Hellishly Ever After (Infernal Covenant Book 1)

by Nadine Mutas

  With more care than I’d anticipated, he guided my hips down, made sure my liquified—melted?—limbs flowed into a comfortable position. The mattress shifted as he likely moved off the bed. I couldn’t see. My face was still mostly plastered to the sheet, and my hair hid what little vision I’d have had.

  Floating. I was floating.

  The mattress dipped again. A touch between my legs, something warm and wet and soft, like a washcloth. Still, I hissed at the sensation, too much for my raw skin.

  “Shh.” His hand on my hip. “I’m just cleaning you.”

  “Oh,” I rasped, my voice hoarse. “No one’s ever done that for me.”

  “That’s because no one’s ever fucked you limp before.”

  I uttered a dry laugh. “Touché.”

  The touch of the washcloth vanished, as did his hand from my hip, and he moved off the bed again.

  I floated some more.

  Until he gently turned me on my back, pushed the tangled strands of hair off my face, and pressed something in my hand. I turned my head and squinted.

  “It’s a glass of water,” he said with a hint of amusement.

  “I know—I was just—so that’s where my hand is.”

  The look he gave me bordered on concerned. He watched me squint some more at my miraculously solidified hand before he sighed, slid an arm under my back and dragged me into his lap. Folding his hand around mine still grasping the glass, he raised it to my lips.

  “Drink.”

  I obeyed. I hadn’t realized how parched my mouth was until I gulped the water down. Once done, I let him take the glass and set it on the nightstand.

  I was still sitting sideways on his lap, his one arm slung around my back. And he was still gloriously naked. His heat sank into my skin wherever our bodies touched, and...something long and hard pressed against my hip. Very hard.

  I slowly raised my gaze to his. “You came, though, didn’t you?”

  He played with my hair, a sly smile flirting with his mouth. “Yeah.”

  “That—” I wiggled just enough to underscore my point. “—doesn’t feel like it.”

  “I’m a demon.”

  I bit back a whimper and scooted off his lap. Or, I would have, had my muscles actually worked. As it was, all I accomplished was to twitch a little.

  That sly smile of his turned positively mischievous.

  God have mercy. I swallowed, my mouth too dry again. “I can’t—”

  “Oh, I think you can,” he purred, and poured me onto the mattress once more.

  Chapter 13

  Bleary-eyed, I blinked at the low light, coming awake with the sluggishness of a person surfacing from anesthesia. Groaning, I took stock. Hair all over my face, sheets tangled around me, my head half under the pillow, and my body sore in all the right places.

  Yep, this had been one hell of a night.

  I grinned into the pillow, then inhaled deeply—no scent of the demon responsible for my current state. Huh.

  With only a slight wince, I flopped around, peered at where I was. The large bed in my own suite next to Azazel’s stretched out underneath me, the blue-and-silver pillows wildly strewn around. He must have carried me over here at some point. Not that I remembered. After the—I squinted and counted—fifth or sixth time, my mind had kind of shut off, too high on endorphins and post-coital bliss.

  Crunch.

  Startled, I whipped my head around, stared at the source of the sound in the corner of the room...at the impeccably dressed female demon currently sitting in one of the armchairs, munching on an apple.

  “Good morning,” Azmodea purred and took another bite.

  My eyes rounded. I grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to my neck.

  Her grin was all sorts of naughty—and knowing. She raised a brow.

  Crunch. Munch, munch.

  How anyone could turn eating an apple into a full-blown I-know-what-you-did-last-night-you-saucy-wench conversation was beyond me, but my demon sister-in-law somehow managed it.

  “What are you doing here?” I got out past the rush of embarrassment, still clutching the blanket right under my chin.

  “Why, I came by to thank you, my dear.”

  “For?”

  Crunch. She cast me an arch look as she chewed. “He’s been in such a shitty mood lately, his temper worse than I’ve seen it in ages. His entire staff has been walking on eggshells around him for days, and Mammon and I barely wanted to visit. We didn’t even dare tease him about this whole marriage trap because he was this close to going nuclear already.” She indicated a fraction of an inch with her fingers.

  “But now.” Crunch. Her eyes sparkled while she munched.

  “What?”

  “Now,” she continued in a voice that was a sensual caress, “he’s strutting around with this smug, satisfied, cat-got-the-cream expression.”

  My cheeks blazed. He’d definitely gotten the cream. Several times. Licked it up real good.

  “Apparently he even smiled at some of the staff.” Azmodea cocked a brow. “Gave them quite a start with it. And know what he did when he saw me?”

  I numbly shook my head.

  She leaned forward, half-eaten apple dangling from her hand. “He kissed me on the cheek.”

  I blinked at her, unsure how to respond.

  “That,” Azmodea explained at my quizzical look, “is the most affection he’s shown me in years.”

  “Oh.” I bit my lip. “That’s...kind of sad.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “He was sad. Until you—” she pointed at me with the apple “—fucked happy right back into him.”

  I choked on my own breath.

  “There’s water over there, sweetie.” She waved at the nightstand.

  Indeed, a bottle of water and a plate with an assortment of fruit awaited my attention. Coughing, I grabbed the bottle and took a big gulp.

  Lord almighty, this family…

  “So, thank you,” Azmodea said around another bite of her apple. “You’ve done us all a huge service.” She laid her free hand over her heart and blew me a kiss. “Now, I’d ask how it was for you, but I can see your post-orgasmic glow from over here, and judging by the fact you look like you might not be able to move your lower body, I can take an educated guess at his performance.”

  I closed my eyes and rubbed my face with both hands. Hiding under the covers would be too obvious, right?

  “Anyway—” crunch “—I just wanted to stop by real quick to express my gratitude. Keep up the good work.” She winked at me. “Oh, and Az told me to give you this. He’ll be along later.”

  She stood and sauntered to the bed, pulling my phone out of her pocket. As she handed it over, the screen lit up from the movement.

  Lit up.

  As in, charged and on.

  I took the phone with shaking hands, checked the battery. Ninety-eight percent.

  My stomach flipped. “Thank you,” I whispered.

  “Hm.” She regarded me with a thoughtful expression. “It’s the photos and recordings, isn’t it?”

  I nodded, my throat tight. It was all I could do not to cradle the fully-charged phone to my chest.

  “It’s nice to have pictures,” she said quietly. “Not just memories that fade away over millennia.”

  When I looked up at her, her gaze was soft and unfocused, her features dulled by a sadness that pulled at my heart.

  “If we’d had this…” She indicated the phone with a nod. “...I might still remember her face.”

  “Who?” My voice was raw because I anticipated the answer.

  “Our mother.” The smile she gave me seemed brittle. “She used to sing for us. I remember that it was lovely, but her voice is now lost in a thousand forgotten moments.” She blinked, and the sadness fell from her face like a veil. “Ah, look at me, being all maudlin.” Clucking her tongue, she pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Call me if you wanna chat or hang out. I’ve got the best masseur on my payroll, so if you need to give those
sore muscles of yours some non-sexual loving, let me know. I mean—” a saucy waggle of her brows “—you’ll need to be operational again when Az comes back.”

  She was almost out of the room when she halted, hand on the doorjamb, and looked back at me. “Oh, and he said Hael is waiting for you in the grand room. Something about a hellhound? You’re supposed to call for an escort to take you there when you’re ready.”

  Vengeance! I perked right up.

  Azmodea sashayed away, and I took a moment to unlock my phone, open the Photos app, and look at the album of my mom. Just a moment, just long enough to relish the fact I could see her face again.

  I had no idea how Azazel had figured out that I hadn’t dared charge my phone on the dubious outlet in my old suite, or that it would mean this much to me to have my photos accessible again. I honestly didn’t care, as long as I could look at the pics. I’d have to check this suite for an outlet later, to see if maybe the setup here was a bit more trustworthy to hook up my phone.

  As I navigated out of the albums folder in the Photos app, my gaze got caught on a new pic in the Recents folder. I narrowed my eyes and clicked on it.

  An image of Azazel filled the screen, shirtless, lounging on a chair, a seductive smirk playing about his mouth, one eye closed in a playful wink.

  I stared. And stared.

  Azazel had taken a selfie. On my phone.

  Never mind that he’d somehow managed to unlock it, I couldn’t fathom the fact this demon of two thousand five hundred plus years had held this device, contemplated its features and decided to hand it back to me with photographic eye candy of himself.

  But wait, there was more.

  I swiped to the previous pic and blinked at the close-up of his forearm. It was a Live Photo, with the effect of having recorded a second of movement before the camera snapped the pic, and that movement...was him flexing the muscles and sinews in his arm.

  I bit my lip to keep my grin from splitting my face.

  Swiping back again, I discovered...a video. Pulse racing, I clicked Play. Azazel again filled the screen, recording himself with one hand holding the phone—he was still deliciously shirtless—picking up something from outside the camera’s field of vision. It looked like he was in his bedroom, close to the seating area near the balcony door.

  Lightning from outside the window played over his sculpted chest as he brought the object up, and my thighs clenched in visceral memory. He regarded the vibrator, peered into the room—toward the bed, if I pegged the direction right—and then looked straight at the camera. Raising a brow, he smirked, wiggled the vibe and proceeded to slip it into the pocket of his pants. He patted it for good measure. The video shut off.

  I gaped at the screen. Oh, no, he didn’t.

  Heat flooded my face. Was he really walking around with my vibe in his pocket? My well-used vibe, which undoubtedly still had enough of my happy scent on it to be noticeable among sensitive demon noses?

  I narrowed my eyes. Talk about a cheeky, possessive alpha male. He might as well be wearing my panties as a necklace. Staking his claim.

  I wasn’t sure how I felt about that claim. On one hand, wasn’t this what I’d wanted? His genuine attention, and him acting like my goddamn husband?

  While, yes, a part of me preened at his obvious interest and the way he showed it, I hadn’t forgotten that ours was a complicated situation. Neither of us had chosen to be here, with each other. He hadn’t chosen me. Not really.

  And I couldn’t help thinking...if he did have the choice—no obligations to care for me, no punishment by contract if he didn’t comply—would he walk away?

  Would I?

  If I had the chance to turn it all back and render this contract null and void, go back to Earth and my old life, wouldn’t I take it?

  A heavy feeling settled in my gut, spreading prickling unease through my body until I felt twitchy. Throwing back the blanket, I swung my legs over the side of the bed—ugh, my sore muscles—and stood up, wobbling precariously.

  Jesus, I’d never been this “hungover” after sex. Then again, I never had this much sex in one night. Even my most eager boyfriend didn’t have the stamina necessary for half a dozen rounds, not even counting the times in between when Azazel made me come in other ways.

  I had no idea it was physically possible to have that many orgasms in a few hours.

  One thing was clear, our sexual chemistry was off-the-charts, and the way we collided bordered on cosmic. I didn’t regret taking that step with him, even with the situation being more complex than a casual hookup. It would be fine. I would be fine. I could totally do this. I could take advantage of what he offered, have my sexual needs met, and enjoy myself.

  I didn’t hold any delusions about there being more. I’d never wanted a grand romance anyway.

  We were simply making the best of a weird turn of events. There. That was all I needed to contemplate right now.

  I was hobbling toward the door when one of the armchairs in the corner caught fire. I didn’t even have time to jerk back before a click sounded, and a spray of water showered down from the ceiling, precisely targeted at the isolated piece of furniture in flames. Nothing else in the room got doused in water.

  I blinked in shock at the thoroughly calibrated sprinkler and watched the fire hissing its last breaths as it got extinguished.

  He—he’d installed a sprinkler system.

  Such a waste. A feline voice filled my mind, accompanied by a scratching sound coming from the gloom-shrouded rafters.

  I glanced up and spied a long black tail elegantly swishing back and forth.

  “Mephistopheles?” I grabbed the blanket from the bed and wrapped it around my body. Not that I thought a hellcat had any interest in human nudity, but still.

  Why even bother laying all these pipes? More scratching, the distinct sounds of claws on metal. Takes up so much space here. Not to mention completely unnecessary. You’d think a demon of his intelligence wouldn’t waste a resource like this.

  “What do you mean?”

  Water is scarce. It’s true they don’t need to drink it to survive, but they need it to groom themselves. And their hounds slobber it up. A delicate sniff. Spilling more than they drink, of course, graceless as they are. A flash of light as his eyes reflected the flames of the torches. Still, there is so little water here that they use it as a status symbol. Have you been to Lucifer’s palace?

  I gulped. “No.” And I had no intention to ever go there.

  He has a water garden. Swish, swish went his tail. It’s preposterous. As pretentious as the human kings of old. To have so much, and waste it on decoration. All for show and reputation. His wings flared. And now your demon uses it to put out fires… He made a uniquely feline sound of disgust. It’s like I’m not even here.

  I bit my lip. “You are very valuable,” I offered. I knew enough about cats to know that if I didn’t appease his delicate feline ego, I’d have to deal with his sulking for days on end. And for all that they were quiet and unobtrusive, cats could sulk right in your face. “If not for you, I’d be overrun by vermin! I’m so grateful you’re here and making sure this space is free of nasty critters.”

  Another delicate sniff. You’re lucky you have me.

  “Of course. Your hunting prowess is beyond compare.” I gave him a bright smile.

  He licked his paw and purred.

  All right, feline tantrum successfully averted, I hurried into the bathroom. I didn’t want to keep Hael waiting any longer than necessary.

  Fully bathed and dressed—my belongings had indeed been delivered to this suite while I’d been with Azazel—I stood next to the door and placed my hand on the plaque. When the goblins showed up, I asked to be escorted to the grand room, wherever that was.

  Instead of calling for Caleb or Hekesha, the little fiends led me there themselves, grumbling at me the entire time. Fine, I was still mad at them, too, for hog-tying me like a wayward cow.

  The grand room turned out t
o be almost as large as the entrance hall, its vaulted ceiling held by pillars decorated with carvings of fierce beasts and stylized flames. A water fountain bubbled in the center—an ostentatious display of wealth, as I now knew—and Hael sat perched on the low border.

  The floor all around him glistened with splashed water, and the slobbery hound responsible for it currently lapped up even more directly from the fountain’s pool.

  When I neared, Vengeance lifted all three of her heads, water dripping from her maws, and made as if to bound over to me.

  A sharp command from Hael made her sit her butt down.

  Okay, she didn’t sit as much as slipped on the spilled water, but hey, the effort counted.

  Hael stood and inclined his head.

  “Thank you for waiting,” I ventured.

  “I have trained her to respond to this,” Hael said and showed me what looked like a small whistle, “in addition to voice commands. You can use it to augment your spoken orders.”

  I nodded.

  Hael seemed to hesitate. “Have you ever owned a canine?”

  “No, but I had this tamagotchi once that looked like a puppy.” Sadly, it kept dying on me, not that I would mention that fact right now.

  I had the impression Hael tried really hard not to grimace. This was probably like handing the keys to a Lamborghini to a teenager whose only experience with driving was playing Grand Theft Auto.

  “Since she is meant to be your guard,” Hael said, “she will stay with you in your rooms.” Clearly an unorthodox choice, judging by Hael’s expression. “You or someone else will need to take her outside once a day to do her business.”

  I cast Hael an arch look. “I know that much about dogs.”

  “Your tamagotchi kept dying.”

  Dammit with the mind reading!

  The demon sighed. “Let’s run through the commands she knows.”

  We practiced for a good half hour until Hael seemed somewhat satisfied that I’d remember the basic commands and Vengeance would respond to me. She only ran into pillars twice, which I thought was admirable. I gave her a good scratch behind all six of her floppy ears for it, and her left hind leg made adorable phantom scratches along with my caress.