He wanted her...oh Hell, how he wanted her. Blearily, he peered over her shoulder at the couch. He wouldn't make it that far. Maybe if he lifted her onto the bench...His back slammed into the fridge and he forgot about the bench. Mel's body pinned his to the metal and it didn't matter where as long as it was now. Oh God, MEL...
She released him and he almost fell. He stared at her, hurt. What had he done wrong?
"The water's boiling and we should probably turn both burners off if we're not going to use them," Mel said, wiping her mouth with her hand. She looked as flushed as he felt, but her grin showed no guilt.
Luce glanced at the stove. The water was boiling over – hissing into steam as it threatened to extinguish the burner flame beneath it. How had he missed the sound?
"I'll make us some tea and you make breakfast. We need to get into the city for that meeting at ten," Mel said, regret in her tone.
"And maybe later we can finish what we started?" Luce asked eagerly.
"Yes. Later, Luce." The look she gave him held unmistakeable love. No one had ever looked at him like that before.
His heart swelled in his chest. Miracles did happen. He was an angel again and Mel loved HIM.
Three
Dressed in his still slightly damp suit, Luce slid into his car. He'd parked it halfway up Mel's street, in the only available spot, but the walk seemed a lot shorter now in dry daylight with Mel by his side. He couldn't keep the smile off his face as she climbed into the passenger seat beside him.
Her eyes were serious. "If you drive like a maniac, I will get out and walk. You only get one warning."
He winked. "Yes, ma'am. I'll be the smoothest chauffeur you ever had, I swear. I'll have you naked in the back seat before you can – "
"Luce. That really is enough."
He waited for her to click her seatbelt into place over her pale grey suit skirt before he pulled his black Jaguar smoothly out of the tight space, letting his blissful mood infuse his driving. He was in no hurry.
Mel watched the traffic as he drove, occasionally glancing at him but shifting her gaze before he could meet her eyes. He wondered what he'd missed of her telephone conversation before he'd interrupted and what sort of favour she'd be asking for – and from whom.
He turned into the HELL Corporation garage entrance, swiping his passcard to open the gate as he nodded to the guard. He drove automatically to his personal car bay on the second level down, only to stop in shock as he saw it occupied by a bright yellow smart car.
"Persi's car," Mel said.
Luce yanked the steering wheel around and parked his car in the general HELL Corporation space beside the tiny irritant in his parking spot. He sat glowering at it and all it symbolised, before realising that Mel stood outside his door, waiting. He hurried to get out so she wouldn't leave without him, but she didn't seem to be in a hurry. He locked the car and turned on the alarm at a touch. Mel extended her hand toward him.
He held out the keys, unsure. "What do you want?" An unfamiliar desire to give her anything she asked for swept over him, confusing him even more.
She smiled gently. "Your hand, Luce. I'd like to walk down the street, holding your hand, if you don't mind. I don't keep secrets easily – I prefer an open declaration, where possible."
He shoved the keys in his pocket and grabbed her hand. "Let's go."
Mel's laughter echoed through the underground car park, but Luce liked the sound. There was no cruelty in it – she laughed for joy, he knew.
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.
Four
"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 Gabri
elle, 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."
Five
"You owe me a favour, Raphael," Mel stated. "I'd like to use it to clear up some of the mess resulting from this assignment."
"If you want him changed back into a demon, I'm sure Michael would be happy to help," Raphael replied eagerly.
"No!" Mel and Luce said together. Luce looked at her in surprise, but she had more to say.
"I want you to arrange an invitation for Luce to re-enter Heaven, Raphael. He's been kept out for long enough. I'm happy to explain his case up there in person, if required."
Both men stared at her.
"Michael won't be happy about this," Raphael said, shaking his head. "I should never have brought you in on this assignment. Now..."
"Michael's never happy," Mel replied abruptly, but she didn't elaborate.
Luce looked from one to the other, wondering what was going unsaid in this exchange. He hoped it was more about Michael's insecurities than anything to do with him. He'd never liked Michael, not after what he'd done to him. If Michael was miserable, that was fine by him. Served the righteous bastard right.
"It'll take some time and a lot of work, Mel. I'll find him somewhere to stay in the meantime," Raphael muttered, as if Luce wasn't sitting right in front of him. "It won't be up to his normal opulent standard, but if he's serious about joining our ranks, he'll just have to make do..."
"Luce, you're welcome to stay with me for as long as you need to," Mel said.
That sounded pretty good to him. Luce cleared his throat. "Thank you."
"Michael really won't like that at all," Raphael said, looking even more worried.
Mel rose to her feet. "Michael isn't my keeper. Perhaps he needs to realise that there are some things he can't control." She bowed her head slightly to Raphael. "Thank you. Let me know when you have more to tell me."
Luce stood, too, opening the office door so they could leave the stuffy space.
"Mel, you know Michael's only trying to protect you," Raphael said urgently. "Don't let his charm win you over. Remember who and what he is."
Mel's voice was cold. "I know what Michael's trying to do and it wouldn't be necessary if he'd taken my advice, instead of picking and choosing the bits he liked best. I'm under no illusions about Luce. I wish I could say the same about Michael's perception of me."
Luce couldn't hide his smile. It sounded like Mel and Michael had a history that hadn't ended well. He swore he'd be better to her than that idiot of an overprotective archangel. Whatever it took.
Six
Luce tried not to show how relieved he felt to hear the HAA door close behind them as they reached the street. "Would you like to grab a coffee or maybe an early lunch?" he asked Mel.
"Sure," she said.
They headed to a nearby café, where they both ordered coffee before sitting at a table at the very back. Partway between the coffee rush and the lunch rush, Luce knew the café's emptiness wouldn't last, but they could take advantage of it while it did.
Luce opened his mouth to ask Mel about her relationship with Michael.
"Gah! That was a bloody waste of time," a loud, male voice complained. Timber creaked as the man sat down at the table beside Luce and Mel.
"No, it wasn't. Those suits were perfect. You'll match the bridesmaids and the flowers, so it'll be a real wedding to remember. Just think of the photos..." the girl said dreamily as she sat in the chair across from him.
Mel covered her smile, clearly trying not to laugh. She evidently knew more about this couple and their wedding than Luce did.
"I AM thinking of the photos – we'll have them for the rest of our lives. I'm not getting married in a hot pink suit!" the man protested.
Luce burst out laughing.
The girl glared at Luce, then pursed her mouth as she turned her eyes back to her fiancé. "I thought you'd do anything for me. Now you won't even wear the suit I want you to at our wedding. Maybe you don't want to marry me at all." She rose to her full height, which would barely have reached Luce's chest. She gave a little snort and a nod, before turning her back on her fiancé to stride angrily out of the café.
Mel reached over and touched the man's arm. "Tell her you would do anything for her. Swim through sharks, give your life to save hers," she whispered.
The man pulled his arm irritably away from Mel as he stood up. Luce felt bad for her – she'd only tried to help, after all. He hoped she wouldn't be hurt. After all, humans weren't known for taking advice from strangers and maybe the bloke was better off without his bridezilla.
"Jess, I would do
almost anything for you!" the man shouted. "I'd swim through a school of sharks at Trigg Beach to get to you. I'd fend off an entire gang of bikies if they threatened to hurt you."
The girl stopped and turned around.
Luce recovered from his shock quickly. "Say you'd walk through Hell for her," he suggested. "Naked."
The bloke stared at him. "That's a fucking crazy idea. Who'd walk through Hell naked?" He turned back to Jess. "And I'd marry you in my birthday suit on Swanbourne Beach if that's what you want, but if I make my brothers and my best mate wear pink suits, they'll kill me before the wedding!"
Some of the other café patrons started cheering and Jess sported a hot pink blush. "I couldn't get married on Swanbourne Beach. I've already ordered my dress and my underwear..."
The bloke shoved his way through tables to get to her and the cheering grew louder as the couple kissed. They left without ordering.
Luce turned back to Mel to find her staring at him. "What?"
"Who would walk through Hell naked?" she asked.
Luce shrugged. "I do it all the time. Well, usually with the horns, the tail, the red skin...you know, the whole works. People seem to expect it on occasion. Keeps the other demons in order, but clothes would just spoil the effect..." He broke off as he heard the rattle of crockery.
"Your coffee?" a frightened-looking waitress stammered, the tray shaking in her hands.
Seven
Luce's espresso contrasted nicely with Mel's macchiato, he thought. She hadn’t seen his wings yet, though she'd certainly seen the rest of him last night. He'd been proud to be able to please an angel with his physique, when she was so accustomed to angelic perfection. She'd certainly appreciated his technique, too...
"Luce," Mel called. It sounded like it wasn't the first time, either.
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