The Demon's Song by Kendra Leigh Castle

the lords of Hell
     are, you know. Fallen angels, every one. We were the highest of demons. We exiles
     are still Fallen, of course, but the lords of Hell part, not so much.” One eyebrow
     quirked up ever so slightly. “He really didn’t tell you how we came to be the only
     Fallen ever to be sentenced to death by the Infernal Council and escape?”
    The look Phenex gave Gadreel at that moment would have sent most people screaming.
     Instead, Gadreel simply grinned, showing gleaming white teeth that looked ready to
     bite. And the hell of it was, Sofia wanted to know what he would say next. This information
     interested her, and he knew it.
    So, from the looks of things, did Phenex.
    “No,” Sofia said, feeling a little guilty as Phenex turned that fulminating glare
     on her. “He hadn’t gotten to that part yet.” If he ever intended to. Which I doubt.
    Gadreel’s eyes widened in sheer wicked delight.
    “No? It’s quite a story. You see, Lucifer had decided to crack down on those the Infernal
     Council had deemed... insufficiently devoted , let’s say, to the cause of destroying what we call the Balance. The human realm
     functions as it should when it’s fairly equal parts darkness and light, though things
     fluctuate at times. And, of course, Heaven and Hell are always trying to push things
     one way or the other to gain an advantage.” He waved his hand dismissively, as though
     he were talking about the weather instead of creatures battling over the onset of
     the Apocalypse.
    “Why were you condemned to death?” Sofia asked, unable to help herself. If nothing
     else, Gadreel was an engaging storyteller, leaving her hanging on every word. She
     wanted to know it all, what they’d done to make the devil himself want to kill them,
     how they’d gotten here. But her question was quickly brushed off, accompanied by the
     slightest stiffening of Gadreel’s shoulders before he relaxed again. His reaction
     only sharpened her curiosity.
    “I didn’t do anything but be better at everything than Mr. I-Am-Hell.”
    Phenex’s snort told Sofia that there was a lot more to that story, and Gadreel shot
     him a nasty look before continuing.
    “ Anyway , there were six of us. Six glorious lords of Hell, unjustly singled out for a variety
     of reasons, condemned in secret. They’d plotted to make a spectacle of us, a warning
     to the others.” Gadreel grinned, eyes glittering with pleasure. “We would never have
     known until it was too late. Except who should come knocking at our doors in the wee
     hours but Leviathan, the mighty and terrible, bearing both the news of our impending
     demise and the strangest offer he’d put together to save our skins. Phenex barely made it out. He’d sent Belial
     into a fury for stealing his—”
    Phenex got to his feet so quickly that his movement was a blur. Sofia had seen him
     move that way last night, but it still startled her. It left her speechless long enough
     for him to put an end to the conversation.
    “Enough,” he growled. “If there’s nothing else, take off. Find somebody else who wants
     a story.”
    Gadreel’s mouth curved into a small smile, though there was no humor in it. He got
     to his feet with deliberate grace. Sofia found herself holding her breath again as
     she rose, too, stepping back from the table and closer to Phenex. She still couldn’t
     quite get a read on what the relationship was here, but it seemed unstable, whatever
     it was.
    “Embarrassed, Phenex? Don’t want your new conquest to know why you were marked to burn in the Phlegethon?” He curled his lip. “I didn’t think it was
     possible for us to fall further, but you’re working on it. She’s just a human , and here you are playing house and worrying about her opinion. You should worry
     more about this fixation on helping the weak. The last one was nearly the end of you.”
    Cold fury burned through her, and the words came before Sofia could think better of