Welcome to Hell Box Set: Paranormal Romantic Comedy (Mel Goes to Hell Series Book 123)

by Demelza Carlton

  "I said no! The harpies don't need any more assistants. Only volunteers to be victims and Jez said she doesn't want to see your arse again. Get down!" Chiron the centaur jabbed at a gory figure, who subsided into the red river. "You should fly right back where you came from," Chiron said, leaning on the spear as he squinted at Mel. "There's nothing but pain if you go any further."

  Mel smiled wanly. "My feet already hurt and it seems all the foot spas in Hell are broken. I carry my pain with me and the sooner I see Lucifer, the sooner I can head home for a rest."

  "No angel should see what the harpies are up to. I'm not even game to go in there. The screams are enough." The centaur shuddered, from his human shoulders right down to his equine tail.

  "Is there another way through to Lucifer's lair?"

  Chiron shook his head. "Few make it through and they say he won't see anyone. You're wasting your time."

  Mel's heart twinged as she wondered if he was right. Perhaps she should just turn around and return home. Luce knew where she lived – if he wanted her, he could find her.

  But if he was hurt and needed her help...

  "No. My time is never wasted, though there are some things I wish I hadn't seen. I'm sure it won't be as bad as you say – I've worked with some of the harpies up on the surface. This is Lilith's domain, and she and I get along just fine." Mel bowed her head. "Thank you, but I will continue, as I must. If you see Lucifer..." She wasn't sure what to ask for.

  Chiron bowed deeply. "In the unlikely event that I see Lord Lucifer, I'll say that you seek him and that he is undoubtedly in your debt. You should have summoned him to the surface and not endured such hardship." A vaguely humanoid figure surged up from the revolting river. "OI! I said no!" Chiron levelled his spear at the offending soul. "Get back in there or I'll..."

  His voice faded as Mel entered the next cave and the chorus of screams drowned out all other sounds. There was so much suffering here.

  Thirty-Seven

  To Mel's surprise, the new cave was a maze of tall partitions, reminiscent of the HELL Corporation offices. The ruddy, flickering light made this scene far more eerie – especially with the screaming. She tucked her wings out of sight, so they wouldn't catch on anything in the narrow passage.

  Mel peered around the first partition and wished she hadn't. Light caught the metal barbs on a many-tailed whip as it swished through the air to embed itself in the torn flesh that had once been a damned soul's back. This soul gave a hoarse groan, as if his voice had fled long since. The whip-wielder yanked her weapon free, pulling flesh and blood with it.

  Mel edged away, trying not to gag. She wanted to close her eyes and run right back up to the surface. This was Hell and for her, it was true torture.

  She quickened her steps, trying to be silent. She couldn't leave this level soon enough for her liking. As for looking into any of the other cubicles...she wasn't sure she could face it.

  A gurgling scream broke her resolve and Mel's eyes darted toward the sound. The sizzle and stench of searing flesh hit her as she realised this demon's weapon of choice was a branding iron. No, a whole collection of the things – she saw the bundle of metal rods protruding from the fire. The soul writhed on the table, pinned there by the demon's weight.

  "Oh, yes, baby. Do that again," Jezebeth's voice cooed as she shifted to seize another brand. Glowing metal met flesh and the man bucked beneath her. She rode him with a moan of pleasure.

  Surely no one could enjoy others' pain so much that they craved sex while inflicting it.

  Jezebeth let out a triumphant shriek. Evidently she did.

  Mel hastened away, but not quickly enough to miss Jezebeth's voice saying, "One more orgasm like that, baby, and I'll let you come, too."

  Bile rose in Mel's throat and she fell to her knees, retching. The smells, the sounds and the sheer horror of it all were too much for her. Oh Hell, she had to get out of here. Luce. She had to find Luce.

  "One trying to escape? Oh, no, pretty one. I've got a special new steel strap-on I'd like to try out on you. I sharpened it 'specially this morning. Don't worry, your impaled insides will heal again tomorrow. The big question is, which hole do I fuck first?" Like Jezebeth's voice, this one was familiar, but Mel didn't have time to place it.

  Claws dug deep into Mel's back, grating on bone, and Mel heard her own screaming. More pain burned and the sharp talons were torn away, taking flesh with them. Mel swallowed carefully before she dared to look at the wound. Her attacker had sheared her shoulder down to the bone, but the blast of their souls touching had cauterised it so the wound wasn't bleeding. There was a chunk of flesh missing from her back and her attacker couldn't be far away.

  Mel clambered to her feet, searching the space for her assailant. Ananiel lay sprawled against one wall, like a thrown doll. Her manic grin disturbed Mel deeply and that was before she saw the demon's hands.

  Ananiel sniffed her gory fingers with relish. "Mmm, angel meat. Good thing it's not long 'til morning. I'll take burns and a broken back for an hour or so to taste meat this sweet." She poked two fingers into her mouth, noisily sucking the flesh from them.

  Revolted, Mel couldn't think of a fitting reply.

  She was saved by Ananiel's violent coughing fit. "Fuck, that's too sweet!" Ananiel choked out. "It's like super-concentrated sugar at boiling point!" Her black tongue sent up wisps of smoke as she tried to spit out her mouthful of Mel. "Oh, it burns, it burns!"

  "I don't advise you do that again," Mel said.

  "Fuck, no," Ananiel spat. "Angel meat's barely fit for dog food. I should've carved you up to serve you to Cerberus."

  Mel smiled for the first time since entering this charnel cave. "I've already fed Cerberus. He preferred pork sausages."

  "Ana, you're supposed to be bringing the new souls to me, not playing with them in the corridor." Lilith appeared, her breasts bursting out the top of her black leather corset, which was all the clothing she wore. Mel stared at her former boss, reflecting that demons didn't need to wax, as there wasn't a single hair evident from Lilith's breasts down to her black stilettos. Lilith returned Mel's stare until the blushing angel focussed her eyes firmly on the shiny shoes. "What the Hell are you doing here?" Lilith asked.

  "I'm here to see Luce."

  Lilith snorted. "The big baby's not seeing anyone. Apparently, one of your angels pulled some sort of trick on him and he's sulking in his office." She eyed Mel with a calculated air. "You might be exactly what the devil ordered to cheer him up. Gerry!" she shouted over her shoulder.

  Sounding like a large bat, Geryon's leathery wings flapped at the end of the corridor. "I'm not dragging any more souls out of the bloody river for you today, Lili. Jez is due to finish up for the day and she promised we'd spend the evening together. I'm going to wear my...what's Mel doing here?"

  "She's here to see Lord Lucifer, apparently. I need you to escort her safely through to his lair. Wouldn't want anything to happen to her on her way to see the boss, would we? He likes his angels as pristine as possible," Lilith purred.

  Geryon looked torn. "But Jez..."

  "Will be waiting for you when you get back. I'll tell her how eager you are," promised Lilith.

  He bowed, gesturing for Mel to go first. "Let's get you to your destination. I'm sure we both have better places to be than the harpies' little club. I don't know about you, but once the blades come out and they start hacking bits off, I always wish armour was still in vogue."

  Thirty-Eight

  Geryon led the way into a steep, twisting passage. Mel counted three turns before he held his hands up for a halt. "Please," he said. "I want to ask you a favour. I know I have no right to ask and I'm a demon, so you have no reason to trust me. I want you to close your eyes. Your ears. Your whole mind. As you travel through this place, I don't want you to judge me by my job here. This is the worst level of Hell, where even the imps won't come. The souls here are damned for the most heinous crimes and their punishment persists for eternity, in the hope that
they might feel some portion of the pain they've caused in their lifetimes. Even Lord Lucifer hates this level – it's where he sends demons for punishment. You're such a sweet angel. I don't want you scarred by what you see here."

  Mel was touched. Geryon couldn't know what atrocities she'd seen humans commit – perhaps even some of the very souls entrusted to his...attentions. It was sweet of him to want to protect her. Yet he was a demon and she knew she couldn't trust him.

  "I need to reach Luce," she said. "Is there another way to get to him, without walking through this horrible layer of Hell?"

  He shook his head. "No. I'll guide you, Mel – every step of the way. Just close your eyes and trust me. Or...or leave. I can guide you all the way to the surface and home. Make an appointment to see him at the office. Mephi will set you up." His eyes looked hurt, she thought.

  Looking deep into the demon's eyes, she tried to read his soul. Darkness swirled...and seemed to reach for her. Sighing, Mel retreated. Luce was the only denizen of Hell she trusted, for his was the only soul she could read. "I'm sorry, Gerry, but you won't be able to lead me through without touching me if I'm closing my eyes and ears to everything here. You know you can't do that without getting hurt. If you lead me through as quickly as possible, I'll do my best not to...not to look. This is Hell and you're just doing your job, right?"

  Geryon looked hesitant. "I was going to offer to carry you. Fly you over the worst of it and down to the next level. It's how I manage to get through my work day. If you could fly, it wouldn't be a problem..."

  His mouth dropped open as Mel unfolded her feathers. Her clawed shoulder ached, but no more so than before. She swung her wings in a powerful beat, rising as only an angel could. "Lead the way."

  Leathery wings flapped furiously as Geryon struggled to reach Mel's altitude. "All right. Follow me and don't look down. Even from above, some of the torture bolgies are disturbing. We had to separate them into bolgies or the damned souls complained that other crimes had lesser punishments than theirs. I hate to say it, but I'll take an eternity of screaming over arrogant whining any day."

  The demon flew as erratically as a black cockatoo, Mel mused as she glided after him. Strange smells assailed her nostrils – raw sewage, the acrid fumes from boiling pitch, the stench of burning flesh and the underlying notes of spilled blood. She caught a glimpse of flame out of the corner of her eye and directed her gaze at what appeared to be a ditch full of fire, the shadowy forms of damned souls writhing as they burned. Souls burning for eternity – this was the picture she'd had of Hell, repeated incessantly in human media over millennia. Yet it represented one tiny trench amid all the horrors Hell had to offer. A great, dark cloud seemed to obscure all of the sections of this level, as if the flames generated more smoke than Mel thought possible. Yet this cloud looked alive, roiling like a storm and weaving like a snake searching for prey. Hell, it looked like it was staring at her, trying to decide if she'd do for dinner, as it slowly rose for a closer look. Sentient smoke? Oh, how silly. Maybe she really was tired and she should rest.

  "Don't look down!" Geryon shouted, and Mel focussed on riding the updraft away from the source of hot air and the curious cloud.

  Geryon dived, heading for a black hole in the cavern floor. As they dropped, so did the temperature; goosebumps broke out all over Mel's body. While the air temperature plummeted, their descent remained steady until Geryon touched down on the stony floor of a huge cavern.

  Mel's natural glow barely lit any of it, leaving many dark, shadowy corners. She felt surrounded by ominous malice, but she couldn't pinpoint the source. Her feet touched stone so cold that she cried out. It wasn't stone at all, but dirt-encrusted ice. This portion of Hell had frozen over and the air was positively frigid.

  "Welcome to Level Nine," Geryon said, gesturing. "The damned souls here are fewer in number, but they're far worse than those in my level. Frozen forever in the lowest layer of Hell, so they won't hurt anyone else, and guarded by Lord Lucifer himself. Most demons never come this deep into Hell unless Lord Lucifer summons them. As for angels...I don't know any who've ever made it this far." He paused. "Do you think you'll be all right on your own? Jez is about to knock off work and I've got her favourite flogger all ready. If I hurry, I might even have time to slip into my mankini..."

  Mel smiled and wished him a pleasant evening – not that she thought any evening involving flogging and the mankini she remembered all too well could be pleasant, but each to their own. Perhaps demons enjoyed inflicting pain on one another while they wore hideous, skimpy clothing. Who was she to judge? They were certainly consenting adults, after all.

  She watched Geryon spiral upward, wondering at what seemed to be thickening shadows pouring over the lip of the pit and into the cavern where she stood. Ah, it was only smoke. Mel had more on her mind than the fumes of Hell. She needed to find Luce – he had to be on this level. How could he hide himself from her?

  Thirty-Nine

  "Have you been torturing the damned in here? You should get someone to clean up – ugh, you should get cleaned up. What possessed you to sleep in a pool of congealing blood? Have you been watching vampire movies again, Luce?"

  Darkness, but there'd been Mel. She'd come to comfort him, but she couldn't stay. She'd had a pressing task, someone she'd had to save, and he'd floated in the dark, hoping and waiting for her to return, but she hadn't. It had seemed so real...

  Luce lifted his head. There was blood all over the floor and he had a Hell of a headache. He didn't remember torturing anyone...he had agony enough to fell an army, and he...damn. Demons couldn't die after all – and demonic weapons couldn’t kill him. Maybe somewhere, that meant Mel was alive, too. He had to hope. Even if he never saw her again, at least he'd know she lived.

  "What's up with you and all the extra security? I had to shove through some sort of energy shield to get through here – the static frizzed my hair up something awful. Not as bad as you, though. You look like Hell – no pun intended, because you look worse than this gloomy place. What happened? Did Mel leave you?" Persephone's perky voice grated on his grief. She laughed – deeper and darker than her usual giggle. "You know an angel of her rank wouldn't stay long with someone like you."

  Luce lifted his head to glare. He had nothing to say to her.

  She perched on the corner of his desk, swinging her leg beneath her long skirt. "I had to attend the Minister's dinner in your stead. He was quite attentive – wanted to give the corporation advance warning of some of the new contracts on the horizon. Privatising the ports under one company...and Lili's very eager about the possibility of winning the Department for Child Protection contract, too. Anything I should know about Lili?" She gave a wicked little smile. "Oh, and I donated all your reserve red wines to a charity auction for the children's hospital, in the company's name, of course. Raised our profile plenty – and now I have that space for my china doll collection. So many pretty porcelain faces, instead of those dusty, dreary bottles..." She prattled on, not seeming to notice that Luce wasn't listening any more.

  He'd have shared the wine with Mel happily, but now he didn't care what happened to it. He dropped his forehead to the sticky stone, wishing she'd go away and leave him to his misery.

  It took a while for him to realise, but it hit him like a brick when it did: here, he was still the Lord of Hell. He could make her leave.

  "Get out," he growled, shoving with all the supernatural forces he could muster to send her back to the surface and out of his domain.

  She giggled. "You gave me all your power – everything. You can't order me around in this place – you made me your equal." She lifted her hand eagerly, looking like a naughty child about to steal the moon.

  Luce felt the power of her push, but he resisted it. "Not my equal," he grunted. "More like second in charge, when I'm absent. I'm still the lord of this place. Now get out."

  "Aww, don't sulk," she simpered. "I came to offer you some solace. You can do anything you like to me, ho
nest. No strings attached." She held up the strings that had tied her dress around her neck, showing him that if she dropped them, the whole outfit would fall to the floor.

  The ink on her thighs, glorifying Hell as if it was worth putting permanently on her skin. Ah, Hell – it was like tattooing a blocked toilet on her backside to entice a plumber.

  Luce looked. He wondered if he'd ever have been able to summon up some enthusiasm for the young woman who was so willing to bare everything before him. Before he'd met Mel.

  He'd never know. After Mel, he felt nothing any more. Not for Persephone; not for anyone.

  "I'd rather have Mel's rotting corpse than you. I said get out. Mel's gone. Let me mourn her in peace," he snapped, pointing at the door.

  Persephone bristled, tying her dress again with shaking hands. "You're one delusional demon if you believe Mel would ever have any feelings for you."

  "She said she loved me," Luce whispered, regretting it the moment he said it.

  "And you think that makes you special?" Persephone sneered. "Mel loves everyone. It's just the sort of angel she is."

  For a moment, he believed her. The sheer horror that he'd imagined Mel's love...

  BULLSHIT.

  Mel didn't lie. Not with words, expression or body language. She'd loved him – even as he killed her. She hadn't looked at anyone else the way she had at him.

  He rose onto his elbows. "Get out. I won't tell you again. If you think your power matches mine, I'll call in every demon and devil under my command and we'll see who they obey. I'll have them drag you out by your hair – across all the circles of Hell to the gate. And when they dump you outside in the hot desert sands, I'll laugh. I never want to hear another word from you about Mel – and I definitely don't want to see you again."

  She lifted her little nose in the air. "You can keep everyone else out, but not me, Luce. Remember that." And with that, she disappeared.