It was because the Coalition was made up entirely of females.

Demonesses were rare and powerful for a reason. The Princess’s power had been eclipsed by Lili’s for the last thousand years in the Underworld, but only because Lili had been sent here by my predecessor. It was time to fix it and I was the only one who could do it. If this demon princess, the rightful heir to the throne, died, I knew everything that was supposed to happen would be lost.

In order for the Princess to become the new ruler of Hell, and take her rightful place on the Coalition, she had to gain Lili’s power—not the other way around, and once she did, a new reign would truly begin, just as the demon Scriptures predicted.

This was the reason I was here. I knew it with every part of my being. My new magic pulsed with certainty.

“Sorry to put a crimp in your plans, Lili,” I snarled down at her. “But your interpretation of the Scriptures was wrong. The new reign in the Underworld will happen, but only because we are all gathered here at the same time, and you made that happen. Your death will give the rightful heir of Hell power to rule.” My fist plunged into her chest and grabbed ahold of what it needed quickly. I was careful not to let my claws shred it. Lili began muttering a spell, struggling beneath me, but my new magic kept her out like armor.

She gritted her teeth as she fought against me. “This… is not going to work,” she panted. “I will come back. I can’t die.”

“I don’t think so,” I countered. “It’s taken me entirely too long to grasp what’s been going on here—what’s been right in front of my face the entire time. But gaining the power of five has given me the insight already. Something like this must only happen once a millennium. A female shifter is born, a demoness rules the Underworld, the fae rise—and now it will begin again, thanks to you. The Coalition is in rebirth, isn’t it?”

“You know nothing!” Lili shouted, trying to push me away, her fingernails swiping at my face. “I outlasted them all for a reason. It is I—the last one to sit on the Coalition—who will rule. It is my birthright, not yours!”

“Wrong.” I shook my head. “You’re the last, but I believe you were left here for one single reason”—my voice caught as images began to assault me out of nowhere—“you are the catalyst for the next cycle of power, and after I take your heart and give it to the Princess, it will begin—” The pictures flickered through my mind almost too fast to track.

I couldn’t focus on anything but the images. I gaped as I saw Ardat Lili locked in battle with my predecessor, who had been glorious. My breath hitched as I witnessed her strength. She had efficiently cut off Lili’s rise to power with cunning and skill. I had been right. Her hair had been dark like mine, her features softer, her expression harder. She’d lived in a far crueler world than I. Lili was true evil, and she had never been meant to sit on the Coalition. Pictures of Lili killing her sisters one by one flashed through my mind. Their grisly bodies were mutilated and left to rot. Another image made its way to the forefront. Lili locked in an epic battle with her mother. The images continued and I moaned, unable to hold them back.

Lilith knew she would lose the fight against her daughter. In the end, she willingly gave Lili her power, handed it over with glee, because she knew the Coalition would have to accept her daughter once she was gone. They had no choice, there was no witch more powerful.

But this was not what Fate had intended.

Instead Fate had been forced to shift and adapt. The road had curved once Lilith made her decision, and in order to balance the scales, and avert complete disaster, the female Lycan had been granted new skills. She had become adaptable. She took on the role of the Coalition’s Enforcer, and when the time came, and Lili challenged them all, the female Lycan sent her to Hell.

Lili’s long life in the Underworld had culminated in this very point in time.

There was no doubt about it now. The horror of what I’d just witnessed assaulted me on every level. Lili was cruel with the blackest of hearts and I couldn’t take any more. But just as I’d made my decision to end it all and rip her life-force from her body, something tried to push back, staying my hand, urging me to wait.

I fought against it, resisting.

There was no way Lili could remain alive after what I’d seen. She was too dangerous. She would bring evil to my world if she was allowed to live.

Then one final image burned itself into my brain, releasing with a snap of power.

I opened my eyes and gasped. I hadn’t realized they’d been shut. I was panting and everyone was yelling. I glanced down. Lili was gone. Totally gone.

The only thing left of her was cradled in my open palm.

The last image had seared itself into my soul forever. I blinked, trying to understand what had happened. I glanced down at the pulsing mass in my hand.

That’s when I realized I’d made a terrible mistake.

26

I stood, staggering to regain my balance, clutching Lili’s heart carefully so I didn’t harm it. I shook my head to clear it and the world slowly came back into focus, my senses opening up once again. It was clear to me now that I’d been in some kind of trance-like state.

Rourke and Tyler stood beside me, each of them holding an arm to steady me. I made my way to the Princess, who lay unmoving on the gurney.

Ray stood sentinel by her head, his face as serious as I’d ever seen it. “It’s there,” he said. “Her soul is there and it hasn’t tried to leave.”

“I’m not surprised,” I responded as I met his questioning stare. “You’re going to have to assist me with this. As of right now, I believe this is the sole reason you were created. If this doesn’t work, I don’t want to know what will happen.”

His eyebrows rose, but he nodded gravely, talking his cue from my tone. Everyone in this place had just realized something incredible had happened. And none of us knew its true meaning.

I picked up the knife Lili had used to stab the Princess. There was no spell on it any longer, but I could feel the residue. She had indeed spelled it to kill the Princess. I stood over her listless body, and lifted it high so I could plunge it into her chest when a firm hand stayed my wrist.

“Let me do it for you,” Rourke said, emotion in his voice. I knew he understood the magnitude of what had just occurred, and without hesitation he took the knife from me and drove it into the Princess’s chest, drawing a clean, straight line down from her breastbone to her abdomen.