Infernal God (Claimed By Lucifer Book 3) by Elizabeth Briggs (summer reads TXT) 📕

"We'll discuss this some other time," he conceded, and then let out a low whistle. His horse, Strife, appeared in the distance and rode toward us at top speed, with Shadow just a step behind. We mounted them when they got close, and they took off toward the south, leading us to our first destination.

As we galloped beside the Nile river, my heart sank at the sight of all the destroyed, abandoned buildings, and the complete lack of life anywhere around us. Hell had once been beautiful and prosperous, and it hurt to see it so forlorn. I completely understood why Lucifer had moved all the demons to Earth, since it was the only way to save our people, but it was depressing to see the aftermath of that decision. I stole a glance at Lucifer's face, and judging by his pained expression, he felt the same way.

Soon the great pyramids of Giza appeared in the distance under the soft moonlight, like beacons pulling us toward them. They existed in this realm just as they did on Earth, but with one big difference—in Hell, Death was entombed beneath the Great Sphinx, which was originally built as a monument to him. The entire Giza plateau was once a gateway between the worlds, and the barrier was still weaker here between Earth and Hell, especially with Death's power emanating from the Sphinx. It was no wonder that Giza was thought to be a very haunted place on Earth. The humans might not know why they were both drawn to and revolted by the place, why they went inside only against their better judgment yet couldn't seem to stop themselves—but we did. Death's essence reached across all of the realms, calling to anyone who dared come close to his tomb. It was the one thing no mortal escaped, the last great fear. Even us immortals would succumb to it eventually.

We took some time riding around the pyramids and the Sphinx, checking to make sure Death hadn't been released, but everything was quiet. There was no sign Fenrir or anyone else had been here in decades. I breathed a sigh of relief, until I heard whispered voices on the wind, saying my oldest name.

"Eve...the cursed queen...the lady of many deaths...free me and find peace..."

I shuddered as I tried to block out the horrible words that chilled me to the bone. I was all too familiar with death, and had no interest in experiencing it again. I turned to Lucifer, and his jaw was clenched, his mouth set in a tight line, and I knew he heard something too. What horrible things was Death whispering to him?

"Let's get out of here," I suggested.

Lucifer wrapped Aurora up even tighter, as if he could shield her from the dark presence all around us. "With all haste."

We rode off into the night as fast as our horses would take us, leaving the deathly whispers behind. The other Elder Gods hadn't been able to reach out of their tombs like that, but then again, Death was the most powerful of them all.

We reached our old palace some time later, and the sight of it made my soul weep. The huge columns framing the front were usually alive with climbing plants and flowers that glowed with soft blue light, but now they hung in dead swathes, like tattered drapes from some long-forgotten bygone age. More ash littered the ground, and entire sections of the palace had crumbled to dust.

I flicked my fingers to try to inspire some life in the plants and was rewarded when some veins of green appeared. The plants rustled as they moved, stretching toward me to draw more power, and soon they began to grow again. Tiny little glowing flowers appeared once more, struggling to come back to life. Other than those small movements, the entire place remained desolate and sad, like the soul of the place had died without us here to tend to it.

I sighed and took Lucifer's hand, squeezing it tightly. “I miss this place. I miss what it was.”

“I do too." He touched one of the columns as we walked by, his fingers trailing over the smooth black stone. Aurora stirred a little from where she was strapped to his chest and blinked at the glowing flowers with sleepy-eyed interest. “Perhaps we can rebuild once we’ve got everything else under control."

I turned to him with raised brows. "You would open Hell once more?"

"Someday, yes." He gazed up at a statue of him that was now in pieces. "I've been thinking a lot about this ever since speaking with Belial. Closing Hell and moving all the demons to Earth is one of the reasons the Archdemons revolted against me. Perhaps I shouldn't have been so hasty to close it off completely. At the time, I thought it would be best, just like Michael thought it best to close off Heaven and move the angels to Earth. Both realms were destroyed by our long war, and both races were dying out. We needed to move to Earth to have any chance of survival. But what if that was the wrong decision? I see now that it caused strife for many of our people."

I leaned my head against his shoulder, and stroked Aurora's head where it rested against his chest. “You did what you thought was best for our people at the time, and I know you’ll do the best you can going forward, no matter how hard those decisions are to make. Maybe that means starting to rebuild Hell so the demons can return—eventually.”

He wrapped an arm around me. "As long as I have you by my side to help me make these decisions going forward."

I shoved him playfully. "Well, obviously."

Aurora began to cry and struggle against Lucifer's chest. After being strapped to him for so long she was probably desperate for some free time, and probably hungry too.

"I'll take her and give her a