See You in Hell

by Demelza Carlton

  As they stepped out onto the street, joining the crowds of commuters hurrying to or from coffee shops for their mid-morning caffeine hit, Luce gave in and asked, "Where are we headed?"

  "The agency that employs me," Mel responded, glancing at the traffic before stepping out onto the road. "Raphael owes me a favour or three and I think today is an ideal occasion to cash in."

  "You mean the Helpful Angels Agency? I'm not going to be very welcome there," Luce admitted. "I could just camp out in a coffee shop somewhere and wait for you to come rejoin me so I can buy you one. It might be easier."

  Mel's fingers tightened around his. "Oh, no. You're coming in with me – whatever they think and say. You have a right to be there, as the favour I'll ask for involves you – intimately, I think. They need to know how serious I am about this and your very presence will help to emphasise that."

  She sounded like she was planning for battle – a battle she'd surely win. "If you'd accepted my offer to be my PA instead of Persephone, nothing could have stopped us. With you at my side, I bet I'd never have been thrown out of Heaven," Luce blurted out.

  Mel glanced at Luce, pressing her lips together. "Perhaps," she said, picking up the pace so he had to hurry to keep up.

  He almost missed the doorway, which was set between two shops, with the winged HAA logo stencilled on the glass. Luckily, Mel didn't let go of him as she seized the doorknob with her free hand, leading Luce up the stairs behind her.

  At least he got a nice view of her arse to bolster him up the stairs – a small, unexpected slice of Heaven, Luce decided, slowing his ascent to make the most of it.

  "Good morning, Mel! It's wonderful to see you," a warm voice greeted her. "We've been so worried..."

  Luce couldn't see the girl's face yet, but he doubted he'd get such an enthusiastic greeting. Hell, he'd never heard one like it at HELL Corporation, either. As his head rose above the banister, he got a clear view of the receptionist. He recognised Gabrielle instantly.

  Mel's grip tightened around his fingers, so he plastered a grin on his face as he pounded up the last few stairs to the landing. "This is my friend, Luce. He'll be coming in to see Raphael with me at ten," Mel said with a beaming smile.

  Gabrielle's smile turned to a look of horror. "Mel, that's...that's..."

  Flashing a smile and a wink to the archangel receptionist, Luce held out his hand to shake Gabrielle's. "Luce Iblis, recently retired CEO of the HELL Corporation. I'm sure you've worked under me in our office." Gabrielle hid her hands beneath the desk, so he reached for Mel's hand instead, pulling her fingers to his lips. "Mel has kindly arranged a meeting for me with Raphael." From the corner of his eye, he could see Mel's professional smile, giving nothing away. Mel could hide more secrets with her open, angelic smile than he held in all of Hell, Luce mused.

  Gabrielle jumped up from her desk. "I'll go see if he's through with his nine o'clock," she said breathlessly, hurrying in her heels to one of the enclosed offices along the back wall.

  "Shall we sit?" he asked Mel, waving at the sofa against the wall. Mel nodded and followed him to the seat. She carefully placed herself on the cushions so her skirt sat perfectly, then waited for Luce to take the other half of the couch. He wasn't as worried about appearances as she seemed to be – he stretched out his arms as he relaxed into the white leather, one along the armrest and the other around Mel. She straightened her back the tiniest bit, but didn't move to push him away.

  Both were silent as they heard panicked voices from the office with the partially closed door – it appeared that Gabrielle had forgotten to close it.

  A male voice said, "She's here. By some miracle, she made it through the night without him finding her. He's probably hunting her now – I'll keep her safe, I swear. If I have the whole agency guarding her, I'll find somewhere to hide her that he'll never think to look. Find me some crisis on the other side of the world we can use to coerce her to leave. North Korea, Canada, UK, Siberia, Ukraine...there has to be something. Find out and call back within the hour, while she's still here." The phone rattled into its cradle, as if the man's hands were shaking. Gabrielle's voice murmured quietly – too low for him to discern the words. Luce figured they were probably about him, anyway.

  "Wherever you go, I want to come with you," Luce whispered and Mel nodded. He wondered what she was agreeing to – his company or just his desire? His thoughts were interrupted by movement across the office.

  Raphael emerged behind Gabrielle, his face whiter than his shirt. His eyes flicked briefly to Luce, but his attention was on Mel. "Please, God, no," he whispered, just loud enough to carry to Luce's ears.

  Luce wondered what he was so worried about. Did the angel think he'd managed to corrupt Mel? The world would end before he'd succeed at that – which sounded good to him.

  "Mel, I'm so sorry about the imposition on you, particularly when you're on leave. I'd like to discuss it with you privately, if possible," Raphael said, not acknowledging Luce at all.

  Before Mel could respond, Luce chimed in, "Fine by me. If you have company secrets to discuss, I'll just sit out here and keep Gabrielle company. Keep her from getting lonely and all." He grinned at the receptionist, who blanched as she sank onto her desk chair.

  "Gabi won't be alone for long, Luce. I'm sure she's just holding the fort until everyone else returns with coffee. It might be best for everyone if you're not sitting at the top of the stairs when a whole pack of coffee-carrying Grigori come up." She lifted her eyes to Raphael. "It's fine. What I'm here to discuss can be said in front of Luce."

  Raphael evidently didn't agree, but he also didn't seem to want to argue with Mel, so he gestured toward his office, leading the way. He offered them both a seat before hurrying around the desk to put its laminated width between them.

  Luce wanted to laugh at how nervously these angels seemed to treat him, as if he might explode at any moment, but he didn't want to embarrass Mel. He was as eager as Raphael seemed to be to hear what she had to say.

  "How are you, Mel? Are you well?" Raphael began, staring at her with worried eyes. "You didn't experience any damage last night in the storm?" He seemed to be searching for a reply without saying what he really sought.

  "I'm fine," Mel said, her serene smile speaking volumes to Luce that Raphael didn't seem to understand.

  "Are you sure? Nothing different at all?" Raphael persisted.

  Luce lost patience. "By all that's holy, I haven't corrupted the girl. I showed up at her house last night in the storm, with nothing but my car and the soaked clothes I stood up in. Mel was kind enough to take me in and let me stay until the storm was over. Your precious angel is as pristine and perfect as I found her." He reached for the letter opener on Raphael's desk, which turned out to be surprisingly sharp – perfect for his needs. "The problem is THIS." He dragged the blade across his palm, and a line of ruby blood erupted.

  Raphael's eyes widened. "How...? Demon blood is black. How can you have blood like ours?"

  Mel touched her fingers to Luce's palm, causing the cut to close.

  "Thank you," Luce said in surprise.

  "Demons can't be healed by angels! What in Hell?" Raphael exclaimed, jumping up and backing into the wall, away from the sight before him.

  "I'd say your precious angel has corrupted me into something like you."

  "That's not possible!" Raphael replied. "Demons are damned, never to be redeemed!"

  "If you have a better explanation, I'd love to hear it. Because I've got nothing," Luce snapped.

  "What have you done?" Raphael stared at Mel, looking scared. "That's not just any demon you've changed. You've redeemed the Lord of Hell!"

  "He came to me and begged for my help. I'd do no less for any other human and he seemed little more than that, with the power Persi stripped from him. He was shivering, standing on my front steps in a soaked suit." Mel shrugged. "What can I say? He makes a good cup of tea."

  The tale continues in

  Mel Goes to Hell
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br />   which you can get HERE.

  OR...you can save 25% and buy it with the next two books in the series, To Hell and Back and The Holiday From Hell, HERE

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Demelza Carlton has always loved the ocean, but on her first snorkelling trip she found she was afraid of fish.

  She has since swum with sea lions, sharks and sea cucumbers and stood on spray drenched cliffs over a seething sea as a seven-metre cyclonic swell surged in, shattering a shipwreck below.

  Demelza now lives in Perth, Western Australia, the shark attack capital of the world.

  The Ocean's Gift series was her first foray into fiction, followed by her suspense thriller Nightmares trilogy. She swears the Mel Goes to Hell series ambushed her on a crowded train and wouldn't leave her alone.

  Want to know more? You can follow Demelza on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube or her website, Demelza Carlton's Place at: www.demelzacarlton.com

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