“I feel sorry for you, since you keep throwing yourself at me. Betray me, and not even my brother can save you,” I warn him.

His smile falls. “I’m going to need a clear set of parameters as to what you perceive as betrayal. After all, I’m in Hell for a reason. I won’t exactly be perfect,” he tells me, lifting a pad and pen like he’s ready to jot down these undefined terms of our friendship.

“You look more desperate than even I do, and it’s disturbing,” I point out as I take a step back. “I’m sure the old me gave you some rules to live by. Just use that as a guideline.”

He clears his throat and pockets the pad.

“Now, about my crown—”

“It’ll be returned to you shortly,” he says with a straight face.

I squeal, more surprised than anything about how easy that was. Quickly, I regain my cool composure, since I’m supposed to be a rock star in these parts. I sometimes forget to act like I belong.

“Also, I want you to set up a big, showy exhibition. I’ll be taking on all of my siblings, and I want to get as many souls from Hell there to see it as possible,” I tell him as I pat his shoulder and head toward my bedroom, feeling good about life again.

“Wait, what?” he says in surprise, scrambling to catch up with me, and falling in step at my side as he gawks at my profile.

“I need to train while Rafael is taking a small break to lick his latest wounds and deal with his imbalance. My siblings are the most powerful beings, aside from Lucifer. I don’t think I’m ready to take on Lucifer.”

“Lucifer and the Apocalypse can’t fight. You’d destroy the surface and Hell, most likely, leaving only the other two planes in existence,” he says as though he’s slightly panicked.

I pause, frowning over at him. “Well, that sucks. I really wanted to see who was stronger.”

“Why do you want to fight your siblings? There are plenty of very powerful monsters you’ve yet to master battle with that would be more productive,” he goes on.

“Because there’s an imbalance. They’ve watched me get my ass handed to me for weeks and enjoyed it to the point of boredom. Now it’s time to level the scales again, so to speak. Humble them a bit, you know?”

He blinks at me several times.

“Will Hell blow up if I fight them?” I ask on a sigh.

“Well, no, but—”

“Then make it happen. I want to fight them all in a row—a one-day event. Also, warn them they’re starting to suffer from an imbalance. I think I’m starting to get the hang of the fundamentals of how this all works now. At least it seems less confusing than before. I’ve leveled up. It’s time to play while the angel’s away.”

I clap my hands together, leaving him behind with his mouth opening and closing, lips flapping to no words.

I’m all smiles as I head into my room. Gage and Kai are asleep on the floor, something they all do after spending time in Hell’s Black Heart.

I’m starting to worry about Ezekiel and Jude. Jude never came back, even though the guys said he just needed a minute or two to clean up. It’s starting to feel like a cover-up, since Ezekiel went missing without so much as a word.

I can’t help but worry what they’re leaving me out of this time. I can’t afford distractions, and Lamar said our bond needs to be strengthened if I’m really going to challenge Jahl.

Just Gage’s unspoken confession of love was a power boost. Not to mention what it did for my lonely, lovesick heart—

I pause at the dresser, staring down at the black crown with black jewels on it.

Whose crown is this?

“It had a bad reaction to the tar pit—which, by the way, isn’t anything like the tar you’ll find on the surface,” Ezekiel says as he drops to my bed with wet hair and fresh clothing. “I’m fortunate I had no such reaction. I wasn’t aware that was a possibility.”

I look from the crown, to him, and back to the crown again.

“Did Lamar send you in after it?” I ask, really getting pissed off. “How does he get you guys to do what he asks when I can’t even get sex when I want it?” I ask very loudly, getting a groan or two from the sleeping boys on the ground.

Ezekiel just arches an eyebrow at me.

“I actually expect an answer to that. Does he have some sort of mind control power or something?” I prattle on.

His eyes narrow.

“Lamar didn’t tell me to fetch the crown. I did it all on my own. You’re welcome,” he states with a flat tone that has hints of annoyance in it.

I glance back over to the crown, not minding the new color scheme so much, as my heart thumps almost painfully in my chest.

“Why’d you go get it?” I ask him, cutting my gaze to him once more.

He covers his eyes with his arm, yawning before he can answer. “Just did. It wasn’t a big deal.”

Moving onto the bed, I tuck myself along his side, and his arm immediately goes around my waist, dragging me closer.

The rapid thump thump thump of my heart steadily grows louder and stronger as I shove his shirt up.

Going phantom, I quickly change into a dress, and I elect to go commando before turning whole again.

He lifts his arm, cracking an eyelid open. After studying my face for a second, he lifts up, and I pull his shirt off the rest of the way, before I…launch myself at him like a shameless hussy.

His arms go around me as our lips crash, and I straddle him as I kiss him harder, tasting the same hunger I feel.

He groans as he sits up, shoving my dress up on my hips. A pleased rumbles leaves him when he realizes that I skipped over the underwear, and his hands tighten on my ass.

Moaning against his lips, I break the kiss, leaving both of us panting as our eyes lock.

Just like with Gage…I feel it. I know it. Only this time, I understand better what I feel.

“I love you too,” I whisper softly, my hand running up his cheek.

In a moment that should be tender, it’s almost worrisome when his eyes get brighter, and a hint of menace creeps in, as a sinister smile crawls across his lips.

He leans forward, and when our lips connect, the kiss is almost bruising. It feels like my non-existent soul tries to cross over into his body to rub up next to his.

Shoving the front of his pants down, he frees himself, and he lifts me, pulling me down on top of him as though he controls my body.

He shoves me down on him as he thrusts up, making me take every inch of him in one hurried stroke, and he breaks the kiss to bury his face in my neck. A full body shudder wracks him, and feeling him crumble like this is…almost a heady sense of empowerment.

He drops back, dragging me with him, and he thrusts up again, leaving his legs dangling off the bed with the newer position we’re in.

Our lips find each other’s again, and I kiss him harder, as I work my hips, feeling that piece of me tug harder and harder in my chest, until there’s a crackle of power in the air.

All the flames of the limitless candles blow out at once, and they reignite in a whoosh around us in the next instant.

It only seems to fuel him as he reaches up, grabbing handfuls of my ass again, and suddenly starts spreading me…

My breath leaves in a surprised rush, and I break the kiss, lazily keeping my lips pressed to Ezekiel’s, as something slick and blunt bumps against my ass.

Swallowing thickly, my nails dig into Ezekiel’s shoulders, as someone slowly starts pushing in from behind, easing into me as Ezekiel holds still. His lips descend, kissing along the side of my neck, as one of his hands moves up to fist in my hair, roughly angling my head so he can have more access to my throat.

My breath catches again when the horseman behind me fits himself all the way inside me, groaning as his hands dig into my hips as though he’s fighting to keep his composure.

It’s Gage. I can tell now by the way he’s desperately holding onto me while trying to savor the moment. It’s the way he’s touched me ever since our shared confession.

Leaning my head back, I reach one arm up, finding soft hair, and pull Gage down until his lips connect with mine.

“I need you right now,” he whispers across my lips, his hips moving.

A startled sound escapes me, mostly because I forgot what it was like to have two of them inside me at once. I don’t know how I forgot. It’s as though they’re shoving all my nerves into the thin wall separating them, dragging across each highly sensitive spot as they slowly begin working me into adjusting to their invasion.

Releasing Gage, I return my attention to Ezekiel, feeling half drunk or drugged and hungry for more.

He meets me, our lips bumping before he begins devouring me. They both start moving, and I become the toy that’s pressed between them. I probably shouldn’t enjoy it as much as I do…but I’m hell spawn.

I can get away with anything because I can simply blame it on that.

They work me like they’ve prepared for every move I’ll make, and my first orgasm tears out of me with so much force that I whimper and struggle not to go limp, sensations exploding across my skin like a fire spreading atop gasoline.

Ezekiel growls against my lips, breaking the kiss as they both grow more aggressive. I’m the one to bury my face in his neck this time, muffling my sounds, until noise from the right almost distracts me.