When he finishes, he comes over and pats me on the back again, like we’re old buddies. “True enough. But I need you to at least trust that we have the same objective, Noah. In fact, I like that you took the initiative and went a step ahead. You’re a real go-getter. That’s good. But next time, consult with me first. Understand?”
He squeezes my shoulder a little too tight.
“Sure,” I say, ducking beneath his arm to escape. “But if you want my cooperation, you have to give a little, too. When I said I wanted Keira, I didn’t mean for an hour. I meant permanently.”
Lucifer doesn’t face me, so I’m not sure how angry he is. But I do know he’s unnaturally still.
“I suppose a young man like you has needs that go beyond a single hour.” He turns and is all smiles again as he lights up a cigar.
“No smoking in my room. Please.” I add the last because it wasn’t meant as a challenge.
“You smoked every substance under the sun in here and wallowed in your own filth up to a few weeks ago,” Lucifer says, making the cigar disappear.
“That was before. I’m a different person now.”
“Mmmm.” Lucifer nods. “Keira is being punished. She has…” He checks a gold Rolex on his wrist that, as far as I can tell, has no numbers or dots or even hands. “One more hour. Then you can have her back. It’s a done deal. Once in the Pit, there’s no exit until scheduled, you see.”
The Pit? My stomach drops. “Why did you punish her?”
“She likes you too much.” Lucifer shrugs. “Not good for a Demon. But you go ahead and keep her. She’ll learn through conditioning not to care, eventually. The Pit’s never failed me in that respect. And until then? I’ll keep throwing her in while you’re away on business. No harm done. I’ll just make the appointment with better timing.”
The anger that I barely held back before comes bubbling up to the surface. Rage like I’ve felt only once before—during a confrontation that ended in murder—threatens to drown me. I can almost hear what Keira would say, though. Don’t be a fool, Noah. Save it. Use it against him the right way.
My words come out clipped and hoarse, but I do my best to keep them civil. “You will never send her to the Pit again. If you don’t like that, then you can take the job and shove it.”
The torches flare right up to the ceiling and Lucifer’s shadow swells behind him until it takes on the shape of a horned monster with glowing red eyes. The thing has to be at least nine feet tall. He’s as angry as I am, but I don’t care. He needs me and won’t hurt me—somehow, I know it.
“You’ve never actually hurt me or tried to punish me,” I say. Maybe I’m crazy for challenging him like this, but I’ve had enough. “You can’t hurt me, can you?”
“There are ways besides physical pain to hurt someone. There is a price for everything, Noah,” he says quietly.
“No. No prices. No bargains. You don’t have to pay a price, so I don’t, either.” I’m more confident than ever that he can’t, because he didn’t answer the question directly.
“You don’t think I pay a price?” he hisses. “I was thrown from Heaven. Tossed out like garbage.”
I consider him. “Didn’t you say you’d rather rule in Hell than serve in Heaven or something like that?”
“Something like that.” He smirks. “You think you can trust Keira? You can’t trust women. You can’t trust so-called ‘friends.’ You can’t even trust parents. But me? I only tell the truth. You can count on that. Go ahead and doubt me, but when she breaks your heart—and she will—don’t come crawling to me.”
I blink, and he’s gone. I’m alone in my room, chewing on his words. Everyone I’ve ever trusted has disappointed me. What if…
No. He’s trying to throw me off my game. I won’t let him get in my head.
Still…
My friends disappointed me. Hale. My family disappointed me. Grace. Mom. Dad. Girls have disappointed me before. Emily.
Why do I keep trusting?
Chapter 14
Grace
Teetering at the end of the table, I giggle a little and muffle a hiccup. These shoes are killing me; I’ve been standing in them for hours. I swirl what’s left in my glass and take another sip of the watermelon-flavor martini I’ve settled on. It’s only the third type I’ve tried, but it’s definitely the best.
It isn’t just sweet; it also dulls the pain inside. Everything feels fuzzy. My vision, my stomach, the sounds of the casino, even the memory of the man I glamoured being arrested in front of everyone.
“Winner!” An explosion of applause gets my attention, and I toast with my glass in the air. Randy’s done it again. His pile of chips is huge.
“I think I’m going to quit while I’m ahead.” Randy stands, stretching, and I notice several women checking him out. Why not? Handsome, rich, and lucky.
I stare one down as I surf my way around the table full of people and nearly fall into his arms. He glances back at me, and for a precious second it’s Josh’s face I see smiling down at me with that spectacular smirk of his, and my insides heat up. “He’s mine,” I say out loud.
“Easy there, Grace.” Randy keeps an arm around my waist while collecting his winnings. I let him steer me around and through the throngs of people as he cashes in a total of $400,000, which he tucks into his jacket.
“Is it time to leave already?” I ask when we arrive in front of the glass elevator. I pout. “I wanted another tini. Waddermelontini.” I shrug, unable to get the words exactly right. “You smell good.”
“Thanks.” Randy laughs, and I like the sound. “I think you’ve had enough for now.” He brushes a finger over my nose. “I’d hate to have you pass out before we get to celebrate.”
“Yeah. Let’s have a party.” If I close my eyes, he feels and smells like Josh, and I can pretend he’s the one with me like it should be. “We should invite Keira. She was nice to me.”
“Sounds good, babe. But let’s start with just the two of us for now.” The doors of the elevator slide closed, and I don’t even remember getting inside. I lean back against the glass and press my eyes shut again, stretching out my arms at my sides. “I’m flying.”
Randy’s body presses into me, and I’m no longer floating weightless. He’s the thing that grounds me. But I don’t think I want to stop flying yet.
Before I can protest, Randy’s mouth is on mine and he’s kissing me, deeply. Intimately. His hands slide over my hips and cup my bottom.
“Um, hold on there a second, buddy.” I disconnect from his mouth and poke a finger at his shoulder as he moves his lips to the tender spot where my neck and shoulder meet. “We’re in an elevator.”
“Yeah.” He breathes over my ear, and it gets all hot and tingly. “But we’ll be in the room soon, baby.”
“I want to visit the tiger.” I shove him away a little too hard and look at my hands, surprised. Then I press STOP, followed by LOBBY.
“Whoa. I’m sorry. Did I do something wrong? I thought you wanted me to prove myself back there.” He leans in close and whispers, “I—we—stole $400,000 in like three hours.”
“I stole it?” I ask, trying to focus on what he’s saying. “You did it.”
“With your help. We’re a team, babe. Bonnie and fucking Clyde.”
“I’m Bonnie?” I echo. That can’t be right. I’m supposed to be the good one. Right?
“Why’s the tiger so damn sad?” I ask, pushing past Randy when the doors open. “Cut it out!” I yell at the cat. “You sit there and mope around like your life is oh-so-awful, and all the time your every need is taken care of. What’ve you got to complain about? Huh?” I stumble out of my heels and grab one, gesturing with it at the beast.
Randy’s big hands are on my arms, trying to steer me away from the tiger—I think I’ll name him Tony—but I haven’t finished yet, so I round myself right back in front of the railing surrounding the pit. I hike up my dress as best I can and climb over so I’m teetering on the edge. Tony eyes me s
keptically.
“Grace! Come on, babe. Jesus.”
“Never met him. Probably should’ve by now. What about you, Tony? You’d rather be back in the jungle, wouldn’t you? With your tiger girlfriend. I bet she misses you. You can do it, you know. It wouldn’t be easy, but I’m pretty sure you can find a way back if you try hard enough.”
“Grace, the security guards are coming.” Randy reaches over and swings me back over the railing where I stumble back and forth a bit. He gestures to them to indicate it’s all okay and I’m just drunk.
“I want to stay with Tony,” I say.
“Grace, you are impossible.” Randy shakes his head and scoops me up into his arms.
“Put me back,” I say. “I can walk.”
“Not really,” he says, carrying me down the hall and back into the elevator.
“I like feeling like I don’t know what’s up and what’s down,” I say, closing my eyes and enjoying the sensation of flying upward again. “Spin me.”
Randy laughs again, and the next thing I know we’re spinning in circles and I’m screaming like a little girl.
By the time we get to the room, I’m thoroughly dizzy and disoriented. I stumble forward when he sets me down despite being barefoot and land in a heap on the carpet, laughing as the world spins.
I’m barely aware of Randy taking off his jacket, loosening his tie, and kicking off his shoes. I hear the gurgling of the Jacuzzi filling up and blink, trying to focus as Randy appears before me in only his boxers.
He squats before me and offers a hand. I stare at it. “Did you get the money?” I ask, not quite able to recall.
He rummages in his discarded jacket nearby and pulls out stacks of green money. It’s more than I’ve ever seen in one place in my life.
“Wow. That’s a lot of money.”
“Damn straight, babe. And it’s all thanks to you.” He takes my hand and pulls me up before running the edge of the pile of money along my side.
I giggle. “It tickles.”
“Let’s get you out of that dress,” he says, tossing the money up so that it flutters down over us like giant confetti. I laugh again, trying to catch some in my fists.
Randy’s deft hands tug off my dress, making me stumble again before I realize I’m totally naked.
“You are amazing.” Randy whistles, taking in my body. Like he couldn’t tell what was there when the tiny bit of material was still on.
The room is still spinning around me, and it’s hard to focus on Randy’s face. “I don’t feel so good.”
“Come on, let’s get you in the tub. A little relaxing bubble bath should help you feel better.”
“I don’t know. I—” But I never get to finish what I am because I’m in his arms again and his lips are over mine, tongue exploring my mouth. I try to move mine around and away, but he’s holding my head from behind and mistakes my movements for enthusiasm.
He lowers us both into the steaming water, pulling me over his lap. This isn’t what I want. He isn’t Josh.
I shove at him and awkwardly wiggle off of his lap, backing over to the other side of the enormous Jacuzzi. “Stop,” I say, trying to catch my breath. My foot slips, and I slide into the water for a minute, choking and struggling against the bubbles slurping up into my nose.
Randy pulls me out and steadies me about the waist. That’s when I realize we’re both naked, and I’m not entirely sure when that happened. “I can’t do this,” I say, tears burning my eyes. Literally. Through my haze, I realize my eyes must be red. So I duck out of sight and scramble up and out of the bath, rushing to my room where I slam the door closed and lock it.
I stand there, breathing heavily, soaking wet and trying to make my surroundings stop moving. The roar of the jets stop, and a moment later Randy knocks on the door.
“Go away,” I say.
Out of nowhere Lucifer appears beside me, and his hand squeezes my shoulder so hard I fall instantly to my knees, mouth open in a silent scream because I hadn’t gotten enough air in to make an actual sound.
“Why are you in here?” Lucifer asks.
I still can’t catch a breath. He must know the answer, anyway.
“You’ve done so well, Grace. You corrupted him. You demonstrated how easy and exciting it is to cheat the system. He made the big time tonight by ripping off the casino for so much money. Congratulations.”
“Please.” I mouth the word.
He releases me, and I fall at his feet, sure every bone in my shoulder is broken.
He squats down and brushes a finger over my nose, much like Randy did before.
“I did what you wanted. So why torture me?” I ask.
“Because that’s not all I want you to do. I want his experience to be complete. I want him to garner all of the rewards he can to associate with his success and spur him on in the future.”
My eyes burn so hot, I want to tear them from my head. “This isn’t about him. You want me to betray Josh.”
“Layers, Gracie. Besides, ‘betray’? How can a Demon help but betray an Angel?” he asks. “It was your choice after all.”
I open my mouth to answer but realize he’s right. Josh is in Heaven. And me succeeding in making him fall won’t mean we’re going to be monogamous. It’s part of working for Lucifer. Demons betray people.
“So I’m a prostitute. A whore.”
“You are whatever I say you are. If I say you’re a worm crawling in dung, then that’s what you are. If I say you’re a princess starting a war, then…”
The alcohol roiling in my stomach makes me heave, and I vomit in front of Lucifer, who sneers down at me in distaste.
“I’m not going to sleep with him,” I say when I finish.
“You don’t have to do any sleeping. But let’s not quibble about semantics, Grace. You are naked on the floor in a pool of your own sick after helping a young man steal hundreds of thousands of dollars and turn toward darkness, and you’re telling me what a proud and well-behaved lady you are?”
He waves a hand, and the mess is clean. My makeup and hair are fixed, and I’m wearing basically a black lace string studded with diamonds around my bikini line and the tiniest excuse for a bra I’ve ever seen.
“I’ll unfreeze him out there, and you can go back out and tell him you wanted to wear this for him. Then you are to let him do whatever he wants. Positive reinforcement. That’s your job, Grace.”
“And if I don’t?” I ask, stepping so close I can smell Lucifer’s cologne. “You’ll torture me, right? Forever? At some point he’ll have moved on. Time will move on.”
I’m shaking, anticipating the pain before it hits.
I don’t know if it’s minutes or hours later that he lets up, and I collapse again on the floor. Smoke curls from my skin as it rapidly fades from blistering red to my own porcelain color.
“You will make your choice, Grace. But you will suffer either way.” He grins and his eyes light scarlet. “See, I know exactly what it’s going to take to break you, and I plan to make sure it happens. Then when you’re in a million shards, I will put you back together the way I want.”
I try to ignore his threat. “You promised me I could see Noah in the morning if I helped Randy con the casino,” I say. My voice cracks, but it’s still there.
Lucifer’s veins bulge and pulse beneath his skin, making him appear as a sort of grotesque monster version of himself. “So I did. And your consequences, should you decide to disobey me, will begin immediately after. So choose well, Grace. Remember, even Josh would expect you to do your job.”
One snap, and he’s gone. So is the door. Randy relaxes in the Jacuzzi, head leaning back on the ledge. This isn’t his fault. I led him on. I practically promised him sex in exchange for selling his soul. I shudder, and my eyes burn.
I thought I’d been so clever, talking myself out of a threesome with Keira. But all I did was delay the inevitable. Ever since I fell I’ve been making excuses and pretending that I can outsmart Lucifer, but the
truth is I’ve been giving in all along, justifying and doing horrible things that I never would have done before, all to try and save my brother. My brother who doesn’t want to be saved.
Damn him! If Noah’s going to turn his back when I’ve literally been through Hell, then he can just go ahead and burn. To Hell with him, to Hell with Lucifer.
I rush back into my room and yank a dress out of the closet. It doesn’t matter which one. But the second I pull it on, it disappears. I want to scream, but instead I run back to my closet where I find only empty hangers, swinging.
Fine. I won’t wear anything over this ludicrous outfit.
I toss my hair back and stalk out to the front. Randy’s snoring now, which gives me some relief. I tiptoe past and try to scoop up my evening gown off the floor, but that, too, disappears, turning to smoke that whispers through my fingers. It’s not like it was made of much more fabric anyhow, I suppose. And I am in Vegas, after all. It won’t look completely insane if I’m walking around dressed like a Victoria’s Secret model in a diamond-studded bikini.
I reach for the door and hear something behind me. I spin around, and it takes a moment to realize what’s different. Randy’s missing. He must’ve slid beneath the water in the tub!
Damn it all. I run over to the tub and reach blindly beneath the bubbling liquid, groping until I find arms. Then I pull, heaving with all my strength and trying to keep my footing on the slippery steps. I adjust my stance so that I can grip Randy beneath both armpits as I pull him farther above the water level. He starts to cough, and his muscles tense and jerk, not understanding what’s happening. He twists hard, and I fly right inside the Jacuzzi on top of him. Water squirts up my nose, and I cough and gasp as I fight to find my footing. In moments we’re both standing in the center of the oversize tub, bubbles rushing over our thighs. Randy holds me tight to him as we both catch our breath.
“Are you okay?” I ask finally. My heart beats like a jackhammer against his slick, hard chest, but he keeps hold of me like he’s afraid to let go.
Soul Conquered Page 9
