Rising from the Ashes

A trip to Hell

Chapter 4

Regina’s pov

For the next year, things got worse with my family, but at least I didn’t have to put up with Sophia’s abuse anymore. Dad had made a fool out of himself so many times now that all of the royals knew he hated me and didn’t want me around.

I just went home every few months for a day or two for mums sake, and she made sure no one was alone with me. Many of the kings tried to talk to my dad and work out what was going on with him. He stuck to the same story that I was rotten to the core.

I was scared that I would end up no longer being welcome anywhere, I mean, who was going to believe me over my father, someone they had been friends with for years. So I was surprised to hear that they were concerned for me and worried about why dad had become like this.

Lilith and Cassie had also had a bad year. Lilith had given up all hope in Ezekiel before she even felt him as a mate, and Cassie ended up with a foul, disgusting beloved who abused her, not knowing she was the future queen.

She made sure him and his lover paid for their deeds. They had both been sentenced to death along with that woman’s bi.tch of a mother. The biggest surprise had been that she ended up the second chance beloved of those two females brother and son.

Alaric was thankfully nothing like his mother and sister and loved Cassie with his whole being. He was perfect to be king and perfect for her. It was nice to see her so happy. She had always been like a big sister to me. I was closer to her than I ever was to my two sister, she deserved happiness.

I just hope that Lilith can find her happiness just like Cassie has, even if it is without Ezekiel. Sometimes your first chance is more of a lesson than the best choice for you, I guess that is why we get second chances, so what’s wrong can be fixed.

Or hell for all we know, the moon goddess could be picking names out of a hat and keeping her fingers crossed, hoping sh.it works out. That method would probably have as many positive outcomes as picking two people at birth to be together when you have no idea who or what they will become.

I was both worried and excited when Lilith came to me to say she had to go to the underworld, and she wanted me to come with her. When she explained her reasons for not rejecting Ezekiel, I understood why she would put herself through more sh.it, a whole species mate bond was on the line.

I was excited to get away as well. In the underworld, there was no chance of any of my family being near me to cause me any more sh.it. Even if I hadn’t wanted to get away from them, I still would have gone. Lilith has always been there for me, so if she needed me, I would be by her side as long as she wanted.

Mum wasn’t entirely happy about it. She said she struggles enough with the little amount of time we get together and didn’t want to miss out on any time with me. In the end, she agreed to it, knowing it was what I needed and wanting to repay Lilith for her kindness towards me.

I was really surprised on the day that I was leaving that not only my mum showed up to see me off, but also my sister Tamara. She had tried to repair our bond slightly since she left the family to be with her mate. I think she knew more of what was happening to me than she let on.

It was stupid, I was so starved of affection from my family that this little effort meant so much to me. I guess I should be grateful for it all the same, I mean, no one else even bothered to come, even if it was just to pretend to look good in front of others.

It was strange going to the underworld. It was much more beautiful than I thought it would be there. It looked so normal it was strange. Hades found Lilith’s and my reactions amusing. We got a tour of the darker places the next day.

It kind of felt good to confront the people who cause mum so much pain in her past and to see that they were still being punished for their wrongdoings. It was also good to see Angelina’s sperm donor, powerless and driven mad by his failures.

It did make me sad in a way, though. Those two women, Cassandra and Katerina, were still the vile creatures they were before they died. I had been compared to them so long it was hard knowing just how much of a monster some people saw me as.

Lilith was there for me, though, to help me talk through my emotions and to show me that I was nothing like that, and not to worry about what others thought of me. I hated feeling weak and worrying if they saw something in me that I couldn’t see myself to have made them hate me so much.

Ezekiel, the biggest a.sshole I knew other than my sister Sopha, ended up being a complete surprise to not only myself but to Lilith as well. I had spent so much time hating the guy as I picked my friend up from more and more heartbreak that I thought he was irredeemable.

Turns out I was wrong. He may have been an a.sshole and had some messed up reasoning for his actions, but he wasn’t all bad. I could also see how much love he had in his eyes for Lilith and knew he was willing to prove it in any way he could.

He made sure that I was never left out, leaving gifts for me every time he left one for Lilith. I didn’t trust him at first, though. He had come on to me before, and I wasn’t sure what his intentions were. Turns out it was purely platonic, along with hoping I would start to like him enough to get Lilith to give him a chance.

I didn’t offer an opinion on it unless she asked and tried to be unbiased in my answers. I was glad when she finally gave him a chance, as I was sure he was not the man he had tried to make everyone believe he was years ago.

Then we had the whole elders trial with Lilith’s wh.ore of a cousin. She has basically raped Ezekiel using a potion to make him desire her just to try and break Lilith’s heart because of jealousy. I was just as proud of him as Lilith was when he admitted what had happened to him and encouraged others to do the same.

He had somehow wormed his way into my heart and became the brother to me that Julius never was. His hell hound Lucifer claimed me as his sister as well, and I just adored that overgrown puppy. My phoenix Ash, who had not long started talking to me couldn’t wait to transform and meet her furry brother.

Claudia and Hades treated me as much like their daughter as they did Lilith, I found out the reason the room that Lilith and I shared was more my taste than hers was because the three of them wanted me to feel like I had a home here as well, whenever I wanted it.

I felt like I belonged here more than I had ever done in my home kingdom, and I was sad knowing that at some point soon, I would have to leave. I had promised mum that I would come back on my birthday. I also had promised my grandma Tamara that I would be in her kingdom for the day before it as she had missed me being there.

I was dreading it, so when there was the chance to help Lilith plan her crowning ceremony, I couldn’t wait to do it. She even brought it forward so it would be done before I left the day before my birthday. It was just the distraction I needed.

I wanted this day to be perfect for her. She deserved the best, as she was one of the kindest people that I knew. It was even better knowing that other than mum, none of my family would be present. I didn’t want them spoiling her day.

I actually cried at her ceremony when I realised that Ezekiel had made it into a joint crowning and handfasting ceremony. I knew it was something that she had wanted, and I was glad that he would do everything he could to make her smile.

It made me feel more at ease, leaving knowing that the girl I thought of as my sister most of my life would be safe, happy, and loved. All the demons adored her for giving Ezekiel a chance and bringing them the mate bond.

Seeing so many couples discovering the mate bond and falling even more in love restored my faith in it. Maybe finding my mate wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all. I could only hope he wasn’t a dragon so I could get away from both kingdoms.