The night we opened hell

Part thirteen:The devil's widow

Daemon's POV

"Nessa."

The moment I saw her standing there, my heart stopped.

She looked frightened.

Confused.

And completely unaware of the danger standing only a few feet away from her.

"Mage's eyes turned toward her.

For one brief second, I thought she had seen Nessa.

Then her eyes moved away.

I didn't wait.

I grabbed Nessa's hand.

"Come with me."

"What?" she whispered.

"Now."

I pulled her away before she could ask another question.

Behind us, I could feel Mage watching.

I didn't turn around.

I couldn't.

Because I knew that if I looked back, I might see something I didn't want to see.

I took Nessa upstairs and pushed her into the room.

She immediately pulled her hand away from mine.

"What's wrong with you?"

I turned to her.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" she repeated. "You literally dragged me away from that woman."

I said nothing.

She stared at me.

"Who was she?"

I walked away from her.

"Forget about her."

Nessa scoffed.

"That's what everyone in this place says whenever I ask a question."

I looked at her.

She folded her arms.

"I want answers."

I almost laughed.

"You're in Hell. You don't get answers."

"Then why did you bring me here?"

I didn't respond.

Her expression slowly changed.

"You were scared of her."

My jaw tightened.

"I wasn't."

"You were."

"I wasn't."

"You were."

I glared at her.

She stared right back.

For some reason, I found myself wanting to laugh.

She was completely insane.

She had been dragged into Hell, kidn*pped by demons, taken to my keep, and had just witnessed a woman threatening to start a war between realms.

And she still had the courage to argue with me.

"Who is she?" she asked again.

I looked away.

For a long time, I said nothing.

Then I finally spoke.

"She's my mother."

Nessa's expression changed.

"What?"

I looked at her.

"Mage is my mother."

She stared at me.

I could see the questions forming in her mind.

"Then why do you hate her?"

I looked toward the window.

The darkness outside seemed to stretch forever.

"Because she killed my father."

Nessa went silent.

I took a deep breath.

Then I began.

"My father was the King of Hell before Lucian."

Nessa sat down slowly.

I remained standing.

"Before Hell belonged to my brother, it belonged to our father."

My eyes drifted toward the darkness.

"He was powerful. More powerful than any demon alive at the time."

"Then his first wife died."

Nessa listened quietly.

"She died giving birth to Lucian."

I paused.

"After that, my father eventually married Mage."

Nessa's expression changed.

"Your mother."

I nodded.

"Yes."

"At first, everyone believed she loved him."

I let out a humorless laugh.

"But Mage never loved my father."

Nessa frowned.

"Then why did she marry him?"

"Power."

The word left my mouth without hesitation.

"She wanted Hell."

Nessa remained silent.

"Mage was power-hungry. She wanted everything. The throne. The realms. The power that came with being the Queen of Hell."

I clenched my fists.

"And eventually, she decided that my father was the only thing standing in her way."

Nessa swallowed.

"What did she do?"

I looked at her.

"She used the Staff of Poseidon."

Her eyes widened.

"The Staff of Poseidon?"

I nodded.

"She drove it into the heart of the Devil."

Nessa stared at me.

"She killed him?"

"Yes."

I looked away.

"My father died because of her."

The room was silent.

"After that, Mage took control."

Nessa shook her head.

"Then how did you stop her?"

I looked at her.

"Lucian and I."

Her expression changed.

"You and Lucian?"

I nodded.

"Despite everything that happened between us later, we were brothers."

I looked down at my hands.

"And at that time, we ruled together."

Nessa remained quiet.

"We were still young. But we were powerful."

I paused.

"We gathered the most powerful demons in Hell."

"And together, we discovered a way to use the Staff of Poseidon against Mage."

Nessa leaned forward.

"How?"

"We sent her away."

"Where?"

"Another universe."

Her eyes widened.

"With the staff?"

I nodded.

"The Staff of Poseidon was the only thing powerful enough to open a path between universes."

I looked toward the window.

"We used it to send her away."

Nessa stared at me.

"And you thought she was gone forever?"

"For a long time."

I paused.

"After she was gone, Lucian and I ruled Hell together."

My voice became quieter.

"And for a while, we were happy."

Nessa studied me.

"You and Lucian?"

I nodded.

"Yes."

I looked away.

"Before the throne came between us."

I didn't want to talk about that part.

Not yet.

"Then what happened?"

I remained silent for a moment.

"Lucian changed."

Nessa didn't say anything.

"He began to believe Hell belonged to him alone."

I laughed bitterly.

"And I suppose he was right."

I turned toward her.

"But I had never stopped hating Mage."

Nessa looked at me.

"Even after she was gone?"

"Especially after she was gone."

My voice became colder.

"Because I knew she would return."

Nessa frowned.

"And she did."

I nodded.

"She found a way back."

The room seemed to grow colder.

"And when she returned, she didn't come back for forgiveness."

I looked toward the door.

"She came back for Hell."

Nessa was quiet.

"And now she wants all the realms."

"Yes."

"Even Earth?"

I nodded.

"Even Earth."

Nessa looked terrified.

I couldn't blame her.

Then I looked at her.

Really looked at her.

And something inside me went completely still.

Her face.

Her eyes.

The shape of her features.

The way she held herself.

I had noticed it before.

But I had never allowed myself to think about it.

Now, with Mage standing somewhere below us...

I couldn't ignore it.

Nessa looked like her.

Not exactly.

But enough.

Enough to make my blood run cold.

Nessa noticed my expression.

"What?"

I didn't answer.

"Daemon?"

I stared at her.

She looked exactly like Mage had looked when she was younger.

The same eyes.

The same sharpness in her face.

The same stubbornness.

My heart began beating faster.

No.

It couldn't be.

Mage had been gone for centuries.

Nessa was human.

It was impossible.

I shook my head.

"What?"

Nessa asked again.

I looked away.

"Nothing."

She frowned.

"You keep doing that."

"Doing what?"

"Looking at me like you know something."

I didn't answer.

Because I did know something.

Or at least...

I knew something was wrong.

Mage had returned.

And now, standing in front of me, was a human girl who looked so much like her that it was impossible to ignore.

I stared at Nessa.

For the first time since Mage had returned...

I wondered if her return was truly a coincidence.