"Don't agree to accept anything in return. Just take back the dark spirits from her soul," Mel said quietly.
Luce shrank from the very thought of it. Those dark shadows had enslaved his soul for centuries. Kept him out of Heaven and tied him to Hell. Made Mel unreachable. What if they severed the bond between them? He couldn't exist without her now. Someone else had to take them.
Mel continued, "Dark spirits can be vanquished and even destroyed, Luce. You have nothing to fear from them. You've seen me do it and I'm not the only angel who has."
Just because Mel and some other powerful angels could destroy dark, disembodied souls didn't mean he could, Luce fumed. There couldn't be many who knew how – or he'd have seen more angels in Hell.
"Two, Luce," Mel responded, easily reading his thoughts. "Only two angels have done it."
He was willing to bet the other one would require a life of eternal servitude if he asked for a favour of this magnitude. But he'd prefer to put someone else at risk if this went wrong before he'd even think of putting Mel in danger. Maybe his slave master would let him see Mel occasionally...
Mel's laughter hummed so loudly he wondered that Persephone couldn't hear her. "The other angel is you, my love, and the spirits plaguing Persi both witnessed and felt it. Finish the job and you'll be free of them forever. Persi will be eternally in your debt...and you can kiss my body awake so we can end this farce."
The whole exchange took place at the speed of light – too fast for anyone else to have noticed Luce's lapse of concentration. At least, he hoped no one had.
Unfamiliar fear coursed through Luce's body as he looked into Persephone's desperate eyes. For the first time, he pitied her, because he alone knew what she was feeling. And he'd had to wait millennia to meet Mel, the only angel who could save him.
"I'll hold your hand the whole way, my love, and if you falter, I'll burn them into a black hole." Luce felt the warmth of Mel's invisible fingers covering the hand that held Persephone's.
"All right. I'll do it." Persephone sagged in relief, but Luce gritted his teeth as he continued, "You have to block the darkness out of your soul. Curl it up tight and don't let them in, but keep your eyes open." He saw the nephilim's whole body tense up so much she was shaking. Pure panic held her eyes wide.
He had no idea how to entice the souls over to him from Persephone.
"An angel's kiss, my love," Mel informed him.
Luce felt no jealousy or discomfort from her at the thought of him kissing another woman, but he sure felt uncomfortable. He didn't want his lips touching the nephilim. Especially not her mouth. He knew where it'd been.
"It's a soul kiss – the only necessary contact is between your soul and hers. Touching your hand to hers will be more than sufficient." Mel paused as if reading Luce's memory of their own first spectacular kiss on her lounge room floor. When she spoke again, her voice sounded distracted. "Oh. That was...for me. And symbolic, of course, given your motivation for wanting a kiss from me. And..." Her words faded into images and sensations that would make her blush if her soul had been in her body. Mel's carefully hidden desire for him shone through every one.
Luce got the message loud and clear. I love you, too, Mel, he thought as he turned his thoughts to his own soul. Reaching for the girl, then encompassing both her soul and the shadows surrounding it.
Blinding light erupted from him, setting the very air ablaze as the dark souls screeched their torment.
"Burn, baby, burn," he muttered, gritting his teeth as he burned with them. When the pain faded, he knew he'd destroyed them. And it felt damn good.
Mel was one step ahead of him. "Luce, you remember how I asked you to wake me with a kiss..."
He'd give her more than a kiss. The moment they were alone, he was going to take this incredible buzz and share it with her. All night long and into the next day, at the very least.
Behind him, he heard Persephone fall to her knees. "Thank you," she breathed. "If there's ever any way I can repay you..."
"No worries," Luce replied, waving away her thanks as he strode toward Mel's body. Her soul was already there, waiting for him.
No one stopped him or said a word as he lifted Mel's shoulders and delivered her wake-up kiss. Then another one, just to be sure. And a third seemed to follow almost effortlessly.
"Definitely the sweetest way to wake up. Human fairy tales have that much right. You're an amazing man, Luce, my light of the morning. And a braver one than most. I'll probably be the only one who'll miss..." Mel's soul-voice faded as Luce broke the kiss.
"I'm not leaving you," Luce said, trying to penetrate the thoughts she was slow to hide.
Mel rose. The demon blood on her skin and clothing had vanished, so she glowed in pristine glory. "Lord Lucifer, there is still the matter of your promised judgement," intoned Lady Muriel, her eyes grave as she didn't smile.
Luce glanced at the empty podium in search of the ominous book, but it didn't appear. He folded his arms across his chest and faced her. "I stand by my actions. I'd tear the limbs off every demon in Hell to protect you all over again. A thousand times, if necessary. If that condemns me to Hell, so be it."
"Judgement comes in many forms and this is mine." A murmur rippled through the others but Luce didn't take his eyes off Mel as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Congratulations, my love," she whispered. A sharp pain told him she'd plucked a feather from his wing before the soft vane brushed against his bare shoulder. Luce glanced down. That couldn't be one of his feathers. It was...
"Whiter than mine, my love," Mel said, fluttering her own beautiful wings into being. The tears in her eyes sparkled as she smiled.
A large hand grasped Luce's forearm in an archaic warrior handshake of sorts. "Brother," a male voice said.
Mel shifted to Luce's side, slipping an arm across his back as his circled around her waist.
Patrick leaned in and pounded Luce on the back before releasing his arm. "Now we're brothers," he said and Luce nodded, understanding that the white wings had gained him entry into some sort of club.
Koyane bowed, placing his flattened fist over his heart as he repeated, "Brother." Luce returned the gesture.
The three unfamiliar men who'd been standing with them offered similar greetings to Luce, who was dying to ask what club he'd suddenly been accepted into. All five men lined up facing Mel and Luce before offering a deep bow as they chorused, "Lady Muriel."
Ah, that made them Mel's militant fan club, Luce decided. Yeah, he'd be willing to join that, but he needed to set something straight first. He knew what she'd miss and why she hadn't finished her sentence.
"Mel, if you had to choose between the ascent of a soul up the rungs of the angel hierarchy or your own happiness, which would you pick?" Luce asked.
"The soul, of course. I'm happiest when helping another soul achieve its potential," Mel replied.
She couldn't lie, Luce reminded himself. She was telling the truth, because she held her personal happiness less important than another's.
"What choir do these boys belong to?" Luce nodded at the five men who believed they were his brothers.
"Some are Archai, while others are Hashmallim, like me," Mel said slowly. "Why, Luce?"
"I'll never belong to either of those. I'm great at revealing corrupt, useless leaders but hopeless at leading them to choose to do the right thing. If you're hoping I'll be like these guys, you'll be disappointed." He swallowed back his own disappointment, but she needed to know. "The only thing I'm good at is keeping demons in order. Well, as much as anyone can keep demons in order."
Mel smiled up at him as if he was delivering the very best news and not a summary of his own shortcomings.
"The job I do best," he continued, "is the one where I'm the Lord of Hell." He kept his eyes on Mel. "And that job comes with some perks I'm not willing to relinquish." He concentrated hard and was rewarded by Mel's gasp. "The hot body you desire with the dark wings that make me your sexy devil. I wouldn't trade
those for anything, because I'll keep those just for you." Luce glanced back to check he'd managed to do it right. Yep, dark feathers on the leading edge, but the trailing edge was cloud-white like a black swan's wings. He kissed the furiously blushing angel whose soul overflowed with gratitude and desire. "I'll trade a perfect soul any day for the imperfect one that you want. All I ever want to be is good enough for you, not someone else's ideal. Yours, forever and always, Melody."
"I love you," was all she managed to say before he kissed her again.
Luce gave her all his attention, so it was some time before he became aware of the voices around them.
"Please, Lord Lucifer, I need to thank you..."
"My daughter, for helping her, I owe you..."
"Must apologise. I didn't realise..."
Luce held tight to Mel as he addressed them all, "I know you all have things you want to say, but it's going to have to wait. Mel's been through a lot tonight and she's overdue some time out in Heaven. So I'll ask you to excuse us..." He lifted Mel into his arms and felt her weight settle comfortably against his chest. Time to make a dramatic re-entry into Heaven. Like he even had to walk through the gates. With Melody in his arms, this devil was already in Heaven.
"You take good care of her, brother."
Luce glanced around and registered that this last came from Patrick, who matched pace with him.
"Mel, you look positively glowing. More radiant than I've ever seen you before. If I didn't know better, I'd think..." Patrick sucked in a breath, his eyes darting from Mel to Luce and back again. He stopped in his tracks. "You're not pregnant, are you?"
Without breaking stride, Luce shot a roguish wink at the saint and grinned.
Hades knew he had to hurry, because that interfering angel Muriel would stop him if she knew what he'd done. He had to get away before she turned her attention to him.
Clouds faded to stone beneath his shoes as he left Heaven's gates behind and reentered the world. She might think she was destroying all the dark souls that had witnessed Lucifer's power, but she'd missed one. One that now coiled almost lovingly around his own corrupt soul – a gift from darling Persephone.
A small shrub had taken root in a crack in the road, a spindly thing that clung precariously to life. It'd be merciful to put an end to its misery, Hades thought, grinning. After all, the human caretakers of this place would poison it soon enough. He reached down and touched it, focussing all his attention in drawing its energy into himself. The plant crumbled into powdery ash at his feet.
Oh, that felt good. Now all he needed was to spread this power to all the dark souls in the Underworld and he'd have an army and power to be reckoned with. Power to take Hell for his own, while that uppity angel Lucifer cavorted in Heaven with Muriel. She wasn't so perfect – she made mistakes just like any human. And it was a grievous error to take Persephone from him. Let's see how powerful she'd be when all Hell broke loose.
His laughter echoed in the darkness and the Underworld trembled.
The tale will continue in
All Hell Breaks Loose in late 2015.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Demelza Carlton has always loved the ocean, but on her first snorkelling trip she found she was afraid of fish.
She has since swum with sea lions, sharks and sea cucumbers and stood on spray drenched cliffs over a seething sea as a seven-metre cyclonic swell surged in, shattering a shipwreck below.
Demelza now lives in Perth, Western Australia, the shark attack capital of the world.
The Ocean's Gift series was her first foray into fiction, followed by her suspense thriller Nightmares trilogy. She swears the Mel Goes to Hell series ambushed her on a crowded train and wouldn't leave her alone.
Want to know more? You can follow Demelza on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ , YouTube or her website, Demelza Carlton's Place at: www.demelzacarlton.com
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