Undeniably Hellbound

by Cassandra Lawson

  I had to remind myself of the reason sex with Beatrice was a bad idea. It wouldn’t take her long until she knew the whole truth. I almost laughed at how noble I sounded. Lucifer the virtuous suitor was looking out for the best interests of another.

  “Why are you smiling?” Beatrice asked suspiciously.

  I looked over at her briefly. “Can’t I smile?”

  “You can, but you seem to be smiling at some inside joke,” she replied. “It makes me nervous.”

  Returning my attention to the road, I considered my response. “I was thinking about delayed gratification.”

  “That wouldn’t make me smile,” she grumbled.

  I chuckled at her response. “You’re not a fan of delayed gratification?”

  “No, I hate delayed gratification,” was her response. “I’m not saying I jump into bed with every guy I meet, but I’ve never understood people who put rules on how long you need to know someone before sex. What’s the point of waiting?”

  “There are very good arguments for getting to know someone better before taking that step in a relationship,” I pointed out.

  “I’m sure there are if you have religious objections or you’re afraid of catching something,” she told me.

  “I’m a fallen angel,” I reminded her. “I’m sure many have religious objections to having sex with me.”

  “I’m not someone who has an issue with fallen angels,” she argued. “Sex isn’t some taboo subject for me, so why wait?”

  “You are a very dangerous woman, Beatrice LaCroix,” I murmured.

  “Dangerous?” she asked around a laugh. “How am I dangerous?”

  “You make me want to let go of my inhibitions,” I confessed. “That’s a bad thing.”

  “Because you’re a big scary fallen angel?” she teased.

  I laughed at her reaction. Few people were willing to tease me. My smile slipped when I realized she wasn’t teasing me; she was teasing Dev. Would she be this playful if she knew the truth? I certainly hoped she would. “You laugh, but it is best if I stay in control. I want more than sex from you, Beatrice.”

  “I know,” she assured me. “If we sleep together, I’m not going to suddenly think you don’t respect me. If you aren’t ready to take that step for other reasons, that’s fine, but don’t make this about protecting me. That pisses me off. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. I’m not some delicate flower in need of a big strong man to decide what’s best for her.”

  I parked the car outside her apartment building and looked over at Beatrice. “No, you don’t need anyone to take care of you, yet I still want to. You should have had someone looking out for you over the years, not because you’re weak. We all deserve to have someone looking out for our needs part of the time. You don’t know me that well yet. At this point, you have no idea how complex getting involved with me will be. How much experience do you have with fallen angels? You’ve mentioned only learning the basics in school, but what real world experience do you have?” I asked. Since she hadn’t recognized me, I already knew her experience was limited.

  Beatrice shrugged. “Not a lot. Rainer is the only other fallen angel I’ve met, and we haven’t spoken much. Since they were electives, I didn’t take any of the demon realm classes in high school. They occasionally had fallen angels or demons as guest speakers. I was curious, but I decided against taking them.”

  “Why didn’t you take any of those classes if you were curious?” I asked.

  “Witches are elitists, and they weren’t going to tell us anything good about demons or fallen angels. The guest speakers might have been interesting, but they weren’t enough to take an entire class. I’ve spent some time in the demon realm, so I know a little about demons.”

  Yet, she couldn’t identify me. That seemed strange. “And you never discussed fallen angels with the sex demons. Succubi are fond of visiting Lucifer’s territory.”

  “My friend from school is half-witch,” she reminded me. “Her parents were very protective of us. Everyone there knew there were limits to the activities we could participate in. We got invited to plenty of orgies but nothing too risqué.”

  “You went to sex demon orgies?” I asked, both aroused and annoyed.

  “No,” she replied with a laugh. “I was tempted to go and watch, but my friend told me I’d be expected to participate. I wasn’t that brave. The second time I was there, I was too busy worrying about my brother finding me to think about orgies or anything sexual. The succubus I stayed with offered to take me to an orgy to get my mind off my brother. She’s great. The whole time I was there, she was trying to take care of me.”

  “What’s her name?” I asked, wondering if I’d met her.

  “Delilah,” Beatrice replied.

  “That’s a fairly common succubus name,” I remarked. “I’m glad she was there for you.”

  “Would you like to come up?” Beatrice asked with an inviting smile.

  “Yes, but I probably shouldn’t,” I replied. Tonight, I wasn’t even certain I could be a gentleman if I walked her to her door.

  “What do you think I’m inviting you up for?” she asked.

  “I’m being presumptuous,” I said with a laugh. “In my defense, we were talking about sex earlier, so I assumed you were inviting me up for sex.”

  “I’d like that, but Persephone will be home any minute, if she’s not already here,” she explained, sounding disappointed.

  “Then how about if I walk you to your door?” I offered.

  “I’d like that,” she replied.

  Chapter 22

  Beatrice

  I loved Persephone, but I’d have liked to have the place to myself tonight. Dev hadn’t invited me back to his place—not a surprise, considering how nervous he was about me going to the demon realm. It was sweet that he wanted to wait before we took the next step, but it was also frustrating.

  I could already hear Persephone singing from down the hall.

  “Your friend is quite lively,” Dev remarked.

  “That is a good word for her,” I agreed with a grin. “It’s strange that we became friends. We’re both so different.”

  “Not that different,” he stated.

  “How do you figure that?” I asked.

  “You’ve both been isolated from the preternatural world,” he explained. “For you, it was due to your rank among your council as opposed to physical isolation so I can see how you might view that as different.”

  “You’re right though,” I agreed. “Even though I went to a witch school, I lived outside the preternatural community. Still, I wasn’t quite as isolated as Persephone.”

  “That’s likely why her outlook on life is better than yours,” he stated.

  “That’s for sure,” I agreed. “Witches can be real assholes.”

  “The same could be said of any group,” he remarked.

  “Fine,” I relented. “Most people are assholes.”

  “You are such a pessimist,” he uttered, stopping and then turning me to face him.

  “Why does that sound like a compliment?” I asked.

  His fingers trailed along my cheek as he regarded me. “I’m not the type to go for women who believe life is always sunshine and rainbows.”

  “Don’t tell me the wicked fallen angel doesn’t like sunshine and rainbows,” I teased in a slightly breathy voice.

  Rather than answering, he leaned in closer until his lips were almost touching mine. “I need to taste you.”

  “Okay,” was my lame response.

  Dev’s large body towered over mine as he cradled my face in his hands and kissed me. His lips were firm and commanding.

  A whimper moved from the back of my throat as I reached out to clutch his biceps. What sounded more like the growl of an animal rumbled from the back of Dev’s throat, and his tongue slipped past my lips to explore my mouth. I sucked on his tongue and found myself against the wall in the hallway with Dev pressed against me. I moaned and wrapped my arms
around him, clutching his lower back through his shirt.

  When he broke the kiss, his breathing was ragged. Dev didn’t move back. He stayed there, trapping me against the wall. His eyes remained closed.

  “I guess we should have gone back to your place,” I said with a strained laugh.

  When his eyes opened, they were such a dark shade of blue, they almost appeared black. I sucked in a breath at the color.

  “Your eyes,” I uttered.

  “This is their natural color when I’m in fallen angel form,” he rasped out.

  My tongue darted out to moisten my lips and Dev groaned.

  “I need to get you inside your apartment, now,” he rasped out.

  “But Persephone is home,” I reminded him.

  “Exactly,” he replied as he took two steps back to give me space. “I need someone around who’ll keep me from acting on my desires.”

  “We should have gone to your place,” I grumbled as I opened the door to my apartment.

  In my living room, I found Persephone dancing around the front room.

  She let out a little screech when she noticed us watching her. “I didn’t hear you come in,” she explained.

  “I’m sure you didn’t hear us over your concert,” I replied with a laugh.

  “Your eyes are incredibly green today,” she remarked, moving forward to study me. “I wonder why they do that.”

  I shrugged. “They’re always really green. I think the lighting makes them seem greener at times.”

  “They are remarkable,” Dev praised. “I’ve never seen a witch with eyes like yours.”

  “Exactly!” Persephone agreed. “I think we’re all more mixed than anyone likes to admit. Maybe Bea’s got angel blood or something like that.”

  I snorted. “I’m not sure anyone will ever mistake me for an angel, but you’re probably right about most witches having mixed blood. Just don’t say that when you’re around the Council of Witches.”

  “I won’t,” Persephone assured me. “They have no sense of humor. I’m glad I don’t see them often. Well, I’m going to my room so you two can have a little privacy.”

  “Please, don’t feel you have to leave because I’m here,” Dev told her.

  Persephone looked between us and shook her head. “You two obviously need some time alone.” On those words, she practically skipped into her room.

  “I think we scared her off,” I told Dev. “Would you like something to drink?”

  “A drink would be nice,” Dev replied. “As for your friend, I’m not sure she’s that easily scared off. She probably figured out what we were doing in the hallway.”

  “That’s always possible,” I agreed as I made my way into my tiny kitchen to see if I could find something good to offer Dev. We didn’t entertain, and I hadn’t been to the grocery store recently. It was my turn to shop. That usually resulted in us nearly running out of food. “I have iced tea and a can of orange soda,” I told him, looking over at him with a sheepish smile. “Sorry. It’s my turn to shop.”

  “Not much of a shopper?” he asked.

  “No,” I admitted. I should offer to do something else around the apartment and have Persephone do all the shopping. “So, tea?”

  “That’s fine,” he assured me.

  I grabbed the glasses and the tea. We had clean glasses. I was capable of washing dishes, just not buying food to put on them.

  “I’m surprised you don’t each do your own shopping,” he remarked as he took the glass from me.

  “We did that at first,” I began. “It didn’t take Persephone long to realize how much I hate shopping. She got tired of me living on takeout, so she offered to do all the shopping. That didn’t seem fair, so I said we’d alternate. We both put money into the food budget now.”

  “That seems like an unfair deal, considering you don’t shop when it’s your turn,” he stated.

  “I shop,” I insisted before adding, “Eventually. I hate grocery stores. There are too many people pushing carts around and blocking aisles. It’s very frustrating.”

  “Why not have your groceries delivered?” he asked.

  “The witch stores won’t deliver to a human apartment building, and their cleaning products are the best,” I replied. “I can also get better produce from the witch stores.”

  He nodded. “I get most of my produce from the witch stores, as well.”

  “No good produce in Hell?” I asked.

  “Very little grows in the demon realm,” he explained. “We have a few varieties of fruit, but that’s all. There are also trees and grass, but no vegetables or flowers.”

  “That’s not true,” I insisted. “They have flower boxes in the sex demon areas.”

  “Fakes,” he assured me.

  “They look and smell real,” I mused.

  “They’re very good fakes,” he added before taking a seat on my sofa.

  I sat beside him with a sigh. “Is it wrong that I wish this was one of the nights Persephone had to work late?”

  “This is better,” he insisted. “I’m having trouble reminding myself of why it’s better, but it is definitely better.”

  “Yes,” I grumbled. “Celibacy is so much fun.”

  Dev slipped an arm around my shoulders and chuckled. “Good things come to those who wait.”

  “You’d better be very good for making me wait,” I warned.

  “I promise to take care of your every need and desire very soon,” he purred.

  I moaned in response. “We could always be very quiet in my room so Persephone doesn’t hear us.”

  His dark chuckle moved along my body like a caress. “You won’t be quiet.”

  “You’re awfully arrogant, aren’t you?” I asked.

  “Someday soon, I’ll show you all the reasons I have to be confident,” he assured me.

  I squirmed in my seat as heat rushed between my legs. I needed him to show me now. I heard the buzzing of a phone and decided, if it was mine, I’d ignore it. Dev frowned and sighed.

  “Sorry,” he began as he pulled the phone from his pocket and looked at the screen. “I need to take this. Give me a minute.”

  I nodded and watched as he moved across the room to answer his phone. “What is it?” he asked impatiently. There was a long pause. “You did the right thing. I’ll be back soon.”

  Dev ended the call and turned to face me.

  “You need to go,” I deduced.

  “Unfortunately,” he replied. “I wanted to spend more time with you.”

  “I understand,” I assured him. “From what I hear, your boss isn’t easy to work with.”

  “My boss?” he asked, looking genuinely confused.

  “Lucifer,” I clarified.

  “Right,” he agreed before letting out another sigh and moving toward me. He reached out both hands, and I took them so he could help me to my feet. Leaning forward, he brought his lips close to mine before he spoke again. “I need to see you again. Are you free tomorrow?”

  “It depends on the time,” I replied, my tongue darting out to stroke his lower lip.

  Dev groaned and asked, “When are you available?”

  “In the morning,” I told him. “I’m seeing a few patients out of the area tomorrow, so I need to be on the road by ten. After dealing with transport tubes and cranky witches all day, I’ll be exhausted by the time I get home.”

  He hesitated. “I want to see you, but I may still be caught up with this business in the morning.”

  “I’m free the next day,” I told him.

  “That will probably work better,” he replied before his lips brushed against mine. “I’ll call you later to work out the details.”

  “Will you take me to your place?” I asked.

  He hesitated before responding. “Maybe. We need to talk more before that happens.”

  He silenced my protests with a kiss that left me dizzy with lust. When he finally pulled away, I was panting and aching for his touch. “Sweet dreams, beautiful,” he
uttered before releasing me and heading toward my front door.

  As for me, I was so dazed, I stood there and watched him leave. That man certainly knew how to kiss. It looked like my vibrator was going to get another workout.

  Chapter 23

  Lucifer

  The riots were pissing me off. I was ready to start disemboweling demons over it, one of my least favorite methods of punishment. It was messy but effective. Normally, this sort of thing wasn’t a problem. As sad as it was to admit, I enjoyed a good prison uprising. For the most part, there wasn’t a lot going on in Hell. You’d never expect that to be the case, but it was. Now that I wanted to focus on Beatrice, the problems in the detention areas were a major pain in the ass. Even worse, there didn’t seem to be an easy end to the problems. Usually, I found the demon responsible and made an example. That technique ended many rebellions. In this case, I still didn’t know who was in charge.

  The first words out of Rainer’s mouth were, “Did you tell her the truth today?” He was the only one waiting for me in my office.

  “I told you I wasn’t going to tell her yet,” I reminded him.

  “You said that before she met Lucy and you found out her brother is missing,” Rainer argued. “I assumed you’d tell her with all that’s going on. She’s bound to notice the guards following her.”

  I wasn’t in the mood to explain myself to Rainer. “Update me on what happened.”

  Rainer nodded before he began speaking. “I have news that will help with the mystery of the rebellions and with finding Desmond LaCroix.”

  “What have you found?” I asked.

  “Up to this point, no one seemed interested in talking about the warlock’s whereabouts,” he began.

  “He definitely has a protector,” I muttered. “There’s no other explanation for how well he’s handling life in the demon realm. If he hadn’t called Beatrice, I might assume he was being kept as someone’s pet, but he is clearly valued by the demon he’s connected to.”

  “No one was willing to tell us anything about the warlock or his protector until tonight,” Rainer began. “One of the guards was approached by a demon interested in making a deal, so the guard brought him to me.”