Sweet Revenge (Dueling with the Devil) (2 page)

She swung around to glare at the Devil
.“
If he fucks u
p,
I
w
i
ll
k
ill
hi
m
.
”

Lucifer chuckled
.“
I wouldn’t expect less. I figured you two will either succee
d,
or kill each other trying
.
”

A bronze band appeared around Xavier’s ankle. Lucifer handed Bell a small package
.“
You’ll find everything you need inside. If he wanders too far from yo
u,
the device around his ankle will bring him back here. Only not back to this cag
e,
it’s programmed to drop him into the furthest realms of Hell
.”
Lucifer eyeballed Xavier
.“
Become fast friends. You have 100 feet of privacy. More than that and your ass will be burning in a place far worse than this one
.”
After those word
s,
both the Devil and the cage holding Xavier disappeare
d,
the power of Lucifer’s will sending him to the shore of the burning tar lake.

What the fuck have I gotten myself into now?
Xavier punted
a
b
ou
l
d
e
r
i
n
t
o
t
h
e w
a
l
l
o
f
t
h
e
ca
v
e
.

CHAPTER TWO

Bell collapsed on the bed in her suite. Lost in her own sorro
w,
she studied the intricate design on the fabric of the canopy. The material draped down the cherry posts and pooled onto the Oriental rug. Outside the windo
w,
the Mississippi
R
i
v
e
r cut through the New Orleans landscape belo
w,
flowing swiftly from the heavy rain.

Her thoughts ran as quickly as the water.
Wonder what Jacque is doing now? Getting fitted for his tux? Holding his soon-to-be bride? I can’t believe he’s marrying that bitch! A human to boot!

From the first moment she saw them togethe
r,
Bell knew Angel was trouble. Angel had walked into the Headquarters in Hades with Jacque trailing behind her like a lost puppy. Bell sensed she would have a fight on her hands. For fifty year
s,
she gave herself to that demon. Nothing she did was ever good enough for Jacque. Or anyone else for that matter.

The door slammed. Bell looked up toward the sound.

“
Hey. We gonna stay trapped in here or can we get out and grab some food
?”
Xavier’s lon
g,
muscular body stretched along the door frame.

Bell examined the lon
g,
lean flow of his body. Low hung black jeans hugged a muscled ass. His wor
n,
white t-shirt had been discarde
d,
leaving the chiseled sculpture of his chest and abs in plain view.
Not bad on the eyes. Not bad at all
.
“
We can’t be hanging around tow
n,
letting people know we’re here. We need to figure out a plan first
.
”

“
Fuck that. We’ve been in this stupid room for three days. I need out
!”
The crystal on the lamps rattled from the force of his voice.

Unimpresse
d,
Bell stoo
d,
placed a hand on her hi
p,
and sucked her teeth
.“
Leave…and your next stop will be a hot-ass tar pit at the bottom of Hades. The funky aroma of being a sulfur demon can really put a crimp into your sex life. But then agai
n,
I’ve never seen you with a female. Mayb
e,
it won’t matter. Do you bat for the other team
?
”

In three swift stride
s,
Xavier closed the distance between them and twisted a length of
her
hair around his hand
.“
Don’t tempt me or I’ll show you exactly how much man I am
.
”

Immobilized by his firm gri
p,
Bell returned his intense star
e,
unwilling to break their connection. Those emerald pools set in the background of his caramel skin reminded her so much of Jacque. She slid her hands up the hard ridges of his bare stomach. The muscles tensed in his chest as she explored further. He relaxed his hold on her locks. Bell caressed the stubble of his five o’clock shadow. His hand pressed firmly on the small of her bac
k,
molding
her into his body.

Bell slanted her face up to hi
s,
hoping for an answer to the warring feelings churning within her. The desire in his gaze only served as a catalyst to her own need. When his lips swept over her ski
n,
she dug all ten sharpened nails into his cheeks to save her from a bad decision driven by lust. As Xavier cursed in pai
n,
she ground her heel into his shoeless foot.

He back-handed her across her temple. The right side of her face throbbed with pain
.“
You fucking bitc
h
,
”
Xavier bellowed through the ringing in her ear.

“
You forget who you’re dealing with
.”
Bell smoothed her hair back in place
.“
Don’t you ever put your hands on me
a
g
a
i
n
!
”
H
e
r
h
e
a
d
p
o
u
n
d
e
d
a
s
s
h
e
f
i
n
i
s
h
e
d
h
e
r
w
o
r
d
s
,
b
o
t
h
f
r
o
m
f
e
a
r
a
n
d
a
n
g
e
r
.
S
h
e
h
a
t
e
d
how
h
e
r
b
od
y
r
e
s
po
n
d
e
d
t
o h
i
s t
o
u
c
h
.
T
h
e
r
e
w
a
s
n
o
w
a
y
s
he
c
ou
l
d
be
a
tt
r
a
c
t
e
d
to
t
h
i
s
l
o
w
-
l
e
v
e
l
d
e
m
o
n
.
S
h
e
wro
t
e
i
t
o
f
f
t
o
h
i
s
r
e
s
e
m
b
l
a
n
c
e
t
o
J
ac
que
a
n
d
h
e
r
l
a
c
k
o
f
s
e
x
u
a
l
ac
t
i
v
i
t
y
.
X
a
v
i
e
r
w
a
s
a
n
o
a
s
i
s
i
n t
h
e
d
e
s
e
r
t
o
f
h
e
r
s
e
x
u
a
l
f
r
u
s
t
r
a
t
i
o
n
,
a
d
a
n
g
e
r
o
us
i
l
l
u
s
i
o
n
l
u
r
i
ng
h
e
r
d
o
wn
a p
a
t
h
o
f
d
e
s
t
r
u
c
t
i
o
n
.

In one fluid movemen
t,
he reached ou
t,
snatched another handful of her tresse
s,
and drew her into him. Blocking her protes
t,
he ravaged her lips. Surprisingl
y,
she savored the sweet taste of his mouth. As his tongue explore
d,
she gave
i
n
t
o his deman
d,
opening herself to him. Her heart raced. The world went black. Anticipation trembled through her core. Electric currents flowed over her skin. Her body acted on its ow
n,
refusing the will of her brain to make him stop. She tried to convince herself it was from anger and fea
r,
not desire. But when moist heat pulsated between her leg
s,
she snaked her arms around his neck and yielded to his passion. Just as Bell decided to take the risk of surrendering to hi
m,
Xavier released her and threw her to the floor.

Her lips swelled from brutality of his kiss. A potent mix of embarrassment and anger simmered underneath her surface. She righted hersel
f,
remembering who she was
.“
You son of a bitch! How dare you put your filthy lips on me
!
”

“
I just wanted to sample what every other guy in Hades already tested. I don’t get what all the talk is about
.”
He stretched out against the wall and shrugged his shoulders. His amused expression magnified her rag
e,
turning her fac
e,
including
h
e
r
o
n
c
e b
l
ue
e
y
e
s
a bright shade of red.

She lunged at hi
m,
reminiscent of a mountain lion on the attack. Xavier palmed her head and forced her back to the wooden floor
.“
I’ll kill yo
u
,
”
she gritted through her teeth
.“
I swear to Lu
c,
I’ll see you dead after we’re done with Jacque
.”

Spinning on his hee
l,
he spat over his shoulde
r,
“
Whatever. Just get your ass dressed so we can go eat
.
”

From her spot on the floo
r,
she watched him stride out of the room with an air of confidence known only to the best of the upper class. If her thoughts and emotions weren’t in such turmoi
l,
she would’ve gone after him again. She’d never
b
e
f
o
r
e
experienced the passion she felt in Xavier’s kis
s,
not even with Jacque. Xavier was raw and rough. His lack of polish commanded a response from a primal part of her she hadn’t tapped before.
That boy is sex on a stick. But he’ll pay for trying to humiliate me.

No one made a fool out of Isabella LaCoste. But the men from the Toussant family seemed to have a flourish for it. S
h
e
v
o
w
e
d
to
n
e
v
e
r
a
l
l
o
w
a
ny
o
t
h
e
r
m
a
l
e
m
a
ke
h
e
r
f
e
e
l
l
e
s
s
t
h
a
n
h
e
r
s
e
lf
a
g
a
i
n
.
She
w
ou
l
d
m
a
k
e
b
o
t
h
b
r
o
t
h
e
r
s
p
a
y
f
o
r
t
h
e
i
r
i
n
s
o
l
e
n
ce
.

Picking herself
up
off the groun
d,
Bell decided some time outside the suite might be a good idea. They had been holed up together too long. She needed to be around others to wipe the recent events out of her mind and stop plotting to destroy Xavier before they finished their mission.

She dug out a pair of skinny jean
s,
a white off-the-shoulder blous
e,
which showed a touch of skin at her mid drif
t,
and her four-inch camel-colored Prada sandals from her suitcase.

She loved New Orleans weather. It was still temperate in November. Being from Hell made the cold a bit harsher. Therefor
e,
many of her kind tended to flock to the southern states.

Refreshed and revive
d,
she stepped out of her bedroom with a flip of her hair. When she caught sight of Xavie
r,
her words caught in her throat. A smile stretched across his face and lost itself in crater-like dimples. Dark denim hugged low on his hips and swathed lon
g,
powerful legs. A cris
p,
white T-shirt shone bright under a brown suede blazer. The shor
t,
dark curls framed his face. Lusciou
s,
black lashes highlighted fathomless bright green jewel
s,
reflecting the danger and mystery surrounding Xavier. He reminded her so much of his brothe
r,
but he had something more. A dark edg
e,
which added a hint of excitement Jacque lacked.

His dee
p,
rich laughter caressed her like a warm breeze
.
“
I
s
t
h
e
r
e
s
o
m
e
t
h
i
ng
wr
o
n
g
?
”

His question snapped her out of her fixation
.“
Of course not. I decided we would go out tonight. I need to see someone other than you
.
”

“
Am I not enough to keep you occupied? If that’s the cas
e,
I’m sure I could find some activities to keep you entertained
.”
He winked at her with a devious grin.

Bell grabbed her purse from the console and threw it across her shoulder
.“
You wouldn’t know what to do with it if I gave you the opportunity
.
”

“
I think you’re severely mistaken
.”
He held the door open for her.

She transferred her gaze to the floor as she walked out
of
the hotel suite. She had a feeling he was right. The heat of his statement surging through her body screamed he was right.
I must keep my focus and not let this miscreant distract me
. She pushed the elevator button again and again.

“
It’s not gonna come any faster no matter how much you hit that butto
n
,
”
he sai
d,
a little too close for comfort.

His breat
h,
a seductive whispe
r,
tickled the back of her neck.
Where is the damn elevator!

They maneuvered swiftly through the posh lobby. Outsid
e,
Xavier shouldered his way through the crowded street. Bell followed close behin
d,
grabbing the back of his jacket a couple of times
so
she didn’t
lose him. He chuckled when some sorority girls flashed him from a second floor balcony of a hotel. He laughed aloud when Bell hissed at the trio
.“
Tramp
s
,
”
she mumbled under her breath.

Xavier slipped into the next restauran
t,
Howl at the Moo
n,
which was fitting for a supe’s meal. She hoped it had strong drinks. She needed a stiff one after the bullshit she’d been through the past few weeks.

“
H
i,
I’m Roberto. Can I help you
?”
The host’s smile hinted at more than a good table.

Xavier shook his head
.“
Just a tabl
e,
man
.
”

“
For one
?
”

Bell glared at the guy
.“
What am I? Chopped liver? A table for two. And stop eyeing him down. He’s with me
.”
The slender man snatched up two menus and took off toward the back of the restaurant.

Bell sauntered between the table
s,
taking her time. Roberto held Bell’s chai
r,
but she jerked it out of his han
d,
gracefully planting her rear into the seat. When the host lef
t,
he glanced back giving them one last look. Xavier cracke
d,
his laughter ringing through the restaurant.

“
What’s so funny
?”
Bell pouted.

His answer was simple
.“
You
.
”

She rolled her eyes and disappeared behind the plastic covered pages
.“
I’m not funny. Frightening. Bitchy. Fierce. But never funny
.
”

Bell felt the heat of his stare from behind her men
u,
but continued to ignore him. This was probably the longest conversation he had ever had with a female. He was the poster boy for the tal
l,
dar
k,
b
r
oo
ding type. The love’em and leave’em kind of gu
y,
minus the love. Bell doubted Xavie
r,
like he
r,
understood much about the meaning of love.

“
S
o,
w
h
a
t
ch
a havin
?”
He thumped her menu. She glared at him as one would a petulant child. Unaffecte
d,
he did it again. This tim
e,
he hit it so hard it flew out of her hands.

“
What the hell is wrong with you
?”
Bell spat.

He propped his elbows on the tabl
e,
resting his chin on his fist
s,
and gave her the dumb dog eyes
.“
Whatcha mean? I’m just hungry
.
”

“
Uh-hum. Excuse m
e,
but can I take your drink order
?”
A hazel-eyed waitress stood at his side.

A lazy grin crept across his lips
.“
I’ll take a shot of Ciroc on the rocks. Actuall
y,
make it a double
.
”

The girl shifted her fee
t,
turning a fresh shade of ros
e,
something the vamps would appreciate
.“
Sure. Anything else
?
”

Her gaze never left Xavier’s face
.“
Naw. I’m good
.”
Goldilocks turned to leav
e,
but he caught her hand
.“
Hold u
p,
sexy. She might want something
.”
He nodded in Bell’s direction.