Undeniably Hellbound

by Cassandra Lawson

  The arrogant prick was getting on my last nerve. “Just let us handle things on our end. You can worry about whatever it is angels worry about.”

  “Bleaching your wings,” Zareya said under her breath.

  The angel stalked toward Zareya, menace clear in his eyes. I reached into my jacket pocket to clutch the handle of the dagger he’d given us. The over-confident bastard had never considered that I could kill him with this blade, too.

  “I expect results soon,” he ground out before leaping into the air and taking flight.

  “He is such an annoying bastard,” I grumbled.

  “I totally agree,” Zareya said with a saucy smile. “You are so fucking sexy when you stand up to an angel. You’re a total badass.”

  “I feel the same about you,” I murmured. “Let’s go somewhere more private.”

  Her eyes darkened with desire. “Privacy sounds very good right about now.”

  Chapter 38

  Beatrice

  I was bored out of my skull and frustrated that I had no idea what was going on. I’d had to leave my phone at the apartment. Even if Gryph had a landline, I didn’t know anyone’s number. The numbers were all on my phone.

  There was a knock on the door and I froze. It was still daylight. While there were some humans living in the vampire subdivision, most also slept during the day. No one should be stopping by. I decided I was likely being paranoid. Besides, I didn’t need to answer the door. Creeping into the front room, I quietly made my way to the front door and peered through the peephole.

  “It can’t be,” I breathed out.

  Lucifer stood shirtless on the front porch. His large black wings rested behind him.

  “Open the door, Beatrice,” Lucifer told me from the other side. I was tempted to change into a falcon again and take flight out the backdoor. I had no idea how fast fallen angels could fly, so I wasn’t sure I could escape him.

  “Why are you here?” I asked through the door.

  “To talk,” he replied. “I know you’re angry.”

  The bastard’s lips twitched when he mentioned my anger.

  “Why are you so amused by my anger?” I demanded.

  “Not amused so much as pleased,” he admitted with a shrug. “Before you get any madder at me, let me explain. I’m glad you aren’t afraid of me.”

  That gave me pause. I imagined most people were afraid of him. With a sigh, I opened the door, partly because I felt ridiculous hiding on the other side. Clearly, Lucifer wasn’t going to hurt me. If he’d wanted to hurt me, he would have already broken down the door.

  I stepped back to let him enter and tried not to gawk at all his gorgeous exposed skin. No matter how angry I was with him, I couldn’t deny that he was an incredibly attractive man. I wanted to run my fingers over every chiseled inch of his body and brush my cheek against his silky black feathers. They looked soft and inviting. I’d never expected to find wings attractive on a man.

  He reached for me, but then stopped and ran a hand through his hair as he let out a frustrated breath. “It’s not easy keeping my hands off you when you’re looking at me like that.”

  I could have asked what he meant, but I hadn’t been too subtle while checking him out. “It’s hard to resist. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you. I feel like a complete idiot. You really are the most beautiful angel.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t recognize me,” he stated. “Not because I wanted to trick you. I didn’t want you to have any preconceived notions about who I am.”

  “You were sure I’d judge you,” I grumbled. “You don’t have much faith in me.”

  “It’s my own insecurities that were the problem,” he confessed. This wasn’t easy for him to admit. “I’ve been trying to find the right woman. The only women interested in getting involved with me are sex demons, and they aren’t looking for a relationship. I’m lonely.”

  Before responding, I considered his words. “I guess I can understand that. I’m used to being judged by others, too.”

  “But you’re still angry with me for lying to you,” he deduced.

  “Yeah, I’m still mad,” I confirmed. “I’m not furious, so that’s an improvement.”

  “Does this mean you’ll forgive me?” he asked with a lopsided grin that looked incredibly out of place on a fallen angel.

  “I probably will, even though I shouldn’t,” I replied. When he reached for me, I took a step back. “I think we should hold off on touching a little longer.”

  “Why’s that?” he asked, his smile turning predatory as if he knew all the dirty thoughts going through my mind as he stood before me in nothing but black dress pants.

  “Because I’m not going to let you use sex to get me to forgive you,” I told him before letting out a sharp bark of laughter. “Did I just say I don’t want you to have sex with me?”

  “You did,” he confirmed.

  “I must be losing my mind,” I muttered.

  “You’re right to wait,” he said on a sigh. “We’ve only known each other a short time, and you need to forgive me before we take that step.”

  “Seriously?” I asked with raised eyebrows.

  He nodded.

  “You’re the devil,” I reminded him. “Aren’t you supposed to be all about indulging in hedonistic pleasures?”

  He chuckled at my question. “I definitely enjoy indulging in hedonistic pleasures, but you’re worth the wait.”

  “I am?” I asked.

  “Yes,” he replied. “You are definitely worth the wait. I’ve been around a very long time. I can be an extremely patient man.”

  His boast made me laugh.

  “Fine,” he relented. “I’m not normally patient, but I’m still willing to wait with you. I want you to give me a chance. Can you do that, knowing that I am Lucifer, Lord of Hell, Angel of Darkness—”

  I cut him off. “No need to go through all the titles. I get the picture.”

  He nodded. “Knowing all this, can you give me a chance? I’m not a nice man. I do horrible things at times.”

  “I’ll give you a chance to prove you deserve another chance,” was my reply.

  “That’s an excellent start,” he told me. “Have you eaten?”

  “Not yet,” I admitted. “Gryph has a lot of food, but I didn’t want to raid his fridge. I feel bad enough about barging in on him like this.”

  He nodded. “I’ll have Xavier and Lucy bring food for us.”

  “How did you know I was here?” I asked.

  “I went to Bliss to talk to Persephone,” he began. “Julia isn’t a very good liar. I’m glad you’re willing to give me another chance.”

  “I’m still mad at you,” I grumbled.

  “Is there anything I can do to make you less angry with me?” he asked.

  “A grilled cheese sandwich will go a long way to convincing me to forgive you,” I replied.

  “I’ll call Xavier now,” he assured me.

  Chapter 39

  Lucifer

  I was far from out of the doghouse with Beatrice, but this was a start. She wasn’t running from me, and she still wanted me. That last part was making it hard to behave around her. When the doorbell rang, I went to answer it. As expected, Xavier and Lucy were on the porch with three demon guards. I’d considered suggesting we eat at my home, but I’d decided to wait before bringing up that subject. We could stay in the werewolf’s home a little longer.

  Lucy scowled at me on the way in and went straight to Beatrice, wrapping her in a hug. “You poor thing! I cannot believe my dad lied to you like this.”

  Apparently, my daughter wanted to take away any ground I’d gained with Beatrice. Rather than reminding Lucy that I’d already told her my reasons, I just said, “We’re working this out.”

  “Good,” Lucy replied, releasing Beatrice and scowling at me again. “Beatrice is awesome,” she said before turning to Beatrice. “You should forgive him just so you can hang out with me. You have no idea how boring it gets in the d
emon realm when your father is Lucifer. I can’t get laid to save my life.”

  “Lucafina!” I admonished. My daughter had no business talking about getting laid. I’d castrate any man who so much as thought about her that way.

  “On that note, I should head back out to help Rainer look for Desmond,” Xavier told us. “I’ll leave some guards outside.”

  I nodded. “Keep me updated.”

  “Are you taking Beatrice back to your place soon?” he asked.

  “We’re working out details,” I replied. Beatrice hadn’t agreed to go with me, and I didn’t want to bring that up yet.

  He chuckled at my response. “Got it. I’ll wait until later to fuck with you about this.”

  I was beginning to question how scary I really was.

  After Xavier left, we set up our meal in the kitchen. My wings were still out because I wasn’t fully convinced Beatrice wouldn’t run again.

  “Where are the Hellhounds?” I asked Lucy. “I told Xavier to bring them.”

  “When they heard about Beatrice running away from you, they started tearing up the new suits you had delivered today,” she explained.

  “They did what?” I demanded.

  Beatrice giggled.

  “They like her,” Lucy added.

  “More than me, it would seem,” I grumbled.

  “She is nicer than you,” Lucy told me with a scowl. “Beatrice doesn’t lie or treat me like a child.”

  “It can’t have been an easy choice for him,” Beatrice argued before adding. “The lying part. I’m not going to defend him treating you like a child.”

  “He didn’t need to lie to you to get you to date him,” Lucy pointed out.

  “Actually, he did,” Beatrice admitted. “I probably would have found an excuse to ditch him at The Cauldron if I’d known who he was. I kind of stole his car and didn’t want him to find out.”

  “What’s The Cauldron like?” Lucy asked, no longer interested in the topic of my lies. “I’ve never been there. Dad never lets me go anywhere.”

  Beatrice gave me a sharp look, and I shrugged. “As my daughter, she’s in danger any time she leaves the protected areas of the demon realm.”

  “It’s so boring there,” Lucy complained.

  “You let Lucy go into the human realm,” I argued. “That’s where we met.”

  “Never to anywhere fun,” she told me. “I take the Hellhounds to the groomer and to the park. Sometimes, I even go for ice cream. It’s one of the things I always miss when I go back to the demon realm.”

  “You don’t have ice cream in Hell?” Beatrice gasped.

  “We have ice cream,” I assured her.

  “It’s horrible ice cream,” Lucy added. “It’s all made from Satyr milk. Nasty stuff.”

  “Isn’t a Satyr a cross between a goat and a human?” Beatrice asked. “I thought they were all male.”

  “There are females. They’re horrible things,” Lucy explained. “The milk is rancid, and they’re incredibly rude unless they’re trying to trick you.”

  “They’re basically the same as goats,” Beatrice stated. “Goat’s milk isn’t bad. If the body is a goat, how can the milk be different?

  “No, it’s nothing like goat’s milk,” Lucy insisted.

  “Their diet is much different, and the milk actually comes from the human side,” I explained. “Only the lower half is a goat.”

  “It sounds like you have a good reason for leaving the demon realm,” Beatrice remarked.

  “An excellent reason,” Lucy agreed. “Now, tell me all about The Cauldron. Is the dancing fun? Are there really hot guys there?”

  Beatrice told Lucy all about the club as I tried to think of how I should approach the topic of where Beatrice was staying. We needed to talk. Gryph and Julia would be home soon, and they’d expect at least me to leave.

  Chapter 40

  Beatrice

  Though I wouldn’t say I’d completely forgiven Lucifer, I wasn’t nearly as angry with him, and I knew I’d forgive him eventually. Dinner with Lucy was nice. She was a sweet person. As for Lucifer, I liked seeing his reactions to Lucy. He loved her very much, and he obviously wasn’t ready to let her grow up. It was past time to let go. Lucy was nearly a decade older than I was, and I was beginning to suspect she’d never even kissed a guy. How does someone remain chaste when they grow up in Hell? I suppose, with Lucifer as a father, it’s hard to find a date. Most would be terrified of incurring the devil’s wrath. I could help Lucy with that when I moved in with Lucifer. If I moved in with Lucifer. I needed to remember that I wasn’t ready to forgive him.

  It was shortly after Xavier returned to escort Lucy back to the demon realm that Gryph, Julia, and Persephone arrived.

  “I had a feeling you’d still be here,” Gryph remarked gruffly.

  “Be nice,” Julia warned, carefully avoiding looking at Lucifer.

  Persephone was openly gawking at him.

  “Your wings are incredible,” she breathed out as she stood behind Lucifer.

  He was sitting on one of the stools at the kitchen island, so she had a perfect view of Lucifer’s wings.

  “Do you want to touch them?” he asked with a patient smile.

  “Yes,” Persephone replied excitedly, her fingers hovering near his wings. “Are you sure it’s okay?”

  “It’s fine,” he assured her, and she reached out to stroke the feathers.

  I felt a jolt of jealousy. Lucifer was watching me carefully as Persephone basically petted him. She was my closest friend, yet I still wanted to scream at her to get her hands off him. Touching his wings seemed far too intimate.

  “You should stop,” Lucifer told Persephone.

  “Is it irritating you?” she asked.

  I knew it wasn’t irritating him. His eyes were still locked with mine, and I expected him to say it was because I was jealous of having another woman touch his wings. Instead, he said. “It bothers me a little.”

  The doorbell rang before my friend could think of a thousand questions to ask about his wings.

  “That’s probably Ray and Lauren,” Gryph told us. “They’re my neighbors.”

  “They’re also swingers,” Julia added excitedly.

  “Vampire swingers?” I asked in surprise.

  “I was shocked, too,” Julia told me.

  “Vampires are fairly prudish, from what I’ve heard,” I added.

  “The vampires in this neighborhood are far from prudish,” Gryph said on his way to the door.

  “They’re not pushy about it,” Julia assured us before glancing over at Lucifer. “It would help if you covered some of that up.”

  Before Lucifer had a chance to comply, Gryph entered the room with two vampires. They were both dressed in jeans and t-shirts and looked to be in their teens with brown hair and eyes. Vampires are turned around their eighteenth birthday and look older before the change. After they become vampires, they are forever stuck in their mid-teens, physically, at least. Only the use of dark magic could change that. Some vampires went that route, but not many. I’d only met a handful of vampires. They were as elitist as witches, preferring to keep to their own kind and looking down on other members of the preternatural community.

  “These are our neighbors, Ray and Lauren,” Julia told us since Gryph didn’t seem inclined to make introductions. “Ray, Lauren, these are our friends, Beatrice, Persephone, and Lucifer.”

  “Oh my,” Ray breathed out as his eyes landed on Lucifer.

  Lauren also looked dumbstruck. I didn’t blame her. I’d spent the last four hours with Lucifer shirtless, and I was still a little dumbstruck. The man was too hot for words.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Persephone told them. “I’ve never met vampires or swingers. Well, I suppose I may have met swingers and not known they were swingers. You don’t exactly have club jackets, right? Still, this is exciting. Please, tell me if I get too nosy. I tend to forget my manners when I get excited.”

  Persephone’s excited
chatter was enough to break the spell the vampires seemed to be under.

  Lauren gave her a warm smile and moved forward to set the tray of brownies she was holding on the counter. “You can ask us anything you like,” she assured Persephone.

  “We’re not shy,” Ray added with a toothy grin.

  “Do you mind if we ask a question?” Lauren asked.

  “Go right ahead,” Persephone told her.

  “Why is Lucifer standing in the kitchen?” Lauren asked.

  “Not that we’re complaining,” Ray quickly added.

  “I came to retrieve what’s mine,” Lucifer replied arrogantly.

  I snorted and walked over to smack his bare chest. “Don’t be an ass.”

  Lauren let out a startled bark of laughter before trying to cover it with a cough. “Sorry. I never expected to see a witch call Lucifer an ass.”

  “Beatrice is something else,” Lucifer murmured as his heated gaze moved along my body.

  “Oh my,” Ray breathed out again. “That is really hot.”

  Chapter 41

  Lucifer

  We needed to leave, but we still hadn’t discussed where we were going. I could tell the werewolf was about to lose his patience with us. He’d been an enforcer for his pack before losing his arm. Enforcers weren’t the friendliest creatures.

  Persephone was still questioning the vampires. By now, they likely regretted offering to answer her questions.

  “We need to talk,” I told Beatrice, catching her hand to guide her from the room.

  She nodded. “I suppose we do,” she agreed, allowing me to lead her into another room.

  “Are you trying to avoid talking about your brother?” I asked.

  “Not so much my brother as what I’m going to do now that he’s escaped,” she admitted.

  “I can’t keep you safe in a human building,” I stated. “Your apartment is too dangerous.”

  “It annoys me that you think I need someone to keep me safe,” she grumbled. “I’m a much more powerful witch than my brother.”

  “Do you know many defensive spells?” I asked.

  “A few,” she replied. “I’ve never been much of a fighter.”