“I don’t want to hurt her,” he whispered before looking at me. Hades seemed confused by his own words. “Why do you suppose that is?”
I shrugged. “Possibly for the same reason I don’t want to hurt Beatrice.”
“You think I’m turning into a pussy?” he asked.
I laughed at his question. “You’re an asshole.”
“That’s what everyone says,” he agreed, before repeating, “Why do you think I don’t want to hurt her?”
“Because you’re tired of being alone,” I replied. “You felt a connection to her, and you want to explore that more.”
He blew out a frustrated breath. “We’re interrogating two demons who may have been involved in the escape.”
Hades obviously didn’t want to discuss Persephone anymore.
“How certain are you of their involvement?” I asked.
“One confessed as soon as I approached him,” Hades replied. “The other ran when he saw me coming.”
“Did he know you were looking for him when he ran?” I asked.
Hades nodded. “The bastard could be afraid he’ll be found guilty by association.”
“How’s he related to all this?” I asked.
“He’s an old lover of Zareya’s,” Hades explained. “I’m not sure if they’ve had any contact since they were both imprisoned. He seems to have cleaned up his act and stayed out of trouble. I heard he’s hoping to get a transfer to a nicer detention area.”
“It’s strange that he’s stayed alive and out of trouble in this detention area,” I mused.
“He probably had an easier time than most staying out of trouble,” Hades said with a laugh. “I decided we should interview him first.”
When we walked into the room with the small cell against the far wall, I understood why Hades thought this demon would have an easy time staying out of trouble in the detention area—if he wanted to stay out of trouble, that is. This variety of demon weighed more than half a ton and stood nearly eight feet tall. With a sharp spike on each knuckle, he wouldn’t have any trouble winning a fight with most demons. His kind was also known for being merciless in battle. Despite their frightening appearance, these demons tended to be harmless unless threatened. As with any species, there were some bad seeds.
“I didn’t help them escape,” he said as soon as I shut the door behind me.
“But you know something about how they escaped,” I guessed.
He hesitated.
“The last thing you want to do is piss us off by protecting your ex-lover,” Hades warned.
“Zareya was never my lover,” he spat out. “She was a bitch who manipulated me with promises of sex. She convinced me her rebellion was for the greater good. I was young and stupid, so I followed her.”
I was beginning to doubt we’d get much information from this demon.
“My sources tell me Zareya visited you two days ago,” Hades told him.
The demon nodded. “She wanted me to kill a snitch.”
I didn’t bother asking why he hadn’t reported her request. That sort of thing wasn’t uncommon, and a demon trying to keep to himself wouldn’t want to be labeled a snitch, no matter how scary he was.
“Did you kill the informant?” Hades asked.
“No. I didn’t even know he was dead until today,” he replied. “I swear I didn’t think she’d actually escape. She’s been trying for decades. I figured this was another one of her crazy plots that she wouldn’t follow through with.”
“Do you know anything about her involvement with the other recent uprisings?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I’ve been trying to avoid the gossip. I want out of this prison, so I’m staying out of everyone’s business.”
“Do you want out enough to ignore a rebellion in hopes you’ll be freed if they succeed?” Hades asked.
His response was a humorless bark of laughter.
“You find that amusing?” Hades demanded.
“Freedom?” the demon scoffed. “I’m not stupid enough to dream of freedom. I just want a transfer to a different prison. Zareya hates me. She blames me for her getting caught. If she could have managed it, she would have killed me decades ago. If Zareya succeeded in one of her crazy rebellion attempts, I’d be dead within a week.”
I nodded. “I’ll have someone take you back to the detention area soon. If I find out you’ve lied to me, our next conversation will be very unpleasant for you.”
To emphasize my point, I allowed my magic to flow along the bars of the cell. Blue flames surrounded the demon, lapping at his skin.
“I’m not lying,” the demon promised as he tried to avoid the blue fire moving around him.
With a nod, I pulled my power back in and the blue flames faded away as I left the room.
Chapter 44
Desmond
“Lucifer is back in the demon realm with your sister,” Zareya announced gleefully after setting down the phone. She still had informants in Hell reporting to her.
“And this is a good thing, why?” I asked. Zareya was anxious to return to the demon realm. She’d been having fun at first, but her interest in the human realm had quickly faded. As for me, we’d just escaped Hell, and I had no interest in returning.
“We need to defeat him in the demon realm,” she reminded me. “This is my destiny. It’s what I’ve been working to accomplish for decades.”
“He’ll have a much harder time tracking us if we stay here,” I argued.
“What about your revenge?” she asked.
“I can be patient,” I told her. “My sister can’t stay in the demon realm forever. I’ve been researching her for a few hours. It seems she’s some sort of animal therapist. She works with witch familiars. It’s only a matter of time before she returns to see one of her patients. That’s when I’ll kill her. Besides, Lucifer will quickly tire of her. My sister isn’t much to look at, and she has the personality of a banana slug.”
“You may be wrong about your sister’s appeal,” she argued. “Why else would Lucifer take her to the demon realm to keep her safe? Why else would he be so concerned with finding you?”
I frowned. She was right. Lucifer seemed unnaturally obsessed with my sister. It made no sense. “She’ll still be more vulnerable when she comes to this realm,” I insisted.
“If Lucifer allows her to leave,” Zareya snarled. “He may decide to keep her there until he’s had his fill of her. Who knows how long that will take? Besides, this isn’t just about your revenge. We need to get our hands on your sister so we can use her to weaken Lucifer and take over Hell.”
I sighed. That had been our plan. Now that I was free, I no longer cared about taking over Hell. Why couldn’t Zareya see that life was better here? Looking over at her lovely, doll-like features, I remembered that life wouldn’t be easier for Zareya here. She couldn’t blend in with the humans the way I could. She’d always be in hiding.
“You’re right,” I agreed with a sigh. “We need to get our hands on Bea while Lucifer is still fascinated with her. That’s the best way for you to take your rightful place. I still think my sister will come back to this realm for her patients.”
“Why?” Zareya asked. “They’re only animals.”
“Not to Beatrice,” I told her. That’s when the idea came to me. “I know how we can get to Beatrice. She’ll even invite us to come to her.”
Chapter 45
Lucifer
The second demon had given us some useful information about the rebellions. We hadn’t even needed to make threats to get him to talk. He had hoped to avoid punishment by revealing all he knew. Since the bastard had been involved with the rebellion plans and the escape, I felt no inclination to offer him much in the way of leniency, not that I’d told him that before getting all I needed from him.
“That Zareya demon has a lot of hatred for you,” Hades mused.
We were seated in my office near the detention area. I didn’t want to take him back to my home, not with Pe
rsephone there.
I shrugged. “Most in the detention areas do. They blame me for their circumstances.”
“Her hatred goes deeper,” he insisted.
“You’re right,” I agreed. “It seems the attempted rebellion before she was imprisoned was sparked by her belief that being Zeus’s daughter gave her the right to rule.”
“Half the demon realm could probably claim to have been sired by Zeus,” Hades scoffed. “That doesn’t make them all believe they have the right to rule Hell.”
“True,” I agreed. “We should try to find her family. They may be able to shed some light on her other motivations.”
“Who cares why she’s trying to take over the demon realm?” Hades asked. “Her motives might have helped us stop her decades ago, but not now. She hasn’t even seen her family in all that time.”
“I’d like to know what sparked this anger,” I told him. “Is there someone working behind the scenes we don’t know about, someone urging Zareya to rebel? It wouldn’t be the first time a family member cultivated hatred in a child for their own benefit. It’s a long shot, but I don’t want to risk missing any players in this. She may have even found a way to secretly stay in contact with her family while in prison. Contraband phones aren’t uncommon. Her family may also know where she’ll go once she returns to the demon realm.”
“Returns?” Hades asked.
I nodded. “From our interviews today, we know Zareya’s ultimate goal is to rule Hell. She’ll be back.”
“I wonder why she went to the human realm at all,” Hades mused. “It seems crazy since she’ll have a harder time hiding there.”
“According to Beatrice, Desmond is very good at manipulating people,” I began. “I’d say he found some way to convince Zareya to help him with whatever revenge scheme he has. Desmond tried to kill Beatrice before, and he plans to try again.”
“And now they’re both missing,” Hades muttered. “I’m getting tired of dealing with this shit.”
“In general, or just this time around?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Forget I said anything. I’m in a weird mood. I’d better head back to my place before I do something crazy.”
“Are you finally admitting that kidnapping every woman named Persephone is crazy?” I asked.
He chuckled at my question. “Hardly. I was thinking crazy like going over to your place to try to convince her I’m a nice guy.”
I shook my head as we both left my office. Only my cousin would think trying to convince a woman he was a nice guy was crazier than abduction. I needed to put some extra wards up around Persephone’s room, just in case Hades forgot his promise to behave himself. There were already demon wards in place, but I’d add some of my own. With Hades, I might need to resort to something drastic like a ward that caused anyone who tried to open her window from the outside to burst into flames.
When I entered my home, I found the Hellhounds backing a demon into a corner. Their eyes were glowing red as they growled. The demon was clutching two bags. Apparently, Lucy had delegated the task of bringing food.
“Please, help me,” the skeletal demon whispered so he wouldn’t startle the beasts.
“Sit!” I shouted.
The Hellhounds and the demon dropped to the floor. I shook my head and sighed.
Beatrice raced down the stairs in nothing but a towel. “I told you to wait upstairs while I took my bath,” she scolded the Hellhounds.
“Sorry, Beatrice,” they all mumbled.
The demon said nothing. He still looked terrified that the Hellhounds would attack.
“Sorry,” she told the demon before looking at me. “I let them out of the room because Lucy said someone was coming over to feed them. I should have listened to her and had them stay in there, but they promised to behave.”
If I weren’t having so much trouble concentrating with Beatrice wearing nothing but a towel, I might have laughed. A fallen angel could only handle so much temptation in one day. Beatrice had been pushing me to my limit for hours.
“They can be a handful,” I told her, my voice rough with arousal. Speaking of handfuls; I’d bet Beatrice’s breasts were a handful. They weren’t big, but definitely enough to enjoy. I wanted open the towel she was clutching to her chest and let it drop to the floor so I could see what color her nipples were. I wanted to suckle them as she moaned and writhed.
“Are you okay?” Beatrice asked.
“I’m fine,” I assured her. “Why do you ask?”
“You groaned, like you’re in pain,” she explained. “Did you get hurt in the detention area?”
“I’m not in pain,” I assured her in a rough voice. “It would be more accurate to say, I’m not in pain for the reason you think.”
Her mouth opened to form a silent “O” as she regarded me with wide eyes.
“Can I go now?” the demon on the floor asked.
I shot him an irritated look. “Feed the Hellhounds and then leave,” I commanded him in a sharp voice.
Beatrice scowled at me before saying, “Don’t be so rude. You should thank him for bringing food for the Hellhounds.”
Ignoring her censure, I stalked toward her. Beatrice’s expression was somewhere between wary and aroused. It was a good look for her.
When she began to back away from me, I grinned. “Where do you think you’re going, my little witch?”
“Upstairs to put some clothes on?” She’d meant it as a reply, but it came out sounding more like a question as she continued to back away from me.
“I don’t think so,” I murmured in a dark voice.
Beatrice looked like she was going to make a run for it, but I didn’t give her a chance. Bending forward, I tossed her over my shoulder and carried her up to my room. I ignored the pleas from the demon in the kitchen.
“Lucifer!” she squealed. “You can’t leave that poor demon down there. He’s terrified.”
“He’ll be fine,” I insisted, and he would as long as he fed the Hellhounds. It wasn’t a difficult task.
Chapter 46
Beatrice.
The growls of the Hellhounds faded into the background as Lucifer carried me up to his room.
When we reached the door to his room, he stopped and set me on my feet, his hungry gaze locking with mine. “If you want to stop,” he began in a rough voice, “tell me now.”
In response, I reach up and grabbed his hair to pull his mouth down to mine. Lucifer’s lips moved hungrily against mine as he reached behind me to open the door so he could back me into the room. Kicking the door closed, he continued to kiss me. My hands were still gripping his hair as he walked me farther into the room.
When Lucifer yanked the towel from my body, I tore my mouth from his and asked, “Shouldn’t you undress, too?”
“Do you want me undressed?” he asked as he used one hand on my hip to pull me closer to his erection.
“Goddess, yes,” I said on a moan.
Releasing me, Lucifer took a step back and held his hands out to his sides. “Then by all means, undress me.”
He didn’t need to make that offer twice. I’d been dying to touch his bare skin for days. Reaching forward, I began to undo the buttons on his shirt, revealing his well-toned and nearly hairless chest. Tugging the shirt from his pants, I started to undo the last of the buttons as I leaned forward and ran my tongue across his nipple.
Lucifer groaned as his eyes moved along my body. I felt a little self-conscious standing in front of someone like Lucifer. He was beautiful, a sculpted work of art. I didn’t have much in the way of curves, but there was no mistaking the lust in Lucifer’s eyes. He clearly liked what he saw.
“You’re gorgeous,” he murmured, brushing his knuckles along my cheek.
His thumb brushed against my lower lip before he leaned in to kiss me. This kiss was different from the one we’d just shared. It started gently as his tongue teased my lips before retreating. One hand moved to my lower back, pulling me closer to his body. My nipples h
ardened on contact with his bare skin.
Reaching between us, I fumbled with his belt and the fastening on his pants. His weight shift as he kicked off his shoes. I shoved his pants down his legs, and he kicked them off, leaving him in nothing but his boxers. When my hands cupped his erection, I gasped.
Lucifer’s tongue moved past my lips to stroke mine. Pressing closer to his body, my hands moved to explore the contours of his back. He was hard everywhere. Lucifer slid his hands under my ass to lift me off the ground. Wrapping my legs around his waist, my hands grasped his shoulders. He turned to lay me on his bed and covered me with his body, careful not to put all his weight on me.
My hands returned to exploring his back. When I caressed a spot close to his shoulder blades, he hissed as if in pain.
“Are you okay?” I asked against his mouth.
“Your hands feel so good there,” he rasped out. “When you touch me there, I ache to have my wings out.”
“It’s okay if you want them out,” I assured him.
“Not yet,” he told me with a shake of his head before his teeth grazed the pulse at my neck. His mouth continued to move down my body until he reached my breasts. I shuddered as his tongue circled a nipple.
I whimpered while he teased my nipples with gentle strokes of his tongue. My hands were clutching his hair by the time he finally took one of my nipples into his mouth and suckled it. I felt each tug pulse to my core. Spreading my legs wider, I tried pressing against him to relieve the aching need.
Sensing my desire, his hand slipped between my legs to stroke my clit. I rocked against his hand while my back arched to bring my nipples closer to his mouth. I was panting and writhing beneath him as Lucifer began to trail kisses down my body again. His fingers continued to tease my aching clit as he ran his tongue along the hollow of my hip bone.
“I’m dying to know what you taste like when you come,” he murmured before his mouth replaced his fingers.
“Oh, goddess!” I nearly screamed as he suckled my clit, allowing his teeth to graze my sensitive flesh.
“That’s it,” he rasped out against my pussy, sliding one long finger inside me. “Show me how much you want me. Scream. Pull my hair.”
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