“O-okay.”
“You hold him in place while I pull from the back. I’ll do it in one go so it hurts him less.”
She took a shaky breath and nodded.
With a grunt of exertion, they worked together on Iris’s count, and the hook slid free. And Mist finally woke up.
With a snarl, he tackled Lily, pinning her to the cold ground. His claws dug into her shoulders, the chains on his manacles draping over her chest. His yellow eyes were crazed, his sharp teeth bared, the wounds on his face dripping blood.
“Lily!” Iris’s panicked voice seemed far away.
“It’s okay,” she said, keeping a level tone. “He won’t hurt me.”
At the sound of her voice, Mist blinked groggily. “Lily...?”
“Iris and I came to get you, but we have to go now. We’re running out of time.”
He closed his eyes and inhaled. “My Lily.”
Her breath caught. “Yes, it’s me. But we really have to go. Paimon could come back at any minute.”
He frowned like he was struggling to understand. It must’ve been an immense effort for him to even remain conscious. Slowly, understanding dawned, and his eyes shot suddenly wide. He scrambled off her, snarling with pain of movement from the remaining hook in his shoulder. His gaze caught on Iris, and he froze.
“Hey,” she said weakly, lifting a hand.
“We have to pull that hook out,” Lily said, sitting up. “Iris and I can—”
Mist reached over his shoulder, and with one rough jerk, he tore it out of himself. Iris actually gagged.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said, tossing it away. “Why are you here?”
“To get you.”
“Lily…”
Their gazes met. There was so much she wanted to say to him, and she could tell he felt the same. Why had he come here? He’d promised to have hope. Why hadn’t he told her what he was planning? Why hadn’t he confided in her?
But there wasn’t time. Later, they would talk. She scrambled to her feet, knees wobbling, and grasped his hand. “We have to go.”
He painstakingly rose, holding her tightly. Gratitude filled her heart when Iris came over and grabbed Mist’s other arm to help. She wasn’t thinking about the chains at his wrists that were supposed to bind him to this place. She’d gotten him free before, and she would do it again. Together, they could do this. Together, they—
The door at the far end of the chamber banged open.
A looming figure stepped into the torchlight. Not clearly male or female, the demon was lean and incredibly tall, easily eight feet or more, with powerful, taloned wings. Four horns framed a cruel face, atop which sat an elaborate crown of black jewels.
Lily had never seen this demon before, but she knew immediately who it was.
Paimon had come for the Hunter.
* * *
The Queenof Hell didn’t rage or yell when she saw them in the process of liberating her prisoner. She strode calmly across the room, an enormous, red-eyed camel loping at her side.
The tunnel entrance was only about twenty feet away. The smart thing to do might have been to run, but all thought had fled Lily’s brain in the face of her fear.
Paimon stopped before them. This close, her looming height was even more obvious. She looked down at them like they were mere insects.
“That’smyHunter you’re attempting to abscond with.”
