Chapter 32

CHAPTER

THIRTY-TWO

IZA

Four weeks and a very pregnant belly later, I stepped through the portal into an unfamiliar icy kingdom. Usually, Acaros didn't let me go anywhere alone, but while he was out, I had snuck away to have a chat with Qina and to find Clayton.

My breath mingled with the frigid air, creating a cloud of white in front of my face. I made some excuse to the guards standing at attention in the portal room and found my way onto the stone walkways.

The chill seeped into my bones, and yet the power within me began to stir. Even with all the training Acaros had put me through the past few weeks, I hadn't been able to control it, at least not to the extent that I needed to control it for Dani.

Though … I wasn't sure if I wanted to be part of this war.

I thought it would take hours to find the prison in the Kingdom of Pride that Dani had mentioned Clayton and Qina were in, but it only took about twenty minutes of waddling like a penguin. A towering and heavily guarded building lay ahead, its iron gates covered in ice.

The guards stationed at the entrance peered at me with narrowed eyes, their expressions cold and indifferent. Cradling my belly bump and trying to look like a helpless woman, I walked up to them and gave a small smile.

"What business do you have here?" one guard asked, tone strong.

"I'm here to release prisoners of Lust."

The guards exchanged a brief glance. "State your name and title."

"I'm Iza."

"And title?" another guard repeated.

I opened my mouth a handful of times, not sure of what I should say. Not many people knew that I had the power of Beliel inside me, and I believed that Dani wanted to keep it that way. It was a hidden power that—if I decided to use—would help us.

As tension began to mount, a smooth voice drifted through the air from behind the guards, and I noticed that one of the entry doors had been opened. "Do be kind to our guest, gentlemen. She's braved quite the journey. I've been expecting her."

With white hair and eyes of pure ice, a demon stepped from behind the guards. Wind seemed to whip around his large blue horns, and even the guards seemed intimidated by his presence.

He reached out a hand. "Lucifer."

"Lucifer," I repeated, mouth dry. "You're Lucifer?"

"The one and only." His lips curved into a smirk. "Usually, humans like you cower at the mere mention of my name."

"Have you been to Earth lately?" I asked, the powers within me stirring and giving me confidence that I once hadn't had. "Everyone jokes about going to Hell. Your name is only feared by the true believers of God, and there aren't many of them anymore."

"That's thanks to you, old friend ," he hummed.

I shared a long look with him because I was no old friend of Lucifer. But Dani had mentioned that Beliel had corrupted Lucifer when they were still in Heaven. Dani hadn't been there either, but Lucifer was apparently still connected to her.

And if he was connected to her, then he would recognize her.

He would recognize me .

His eyes glistened with amusement as I realized that he understood who I was. He intertwined his fingers and tilted his chin slightly upward, the smirk widening even more. "I would say that I have missed you, but I've been enjoying my time down here."

After humming softly because I didn't have any memory of Beliel—only her power—I rocked back on my heels. "I would like entrance into The Chains to release two prisoners of Lust. I'm here not on anyone's orders, but my own."

A low chuckle left his mouth. "Does Dani know this?"

"No."

"Your … husband? Boyfriend? What is that guy to you again?"

"Acaros," I stated, "is my fiancé." Sorta. "But, no, he doesn't know."

"They just let you roam around by yourself?"

"They don't own me. I make my own decisions."

"Spoken like your true self." Another laugh left his mouth, and he stepped to the side to allow me entrance. "Go ahead. Release the prisoners of Lust." As I walked past him, he snatched my elbow and leaned in closer. "But I will be seeing you around, Beliel."