Demons Prefer Blondes (27 page)

“Enough lollygagging! We need to start the ceremony as soon as possible!” Belial grabbed her by her bound wrists and dragged her toward the chest.

“Hey,” she ground through her teeth as she struggled away from his grip. “Is that any way to handle your future wife?”

“Ahh, my dear Lucia. It’s about time you embraced your new destiny.” His lips curved into a menacing grin. “Shall I ring your father? You need someone to give you away, do you not?”

“My father doesn’t give a shit about me or my mother. He only cares about all the sex fiends he controls.” The lie that flowed effortlessly from her lips still sent aching pain to her chest. Yes, he left, but now she knew why. He loved her mother and her and didn’t want them harmed by evil. Little did he know, though, evil always found a way. It was her duty to stop it. For the world, for her family. For Rafe.

“Sucks to be you, doesn’t it?” Swiping a strand of blonde hair from her cheek, Larissa sauntered next to her. The tight black leather clung to her legs with each step. “Serves you and your mother right. Lilu belongs with me.”

Yep. It was confirmed. Larissa was dumb. She truly believed she’d end up with Lilu and become queen? Had she not heard a word of what her partner in crime uttered? Or was she completely under Lamia’s control? Of course, she was.

Time to test the waters. “What will you do when Lamia kills Lilu?”

“She’s not going to kill him,” Larissa replied, her ice-blue eyes sparking.

“But he won’t be king anymore, and you’ll be nothing.”

Larissa growled, her nostrils wide and flaring. “Bullshit!”

Lucy scratched her chin. “That’s what she said when you were looped out in the car.”

“Enough!” Lamia bellowed. “Don’t listen to her. She’s trying to turn you against me.”

Larissa narrowed her eyes and turned her glare to Lamia, to Lucy, and back to Lamia again. “What will happen when you take over the Sexubis?”

“Nothing! Lilu will still be king of those not willing to join me.”

“Oh,” Larissa said, her brow scrunching. “I see.”

Something told Lucy she didn’t, but she wasn’t going to argue that point. The first step was to get the cuffs off. “So when can I get these things off?” she asked, with a clank of silver.

Belial stomped over to the pit and looked inside the chest. “Are you ready, my subjects?”

The shouts and wails erupted in the air. Moans and groans echoed in wretched agony. “Not quite ready.”

Oh hell no. If this bastard wanted to marry her, he’d have to do it without restraints. “Would you rather have a willing or unwilling bride?”

Belial scratched the golden growth of hair on his chin, his amber eyes sparking. “I suppose I can make some sort of arrangement for your release.” He motioned to Lamia. “Unlock her.”

What? That’s all she needed to do? Ask? She should’ve just laid the honey on Lamia earlier. Then again, never mind. The bitch didn’t even deserve a layer of lye.

“Is it wise, my liege?” Lamia asked, her head bowed to the ground. Now if that wasn’t a sight. The woman—erm—thing was a tool after all.

“Very wise. Now do as I say and stop questioning me!”

“Yes, my lord Belial.” She turned to Larissa. “The key?”

Wow. The Infernati worked on a pyramid scheme. If these demons were businessmen, Belial would be a billionaire and those below him wouldn’t know what hit them. How utterly ironic! But she wasn’t complaining. It would get her out of these cuffs after all. Then she could show these assholes her new kick-ass kung-fu moves.

With a nod, Larissa reached into her shirt and produced the key. Her face contorted into a contemptuous sneer, she brushed past Lucy. “Here, master.” Kneeling before Belial, she kept her face toward the snow-packed ground, her hand outstretched.

What the hell kind of nightmare did she end up in? A bondage peep show? What was next? Whips and chains? “If you expect me to get on my knees and kiss your stinky feet, you got another thing coming.”

“Oh, my dear betrothed, I do enjoy your sharp tongue. Such a welcome breath of fresh air.”

Fresh air, my ass.
“Just what you need.”

Belial reached down, snatched the key and kicked Larissa out of his way. “Go.”

With a small squeak, Larissa stumbled and scurried off, on all fours, toward the ice cream parlor.

“Lamia, when are you going to get some
real
help?” Belial swept a golden curl from his cheek, a frustrated breath of air escaping his lips.

“She’s one of my best succubi.” Lamia’s gaze remained fixed to the earth below. “And my most loyal.”

“Devil help you then.” Belial dismissed Lamia with a flick of his wrist and dangled the key in front of Lucy’s nose, like a fisherman tempts a fish. With each swing of the key, he clucked his tongue. “Will you behave, my dear?”

Depends on what he meant by behave?
Consorting with evil demons certainly didn’t constitute behaving in her book. “Oh, I’ll behave. You have my word.”

“How can I be certain, my dear Lucia?” His smile crept upward, taunting her. Keys jangling in the cold wind, he swung his hand back and forth. “After all, you’re blessed.”

“I’m an honest woman. Either you believe me or you don’t.” She gave her hair a nonchalant toss. “It makes no difference to me. I’ll get these cuffs off one way or the other.”

“What if I had something… or someone… you care about? Would you behave then?”

Her heart plummeted. Her stomach coiled into knots. “Oh God,” she whispered beneath her breath.

“What was that? I didn’t quite hear you.” His eyes sparked and menacing dimples formed in his cheeks.

Who did he have? Frankie? Gerardo? Her Mom? Rafe?
Oh please don’t let it be Rafe.
Shivers slinked up her spine. Despite the fear coursing through her, she raised her chin. She wouldn’t show this asshole weakness. “You might as well get it over with, Belial. I’m not one for surprises.”

“Fine. Either you behave or your precious friend dies.” He flicked his cape and spun around, the wind whipping it around his feet. Throwing the cape open, he threw back his head and chortled, the sound grating on her eardrums. In one hand, the glint of a ruby jeweled dagger sparkled in the glow of the stupid chest. But it was what was in his other arm that caused her skin to crawl.

Her best friend, body limp and eyes closed, flung over his shoulder, like a worn-out Raggedy-Ann doll. With a nonchalant shrug, Belial hoisted her off his shoulder and tossed her to the ground.

Bastard.

Serah moaned, her head lolling to the side. “My head.”

Kneeling next to her friend, Belial grabbed her neck and angled her head to meet Lucy’s gaze. His dagger at her neck, he arched his eyebrow quizzically. “Do we have a deal?”

“I will behave,” Lucy said through gritted teeth.

“Good. I’m glad we’re in agreement. We’ll make a splendid couple.” Sheathing his dagger, he dropped Serah to the ground. “Oops.”

“If you hurt her, I’ll be more than happy to send for her bodyguard.” Belial didn’t need to know this bodyguard was pint-sized with a voice that could break glass.

“Oh, do you mean him?” Belial snapped his fingers. A violent gust of wind sailed past her, an agonizing wail carrying in the air. A very high-pitched wail. The ball of ice slammed against a tree, silver chains snaking around Squeaky’s frozen form.

She needed to think—before she ran out of time. If she made the slightest misstep, her friends would die. She couldn’t fail. She had too much at stake. Besides, Rafe and Kalli couldn’t be far behind. Perhaps she could just go along with this charade for a little while.

“Do we have an agreement, Lucy?”

She raised her head to meet the embers of Belial’s gaze. If only she could extinguish those embers. “Yes—”

“No Lucy. You can’t.” Serah, slinking and crawling on the ground, gazed up at her, her eyes pleading. “Don’t let this monster—”

“Enough already,” he said with a deep gravelly growl. A cryptic smile contorted his lips as his wing tip loafers connected with Serah’s gut.

Serah groaned and curled into a ball. “Please…”

“Spare us the soap opera melodrama,” Lamia said, joining Belial. Reaching down, she grabbed Serah by the collar of her blood-speckled coat and dragged her across the snow-veiled earth.

“So do we have a deal?”

“My friends go unharmed.”

“Very well. Lamia, back away from the prisoner.”

With an irritated growl, she slithered away from Serah, her snake arms disengaging from her friend’s limp body. “She won’t stay like this forever, you know.”

“Who’s in charge here? You or me?” Belial, his eyes sparking, lashed out his hand. In a burst of bright light, a ring of fire erupted around Lamia’s scaly legs. Shaking his head, he chuckled, the sound, despite its quietness, came out low and menacing.

“You, my prince.” With that, Lamia slid away to join her partner in crime.

With an irritated breath, Belial spun the keychain around his finger, the clanging of metal taunting her. He took slow meticulous steps around her, his hands roving up and down her body. Her skin crawled and her stomach roiled. His toxic stench hung heavy in the air, growing thicker with each caress.

“You’ll make a perfect wife.” He leaned in, his breath crawling across her skin. Grabbing her wrists, he shoved the key into the lock, the click music to her ears. His grip tightened on her wrist as he slid the first cuff off.

She sucked in a breath, fighting the pent-up rage. “Indeed, I will.” She’d be a perfect wife… for Rafe.

“Nothing will stop me, you know that?” Belial traced a saliva trail down her neck, his fingers working the lock of the other cuff.

“Ooh wee!” echoed in the distance. What was going on? Did he have Frankie now too? She’d have a nice long chat with Kalli after this ordeal was over. Fat lot of help she was guarding her friends.

“What in all that is unholy?” Belial growled. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he yanked her to him. “You didn’t behave, Lucy. Now your friends will die.”

Panic flooded her body. Twisting and yanking herself in the vice of his arms, Lucy looked up. High in the gray cloud-cover sky, a flutter of white wings flapped. Wings attached to a pink feather shirt clad body. Gerardo. But who was that gripping on for dear life?

“
Ooooooooooooooh weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
” the figure on Gerardo’s back shouted louder, the southern twang singing through the air.

It had to be her imagination. “Holy shit,” she breathed, her heart thudding a wild beat. Gerardo? Wings? Flying? Her eyelids fluttered.

Belial’s grip grew stronger. Grabbing a handful of hair he yanked her head back. “You don’t truly expect me to believe you knew nothing?”

“I don’t expect you to believe anything,” she said, straightening her back and raising her chin.

Lucy’s gaze wandered about Belial’s makeshift encampment. Squeaky, still firmly chained to the tree, struggled against his bonds. Larissa, that evil bitch, growled and sent her fist sailing into the poor chimp’s cheek. Squeaky moaned, his head lolling to the side.

“Bitch!”

Serah scrambled to her feet and lunged at Larissa. Arms wrapped around ankles, Serah and Succu-bitch went sprawling. Snow flew, fists flailed, and legs kicked. Larissa took a bunch of Serah’s curly hair in her fist and slammed her face into the snow. Fingers digging into snow and frozen earth, Serah coughed and sputtered.

Gerardo swooped in. Frankie gripped onto feathers for dear life, his legs whipping back and forth with each of Gerardo’s turns. With a fling to the left, Frankie gritted his teeth, his skin growing three shades lighter. Gerardo banked to right, throwing his hand out. A white ball of energy flung from his fingers, toward where Belial and Lucy stood.

Vibrant white light erupted around them, encircling them in its bright intensity. Lucy embraced it, welcoming the warmth that filled her. She angled a gaze at Belial.

With a deep angry growl, he lost his grip on the dagger and covered his eyes. “Lamia!” he bellowed. “Do something!”

Watching the ruby-studded dagger plummet into the pile of snow beneath their feet, Lucy allowed adrenaline to take over. With a sharp twist, she yanked herself from his grip and dove for the weapon. The sooner she sliced this demonic asshole to bits, the better. Fumbling in the cold fluff, she sought out her quarry.

Strong hands gripped around her waist, claws digging into her sweater and skin. Scratching through the snow and earth, she continued her frantic search.

Belial hovered above her, sardonic laughter rolling from his mouth. His fingertips crawled across her cheek. “Give it up, Lucia. You—and the chest—will be mine. All of Earth will be mine.”

“Like hell I will. There’s only one man I’ll let have me.” She punctuated her sentence by spitting in his face. And
they
—Rafe and she—would send the chest back to Limbo.

“Too bad he’s too late,” Belial whispered, his tongue trailing along her ear. “And I have a special surprise for your Rafe. You’ll see where his true devotion lies.”

“What are you going to do to him?”

Belial, fingers tightening around her wrist, smiled. “I guarantee you’ll enjoy the show.” He allowed a fingertip to trace down her neck and circle a breast. Bolts of disgust raged through her as she wrenched herself away. “Rafael, on the other hand… he probably won’t.”

“Where is he?” Rolling over, she glimpsed a flash of silver. It was within reaching distance. If she could just inch a little closer.

Belial simply shrugged, his mouth curved in a sinister smirk. “Don’t you worry about that, my dear.”

“What the tarnation, Ger!”

Heart racing, she scanned the area. Lamia and Larissa stalked and slithered around Gerardo and Frankie. Both man and angel stood tall and alert. Did angels have weaknesses? She hoped not.

Eyes sparking, Lamia slithered around Frankie, her tail snaking up his leg. Lucy managed a grin. If the bitch aimed for seduction, she would fail miserably. Frankie, unfazed by the slithering tail, kicked out his leg. Lamia lunged at him, claws drawn and fangs bared. Frankie sidestepped to the left and spun around, grabbing her tail and pitching her upward. Whoa!

Lamia growled, loud and guttural as she sailed through the air. “You’ll pay for that!”

Gerardo, reaching behind his back, pulled out a long sliver-tipped spear. Wings fluttering to keep him afloat, He sent the spear sailing through the air, just grazing her scaly green tail. With a resonant crack, the spear connected with the tree, right above Squeaky’s furry head, which bobbled up and down from the impact.

Eyes bugging from their sockets, Squeaky looked up and gulped.

The battle had begun… Yet still no sign of Rafe.

***

Rafael growled. The longer they dawdled, the longer it would take to rescue Lucy. It no longer was a
mission
that spurred him into action, but pure rampant need. He wouldn’t lose Lucy. He loved her too much.

“How much longer?” he asked through gritted teeth.

Dominic slammed the Paladin manual shut and jerked his head up. With an irritated glare, he hauled the tome across the car hood. It skittered against metal and came to rest next to where Kalli sat.

“Jeez, Duvane, have a care.” With a dramatic sigh, Kalli turned over onto her stomach, opened the book, and scanned the pages.

Dominic turned to face him, his obsidian eyes stony serious. “You aren’t the only one who’s got something at stake, you know.” Jaw ticking, he lowered his gaze to the snowy ground.

“Coby,” Rafael whispered. How could he forget? Only a few times had his thoughts drifted to his sister. What would she think? He sucked in a ragged breath. He’d be damned if he’d lose two women he cared for. “I’ve abandoned her.”

“You haven’t abandoned anyone.” Eyes flickering with intensity, Dominic came to stand next to him. In a completely slow, cautious, yet strangely casual movement, his friend wrapped his arm around Rafael’s back. “The Fore-Demons gave you a mission. That mission was elsewhere. Coby understands where our duties lie.”

With a slow nod, Rafael pulled from their friendly embrace to look his friend in the face. Dominic was right. Coby knew about duty. She was always the one who put duty over desire. Her dedication to the Paladin cause was legendary.

“And, keep in mind, Coby has a good rescuer. Not that I’m bragging or anything.” Dominic swiped a hand through his neatly shorn dark blond hair, a sheepish smile curving his lips.

“I still feel guilty.”

“Coby will understand. She’s always wanted you to be happy, you know. Ever since the situation with…” Dominic let his words trail off. “She’ll love Lucy. She’s the perfect woman for you.”

So this was what it was like to wear your heart on your sleeve? Fancy that, he didn’t even know he was doing it. “I’m merely completing a mission.”

The moment the lie slipped from his lips, his heart plummeted and his blood ran cold. He fully expected a lightning bolt to shoot from the sky and smite him right where he stood. He’d deserve it, too. “I admit I’ve come to care for her.” Not a complete lie, but it still left him empty.

“Better than nothing, I suppose, right Kalli?”

Kalli scratched her head, her gaze thoughtful. “Certainly the breakthrough of the century.” She rolled over and winked at Nic, a hint of secrecy in both their glances.

Rafael never was much a fan of secrets. He crossed his arms. “Am I an object for your amusement?”

“Only when you act stubborn.” Dominic gave him a hearty slap on the back. “Don’t worry. We forgive you.”

“Stubble it.” He had to rescue Lucy. Their witty banter and secretive stares would have to wait. Deep down he knew they meant well. Right now he was too wound-up to care. He loved Lucy. He’d be damned if he let anything happen to her.

“Touchy, are you?” Kalli sighed and went back to reading the tome. The moment her eyes met the page, she jerked her head up and jumped from the car. “I got it!” she exclaimed with glee.

Rafael and Dominic turned in unison. Dominic’s gaze was alert, intense. “What have you got, Kalli?”

“Come here!” she said, waving them there with her hand. “I found a way to break the Infernati ward!”

Rafael rushed to where Kalli sat perched on the hood, her head buried deep in the tome. Leaning over her, he scanned the page she read.

“Right here,” Kalli said, her finger tracing over a line of text.

Rafael bent down to read the passage.

Only those who are true to themselves and their emotions can lift an Infernati ward.

Leave it to the Fore-Demons to incorporate self-awareness lessons into an instruction manual. “What sort of tripe is that?”

“It’s not tripe,” Dominic growled. “It’s the Paladin way. Admit your feelings.”

“Why don’t you admit yours?”

“The more the merrier,” Kalli said in a singsong voice. “But the more you two argue, the less time we have to save Lucy.”

Lucy. This was about Lucy. It always had been about her. From the moment he stepped in her shop. He was ensnared. Everything happened for a reason, or so they say. That reason was Lucy.

“It’s just that…”

Remember the last time you bared your soul? His internal naysayer boomed. Amanda, her beautiful blonde hair. Her gentle smile. The innocence that seemed to radiate from her. Her reaching to touch him. Him turning away, not wanting to shatter that innocence.

It was all a lie.

Why didn’t he see it? That spark, that energy. Nothing Amanda ever did electrified him as much as Lucy. No one, not even in his mortal days, affected him in such a way. He was thoroughly and madly in love with Lucy. He’d gladly shout it from the top of Mt. Everest if it would save her life. He’d shout it from the deep dark recesses of Hell if it brought her to him.

Was it that simple to unlock a ward with those three simple words?

“Rafe? It’s just that, what?”

“I’ll do anything for Lucy,” he said, raising his chin and standing tall. His voice boomed, despite the turmoil raging inside him. “I love her.”

But did she love him? Yes there was attraction, but she was a sex demoness. What’s not to say it wasn’t her succubus urges that drew her to him. Hope turned to dread. Was he setting himself up for another disaster?

At this point, he didn’t care. He only cared about Lucy. He needed her now more than ever. His internal naysayer would just have to stubble it. It was about time.

His initial dread evaporated, replaced with pure adrenaline and energy. He was through doubting himself. He was Rafael Deleon. He was a Paladin, and, damn it, he was in love. Right now, that was all that mattered.