Mitanne waited until she could no longer hear them before she rushed to Nobel's side. She was no medicine woman and the sand was sticky with his blood, he'd lost so much, but she held him and spoke words of love to him as her tears washed the blood from his face. He said little, for he only had moments left to live as his lifeblood drained from his body, but he told her he loved her before he died in her arms.
Luce felt tears on his own face at the memory of losing Mel in much the same way outside Heaven's gates. The wave of despair that engulfed the girl as her beloved breathed his last washed over Luce as surely as the human girl. He felt Mel's arms tighten around him now, though, as her love softened the sharp pain of the girl's memories.
The girl didn't know how long she stayed with Nobel's body, calling down curses on her people for killing the man she loved, and on herself for causing him to be cursed by the moon. Her memories were blurred as rough hands seized her and carried her through the bush, though she saw none of it in her haze of grief. She found herself back in her tribe's camp, numbly obeying the orders of anyone who had work that needed to be done. This was her punishment for deserting her tribe – she would be made to do all the hardest work until she had earned the honour of being the elder's bride. She ceased eating and drinking, wishing only to return to the pool where she and Nobel had laughed and loved for such a short time.
One day, while carrying a heavy load of wood for the fire, she stumbled and fell. Such was her weakness that she couldn't seem to get up, so she accepted assistance when it was offered. When she rose, she came face to face with Nobel and a man she didn't know. The hand had belonged to the devil bird, who now stood beside her.
The memory faded into fog there, but Luce couldn't get that last image of Mel out of his head. The weeping angel who stood beside the girl.
"What happened to her?" he asked thickly, finding that she wept just as freely now, a waterfall that flowed down her cheeks like the cascade on the other side of the clearing.
"She died. Exhaustion and thirst and a broken heart. She didn't want to live any more and the angel who took Nobel's soul knew she wouldn't be far behind him, so he waited to collect them both before taking them to wherever they were destined to go."
Just as he'd tried to, Luce thought, in the depths of Hell and despair without Melody. Only he hadn't lingered. He'd taken a weapon to his veins to hasten the end. Pity devils couldn't die. But if they could, he wouldn't be holding his sweet, weeping angel in his arms, as she cried her heart out for a human. The human couple's doomed love would never be their fate – he'd never desert Mel, nor lose a fight to a bunch of humans armed with nothing but spears. They'd stand side by side against anyone who dared to threaten them. He pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and pressed it to her cheek. "And you've never shown this to anyone." When Mel shook her head, he added, "Why did you share it with me?"
Mel took the handkerchief from his hand and it faded from black to gold with shocking speed before it even reached her other cheek. "Because I knew you would understand her pain. The pain of a human, my love, which was just as poignant as yours. I've seen billions of people die – through violence and illness and age – but her life and death were the first to touch me so personally, because I felt it all as I lifted her soul from her body. You asked once why angels would allow humans into Heaven, when there were so many who did not belong there, and none of the angels in Heaven could answer you, though they took up arms against you. She had your answer, my love. The souls of her kind feel as acutely as any of us – with pain and joy and love. Maybe not all human souls belong in Heaven, but there are demons among our kind who have no place there, either. And some even get to be angels – like Patrick."
Luce wet his lips. "If I'd asked you instead of those stuck-up angels in Heaven, would you have answered me? Prevented the Heavenly War and all the pain afterwards?" Oh God, if she could have saved him from millennia of darkness...
"Would you have listened?"
No. He didn't even need to consider it. He, the highest of them all, listen to the reasoning of a lowly Domination about the flawed beings he despised? His pride would have made him laugh in her face. Pride would have been his downfall, all the same.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, my love. The memory was still too raw for me to discuss with even those closest to me, let alone some mighty angel I barely knew. I might not have said a word to you about it then. Even now, I can't look at the pool without hearing their laughter in the water's play, though they are both long gone. And if I hadn't been here, if she hadn't seen me...if Mitanne had chosen to accept the fate her grandmother arranged for her, she'd have been the elder's adored wife and one of the most respected women elders among her people. She could have been a leader who –"
He felt her grief like a punch in the gut. "No. Don't you blame yourself for what happened to them. They're human and humans have free will to make their own choices and their own mistakes. They knew the justice system of their people and the consequences of their actions. That your kind heart still feels sorry for them is an honour for their memory and a compliment to your compassion. If their love hadn't touched you, would you have become the sweet angel who saved me, or just another stuck-up statue, incapable of feeling love or pity for something as damaged as me?"
"You're not damaged." Mel seized him, crushing her mouth against his as her soul overflowed with gratitude for his help in allowing her to put the spirits of her past to rest.
On and on he kissed her, dimly aware of the petals floating down like snow as the waterfall giggled to itself in the background. It wasn't until the gurgling in his stomach drowned out the watery sounds that Mel broke contact to laugh. "I'm sorry, my love. We should go get the picnic basket out of the car and have some lunch. I know a lovely, secluded spot down by the old waterwheel." Her fingers laced securely through his, they walked hand in hand back to the car.
He kicked the door shut behind him before Mel pinned him to the wall, kissing him fiercely as she helped him unbutton his shirt. He knew they should've thrown caution to the wind and made love on the grass instead of waiting until they got home. She was as eager as he was, but she was also insistent that she wanted privacy. This from the angel who'd walked through Hell naked. What did it matter if someone saw them?
Oh, damn it, not again!
Luce pried his lips from Mel's to answer his persistent phone. "Yes?"
"Mr Iblis, I'm so sorry to bother you, but she wouldn't take no for an answer. Bob tried to throw her out, but she banished him back to Hell. Level Eight for a year! Just for following your orders. I can feel his pain even here! And she said she'll do the same to me if I don't call you. I didn't think she could DO that...did you put her in charge of Hell and not tell me?" Mephi had never sounded so upset. Hell, it sounded like there were tears.
Luce ground his teeth. "You tell Lili to go back to Hell and leave the company to Beelzebub. She doesn't have the authority to tell either of you what to do – all she's responsible for is Level Seven in Hell. You've never had any trouble putting her in her place before. Pull rank, Mephi."
A high-pitched sob came through the phone. "It's not Lili, Mr Iblis. I don't know what to do. I tried to order her out of your office – well, Bob's office, but she just laughed. She had Bob on his knees under the desk, his face buried deep in her tattoo of Level Eight...my husband! She turned my husband into a gigolo in front of my eyes and wouldn't let him stop until she was satisfied, then sent him to Hell before she closed her skinny legs. She said if you don't appear before her in HER office today with Miss Angel, it'll be me next!"
On her knees or in Level Eight? Luce wondered idly, before his fingers clenched around the phone. "Persephone. That bitch. She's had Mel and I combing the world for her, and she turns up in the office now? Oh, I'll be there, all right. We both will. And I'm going to peel that tattoo off her body with a bloody box cutter." Luce glanced at his watch. "We're four hours away. Tell her we'll meet her in MY office at six. And Mephi?"
"Yes, Mr Iblis?"
"Make dinner reservations for Mel and I for seven. Pick the best restaurant within walking distance of the office. If I have to cut our holiday short, I need to make it up to her."
"Yes, Mr Iblis."
Mel leaned in close so her cheek was right beside Luce's. "Mephi? It's Mel. Once you've done what Luce asked, go home. Take the rest of the day off and go find your husband. When you're together again, you go out for a fancy dinner, too. Maybe Japanese. Teppanyaki, if you think Bob's up for that."
"Miss Angel? Are you all right? Miss Black kept asking about you. Your health, your happiness...everything. When I told her you appeared tired, she killed my pot plant. One minute it was a small army of yellow-bordered green spikes, the next it crumbled into dust."
Luce felt Mel's consternation. "Do what Mel said, Mephi. And...one last thing. Book a cleaning crew for first thing tomorrow. A demon one, not a human one. This won't end without bloodshed." Luce ended the call.
Mel didn't need telling. She swept around the room, collecting her things and piling them neatly in her suitcase. Fifteen minutes later, she started on Luce's suitcase, worry creasing her forehead into premature wrinkles he wished he could ease away.
"I'm sorry, Mel," Luce said. "I wanted to give you a proper holiday, not pull you into the problems of the HELL Corporation. Now my former PA has come back to bite me. I swear to you I'll make this right."
"I know you will. No holiday can last forever, my love. Thank you for the best I've ever had. It's been wonderful." Mel's kiss was soft, but tinged with sadness. "Whether she comes at my summons or issues her own, I must meet with her. She wanted to become an angel. For her actions, she must face judgement."
Luce snorted. "Sounds to me like she wants Hell, not Heaven, after what she did."
The zip buzzed closed before Mel set his suitcase on the floor beside hers. "There. Can you load these and the wine in the car while I pack the remainder of our food into a box? If we get going in the next hour, we'll have time for a shower before our meeting and dinner."
"Together, I hope," Luce replied as he hefted the suitcases.
"That sounds lovely," he heard Mel say as he headed down the stairs.
Her office looked untouched since she'd left for London, Mel mused as she glanced around the immaculate space. The only exception was her in tray on the desk – in the last month, it had grown a neat stack of papers. Idly, she picked up the first one and checked the cover page. Mel couldn't smother her laughter when she realised it was a report on monumental cane toad dumping, courtesy of her new complaints department. She wondered at the big Q logo on it – evidently some new form of corporate branding she'd investigate in the morning.
Luce's happy sigh as he entered the room made her smile, but the burst of love she felt emanating for him was far more eloquent. Mel closed her eyes as his arms pulled her against his chest.
"I can't keep my hands off you when you wear the gold silk dress. I've dreamed about this. I don't know if I want to bend you over the desk and slide that skirt up over your hips or drop to my knees and worship you, Lady Muriel." Luce's voice was husky with lust and she could feel his every muscle hard against her back. Oh yes, definitely every muscle.
"Where are your clothes?" she murmured.
His lips caressed her neck. "Hanging up in my office. I can hang your dress beside them and to Hell with this meeting, if you like." He slid his hand up her thigh, hitching her skirt up to her hip. "If we hadn't gotten stuck in traffic, we'd have had that heavenly shower together. Oh God, Melody, you don't know how much I want you."
She did. She could feel his desire, but also what lurked beneath it. Carefully, she smoothed her skirt. "Whatever happens tonight, remember that I love you. You have nothing to fear from this meeting, Luce. As long as I'm by your side, she can't hurt you." She pressed her lips together before she said any more. She'd slept in the car and taken a moment to walk the paths of the future – or she had until Luce's swearing at the crawling traffic had woken her. It was enough. She knew what was coming and she didn't want to frighten him further.
"I'm not..." he began, but they both knew he couldn't finish his sentence. He was afraid. If not of Persi, then something else.
Mel stretched up to kiss him, pressing her hands against his hard, red chest to maintain her balance. "My big, sexy devil. If you want to attend this meeting as the powerful Lord of Hell, that's up to you, but THAT will definitely draw attention." She stared pointedly at his groin.
Luce grinned, but his mirth didn't reach his worried eyes. "Maybe that's where I want her thoughts to be. On what's yours and will never be hers." He pulled Mel close again, holding her just that bit tighter to still the shaking she could feel in his hands. "We have twenty minutes before the meeting. Plenty of time for us to christen this desk of yours and release some tension. What do you say?"
Mel sighed. Of course she'd love to give in to her desires and his, but time was ticking away. If only...
"That's it. Get your damn hands off her! That's one angel you can't have."
Too late.
"Go home. This is a private party for the two of us and no one else was invited. Get out of this office!" Luce roared.
No one moved. What the Hell? Demons had always followed his orders before. What was happening?
"I said let her go. She's not yours and you have no right to enslave her like this. Mel's an angel and she should stay that way." Merih's words were drowned out by a raucous rumble of approval.
"There are a lot of demons out there, Luce," Mel murmured, taking a step toward the door. "I think I need to speak to them."
He grabbed her arm. "NO! I can't control them any more. I don't know what they'll do to you and I might not be able to stop them. Mel, it's too dangerous. Let me try to calm them down first..."
"Send her out or we'll drag you out!" Nybbas shouted reedily.
Mel kissed Luce's fingers before she pried them loose. "Calming people down is what I do best. They can't hurt me, Luce." She approached the doorway and Merih stepped aside to let her pass. Luce's heart plummeted as Mel waved her hand as if in farewell as she left.
"No, Mel, I won't let you –" He hit an energy barrier that she'd waved into place behind her. "Damn it, Mel, do you expect me to just stand here and watch while you...you..."
"Walk away. We'll stop him from following you," Merih said grimly, folding his arms. The crowd parted to allow Mel's passage, but closed up behind her so Luce couldn't see her any more. "Head for Heaven, Mel. He can't find you there."
In desperation, Luce shouted, "Go where you'll be safe, Mel. I'll find you. I swear I'll find you."
"No you fucking won't," Geryon said, planting himself beside Merih. "You're going to let her go, even if it takes all of us to rip you apart so you can't pursue her. You can have any human on Earth, but Mel's off limits."
"Let her make her own choices. Ask her!" Luce insisted.
Nybbas stepped up to the barrier. "She's too brainwashed to make the right decision. I don't know what you've done to her, but it's going to stop, right here and right now. We'll get her to Heaven, where they can help her. The other angels will help us keep her away from you!" He reached toward Luce, but the shield emitted a shower of sparks, stopping his hand. "What's this? Some trick to keep us from reaching you? Are you such a coward you need a shield to protect yourself from us? Is this how you kept her prisoner?"
"I can't...it's not my..." Luce pressed his hands against the barrier, shoving with all his strength, but he couldn't push through. Mel's shield was too strong. Yet he could feel her as a calm presence on the other side. If only he could see her and do something to help.
Mel leaped lightly onto the coffee table. Her wings shimmered into being, so big they brushed the ceiling. "The shield is mine. I won't let you hurt him." Her normally clear voice shook.
"We'll carry you to Heaven's gates if we have to." Nybbas swallowed. "Get angels to help us keep him away from you."
They would. Oh Hell, they would – Luce knew every angel in Heaven would do anything they could to keep her away from him. His precious angel, standing on her coffee table pedestal, her inner glow shining through silk and skin. He greedily drank in the sight, wanting to see these mutinous demons burn like the malicious dark souls she'd vanquished in the depths of Hell. Demons who deserved their fate for daring to...try to take her from him. How could his demons possibly resist his authority to the point where they'd disobey his express orders? No demon had ever been able to withstand him before...
Mel surveyed the sea of expectant eyes turned toward her and Luce felt her rising tide of panic. Her throat constricted and her knees weakened. Oh God, what a time for her fear to materialise. She couldn't say a word.
"Leave her alone. Look at her, she's terrified. Mel's not used to violence. Step aside and let her pass and I might let you keep your limbs. NOW!" Luce ordered.
"Shut up!" Merih roared. He pointed at several demons. "Get through that shield and tear him apart if you have to, to stop him following her. The rest of you – help me take her to the gates."
What looked like a hundred hands extended toward Mel as the demons crowded close around her. Luce couldn't see her through the demons sparking at the shield, but he could feel her pain as each touch burned her. "Get out of here and go to Heaven." Luce didn't speak the words aloud – he shouted them from the depths of his soul.
Her soul-voice sounded sweeter than her human one. "I won't leave without you. Won't let them hurt you."
"Then they must burn." He focussed on the image of her soul filling the cave with light outside his Hellish lair. She had to do it again.
"No," she said silently. "They're my colleagues. I can't. I can't hurt them." A flash of pain was followed by her tormented cry and the sound of a body smacking against the wall. Luce glimpsed her face for a moment before another demon came between them. This one was blasted backwards and Luce heard the crack of bone when it hit the wall.
Holiday From Hell Page 15
