Lucifer Reborn by Dante King (the reader ebook .TXT) 📗

“Of course not,” she whispered, her voice dropping into a demonic register for a single word. “It’s paved with bad intentions, Luke. All those wicked, wicked ideas…”

Still grinning, I put the hammer down. Christina let out a whoop of delight as her body was forced against the seat, like an astronaut on a rocket in the middle of takeoff. Mareth flipped over, nearly falling out of the cabin as her nails dug in for purchase.

“Here we go!” I roared, heading straight for the portal. “We’re on the highway to Hell!”

We cut right through the portal, the suspension beneath my new ride shifting as the asphalt changed to stone. The air conditioning cut on automatically, spraying cold air across the windows to keep them from fogging up instantly against the heat of Hell. We were on a bridge, stretching over a limitless lake of fire. The sounds of tortured screams thudded against the windows, muffled by the awesome tunes.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Hell. I’d grown up seeing different depictions of it on TV shows and in movies, and there were only a few things everyone seemed to agree on — the fire, the demons, the tortured souls trapped for all eternity. The real thing turned out to be a mish-mash of everything I’d ever heard — as if Hell tried to be everything for everyone. As we drove over the lake of fire, I caught sight of hundreds of cages suspended over the flames. The metal bars had all gone white-hot from the awesome heat, so that the poor fools trapped inside were forced to dance around constantly lest they be burnt to a crisp. As I watched, one person did just that, slumping to the floor — only to be resurrected moments later to suffer some more.

“Don’t worry,” Mareth assured me. “They deserved it.”

“What’d they do?” I asked, watching as the cages receded in the rearview mirror.

Mareth and Christina shared a look. “Tax evasion,” the succubus said, her brows furrowing together. “We take that crime very seriously down here…”

I couldn’t tell if Mareth was joking or not. Before I could ask, the bridge dived into a deep tunnel through the flames. It was made of glass, and through it I could see tens of thousands of people writhing in agony. Except they weren’t flailing in pain from the flames. Instead, every one of them stared at the top of the tunnel, where a channel surrounded by thick glass ran down the spine of the underground transit.

Inside were golden tables covered in food, with naked, gorgeous demons and demonesses posing and preening. The ones inside the box took a special pleasure in the screams of the damned, reacting to it like a rock band feeding off the crowd’s energy.

“The profligate,” Mareth explained. “They wasted Earth’s gifts in life, so now they get to be taunted with visions of what they want for all eternity. Food and sex, mostly. Occasionally they get a movie night.”

By the time we made it through the end of the tunnel, emerging back into Hell proper, I felt profoundly disturbed. “What a mindfuck,” I said, shaking my head. “You guys are pretty sick down here, you know that?”

Mareth took it as a compliment. “Ah, it’s so good to be home!” the succubus laughed, tossing her head back. “Turn right here, Luke. I can’t wait for you to make your grand entrance…!”

Within moments, the stone bridge ended, replaced by a stately roundabout. I took the turn to the Infernal Academy, the world blurring from the speed as my new car tore ass up a nearby hill. The road opened onto a circular driveway, wrapped around a two-story fountain covered in sexy demons and demonesses. No water poured from their mouths, only blood.

I stopped the car and got my first look at the Infernal Academy. What I saw made me glad I’d accepted Lucifer’s offer.

“This is crazy,” I said, leaning so close to the window that my cheek nearly touched the glass. Looming over us was the main building of the Academy. Turrets and buttresses sprang from every available space, as if the builder had grown the massive stone edifice rather than putting it together by more practical means. What I’d initially taken for birds flying around the top were winged demons, ducking and diving in some kind of airborne sporting event.

It was like some weird cross between Hogwarts and an Ivy League school, except it was filled with demonic creatures of all shapes and sizes. There were students wearing what looked like gym tracksuits, while others were walking around in robes that would have given any wiccan LARPer a stiffy.

I stepped out of the car, my legs shaky beneath me. A beautiful demoness materialized out of thin air, wearing a maroon uniform that reminded me of my old IT outfit.

“Your keys, sir?” the demon girl asked.

Mareth tossed them to the demon girl. “Don’t scuff the paint,” she said haughtily, posing next to the hot rod like a girl on a magazine cover. “I just invested my power into this vehicle. You make me expend more energy repairing cosmetic damage and I’ll slit your throat.”

If the demon girl thought anything of this very physical threat, she gave no sign. “Yes, Madam,” she said with a sigh, climbing into the car.

I turned my attention to the grounds of the Academy, unable to believe my eyes. I’d been to college, so a few activities I recognized. The hacky-sack team on the green looked the same, though they were all eight-feet tall demons instead of stoners. But the rest was totally new. Insanely hot demonesses were everywhere I looked, in all shapes and sizes. Some were in forms I recognized, the others new to me entirely. Most of them wore very little clothing.

“Alright girls, pick up