Page 239 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
‘We are all connected,’ Lucifer continued casually. ‘You. Ash Acheron. Thanatos. Hecate. Hades. Hadrian.’ His smilewidened. ‘Me. Nyx. And the Sun God.’ He gave a small, almost delighted laugh. ‘Triangles everywhere. Funny, isn’t it?’
Mal did not find it amusing in the slightest.
She kept her mouth firmly shut.
Around them, delicate flakes of snow began to fall, drifting slowly through the dark, silent air.
‘We should hurry,’ Lucifer said.
Mal did not understand why haste suddenly mattered, but she found herself agreeing all the same. The sooner she left this place, the better. Every moment spent in this ring felt like standing too close to something ancient and watchful.
‘What are you willing to sacrifice for this deal?’ Lucifer asked.
‘Anything.’
His lips curled into that wicked smile again.
‘Are you quite certain?’
‘I need Persephone removed from that throne,’ Mal said firmly. ‘I must become Queen of the Underworld. It is the only way to save my world.’
Lucifer gave a small shrug, as though he neither agreed nor cared enough to challenge her belief.
‘Very well,’ he said at last. ‘I will trap Persephone here. Consider it… a small act of revenge for what she did to you.’ His pale eyes gleamed. ‘In return, when your daughter is marked by the curse, she will come to claim the Underworld, to become its rightful heir.’
Mal’s breath slowed as she listened.
‘And you,’ Lucifer continued, ‘will come to Hell. One of the two empty rings awaits a new king.’ He smiled faintly. ‘You will become one of us.’
Mal stiffened.
She hated the bargain instantly.
Yet she knew it was the correct choice.
If she remained imprisoned in Hell, the God-Killer could no longer threaten the world. The curse might finally break its endless cycle. Her daughter would be free of it and would one day take the throne of the Underworld without the shadow of her mother looming over her.
It was the right decision.
And yet her twisted heart rebelled against it.
‘When your daughter hears the bells of Hell,’ Lucifer said, extending his hand towards her, ‘your time will have come.’
Mal looked down at the offered hand.
Then she clasped it.
Lucifer laughed, clearly delighted with the bargain that had just been sealed.
The snow began to fall harder around them, thick white flakes swirling through the frozen air.
Behind her, Mal heard a sharp crack echo across the lake.
The ice was breaking.
‘Curious, is it not?’ Lucifer asked.
Mal’s patience was beginning to wear thin, but she forced herself to answer. ‘What is?’
