Seraphina's POV

The night falls silent.

My legs move before my brain catches up.

“Paige!” I drop beside her, shaking hands brushing hair from her face.

Her chest rises.

She’s breathing.

Relief nearly knocks me over.

Lucas appears beside me.

“We need to leave,” he says. “Others will come.”

I help Paige to her feet.

Lucas lifts Beau effortlessly over his shoulder.

And together—We leave the pool behind.

The night no longer feels peaceful. Now it feels like the beginning of something far worse.

The drive to Paige’s house feels unreal. Like the world has tilted off its axis and I’m the only one who notices.

Paige sits in the passenger seat beside me, wrapped in a blanket Lucas grabbed from the back of Beau’s car. Her hands tremble in her lap as she rubs the bruised skin on her neck.

I grip the steering wheel harder than necessary.

Lucas sits in the back seat with Beau slumped unconscious beside him, one hand keeping the larger boy upright while the other rests on the back of my seat.

Streetlights flash across the windshield in steady intervals as we drive through the quiet neighborhoods.

No one knows.

But we can see the hellish war unfolding around us.

My heart still hasn’t slowed.

I keep seeing Paige’s body hitting the concrete.

Hearing the demon’s voice. "Return to hell... bring the seraphim."

My throat tightens.

Paige finally speaks.

“Sera…” Her voice is thin. “What the hell was that?”

I swallow.

How do I explain something like that?

How do I explain demons, hell, and godlike beings without sounding completely insane?

I glance at Lucas in the rearview mirror.

His amber eyes meet mine.

He gives a small nod, as if granting me permission to tell her.

Paige deserves the truth.

I exhale deeply. “That… wasn’t Beau.”

She lets out a shaky laugh. “Yeah. I figured that part out.” Her hand drifts to her throat again.

“Something was inside him.”

Lucas speaks from the backseat. “A demon.”

Paige goes still. “You’re kidding.”

No one answers.

The silence says enough.

“Oh my god,” she whispers. Her eyes widen as realization settles in. “You’re serious.”

“Yes,” Lucas says with certainty.

The word hangs heavy in the car.

Paige turns slowly toward me. “And this ‘seraphim’ thing it mentioned…”

I grip the wheel tighter. “I don’t fully understand it yet.”

Lucas answers before I can continue.

“All I know is, Seraphim are the highest order of angels.”

Paige stares at him. She rubs her temples. “So just to recap tonight—”

She starts counting on her fingers. “Demons are real. Hell is real. My boyfriend got possessed.”

She points at me. “And my best friend is apparently some kind of angel.”

She pauses. Then adds weakly, “Cool.”

Despite everything, a nervous laugh escapes me.

Lucas doesn’t laugh.

His eyes remain fixed on the darkness outside the window. “They know about her now.”

A cold shiver crawls up my spine.

“Who does?” Paige asks.

Lucas answers without hesitation. “The rulers of Hell.”

The car goes silent again.

I pull into Paige’s driveway a moment later.

Her house is dark, not a single light on. Which somehow makes the night feel even more surreal.

Lucas lifts Beau from the back seat like he weighs nothing.

Paige opens the door with shaky hands and we head inside.

The lights of the house flick on. Normalcy of the living room feels almost insulting.

Family photos of Paige with her brother, a few with her mother, line the shelves. Throw blankets patterned with cats are draped over the couch. A bowl of candy sits innocently on the coffee table.

Lucas lays Beau on the couch.

Paige kneels beside him. "Beau?”

No response.

Her voice cracks. “Is he going to be okay?”

Lucas studies him. “Yes.” His tone is certain. “The demon only used him as a vessel.”

Paige exhales shakily, relief flooding her face.

“But he’s vulnerable now.”

Her relief fades. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” Lucas says coldly, “another demon could try again.”

Paige looks like she might throw up.

I sit beside her. “We’ll protect him.”

She turns toward me. Her eyes search my face. “You’re really going to hell.”

It’s not a question.

I nod. “Yeah, I am.”

Lucas leans against the kitchen counter across the room.

Arms folded.

Watching us.

“But how?” Paige asks. “Isn’t hell like… a metaphorical place?”

Lucas huffs. “No.”

He pushes away from the counter. “Every lord of Hell maintains a gate to the mortal realm.”

My stomach twists. “A gate?”

“Yes,” He sighs.

“Where?” I ask.

Lucas hesitates. “They are hidden and guarded.”

“Of course they are,” Paige mutters.

My chest tightens. “Guarded by what?”

Lucas meets my eyes. “Hellhounds.”

The word sends an icy chill through me.

Images flash through my mind.

Massive beasts with burning eyes. Fangs dripping with infernal fire.

Paige blinks. “Hellhounds.”

“Yes, human.” He sighs as if this should be common knowledge to us.

She sighs. “Why are all the worst creatures always dogs?”

Lucas ignores the comment. “But it doesn’t matter.”

“Why not?” I ask.

His jaw tightens. “My gate was sealed.”

“What?”

“When I was cast out of Hell,” he sighs, “I lost access to my territory and the gate within it.”

Silence settles over the room.

“So, you can’t go?” Paige asks.

Lucas shakes his head slowly. “Not easily.”

My mind races.

There has to be something. Something we’re missing.

Then a thought sparks.

“You said something earlier.” Lucas looks at me. “About my soul.”

His eyes narrow slightly. “Seraphina—”

“You said it carries remnants of your power.”

His expression darkens. “Yes, it does.”

“What if we used that?”

Lucas warns, “You don’t understand what you’re suggesting.”

“Then explain it to me.”

His voice softens. “Our souls are bound in ways I don’t fully understand. If we try to force a gate open…” His jaw tightens. “It could kill you.”

Paige stands instantly. “Okay nope.” She waves her hands. “Conversation over.”

But I don’t look away from Lucas. “Is it possible?”

His silence answers.

My heart pounds. “Lucas.”

He runs a hand through his hair. “Yeah, it is.”

Paige groans loudly. “I hate both of you.”

Lucas meets my gaze. “But if it fails—”

“I’m willing to try.” My words come out steady.

Certainty rises within me.

Because deep down… I know something has already changed.

Since the moment Lucas kissed me.

Since the moment that demon called me Seraphim.

Something inside me is aching to awaken.

Lucas exhales and finally… he smiles. Reluctant. But real. “Then we try tomorrow.”

Relief floods through me.

“For now,” he says, “we rest.”

Paige sways slightly from exhaustion.

“Guest room’s upstairs,” she murmurs. She gestures toward the hallway. “I’ll stay down here with Beau.”

“You should rest too,” I say.

She shakes her head. “Not happening.” Her hand slips into Beau’s. “I’m not leaving him.”

Lucas nods once. “Lock the doors.”

“Already planning on it.” She gives me a tired smile. “Try not to summon anything upstairs.”

“No promises,” I tease weakly.

She laughs.

Lucas and I head upstairs.

The guest room is cozy. Soft lamplight glows from the bedside table. A neatly made bed sits beneath the window.

The normalcy feels surreal after everything that just happened.

I sit on the edge of the mattress. Exhaustion crashes over me all at once. My entire body aches.

Lucas remains near the door.

The silence stretches.

My thoughts swirl endlessly.

What am I? What is this?

I look up to find Lucas watching me.

His amber eyes glow faintly in the dim light. “You’re thinking too much.”

I huff softly. “You think?”

He steps closer. “You survived tonight.”

“That’s one way to describe it.”

His gaze softens. “You were brave.”

I laugh weakly. “I was terrified.”

“Both can exist.”

He’s right.

I pull the blanket over my legs. “What happens if we fail tomorrow?”

Lucas goes very still. Then he answers. “Hell will come here.”

The weight of that settles between us.

I look down at my hands. “You won’t let that happen. Promise?”

He walks closer then kneels in front of me.

His hand gently lifts my chin. Those burning amber eyes hold mine. “I will burn the entire underworld to ash before I let them touch you.”

The words send heat racing through my chest, almost intoxicating.

“Lucas…” I whisper.

His thumb brushes across my jaw. “You are not facing this alone.”

Something in my stomach flutters.

For the first time tonight… I feel safe.

“Sleep,” he murmurs. “I’ll keep watch.”

“You don’t sleep?”

“Not much, angel.”

Typical devil behavior.

I slide beneath the blankets. The mattress sinks slightly as exhaustion pulls me under.

Lucas moves back to the chair near the window.

A guardian in the night.

My eyes grow heavy, but my mind refuses to stop. The last thing I see before sleep finally claims me… is Lucas.

And somewhere deep in my dreams—I see a massive gate.

Something monstrous waits behind it.

And it knows my name.