Sweet Revenge (Dueling with the Devil) (14 page)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“
Bel
l,
stop dragging ass and come on. You’re the one who wants to find this dud
e
,
”
Laurent shuffled her toward the portal to Hades.

She folded her arms in defiance
.“
I don’t want to see him. He’s been alive all this tim
e,
but didn’t think it important to tell his only daughter
?
”

“
You’re seriously trippin’. You know we’re not his only
k
i
d
s
.
”

She rolled her eyes
.“
The only ones that count. The human haflings don’t have any rights in our world
.
”

“
They’re our siblings. Which reminds m
e,
it’s Joseline’s b
i
r
t
h
d
a
y
n
e
x
t
m
o
n
t
h
.
”

“
Which one’s that
?
”

“
You know damn well who she is. Stop acting like Mother
.
”

Bell punched her brother in the arm as hard as she could
.“
I’m nothing like Mother
.
”

The heat attacked her when she stepped through the magical entrance to her homeland. The hars
h,
hot air bit against her skin. She almost forgot the brutal terrain of Hel
l,
and this was just the first level. These levels were meant to house the worst offenders. One landed in the belly of Hell by two method
s,
either pissing off Lucifer or his counterpart above. Wrath was a specialty for both entities.

Their chariot traveled the bumpy trail to the lower regions. Laurent faced Bell and aske
d,
“
Siss
y,
what’s up with Sean? You wouldn’t go through this for just anyone
.
”

She hesitated before replyin
g,
realizing she didn’t quite know the answer
.“
I don’t know. He makes me freaking crazy. I can’t think straight when we’re together. I should just go on about my busines
s,
but I feel a bit responsible for him getting caught up
.
”

“
Holy shit. Isabella LaCoste has feeling
s
,
”
her brother joked.

She pinched the tender spot under his arm
.“
Shut up
.
”

Laurent winced
.“
It’s okay to care. You have to take risks to find something extraordinary. You deserve someone special
.
”

Bell remembered why she loved her baby brothe
r,
even with all his flaws and affection for humans. She laid her head on his shoulde
r,
hugging his free arm. He was her family. He was her special someon
e,
the only someone she knew how to love. Bell acknowledged her shortcomings. She just had no answers on how to fix them. Was she damned to live out this life alon
e,
with her brother as the only male who understood her?

The dense air suffocated her. The taste of it thick in her throat compared to the moisture
-
rich Louisiana climate. The stench of sulfur singed her sinuses. Laurent slowed the chariot outside a large opening in the side of a red rock cliff. This was the moment she waited for and dreaded. She vaguely remembered the man she called Dad. At time
s,
she relegated his memory to a figment of her imagination.

Laurent’s voice brought her back into the moment
.“
You ready?

“
As ready as I’m gonna get
.
”

He hopped off the chariot and helped her down
.“
Let’s get going. He’s a ways down from the mouth of the cave
.
”

The rubber soles of Bell’s boots stuck to the crushe
d,
black gravel of the cave floor. She would say it was hot as Hel
l,
but they were in Hell. Ye
t,
this was the first time she experienced the heav
y,
scorching air blanketing them in humidity. With each labored breat
h,
the acidic moisture ate at the lining of her lungs. Luckil
y,
she was demon and regenerated quickly. Unles
s,
of cours
e,
it was silver or decapitation. Yes. Cliché. But humans had to eventually get something right.

As they journeyed lower into the cavity of the clif
f,
Bell struggled to remain calm. Her heart labored. The brutal temperature baked her from the inside and out. The water they brought evaporated about a mile back. She will never complain about her modest apartment in Headquarters again. Hell was her home. She often forgo
t,
to other
s,
it was a place of punishment. No
w,
she witnessed the levels truly meant for punishment.

“
Where the fuck are we going
?”
Her parched throat
t
i
g
h
t
e
n
e
d
a
s
s
h
e
t
r
i
e
d
t
o
s
p
ea
k.

Laurent swallowed hard and cleared his throat
.“
The seventh level
.
”

“
Okay. Even Dad isn't bad enough to have to suffer this craziness. It's like a zillion degrees down here
.
”

She heard the crackling of fire and the rattling of chains as they rounded a bend. A wall of flames roare
d,
protectin
g,
or cagin
g,
a monstrous creature behind its inferno. Bell gasped as she caught sight of the hideous beast. While the ferocious animal paced the length of the narrow path surrounded by the fir
e,
familiarity dawned on Bell. This thing was her fathe
r,
and he was the same species as the creature hunting Xavier.

Laurent muttered a short incantation. The flames parted allowing them to pass. Bell followed her brothe
r,
keeping her eyes on the beast she
formerly
called Dad. Laurent slowly circled
him
. He raised his hand
s,
showing he had no weapon. He cautiously approached as the animal crouched against the cave wall. His eyes narrowed with suspicion. Drool dripped from his mout
h,
which was unable to close due to the size of the fang protruding from his upper and lower jaws. His black fur very similar to Xavier’s attacker. He outsized a grizzly bear. This couldn’t be her fathe
r,
the man who she loved so desperatel
y,
and the demon who adored his little girl.

Laurent spoke in hushed tones
.“
Dad. Dad. It’s me and
B
e
ll
.
”

The beast roared in answer.

“
Calm dow
n,
Dad. We need your help. Bell needs your help
.”
The monster jumped at the mention of her name. Laurent held her han
d,
pinning her to his side
.“
Da
d,
I need you to control the demon and shift. I need to you to speak to u
s
,
”
Laurent pleaded.

Her father roared in their directio
n,
but remained in his true form. Bell still rivaled in the fact this hideous thing was her quie
t,
loving father. She finally understood what attracted her mother to him. He was a demon to be reckoned with in this for
m,
scarier than the stories she heard of Baal and Ziz when she was a young demon.

She approached her fathe
r,
with Laurent not far behind
.“
Daddy. Is that really you? If it i
s,
I need to talk to you. I can’t do it while you look like the Hades version of the Boogieman
.”
She placed a hand on her hip and stared at him. The creature watched her with curiosity
.“
Any day no
w,
Daddy
.
”

Her brother nudged her with his elbow
.“
Why the Hell do you have to be so freakin’ bossy all the time
?
”

“
Look. I ain’t got all day to play animal trainer with this
b
e
a
s
t
.
”
She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.

“
Don’t call Dad a beast. That ain’t right Bell
.
”

“
What the hell you think he is
?
”

Laurent snatched her by the arm
.“
What is your problem? He can hear you. And don’t cussin front of Dad
.
”

Bell opened her mouth to repl
y,
but her dad separated her
from
her brother. A dee
p,
familiar voice interjected
.“
I see nothing has changed with the two of you. Still bickering. And Bell still has a mouth like a Legion soldier
.
”

She debated between hugging him and beat
ingon his chest to release her frustration
.“
Sorr
y,
I can’t say the same for you. And I am a Legion soldier. Why did Luc banish you down in this dump
?
”

“
Unlike you and your brothe
r,
my siblings and I do not fare so well with each other
.
”

Bell eyed him
.“
What do you mean siblings
?
”

“
Lucifer is my brother. I’m one of the Crown Princes of Hades. Luc decided to get rid of his competitio
n,
so he trapped me down here with your mother’s help
.
”

“
Isn’t Leviathan the last Crown Prince left besides Luc
?
”

Her father still held her arm lightly. Bell missed his touch
.“
No. There were three of us left that
Lucifer did not manage to destroy: Leviatha
n,
Zi
z,
and me—Behemoth
.
”

Bell regarded her father with astonishmen
t,
and then shot a look to Laurent for confirmation. Her brother only shrugged
.“
We know where Leviathan i
s,
protected by his goddess wife. I think I met Ziz if he looks anything like you in your true form
.
”

Behemoth seized her by both her arms
.“
You’ve seen him? He escaped
?
”

“
U
h,
yeah. That’s why I’m here. To figure out how to kill his ass. He took my friend
.
”

Her father paced and shook his head
.“
You cannot kill Ziz
.
”

“
Why the fuck not
?
”

“
Bell
!”
Laurent chastised.