My body trembled in need. I had never had these out-of-control emotions trample over my common sense. My mind begged for this single moment, with his body pressed against my back, to keep moving forward rather than stop.
But everything did stop the moment that Damien’s voice echoed through the law firm’s library.
“What’s going on?” Damien roared.
Quinn moved back and grabbed his book off the counter. The way he recovered from the moment was miraculous.
Breathless, my eyes closed, I mumbled, “Nothing.”
Quinn grinned and leaned over the counter to whisper. “Keep it in mind. I’ll see you around,” he said just before he turned and glared at my brother.
Damien followed him to the library door to personally ensure that Quinn didn’t get lost on his way to the exit. I could feel my brother’s anger; his dark demeanor surrounded his aura.
“What’s going on here?” Damien asked.
“Nothing. What are you doing here?”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Stupid me, I thought you needed my help. I felt an odd vibe from you that I’ve never felt before.”
“Damien, it’s time for you to disconnect yourself from me just a tad. I’m a grown woman now.”
“A grown woman who allows a man to press his body against her?” he asked angrily.
“Maybe, yes.” I grabbed my notebook and started for the library door. “This anger is coming from a man who’s a womanizer?”
“You’re my sister, Dhellia. You’ve never been—”
I swung around. “And you’re my brother, Damien. What’s your point? Back off and let me grow up.”
“Growing up? Is that what you call what I just saw?”
I left my brother standing there while I mentally tumbled in the lust I had just experienced with Quinn. I had never endured anything so powerful. One thing was for sure, I could get addicted to those nerve endings that this one person seemed to frazzle.
While I daydreamed about Mr. Sable, I heard my boss call my name from across the offices.
“Note to self, I’m not a fan of having a boss. He’s almost as bad as having a father who runs the underworld,” I mumbled before I smiled sweetly.
“Yes, Richard. What can I help you with?”
“My office. Now!” He about-faced and stormed off with his high-rise pants and stick-up-his-ass walk. Richard was a stern man who seemed to hate women. Maybe women had turned him down one too many times and because of that, he hated all women.
In the three days I had worked at the firm, he had never matched a single outfit that he wore to work. Maybe he was colorblind or maybe he simply didn’t care.
Another odd feeling of knots tied together in the pit of my stomach. This emptiness was almost a replica of the nerves-dancing-on-fire feeling I would get when my father would express anger toward me.
My palms sweaty, I left my desk, and walked fifteen feet behind Mr. Richard, replaying everything that had happened during the day.
I know what this is about, I thought. Mr. Quintus Sable must have complained about my attitude.
“Another note to self, keep your attitude in check while at work,” I mumbled.
Richard’s office window covered an entire wall with an open view of one of the many things that I loved on earth: the ocean.
If the Halo man did anything right, it was creating the upstairs of this Earth and its many extraordinary facets. That thought alone would have angered my father. It was one of our many conflicts. I could appreciate the beauty on Earth, but Father despised anything good.
Richard motioned for me to take a seat in front of his desk and he opened a box of cigars and offered me one. I inwardly laughed. Did I look like a cigar smoker? I think he read the expression on my face.
He shrugged, “Sorry, I don’t have candy to offer you.”
I smirked, not sure if I should be offended or pleased with that statement. No, I wouldn’t smoke a cigar, but I wasn’t a child who needed a sucker after a good scolding.
“Listen, Dhellia. I brought you in here to talk with you about Quinn,” Richard said.
I stared at his yellow-stained teeth, which reminded me of a dingy pot of gold. Apparently, he had no real clue how yellow his teeth were because he showed them off while his eyes, every now and then, drifted down to ogle my body. I caught him several times taking mental pictures.
“Mr. Sable?” I asked.
“Yes. He is a big client of this law firm. We represent them on every business transaction they do. This means, we bill them a lot of money each month. I want to make sure he’s happy.”
“Was he upset?” I asked almost shyly.
“No, I wouldn’t say that.”
“Then why are you telling me this?”
“He asked that I allow you to work in his office three days a week.”
“Oh no, sir. I can’t do that.” That was the first thing that entered my mind. How could I spend three days at his office when I was barely able to keep my composure together with three minutes next to that man?
“I already told him you would.” He grinned. “And I told him that you’d do it happily.”
“I can’t.”
“You can and you will,” Richard stood up, and a twitch attacked his right eye.
“What does he need from me?” I almost whined.
“To help him with some of his documents. His father was a great man, I knew him well, but he was a bit of hoarder—an unorganized hoarder.”
“I’m a clerk for this law firm!” I shrieked.
“He’s going to want you to help him prepare legal documents as well.”
“Sir, let me say it again, I’m a clerk in this law firm. As in file clerk, telephone receptionist, and coffee fetcher. I know nothing about actual law.”
“I’ve just promoted you to a legal assistant and I’ve arranged for you to go to law school—all expenses paid by the firm.”
I narrowed my eyes at this man who was showing me his blinding-yellow grill. “Why? I don’t understand.”
“The last thing you want to do is question this good fortune. You’re getting an education for free, a raise, and you don’t have to report to me every day.”
Damn, he had a point. It was a win-win situation, but I disliked that Quintus Sable could pull strings in the law firm like that. It just seemed like there was something else going on. “When do I start law school and when do I start reporting to Mr. Sable?”
“School starts in September. I’ll have you enrolled in a week or so and you’ll start providing your services to Mr. Sable in two weeks.”
“Services?”
“As I said, he will want you to file and organize the business. Apparently, his father left it in shambles. As you learn more about law, you’ll be able to assist him in other areas.”
“So, this will be ongoing?”
He nodded. “What I will need from you is your school and college transcripts.”
School! College! Oh, shit. Think fast, Dhellia. “I was home-schooled,” I said quickly, without thinking that statement through.
“You must have records?”
“A fire.” I lowered my voice to create an element of drama. “A terrible fire ripped through our house and everything was lost.”
“What about the school that you reported to for standards testing?”
Oh my hell, this man was relentless. “My house was right next to the school, next door in fact and well, the fire started there first.” I scrunched my face, hoping he would buy this line of crap.
He tapped his pen on his desk, his face serious. “That’s interesting.” He stared at me for an uncomfortable length of time. “I’ll work around it.” He winked at me. “Just don’t let me down and don’t drop out. If you do, you’ll owe me a whole lot of money.”
“I won’t let you down.”
He nodded for me to leave.
I got to the door and Richard called me again. I halfway turned and waited for his next declaration.<
br />
“Don’t blow it with Mr. Sable. Our firm is relying on you to keep him happy.”
I nodded and cursed under my breath at the same time. Dhellia, the daughter of Satan, had to make a mortal happy—the very mortal who made me shiver when he was near. And if I didn’t make him happy, the firm would lose Sable Construction Company as a client and quite possibly fold as a law firm.
Yeah, like that’s not enough pressure for a twenty year old.
Chapter Eight
I pulled into the driveway of our small home in Long Beach and took a deep breath before I went inside. I had so much to tell my roommates about my crazy third day at work.
When I walked in, I stopped at the doorway to witness another odd event. Jonas was floating over the couch while Gavin was casting some sort of spell on him. I rolled my eyes and walked in, slammed the door and tossed my Versace purse on the chair.
My sudden noise startled Jonas, but Gavin was still casting the spell, which sent Jonas into a spinout. He landed face first on the couch.
I laughed hysterically. Never a dull moment with these two nerds. I shook my head, continued to laugh and went to the fridge. “Anyone want a bottle of vitamin water?”
Jonas sat up. “Shanks Shell,” he slurred.
“You’re welcome.” I closed the fridge and plopped down on the chair, kicked off my four-inch Prada sling backs and swung my legs on the ottoman. “What’s wrong with your speech?”
Gavin sat down on the couch next to Jonas and patted his back. “I told him there’s a six in one chance that he’d go for human blood at some point, if he continued to cut through the hospital on his way to or from the studio.”
“Studio? Hospital? Start over and start from the beginning.”
Gavin sighed, “I’d have this brainiac tell you, but his tongue will be swollen for another two hours.”
“Okay, tell you what. Gavin you tell me what happened and Jonas, you rub my feet.” I figured I would make these roommates useful for something.
Jonas jumped up to come over and rub my feet, but Gavin’s hand stopped him. “He’s not rubbing your feet, your highness. He’s going to lay back and focus on releasing the swelling from his tongue.”
“You’re testy,” I grinned. “So, what kind of studio?”
“A music studio. Jonas is a musician.”
“Get outta here. Are you serious?” I pulled the pillow out from behind my back and threw it at Jonas. “I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah, and he’s quite good. He has a studio that he uses and four other members of the band. Usually, he feeds before band practice but he woke up late. He was hungry. Long story short, he attacked a bag of human blood at the hospital. Apparently, the temptation was just too great.”
“That was smart.” I laughed.
“Yeah, real smart.” Gavin pointed to Jonas’s mouth and Jonas stuck out his tongue. “He’s allergic to human blood, remember? I told him if he continues to take chances, there’s a fifty percent chance he could die because his internal organs are swelling up, too, not just his tongue.”
“Damn, Gavin, that’s a horrible visual.” I drank the last of my vitamin water. “I have a solution.”
Both my roommates perked up.
“Let’s get a glass tank with a lid, fill it with rats, and Jonas can feed on them whenever he wants.”
“Shat’s a goos isea,” Jonas slurred.
“That is a good idea. You’re brilliant, Dhell.”
“I need to talk to you guys about something. I had another brilliant idea and I wanted to get both of your opinions.”
“Anything. What is it?” Gavin asked.
“Gavin, have you ever been in Hell?”
“Actual Hell or the kind of hell that you think you’re in when you’re at a party, past your curfew and your mother does a finding spell. She shows up, crashes the party and finds you in the back room playing chess with four other guys. Because that’s the worst kinds of hell when your mother finds out that you hang out with other guys at a party full of girls.”
“Gavin!” Sometimes I wanted to strangle him. “My father’s kind of hell! Not your mother’s kind of hell.”
“Oh, okay. You mean the fire hell from where our worst nightmares derive.”
I sighed.
“No, Dhell. I’ve toyed with the idea of doing a spell that would let me see into that world, but I didn’t want to play with that kind of dark magic.”
I leaned forward. “Well, do you think you could create a spell that would allow me to navigate through my father’s tunnels without being seen by any demon or spirit?”
Gavin glanced behind him and searched high and low with his eyes.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I’m looking for the hidden camera.”
“I’m serious, you goofball.”
Gavin stood up and paced in front of the couch. “I know you’re his daughter and all, but we’d be taking some serious risks. And for what?”
“For the greatest idea I’ve ever had.”
“Which is? I can’t get on board with this until I know what’s going through your devious mind.”
“Okay, listen. I was at work today and you two called. Your prank call sparked an idea.”
“Okay?”
“What if, I could legally take on my father?”
Jonas glanced at Gavin, “What’s she shalking about?”
“The swelling is going down. Thank goodness,” Gavin said. Then he turned his attention back to me. “What in hell are you talking about?”
I ran my hand through my fiery red hair. “My father has a tendency to treat me like a child. He tries to keep me down.”
“Isn’t that what your father does for a living?” Gavin nudged Jonas and they both laughed.
“Funny. Pay attention. When a soul goes to Hell, they are entitled to a trial by fire. Most souls don’t know that and my father uses that to his advantage. He gives them a mock trial with no representation and they are immediately sentenced.”
Finally, Gavin and Jonas leaned in, actually interested in what I was telling them. Who wouldn’t want to learn the ins and outs of Hell… just in case?
“And now, for some more news. The law firm where you two sent me to work at is going to pay for me to go to law school. Of course, I don’t need a degree to represents souls, but I do need to know a little about law.”
“Human law is different than spiritual law, Dhellia.”
“I know that, Gavin. But, I need the lingo, the know-how and if you can create a spell that would cloak me while I’m in the bowels of Father’s home, I could watch those trials and pick up on my father’s law lingo.”
“Why? We’re protecting you from your father and every demon he has out there looking for you and you are now asking me to let you go right back underground? Why don’t you try to be thankful that you’re out of his reach, so you can live your own life?”
What would have made me think that he’d understand? I could feel the anger boiling my blood. Why didn’t they understand?
I stood and crossed my arms over my chest. “Jonas, you’re a vampire. A year ago, you were a kid on your way to band practice going through skid row. Couldn’t you have taken a different route?”
Jonas shrugged.
“But I digress. Now you’re a vampire and your soul is condemned to hell. Doesn’t that piss you off at all?”
“Of course, but I’m not sure I understand the magnitude of it.”
“Of course you don’t. And what about you, Gavin? You’re a witch.”
“A wizard.”
“Okay, a wizard. Either way, according to things I’ve heard, you’re not accepted by that guy,” I pointed upwards, “because you’re practicing witchcraft and magic. So, where is your soul going to go?”
Gavin fought back his anger. I could tell that by his clenched fists and reddened face. “Where did your mother’s soul go, Dhell?”
“You have no right to talk about my mother.”
/> “Why not? You can talk about us and our souls, why can’t I talk about my distant aunt’s soul?”
“The point is magic man, I have my reasons why I want to confront my father and fight him by representing the souls who ask for a trial.”
“You just want to prove to your father that you can handle things on your own.”
“Don’t all kids want that satisfaction?” I yelled. The window behind Gavin and Jonas shook.
We all stared at each other surprised.
“Looks like our little Dhellia is discovering another power,” Gavin remarked.
“How did I do that?”
“You’re the daughter of Satan, Dhellia. I’m surprised you have never done that before.” Gavin stood and walked toward his bedroom.
Jonas looked at me with empathy, but I ignored him just the same. I’d get them to see things my way at some point and at some point, I’d battle my father, face to face, in a courtroom in hell. I would prove to my father that I could handle myself without him.
Chapter Nine
I tapped lightly on Gavin’s bedroom door, desperate to talk with him about what had just happened in the living room. I heard his muffled reply, not knowing if he were telling me to take a hike or come in and chat. I figured since he had replied, I would walk in even if he told me to go away.
When I opened the door to Gavin’s sanctuary, I stopped and stared in utter awe. His dark room reminded me of a dance floor with a strobe light casting disco-ball images across his wall and bed. The only difference was, there was no strobe ball and the light and images came from a planetary solar system, not just painted on his wall, but in some magical way, it revolved as a 3D masterpiece.
I hadn’t acknowledged Gavin’s presence in the room because my eyes were fixated on the visual effects affixed to his ceiling. “Whoa,” I whispered.
“It’s the perfect escape,” Gavin said.
I glanced toward his voice and saw him lying on top of his bed, his left arm under his head and his gaze fixated on the planets. The light from the solar system reflected off his glasses.
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