Hello, how is everyone? I hope the website has stopped glitching, I am so sad that people either can't load the last few chapters or can't review :(

I had an absolutely hellish week. My current head of department is a complete psychopath who was up in my face all week screaming about ridiculous things, giving contradictory instructions, and causing unnecessary drama. She made one of my colleagues cry multiple times. Endlessly grateful to the wonderful, experienced nurses who take my side and remind me that she's unhinged. One of the med students who was shadowing me this month also gave me a little thank you gift on her last day, I was so surprised and touched :') Wasn't expecting it especially after getting dressed down so often in front of both the nurses and the students… Now just waiting to rotate to another department to escape the psycho D: Fingers crossed I stay sane till then. Hope you guys are having a better week than me!


"Lucifer," she summoned, cradling her angel in her arms. "Come with me to Hell. Now."

As though he'd been waiting for her, Lucifer's reply was instant.

Meet me at the Garden's gates.

"No," Issa said at once. "Edvardiel—"

Child, I know. Lucifer's tone was unexpectedly kind. His thread has been cursed—you couldn't have broken it.

"Lucifer—"

I gave Eden my word that I would keep our son safe. Bring him to the Garden's gates and I will take care of the rest. You have done enough.

"You don't understand—I'm a continent away!" Issa exploded. Blood thundered in her ears as she considered ignoring Lucifer and going to Hell on her own.

There was a brief silence. Then Lucifer spoke again, sounding almost incredulous. Earth is your domain now. Did Eden not give you your key?

Issa hesitated, then gently laid her angel onto her lap, fumbling through the folds of her dress. Her fingers closed around cool emerald. "She did," she admitted. "How do you kn—" She shook her head and yanked the key free. "How do I get to the Garden?"

Before the words had fully left her mouth, the air warped. A tear in the universe split open before her, widening into a swirling portal.

"I'll be there," she said.

Good. Lucifer said. Wait for me. Do not let him enter the Garden.

Issa looped Edvardiel's arm over her shoulder, panting as she tried to stand. "Why?" she demanded.

You already know why, Lucifer's voice was grim.

A chill coiled in her stomach. She shook it off as she struggled with Edvardiel's weight. Her knees nearly buckled. Too heavy. He had never been too heavy before.

Her breath caught. The grogginess despite all the sleep, the weakness in her limbs—the way her body refused to obey—this wasn't normal. And then, Jacob's warning echoed in her mind.

The Edenium is killing you.

"No," Issa gritted out. Not now, not when her angel needed her. She gripped the key in her hand, steeling herself as her mind worked.

Earth was her domain now. And she was standing on its very soil.

"Help me carry him," she commanded.

She had no idea who she was speaking to—the key? The land? The air itself?—but heat seared through her palms, a deep, blooming power that thrummed in time with her heartbeat.

The key melded into her flesh, leaving an inky trail of dark green vines on the underside of her forearms, up her shoulders and over her heart.

The sands stirred. A ripple, then a tremor. Swirling grains merged into shape—first bones, then flesh, then fur. A tiger with a magnificent orange coat stood before them, its golden gaze eerily intelligent.

It bowed its head.

Issa didn't question it. She beckoned, guiding the beast forward, letting it help her pull Edvardiel onto its back.

The tiger nuzzled her hand. She pressed a trembling palm to its fur. Together, they stepped through the portal.

One second her bare feet pressed against the white sands, her hair whipping against the sea breeze. The next, she was ankle-deep in cold mud. Rain poured down in a relentless torrent.

The tiger growled, muscles bunching, and Issa placed a steadying hand on Edvardiel's back. With her other, she reached for the sky.

A dead trunk beside them shuddered, creaked—and then split open. ranches twisted, sprouting great leaves, shielding them from the downpour. Lush grass spilled out from her feet, spreading across the lifeless ground.

Issa pushed the wet hair away from her face, her gaze locking on Eden's entrance.

Edvardiel's rose-gold gates were half-melted—soldered together as they had been by her own glory—and blanketed from top to bottom by thorny, wild ivies that snaked around them more tightly and regenerated every second.

Seeing the result of her power up close was surreal.

In any other situation, Issa would've stopped to marvel at the sight, but as it was, she simply pressed closer to Edvardiel, her insides in knots. "Hang in there, my angel," she whispered, kneeling down to press a kiss to his discoloured cheek. "We're going to save you. I promise we will."

The tiger purred, a deep sound reverberating through its powerful body.

"Thank you," she said, touching its snout.

It sank down in another bow—then disintegrated into sand.

Issa pulled her angel onto her lap, her warm wings curling protectively around them as she waited for Lucifer to show up. Rain dripped through the canopy and the barren forest remained eerily quiet.

Issa swallowed several times. Although she'd bested Lilith, she'd never felt more defeated. Earth was in ruins. And her angel… her beautiful angel…

More of his hair came away against her dress.

This time, Issa couldn't stop her choked sob. She hugged him more tightly, her body shaking—

"Why are you crying?"

Issa froze.

Slowly, she pulled back. "Edvardiel?" She found his hand, gripping it. "I'm here."

His eyes opened.

They glowed a deep ocean blue. He touched her arm, a gentle caress—until pain bloomed across her skin. Warmth slid down her forearm. She glanced down. Blood. His hand was lined with sharp claws.

"Issa," he said, his voice distorted—monstrous. "I need Edenium."

The Edenium is killing you.

Issa caressed his face. "You can't drink Edenium, my angel," she said softly.

"Give it to me anyway," he begged. "Please, Issa. I don't want her to take me."

To get Edenium, they had to enter Eden.

Lucifer's warning echoed in her mind.

Do not let him enter the Garden.

Issa gazed into her angel's glowing blue eyes—without a trace of glory—ice thickening in her stomach.

She knew the truth. Felt it in her bones.

"I love you," she whispered.

Tenderly, she leaned down and kissed him. She had to keep him distracted. She had to buy time until Lucifer came.

Her eyes flickered toward the ivy—

But then, he yanked away sharply.

She tumbled to the ground, her arms cold and empty without him. His gaze dropped to her wings.

Low. Sharpened. Poised for battle.

His lips curled into a mockery of a smile. "Wings never lie."

The pretence was over.

Edvardiel's eyes chilled her to the bone. They were his eyes—calm, perceptive, intelligent—but they were utterly devoid of humanity.

He knelt so that they were at the same eye level. A lover's intimacy. A predator's patience.

"Issa, my love," he murmured, reaching out. Clawed fingers curled beneath her chin. His voice was gentle. Almost sweet.

"Open the gates for me and I'll spare you."

His thumb brushed her cheek, his touch achingly familiar.

"Or don't."

His smile sharpened.

"And I'll kill you."