Holiday From Hell

by Carlton, Demelza

  Raphael oozed relief. "Sure. I'll give you daily updates on their progress and –"

  "No," Mel said softly. "I only want to know if you find her. Contact me through Luce, for he'll know where I am. Raphael, give me your hand." Luce felt a burning flare of jealousy as Mel's fingers wrapped around the archangel's much larger ones.

  Raphael's eyes widened in shock and further into horror. Luce hid a smile as the archangel fell to his knees. "Mel, I'm so sorry. I had no idea. Let me call Patrick. Koyane. Anyone. Someone to watch over you while you're this weak."

  She released his hand and sank onto the sofa, breaking the healing contact between herself and Luce. "No. Luce is doing an admirable job so far and I like his recovery plan, too. He'll take good care of me."

  Raphael's gaze wove uncertainly between Mel and Luce. "You can't. Please, Mel. I should never have asked for your help against the HELL Corporation. If I hadn't, you'd be safe and well and he wouldn't know where you are."

  Mel lifted her chin, her eyes blazing. "You asked for my help and my condition was that I would assist in my own way. Forgive me if my plans are more far-reaching than yours, changing as circumstances require. My projects are completed to my specifications, not yours. And if Luce wishes, he will play a significant part in them."

  "You can't trust him. No matter what you think he's become, he's still..."

  "Lucifer, light of the morning, Lord of Hell and my love," Mel said steadily. "As you are Raphael of the Hashmallim and my trusted lieutenant. And you will understand one another. I want you both to shake hands." Her voice was deadly quiet. "Now."

  Luce extended his hand to the angel, keeping his face carefully blank. "I will protect her at all costs. Even from you and the rest of her own kind."

  Raphael gripped Luce's had firmly. "Harm her and I'll lead all the forces of Heaven against you. Then we'll see the true colour of your blood."

  "I would spill every drop for her." Luce found that if he concentrated, he could faintly sense the angel's soul and the turbulent emotions churning through it. The fierce protectiveness for Mel, anger and frustration, strong attraction he was trying to resist for...Luce? Luce fought to maintain his composure as he dug deeper into the angel's psyche. Desire and disgust, and fear for... "Michael. Mel, did you know this dick's Michael's boyfriend? That explains a lot."

  Raphael reddened and yanked his hand away. "Everyone knows demons lie."

  Luce winked. "Ah, but I'm not a demon any more, and angels don't lie. That means you can't lie, either. Does Mel know you're banging Michael?"

  "Luce, Michael and Raphael have been close friends for a very long time. Given their natural inclinations, it seemed inevitable that their friendship would blossom into more. I wish you both well of each other, Raphael. Tell my brother the same, the next time you see him."

  Now it was Luce's turn to look from Mel to Raphael and back again. Mel's serenity contrasted with Raphael's acute embarrassment. For all that Mel had known, Raphael hadn't told her a thing.

  The angel seemed lost for words. Finally, he said, "If you need me for anything, let me know."

  Mel leaned forward. "Find Persi. She needs your help more than I do."

  Raphael nodded and hurried out. He almost collided with the waiter wheeling their order for room service, but he dodged around the man and continued on his way.

  "Dinner!" Luce exclaimed. He heard Mel's footsteps fading away behind him – going to get dressed, he guessed. Ushering the waiter into the house, he led the way to the dining table. The man identified which covered dish was which, told Luce to leave the trolley and dishes outside when he was done and assured him one of the restaurant staff would collect them later tonight or early in the morning.

  Luce locked the door behind the man and returned to the table. "Oh my God."

  Mel blushed, glancing down at her white nightdress. It was just translucent enough to show she wore nothing underneath the silky fabric clinging to her curves, while covering all of the essentials. "I figured this would be more appropriate than day clothes, seeing as I intend to go to bed right after we're done with dinner. I hope you don't mind."

  "Not at all. I think that's a brilliant plan. Dinner, then bed," Luce blurted out. If he wasn't absolutely starving, he'd happily skip dinner and take her straight to bed now.

  Mel eyed the trolley. "So, what did you order for dinner?"

  Luce pulled out a chair and waved extravagantly. "Take a seat, my lady, and let me serve you."

  She laughed softly and sat. After a moment's confusion, Luce worked out which were the entrées and set Mel's before her. He poured her wine, too, before he sat across from her with his oysters and wine. He lifted the cover from her plate with a flourish. "Stuffed mushrooms. You like them, don't you?"

  Mel nodded. "Much better than oysters."

  He grinned as he lifted a shell to his lips. "Hey, I'm eating these at your command. I even ordered an extra dozen in case you wanted to share."

  She swallowed her mouthful of mushroom. "Luce, I don't need shellfish to stimulate my desire. But you'll need every one of them for what I have in mind." Wickedly angelic eyes regarded him over her wineglass as she sipped.

  Luce choked.

  "Are you all right, my love?"

  He coughed out some sort of reply that included the word 'fine' and headed for the kitchen for a big drink to wash down the troublesome oyster. Did she mean what he thought she did? All those times she'd turned him down...was it because his performance wasn't up to par? Was that why she was always so quiet and calm when he...when they...oh God. Loss of illusions...that damn imp. When he'd managed to get a hold of himself, he returned to find Mel had finished her mushrooms.

  "Are you sure you're all right?" Mel asked, her worried eyes reading his very soul.

  "No. I'm not, am I? I'm not good enough for you. After seeing your other men – Patrick and that Japanese one, Koyane – you started thinking about how perfect they are and how I'll never be an angel like that. Never was, never will be. And if you feel I need aphrodisiac food to be able to satisfy you...should I be buying that Viagra stuff next? Horny goat weed or whatever herbal supplements the human health food shops are peddling? I'll never be good enough for you, will I, Mel?"

  Her horror said more than any words could. Luce knew he was right.

  "I should serve your next course. At least I can manage that."

  "Luce..."

  He held up his hand to stop her. "You don't need to try and make me feel better. I know what I am. And your dinner will get cold while you slap a band-aid on my bruised ego."

  Shoving his untouched oysters onto the trolley, Luce passed out the main course plates – some sort of creamy pasta with little prawns. Shrimp? Whatever they called those things. He poured more wine and shovelled forkfuls of food into his mouth so he wouldn't have to say anything else. He scraped the last shrimp through a drift of sauce and heard the clink and clatter of cutlery hitting the floor. He glanced up to see Mel swaying in her seat.

  Luce rounded the table in two strides, grabbing her before her face landed in her half-eaten meal.

  "I'm sorry," Mel mumbled with her eyes closed. "I can't seem to stay awake. So...tired. Didn't sleep enough on the plane and hardly at all in Japan."

  "So go to bed then," Luce replied. She was probably up all night with that angel Koyane and maybe even the siren, too. The girl had been eyeing Mel with unconcealed lust since the moment they met.

  "You've gone to so much trouble. I want to have dinner with you. I missed you." She levered her eyes open with considerable effort. "I missed you, Luce." The dark circles beneath her eyes were more noticeable now and she felt unusually heavy as she leaned against him, as if exhaustion had sapped even her will to sit up.

  Luce swept her up in his arms. Now he could feel how tired she was – the heaviness in every limb and the cloying fog in her mind. "Bed or dinner?" he asked.

  "I..." she began, then sighed, resting her head against his shoulder.

  Her b
ody needed both energy and sleep to repair, and she had said she wanted dinner. Luce dropped into her chair, hearing the timber creak beneath him at their combined weight. He hooked his leg around the chair beside him and pulled it out from under the table, then laid Mel's legs across it. Her head still rested against his shoulder, but he'd freed up his left arm to reach for his fork. He loaded it with a piece of Mel's filled pasta and lifted it to her lips. "Dinner, Melody?"

  Gratitude warmed her half-closed eyes. "Thank you." Her sweet lips parted to permit the pasta inside and he felt the gentle jar of her teeth on the fork as her tongue swept the morsel deeper into her mouth. Reluctantly, Luce withdrew the fork, noticing a slight smear of sauce on her lips. The tip of her tongue took care of it before he could surrender to the desire to kiss her. She lifted her chin a touch as she swallowed, enticing Luce's attention to the silky skin of her throat and the smooth curve down to the swell of her breasts beneath the filmy white nightdress. His pants grew uncomfortably tight, but he forced himself to dip the fork into Mel's meal again.

  Slowly he fed her, one bite at a time. Even the simple act of chewing and swallowing seemed a struggle for her. Unobtrusively, Luce stretched his soul out to touch hers once more, letting a trickle of healing flow between them. When she didn't react, he increased the intensity, praying she wouldn't stop him this time.

  To cover his distraction, Luce trawled the tines of his fork through the thick sauce, looking for any pasta pieces he'd missed. Instead, he snagged a shrimp.

  "Last one, Mel," he coaxed. "After this, it's dessert."

  This time, she didn't open her mouth. Luce glanced down and realised her eyes were shut just as tight as her lips. He popped the prawn in his own mouth and let the fork clatter onto her plate. A deft swipe of the napkin removed the last traces of sauce. He debated whether to try and wake her or find somewhere more comfortable for her to sleep. Mel sighed and turned her face into his shoulder, a smile lifting her lips as her cheek rubbed against his skin.

  To Hell with dessert. He was taking Mel to bed now before he burst through the zip of his pants. And nothing was sweeter than his angel.

  Luce woke to loud banging on his front door. He heaved himself out of bed and glanced down in wonder as he realised he'd slept in not just his underwear, but his pants. That had to be a first. He clearly recalled carrying Mel to bed, then stretching out beside her for just a moment to finish healing her, but his memories were pretty vague after that.

  His pants were just as tight as last night – maybe more so, he decided, adjusting himself. Was it worth waking Mel to ask her if she wanted to make use of his morning glory?

  The banging sounded again, louder and more impatient than before.

  He stumbled into the dining room and surveyed the dirty plates still on the table. He must've fallen asleep alongside Mel. A tinkling sound down near his foot caught his attention and Luce reached down to pick up the fork Mel had dropped.

  The assault on his front door shook it in its frame. Was there a demon on the other side? Luce wondered. If there was, he'd tell them to go straight to Hell. He wasn't coming in to work today. He threw the door open to find himself facing an angry woman in chef's whites.

  "The waitstaff have been up here twice and both times they've come back empty-handed. Neither of them wanted to knock on the door after what happened last time. We only do room service to the apartments if you return the dishes and there's only the one trolley. The head chef said you wanted breakfast room service, but we haven't received your order and I'm not cooking it until you return all the restaurant property, anyway." She plucked the fork from Luce's fingers. "Where's the rest of it?"

  Luce left the door open and led the way to the dining room.

  The woman stuck her hands on her hips and surveyed the mess. "So you had a woman over, seduced her with wine and good food, then talked her into your bed –" She lifted the lid on one of the covered dessert plates. The multicoloured, creamy creation had now congealed into an unappetising, pinkish brown puddle. "– and forgot about dessert. That must have been one hot night."

  Luce summoned a grin. He couldn't lie, but he knew the right sexy smile could tell a tale all on its own.

  "What was dessert?" Mel's voice startled him. She stood in the doorway, wearing one of those Japanese dressing-gown dresses over her nightgown. The golden bamboo patterned across the white fabric was the precise shade of her hair. "I'm sorry, Luce. Between the flight from Japan and not feeling well, I fell asleep and missed the best part of the evening." Her smile set Luce's heart aglow. "Thank you for taking such good care of me."

  The chef snorted. "This one doesn't do anything for a woman without an ulterior motive. Do not trust a word he says – he'll seduce you into his bed and throw you out in the morning, if he remembers you're there. Ask him to tell you about the last time he didn't return his room service trolley. That wasn't the only thing he forgot. He left some poor girl handcuffed hand and foot to his bed. When I found her, the poor thing was naked and in tears, bleeding from trying to get out of the restraints. I don't know what would have happened to her if I hadn't come along. I had to get some pliers and a set of boltcutters from the caretaker to free her because he'd forgotten to leave her the keys to her metal handcuffs, too." She glared at Luce. "The only reason I didn't call the police is because she begged me not to."

  Luce snorted. "So that's how she got free. She hid the keys, not me. One set up each hole. I wasn't sticking my fingers up her to get them out. Serves her right. She put them on."

  "Don't trust him," the woman insisted. "He'll be just as callous when he's done with you. Get out while you still have your self-respect."

  "That must have been the night you came to my place, running through the rain as if all the hounds of Hell were after you. I bet she didn't want the police involved. Persi can be frighteningly persistent when she develops an obsession for someone, like she did for you." Mel tucked herself into Luce's side and kissed his cheek. She turned her eyes on the chef. "Thank you for rescuing my cousin from her predicament, and for saving Luce from having to deal with her when he got home. I heard you mention breakfast?"

  "I mentioned it, but according to restaurant policy, he'll be cooking it for you, not me," the woman said, piling the dirty plates onto the trolley.

  Luce watched in fascination as Mel stepped forward and rested her hand on the woman's wrist. The chef's mesmerised eyes met Mel's and didn't look away. "Perhaps you didn't hear me. The woman you found chained herself to a bed in her relentless pursuit of her boss and my partner. He deserted his own home to get away from her. I don't believe he'd have ordered dinner for the two of them – just himself – so if the meal was for two last time, she ordered it. Any inconvenience my cousin caused you is between your employer and Persephone, not Luce. This morning's misunderstanding is my fault. My flight arrived late yesterday and Luce ordered food to save me from cooking, given how weary I was." She laughed gently. "I'm sure your employer wouldn't want to alienate one of his best customers because that customer chose to place the health of his partner over some dirty dishes and the enjoyment of what I believe looks like some delicious dessert?" Mel sighed. "I wish I'd been well enough to eat it last night."

  Luce wanted to applaud, but he didn't dare.

  "We'll see," the woman responded grudgingly. She pulled her hand out from under Mel's and finished clearing the table.

  "What would you like for breakfast?" Luce asked Mel, ignoring the other woman.

  Mel smiled. "Actually, I don't think I'm ready to eat anything yet. I was just thirsty. I only got up to get a glass of water."

  "Let me," he said, grabbing the jug of filtered water from the fridge. He presented a filled glass to her.

  Mel's smile didn't fade as she sipped her way through Luce's offering, before setting the empty glass on the sink. "Thank you. I'm still a bit tired, so if you don't mind, I'd like to go back to bed for some more sleep."

  "Of course." Luce's heart flipped as her light kiss ti
ngled against his lips. He watched her careful steps back to their shared bedroom.

  The door clicked closed behind the departing chef and Luce seriously considered following Mel back to bed. No, he decided. He had a holiday to plan.

  He powered up his laptop and switched on the coffee machine. How did you plan a holiday from HELL with a perfect angel like Mel?

  Like the honeymoon from Heaven. He grinned and started his search, slurping his espresso in bliss.

  Ninety frustrating minutes later, Luce had managed to book exactly nothing. Not flights, accommodation...he couldn't even decide on a destination. Would Mel want beaches or snow or wilderness or city or...what?

  He picked up the phone and prayed it was a good idea. He needed help, after all.

  "Hello, Helpful Angels Agency," a professional, feminine voice bubbled. "How may I help you?"

  Luce thanked Heaven and anyone else who'd answered his prayer. "I'm hoping you can help. I intend to take my angel on a relaxing holiday and I'm looking for recommendations."

  The girl cleared her throat. "Ah, I believe you might have the wrong impression. You see, this is an employment agency and not a travel agency. We provide expert staff to meet our clients' needs and..."

  "And the expert assistance I need is advice on where to take an angel on holiday. From the HELL Corporation. One of your expert staff." Luce stressed the last two words, just in case she didn't get the message.

  "Is this a joke? Or a threat?" The bubbles popped, baring steel. Luce recognised her voice now. "I hope you realise that threatening our staff contravenes several laws and violates your contract of service with us. What is your name...or the name of the staff member?"

  Luce gritted his teeth. "My name is Luce Iblis and you sound like Gabrielle...D'Angelo, isn't it?"

  "It sure is, and I'll be telling Raphael and every other angel I see today that you're threatening Mel. They'll carve you into little demon cubes and skewer you for your subordinates to barbeque in Hell before you can blink. Don't you even think of taking Mel anywhere."