Into Temptation (A More Than Men Novella)

by Kira Sinclair

  He preferred the second option. Evie’s soul would be safe. Her daughter would be protected. And at least he’d be able to watch her, even if he couldn’t touch and taste.

  He deserved the torture. For centuries he’d believed the punishment for defying God was an existence in Hell. Only now was he realizing there were worse tortures and his true punishment had finally come to pass. But he accepted it.

  Just as Evie hadn’t hesitated to protect her daughter, neither would he hesitate to safeguard her.

  Less than two steps down the sidewalk Brone realized he was no longer alone. The knowledge materialized just as Kearn did. Lounging against a lamppost several feet away, the angel regarded him with a veiled glance.

  Brone did not miss the need to be constantly on guard. Maybe being banished did have a few benefits.

  “The Dark Lord is pleased.”

  Yippee. Was he supposed to jump up and down like a lapdog? Because he couldn’t come up with something safe and appropriate to say, Brone kept his mouth shut.

  “Never let it be said that Lucifer is unforgiving. After today you will be granted access back into Hell.”

  This time silence wasn’t going to cut it. Brone had to maintain the illusion that Lucifer was going to get exactly what he wanted; otherwise he would send someone else to enforce the contract. Someone like Kearn.

  Inclining his head slightly, Brone acknowledged the statement. “I am humbled by his generosity.”

  Kearn laughed, the sound sending ripples of foreboding down Brone’s spine. “I wouldn’t be too quick with your appreciation. You will not be given the same status you once held. No longer are you a confidant, but a lowly servant fit only for the most menial tasks. You cannot be trusted.”

  The other fallen was quick, but Brone was quicker. Before Kearn realized what Brone meant to do, his hand spanned the other immortal’s throat, shoving him back against the lamppost hard enough that the metal dented.

  “No one in Hell can be trusted.” Free of the mobile deprivation cell, Brone was no longer bound to keep his hands to himself. And he had every intention of reminding Kearn just how dangerous he could be now that he’d slipped the leash.

  “I’m certain Lucifer will enjoy keeping his boot on me for a little while, but how long do you think it will take for me to remind him just how valuable a commodity I am?”

  “You have plenty of enemies.”

  The threat carried little weight. “So do you. The question you have to ask yourself is, are you willing to make me one of them?”

  Spitting in his face, Kearn tried to head butt him away, but Brone anticipated the move and tightened his hold. The other angel struggled for breath. They didn’t need it to survive, but the loss of it was painful, a perfect form of torture.

  Kearn had just enough air left to croak out, “Finish the job, Brone.”

  “Oh, I plan on it.”

  “Are you certain? I’ve been watching you. Your time away has made you soft. You’ve fallen for the girl.”

  It would be useless to deny. “So? That only means I’m more anxious to fulfill Lucifer’s bidding. I want to protect her daughter just as much as she does. And I want her in Hell with me.”

  “That’s sweet, that you think Lucifer will let you have her.”

  Brone sneered. “Of course he won’t, but at least I can see her. And eternity is a very long time. Don’t underestimate my ability to maneuver situations into exactly what I want.”

  “Because that worked out so well for you the last time.”

  “Maybe not, but I was adept at it for centuries before that. One failure doesn’t wipe away every success. And I’m patient. My years in exile should prove that.”

  It was Kearn’s turn to frown. “I’ll be watching.”

  “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

  Loosening his grip, Brone was no more than a half step away before Kearn disappeared.

  Taking a deep breath, Brone tried to settle the churning sensation deep in the pit of his stomach. He had one chance to make this work and the presence of his babysitter just made that infinitely more difficult.

  Unfortunately failure wasn’t an option. Not when Evie’s soul hung in the balance.

  Evie took a deep breath. Her gaze darted across the words on the page before her, the closing arguments she’d prepared. It was almost over. In a few minutes the jury would have the case and it would be out of her hands…and in Brone’s.

  Without meaning to, she glanced behind her and found him sitting in the back of the room. She’d known the moment he walked in. Her entire body had lit up like a Christmas tree, energy and awareness blinking on and off in a rhythm that matched the force of his body moving against hers.

  Her lips tipped into a small smile. He didn’t smile back. His face was set in stone, remote and removed from everything. A cold trickle of fear slipped through the ever-present heat.

  Motion from the other side of the courtroom caught her attention. Grasping at the excuse, Evie dragged her gaze away. She looked straight into pitch-black eyes that stared back at her. That gaze bored into her, digging deep. She could feel the invasion, although there was nothing she could do to stop it.

  Her entire body jerked, trying to find a way free, but she couldn’t break the connection.

  Until Brone slid between them.

  “Ms. Carr, we’re waiting.”

  Evie stared at the judge frowning down at her from the bench. She blinked. The lawyers on the opposite side shifted and snickered softly. Monroe grinned at her with wicked confidence. She wanted to wipe the expression off his face.

  Resolve tightened her muscles. Tapping together her notes, Evie stood and addressed the jury. Several of the twelve moved in their seats. Some wouldn’t meet her gaze, which wasn’t a good sign. But they listened quietly, and when she was finished, Evie sat back down in her seat, certain of the outcome.

  The defense made their remarks, and the judge turned the case over to the jury. Evie stuffed her things into her bag and glanced around the courtroom. All around her people were filing out of the room. Across from her Monroe was being led away in handcuffs.

  And Brone was nowhere to be found. Unease tightened her muscles, but she ignored the sensation. She just wasn’t used to being out of control. He was probably busy doing…whatever.

  Deliberations could take hours or days; there was no prediction. Part of her hoped for a quick outcome, to get this over with. The rest of her hoped they took days to find him guilty. Days she’d have with Brone before she lost him forever.

  But she wasn’t even to get that.

  After lurking in the halls, searching for any sign of Brone and finding none, she’d gone back to her office. She was only there a short time before a call from the court came in telling her they’d reached a verdict.

  Normally a quick decision would have worried Evie, but this time the three-hour deliberations were clearly in her favor. Brone had worked his magic.

  She rushed back into the courtroom, her heart thudding heavily against her ribs. This was it. There was barely time to register Brone’s absence. Did that mean he was already gone? Without even telling her good-bye.

  The foreman stood.

  Evie swallowed. Regret and panic crawled up the back of her throat, bitter and unavoidable. Her gaze scraped across the crowd, looking for the familiar comfort of his dark blue eyes. She needed him. Needed the steady reminder that she’d made the right decision.

  But he still wasn’t there.

  And then it was too late.

  In a low monotone the foreman read, “On the first count of kidnapping, we find the defendant not guilty.”

  And everything dropped out from under Evie.

  No, that wasn’t right.

  But the foreman continued to pronounce Monroe not guilty for each of the charges laid against him. At first Evie was numb. Stunned. And then she was angry. What the hell had happened?

  There was a commotion in the back of the room. She wasn’t the only on
e stunned by the outcome. The man with the dark eyes who’d sent that shiver of dread down her spine exploded into a rage. Knocking over benches, slamming people out of his way. He was headed straight for her, but before the guards could reach him, Brone materialized out of nowhere. His heavy hand wrapped around the other man’s arm, and he hauled him out of the room.

  Now he was there. Where had he been five minutes before? Brone had done this. He’d screwed her. Why? Why would he do that? Why would he leave Megan vulnerable?

  Megan. Evie’s stricken gaze flew to Monroe’s. He sat quietly, hands folded in his lap as reaction rippled through the room. As if the verdict was no more than he’d expected.

  He sent a sly, mocking and menacing glance in her direction. The side of his mouth quirked up, and beneath the cover of the table, his hands rubbed together with gleeful anticipation.

  Evie’s heart stuttered and threatened to stop. Fear gripped her. But she wouldn’t let him see her reaction. She had to get through the next few moments, and then she could figure out what to do next. Megan.

  On autopilot, she requested that the judge poll the jury. Each one informed the courtroom they agreed with the verdict. Left with no choice, Evie dropped heavily back into her chair.

  The judge dismissed the jurors. The courtroom cleared. Bailiffs led Monroe away so that his paperwork could be processed and he could be released.

  Several minutes and she was alone. Almost. At some point Brone slipped back inside. Her body registered the moment he appeared, the sizzle of awareness betraying her almost as much as he had. But she wasn’t ready to deal with him. Not yet.

  She was too…angry and scared and angry and heartsick.

  “How could you do this?”

  “How could I not?”

  With deliberate slowness she stood. Her shoulders were no longer slumped as she turned to look at him. Her chest ached. It hurt. His betrayal hurt. More than it should have considering she’d known exactly what he was — a demon straight from Hell.

  He stood before her, feet planted wide and hands hanging loose at his sides. Anyone peeking in the tiny window at the door would think he was relaxed. But Evie knew better. She saw the signs. Could look into his dark, churning eyes.

  “I sold my soul to the devil for nothing.”

  “No. He has no claim to your soul now. What happens when one party to a contract does not fulfill their obligation?”

  “It’s void.”

  “Exactly.” He took a single, halting step toward her. His arms reached, but before she could reject him, his hands fell empty back to his sides. His jaw tightened. “I couldn’t let you do it, Evie. You do not belong in Hell.”

  The gentle softness in his eyes. The pain that echoed deep inside her own chest.

  Emotions bubbled up inside her, screaming for an outlet, and she found a voice for them. “So Megan will pay the price instead.”

  Her shrill words bounced around the emptiness of the room. Brone flinched. One moment he was several feet away, and then he was holding her, his powerful arms unbreakable bands forcing her own down so that she couldn’t flail at him.

  His face buried in the crown of her head as he held her, whispering over and over again, “I would never do that. I would never hurt her. Or you. Trust me.”

  Trust a fallen angel? A demon? She’d be stupid to do that. And yet her body sagged in his hold. A sob escaped from her throat, a nasty sound she couldn’t hold back.

  “Well, isn’t this a touching scene.”

  The voice was lazy and smoky, somehow seductive, although all Evie felt was panic. But that was possibly more because of Brone’s reaction than anything else. His entire body jackknifed as if he’d been hit by another bullet.

  She caught no more than a glimpse of the anxiety and revulsion in his eyes before the indolent mask slammed back across his face. She hadn’t seen it for days and didn’t like that it was back.

  His fingers were hard against her skin as he pushed her behind him and held tight. She would have bruises tomorrow, but something about the way his body vibrated with tension kept her from protesting.

  “Come, come, at least let me see the woman who has laid one of my strongest soldiers low.”

  “No.” Brone’s voice brooked no argument. “You have no agreement with her now.”

  “Yes, clever boy. I should have anticipated your ability to manipulate the single loophole in the contract. Don’t worry, you will be properly punished, but that is for later. Now I want to meet the creature that slipped through my fingers.”

  All she could see were the powerful muscles in Brone’s back. She had heard the soft rustling of his wings enough to recognize it now, although she couldn’t see them. Placing her palm flat against his back where she knew the spine would be, Evie stroked.

  His response was immediate and the shudder that racked his body difficult to miss. A surprised chuckle, full of temptation and mischief, floated from the other side of the wall of flesh.

  “Interesting and enlightening.”

  “It’s fine,” she whispered even as she shifted so that she could peer around the edge of Brone’s arm.

  Lucifer wasn’t what she’d expected, although after meeting Brone, she wasn’t sure why. Instead of burning red eyes, black, scaly skin and a forked tongue, he was gorgeous. Breathtaking. His skin appeared sun kissed. Golden hair shimmered at the crown of his head. Blue eyes as clear as a summer sky glittered jovially at her. His mouth was perfectly sculpted, along with every other visible part of his body.

  And still, there was something about him that was wrong. Maybe it was the way he watched her, his head cocked to the side as if he was studying her every move, not because he was curious but so that he could exploit it. There was a ruthlessness about him, a dangerous temptation to the beauty.

  It would be easy to be blinded and drawn in by this man. Evie suddenly understood just how he’d convinced so many to follow him in his uprising.

  “Hello, Evangeline. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

  “I don’t think I can say the same.”

  His warm chuckle rippled through the air, settling across her shoulders and melting down her body. Brone growled a warning deep in his throat.

  “Settle, my friend. I meant no harm. I enjoy her refreshing honesty. Most of my subjects are too scared to tell me the truth.”

  “Perhaps if you didn’t torture them…” Evie let her voice trail to silence.

  “But what would be fun in that, my dear? I enjoy their suffering. I need it. We all have weaknesses, and that is mine. What is yours?”

  Brone’s fingers dug painfully into her skin. “Why would I tell you that? You’ll just use it against me.”

  “Oh, I know and already have. I was just wondering if you were aware of what it was. Your faithful watchdog has certainly figured it out, although it wasn’t that difficult. Your desire to protect those you care for will be your downfall.”

  Lucifer cut his eyes to her, gauging her reaction to his words. The moment his gaze touched her, she wanted to run, but she refused to leave. This being had exiled Brone to an existence of pure loneliness. She wouldn’t leave him now.

  So she shrugged. “Better to fall because I care too much than because I’m selfish or jealous or petty.”

  “Spoken like a true servant of God.”

  “I’m no one’s servant.”

  “Oh, but you are, which is precisely why I wanted you so desperately.” His hard gaze landed on Brone’s face. “A nice feather in my cap, hmmm? But your champion here has managed to thwart me, at least in this attempt. That doesn’t prevent me from providing another offer that you’ll find difficult to ignore.”

  Brone surged forward, his wide hands open and ready to strangle Lucifer’s throat. “No, it’s over.” But he never made it close to the ruler of Hell. Brone’s hands fell short, hanging uselessly by his sides as his body froze.

  His muscles stiffened and strained, but he couldn’t move.

  “It is far from over, a
nd you no longer have a place at the negotiations.” Dismissing him, Lucifer transferred his entire attention to Evie.

  Nasty foreboding snaked down her spine, but Evie pushed the response away. She had to keep her wits about her and navigate the minefields Lucifer was about to lay before her. She’d been party to a number of negotiations with some of the most heinous criminals.

  Nothing could prepare her for this.

  “I would like to offer you a new contract.”

  “My daughter is safe. Brone promised me.”

  Pale, perfect lips quirked up at the corner. “And so she is. Megan is not the soul in danger here.”

  Slowly Evie licked her lips, afraid to voice the question clamoring to escape. And afraid not to. “Who?”

  Lucifer’s eyebrows arrowed into a frown, the kind of pitying expression people always gave when delivering difficult news. News they didn’t want to convey but did anyway because they had to. Evie hardly believed the smarmy, false expression of guilt. He was enjoying this. Immensely.

  “His.” His long arm shot out, a finger pointing straight at Brone.

  “I’m certain he’s told you about his punishment, the loneliness and deprivation. The madness that threatened every single day. Did he tell you about his strength in keeping it at bay? How he refused to succumb, mostly because he knew it’s what I wanted. How long do you think it would take this time for my punishment to deliver the intended results?”

  Lucifer walked past Brone’s frozen body, his hand trailing softly across the strong shoulders. Evie’s body coiled to strike before she’d even acknowledged the need to defend him, but something stopped her. Maybe it was the expectant smirk on Lucifer’s face. She wouldn’t give him what he wanted. Not yet. Not until she learned the price.

  Burying her emotions deep inside, she tried to find a place where she could view what was happening logically and dispassionately. It was difficult. The thought of Brone suffering…

  “These moments returned to the fold should do the trick. The taste of what he’s been missing will only increase the sharpness of the cut when it’s all lost again.”

  Standing behind Brone, Lucifer trailed a finger across his frozen lips. “How passionate and sensual our friend is. He’s always been this way, reveling in the pleasures of the body and mind. How difficult it has been to watch him suffer at their loss.”