Princess of Hell

The transport gate deposited us back in the palace with its usual flash of crimson light. As my vision cleared, I found myself face-to-face with both my parents standing directly in front of the gate platform, their expressions tense with barely contained worry.

"Lily," Lilith breathed, rushing forward to embrace me before I could even step down. Her arms wrapped around me with surprising gentleness for someone who could level cities with a thought. "Thank the Abyss you're safe."

Lucifer approached more slowly, but his relief was just as palpable. His golden eyes swept over me, then Aria and Isabella, before settling on Faith with obvious curiosity. "You're all unharmed?"

"Physically, yes," I said, extracting myself from Lilith's embrace. "But we've been tricked."

The temperature in the chamber immediately dropped several degrees. Lilith's eyes began to glow with that dangerous crimson light I'd seen before, while shadows started gathering around Lucifer's feet like living things responding to his mood.

"Explain," Lucifer said, his voice carrying an edge that made even me nervous.

I took a breath, gathering my thoughts. "It wasn't just Kyriakos. The whole thing—from the beginning—was orchestrated by someone else. Raziel."

The name hit my parents like a physical blow. Lilith's hands clenched into fists, and I could hear the faint crackling of energy around her fingers. Lucifer's expression went completely cold, the kind of cold that preceded volcanic eruptions.

"The elf village, Elder Thorne—it was all him," I continued quickly. "He'd been manipulating us from the moment we found that pocket realm. He wanted us to find Kyriakos, wanted us to go through everything we did. Even Faith's transformation…" I glanced at her, seeing her jaw tighten. "It all served his purpose somehow."

The air in the chamber began to shimmer with heat distortion around Lilith, while the shadows at Lucifer's feet spread outward like spilled ink. I could feel their fury building, a pressure that made my ears pop.

But then both of them seemed to remember where they were—and who was watching. The heat lessened by a few degrees, and the shadows retreated slightly, though neither parent looked any less murderous.

Lucifer closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, his voice was carefully controlled. "Raziel. Of course it was that conniving bastard."

"It's not your fault, dear," Lilith said, reaching out to touch my arm. "Raziel has always been… problematic to deal with. His future sight makes him dangerous in ways most angels aren't."

"Future sight?" Faith asked, speaking for the first time since we'd arrived.

"He sees potential outcomes," Lucifer explained tersely. "Not definite futures, but possibilities. It makes him excellent at manipulation—he can set events in motion knowing they'll likely lead to his desired results."

"Which explains why everything felt so convenient," Isabella muttered. "The timing, the discoveries, even finding that laboratory."

Aria nodded vigorously. "And why he always seemed to know exactly what to say."

I felt sick thinking about how thoroughly we'd been played. Every choice we'd made, every step we'd taken—had any of it been truly our decision?

"You should rest for now," Lilith said, though her eyes still held that dangerous glow. "We'll return to this matter later, once we've had time to… consider our options."

The way she said 'consider our options' made it sound like she was planning something that would involve a lot of screaming and possibly interdimensional warfare.

As if summoned by some invisible signal, Vex appeared in the chamber with his usual impeccable timing. "Your Majesties. Shall I escort the young ladies to their quarters?"

"Please," Lucifer said. "The guest wing should be prepared for Miss Clarke."

"Actually," I said quickly, "could Faith stay in my rooms? At least for tonight?"

My parents exchanged a glance that held an entire conversation, then Lilith nodded. "Of course. Vex, please ensure they have everything they need."

Vex bowed smoothly. "Naturally, Your Majesty. If you would follow me?"

As we walked through the palace corridors, I noticed Faith's eyes widening as she took in the opulent surroundings. The obsidian walls with their veins of golden light, the crystalline chandeliers that burned without flame, the impossible architecture that seemed to bend space itself—it was a lot to process even when you weren't dealing with a recent species change.

"This is really Hell," she murmured, more to herself than to us.

"The Ninth Circle specifically," Isabella said helpfully. "The seat of power. It's quite different from the popular mortal depictions."

"No lakes of fire?" Faith asked with a weak smile.

"Those are in the First Circle," Aria said cheerfully.

We reached my quarters, and Vex opened the door with a flourish. "Will there be anything else you require this evening?"

"I think we're fine, thank you," I said. The butler withdrew with another bow, leaving the four of us alone in my sitting room.

The familiar space felt different with Faith there—her presence made me see it through mortal eyes again. The casual luxury that I'd grown accustomed to, the subtle magical enhancements that made everything more comfortable, the way the very air seemed to hum with power.

A soft knock interrupted my thoughts, and Anastasia peeked around the door. "Princess? I heard you'd returned. Is there anything you need?"

"Come in, Anastasia," I said, gesturing her forward. "I'd like you to meet Faith Clarke."

Anastasia entered fully, her yellow eyes immediately fixing on Faith with obvious curiosity. She looked confused, her head tilting as she studied Faith's demonic features.

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"I thought she was supposed to be mortal," Anastasia said, her usual directness on full display.

"It's complicated," I said with a sigh.

Faith looked from me to Anastasia, then around the room once more, taking in the reality of where she was. When she spoke, her voice was quiet but filled with wonder and disbelief.

"I really am in Hell."

* * *

Seven days since Faith had been transformed, since Raziel's manipulation had come to light, since everything had changed again. I sat in my room at the palace, watching Faith examine her reflection in the ornate mirror across from my bed. She'd been doing that a lot lately—studying her new features like she was trying to memorize every detail.

"You know," I said, breaking the comfortable silence we'd fallen into, "you don't have to keep staring at yourself like that."

Faith turned away from the mirror, her red eyes meeting mine. The grey tint to her skin had settled into something almost natural now, and her white hair caught the light from the crystal chandelier above us.

"I'm still getting used to it," she admitted, settling into the chair across from me. "It's not just the appearance. Everything feels different."

I nodded, understanding more than she knew. "The emotions?"

"Among other things." Faith ran a hand through her hair—a gesture that was purely her own, unchanged despite everything else. "They're so much more intense now. Yesterday I watched some demons beating an imp who'd dropped their packages, and instead of being horrified…" She trailed off, looking uncomfortable.

"You found it amusing," I finished for her.

"Exactly. And that terrifies me. The old me would have intervened, or at least felt sick watching it. But this version of me just… laughed along with them." Faith's voice carried a note of self-disgust. "Is this what it was like for you? When you first woke up here?"

I considered the question carefully. My own transformation had been different—I'd had Liam's memories but Lily's instincts, creating a constant internal war. Faith was experiencing something else entirely.

"Similar, but not the same," I said. "You're still you, Faith. Just… enhanced in certain ways."

"Enhanced." She let out a bitter laugh. "That's one way to put it. Your mother certainly seems to think so."

Despite everything, I smiled at that. "She likes you. I can tell."

"Really? Because your father has been examining me like I'm some kind of fascinating specimen all week."

I winced slightly. I had a feeling I knew what that was really about, though I couldn't exactly tell Faith that Lucifer was essentially vetting her as my potential partner. Not when we were still figuring out what we meant to each other now that neither of us was who we used to be.

"He's just being cautious," I said diplomatically. "You're the first of your kind, after all."

"Sanguibus," Faith said, testing the word. "Your mother certainly has a flair for naming things."

"She does." I shifted on the bed, drawing my knees up. "Speaking of which, have you given any more thought to her offer about the Academy?"

Faith was quiet for a moment, her expression thoughtful. "She really meant it? About hiring tutors to get me caught up before the next term?"

"Of course she meant it. Mother doesn't make offers she doesn't intend to follow through on."

"It would mean staying here longer," Faith said carefully. "Much longer than I originally planned."

"Would that be so terrible?"

Faith looked at me, and for a moment I saw something vulnerable in her expression. "Honestly? No. Spending time with you, Aria, and Isabella… it's not as bad as I thought it would be. Aria especially—she's grown on me."

I grinned. "She has that effect on people. Though I should warn you, she's been asking when she can take you to the Pleasure Dome."

"The what now?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know. At least not yet." I held up a hand before she could protest. "Give yourself time to adjust to being a demon before Aria drags you into that particular experience."

Faith shook her head, but she was smiling. "I went to VCD headquarters yesterday. Thought it would be better to talk to everyone in person rather than over the phone."

"How did that go?"

Faith's expression grew complicated. "Mixed reactions. Some people acted like I was contagious, kept their distance. Others seemed fascinated, asking questions I couldn't really answer. A few didn't seem to care at all—business as usual."

She paused, running her fingers through her white hair again. "Morgan ran every test imaginable on me. Blood work, magical resonance scans, compatibility assessments. She was thorough, I'll give her that."

"Did she find anything useful?"

"Nothing that could help with my condition. She said she'd contact me if anything turned up in her research, but…" Faith shrugged. "I got the impression she was more interested in documenting a new species than actually helping me."

I felt a stab of sympathy. "What about Galahad?"

"He wants me back. Made that very clear." Faith's voice was softer now. "But he understands why I can't stay. The looks, the whispers, the way some agents flinched when I walked by… I felt more out of place there than I do here, and that's saying something."

"I'm sorry," I said, meaning it.

"The worst part was calling my mother," Faith continued, her voice growing strained. "She asked when I was coming home, and I just… I didn't know what to say. How do you explain to a devout woman that her daughter has become a demon?"

My heart ached for her. "You didn't tell her?"

"How could I? She'd either think I was lying or having a breakdown, or worse—she'd believe me and think I was damned." Faith's laugh was bitter. "Maybe I am."

"You're not damned," I said firmly. "You're just… different now."

Faith was quiet again, and I could see her processing everything. The week had been a whirlwind of revelations and adjustments for all of us.

"There's something else I need to tell you," I said, my voice growing serious. "My parents found a way. To reverse your transformation."

Faith went very still. "They did?"

"But there's a catch." I met her eyes. "It would require transferring your demon nature to someone else. Making them what you are now while restoring your humanity."

The silence stretched between us. Faith's expression cycled through several emotions—hope, relief, then something that looked like disappointment.

"So someone else would have to become a demon," she said finally.

"Yes."

"That's not really a choice then, is it?" Faith's voice was firm. "I won't condemn someone else to save myself."

I felt a mixture of pride and something else—relief, maybe?—at her response. "Are you sure? You could go back to your old life, your old job…"

"My old job." Faith laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Do you know what seemed like my biggest crisis few weeks ago? A rogue vampire who'd killed maybe a dozen people. Now I'm sitting in Hell's royal palace after watching your father almost start a war between realms over a single angel's manipulation."

She stood up, moving to the window that looked out over the Ninth Circle's impossible landscape.

"Everything I dealt with before seems so insignificant now, Lily. Everything here operates on a different scale, different rules. And despite everything—the cruelty, the casual violence, the fact that you and Aria own a person—I'm starting to understand it."

I flinched at the mention of Bellas. That had been a particularly difficult conversation.

"You made quite the scene when you found out about him," I said.

"Can you blame me?" Faith turned back to me. "But then you explained that he'd end up with someone else anyway, and the odds of finding a kind master…" She shook her head. "I hate that it makes sense."

"It's not ideal," I admitted. "But it's the reality here."

"Exactly. And if I'm going to stay—really stay—I need to come to terms with that reality." Faith moved back to the chair, her expression resolute. "Besides, where else am I going to learn how to be whatever I am now? A sanguibus, the first of my kind."

I smiled at her determination. "So you're really considering the Academy?"

"I'm more than considering it. I think… I think I want to stay, Lily. Not just for you, though that's part of it. But because this is my life now, and I want to understand it."

The relief I felt was almost overwhelming. "Good," I said softly. "Because I'd miss you if you left."

Faith smiled—the first truly genuine smile I'd seen from her since the transformation. "Well, we can't have that, can we?"

No, I thought, looking at her sitting there in my room, white hair gleaming and red eyes bright with determination. We really couldn't.