Page 160 of Knight’s Retribution

She squeezed his fingers. “I tried. I tried so hard to keep it down.”

“It’s okay. Scarlet said that’s supposed to happen if the ritual worked.” He rubbed a hand over his cropped hair. “She didn’t want to freak you out. So you only had one shitty fucking thing to deal with at a time.”

For once she was happy someone had kept something from her. “It worked?”

Rocco stilled and his eyes flashed back and forth from dark blue to black, then he closed them and sucked in a sharp breath. “Yeah…fuck. Yeah, it worked. I can feel it.” His eyes opened. “I’m blocking you, and that’ll be easier for me to do now that you’ve transitioned. That’s how it’s supposed to work. A demi gains their power, and the knight that retrieves them covers them until they’re able to do it themselves. Your power was obviously so strong, it was like a leaky tap, starting slow and then gaining strength the closer you came to your transition. I…I missed it, but I’m guessing that’s why the demons were able to sense your power before it happened.”

“So this, me having this…power is a good thing?” she whispered, her throat raw.

“Yeah, it’s a good thing. When we leave this room, it should be easier to keep you off Diemos’s radar—”

“Leave the room?” She pulled her hand back and clutched the covers. “No…I can’t do that. I can’t leave this room. He’ll find me. He’ll take me back—”

“No, he will never come near you again, Ky. I know I’ve failed you in the past, but I promise you, baby, that will never happen again.”

The sound of boots on the floor had her twisting around. “Ready?” Tobias said.

Scarlet picked up Kyler’s clothes and put them on the bed beside her. “I know you’re exhausted, Ky, but we need to move out now. It’s our best chance.”

Kyler looked from Tobias and Scarlet to Rocco. There was so much determination on their faces, to protect her, to free her, and they would risk their lives trying.

She could never be that brave, but if she let her fear win, she would be stuck in this room for eternity—if Diemos didn’t find her—and she wouldn’t sentence them all to that fate right along with her.

Gathering up the clothes, she held them to her chest. “Okay.”

Scarlet held her gaze and gave a nod. The other female had seen Kyler at her worst, at her weakest, and getting her approval now, it felt good. Really good.

They left the room while Kyler dressed. Her muscles hurt after what just happened and she still had some aches and pains from the beating she’d taken, even after Scarlet had treated her with her healing bowl several times since.

Rocco waited as she pulled on a dress, the fabric brown and rough, then slung Scarlet’s satchel over her head, the healing bowl inside. Rocco moved in and dropped a long cloak over her shoulders. It had a hood, and he lifted it carefully, so it hung low, covering her face.

“You keep your head down. Anyone looking at us will see two of Diemos’s soldiers escorting a couple of healers, nothing more.”

She tilted her head back and looked up at him. “What if they get too close? What if they see who I am?”

Rocco’s eyes flashed black again. “Then I’ll kill them.”

She reached out and took his hand again, needing the closeness, and hung on as he led her from the room.

“Ready?” Tobias said.

Rocco nodded, and Kyler gripped his fingers tighter.

Scarlet pulled her hood up as well and walked to the door. Opening it, she peered out into the cave. “All clear.” They followed her out, and she stopped long enough to hide the key to Lucifer’s quarters in a crack in the stone wall where they could find it should something go wrong and they needed to get back in. Then heads down, Kyler and Scarlet walked forward, while Rocco and Tobias, dressed in armor, stayed close behind.

They trekked for a long time with Scarlet muttering left or right or keep going to her whenever they came to a crossroads. For a long time they didn’t encounter any demons, which was most likely because Lucifer no longer resided in this part of Hell. But the closer they got to the location of the portal, or where it usually opened, the more Kyler sensed them. She didn’t know how, but they were close, and her skin prickled with fear.

The sound of raised voices echoed ahead, and Kyler stumbled to a stop, pushing back, knocking into Rocco.

“I got you,” he said. “Trust me, Ky.”

“I do,” she whispered back. “I do.”

“Okay. You need to keep walking, baby. Don’t talk, don’t look at them when we pass. You leave that to me and T.”

She nodded and forced herself to keep moving.

“Right,” Scarlet said, which had them moving directly toward the voices.