Chapter 22

** A Reckless Escape**

Athena sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the moonlight filtering through the curtains. Her thoughts were a tangled mess. She couldn't stop thinking about her body lying motionless in a hospital bed on Earth, a world she might never return to if she didn't figure out how to wake up. But then there was Lucifer—the one who made her feel alive in a way she never had before. Her soul ached with the need to be near him, to explore the bond that tied them together in this strange, in-between realm. 

The council had made it clear: her time was running out. Every minute she spent here was another moment slipping away on Earth, another step closer to death. But she couldn't bring herself to care—not about the council's warnings, not about the consequences of defying them. All she wanted was more time with Lucifer. A few more moments that felt real, where she wasn't just some girl from Brooklyn stuck between worlds.