he said, and his smile widened into something that was probably supposed to be triumphant but looked almost sad. "Welcome to Hell, angel. Try not to make yourself too comfortable."