Chapter 2

I couldn't remember the last time I'd had so many of my mates in one place without Calamity ruining the party.

Logan. Kaito. Cole. Dante. Hendrik. And whatever Asher was to me, he was here, too.

His presence felt right. It was something I couldn't process right now, not when I had cause to celebrate.

"You're alive!" I cried as I flung myself at Dante. Luckily he was there to catch me, because I overshot without the weight of my feathers—or my heavyset angelic bones—and nearly slammed him in the face.

But I felt… better.

Now that Cole had hidden the Death Lotus, I was no longer in danger of dying and the pain ebbed as elation took its place. I hugged my Hunter, kissed him all over, and then turned to Hendrik, who had just finished summoning poor Logan some pants.

He seemed different. Friendlier, somehow.

His black irises still took up all the space of his eyes, leaving no whites to be found. But his mouth formed a flawless smile that made him absolutely beautiful.

"Hendrik," I said, leaning into him as he took my mouth with his.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to his chest. He gently nipped my ear. "Hello, pet," he said, his low words sending a shiver up my spine.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

He chewed his lip in an uncharacteristic show of discomfort. "I should be asking you that after what I put you through."

I cupped his face with my hands. "Don't you dare. You aren't responsible for what Calamity made you do, you hear me?" I kissed him, hard, leaving us both breathless when I pulled away. "Now, tell me what's going on, hmm?"

His concern vanished as if I'd imagined it.

Good. I didn't want him to hold on to regret for something that wasn't his fault.

He shrugged in his typical nonchalant way as my hands fell to his chest. "I lost my magic there for a bit, but Dante helped me figure it out." He winked at the Hunter. "Isn't that right?"

"Yes. It's a long story." Dante chuckled, and so did Kaito. Their laughter subsided as they shared a look, one that showed me how much they'd missed each other, too.

"Hunter," Kaito said with a soft smile.

Dante blew out a breath, then wrapped his arm around my mentor and tugged him in close for a warm embrace. He pulled away and eyed him up and down. "You've changed, Professor Nakamura."

Kaito tilted his head at Dante. "As have you."

All of my mates had grown. It was evident now that I could see them all together.

Dante was bursting at the seams with power. He was clearly the one Cole had been referring to, the one who was able to absorb Death Lotus flowers.

Even my demon who had sacrificed his wings seemed healthier and stronger, as if time in Hell's Heart had done him some good. His ruby irises glowed with the power of the Underworld and his massive form flexed with strength. He wore low-hanging slacks that allowed his tail to loop over the back and his muscular chest was bare.

He seemed right at home here.

As a native demon, that didn't surprise me.

Logan had always been an outsider in the group, preferring to be a loner in order to suppress his alpha, but even he seemed pleased by the reunion. He crossed his arms as he took it all in.

He had grown in every way since allowing his alpha to take charge. He was still struggling with it, but his alpha was clearly just underneath the surface. His muscles flexed and his nostrils flared as he drew in the scents around us. His crystal-blue eyes practically glowed with the wolf's power that lived within him.

Then there was Kaito.

Kaito had awakened his true self. He'd shed his mortal form and now only wore the likeness of it because that was his identity. His true power as a fallen angel emanated from him, making it clear that he wasn't just a lower-level demon.

He was the caretaker of Hell's Heart.

Which was likely why he knew what had happened to Dante, at least in theory. "How many Death Lotus blooms have you absorbed?" he asked the Hunter.

Hendrik moved his hand to my ass and squeezed as he held me against his hip. A blush worked its way up my face as he talked. "He's gorged on them, Kaito. He's a fucking ravenous beast." He waggled his eyes at me. "In more ways than one, hmm?"

My blush only grew hotter. I knew that Hendrik and Dante often worked out their problems with violent sex.

My brain turned to mush as I tried to imagine how Dante had helped Hendrik get his magic working again.

"Where's that dirty mind of yours going, gorgeous?" Hendrik asked me as he nuzzled into my neck. He traced my earlobe with his tongue. "When we're safe, would you like a reenactment of what Dante taught me?"

I groaned, almost forgetting the strange pain in my chest that hadn't fully retreated.

Cole wrapped his tail around my ankle, reminding everyone that he was my mate, too, and he wasn't going to be ignored. "We need to take Lily to Seth. This reunion is going to be short-lived if we don't get her back to the mortal world soon."

Everyone's eyes landed on me.

I hadn't realized it because I was holding on to Hendrik, who felt so yummy and powerful, but now that I focused on it, that emptiness inside my chest was growing stronger.

I pressed my fingers to the sensation just beneath my sternum and frowned.

"What happens if a human is in Hell's Heart?" I asked, already fearing the answer.

Asher was the one who volunteered the information.

"It's going to devour your soul and add it to the field of Death Lotus blooms." He glowered at my mates. "If you guys have an idea of how to get her out of here, let's move. Fast."