To Hell and Back Read online

  He felt her body relax, even as her arms tightened around him. "Thank you," she said, her voice muffled by his muscles. Not that he was complaining about her lips tickling his nipples. "You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that. I can't imagine HELL without you and I'm not sure I'd want to. No one deals with demons quite the way you can."

  "I'd like to think that I'm good at more than just demon-wrangling," Luce replied. "And with two of us, we'll share the workload so that I can take you out to coffee, to lunch, and maybe schedule some one-on-one meetings where we lock the office door and I can show you all of my talents." He grinned at the ceiling. "You'll have to wear a skirt to work every day."

  Mel slid out of bed and reached for her nightgown, letting the pale gold satin caress her curves as it slid over her skin. "It all sounds lovely," she said carefully, "but I don't think we should have too many afternoon meetings. While you're definitely a very sexy devil, my love, that desk is hard and uncomfortable. I prefer the bed here." She perched on the edge and patted the firm mattress.

  "Better than the one in your house, definitely," Luce replied. "So we're staying here because it's closer to the office and has a better bed?"

  Mel looked like she was trying to hold back laughter. "Yes, we'll stay here, but because Persi might turn up here. I admit I won't miss squeezing into sardine trains to get to work – the morning walk along the river instead will be wonderful." Her loving smile set his heart alight. "Especially with you."

  Sarkis entered through the open door. There was no need to knock – he was expected. Summoned, even.

  "Sir?" he asked, fixing his gaze on his superior. Both plain men used to the campaign life of Roman soldiers, even now as angels they shared the same taste in simplicity. A worn table and two chairs were all the furniture in this Heavenly office.

  "Sit down, my friend. I have a favour to ask," George said, gesturing to the unoccupied chair.

  Sarkis sat. "If you want me to banish Baraqiel back to Hell permanently, I'll do it gladly. He inspires riots like you wouldn't believe. I thought the one in Egypt was bad. This one in the US…if I weren't an angel, I'd bring some serious retribution down on his head. D'you think I can get permission to do some smiting? Just the demon, me and a sword. No humans…"

  George chuckled. "No, I'm afraid I have bigger and better things in mind than that fallen nuisance. But this assignment comes with a strict order that there are to be no swords."

  "None? So it can't be anything to do with demons. Sounds like quite a favour, sir," Sarkis drawled, eyeing his superior. They dealt with demons – it was in their job description.

  "Oh, there are demons. And a concentration of some pretty senior ones, too, if the rumours are to be believed. Including a shot at Lucifer."

  Sarkis straightened. "Lucifer? I'd need a whole squad to take him on. And the rumours I've heard…" He coughed.

  "What rumours?"

  "Too ridiculous to be believed. I heard that Lucifer's managed to get back into Heaven and he left Persephone in charge of Hell, which is why demons are wreaking havoc everywhere while Demeter's daughter sleeps her way through the pick of the demonic ranks. I heard it from Baraqiel, so I put it down to him trying to cause trouble by spinning tall tales. I'd have believed it of Lilith, but Persephone? She wants her wings too much for that."

  George sighed. "There's some truth in the rumours. Lucifer entered Heaven – I witnessed it myself. Me and a host of other angels. Dark wings, the works – oh, it was definitely him. "

  Sarkis' eyes narrowed. "And Michael let it happen? I don't believe it."

  "There was an earlier incident with Michael, Demeter and…a sword. An angel blocked the blow and her body perished. So…no Michael and no swords."

  "Her?" There were plenty of female angels, but few high enough to issue orders for one of the Exousiai to disarm. Unless it wasn't the angel herself but the target who was important. "You want me to play guardian to a fledgling angel that Lucifer's set his sights on? And she's only agreed to be bait if I go unarmed?" Sarkis snorted. "Going up against Lucifer unarmed. Are you trying to destroy me, sir?"

  George seemed to shrink in his seat. "No. You're not on the list. Raphael sent me a list of Exousiai he wants – good men, all of them, but they're all the sort who are good at taking orders, not giving them. I want to send you with them as their commander. I'd go myself but you're the better choice. And…you've worked with her before."

  Sarkis shook his head. "I work alone or with a few hand-picked Exousiai. Not neophytes. You're mistaken."

  "Raphael said there's the chance of promotion out of it. A chance to become Hashmallim. No more dealing with riots. Just advising leaders. Next time you visit the US, you could be dealing with Barack Obama, not Baraqiel." George swallowed. "I'll never be Hashmallim. But you could be."

  Something still smelled fishy. "That's not Raphael's decision to make. Oh, he can make recommendations, but no one enters the Hashmallim without higher authority than his. And the Melody Angel's as elusive as mist."

  "Not if you're her guardian. You and your men."

  Not a neophyte but the highest angel on Earth? What in Heaven's name did she need Exousiai for? Sarkis laughed. "Have you met her? She doesn't need a guardian. She can take on Lucifer all on her own."

  "Raphael says differently. And the rumours say that she's the angel who perished, which seems to support why he said the disarm order comes from her, but none of the names are men she's worked with before. None of this makes any sense. That's why I need you. You know her and you'll be able to get to the heart of the matter. The others…give them a demon to fight or thwart and they're brilliant. Intrigues and politics…Freyja doesn't choose us for our grasp of governing." George leaned forward and extended his hand. "Please, my friend. I can order you to do it, but I'd prefer you to take the assignment willingly. It's an honour to work with the Melody Angel. Raphael said Lucifer's seducing her to get him reinstated in Heaven. If he gets his position back, all the fallen angels might return. Do you want Baraqiel wreaking havoc in Heaven?"

  Sarkis clasped his hand in a warrior grip. "I will do it, but if I see Lucifer, I'm going to take him to task over Baraqiel. I want that pest confined to Hell."

  "Thank you, Sarkis. Take your team and make haste. Lucifer isn't one to waste time. Especially when it comes to seducing angels."

  Sarkis managed a smile and left George's office. Sure, it was an honour to work with the Melody Angel, but he knew it wasn't an honour the lady wanted to bestow on him. He knew why he wasn't on her list. If only he hadn't called her a whore the moment they met.

  "To a successful fortnight in HELL together!" Luce lifted his wine glass and clinked it against Mel's before taking a gulp that dwarfed her careful sip.

  Her worried smile set him on edge. It had to mean bad news. Had she found Persephone?

  "Luce," Mel said softly. "You remember when we were talking…oh, ages ago, about how sometimes the wrong staff end up assigned to a task even when they're not qualified?" She set her glass down. "I believe it was when I was handling complaints calls on Reception one day and you were kind enough to bring me a coffee."

  "You don't like the way I make your coffee?" Luce was stunned. Mel didn't lie and she'd said she liked it. What was he doing wrong?

  Mel's warm fingers closed over his. "No, I love it when you make me coffee. It's perfect every time." Her smile held nothing back. "It's not your qualifications I'm questioning. It's every other demon you employ. They're a lazy bunch of bludgers who wouldn't work if you whipped them – unless you're watching. Then they provide a million excuses as to why they can't do their job, or they do it so slowly that the world will end before it's finished."

  Luce shrugged. "Well, that's our contract. We're supposed to do the job as well as human civil servants do theirs. I brought in some specialist souls – damned ones who'd been civil servants in the past – and they instructed my staff on the intricacies of government bureaucracy and time-wasting. It's quite an
art."

  Mel sighed and swallowed her bite of Turkish bread. "You brought in the worst civil servants in history to train your demons? Oh my….Luce, talk about time-wasting. Demons don't need to be trained in how to be lazy. They're experts at it already. Let me bring in some angels. I'm sure a few of the lower-level ones have office experience."

  Luce almost choked on his burger. "Angels and demons working together in the HELL Corporation? You'll start the Heavenly Battle all over again – only this time, in the photocopy room! The imps will go on strike in protest if they have to hide fighting angels and demons!"

  "We've had angels and demons working together just fine for a long time now. There's Gabi and Persi – they've worked here without any trouble, and you even offered Camael and Samael jobs with you. No one's ever so much as picked a fight with me." She smiled as she took another bite of her lunch.

  He stared at her. "Who'd be stupid enough to pick a fight with you? Except maybe…" He trailed off uncertainly as he remembered Mel's odyssey through Hell. "Okay, maybe some demons are that stupid. But we can send those back to Hell very easily. Level Eight always needs more staff. And those two girls had you to smooth the way for them. Gabrielle stayed on Reception and avoided the rest of us because she was afraid she'd be tainted. Persephone…well, she was only here for a day. As for the twin angels…those two were Lili's playmates. Heaven knows what she saw in them."

  "If I bring angels in, I'll be here to smooth the way for them, too. And yes, it might be a good idea to separate them from most of the demons to start with. Give them their own unit or department. After a few weeks or months of sharing the coffee machine, maybe I'll try to integrate them into the other units. This would be a lot easier if you just employed normal humans, Luce."

  He shook his head violently. "We tried that. Every human who entered HELL was like fresh meat to a pack of hyenas. Some of the demons were placing bets on how long they'd last until they got corrupted. All the office girls joined Ananiel's brothel after they'd…they'd…" He turned red. He couldn't tell her about all the girls he'd had in his office. The last time he'd mentioned them…oh shit, was she reading his mind? His panicked thoughts evaporated as Mel's lips touched his, melting his mind into a melange of fantasies about what he'd like to do to her. On his desk or at home tonight, or even on this table right now…

  Mel broke the kiss with a laugh. "You're incorrigible, my love. Yes, we'll need plenty of angels in HELL to protect the human employees from the demon ones. I've already asked Raphael to find me some likely candidates. I gave him a list of names, but there are a lot of other priorities right now, so it might take some time. In the meantime, we should probably get back to work, as there's plenty more to do before we can go home today." She drained her wineglass and dabbed her lips with her serviette. Gracefully, she rose from her seat and waited.

  Luce's gaze fixed on a table at the other side of the restaurant and he jumped to his feet. "It appears you have an admirer," he said as his cutlery clattered to his empty plate.

  Mel wondered if he was joking. "I do?" She followed Luce's gaze to a table of fit-looking men who were engaged in what appeared to be a heated discussion, punctuated with occasional glances in their direction. The exception was one man who seemed intent on staring right at her.

  Luce shrugged, as if it was no surprise that other men desired his angel. "Well, if he's thinking about coming over here to ask you out, I'd better show him he's wasting his time." He pulled her close and delivered a passionate kiss, letting his hands linger on her body as he looked deep into her eyes. "I feel a sudden urge to cancel all my afternoon meetings and spend some very personal time with you, my sweet Melody." Another kiss followed, making Mel blush as she noticed that all of the men were staring at them now.

  Recognition flared and a memory surfaced. Gently, she disengaged from Luce. "He's Exousiai! They all are. I didn't realise Raphael had summoned all of them, or that they'd arrived already. I need to speak to them. You enjoy your meetings and I'll see you back at the office later this afternoon." She paused, then added, "And no sending anyone to Level Eight without asking me first! If you keep sending staff back to Hell, no one will have any idea what they're doing, and it takes so long to train new staff. Yes, even if they're not very good at their jobs, that's better than nothing."

  A look of mild irritation crossed Luce's face, but it was quickly replaced by one that was far more calculating. "I'll be lenient with the Water Unit boys if you agree to come out to dinner with me tonight. I'd really like some oysters." Mel smothered a laugh and nodded. With one last smouldering look, Luce turned and strode back to the office.

  Shaking her head, Mel made her way over to the Exousiai. She singled out the one she'd recognised. "It's Sarkis, isn't it? I haven't seen you since the summer of the rebellion, with all that brutality in Wexford." She extended her hand to the man, who seemed too stunned to respond. After some time, he grasped Mel's fingers and kissed them, which only made her laugh.

  "I'm honoured that you remember me after so long. I was sent to help Patrick and I felt like such a failure when he said we'd have to call in an expert to sort out the trouble. When you showed up, Patrick was so excited to see you that I thought you were…" Sarkis coughed, his cheeks turning rosy. "I'm deeply sorry."

  Mel laughed merrily. "I'd been in France so long that I kissed Patrick's cheeks without thinking. You almost exploded as you called him and me some names I'd never heard of and blamed all the brutality on him missing his mistress. Poor Patrick was devastated to lose so many souls on both sides of the conflict." She eyed him as she prised her hand from his grasp. "It happens to the best of us. Humans have free will to make the most appalling choices sometimes."

  Sarkis seemed to take heart at her words, covering his emotion by ordering his colleagues to get her a chair, a drink and anything else she wanted.

  Amid the whirlwind of activity, one man managed to get her attention. "Please excuse me, miss," he began nervously, "but the man you were having lunch with. I'm not sure if you knew, but he looked a lot like Lucifer."

  There was a sudden, stunned silence – broken by a half-dozen voices all speaking at once.

  "Lord of Hell…"

  "Seductive devil…"

  "No angel is safe…"

  "…drag you down into Hell and corrupt you…"

  "Don't fall for his lies!"

  "Raphael said we have to protect you, but…"

  Sarkis was the only one who remained silent, his eyes intent on Mel.

  She held up her hands for quiet. "I understand your concern, especially since he most definitely is Lucifer. He's also my responsibility. Your concern should be the rest of the demons in his corporation. There are plenty of them around and every one of them just loves making life difficult."

  "Ma'am, I'm not sure you realise just how seductive the devil can be," a hard-faced man piped up. "He'll persuade you to fall and you'll be powerless to stop him from dragging you down to Hell with him. It's a good thing we're here to protect you. We'll form a security detail immediately to escort you home and arrange a round-the-clock rotation."

  Mel's expression hardened, but she forced herself to keep smiling. "I thank you for the sentiment, but I mean what I say. By all means, stay away from Luce if you fear for your soul. Focus on the other demons. As for seductive – I don't think you realise how much I know about him. I've seen his lair in Hell, as well as some of his regular haunts here on Earth. Would you like to know how good he is in bed?" She winked impishly, before continuing in a softer tone, "Lucifer is mine and I don't require your protection. Anyone who comes between us will regret their interference – up to and including Raphael. Instead, I would like your help. Those of you who are willing to help me take over the HELL Corporation from within, meet me in my office on the seventh floor at nine on Monday morning. I'll officially welcome you to HELL."

  She rose and met Sarkis' gaze. "I think it might be best if you explain to your colleagues who I am, in order to preve
nt any future misunderstandings. If you're the staff Raphael summoned here at my request, then you will follow my orders. Or I'll send you back to George and ask for suitable replacements." She inclined her head toward Sarkis. "It was lovely to see you again."

  "Yes, ma'am. See you in HELL on Monday morning," he replied firmly.

  Mel smiled in response and left the muttering Exousiai behind. Raphael hadn't passed on vital information to any of them. She needed to correct his oversight as soon as possible.

  Mel's phone trilled and she answered it.

  "Mel? It's Armaros at Reception. I have some angels to see you. They're refusing to sign in as visitors, though. Something about signing devilish documents."

  She smothered a laugh. "Ah, I forgot about that. I'll be right down."

  Eight angels stood in a loose defensive formation between the reception desk and the door, warily covering every angle. Settling them down would be a challenge. Luckily, she'd cleared her morning schedule for this.

  "Follow me, please," she said, holding the door open.

  Armaros cleared his throat and looked pointedly at the visitors book.

  Mel summoned a smile. "Not necessary. They're under contract to the agency and they'll be working here on a special project for me. That makes them HELL Corporation staff, not visitors."

  She led the way to the boardroom. As she passed various demon colleagues, she wished each one a good morning.

  She strode to the projector screen and waited for the last angel to close the door grumpily behind him. Instead of sitting like his colleagues, he straightened, taking up a sentry post beside the door.

  "I'd like everyone sitting down, please," Mel said softly.

  The sentry hesitated and looked askance at Sarkis, who gave a barely perceptible nod. The sentry hurried to a seat.

  It's not public speaking. It's just a small meeting, Mel told herself as she took a deep breath. She could feel her knees weakening already. "Welcome to HELL, a corporation staffed by demons under contract to humans. You'll be working alongside them, in cooperation –"