I woke to darkness broken only by the flickering of red on dark walls and heat. The smell of sulfur made the air heavy and the oppressive heat weighed it down even more. My eyes immediately adjusted to the dark, something they had done for centuries. Evan groaned beside me as he woke. He sat up slowly and held a hand to his head. He looked around, confusion on his face.
“Where are we?” he asked, puzzled.
I smiled almost apologetically. “Welcome to Hell.”
~*~
Chapter 8 – Hell in a Handbasket
There were times in the lives of humans and demons when words were not able to describe the overwhelming feeling one was experiencing. The birth of a child, the death of a loved one, being caught with your pants down. This was one of those times. Evan gaped at me, his eyes wide as he took in the cave-like walls and the eerie red glow. My face remained calm. He looked as if he was about to bolt at any moment and I willed him to remain still.
I looked around and tried to picture the room through his eyes. The walls were smooth and slightly damp from the constant heat and humidity. The red glow around us enveloped us like a cocoon and brought a similar warmth and coziness. Far from being a scary environment, it was almost soothing, unless you looked out the lone window and spied the lake of fire below. Like Evan was currently doing. He sucked in a deep breath and I tensed. As much as I didn’t want to be here, this was my home and I had a slight bias when it came to showing it off.
He whirled around to face me. “Have you seen this?!” he asked in shock. “There is a lake of fire!” He turned back and peered out, before turning back to me. He swept an arm out the window towards the view. “A lake, Helena. Of lava and fire.” He looked back out and muttered under his breath. “A goddamn lake of fire.”
I remained tense, anticipating his next question. So far, since I haven’t been screaming my head off hysterically like other women would, he would question my calm. Sure enough, his head swiveled towards me. He cocked his head and looked at me in puzzlement.
“Why aren’t you freaking out?”
I shrugged, not ready to offer any explanations just yet. He continued to stare at me and I knew I would have to explain shortly, what was going on.
As shocked as Evan was, I was even more so. Bri had managed to send me to home. To Hell. With a simple hex. I scoffed silently. Obviously, not a simple hex, if she managed to banish a full-blood demon. I wondered what she was thinking. If I were human or even a witch, I would be dead in a matter of moments. Only my presence was keeping Evan from being roasted alive. There was a reason only demons lived in hell. We were the only ones who could survive here. Even angels were afraid to visit. My blood started to boil. Bri had wanted me dead. She knew that sending me here would kill me.
Evan cleared his throat and my eyes went back to his. The light from the lake flickered against the walls and provided a momentary distraction.
“Why aren’t you freaking out?” he asked again.
I sighed and stood up slowly, brushing imaginary dust from my dress. It was not going to be easy to tell him the truth without him possibly having a mild heart attack. “I’m not freaking out because I know where we are.” I told him simply.
He raised his eyebrows. “You know where we are?”
I nodded.
“Okay,” he said slowly. “Where are we? How did we get here and how do you know where we are? We’re we drugged or something?”
I chuckled. “No, we weren’t drugged.” I sighed. It would be so easy to lie to him and tell him that we were drugged, that Bri had hit us with something and knocked us out, but my dad had rescued us. It would be so easy to tell that lie. But I couldn’t do it. Staring into Evan’s face, watching his blue eyes had me sinking further and further into that nameless emotion that was threatening to flare up again.
The truth would be better under these circumstances. “Well, I know where we are because I’ve lived here all my life and we got here because of Bri and a hex.”
One of Evan’s brows went up. “A hex?”
I nodded. “Yup. Our little Miss Bri is a witch.” And a pretty good one.
“Okay,” Evan said again, slowly. “So this is your home and Bri is a witch who sent us here with a spell?”
I smiled at him and nodded again.
“So where exactly is here? I know your parents are loaded, but is this an underground cavern on an island somewhere? Is this an underground volcano? And how are we able to get this close to it in this closed system? We should be roasted alive.”
I wanted to laugh. Trust a human to try and analyze the situation. Evan’s reasoning wasn’t bad. Perhaps, father could build a complex close to a volcano. It could make surface living a bit more comfortable.
“Helena?” Evan’s voice called to me. “Where exactly are we?”
I gave up trying to avoid his question. He was determined and after all I did owe him the truth. I shrugged. “We’re in Hell.”
He looked at me and laughed. “I know you probably want to think of it that way, but I need to know where we are, so I know how long it will take me to get back.” He looked back out the window for a moment, and then turned to face me.
My lips twisted into a sad smile. I walked over to him and laid a hand against his cheek. “We. Are. In. Hell.”
I raised my hand before he could complete the thought about to erupt from his open mouth. “We are literally in Hell. Not an island somewhere. We are under the earth. In Hell.”
Evan stared at me, his mouth hanging open. “No shit?”
I closed my eyes briefly. “No shit,” I echoed.
“Wow,” he breathed. “That’s one for the books. I’m in Hell.” He peered out the window again at the red rimmed cloud that hung low beneath the jagged rock. Occasionally, a rock fragment would break off and careen towards the lake before it landed with a soft splash and was sucked down amidst burning flames.
Evan’s eyes bored through the back of my head as I walked across the room. I waited for the explosion, knowing this was the calm before the storm.
“Helena? You said that this was your home?” he asked hesitantly, before he paused. He seemed at a loss for words and I couldn’t blame him. What would you do if you found out the woman you were fucking was from Hell?
I could feel the question burning in him. I imagined telling him everything he wanted to know and watching him withdraw from me. It was inevitable. Humans were afraid of the unknown. They were afraid of the strange. And they were afraid of the paranormal. I was all three rolled into one neat little package.
And if he didn’t run screaming from me, then I should run screaming from him, because he was definitely not normal. I waited for him to ask, delaying as long as possible. If he asked, I would tell him. If he didn’t, well, perhaps it was for the best that he didn’t know. Perhaps he would not be able to handle it.
Before I could muse any further, a knock sounded on the door. I watched out of the corner of my eye as Evan visibly jumped. It probably had not occurred to him that we were not alone. He eyed the door furtively, and then cast a doubtful look at me. I felt a twinge of hurt at his look. It was not my fault he had to find out this way. If I ever got my hands on Bri, that girl was going to get the ass kicking of her life.
The knock sounded again and panic started to rise in my chest. I was being truthful when I told Evan I knew where we were. In addition to being in Hell, we were in my quarters. In fact, we were in my solar; a kind of cross between a balcony and sunroom. Only three demons had the audacity to visit there; my brother who was currently still in LA, was one. The other two were my parents. Right now, neither one was welcomed.
“Helena?” A voice called and I cringed. It was my dad. At least my mom would have been the lesser of two evils. Literally. She would have taken one look at Evan and probably been tempted to take him for herself. My dad on the other hand, might just kill him.
I avoided looking at Evan as I walked toward the door. I opened it and watched as it flung wide upon m
y dad’s entry. He enveloped me in a bear hug and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.
“You asked me for a month and you are here the next day? With my soul?” He peered at Evan, his long, twisted horns shining dully in the muted light. He was dressed in a suit that fit him to perfection and his long thin tail wound around his legs through the flap skillfully placed in his pants. He rubbed his hands together almost greedily as he looked Evan up and down and I saw Evan barely suppress a shudder before he squared his shoulders and walked over to me, his steps slow and measured.
“Helena,” his voice was surprisingly strong. “You haven’t introduced us.”
My dad’s eyes darkened at the slight reprimand from Evan and I cleared my throat. “Evan, this is Lucas Black, the King of Hell.” Evan’s blue eyes widened as he took in the name. “My dad.”
*
For someone who had recently discovered his girlfriend’s father was the devil, Evan was taking it pretty well. He paced the large room, his long legs eating up the length as he occasionally turned around to glare at me. I remained still, saddened by his actions but at least I was comfortable. I had changed out of the dress I wore earlier and had slipped into my favorite pair of jeans with a matching hoodie.
I sat curled up in a chair, my bare feet on the warm stone. My heart felt heavy as I watched the man that I admit I was starting to care for. Well, more than care for. It would have been easy to forget just how human Evan really was, except for the fact that we were in Hell and he was taking it all too well.
Finally, Evan walked over to me. He stood in front of me, his hands at his sides. He clenched and relaxed his fists and I wondered how to talk to him. I reached for him and he took a step back. I smiled sardonically. I was expecting the reaction but it still hurt.
“So, were you going to tell me?”
I could pretend that I didn’t understand his question, that I had no idea what he was talking about, but I knew. And to be honest, it was a good question. Would I have eventually told him about myself and my family? I decided to tell the truth.
“I don’t know.”
He nodded. “You were just going to leave. I heard him say that you asked for a month. A month to do what? Stay in Miami? Then you were going to leave, right? Were you just going to leave my bed one morning and disappear forever?” he bit out in a harsh tone.
I remained mute. He was right. I would have probably simply walked away. I would have left his warm embrace, his warm bed—his warm body—and headed home without a backwards glance. But that was then, a voice whispered in the back of my mind; that was before. Before what? I cleared my thoughts and refused to admit to myself what my subconscious was really trying to say.
He glared at my silence, his anger a relief. It made him seem less distant, less aloof. “You were just going to leave, Helena? Really?” He started to pace again. “That is fucking great! Fucking great!” He stopped and glared at me again. “Was I just a cheap fuck for you? A dick you could use? What? The guys down here can’t get it up?” His blue eyes were filled with hurt and his lips were thin and white with rage.
I rose from the chair and walked over to him. “Evan,” I began, reaching for him again. He recoiled, but the sting was less painful this time. “What do you see when you look at me?”
He shook his head, “What?”
I took a deep breath. “What do you see when you look at me?”
He looked me up and down and my nipples hardened as his eyes traveled my length. “I see you, Helena. A woman.” His face clouded. “No, a—whatever you are.” He stopped again and cocked his head. “What are you?”
“I am Helena.”
He laughed; a short sound with no humor. “Are you like him? Your dad?”
I released the magic holding my horns and tail. In a moment, my red hair was crowned with two small barely noticeable black horns. My wisp thin tail curled and uncurled around my denim clad thighs.
“I guess you are,” he said without emotion.
I guess I am.
He stared at me and I started to feel uncomfortable under his gaze. I was not normally so flustered, but I had never felt anything beyond lust before for anyone outside my family, so I was having a hard time getting adjusted.
Evan sighed. A long drawn-out affair that had me wanting to reach for him again. To curl my body around his. To soothe his brow and kiss away his troubles. Whoa. I cautioned myself. What the fuck? I was starting to sound all mushy like the typical human. Yes, I cared about Evan and yes, I did want to fall in love, but did that mean I was going to drone on like some bad television drama? Evan’s blue eyes met mine briefly and in an instant, heat flared, for a moment, between us. Bad television drama? Check.
He took a deep breath and walked over to me. “Look, this is just going to take some time for me to get used to.” He managed a small smile that did not quite reach his blue eyes. “What are you anyway?”
I looked up at him. He didn’t flinch when I reached up to trail a hand down his arm. The room was thick with the tension between us, both the attraction and the hurt and distrust. I needed to tell him what I was to get him to trust me. I had my dad to outwit and my mom to avoid, if I wanted to get Evan out of Hell, alive. But most of all, I wanted Evan’s love.
“I’m a demon.” I closed my eyes at his quick inhale. There, I said it. No turning back.
“A demon?”
I cracked one eye open to see Evan staring thoughtfully out the window.
“A demon?” he repeated. “But you are not evil.”
I smiled. “No.” I confirmed.
“But I don’t understand. Everything I have learned about demon mythology portrays them as evil.”
I wanted to laugh as the geek in Evan reared its head. Under different circumstances it would have been extremely funny.
“Evan, demons are just like humans. There are varying degrees of everything, including evil. I am not good, I can be mischievous and bad, but I am not wicked nor am I evil. So…” I stopped talking to watch him.
He nodded, and then resumed looking out the window. “I’m sorry.” he said quietly, running his fingers through his hair. “You must understand that this is a lot to take in.”
I nodded, knowing he couldn’t see me, but I did not want him stop talking; I wanted him to get everything off his chest.
“But I don’t regret meeting you.” He shook his head and laughed and my heart started to pound erratically at his words.
“I don’t regret anything we did.” He turned around and met my eyes, “especially making love. I will never forget or regret that.”
He reached for me and I walked into his arms. The hurt of the past few hours faded and a genuine smile covered my face. I greedily drank in his smell, burying my face into his chest. His heart started to pound and I knew that no matter how weird the situation was right now; his feelings for me had not changed.
It would not be too bad. If I were to go back topside with Evan for the rest of the month, we could pick back up where we left off and things would be better because he would know about my powers and I didn’t have to hide. I would also have Bri off my back because I could show Evan how wicked she really was. And after a month, if he still was the most important thing to me…well…we could continue our relationship here. We could find some way to work things out.
I felt a twinge of conscience. As long as Evan didn’t admit to loving me, I would have to resort to tricking him to get him to Hell. But if he said those words, he would bind himself to me and I could bring him here with the flick of my wrists and a child’s spell. I didn’t relish either method, but unless I found a way to get out of my deal with my dad, Evan would be a permanent member of Hell in one month.
His hands caressed my back and heat started to pool low in my belly. We couldn’t be intimate right now. I needed to keep him from falling in love with me and that meant that I needed to limit our intimacy. I started to pull away, needing to put some distance between us. Evan frowned, but he let go. He stared
at me a moment longer and then bent his head and kissed me. My head started to sway as his lips burned mine and all too soon, I broke our contact.
“My dad,” I lied, when Evan looked at me questioningly.
He nodded and licked his lips. My eyes followed his tongue as it traced a path over his well-formed lips and I swallowed thickly.
“So,” he said, exhaling loudly. “When do we get to go home so we could finish this and find Orthus?”
I grimaced. I had completely forgotten about Orthus. Again. I was a bad dog mommy. Or hellhound mommy. It would be good to get away and get back to the surface. There was only one small problem. I was banished by a spell. I had to wait twenty-four hours before the spell wore off and I could use my own magic to return. I could always ask my dad, but I doubt he would be happy to hear that his own daughter had been bested by a human witch. It would not make him open to any suggestion of leaving Evan topside.
Before I could voice my thoughts, a knock sounded at the door again. This time, Evan didn’t jump although he was not happy at the interruption. I quickly walked to the door and flung it open expecting to find my dad. Instead, a letter lay on a tray outside the door. I rolled my eyes. My dad could have communicated with me telepathically like I did with Orthus or he could have summoned me. The man was not only the King of Hell, but also the King of Theatrics. I opened the sealed envelope and quickly read through its contents. Evan and I were being invited to dinner. With my parents. In Hell. This day was not getting any better.
Evan looked over my shoulder. “What’s going on?”
I looked into his blue eyes that seemed like the ocean on South Beach. They were warm, calm and serene. “My parents invited us to dinner,” I told him, without preamble.
“Oh, that should be nice,” he answered slowly.
I arched a brow. If he really thought dinner with demons was going to be nice, he had another thing coming. I didn’t know what to say. Perhaps they would be on their best behavior, perhaps not. I knew it would be the latter. After all, I knew my parents.
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