by Multiple
At the insistent probing of his tongue, she opened her mouth, let him sweep in and plunder, unable to stop the shudders of her body or her escaping moans. His hands roamed her back, sliding up and down her shirt before moving lower to cup her buttocks. He squeezed – she gasped, a sound he caught with a chuckle.
Madness. Pure insanity. What else could explain why she necked with him in the hall? Especially with a bed not far away.
The degree of her wantonness finally shocked her back to reality and she pulled away from Remy, lips swollen and her body screaming for her to go on.
Grasping the knob to her door, she took a steadying breath before saying, “Good night.”
“Don’t you mean come in? And by in, I’m talking about that sweet spot between your legs.”
And with his crude come-on line, the remainder of the seductive spell shattered. She pursed her lips. “Not necessary. I’ve got Big D for that, but thanks for getting me warmed up. I’d run out of lube, so the natural honey will come in handy.” And with that tart rejoinder, she slammed the door in Remy’s astonished face.
Safe in the haven of her home – unless he chose to batter down the door again – she waited. Listened. Not a sound came through the thick barrier. Not a knock or shudder. No splinters flying.
He left.
No, she wasn’t disappointed, she thought as her shoulders slumped. Just relieved she wouldn’t have to put up with him. Yeah. Right.
Feet dragging, she stripped as she headed to her bedroom, the air kissing her skin, not cooling the fever still coursing through her veins at all.
Why didn’t I invite him in? He would have accepted. He would have fucked her until she went cross-eyed with pleasure. She knew that for a fact. Would have enjoyed it too. And even better, he wasn’t the type to want a relationship. With him she’d get exactly what he promised. No strings sex.
And it was long overdue.
However, and herein lay the problem – could she get that close to someone without getting attached? Despite her brave taunts and boasts, and general dislike of demons, she couldn’t say, not anymore at any rate, that she hated Remy. On the contrary, the more time they spent together, the more she actually liked him. Liked him, liked him. Which is so fucking wrong. Remy was not boyfriend material. And I don’t want a boyfriend.
Or at least not one whose number was scrawled in every public women’s washroom in Hell. For a great fuck call…
She sighed as she sank onto her mattress. Had loneliness finally driven her over the edge? Was she at last desperate enough for a man in her life that she imagined feelings for the worst possible candidate?
Or maybe I’m just really horny.
That was something she could fix. Grabbing Big D from her nightstand drawer, she tried to not compare his cold, plastic size to the hard bulge she recalled Remy sporting. As she slid it between her thighs, she tried not to pretend it was Remy sinking into her instead. Remy thrusting into her, fucking her, caressing her. Loving me…
When she cried out in climax, it was his face she saw, his name she uttered.
Lying there, her body calming, she cursed the way he’d completely captivated her mind and body. How to erase the spell? How to erase him?
The phone on her nightstand rang. Grabbing it, she snarled, “What?”
“I just wanted to ask how I was? Because you were superb,” he purred.
How did he…? What did he…? Arousal came blasting back at his words, pissing her off. “Felipe was awesome.”
“Who?” he growled.
“Felipe, my fuck buddy. Haven’t I mentioned him before? Well, he was waiting for me inside, and mmmm.” She paused for effect. “Let’s just say it was screaming, creaming fun. And if you don’t mind, I’ve got to go. It’s time for round two.”
The hellish buzz as he slammed the receiver down didn’t please her as much as expected. And despite the fact she stayed awake for a while, the door never got busted down. Remy never arrived in a jealous rage to kick her invisible lover’s ass.
The jerk.
*
Lucifer bit into his foot long dog – a daschund/collie mix with a touch of mustard and hot sauce. Mmm, nothing like it. And to think, the mortals used ground pork and beef sausages in their version. Taking another mouthful he couldn’t immediately answer when Remy plopped onto the kitchen stool beside him with a growled, “She’s got a boyfriend!”
Swallowing, he tried to make sense of his soldier’s words. “Who does?”
“The witch. Ysabel. I just called her to wish goodnight and she hung up on me so she could go round two with Felipe.” Remy’s lip and tone curled in disgust.
Nope, he couldn’t help himself. Lucifer snorted, then chuckled.
“What’s so funny, boss?”
“You, believing her. Ysabel hasn’t been with a man since her one and only lover fucked her over.” Not that Lucifer cared. Francisco’s mistake earned him a five hundred year contract and a soul.
“Are you saying she made it up?”
“Felipe is the name of her cat. And last I heard, she wasn’t into animals. Besides, who cares if she did have a boyfriend? It’s not like you’re interested?” Lucifer took another bite of his dog while slyly watching his conflicted minion. It really entertained him to no end to watch Remy fighting his emotions.
“Of course I’m not interested. She’s just an assignment.”
Lucifer snorted, and a flame shot out, singeing his pickle. “While I appreciate the lying, even I’m not that stupid. You like the girl.”
“Maybe. But she hates me.”
“And when has that ever stopped you?”
“She’s different.”
“Really? Funny, she looks like a woman to me. Two legs. A pair of tits. A hole instead of a rod. Slap her with some of your famous sex mojo, fuck her good and clean her out of your system.”
Features tight, Remy faced him. “She’s more than a hole to fuck. She’s smart, and mouthy. Brave too.”
“Hmm, them sounds like the words of a man looking for more than a quick screw.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“Excuse me? A soldier of Hell scared of an itty bitty woman.”
Remy’s arched brow made Lucifer laugh.
“Okay, she is a force to be reckoned with, but still, it sounds to me like it’s the idea of commitment scaring you, boy.”
“Not exactly. As tearful as this will make the female population, as shocking and unexpected as it is to me, I think I’m ready to settle down with one lucky lady. And I’m pretty sure it’s the witch.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“Um, the fact she’ll probably try to kill me. Actually, she promised to. It’s not exactly what I’d call a good start.”
“So change her mind. Show her a different side of yourself. The one that isn’t sniffing after everything with a pussy. Introduce her to the soldier with dozens of commendations. Let her meet your family.” At Remy’s dropped jaw, Lucifer wryly amended. “On second thought, skip that part.”
“You make it sound easy.”
“Sometimes it is.”
“How did you win over Mother Earth? You guys are complete opposites and yet you seem to make it work.”
Lucifer scowled. “Damnable woman. Don’t speak her name. She’s liable to show up and ruin my snack. I shouldn’t be eating spicy foods before bedtime,” he mimed in a high pitched voice. “That’s what a bottle full of antacids is for.”
“But I got the impression you liked her?”
Lucifer rolled his eyes. “Of course I do. But it doesn’t mean we don’t have our differences, boy. It’s part of what makes our relationship fresh and exciting. I disobey her. She punishes me. I get all bad ass with her, and then chase her around the castle while she giggles and strips.”
“Um, too much information, boss.”
“No, too much info would be me inviting you to see the home video I made. But, we’re getting off topic. Forget about my fabulous sex l
ife, hard I know since I am so wonderful, and let’s focus on you, which again goes against the grain, considering Hell revolves around me. Stop acting like a pussy with the witch, and get on with it. You want her. She wants you or she would have turned you into a bug and squashed you. Everything else will work itself out as you go along.”
Remy straightened. “You’re right. I am a soldier in Hell’s army. Nothing defeats me. I shall take an example from the greatest womanizer Hell has known and –”
“Shhh! Are you trying to get me kicked out of bed again? Gaia hates it when people remind her of my reputation.”
“You mean that of a manwhore?” The petite form of Mother Earth appeared suddenly, and Lucifer just about fell off his stool.
“Would you knock first?” he exclaimed.
“But then I wouldn’t hear you basking in the admiration of all the times you cheated on me,” she snapped, green eyes glowing.
“For the millionth time, I didn’t even know we were a couple. How convenient of you to forget the spell you used on me. Remember the one that wiped all my memories of you?”
She sniffed. “A man who truly loved me would have still known and not strayed.”
“We were on a break!” Lucifer yelled.
“That excuse didn’t work for Ross, and it won’t work for you,” she sassed back.
“Um, I think I should leave.” Remy eased off his stool and backed away. Gaia turned her fierce gaze on him, and eyes wide, his demon turned tail and fled.
Laughing Gaia bounced into Lucifer’s lap. “That was fun, even if I don’t know who that was.”
“He’s my first attempt at an experiment.”
“An experiment in what?” she asked.
“Who cares about work, when I’ve got something more interesting to show you,” he replied with a leer, not ready to divulge his master plan. Lucky for him, she found his hard problem intriguing. And no, he didn’t mean his dick. Sick perverts. Although, he did give it to her when he bent her over the newest rock he’d added to the garden as a present for her. Shaped like a penis, it seemed only fitting, especially when she commented on its spectacular size.
Chapter Eight
The knock at the door made her drop the armful of ice in the tub with a loud clatter. She planned to use the polar bath as a way of soothing her body after the flames died down. It cost her several potions and a curse to get this much ice at one time, given Hell’s climate wasn’t exactly conducive to ice-making.
Basic mortal things, like refrigerators, tended to work only sporadically or not at all. Some of the blame resided on the power generators for each circle. It took a lot of damned souls to pedal the bikes that spun the turbines to create electricity. If a pandemic took a section out – Hell not being immune to sickness, unfortunately – then brown outs occurred. Less in the Lord’s palace of course, given he got prime pick of pedal pushers, but still, a person couldn’t always rely on their electronics.
Not that Ysabel minded. She’d grown up in far more primitive conditions. As a matter of fact, she still refused to cave to the modern trend of owning a hellphone or posting a profile on Hellbook. She left that kind of easy accessibility and openness to the younger witches.
Tub full, she stood back to regard the mound of ice. Already the heat of her home fought to melt it. A rap came again at the entrance, more like an impatient pounding, and she cursed. The clock showed her only a few minutes away from her torture.
I need whoever it is to go away.
She ran to the door and slid open the peek-a-boo slot. Familiar turquoise eyes peered back.
“Little witch, little witch, let me come in,” he chanted in a gruff voice.
A smile curled her lips. “Not by the wart on my chinny chin chin,” she replied. “And before you try huffing and puffing, Nefertiti herself spelled this door. So forget blowing it down.”
“So open it then. I’ve got a lead I think on escapee number three.”
A glance at the clock showed one minute left. “Um, I’m kind of in the middle of something. Can you come back in like half an hour?”
“Why not just let me in and I’ll wait while you do your thing? I promise not to watch, unless you like an audience.”
“I can’t. Please. Just go away. I promise I’ll let you in when you come back.”
His eyes narrowed. “Open this door, Ysabel.”
“No. Now go away. I’ll talk to you in half an hour.” She slammed the slot shut and only allowed herself a moment to lean against the door which shuddered as he hit it with a fist. She didn’t have time to deal with his frustration.
The tickle in her toes started and she ran to the bathroom, dropping her robe as she moved. The fire erupted, and standing on the lava tile in her bathroom, she concentrated on breathing against the spiraling pain and flames.
I mustn’t scream. Remy might still be there, listening. Why that mattered, she couldn’t have said, but it did help her focus for a short moment. But the punishment would not allow her respite. Flames licked up her frame, demolishing her thin underpants and she couldn’t help but scream as the agony tore through her body.
Make it stop. Make it stop. Wishing, praying, pleading didn’t stop the torture.
As the inferno consumed her, her ears roared with the snap of the fire and a glance in her mirror horrified her, for there she stood – a living pyre of fire. She closed her eyes against the brilliant heat, but that just seemed to amplify the pain.
Her knees buckled, but she didn’t fall. Something clasped her and she moaned as she sensed more than saw Remy’s arms wrap around her waist. It had to be him. Who else was crazy enough to break down her door and interrupt?
Forcing open her eyes, eyes that wanted to water but couldn’t as the heat dried up all moisture, she saw the flames, not picky about their choice of combustion material, as they danced upon his skin. Even caught in her own nightmare, she knew enough to try and push him away with hands that glowed inferno bright.
He wouldn’t budge, and he didn’t scream – just held her as the curse ran its course.
Without being told, once the flames disappeared, he placed her in the ice bath, the shocking cold a welcome relief. Gasping from the pain, she couldn’t speak but remained aware of how he stroked her hair back from her face and how his arm rested around her shoulders, cradling her.
“Oh, my poor little witch,” he murmured. “No wonder you’ve been hiding.”
Teeth chattering as the cold penetrated her feverish limbs, she tried to reply. “Wh-what c-c-can I say? I’m h-h-hot.”
He didn’t laugh and she opened her eyes to see him staring at her with a tight expression. “How long has this been happening? And why?”
“S-s-since the souls es-escaped. And it won’t stop until I get them back.” As the chill seeped into her body, numbing her enflamed, yet undamaged nerves, she relaxed. “According to my contract, I will suffer the method of my death daily, the time of burning increasing with each day they are loose.”
“You burned alive!” It was less a question and more a shocked statement.
“It’s what they did to witches back in the day,” she said lightly. She shifted in her ice bath, clarity returning quickly now the curse had run its course for the day. It occurred to her at that moment she was naked. Not that Remy seemed to notice. He seemed too intent on her method of death. For some reason it miffed her.
“These souls, they had a hand in your burning?”
“Very much so. Pedro, Emmanuelle, and Alvaro were avid participants.”
“And the woman, Luysa and her son, Francisco?”
A sigh escaped her. How much of the truth should she relay? “Luysa was the one who headed the mob and the decision to burn me as a witch. I was involved with her son, and she couldn’t handle it. Thought I wasn’t good enough for her precious, baby boy.”
“You loved him?”
“I did. And I thought he loved me back.”
“But?”
Her words emerged low and
steely. “He arrived in time to save me. To do something. But he never loved me. It was all lies. He watched me burn.” He proved that love didn’t matter. That no matter how well she knew a person, she could never truly trust them. People only ever looked out for themselves.
Remy jumped to his feet and paced the small amount of floor in the bathroom. “Fucking son of a bitch. I am going to rip his arm off and beat him with it. I am going to shove hot coals up his –”
“Why are you so mad?” she asked, distracting him with words as she stood from the tub. With her back to him, she reached for her robe. Her fingers never managed to clasp the fabric, as he spun her around and yanked her close. Damp, chilled flesh met the heat of his chest. It sent a shock through her, a pleasurable one. It was then she noticed that while his skin survived the fire, his shirt hadn’t. His pants, obviously a more flame retardant material, at least still covered him – how unfortunate. I’ll bet he’s a sight to see fully naked.
Where that surprising idea came from, she didn’t know, but once thought, she couldn’t deny a curiosity. Just how well-endowed was he?
“Why am I mad?” He seemed surprised by her question. “I’m pissed because this Francisco fellow is a grade A asshole who let his psycho mother torch you to death.”
“I still don’t get why you care. You didn’t know me back then and I’ve pretty much gotten over it.”
“Liar. What he did haunts you still so much that you won’t let another man get close to you. You fear commitment.”
How did he guess? Or was he fishing? “What are you talking about? I had Felipe over just last night.”
“I know that’s the name of your cat, just like I know you’ve not been with a man since your death.”
“Lucifer,” she growled. Stupid boss, getting involved in her business as usual. “If you give me any frigid or lesbian jokes I’m going to hurt you.”
“No jokes. I’m glad you’ve sworn off men.”
Puzzle, her brow creased. “You are. Why?”
“Because five hundred years of celibacy makes you practically a virgin. Untouched and so tempting. It makes the fact you kissed me and want me special.”