‘Brielle, no! Shea wouldn’t want that.’

I shut Sera out as the Prince of Darkness patted my arm. “Good girl.”

I felt nothing.

I was dead inside.

Chapter Five

That night when I was sent away from dinner, Lucifer told Raksha to withdraw all my meds, and prepare me for training. I tossed and turned all night, thinking about Shea and the tattoo on her wrist, the pain in her eyes. She was driving my car. When did she even get a license? I had missed everything, and she thought I was dead. I hadn’t even gotten to see Lincoln or my mom.

‘This changes nothing. We will train, become strong, and break out of here,’ Sera told me in the early morning hours.

‘I don’t want to talk about it anymore,’ I informed her, then sat up in bed, rubbing my face.

Raksha hadn’t spoken to me the entire walk back to my room the night before, only bidding me good night right before she slammed my door and locked me inside. Clearly she was pissed that Lucy kicked her out of dinner, but it wasn’t my fault.

I was just getting ready to stand up and do some stretching, when my ring started to buzz. I froze and wiggled my fingers a little to make sure I wasn’t imagining it.

No, the ring was definitely vibrating.

What the…?

‘Brielle!’ Shea’s voice sounded inside my head.

Shock ripped through my body as the room started swimming.

‘Shea!’ I screamed, gripping my ring like it was a telephone.

‘Brielle?’ she shouted again as tears started to roll down my cheeks.

Can she hear me? Is it really her? A faint white glow started to emanate from my ring and my eyes widened. What the…? Am I finally losing my mind?

Suddenly the door opened and Raksha burst into the room, her nose flaring.

“You smell of magic!” she accused, her eyes roaming over me.

My mouth popped open, but I had no idea what to say. I couldn’t think straight. All I knew was that hearing my best friend’s voice had shocked the hell out of me, and I couldn’t move.

“What have you done!” She lunged for me.

I fell backward onto the bed and covered my face with my hands to protect myself.

‘Brielle, are you alive?’ Shea screamed.

“This!” Raksha hissed, clamping her fingers around my ring in an iron vice.

“No, please!” I whimpered, elbowing her temple hard just as she yanked it off me.

She flew backward from my hit, and black magic poured from her palms—a color I’d never seen on her before. It saturated my ring until I couldn’t see it anymore through the dense fog filling her hand. She looked furious as she gazed at me, her hair floating around her like static electricity, her eyes flashing from brown to electric green.

“I told you no tricks!” she roared.

“I didn’t do anything! I don’t do magic!” I shouted at her, curling my body into a ball to prepare for her attack.

Her gaze darkened, and then fell onto my ring in her hand. “Well someone did, and now they’ll never find you.”

She’d done something to the ring, encasing it in a black swirling mass before she tucked it into her pocket. Raksha started stalking toward me with her hands out, but I decided I wouldn’t cower. With the medicine out of my system, I was feeling stronger, bolder. I sat up and faced her head on, tipping my chin up defiantly.

“You think I’m a monster?” she asked through gritted teeth.

I just glared.

“Answer me.” Her voice was low and deadly.

“Yes!” I shouted.

Reaching behind her, she slipped her hand into her back pocket, and pulled out a small wallet-sized picture, then shoved it in my face.

“Everything I do down here is to keep them safe up there. Every time I mess up, he hurts them. When you mess up and make me look bad, he hurts them. Do. You. Understand. Me?” Her voice quivered on the last word, and my chest nearly split in two as I looked at the picture.

A pretty woman with a short pixie haircut had her arm around a younger, happier-looking Raksha, and a young child about two years old peered between them with a big smile.

Oh God. I’d misjudged her. She wasn’t evil. She was just a momma bear protecting her family.

“I understand, Raksha.” I reached up to squeeze her hand. “I understand, and it won’t happen again.”

She had a wife and child. She was as much a prisoner down here as I was.

Taking a shaky breath, she pulled her hand from mine, slipping the picture back into her pocket. “Be ready to go to breakfast in ten minutes, and then we’ll go on our walk for exercise.” Her voice was still thick with emotion, but I knew better than to try and talk about it.

I simply nodded and she left the room.

When I was sure she was gone, I sank my head into the pillow and sobbed. I sobbed so hard that I thought I might die. Desperation saturated my entire body.

Shea tried to reach me. What does that mean? Does she think I’m alive? Did she hear me?

Whatever it was, all hope was lost now that Raksha had taken my ring. Now that she’d shared with me about her family and their situation. I couldn’t act out, couldn’t try to break free, or her family would get hurt. I had some pretty questionable morals when it came to certain things, but I’d never be party to seeing a child hurt. Ever. Period. I could still see the smile on the little boy’s face. It broke me in two.

‘Are you okay?’ Sera’s sweet voice came into my thoughts.

I would’ve lost my mind without Sera. Since we shared a mental link, she knew everything that just happened with Shea and Raksha.

‘I can’t. I just can’t do anything that would hurt her family,’ I told her.

Silence. I thought I’d lost her again, but then she finally answered, ‘I know. We’ll figure it out together, okay? But no giving up just yet.’

She couldn’t see me, but I nodded anyway. I was numb at that point. I didn’t care about anything anymore.

Getting up, I walked over to the small sink in the corner, by the toilet, and brushed my teeth. How could I live like this? Do as the Dark Prince ordered? Help him break into Heaven?

‘You can’t,’ Sera offered.

I ignored her. Then my thoughts went dark. Would he hurt Raksha if I killed myself?

‘Don’t even say that!’ Sera screamed.

‘Let me think!’ I shouted at her.

Splashing some water on my face, I tried to shake the awful depression weighing down on me. I think coming off the meds, combined with what had just happened, was making me crazy.

‘I’m sorry,’ I whispered to my only friend in the world right now.

‘It’s okay. I love you,’ she comforted me.

‘I love you too.’ That was the one spark of light I had left in my life. Sera knew I was alive. Sera was there for me. Sera loved me no matter what. Even in my darkest hour.

Sometimes that’s all we needed, one friend rooting for us when we couldn’t root for ourselves any longer.

The next week passed slow and in a military fashion.

6 am: Wake up, bathe, get dressed.

7 am-8 am: Breakfast with psycho demons, and asshole demon gifted.

8 am-9 am: Walk to the creepy red door with Raksha, and receive packages for the Dark Prince.

10 am-Noon: Train privately with Raksha doing basic drills to get my strength back.

Noon-1 pm: Lunch with assholes

1 pm-4 pm: Nap or lie around my room talking to Sera, and trying not to lose my mind. Door is locked.

4:30 pm-5 pm: Get ready for dinner with Raksha staring at me.

6 pm-8 pm: Long dinner with demon assholes, and once a week with Lucy.

8:01 pm: Locked in my room for the night with water, and no food or entertainment.

Today, after we’d finished breakfast and walked to the red door, Raksha informed me that I’d be training with the others.

“Excuse me, what?” I picked up my strides to get closer to her, and make sure I’d heard her correctly.

She smiled. We’d been on good terms ever since she trusted me with the knowledge of her family. And by good terms I meant she hadn’t bitch-slapped me for a week.

“The Dark Prince requires it, and you’re ready. The medication is out of your body, and your neck has been healed a long time,” she explained as we reached the red door.

Well yeah, but that didn’t mean I wanted to train with those psychos!

“Why can’t I just keep training with you?” I pouted.

She gave me an adoring look that was quickly replaced with a sterner one. “I won’t advance your teaching like an Abrus demon would.”

Reaching up, she knocked on the door.

Who the hell trains with Abrus demons, and lives to talk about it?

‘Exactly,’ Sera chimed.

I kept my head down as the portal opened and the man appeared, but then I decided to indulge my curiosity. Looking up once, very briefly, I confirmed that he wasn’t an Abrus demon but another Dark Mage, one with untold power by the looks of his glowing red eyes.

“Hello, Raksha. How is your little pet?” His smooth voice called over to me. He’d been calling me her pet all week.

I wanted to flip him off but didn’t, knowing it would only get both Raksha and me in trouble.

“Fabulous,” she commented dryly, taking a brown paper sack from him.

“Careful with that one. It’s Archangel Michael’s blood,” he cooed.

My eyes bugged out of my head at his words, but I kept my face down while my heart hammered in my chest.

What the hell was he doing with Archangel Michael’s blood? How did he get it? Unless…

It was April when I was taken. Could it be August now? Had they done the Awakening ceremony and found another Celestial?

“My letter?” Raksha held out her free hand.

He shrugged. “Sorry, sweets. She never made the drop-off.”

He started to move backward, but Raksha lurched forward grabbing him. “What do you mean? Where the hell is my letter?”

Risking another glance upward, I saw the man scowl at her. “Look, it’s not my fault your woman didn’t make the drop. Now back up, or I’ll tell the Dark Prince about our little arrangement.”

She cowed, lowering her head, and stepping backward. “I’m sorry. Can you… can you just call and see if everything is okay? Tell me tomorrow?”

He looked annoyed that he had to deal with it at all. “If I have time.”

She nodded and then the door slammed in her face. Raksha stood motionless, chest heaving, no doubt trying to regain her composure. From what I’d understood, her wife sent a letter once a week. It looked like this was the first time she’d missed sending one. That would be scary as hell to me too.

I decided to risk having her freak out on me, and slipped my hand into hers, squeezing softly. Her breathing hitched at the contact, but she squeezed back before dropping my hand and facing me.

“My son has severe asthma. Can’t afford a healer demon,” she shared.