Chapter 12
“One thing being in politics has taught me is that
men are not a reasoned or reasonable sex.”
-Margaret Thatcher
“Good luck tomorrow,” Gabriel called from the elevator as Maalik and I waved my guests goodbye. I gave him a tight smile, quietly begging him for secrecy. I didn’t need it getting back to the enemy that I was preparing for them. Gabriel winked at me, reading my thoughts with the “ah-ha!” awareness normally reserved for crossword puzzles.
The elevator doors slid shut. I sighed and shut my own door as I kicked my heels off. Maalik hummed a giddy tune as he cleared the table and began washing dishes. He would have made a nice little house-angel if he wasn’t so tied up in politics and micromanaging my life.
There was a tension between us lately, even though he liked to ignore it. Sometimes, I wished I could ignore it too. He meant well, even if he was becoming a tad controlling. Maybe I could ignore that tonight. I just wanted some vision of perfection, even if it was tangled through with deception. I deserved some peace. And sex. Nothing like a near death experience to hike up the libido. Apparently, Maalik thought so too. I put the left over wine in the fridge and turned to find my angel waiting behind me, his eyes twinkling mischievously.
I smiled at him and tilted my head to one side. “So, first dinner party. How’d I do?”
“Perfect.” He stared at me a moment longer and then smashed me against the fridge with a kiss, grating his teeth against my lips as I curled my legs around him. His wings fluttered, lifting high enough so that they wouldn’t be crushed. I reached up and pulled at his curly mane, breaking the kiss with a desperate breath. Maalik dipped lower and nuzzled against my neck, moaning his frustrations into the thin fabric over my breasts. I gasped and tugged at his hair again while his hands worked their way down my back, hunting for a way to take the dress off without ripping it to shreds.
We just didn’t do this enough anymore. Every time felt urgent, like I might explode with need. How had I gone so long without this, without him hurling me into oblivion, that dark place where nothing mattered, save for a blissful moment? Well, okay, a blissful hour.
Maalik found the workings of my dress and stripped me of it as I freed him of his robe. We migrated through the condo, stopping first at the dining table, then the couch. We lingered longer in the shower, where Maalik showed me just how useful the birdbath could be. We finished on the king-sized bed in my room, still half-wrapped in towels and glistening from the shower.
I sprawled myself across the pillows and waited for my heart to slow. Maalik lay on his stomach and stretched his wings out above us, drying them more completely now that we were good and spent. I smiled up at the feathered canopy and reached up to smooth my fingers along his minor coverts, the fluffy, uppermost feathers of his wing that could almost pass for fur. His had a dusty silver tint that sparkled as he shuddered at my touch.
Maalik’s wings were far larger and stronger than the average bird, but they were still hollow like a bird, so we had to take a little precaution not to crush them when we tumbled around in our lusty fits. That precaution had gone out the door with our guests tonight. I strummed my fingers along the bony line of his wing and counted my lucky stars that it felt intact and he didn’t flinch from any overlooked fractures. Gabriel had cracked his ulna a few years back, and he had spent a whole week laid over my coffee table with his bandaged wing tucked and quivering. Not a pretty sight.
“I was thinking,” Maalik said softly, distracting me from the hypnosis of his wings. “Maybe you could wait until next year to finish your schooling and apply for the Posy Unit. Grim would surly understand, given your situation. I just can’t imagine he would expect you to commute to school, at least not without protection of some kind, like the Nephilim Guard. Even then, you can’t be expected to produce good test scores under this sort of stress-”
“Shut up.” I closed my eyes.
“What?” Maalik jerked next to me.
“Shut up,” I said louder. I was going to scream, just scream forever. This had to stop, right here. If I argued with him one more time, just to find out he had gone and altered yet another element of my life without my permission, I would crack his ulna.
“Don’t you think you’ve forced enough changes in my life for one day?” I snapped.
“Is this place really so bad?” He pulled his wings back in with a hissing wind.
“Enough already. Leave my life to me. I’m a big girl, and I know what I’m doing. I will continue with school, I will do the demon training, and I will, I will be on the Posy Unit in two weeks.”
“Are you so confident of my vote?” His jaw flexed, giving his glare a frightening angle.
“I don’t need your vote. There are eight other council members.” I sat up and reached for my robe, but Maalik caught my arm and jerked me back to him.
“Don’t be stupid, Lana. I respect your decisions, when they are made wisely. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
I looked down at his fingers, digging into my arm. “Let go, or so help me-”
Maalik flung my arm away and pulled his knees up to rest his arms on. “I won’t force any more changes on you.” He raked his hands through his tangled curls. “I trust you to make the right decisions on your own. I just hope you figure out what those decisions are before it’s too late.”
“I liked you better when you were cooking dinner.” I smacked him with a pillow. He caught it and scooped me into him, squashing the pillow between us.
“And I liked you better when you weren’t so ambitious.”
“Look who’s talking, Mr. Councilman.”
Maalik laughed and tucked me in his arms as we snuggled back into the pillows. Sleep came, but not soon enough. I was still privately panicking. What if he had already gone and withdrawn me from my classes? Or told Bub I refused the training? Or just outright bought me from Grim, like some sort of pet or slave? Okay, so that last one was a little iffy. Should a girl really have to consider these things about her angel?
Chapter 13
“God so loved the world that he made up his mind
to damn a large majority of the human race.”
-Robert G. Ingersoll
The gates of Hell were quiet Thursday morning. I spied Lucifer and Charon sharing a cup of coffee through the dusty windows of the Styx Stop, a little café along the coast of the Sea of Eternity. The River Styx mostly ran parallel to the Phlegethon, the boiling river of blood leading inland. But where the two came near the edge of the sea, they curled back and away from each other. While the Phlegethon twisted around towards the smoking lands of Jahannam, the Styx turned sharply eastward, leading the long way to Tartarus, the shrinking Greek underworld.
The Styx Stop was one of a zillion along the most famous river in all the underworlds. The franchise had been a business investment of Hades’ after his territory had dwindled down from the size of a large country to that of a playground. It was his retirement plan, you could say. He and Persephone were real homebodies anymore, only showing up at the Oracle Ball two or three times a century.
I tucked away the coin Bub had given me and stuffed my hands in the pockets of my jean jacket before making my way inside the Styx Stop.
Charon looked up from his coffee and waved a bony hand at me. “Lana, long time no see.”
“Yes,” Lucifer added with a smile. “What brings you to the mouth of Hell so early?”
“No deliveries for me today.” I laughed, taking a seat next to Charon. “I was supposed to meet Bub here.” I checked my watch. “Ten minutes ago.”
“That boy would be late for the apocalypse, I swear.” Lucifer shook his head before taking another sip from his mug. He was dressed more casually than I was used to, which was oddly comforting. His black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and he wore khakis with a green polo shirt. Not exactly an ensemble most humans would have pictured him in.
A horned waitress scampered over to our ta
ble and asked for my order, casting flirty glances at both men. I ordered a cup of coffee to go, just in case Bub decided to show up and whisk me off.
“I hear they’re still looking for that goddess that went missing last fall over on your side of the pond.” Lucifer jumped in with the not-so-small talk.
“Yeah,” I answered with a quick nod.
He waited for an uncomfortable moment, eyeing me with that expectant look people get when they want you to elaborate. The horny waitress set my coffee on the table as she zipped by, not even waiting for a thank you. I picked it up and nearly bit a chunk of Styrofoam off as I took a nervous drink.
“Grim has the Nephilim Guard and Anubis. He’ll sort it all out,” I said, hoping that would turn away Lucifer’s questioning stare.
“Ah, the Nephilim Guard. So it’s true? We hear so many stories over here. Never know which ones to believe.”
Charon set his coffee down, grinning at Lucifer. “I think you owe me a coin, daddy-o.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Lucifer managed to grin and grimace at the same time as he dug around in his pocket. “Never make bets with public transporters. They hear too much,” he warned, flipping a coin at the gloating ferryman.
The front door jingled, and Bub entered the café, drawing heated glances from every horned lady in sight. He wore faded blue jeans and an orange button-up with the sleeves rolled up, showing off the lean muscles of his forearms. Right then, I decided it didn’t matter what he wore. He was edible. I wondered how many hours I was going to have to restrain myself from taking a bite.
“Morning, gentlemen.” Bub took a seat next to Lucifer.
“About time.” Lucifer elbowed him in the arm. “Keeping a pretty girl like her waiting. What’s the matter with you boy?”
Bub only chuckled at the chiding. “Long night, Luce. Long night.”
The horned waitress appeared at our table again, looking flustered as ever, eyes darting from Lucifer to Bub.
“Bring me a strong one, pet. Soup it up will all the sweets and creams, won’t you?” Bub ordered before she managed to find her voice. She nodded and scampered away.
“So what have the two of you got planned for today?” Charon asked, sticking his nose right in our business by way of innocent small talk. I’d assumed Lucifer knew about the training since he was on the Hell Committee, but I was curious to see how Bub was covering it up for everyone else. I’d probably need a cover eventually, too.
“You didn’t hear?” Bub gave him an astonished look. “Grim commissioned me to organize the placement ceremony this year. Lana’s agreed to help me with the smaller details. Sort of an extra credit project.”
It was all I could do not to look as confounded as Charon. It was so ridiculous, it was almost believable.
“Oh.” The ferryman frowned and took a sip of his coffee. “I didn’t know you were in the party planning business.”
Bub shrugged. “I throw one hell of a party. Why not cash in on the skill?”
“I suppose.”
“We better get going,” Bub said just as the waitress delivered his coffee. We said our goodbyes and left the café, walking east along the Styx shore, towards Tartarus.
“Seriously? I could have come up with a better cover than that.” I snorted.
“It’s not just a cover. It’s the truth,” Bub said with a grin.
“What? Grim really put you in charge of the placement ceremony?”
“Is that so hard to believe?” His ears grew pink. “Haven’t you ever been to one of my parties? They’re to die for.”
“Sorry, I’ve been trying too hard not to die lately.”
“Let’s see if we can’t improve your technique.” Bub placed a hand on my lower back, steering me towards a small dock where a tired, old houseboat waited. “I think it would be best if we train at my summer home in Tartarus. It’s more secluded. We’ll draw less suspicion than if we went to my flat in Pandemonium.”
We climbed onboard and Bub untied the ropes from the dock. The boat ran smooth, despite its antique appearance. Bub stationed himself at an oversized steering wheel anchored to a platform in the center of the front deck. The breeze tugged at the collar of his shirt and pushed back his dark hair that was free of gel today. He looked relaxed and comfortable. I imagined this was how he spent many of his weekends in Hell.
I expected the uncomfortable silence to be, well, more uncomfortable, but the soft hum of the boat, the sloshing river water, and the gentle whisper of the wind filled the void and set me at ease. I pressed my back against the railing and stretched my arms out to grip the weathered wood, tilting my head back to keep my curls out of my face. Bub gave me a strange smile.
“I’ve never been to Heaven, but I can’t imagine it being any better than this, right here,” he said.
I couldn’t help but smile back. “You’re not missing much. It smells like frosting and it’s far too bright.”
Bub laughed, showing his brilliant white smile and faint dimples to either side of his goatee.
We rode along in silence for another hour or so before the parched land of Tartarus came into view. The dock we pulled up to was a private one with only one other boat tied to it. It was a red speed boat with a demon pinup silhouette stenciled on the side. Curly letters sprawled beneath her spelling out Solve Lora Infernis Latin for “Unleash Hell”.
Bub’s summer home was a combination of a small stone castle and a log cabin. It rested on a sandy hillside about a quarter mile from the boat dock. There was a walking path, part stone and part wooden steps, which led the way.
The landscape of Tartarus was mostly desert, with red mountains lingering in the distance. A few gray trees and shrubs were scattered about, but nothing else for as far as I could see. It was eerie, but somehow reassuring. No one would be sneaking up on us here.
“Welcome back, sir.” An old, demon butler greeted us at the front door. He nodded his horned head at me in a friendly gesture. “Would you like me to take your jacket, madam?”
“Thank you,” I said, sliding out of my jacket and revealing my sleeveless black turtleneck that conveniently hid the blistered handprint on my neck. It was still too soon to tell if it would scar, but I wasn’t holding my breath. I had a bad feeling that there were a lot of turtlenecks in my future.
“Why don’t you start up some lunch, Jack? We might be here a while,” Bub said.
“Yes, sir.” Jack nodded and hurried away with my jacket.
Bub led me through the foyer and into a dark room that sank down a few steps. A couple leather sofas rested around a coffee table to the left, while a pool table filled the other side of the room. A big screen television was anchored to the wall behind a fully stocked bar in the corner. It was the ultimate bachelor pad. I could smell the testosterone.
“Have a seat. Would you like a drink?” Bub stepped behind the bar and pulled a bottle down from a shelf.
“Water’s fine.” I sat down on one of the leather sofas.
“Of course, you’d expect me to serve you ice water in Hell.” He chuckled. He mixed a scotch and water in a short glass for himself and brought my ice water in a tall glass. “So what exactly are we going to accomplish here? Are you planning on showing me how to beat a demon at a game of pool or what?”
“You’d be amazed at the things I’ve taught women in this room.” He dropped down on the couch across from me and propped his boots up on the coffee table.
I could feel myself blush as I raised an eyebrow. I took a sip of my water and set it on the table before crossing my arms. Bub just grinned at me while he finished his drink, dipping his forked tongue to lick the bottom of the glass. I was suddenly uncomfortable.
“I have something for you,” he said, opening a drawer under the coffee table. He pulled out a leather pouch and slid around the table to kneel in front of me.
Heat crawled up my face as my body went rigid. The effect he had on me was maddening, but I hadn’t quite concluded that fear was the only culprit. He was certainly
easy on the eyes, and his light English accent turned me to pudding, when I wasn’t smirking about how horridly it went with his backwoods nickname. Come on, how many prim-and-propers do you know who go by Bub?
Bub grinned up at me. “Do you trust me?” he whispered, gently spreading my legs apart.
I frowned. Well, this was nice and awkward. “Sure.” I tried to sound nonchalant, but I think squeaking murdered that affect.
He slid his fingers up one of my calves, drawing a shallow breath from my lips, before caressing my knee and venturing on up to my thigh. I refused to let him intimidate me. I was three hundred years old. These games were for amateurs. My pride swelled with each second I held his eyes with mine, purposely not pulling away to gawk down at what he was doing to my leg. The freak.
“There we go.” He leaned back so I could comfortably examine what he had done. A leather strap was buckled around my upper thigh, holding half a dozen silver, star-shaped blades.
“What’s this?” I pressed a finger to the edge of one, testing its sharpness.
“Throwing stars,” Bub answered as he pulled himself back to his feet. “You need a little more long-range skill if you plan on playing with the demons.”
“A little more?” I laughed. “Perhaps you haven’t seen my resume. I don’t have any long-range skill. That’s always been Josie’s arena.”
“Well, you better start making it yours as well. Demons do not conform to suit your weaknesses. Quite the contrary, in fact. I guess you could say its part of our nature. Sort of like how I play on your fear of intimacy.” He chuckled.
“I do not have a fear of intimacy.” I frowned. “I have a fear of demons chopping my head off.”
“Well, my pretty, let’s get on with your training then.” He walked around the sofas and opened a cabinet on the back wall to reveal a dartboard. “See,” he said with a devilish grin. “You can learn all sorts of things in this room.”
Chapter 14
“I always say shopping is cheaper
2 Pocket Full of Posies Page 7