Inescapably Hellbound

by Cassandra Lawson

  After an hour of flying, I headed to the detention areas. There’d been several recent issues in one of the minimum-security prisons. Most made the mistake of assuming the minimum-security prisons were similar to witch or human minimum-security prisons. They weren’t. In Hell, prisoners were rarely released. Demons and fallen angels weren’t imprisoned for petty crimes. There were surprisingly few nonviolent thefts or minor assaults in the demon realm. If there was a crime, carnage and mayhem were generally involved. Often, the crimes involved attempts to kill Lucifer. Demons tended to have a history of violence that could be traced back to their youth. They also weren’t interested in rehabilitation programs or bettering themselves.

  “How’s your shift going so far?” I asked Jetrana, a guard who’d recently been transferred from a more dangerous prison to help deal with the problems at this one.

  Jetrana looked harmless. She was two feet shorter than me with a slight build. Her family was a mix of several species, though I didn’t know all of them. Her pointed ears and chin suggested elfin heritage. Green skin that sparkled with silver flecks of glitter, pointed to demon blood. Silver hair and small black horns on the top of her head meant she was related to a different type of demon. Jetrana was a skilled fighter who could be vicious when the situation called for it.

  “This place is boring,” was Jetrana’s response.

  “So, it’s been quiet?” I asked since Jetrana’s definition of a boring night didn’t necessarily mean there was nothing to report.

  What she said next proved I was right to ask. “There were three fights. One hardly counts as a fight. It was a disagreement over a contraband phone. The dumbasses involved actually asked me to mediate when I went to break up the fight?”

  “Mediate what?” I had to ask.

  “They wanted me to decide which one of them should get to keep the phone.”

  I blinked twice, not sure how to respond.

  “I know how you feel, Hades. There are a lot of dumb fucks in this prison.”

  “I’d argue that they aren’t normally this bad, but I don’t often deal with anyone in this area.” While I had more experience in this sector than Jetrana, I usually only oversaw matters in the rougher areas. “What about the other problems tonight?”

  Jetrana flashed an evil smile. “After finding out about the contraband phone, I decided to do a little digging to learn where it came from.”

  “Tell me you have someone for me to question.” I needed to question someone, preferably someone who’d try starting a fight with me. It would be an excellent way to deal with my frustration.

  Her smile widened at my question. “Oh, yeah, I’ve got them. Lucifer should be here soon. It was your fucking guards providing the contraband phones in exchange for favors from the prisoners. Assholes were getting sex for food, phones, and weapons. When I went to confront them—give them a chance to defend themselves—they started a riot.”

  Hearing this made me glad we’d decided to allow Jetrana to bring several of her trusted guards with her. “I take it you didn’t have any problem subduing them.”

  “Of course not,” she assured me. “I tried calling you, but your phone went to voicemail.”

  I cursed under my breath. Since it had been in my pocket while I was flying, and I hadn’t left the coverage areas, that meant it was likely dead. I pulled it from my pocket to confirm my suspicions. Unexplained electrical pulses in the demon realm often fried cell phones and took out service in some areas. It didn’t happen where I lived, but Lucifer had that area reinforced to protect his own phone service.

  Lucifer landed beside me, looking beyond pissed.

  “Where are they?” Lucifer demanded.

  “I put them in one of the interrogation rooms near the back,” Jetrana replied.

  “How many of them are there?” I asked. I’d been picturing more people than would fit in one interrogation room.

  “About thirty,” Jetrana replied. “Not many prisoners seemed interested in getting involved with the riot. I got the impression they were happy to let me deal with the asshole guards.”

  “You put thirty demons in the same interrogation room?” Lucifer asked.

  Jetrana was one of my favorite guards. She didn’t take shit from anyone. “This, I have to see,” I said with a laugh. “Please tell me some of them have spikes sticking out.”

  “No.” Jetrana sounded disappointed. “I’m sure there will still be injuries. They were all pissed and blaming each other for getting caught when I stuck them in there. Those guards are stupid fucks who aren’t going to end up in a prison this nice.”

  “As entertaining as putting them all together is, we can’t question them in a group. I’ll deal with them one at a time, in the blue room. Bring the prisoners first. I want their take on what the guards were doing.” After giving that order, Lucifer turned and started toward the blue room.

  I decided to follow him. The blue room sounded like a bedroom in a mansion to me. Despite its name, the room was feared by many prisoners. It contained an array of nasty spells and implements of torture. Lucifer preferred that interrogation room because it had a comfortable leather sofa he could use during questioning.

  “You were right about bringing Jetrana here,” Lucifer told me as we entered the blue room.

  “She’s not going to be happy when I tell her she needs to stay here until we get a competent guard detail to replace the ones that are here now,” I said with a shake of my head.

  “No, but she’ll agree. Jetrana is loyal.” Lucifer was right. “What are you doing here? Jetrana told me she couldn’t reach you.”

  I shrugged in response.

  “I see,” Lucifer mused as he studied me. “Unless I’m mistaken, your presence here is linked to Persephone’s disheveled appearance when she rushed upstairs.”

  I blew out a frustrated breath. “We can talk about this later.”

  “I honestly thought she was the one.” Lucifer obviously hadn’t talked to Persephone about what had happened between us. I didn’t blame him for assuming I’d taken her.

  “I don’t know if she’s the one,” I grumbled.

  “What do you mean?” Lucifer asked before coming to his own conclusion. “Forget I asked that. Don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll be ready to take that step soon.”

  My response was sure to shock Lucifer. “I stopped. She didn’t seem inclined to stop.”

  “I appreciate that you were willing to stop since you were in my home.” Lucifer wrongly guessed again. “It would have pissed me off.”

  I let out a bark of laughter. “That’s not why I stopped.”

  Thankfully, Jetrana arrived with the first prisoner before Lucifer could start interrogating me. I definitely wasn’t in the mood to talk about my feelings.

  Chapter 32

  Persephone

  I was surprised that it took Beatrice so long to stop by my room. My mom had headed off to her own room to call my dad and read a book, so she hadn’t seen me storm up after Hades left. Beatrice and Lucifer had seen me, but I’d hurried past them.

  Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Beatrice blocked the door.

  “Why do you look like you’re guarding the exit?” I asked.

  “I am guarding the exit,” she replied. “You are not leaving this room until you tell me what happened with Hades. First, did he hurt you?”

  “Hurt me?” I asked with a laugh. “Why does everyone keep assuming Hades is going to hurt me? I keep telling you he won’t.”

  Beatrice stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. “I’m not even going to answer that question. Granted, he has been much nicer with you.”

  I let out a sigh and took a seat on the edge of the bed. “He hasn’t kidnapped me.” I laughed when I heard my own words. “Never would I have imagined that I’d be praising a man for not kidnapping me.”

  Beatrice took a seat beside me on the bed. “It sounds crazy, but we’ve all been saying the same thing. It almost seems like he tries to a
void being around you at times.”

  “He is a very frustrating fallen angel,” I grumbled. “That stupid man kissed me senseless earlier.” I decided to keep the part about me orgasming as I rode his thigh to myself.

  Beatrice giggled at my complaint. “I don’t usually get this upset when Lucifer kisses me senseless.”

  “You did when you first started spending time with him,” I reminded her. “You used to complain about being horny all the time. It’s annoying when you’re more than ready to take the next step with your man, but he’s determined to be a gentleman. Mostly a gentleman. They’re fallen angels for pity’s sake! Why is Hades trying to be a gentleman?”

  Beatrice shrugged. “I’m sure he’d tell you it’s because he’s afraid of hurting you, but I doubt that’s the whole reason. Fallen angels are a major pain in the ass. It’s like living longer makes them overthink every little detail.”

  I cocked my head to the side and considered what she’d said. “I suppose, when one is truly immortal, they have a lot more time to think things through. Still, they’re fallen angels. Shouldn’t they be indulging in hedonistic pursuits? Seducing virgins? Hosting orgies?”

  “You want Hades to host an orgy?” she asked.

  I opened my mouth to tell her no, but then decided I needed to give the matter more thought. “I wonder what happens at orgies.”

  “Sex,” was Beatrice’s dry response.

  “I know, but is it like a pile of writhing bodies where you can’t tell whose hand is on you?” I asked. “Or is it just a lot of people having sex in the same room? Does it have to be group sex to be an orgy? Do you suppose people show up and strip naked as soon as they walk in the door?”

  Beatrice’s lips twitched as she fought back her laughter enough to continue the conversation. “Why does the orgy need to be inside? I’ve spent time in the sex demon areas, and they have orgies in lots of different places. I’ve heard rumors of witches having orgies in the forest at one point in witch history.”

  “From what I read when I was studying for my witch test, they only did that because it was supposed to make them more powerful,” I added. “I wonder how the witches who claim celibacy makes them stronger felt about that.”

  Beatrice snorted. “Witches are crazy.”

  “Uh, Bea, do I need to remind you that we’re witches?”

  “Not full witches,” she argued.

  Beatrice hated most witches, not that I blamed her. As a shapeshifting witch, the Council of Witches considered her among the lowest ranking witches. Rank matters a lot with witches. Many dislike the hierarchy of the council, but not enough to make a change. I was glad I hadn’t grown up under the eye of the council. Had I been exposed to them earlier, I might be just as judgmental.

  “Fine, we aren’t full witches, but neither of us realized that until recently,” I reminded her. “Most people would also say I’m crazy.”

  “They would be right,” Beatrice replied.

  I pushed against her side. “You’re supposed to take my side.”

  “We both know you’re crazy,” Beatrice said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Don’t get me wrong. I like your brand of crazy. I wouldn’t have tried unicorn blood were it not for you.”

  Beatrice often referred to the sparkly drinks at The Cauldron as unicorn blood. I loved them. They were pretty and delicious. While Beatrice insisted she didn’t like them, she’d never stopped me from ordering one for her. That gave me an idea.

  “I know what we should do tonight!”

  Beatrice knew me so well, she didn’t even ask what I had in mind; she shook her head. “If Hades is worried about you still being in danger, he’ll lose it if you go to The Cauldron.”

  She was right, and it was part of the reason I wanted to go.

  “All the more reason for us to go there. I’m tired of Hades trying to act all calm and controlled,” I grumbled.

  “It has kept him from kidnapping you,” Beatrice reminded me.

  “And made me want to kidnap him.”

  Beatrice laughed at my response. “This is the second time you’ve mentioned kidnapping Hades. I’m not sure how you’d pull it off, but it would be hilarious.”

  “We’re going to The Cauldron.” My decision was made.

  Beatrice let out a long-suffering sigh before responding. “Fine, but we’ll need to clear it with Lucifer first. I’m not sure he’s going to want to deal with the meltdown Hades will have.”

  I stood and crossed my arms in front of my chest, immediately realizing how childish I looked. Of course, I was committed to the pose by that point, so I continued. “Lucifer is not the boss of me.” And, yes, I was also able to recognize how childish I sounded.

  “In Hell, Lucifer is the boss of everyone, except for me,” Beatrice reminded me.

  “Good point,” I relented. “Still, I really want to go, Bea. We haven’t gone out since you moved to the demon realm.”

  “We just went for lunch,” she argued.

  I waved off her answer. “That doesn’t count. I want to go dancing and have pretty drinks.”

  Beatrice nodded. She understood my need for stimulation surprisingly well. Beatrice was more of a homebody and preferred an uneventful evening at home to an adventure.

  With a nod, she said, “I’ll talk to Lucifer.”

  Chapter 33

  Hades

  “She wants to do what?” My roar echoed off the walls of the interrogation room.

  The demon chained to the wall screeched in terror. I figured the demon wasn’t going anywhere, so we might as well talk about Persephone’s crazy plan to go to the witch club. If Lucifer had wanted to wait to discuss it, he would have told me about his text from Beatrice later.

  Lucifer quirked an eyebrow. “You have met Persephone, so I’m not certain why this is a surprise to you.”

  It shouldn’t have surprised me. Persephone was a very social person. I blew out a frustrated breath. “I need a minute.” Not waiting for a reply, I walked out of the interrogation room. It was either that or start taking my frustrations out on the demon in the room. While that would normally be my preferred way of handling matters, I was trying to be nicer, for Persephone. If we hadn’t already deduced that the demon wasn’t actively involved in any plots, I might not have given a fuck about being nice.

  Naturally, Lucifer followed me out of the room. “Why don’t you come with us to The Cauldron?”

  I spun to face him. “Why are you allowing her to go?”

  Lucifer chuckled at my reaction. “You do realize that I have no authority over Persephone, don’t you?”

  “You’re the ruler of the demon realm!” I snapped. “She can’t come and go as she pleases. You can forbid her to go.”

  “In theory,” he agreed. “I rule over Hell and all in my domain, but Persephone doesn’t have to remain in my domain. You haven’t claimed her, so she has no real ties to Hell. The Council of Witches wouldn’t be happy with me holding her against her will.”

  “Since when do you care about the Council of Witches?” I demanded before blowing out another frustrated breath. “Don’t answer that. You have to put up with them to some extent.”

  “While Beatrice is willing to cut all ties with them, Xavier and Rainer aren’t.” Lucifer seemed to still feel the need to remind me of why he had to respect the council to some extent.

  Xavier and Rainer’s father was a warlock, and their half-sister was a witch. They still had ties to the witch community. With anyone else, Lucifer wouldn’t have cared, but he’d always had a soft spot for the Vigil brothers, as did I.

  “I don’t like the idea of her wandering around when she might be in danger,” I admitted.

  “That’s understandable,” Lucifer told me. “When Beatrice was in danger, I was just as worried—not as irrational, mind you.”

  I decided to keep my opinion on that subject to myself. Lucifer had been very irrational at the time. “I always thought that, when I found the right Persephone, she’d be dif
ferent.”

  “Did you think she’d be easier to control?” Lucifer asked with a laugh. “Don’t be afraid to answer that question. This conversation will remain between us.”

  “Yes, but I like her the way she is,” I admitted. “That, more than anything, proves I’m insane.”

  Lucifer let out a bark of laughter. “I didn’t need any more evidence of your insanity. So, are you going with us to The Cauldron?”

  “If I must,” I replied. “Let’s go deal with the demon in the interrogation room. He’s likely already pissed himself.”

  Lucifer chuckled. “He looked absolutely terrified when I dragged him from the detention area.”

  We’d been in the middle of interrogating the guards and prisoners Jetrana had gathered when we’d been forced to go back into the detention area to deal with a new problem.

  “He should be,” I grumbled. “Stabbing a guard? That idiot is lucky we aren’t letting the guard interrogate him.”

  “This seems to be our day for dumbasses in this prison,” Lucifer said with a sigh. “Before we head back, I need to send Beatrice a message telling her we can’t go tonight. We’ll have to go tomorrow, after Persephone gets off work. You’re really planning to join us?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it,” I replied with a forced grin.

  “It won’t be that bad,” he assured me. “You may even decide you like going out in public.”

  Not likely, but I still planned to be by Persephone’s side to keep her safe.

  Chapter 34

  The Strategist

  “Do you think Hades believes there’s no longer a threat to the witch?”

  With my back to her, Hera didn’t see me roll my eyes. “They just left here a few hours ago,” I reminded her.

  I’d headed to my own temple to avoid everyone, but Hera had decided to track me down.

  “So, he should be ready to send her back to the human realm,” Hera deduced.

  “I seriously doubt that,” I muttered. “Did Hermes talk to Azrael?”

  Hera nodded. “Yes, but I’m still not sure it will do us any good.”