Sweet Revenge (Dueling with the Devil) (16 page)

“
Nothing risked means nothing gained
.”
Marie light brown eyes bored into Bell.

“
Way to tell the
m,
Yoda
.”
Bell’s humor covered her nervousness.

Jacque sat bac
k,
with an exasperated sigh
.“
Alright. I’ll contact my parent
s,
but you have to explain and ask for help yourself
.
”

Shit. Why can’t he ever do what I say?

t t t

Xavier pante
d,
conjuring the will to push beyond his pain. The damn hounds closed the distance between the
m,
hot on his trail. He forced himself to recall the path he used to get to the cave. If there was a porta
l,
it had to be close to where he awoke. He prayed it was still there and he didn’t need anything special to open it. Xavier chuckled. Prayer might work for som
e,
but he was sure the Big Guy wasn’t listening out for the needs of ex-assassin demon
s,
plotting to kill their family. Times like this were when he envied his brother and the peopl
e,
who surrounded him. Jacque had a support system. Xavier only had himself.

He saw the boulders up ahea
d,
where the Hell Hound first attacked him and Ziz. He was clos
e,
but so were the dogs. Their growls crept up behind him. The smell of drool and sweat mixed with the scent of charred trees and the sulfur emitted from the tar flowing beneath the hot sand. Xavier lunged for some huge rocks. He clawed to the top of the largest stone to get a better view of the are
a,
staying out of reach of the mangy mutts.

As he turned to the nort
h,
Xavier spotted Ziz next to a massiv
e,
hollowed out oak. The demon reached insid
e,
pulling out a bag of powder and sprinkled i
t,
enclosing himself in a circle. Once the circle was complet
e,
the beast disappeare
d,
leaving the bag of dust in the center. That was the spot where the dimensional lines were thin. The powder was the catalys
t,
allowing Ziz to break through to the other side.

Xavier knew exactly where Ziz was heading. And he had to stop him. No one else needed to pay for the sins of his past. While Bell had her downfall
s,
he refused to allow her to be hurt. As crazy as she made hi
m,
she was the one person who understood him and accepted him as he was. Not to mentio
n,
she could melt an iceberg with the passion in her eyes.

Only on
e,
well fou
r,
things stood between him and saving Bell. There was one optio
n,
fight his way to the portal site. Xavier identified the alpha of the pack. If he could take it ou
t,
the rest should stand down. He dove at the black houn
d,
wrestling him to the ground by the large spikes trailing down its back. Jagged teeth ripped into his abdomen. Xavier embedded his claws into the creature’s chest cavit
y,
burrowing deep into its flesh.

The rest of the pack snapped at his body and barke
d,
not wanting to interfere with their alpha’s battle. Xavier banished the excruciating agony out of his mind. He rolled the dog onto its back and slashed his claws up its torso. Blood sprayed like a misty red rain. The thing unclamped its jaws from Xavier’s stomach. The beast struggled from underneath him. Before it could escap
e,
Xavier latched on to its jaw and twisted with vengeance. A loud snap echoed through the air. The Hell Hound’s lifeless body slumped to the groun
d,
defeated.

Xavier ros
e,
the blood of the leader dripping from his hands. He stared down the other dog
s,
bellowing a primal roar from his own beast within. Whimperin
g,
they lowered their heads and slowly backed away. Not wanting to wait any longe
r,
Xavier sprinted for the hollowed oak. He had to reach Bel
l,
before Ziz got his hands on her. He left her with Jacque and Laurent. They would protect her. This was his only solace. She was safe with his brother. He held on to this though
t,
as he closed the circle with the white powder and felt the pull of the portal.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Bell avoided the piercing green eyes studying her from across the table. They were the trademark of all the Toussant men. Only this tim
e,
Xavier reflected back in the emerald depths of Leviathan’s stare. Xavier had more of his father in him than he wished to admit.

“
S
o,
Bell. My son tells me you wish to speak to me. What’s so important you asked me to come Topside
?”
Leviathan’s rich baritone bounced off the marble floor.

She felt like a child being chastised
.“
I’ll get right to it. I need your help. I have to break my dad out of Hell and find a friend who’s been captured by another one of the Crown Princes
.
”

“
Chil
d,
I think you’ve been Earthbound for too long. The thin air is getting to your head. You’re father has been gone for a long time. Lucifer and I are the only Crowns left
.”
He relaxed back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest.

She squirmed under his scrutiny
.“
No. I’ve seen my father. Laurent took me to him. He’s the one who told me about Ziz
.
”

He stared at the table disinterested. The
n,
cast his gaze back on her
.“
I have no need for your father or Ziz. I don’t want any more unnecessary attention. We have enough problems of our own without involving ourselves in your issues
.
”

Bell jumped to the edge of her seat
.“
No. It can help yo
u,
too. My father said with two of yo
u,
you have enough power to defeat Lucifer
.
”

Leviathan ran his finger along his jawline. She smile
d,
remembering Xavier had the same gestur
e,
when he contemplated something
.“
I might be interested in hearing about that. I was younger than your fathe
r,
when Lucifer took us from our world. He knows more of our history. Maybe he knows of powers we can use against the Devil
.
”

“
Does this mean you’ll help me free my dad and find Ziz
?
”

“
I still have no use for Ziz.
F
r
o
m
wh
a
t
I
u
n
d
e
r
s
t
a
n
d,
h
e
w
e
n
t insane after someone killed his mate. Lucifer banished him to the Badland
s,
the destroyed remnants of our old world
.
”

Why the Hell do all the men in this family have to be so damned difficult?
She exhaled and released her tension
.“
That thing has my friend. He helped me out. I'm trying to return the favor
.
”

“
Then you figure out how to get him back. How you repay your debts are none of my concern
.
”

Fury raged inside he
r,
bringing her demon to the surfac
e,
evident by the red in her eyes
.“
I understand why Xavier hates you so much. Jacque kisses your as
s,
because he doesn't have the balls to confront you. But Xavier never had your love. So
h
e
h
a
d
n
o
t
h
i
n
g
t
o
l
o
s
e
,
d
i
d
h
e
?
”

Leviathan rose from his chai
r,
his massive body towering over Bell
.“
What do you know of my sons? Sleeping in Jacque's bed doesn't give you insight into our lives
.”
He turned to leav
e,
then spun back to face her
.“
And why do you think you know Xavier’s feelings about me
?
”

As alway
s,
her anger betrayed her. She sat silent until his glare penetrated her defenses
.“
That's who Ziz has. He has Xavier
.”
She put her face in her hands. This was why feelings needed to be buried deep insid
e,
securely locked away. They got in the way. She should’ve walked away from Xavier and allowed him to fight his own battle. She could've helped her father and went on with her life. Too late now. She had to see him safe.

The large demon dropped back into his chair
.“
Xavier's alive
?
”

“
The last time I saw hi
m,
he was. I really can't say with any certainty at this moment
.
”

He bellowed for his other son. Jacque came running as usual
.“
Why didn't you tell me Ziz had your brother
?
”

Jacque glanced from his father to Bell
.“
What're you talking abou
t,
Dad
?
”

A crowd started to gather. Leviathan pointed in Bell’s direction
.“
She tells me Ziz has Xavier. She needs my help to retrieve him. Is this true
?
”

“
No. He took her frien
d,
Sean. I killed Xavier
.”
Remorse tainted Jacque's voice.

“
How do you kno
w,
son? How do you know it wasn't Xavier
?
”

“
He was always better at shifting than me. I don't know
.”
Jacque focused his attention on Bell
.“
Is he Xavier
?
”

She dropped her gaze to the floor.

“
Answer m
e
,
”
Jacque demanded.

She met his line of sight. Furious that once again she was the one to blame
.“
Yes. Yes! Sean’s your brother. He's Xavier
.
”

Jacque raised a han
d,
as if to smack her. He'd never threatened her in all their decades together. Bell braced for the blow she deserve
d,
but Angel blocked the blow before it connected
.“
What are you doing
?
”

He pulled bac
k,
realizing the ramifications of his actions
.“
I'm sorr
y
,
”
he said to Ange
l,
not Bell
.“
I'm tired of her interfering in our lives. She's tried to ruin everything for us. She couldn't even leave Xavier in peace. I know he wanted to end his deal with Lucife
r,
and death was his only way out. He's back because of her
.
”

Bell fought the urge to ru
n,
again. Everyone was right. This was her mess. She should be the one cleaning it up
.“
Look. Forget it. I'll find a way to do this without you
.”
She started to leave.

Angel held up her hand for Bell to stop
.“
This is family business. Like it or no
t,
we're all family
.”
She grasped Jacque's shoulder
s,
giving him a little shake
.“
This is your brother. I know you regret killing him. This is your chance to truly help him
.
”

Leviathan addressed his son
.“
Angel's right. It's our chance to
r
e
d
ee
m
o
u
r
s
e
l
v
e
s
.
”

Bell didn't know whether to cheer or vomit. She'd landed herself in the middle of some afterschool special. This wasn't Bell's forte. She preferred to slay something or someone. Toda
y,
it was Ziz.

t t t

The alley was deserted. Sulfur still lingered in Xavier’s nose and throat from the other dimension. He rested against the brick wall of the club to regroup. Too many trips through the portal can throw off one’s equilibrium. The heavy humidity of the New Orleans air was a welcomed relief from the pungent inferno he’d just left. He cursed under his breath when he noticed his bike was gone. Again. No one respected people’s shit anymore. He checked his pockets for his cell phone. Damn. He must’ve lost it during one of the fights.

He went into the club to call a cab.

“
Hey sexy. You came back. Hope you ditched your girlfriend
.
”

It was the doe-eye
d,
brown-haired girl from earlier that night
.“
Wassup
?
”

“
You tell me
.
”

“
I can use a ride. Someone snatched my bike from out back
.
”

“
I’d be happy to give you a ride. Where’re we going
?
”

“
Charles Avenue
.
”

“
Sexy and rich. I like that combination
.”
The girl grabbed her purse and turned towardthe exit
.“
Come o
n,
handsome
.
”

Outsid
e,
she unlocked a seventy-eight Camaro. Not what Xavier expecte
d,
but it worked. He sank down into the seat of the car. The dashboard blocked his knees from stretching any further. His need to get to Bell overcame his exhaustion. He fought every urge to reach over and step on the gas pedal. An eternity had passed since they left the bar. He wondered if Ziz found her yet. He never called Bell by name or showed recognition of who she was. Xavier hoped it would take Ziz time to figure out how to find her.

“
You’re awfully quiet over there. You okay
?
”

“
Tired. Can’t this thing go any faster
?”
Xavier replied.

“
Hone
y,
I can’t afford any more tickets. N
e
x
t
o
n
e
,
m
y
a
s
s
i
sgoing to the slammer
.
”

Before Xavier could answe
r,
he saw Etienne’s house over the hill
.“
It’s the white house on the next corner
.
”

“
Fancy
.
”

The car came to a halt in the driveway. Xavier jumped out and ran into the hous
e,
forgetting to shift into Sean. Voices floated from the back sitting room. It sounded like an argument. He rushed into the room. Everything went silent. He scanned the room until he found Bell. When he saw the tears glaze over her eye
s,
he covered the distance between them and enveloped her in his embrace.

Her arms twined around his nec
k,
as he lifted her to him. Her lip
s,
soft as rose petal
s,
brushed his cheek. She smelled of lavender and vanilla. Her wavy blonde tendrils spilled around his shoulders. He trapped her into his ches
t,
capturing her mouth. The taste of mint and honey teased his tongue. Her frantic hands roamed over his bod
y,
as he savored their kiss. He opened his eyes and immersed himself in her beauty. At this momen
t,
everything was right.