15 Battle Nuggets

Lily

Lily asked for a chicken wing from a god of death, and pointed it at a prince of Hell, threatening him with bodily harm if he even thought about changing the answer on the trivia sheet.

“There are twenty-eight properties on a Monopoly board. Not thirty-two. Twenty. Eight. Period. That is a statement of fact.”

Asmodeus pursed his lips and gave a hum of doubt. “I’m pretty sure it’s thirty-two.”

Lily leaned over the table and wielded her chicken wing like a little sword, silently daring the blue-gray demon to make a move toward their much-debated answer sheet.

Asmodeus held up his hands in defeat. “The answers will prove who is right—me—and who is wrong.”

“Doubt it,” Bel rumbled next to her, reaching for Thanatos’s tray of wings only for the god to slide them out of his reach. “Aw, come on, why is Lily the only one who gets to threaten Azzy with chicken?”

Thanatos just shrugged, a smile tugging at his lips, nonchalantly dipping a wing in sauce.

Lily hadn’t quite understood that the Thanatos that Bel had referenced was actually the Greek god of peaceful death, but it turned out that the two of them were quite good friends. A zip of anxiety had hit her upon the realization. She wondered if the god knew, or at least suspected, the effect he had on mortal souls, given the reserved way he’d held himself back when Bel had introduced them. It was a primal thing, hardwired into every living creature: the desire to avoid death.

But she’d figured that she couldn’t get any more dead and had offered her hand and a smile.

Thanatos had seemed a bit taken aback but had shaken her hand. His hand was huge, warm, and gentle. His timeless dark eyes held a sense of quiet kindness, tempered with seriousness and wisdom. She liked him.

She liked Asmodeus, too, who was an equally tall but leaner version of Bel, with slate-colored skin, spike horns, and more refined bone structure. His wife, Sariah, had delicately swooping horns, striking features, and an ever-so-slightly rounded stomach under her “Summerland Fun Run” shirt. Lucifer was just as charming and blindingly handsome as she remembered, though he’d traded his formal attire in for something equally polished but more relaxed. Chesma, a female Turkic demon with catlike ears peeking out of her hip length, glossy silver hair, chatted animatedly to Sariah. She had a kind of ethereal beauty that was only amplified by the shimmering, scalelike pattern on her skin, but her effervescence and lively chatter had quickly helped Lily form an easy camaraderie with her.

Ishtar, like Bel, Asmodeus, Lucifer, and Thanatos, had wings, a gorgeous amalgamation of feathers in warm browns and creams. Ishtar as a person was just as warm, with an underlying ferocity that reminded Lily of her friends when they’d become mothers. The Mesopotamian goddess occasionally engaged Thanatos in quiet conversation, but otherwise seemed content to listen to the ridiculous sporadic bickering.

Bel laughed at Lily’s side, a half-full glass of some kind of cocktail held easily in his clawed hand. The glittery bracelets on his other wrist sparkled from where his hand rested on his thick thigh.

Thighs that she was not going to look at. He had thick thighs. He was a solidly built guy. She didn’t need to check repeatedly to confirm that.

Cheeks strangely hot, Lily nibbled the last bit of chicken off the bone and surveyed the packed pub.

All things considered, their wing-heavy group was one of the least unique tables. Mortal souls were interspersed with denizens and beings from different realms, including a fair number of demons. The variety of shapes, colors, sizes, horns, antlers, wings, scales, claws, tails, heads, and other features had been overwhelming at first, but the longer she looked, the more normal it felt.

A fairy the size of a water bottle zipped past, wings humming as she carried a plate of nachos in a sling below her. A white wisp of light and mist that would have fit in Lily’s palm hovered next to a green wisp the size of a horse, flickering as they seemed to communicate with each other. Somewhere on the far side of the pub, if she craned her neck, she could see what looked like a flaming wheel covered in eyes floating next to a table packed with people. The last time she’d gone up to the bar, she’d squeezed in next to a being who was eight feet tall and covered in bark. It had taken a concerted effort not to ask if they were an Ent.

It was wonderful. The chatter. The laughter. The friendly chaos of it all. They were all just…people. Just like the demons. Just like the souls she’d met, good and bad. Just like her.

She shifted in her chair.

She was happy , and for a moment it was so damn foreign that she almost shut it down on instinct. Like white blood cells attacking a virus.

Something brushed her arm—Bel—and she met his dark eyes. So unusual those eyes. Gray irises, striated with a metallic silver, made even more striking with black sclera. They might have been unsettling if not for the soul behind them, if not for Bel. He tilted his head the tiniest bit, and she could practically hear him asking if she was alright.

Suddenly, she was.

She gave him a genuine smile, and, on impulse, shot him a playful wink. Because that’s what friends did.

His eyes gleamed, that hint of concern evaporating. He bumped her shoulder with his.

She poked his side—and promptly hurt her finger.

“What the actual fuck?” she asked, shaking her hand out and tapping him again, with all her fingers this time.

Solid. There was a slight give, but fucking hell, underneath that…

“What is in the water in Hell, and where can I get some?”

The entire table laughed. Asmodeus linked his hands behind his head and half flared his wings, which would have been impressive had he not nearly knocked over a passing soul, who squawked and scrambled to save their beer.

“Oops, sorry, sorry.” Asmodeus tucked his wings in tight, hurrying to apologize and make sure they were alright.

Turning back to the table with cheeks and ears stained a darker shade of blue than before, he shrugged and cleared his throat. “One of the perks of being in the legions? It’s a great way to work out.”

Lily reached for her drink, still marveling over how solid Bel was, and wrinkled her nose up at Bel. “Remind me never to pick a fight with you, big guy.”

Bel chuckled and gently poked at her not-nearly-as-solid side. “Uh huh, you ever try a pick a fight with me, I’m hauling ass in the opposite direction. I’ve seen you at work, remember?”

“I’ll accept it.” She clinked her glass with his.

Everyone at the table watched them with varying degrees of amusement. Lucifer, in particular, looked as if he were watching the last few minutes of a sporting match.

Lily took a long pull of her drink, just as Bel did the same.

Thankfully, the speakers cracked to life, and the collective chatter died down immediately to listen for the correct answers. Sariah, their scribe, hovered over the paper with her pen, her golden eyes focused with laser-like intensity on the emcee.

Lily listened along, flipping Asmodeus a triumphant middle finger when it was confirmed that the standard Monopoly board did, in fact, have twenty-eight properties. Thanatos handed her another chicken wing. Ishtar clapped her on the back with bone-rattling force.

She really was happy . That odd, empty-but-tight, snarled-up feeling in her chest still lingered, but…less.

Sariah totaled up their points with a cackle. “We’ve only missed the one so far.”

Chesma wrinkled her perfectly straight nose. “Who was possibly going to know that ‘barani,’ ‘rudolph,’ and ‘randolph’ were techniques in trampolining ?”

“People who are interested in trampolining,” Thanatos said mildly, swirling his drink.

“Do we know the next category?” Lily asked, leaning to peer at the screen projected onto a wall.

“It’s the mystery category. If we put the clues together right, it should be our time to shine,” Bel said. “And if we didn’t, then this might suck.”

The speakers made everyone take a collective breath. Lily didn’t have the faintest idea what the clues had been, or if she would be remotely helpful, but she realized it didn’t matter. It was fun.

“Beginning in a few minutes, the topic of the next round will be ‘wings and flight.’”

The entire pub erupted into a mixture of cheers and groans. The winged members of their group leaned forward, Bel practically vibrating with excitement. Sariah shot Lily a bemused glance and fondly reached down to pat her equally excited husband’s thigh.

Chesma scooted her chair back, rolling her shoulders. “Perfect, just in time for a refill. Need anything, mortal?”

“Lily,” Lily said at the same time as someone else.

Multiple someones.

She stared at Lucifer and Thanatos, then Bel, who was the portrait of affable ease unless she looked closely.

And she did. She felt like it was important to look closely. An undercurrent of tension hummed through him.

Chesma winced and met Lily’s eyes squarely, apology written all over her striking face. “I’m sorry, I meant no offense. Would you like anything, Lily?” Her smile was tentative, cautious.

Lily hoped her expression was as reassuring as she wanted it to be. “Names can be a pain in the ass. I’ve been craving a Fuzzy Navel, for some reason, so if they have them, I’ll take one. If not, feel free to expand my horizons.”

Bel choked on his drink. “You’ve been craving a what ?” He coughed.

Ishtar grinned into her drink and nodded knowingly, while Chesma barked a laugh, weaving away through the crowd.

“A Fuzzy Navel. It’s a cocktail with a terrible name, I know.” Lily hooked her arm over the back of her chair so she could watch the horror spread across his face.

Beside him, Lucifer looked slightly ill. “And I thought Sex on the Beach was an odd name.”

“Terrible idea, sex on the beach.” Lily shivered. “Sand gets in places sand should never be.”

Sariah gagged. “Oh, Universe, no , I never even thought of that! We’re taking that one off the list.” She said the last to Asmodeus, who nodded fervently.

“First question!” The speaker drew all of their attention, and they huddled over the table to conspire if needed.

“What is the only mortal mammal that can fly?”

“It’s those little squirrel things, right?” Sariah asked lowly.

Lily shook her head. “Bats. Even though they’re called flying squirrels, technically they glide.”

“Atta girl,” Bel murmured, bumping her shoulder. Warmth radiated from their point of contact.

She bumped him back. “Just managed to squeak that answer out.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled. “We didn’t even have to flap around for it.”

“Nah, we just winged it a little.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Asmodeus groaned. “There’s two of them. Now they’ll both think they’re funny.”

“Watch your battitude, dude. We’re gonna miss the next question.” Lily smirked, bumping her fist against Bel’s as half the table groaned.

* * *

“Uh uh! Get your own!” Lily cried, pushing Bel’s hand as it crept up on her glass. As it turned out, Luckyleaf did serve Fuzzy Navels. As it also turned out, it’d been a hit with Bel and Chesma, who she’d let sample it, and she’d ended up spending half her time protecting her drink from the buzzards. Drinks, more accurately. Her face was pleasantly warm, a happy buzz filling her veins.

“But mine’s empty. Just a sip.” Bel pouted. She would have thought it impossible for a seven-foot-tall, winged, horned, and fanged demon with a warrior’s physique and bearing to pout with any efficacy, but damn if he hadn’t figured out a way to make it work.

“I’m beginning to see why you go by FruitBat.”

“It’s actually because he’s a slut for grapes,” Asmodeus drawled, handing his new cocktail to Sariah so she could sniff it wistfully.

“Has been since he started solid foods,” Lucifer confirmed, chin propped on his hand. “His parents used to carry a whole cluster of them so they could keep him happy during meetings. Any fruit would work, but grapes worked the best .”

“I’m a man of taste.” Bel sniffed, nodding at the half-full glass on the table. “And those taste pretty delicious.”

Lily laughed, rolling her eyes and pouring a smidge of liquid from her glass into his, catching a stray drop with her finger and licking it off. Bel’s hand paused briefly in midair before bringing the glass to his lips. He threw a beefy arm over the back of her chair and nudged her knee with his.

“Thanks, Lils.” His voice was deeper, more gravelly than it had been a moment earlier, and she felt it like a caress.

Or maybe that was the alcohol.

She flopped her head back so that it rested on his arm, warm and buzzy and happy and content. “You’re welcome, big guy.”

Someone tapped the mic, and the pub went eerily silent. Lily lifted her head.

Competitive was an understatement for many of the trivia players.

“Third place, the Celestial Croissants!”

A table on the far side of the pub erupted into whoops and cheers.

“Second place, the Battle Nuggets!”

Holy shit, that’s us—

Their table nearly flipped. Had she still been alive, her eardrums would have ruptured. They all screamed and roared. Chesma stood on her chair, hooting and whirling her shirt above her head like a lasso. Lily had the briefest moment to laugh at Asmodeus, who had Sariah held nearly over his head while she cackled, until she herself was swept up in a bone-crushing hug. Bel lifted her clear off her feet with one arm, while his other wrapped around Thanatos’s shoulders, the quiet deity’s smile brilliant against his dark beard.

Lily threw one arm around Bel’s neck and pumped her other fist in the air, howling like a wild thing. Her fingers tangled in the collar of his shirt, brushing the extra warm, smooth skin beneath.

She wanted to lick it.

No. She didn’t, that was just an intrusive thought brought on by alcohol. She jerked her hand away and gripped his fabric-covered shoulder instead.

Fuck.

She’d always been a horny drunk. She knew that. She’d also hoped that that particular trait had died with her mortal body. Apparently not.

Not when Bel held her so snugly around the waist, pressed against his body. They were pressed so close that his pounding heartbeat beat against her own ribs, against her own silent chest—

Did he notice? Did it bother him? Would it bother him?

Her lack of a heartbeat, of life .

It was amazing how quickly alcohol could burn away in the Afterlife.

She slid down the length of his body, smile plastered in place, even though her skin sizzled at the contact. Everyone was still cheering and whooping, so she shoved it all down so it didn’t affect her anymore, stepping away from Bel to laugh with Ishtar and fist bump Lucifer before they all settled back into their seats. She reached for her drink, waiting to hear who had taken first place.

She didn’t want to put a damper on the night. No one wanted to hear her complain, or sort through her own snarled emotions, least of all herself. It would be fine.

One way or another. Eventually.

“First place is the Ornithologists!”

A different table erupted into cheers, and the rest of the pub cheered for them too. Lily clapped until her hands stung, reaching for that happy, hazy feeling again. Maddeningly, it remained just out of reach.

Their table dispersed to chat with various friends and acquaintances, except Bel, who waved at someone.

“You want to meet some of the people from game nights?” he asked her.

“Sure!”

“Excellent.” Bel grinned as a pair of demons headed their way. “They should know who is going to be beating them for the foreseeable future.”

“Let’s split it, fifty-fifty, keep them on their toes.”

Bel looped his arm around her shoulders, and without thinking, she slid hers around his waist, careful not to brush his wings again.

“Damn right we will. Lily, this is Angel.” He gestured to a stunningly gorgeous female demon with a pert nose, large crimson eyes, skin the exact shade of a pink rose, and an abundance of perfectly white hair with an ombre to black at the ends. Angel’s smile was brilliant, and her delicate horns, reminiscent of a springbok’s, were adorned with twisted and polished wire, the little metal flowers along the strands glittering in the light. She was only slightly taller than Lily and lushly curvy, a fact emphasized by her skintight pants and lacy crop top.

Angel bounced in place and waved. “Hi! I’ve heard so much about you!” Her voice was bubbly and sweet. Lily liked her immediately.

She waved back with her free hand.

“And this,” Bel said, “is Gregorith, master of Level Nine.” The male demon was slightly shorter than Bel, with angular, handsome features. Despite being built along leaner lines than Asmodeus, he radiated quiet strength and menace. Something about him sent chills up her spine in a way she hadn’t encountered before.

All demons were dangerous, sure, but this one… The danger in him lurked closer to the surface than in most. His deep red skin was smooth, and his eyes, a few shades lighter than his skin, revealed nothing other than vague curiosity. Not a piece of his immaculately tailored black clothing was out of place. In fact, the only imperfection in his presentation was a strand of black hair, on the longer side of short, that flopped over his forehead.

Gregorith dipped his head and murmured a greeting. His voice, midrange and smooth, reminded her of cream poured over ice.

Level Nine. Where the worst souls went. It made sense that the master of that level would have to have a certain way about him. But he was also friends with Bel and the bubbly Angel, so there was a heart in there. Somewhere.

“So,” Lily began, “master of Level Nine? I’ve had a few souls for Nine come through, and they make my skin crawl.”

“I’d think they would.”

“Does it annoy you when they come down in pieces?”

The corner of Gregorith’s mouth twitched. “Souls regenerate.”

“Mm.” Lily angled her head. “One arrived yesterday…he probably would have still been missing his teeth”—and the lower half of his face, if she was being honest—“by the time he got down to you. What’s going on with him?”

Beside her, Bel stiffened, tail twitching. Angel’s bright smile dimmed a bit, eyes rounding with what looked like worry as she looked between Gregorith and Lily.

Gregorith’s tail moved slowly behind him, but his face may as well have been carved from stone. She held his gaze. His presence was intense and eerie in the way of a predator on the hunt, like a lion stalking a gazelle. She could understand why Bel and Angel seemed nervous that she’d asked him the seemingly innocuous question. But she wanted to know, and Gregorith wasn’t nearly as terrifying as that doctor’s office had been. She still had nightmares about that scratchy blue chair and the word metastasized .

“He’s currently suspended by his innards over a lake of fire. He’s been relieved of his skin. He won’t be needing it for a while.”

“Perfect,” Lily said. “I’m glad to know you’re good at what you do. I’d hate to think that the worst part of a soul’s stay in Hell would be what I do to them if they come through my line.”

Gregorith’s expression thawed slightly. Slightly. “Believe me, it isn’t.”

“Excellent.”

Bel let out a relived sigh, tension seeping out of his posture. Angel pressed her hand over her chest and puffed out her cheeks, relief and curiosity in her gorgeous red eyes as she looked at Lily like she was seeing her for the first time.

Gregorith inclined his head and smiled. Not with teeth, but the ice of his expression melted away to reveal a hint of the warmth she suspected he kept hidden.

She smiled back. “And for the record, killing me by the fish was un-fucking-fair, Stabby, you bastard.”

Gregorith’s neat eyebrows twitched upward a moment before a hint of a smile curled his lips. “Was it? You’re not too bad yourself, Nearamir.”

Angel giggled brightly, her fangs flashing. “If we’re doing other introductions too, I’m TacoTime…aka, not really a threat.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Bel said. “You can be ruthless when you feel like it.”

Angel batted her eyes. “It’s true, and you somehow never see it coming. Greg—Gregorith—does, but he’s snoopy that way.”

Bel and Gregorith exchanged an amused glance.

“I love playing with you all.” Lily smiled, but the whirlwind of socializing and Bel and her own confusing emotions had weariness suddenly tugging at her mind if not her body. “And I hope I get to talk to both of you more soon, but I’m feeling like it’s time for me to head home. I’ve got a lifetime of missed sleep I’m trying to catch up on.”

Angel stepped forward and shooed Bel away before wrapping Lily in a warm hug, her silky hair tickling her nose. Angel hugged with her whole being, and Lily couldn’t help but like her more for it.

“We’ll have to get coffee or lunch sometime. I want to know everything about how you started working in Hell!” Angel said when she pulled back, the metal adorning her horns gleaming in the light.

“That would be great!” Lily grinned, glancing over her shoulder towards Bel, who watched her with a crooked smile, his hands shoved in his pockets. “You can stay and hang out with everyone. You don’t have to walk me back if you don’t want to.”

“I want to.”

Apparently, there was still enough alcohol in her system to keep her on the horny side of drunk, because muscles clenched in her lower abdomen that had no business clenching.

Right as they wove their way around the last group of people near the door, someone called her name. Siedah waved from a nearby group, beaming beneath her turquoise hijab. Lily hurried over, grinning so hard her face hurt.

Siedah wrapped her in a quick hug, careful not to spill the smoothie she held in one hand. “I haven’t seen you to say congratulations in person! Congratulations! I knew you’d make it. It’s always better to hear that in person than through text, isn’t it? I’m sorry I’ve been so busy, but I’ve heard a bit about what you’ve started in Hell, and I have so many questions!”

“Hey, don’t worry about it! Are you still busy with the trainees? Maybe I could swing by your desk sometime. I’d love to just talk more.”

“Absolutely, we’ll text and figure it out. It’s so good to see you! Have a good night!” Siedah squeezed her hand in farewell.

Lily headed toward the door, where Bel waited outside, talking to a woman whose entire being screamed Valkyrie . He said a quick farewell to the woman when he spied Lily, and sauntered over.

“So, what do you think? How did it compare to mortal trivia nights?”

“This was so much better! Mortal trivia nights were”—she cleared her throat—“they were fun, but nothing like that.”

“I never thought I would say this.” He chuckled as they meandered in the direction of Paradise. “But I like Fuzzy Navels.”

Lily smirked and patted his arm. “Don’t worry, big guy, I don’t kink shame.”

She squealed when he pinched her side, and he made a strangely delicate beep of sound when she jabbed her finger in his armpit, made even funnier by his baritone voice.

They laughed and razzed each other the entire way to the Paradise arch.

Bel

Bel lay flat on his back in bed, wings carefully spread over the sheets, staring up at the glittering mural of stars on the ceiling. One hand tucked behind his head while the other rested on his stomach, clutching his phone.

His smile had yet to fade.

Lily.

She’d looked so happy, laughing and making him forget how to speak. Threatening Asmodeus with a chicken wing. Making Thanatos smile. Meeting Greg and Angel and treating them like people, though he hadn’t expected anything less. She hadn’t been afraid or seemed remotely intimidated by Greg, even though he had been his grumpy, guarded self and tried to shock her. But he’d suspected that Lily could handle it, and she had. They were both more faceted than people realized, and Lily had looked Greg in the eye without flinching. Something most people found difficult to do for too long.

His armpit ached from where she’d poked him. His smile broadened.

It had taken actual concentrated effort not to kiss her forehead when she’d flopped her head against his arm. He’d always been tactile within the bounds of propriety, but the impulse, like every moment with her, had felt natural.

Kissing her…what would that feel like? What would she taste like? If he’d kissed her in that moment, would she have tasted like that delicious fruity drink with the horrible name? Would it have been infinitely better because it had been on her lips? Would she have arched into him? Answered his moan with one of her own? What would all that pretty skin feel like? Her clothing hinted maddeningly at the dips and curves of her body, sending his imagination into overdrive. Unsurprisingly, his cock rose to attention, straining against the blanket covering his legs.

Ah, fuck.

He sucked in a deep breath, held it, and let it go slowly, fighting back the flash of arousal.

They’d known each other—actually known each other—for barely a day. She’d given him no real indication that she was looking for anything physical. Besides, they just clicked . His interest in her appearance paled in comparison to the interest in her , the mind behind those eyes, the kind heart he’d seen flashes of. What stories could she tell? What monsters was she fighting?

His heart clenched. Lily was hurting inside, deeply and quietly. Why? Could he help?

The buzz of his phone pulled him out of his reverie. He’d half expected the call, though a text had been more likely.

He answered with a swipe of his finger. “Hey, Greggles.”

“She’s going to break your heart, Bel.”

That wasn’t quite what he’d been expecting.

“What do you mean?”

“She seems great, and normally, for what it would be worth, I’d approve. I don’t care if you’re just getting to know each other, I haven’t seen you this excited about anything for a long time.” He paused. “But she’s a soul, and souls reincarnate.”

“Not all of them. Not always.”

The words sounded hollow even to him. His throat grew tight at the idea. Maybe she’d go back to the mortal world and fall in love, have kids if that’s what she wanted. Go live a beautiful and unique life that was all the more precious because it was finite. Sure, Lily would return to the Afterlife after that, but she’d be different. She’d half remember her old life, her old self, old Paradise, but maybe not him.

While he would always be in Hell. Always remembering her, or who she had been.

“Yeah,” Greg said softly. “Not all of them. Listen, I don’t want to be a killjoy, I just…don’t want you to get left behind.”

The again at the end of his statement went unsaid, but Bel heard it anyway.

“I know. I appreciate the warning, but I’m gonna have to figure this one out on my own, yeah?”

Something tapped on the other end of the phone, and Greg sighed. “I’m not against it, you know. If you decide to go for it. For her.”

“I’m going to focus on the whole ‘being friends’ and ‘getting to know each other’ thing first.”

“Sounds like a plan, General .” He could hear Greg’s smirk through the phone.

“Fuck you, Master of Level Nine .” He cooed Greg’s title like a child teasing another over a crush.

Greg barked a laugh and wished him goodnight before the phone went silent, leaving Bel alone in the dark with a mural of stars and a maelstrom of what-ifs.

Familiar bands of emotion wrapped around his throat and squeezed.

He’d never been worthy of the kind of love and devotion he craved before; what reason did he have to think that had changed? His love and affection hadn’t been good enough when it mattered. When he’d been placed on the scales of choice, they’d tipped in the other option’s favor with apparent ease.

With few exceptions, his role in relationships had been temporary at best, which was why he’d avoided romantic partnerships for so long. His former relationships had ended on good terms, but they’d still driven home what he’d begun to believe—he wasn’t worthy of the kind of love that lasted.

But Lily… She felt different. For the first time in too long, he wondered if things had changed.