Hell in Heels

by Adrianna Morgan

  I looked at my dad. Why was he giving me the third degree? He knew that Evan and I shared a relationship. Evan had been banished to Hell by a witch. Had dinner with the family and a few demons. Fought religious fanatics to save Orthus with Luc. I was sure Evan didn’t go through all of that because he was bored on a Saturday night. “Yes, I’m sure.”

  My dad nodded. “And that’s where your feelings end? At care?”

  My breath caught in my throat. I already knew I felt more than caring about Evan. He came unbidden to my mind and I greedily grasped onto the image burning in my head. His blonde hair, tousled and shining in the sun that filtered through his window after we’d made love. His blue eyes staring at me, the calm ocean of South Beach reflected in their depths. His strong hands lifting me onto his hard body. The anger in him as my attacker kicked me. Oh, it was much more than caring. I took a deep breath and looked deeply into my dad’s dark eyes.

  “I love him.” I said simply, finally admitting the truth to myself. I didn’t elaborate or wax poetry. That wasn’t in my nature. But I could tell my dad knew the depth of my emotions. They were almost bubbling to the surface and I stemmed them back.

  “You love him?” He snorted inelegantly. “You are a demon. What do you know of love? And with a human?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “I know that if given the chance to be with him than in my own home, I would take it,” I retorted. My dad’s eyes darkened, but I did not stop. “I know that if given the chance to give him back his life, I would gladly stay in Hell for eternity. An eternity without him.”

  I breathed out slowly. I had no idea where that statement had come from, but I knew it was true. That was the only way I could keep my promise. Evan deserved more than having his soul stuck here. He was made for the surface. His aura would die here. He needed the sun and the sky and fresh air. I could do without if it meant that he would have his life back. It was the least I could do. I thought about the prospect of living without seeing Evan and my heart felt bereft.

  Could I spend an eternity here without him? I knew I would. It would be hard, but that was the price of being…good for a change. Perhaps, I would be allowed to pop up to the surface every once in a while. Or perhaps dad would make my retraining so intense; I would forget about Evan in a few centuries. I steeled myself for his response.

  “Hmm.” He folded his arms across his chest, the fabric of his shirt stretching across his muscles. His dark red hair was brushed back from his face and his eyes shone like two opals. He stared at me thoughtfully. “I will decide later how you will be punished. For both your disobedience of my orders and for taking my hellhound.” He turned away from me and went back to his ledger. I was dismissed.

  I walked back to my quarters silently. I stepped out onto the solar where Evan and I had ended up after Bri’s banishment spell. I walked over to the window like Evan had done and watched the activity below. Somewhere in all chaos, he was there. He was right now toiling, working, laboring; his punishment for being in Hell. I doubt he thought of me unless it was to curse the day he had ever met me.

  For a moment, his bare body glistening with sweat made my mouth water. My stomach muscles clenched and moisture pooled low in my stomach. I pulled myself together. The man was probably being tortured and I was being turned on. I looked at the lake below in disgust and turned away. I moved to my bed, laid my head on my pillow and closed my eyes in exhaustion. I would have to await my dad’s decision, whether I liked it or not.

  *

  The light playful tickling under my nose caused me to sneeze. Sunlight filtered through my closed eyelids and I resisted the urge to roll over, away from the brightness. The sound of laughter, followed by the splashing of waves reached my ears and I frowned. What the hell? It smelled like I was back in South Beach. My eyes flew open at the thought. Evan leaned over me, his fingers caressing my face. I closed my eyes, not wanting the dream to end.

  Not a dream. A voice echoed in my head.

  My eyes flew open again. Evan grinned at me and leaned in to give me a kiss. Had I heard him in my thoughts? I only shared that link with my family and that included the hellhounds, but no one else. Had I imagined it?

  Nope. You did not imagine it. I can totally hear you.

  I shot upright. Evan laughed at my expression.

  “How-how are you here? And how can you share my link?” I asked bewildered. We were on the beach. All around us tourists and locals played in the water or napped on the sand.

  Evan leaned over and touched his lips to mine. He pulled away reluctantly. “You dad, I suspect. He interrogated me yesterday, asked me how I felt about you and if I cared about you.” He looked over at me. “I told him the truth and today, I woke up next to you.”

  I leaned away from him. “So what was the truth?” I asked. “When he asked if you cared about me, what did you say?”

  Evan shrugged. “I told him I did not care about you.” He kissed the corner of my mouth, smiling at my frown.

  “I told him I loved you. More than life itself,” he kissed me again. “And that I would gladly stay in Hell if it meant being near you.”

  He laughed and pulled me closer to his body, his blue eyes shining at me full of promises. He leaned into me again and captured my lips with his. He probed my mouth and instantly I felt the fire flame between us. His tongue entered my mouth and I opened wider to allow him in as my arms circled his wide shoulders.

  I pulled away from his lips with a smile. “Yeah, I said the exact same thing.”

  ~*~

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