The crowd went wild. Cheers, growls, snarls, cackles, and thundering applause came from every inch of the coliseum.

“So where’s the Prince of Hell?” I asked over the din, knowing Lili could hear me no problem. “Surely you want your former lover to witness your crowning moment.” For the first time in my entire life I hoped the Prince of Hell would make an appearance and try to stop all this. But I knew she’d taken care of him. He hadn’t been busy with his Princess at all, like Lili had told us; he’d probably been captured and restrained.

Rourke? Nothing. Tyler, can you hear me?

Yes, Tyler replied. The demons are taking us back to some kind of holding cell. Your mate is coming around and he’s about to go apeshit crazy. And I, for one, can’t wait.

Change of plans. You have to find the Prince of Hell and get him here.

What?

The Prince of Hell is the only one who can stop this and I know Lili’s stashed him someplace. You need to find him. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we need him.

Got it. We’ll get free, but I’m not sure how long it will take.

Lili turned to me as the audience excitement died down, her face flashing some emotion I couldn’t name. Exhilaration? Regret? “The Prince of Hell will not be the ruler of Hell for much longer,” she hissed low under her breath. “He will bow to me when this is over. Or he will die.”

She stalked to the table that held all the pointy implements, while the demon guards wrestled to chain me. I put up a struggle to give everyone a good show. That’s what Lili demanded, and if I was going to gain the upper hand, I needed to act like I was playing along with the program. The demon guards finally clasped me in chains, and once they were secure, a loud rumbling erupted under my feet.

The guards leaped out of the circle as it began to lower into the ground, separating cleanly from the rest of the floor. After a few feet it came to a grinding halt.

Lili paced to the lip and grinned down at me, then turned dramatically, her hands flying up in the air as she addressed her minions once again. “I give you the female Lycan! The vessel of my power! You will all stand witness to the undoing of Hell, and when I’m finished, a new reign shall begin. We will call it the Era of Splendor, a time when every demon will be free!” There was massive cheering. “No more glamour! No more separation! We will unite as the One True Underworld and all other worlds will cower under our will!”

The applause was so loud, I almost missed the sound of my mate waking.

Almost.

23

Jessica, where are you? Rourke roared in my mind. I could hear scuffling and knew he was already locked in a fight with his captors. I’m coming for you.

Rourke! Wait a second. There’s a new plan. You have to find the Prince of Hell before you come here. Lili has him stowed somewhere and I think he may be the only one who can stop this. More grunting and scuffling. There’s no way the Prince would willingly give up his crown, and if nothing else, it will buy us some needed time.

Got it. More fighting. I’ll be there as soon as I can.

The applause quieted and the demoness sauntered back and forth across the floor, parading herself in front of the demons, clearly enjoying her time at center stage. She spoke in Demonish first, and then English. “The Underworld will never know such power! When I am ruler, we will control all supernatural races and humans will cower before us!”

The crowd went wild again, and the six other demonesses, including the Princess, strolled into the arena, streaming in to stand next to Lili as one united front. They all wore the same high-collared identical black dresses as before.

This was turning in to a true feminist movement. Too bad Lili’s rise to power was supposed to cost me my life or I might’ve enjoyed it. From what I’d witnessed, Hell could use a vast improvement in leadership.

Rourke’s voice shot into my consciousness again. We’ll find the Prince, but it’s going to take me… a minute, he panted. These demons are trying to use those fucking guns on us again. They are spelled… but now—I could hear a crunching sound—they’re all gone.

Lili turned to face me. Her expression was cruel, with an added measure of joy. This was her crowning moment. Literally. I couldn’t imagine waiting for anything for a whole year, much less a thousand of them. “Now the Lycan will suffer!” she crooned. “But rest assured, her agony will not be without purpose.” She leaned in like a conspirator. “You will be doing what you were born to do,” Lili announced, half to me, half to the crowd, as she paced down a few stone steps that lead into the circle I was in. They must use it for their ceremonies.

There was a pungent scent of leftover blood all over.

My wolf paced in my mind, wanting to strike the moment she reached us. Power zipped along my spine. I had morphed back into my human form, but my wolf sat at the very edge, waiting not so patiently. We don’t attack until we have an opportunity to win this or she forces us to act. The chains were spelled, but it was nothing we couldn’t break. Lili either underestimated me or she was hoping for a show. I’m sure she’s guessing we’ll try to escape, I told my wolf. She would love an opportunity to show all the demons in attendance that she is fit for the job as their new leader by striking us down. So instead of fighting back, we’re going to bide our time and try to make this game turn in our favor sooner than later.

As Lili edged closer, I responded, projecting loudly enough for the first few rows to hear, “I’m not planning on suffering for your cause, Lili, but I’m sure your faithful demons here would love to start off the ceremony by having you read the real Scriptures aloud.” Then I made my voice carry dramatically. “I mean, what better way to kick off a new reign than by reading the real words to your adoring fans?” I nodded up to the crowd. All eyes were riveted on me and the murmurs had quieted to whispers. “Am I right? Who wants to hear the real demon prophecy? I know I do!” There was tentative clapping. “Come on, you can do better than that. Let’s give it up for hearing the Scriptures!” The clapping turned into a wild round of applause.

Lili looked murderous.

Before she turned back to the crowd, she steeled herself, plastering a smile on her face. She whipped around in glorious motion, her golden dress whirling as her arms lifted once again. “I will do better than that! You have all been fooled by the Prince for far too long, and after this ceremony is complete, I will personally post the true Scriptures, the ones I uncovered, in our Great Square, encased in glass for all to see.”