Undeniably Hellbound Page 6

  Michael laughed at my question. “I guess you’ll find out soon enough.”

  Without waiting for a response from me, the bastard flew off.

  I fucking hated angels.

  Chapter 13

  Beatrice

  I was tempted to go into the bathroom and change forms so I could keep an eye on Dev. An archangel wasn’t something I wanted to mess with, but I didn’t like the idea of Dev being in danger. He was a fallen angel, so he could probably handle himself with most, but Michael? I wasn’t so sure about that. I only hesitated because I wasn’t sure what I’d do if I saw Dev in danger. If I had Rainer’s number, I’d call him. Then, a thought came to me. I knew someone who might have his number.

  Beatrice: Can I get Rainer Vigil’s number from you?

  There was no delay in her response.

  Evie: Why?

  Evie: Is this about your brother?

  I was about to assure her it had nothing to do with Desmond and explain why I needed Rainer’s number when Dev stalked back into the restaurant. He looked angry.

  Beatrice: Never mind. I thought a friend of his might be in trouble, but it looks like he’s okay.

  Shoving my phone back into my purse, I asked Dev, “Is everything okay?”

  He nodded and gave me a tight smile as he took his seat across from me. “Everything’s fine.”

  “Then why do you look like you want to rip someone’s wings off?” I asked.

  My question made him chuckle. His mouth relaxed into a genuine smile. “Michael brings out the worst in me,” he admitted. “He has that effect on most people.”

  “What did he want?” I asked, wondering if Dev was going to claim he couldn’t tell me because it was secret angel business. While I might not know as much about angels as most witches, I knew they were a secretive lot. Fallen angels weren’t nearly as bad, but they still weren’t known to be the most forthcoming creatures.

  “I’m not entirely certain,” he admitted in a thoughtful tone. “I don’t trust what he told me. While I hate to rush you, it would be best if we left.”

  “Why?” I asked. “He didn’t come back in, so I assume Michael left. Are you afraid he’s lurking in the shadows? Do angels lurk in the shadows?”

  Dev’s lips twitched. “Lurking in the shadows? While I wouldn’t have put it that way, he may still be hanging around. I don’t trust him or any of the other angels.”

  “The distinction is important to both sides, isn’t it?” I asked. “You refer to angels as if you aren’t one, even though there’s no difference genetically.”

  “I’ll try to explain it to you in the car,” he assured me as he stood and reached out a hand to me.

  I stood and took his hand, allowing him to lead me out to his car. Dev was tense. I didn’t see Michael, but he could be lurking in the shadows, as I’d suggested. I almost laughed at the mental image.

  Once we were in the car, and Dev had driven a short distance from the restaurant, he spoke again. “We’ll take a different route back to your place. I’d like to use a transport tube Michael can’t access.”

  That seemed a little paranoid. Why would Michael follow us? Then again, I didn’t know if he had a past with Dev that would lead Dev to think he’d come after him.

  “Are you going to tell me why angels and fallen angels act like they’re different species?” I asked.

  “It’s not that we view ourselves as a separate species, so much as a separate race,” he explained. “Angels and fallen angels have lived in different realms for a very long time. We have very little in common. Even our wings are different. Only the original fallen angels can use their wings in the human realm. Second generation fallen angels only have wings in the demon realm. That’s not the case with angels, not that they procreate often. We also have vastly different views on what our involvement with other species should be.”

  “I guess that’s why I don’t hear about any angels and witches getting involved,” I remarked. “This is only the second time I’ve seen an angel.”

  “The second time?” he asked. His fingers were gripping the steering wheel tightly, and he looked worried. “When did you see an angel before today?”

  “When I was a child,” I replied. “That time, it was easy to tell he was angel because his wings were out.”

  “Don’t ever tell anyone you can see them,” Dev said in an urgent tone.

  “Why?” I asked. “I already know I can only see them when they want me to see them.”

  “Michael wasn’t making his presence known,” he told me.

  It took a minute to process the significance of his words. “That’s not possible.”

  “It is possible,” he assured me. “Rare, but possible. It’s definitely not something you want anyone else to hear about.”

  “Now, you have two secrets to keep for me,” I muttered before deciding to try to lighten the mood. “You aren’t going to blackmail me with this, are you?” I teased.

  “Blackmail?” he asked with a baffled expression.

  “You’re right,” I agreed with an exaggerated sigh. “I’m much too poor to blackmail. What could you possibly get from me?”

  Dev parked the car, and I was surprised to realize we were already at my apartment. The transport tube he’d used was much faster than any I had access to.

  His eyes darkened as his gaze shifted to my mouth. “I want many things from you,” he rasped out.

  Chapter 14

  Lucifer

  When Beatrice’s lips parted and her tongue darted out to moisten her lips, I had to bite back a groan. I wanted to haul her onto my lap and kiss her.

  “You should kiss me,” Beatrice breathed out as if reading my thoughts.

  Pulling her onto my lap would be a very bad idea, but I had to taste her. Leaning forward, I cupped her chin. When she angled her body toward mine, I placed my other hand on the back of her neck, gently massaging it as I stared into her eyes.

  “You’re right,” I murmured as my fingers stopped massaging to tangle in her hair. “I should kiss you.”

  Her response was a breathy sigh as her eyes drifted shut. My mouth hovered close to hers as I drank in the sight of her. She was going to be mine. When my lips finally brushed against hers, it was just a tease for us both. Once. Twice. I barely touched her lips. Her delicate whimper of frustration told me she wanted more. My tongue slid along the crease of her lips before withdrawing.

  “Are you trying to tease me?” she asked, her eyes opening to meet mine.

  “A kiss is always a promise of things to come,” I told her, letting her draw her own conclusions based on my words.

  The moment my lips claimed hers, magic sparked and glided along my skin. It was a struggle to rein my power in. Now was not the time to let Beatrice experience my power and taste the darkness within me. Her hands reached out to grip my hair, pulling me closer, urging me to deepen the kiss. I gladly obliged, thrusting my tongue past her lips to explore her mouth. She tasted sweet and inviting. I wanted to savor every part of her body, slide my tongue into her pussy to see if she tasted as sweet there. I would bet my dark soul she did.

  When I finally broke the kiss, we were both breathing heavily, and her lips were swollen.

  “We should go up to my place,” she breathed out.

  Yes! I needed to get her naked. I needed in her, now.

  When my lips brushed against hers, she whispered the one word that reminded me of all the reasons I couldn’t claim Beatrice tonight. “Dev.”

  “I’m going to walk you to your door.” I was saying those words mostly to remind myself.

  She pulled back and studied me. “You don’t have to leave,” she assured me. “I’m not sure I’m ready to take things all the way, but I’m not ready for this to end.”

  Beatrice was going to be the death of me. Delayed gratification wasn’t something I was accustomed to. In this case, I was certain I didn’t have to wait. Beatrice wanted me, and she wasn’t being shy about it. If I took her up on her
offer to continue our kiss in her apartment, things would likely end with us both naked.

  Damn, how I wanted this woman, and I had to wait. She wanted Dev. Until I told her the truth, I wasn’t going to take things to that level. I wouldn’t say I was doing it for entirely noble reasons. Beatrice didn’t strike me as the type of woman who’d be forgiving if I slept with her before revealing the whole truth.

  “I’m not convinced I won’t try to seduce you if I get you alone in your apartment,” I confessed.

  “Oh,” was her somewhat dazed reply. “Then I guess it’s a good idea for you to leave me at my door. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be that hard to seduce.” Her cheeks heated at her own admission. “I can’t believe I just said that.”

  “I’m glad you said it,” I assured her. “It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one affected this way. Now, let me walk you to your apartment before I forget why I’m trying to be a gentleman.”

  She nodded and reached for the car door, but I caught her hand.

  “I want to see you again, soon,” I murmured.

  “I’d like that,” she replied with a smile that made me want to kiss her again.

  “Tomorrow?” I prompted.

  “Tomorrow,” she agreed.

  I wanted desperately to taste her again, but I knew it would be a bad idea. Like a perfect gentleman, I walked her to her door, said goodbye, and left.

  Chapter 15

  Desmond

  “How could you be so reckless?” Zareya shouted, her skin bluer than usual. “They’re looking everywhere for you.”

  My brow furrowed. “Why are they looking for me?” I asked. “Did the little bastard who got me the phone snitch to someone?”

  “They know you called your sister,” Zareya told me, her voice shaking slightly. “Hades and Rainer are looking for you.”

  “That’s interesting,” I mused. I’d been in our little hovel all evening. After using the contraband phone, I’d destroyed it. It was a shame to lose such a valuable piece of equipment, but I couldn’t risk having it traced back to me. My sister didn’t have friends, and I’d been certain she wouldn’t know who to complain to about me calling her. It seemed I was wrong.

  “Interesting?” she screeched. “How can you be so calm?”

  “This isn’t a bad thing,” I assured her. “Hades and Rainer aren’t going to spend much time looking for me. They have bigger things to worry about with the recent riots. Besides, it won’t be long until we’re free of this prison.”

  Zareya let out a tired sigh and nodded. “You’re right. This is just a problem I didn’t need. You’ve been able to deliver all the messages because you were invisible to the guards. Now, they’re determined to find you, at least, for the time being.”

  “I wonder how they found out about my call to Bea,” I muttered. “She must have called Rainer. I’m shocked she had his number. Why would he care what happens to a homely witch like my sister?”

  “I think I can answer that question.” Those words were spoken by a man who’d suddenly appeared in the room. His white wings were spread out behind him, and he carried a sword of fire.

  “Why are you here, angel?” Zareya demanded. To her credit, there was only a slight tremor in her voice.

  “To help you with your little rebellion,” the angel said in a condescending tone. He studied me carefully before speaking again. “If I didn’t already know you’re a warlock, I’d swear you were a demon with those eyes. That blue is too intense for warlock eyes.”

  “I get that a lot,” I told him. “How do you plan to help us?”

  “You want to overthrow Lucifer,” he began. “I assume you’re hoping to do so by getting to his daughter or someone else close to him.”

  Neither of us responded. We weren’t about to share any information with this angel.

  “Your sister was seen with Lucifer today,” the angel continued with a smirk. “According to the rumors, Lucifer is quite taken with the witch.”

  “Impossible,” I scoffed. “Why would Lucifer have anything to do with my sister?”

  The angel shrugged. “He claimed to be using her for sex.”

  I snorted. “My sister has no feminine wiles. Someone with access to sex demons of all types couldn’t possibly be interested in Beatrice.”

  “The angel who saw him tried to follow them, but Lucifer went to great lengths to make that impossible. He seems very overprotective,” the angel added, still smirking. “Your sister has caught the devil’s eye.”

  “He has to be using her to get to me,” I mused. “I don’t know how, but he must know I’m helping with the uprisings.”

  “Or he’s after you because of her,” Zareya stated. “This would explain how Hades and Rainer knew about your phone call so quickly. It would also explain why they were the ones searching for you rather than sending guards. It appears Lucifer has a soft spot for the little witch.”

  “That’s why I’m here,” the angel told us. “I hate Lucifer. He and the other fallen angels should have been wiped from existence long ago. This whole place should be destroyed.” He visibly struggled with his anger before continuing. “Naturally, I’m not planning to destroy the demon realm. Not all demons are bad—or so I’m told. If we work together, we can destroy Lucifer.”

  “Why would we work with you?” Zareya asked. “You think we should all be destroyed. All your lies about demons worth saving wouldn’t apply to us.”

  “I’ll make it worth your while if you help me destroy Lucifer,” he replied.

  “What are you offering?” I asked in a bored tone. “Keep in mind, we already have a plan, so I’m not sure we need your help.”

  “I can provide you with celestial weapons,” he offered. “Nothing that can be traced back to me, of course, but I have weapons at my disposal.”

  This was getting interesting.

  I shrugged. “Maybe. I’m not sure it’s worth the risk of getting involved with you.”

  “Angels make my skin crawl,” Zareya said with a shudder of disgust.

  I expected the angel to be angry with her. Instead, he looked amused. “What do you want, demon?”

  “I want out of here,” she hissed. “Not just out of this prison. I want out of Hell.”

  I smiled, wondering what Zareya had planned. She didn’t want to live in the human realm.

  “Where would you go?” the angel asked. “You’re not a demon who can blend in among humans.”

  “But you could make that happen,” Zareya insisted. “We have business in the human realm before I take Lucifer’s place.”

  “What about you, warlock?” the angel asked.

  “I want to kill my bitch sister,” I told him. “She deserves to pay for everything she’s done to me.”

  “I can make that happen,” the angel assured me. “Do you want me to bring you her head?”

  “No,” I growled. “I want to kill her myself. It’s my right.”

  “Fine,” the angel agreed. “I’ll make sure you get to kill her. Do we have a deal?”

  Zareya looked at me, waiting for my opinion. I nodded. “We have a deal,” she told him.

  Chapter 16

  Beatrice

  Thankfully, I had work to keep me busy the day after my date with Dev. My reaction to him scared me a little. At the same time, I couldn’t wait to see him again.

  Today, I was in the office of a therapist, meeting with her familiar.

  “I don’t understand why Evie is being so difficult about things,” Jezebel complained. She was sprawled out on the sofa, her green eyes focused on a bird chirping outside the window.

  I’d started working with Jezebel shortly after she’d helped me rescue Julia. I’d been surprised when Julia’s familiar had approached me about seeing Jezebel, mostly because it had been Jezebel’s idea. Jezebel was not a friendly familiar. She liked very few witches and even fewer familiars. I’d come to realize it was a defense mechanism. Jezebel had a fear of abandonment, and she hated opening up about he
r feelings.

  “Rather than talking about Evie’s problems, let’s talk about how this makes you feel,” I suggested. After several appointments, she hadn’t opened up to me much. Today, she’d complained about Evie for nearly an hour.

  “It makes me angry at Evie,” Jezebel replied.

  “Because you miss Rainer,” I concluded.

  She glared at me with her eyes narrowed and her ears pinned back. “This isn’t about me. It’s about what’s best for Evie.”

  I nodded. “As her familiar, you feel responsible for making her happy.”

  Jezebel tilted her head to the side, not responding immediately to my statement. “Yes, I do want her to be happy.”

  “You also like Rainer,” I pointed out.

  “He’s perfect for us,” she agreed. Admitting that Rainer was perfect for her as well as Evie was a big step.

  “How have things been going with your visits?” I asked. I’d suggested Evie arrange time for Jezebel to visit Rainer. Evie hadn’t liked it. She was doing her best to avoid the fallen angel, but she’d given in when I’d told her my thoughts on how this was affecting Jezebel.

  “It’s nice spending time with him,” she said with a sigh before rolling onto her back and closing her eyes. “He always scratches the right spot behind my ears. I miss him when he’s not around. He should live with us.”

  The last was said in a much quieter voice, and I considered it another breakthrough for us. This was our best appointment so far.

  “That makes sense,” I told her. “He’s bonded to your witch.”

  “Don’t tell her I told you about that,” Jezebel said quickly. “Evie doesn’t want people knowing about her bonding with Rainer.”

  “I would never share what you tell me, even with your witch,” I reminded her.

  “I like you, Beatrice,” Jezebel admitted. “You’re a nice witch.”

  “I like you, too, Jezebel,” I began. “You try hard to keep others from seeing it, but you are pretty awesome.”