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Back Kingdom of the Wicked
Chapters (58)
  1. About the Author
  2. Title Page
  3. Imprint Page
  4. Dedication
  5. Epigraph
  6. Map
  7. Contents
  8. Prologue
  9. One
  10. Two
  11. Three
  12. Four
  13. Five
  14. Six
  15. Seven
  16. Eight
  17. Nine
  18. Ten
  19. Eleven
  20. Twelve
  21. Thirteen
  22. Fourteen
  23. Fifteen
  24. Sixteen
  25. Seventeen
  26. Eighteen
  27. Nineteen
  28. Twenty
  29. Twenty-One
  30. Twenty-Two
  31. Twenty-Three
  32. Twenty-Four
  33. Twenty-Five
  34. Twenty-Six
  35. Twenty-Seven
  36. Twenty-Eight
  37. Twenty-Nine
  38. Thirty
  39. Thirty-One
  40. Thirty-Two
  41. Thirty-Three
  42. Thirty-Four
  43. Thirty-Five
  44. Thirty-Six
  45. Thirty-Seven
  46. Thirty-Eight
  47. Thirty-Nine
  48. Forty
  49. Forty-One
  50. Forty-Two
  51. Forty-Three
  52. Forty-Four
  53. Forty-Five
  54. Forty-Six
  55. Forty-Seven
  56. Forty-Eight
  57. Acknowledgments
  58. Endmatter page 1

Then, without warning, I bent over and began laughing. The sound bounced off the walls of the cave, magnifying until I wanted to plug my ears. I clutched my stomach, practically heaving from my outburst. Perhaps I was going insane. This night had gone from bad to worse faster than I could have ever imagined. I couldn’t believe I’d summoned a prince of Hell. I couldn’t believe royal demons existed. The world was downside up and upside down.

“I’m glad imminent death is so amusing,” he snapped. “It’ll make it all the more satisfying to slaughter you. And I promise your death will not be quick. I will glory in the kill.”

I waved him off like he was no more fearsome than a housefly. I could practically feel anger vibrating off him and winding its way into me. Even still, I had a feeling he was holding himself back. A lot. It was unsettling.

“Why, pray tell, are you laughing so hard?”

I straightened and wiped the corners of my eyes. “What, exactly, should I call you? Your highness? Oh, Feared and Mighty Seven? General Commander of Hell? Or Prince Wrath?”

A muscle in his jaw strained as he held my gaze.

“One day you’ll call me Death. For now, Wrath will do.”

Eleven

Eleven

A prince of Hell will never give their true name to their enemies. They can only be summoned through an object that belongs to them along with a powerful emotion. Their powers are tied to the sins they represent. Beware, for they are selfish beings who wish to use you for their gain.

—Notes from the di Carlo grimoire

“Wrath?” I didn’t bother hiding my incredulous tone. Setting aside the extremely melodramatic “you’ll call me Death” line, the whole obscene night ceased being funny in the this-can’t-be-happening-cruel-fate kind of way. First, I’d been convinced he was a witch hunter and had murdered Vittoria because of what she was, only to discover he was one of the creatures we’d been hiding from our whole lives. Then, to have the demon who killed my sister within my grasp and not be able to harm him . . .

I must have really annoyed some goddess to be punished this horribly. His stupid name and all of his titles were the least of my concerns, but the anger pouring off him as I laughed made me inclined to torment him over it.

“That’s ridiculous. I’m not calling you by an emotion. What’s your true name?”