Demons Prefer Blondes (Demons Unleashed #1)(90)

“I swear to all that is the Paladins I read it.” He turned the page to where he’d seen it. “It’s missing a page.” He turned the page back and forth, frustration and anger creasing his brow. Jaw ticking, he slammed his fist down on the book.

Kalli perused the book. First she pointed at page 792 then to 793. “Does this look as if it’s missing a page?”

Shaking his head, Rafael clenched his fists. “There was another page when I read it.”

“Sure. Maybe you dreamt you read it. Maybe the Fore-Demons know more about you than you know about yourself.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean this: you’re more powerful than you realize. Maybe it isn’t Jacoba who’s the Chosen Paladin.”

“Bullshit,” Rafael ground out. “Jacoba is the only logical choice. She hasn’t failed any of her missions.” Like I have.

With an exasperated breath of air, she shook her head. Turning to face him, she grabbed his shoulders, her gaze stony serious. “You’re too hard on yourself, Rafe.”

“I have reason to be. I’ve failed the only two women I… I’ve had to protect.” He’d almost said loved. Curse him. He couldn’t have Kalli knowing of his weakened state.

She arched her brow in that annoyingly inquisitive fashion. “I’d suggest visiting the Fore-Demons, but we don’t have time. Do you remember anything at all?”

Rubbing his temples, he closed his eyes. Reluctant to relive the painful memory of Lamia and Larissa’s abuse of Lucy’s lifeless body, Rafael sucked in a ragged breath of air. They could kick him any time, any place. Seeing them slapping and kicking defenseless Lucy sent a pain shooting right to his heart. The fact that he couldn’t do anything to stop them still chilled him to the bone. What had happened to the woman he had cared about two hundred years prior? His stomach roiled and churned in disgust. How could he have missed it?

“Anything?” Kalli asked, breaking him from his thoughts.

He shook his head, struggling to remember the words that floated around him in a foggy shroud. Lamia and Larissa were arguing about Hell and which way would be the fastest. They were going to Hell. But how? He hadn’t even shown Lucy how to journey to Limbo. A journey to Hell would take much more energy.

“Bloody hell,” he growled.

Kalli’s head jerked up, her gaze alert. “What?”

“They’ve gone to Hell.”

“Hell?” Kalli rolled her pierced tongue between her teeth. “That’s impossible.”

Rafael shuffled his feet across the carpeted floor. “I heard them talking as I drifted in and out of consciousness. They’re going to Hell.”

“Hell? That’s highly unlikely.” Kalli yanked at her magenta bodice and stretched her legs. “They haven’t enough energy, and we’ve warded the portals to Hell. They aren’t going anywhere.”

“They were arguing about who would drive,” he mumbled, rubbing his temples. Drive? Demons didn’t drive to Hell. With a disappointed groan, he shook his head. He’d imagined the whole bloody thing.

Kalli tapped her fingers on her fishnet clad thigh and shrugged. “That’s odd.” The annoying tone of Kalli’s phone pierced the air, silencing her. With a drawn-out huff, she pushed a device wedged in her ear. Bluetooth, if he remembered correctly.

“Hello? Is the shop secure?” She adjusted the earpiece. “I’m with Rafe. He says they’re taking Lucy to Hell.” She shook her head. “No… there’s no way they can get there. Rafe says they were driving there though.” Kalli’s brow tightened. “Oh? I’ll call you right back.” With that she flipped her phone shut. “Driving you say?”

“I imagined it.”

“What if you didn’t?”

“Driving to Hell is impossible.”

“What if Hell is on Earth?”

Clenching his fists, Rafael gritted his teeth. “I haven’t the time nor the patience for your cryptic banter, Kalli.”

“Maybe you’re right about them driving to Hell.”

“How so?”

With a roll of her eyes, Kalli flounced up from the futon and padded to the desk in the far corner. With a push of a button, Lucy’s computer fired to life. Punching some keys on the keyboard, she clicked the mouse.

“Come here.”

“What is it?” he asked, moving next to Kalli. Leaning down, he scanned the screen.

“It’s called a computer.”

Rafael growled deep and low. “I know what a computer is. I’m not that uneducated in human technology.” Placing a hand on the back of her chair, he leaned over to look at the monitor. “What do you want to show me on Lucy’s computer?”

“This!”

Rafael blinked as he read the screen. A blog post about a woman’s recent trip to Hell… Michigan. This had to be a joke. “Who in their right mind names a town Hell? This can’t be real.”

“Gerardo says it is.” Kalli clicked something within the text and another site loaded. “Yum. Ice cream,” she said with a click to the picture. A larger picture of an ice cream parlor appeared. She punched more keys and clicked enter. The colorful website that looked like a pamphlet for Halloween gone bad vanished, a map taking its place.