Demons Prefer Blondes (Demons Unleashed #1)(99)

Fresh air, my ass. “Just what you need.”

Belial reached down, snatched the key and kicked Larissa out of his way. “Go.”

With a small squeak, Larissa stumbled and scurried off, on all fours, toward the ice cream parlor.

“Lamia, when are you going to get some real help?” Belial swept a golden curl from his cheek, a frustrated breath of air escaping his lips.

“She’s one of my best succubi.” Lamia’s gaze remained fixed to the earth below. “And my most loyal.”

“Devil help you then.” Belial dismissed Lamia with a flick of his wrist and dangled the key in front of Lucy’s nose, like a fisherman tempts a fish. With each swing of the key, he clucked his tongue. “Will you behave, my dear?”

Depends on what he meant by behave? Consorting with evil demons certainly didn’t constitute behaving in her book. “Oh, I’ll behave. You have my word.”

“How can I be certain, my dear Lucia?” His smile crept upward, taunting her. Keys jangling in the cold wind, he swung his hand back and forth. “After all, you’re blessed.”

“I’m an honest woman. Either you believe me or you don’t.” She gave her hair a nonchalant toss. “It makes no difference to me. I’ll get these cuffs off one way or the other.”

“What if I had something… or someone… you care about? Would you behave then?”

Her heart plummeted. Her stomach coiled into knots. “Oh God,” she whispered beneath her breath.

“What was that? I didn’t quite hear you.” His eyes sparked and menacing dimples formed in his cheeks.

Who did he have? Frankie? Gerardo? Her Mom? Rafe? Oh please don’t let it be Rafe. Shivers slinked up her spine. Despite the fear coursing through her, she raised her chin. She wouldn’t show this * weakness. “You might as well get it over with, Belial. I’m not one for surprises.”

“Fine. Either you behave or your precious friend dies.” He flicked his cape and spun around, the wind whipping it around his feet. Throwing the cape open, he threw back his head and chortled, the sound grating on her eardrums. In one hand, the glint of a ruby jeweled dagger sparkled in the glow of the stupid chest. But it was what was in his other arm that caused her skin to crawl.





Chapter 28


Her best friend, body limp and eyes closed, flung over his shoulder, like a worn-out Raggedy-Ann doll. With a nonchalant shrug, Belial hoisted her off his shoulder and tossed her to the ground.

Bastard.

Serah moaned, her head lolling to the side. “My head.”

Kneeling next to her friend, Belial grabbed her neck and angled her head to meet Lucy’s gaze. His dagger at her neck, he arched his eyebrow quizzically. “Do we have a deal?”

“I will behave,” Lucy said through gritted teeth.

“Good. I’m glad we’re in agreement. We’ll make a splendid couple.” Sheathing his dagger, he dropped Serah to the ground. “Oops.”

“If you hurt her, I’ll be more than happy to send for her bodyguard.” Belial didn’t need to know this bodyguard was pint-sized with a voice that could break glass.

“Oh, do you mean him?” Belial snapped his fingers. A violent gust of wind sailed past her, an agonizing wail carrying in the air. A very high-pitched wail. The ball of ice slammed against a tree, silver chains snaking around Squeaky’s frozen form.

She needed to think—before she ran out of time. If she made the slightest misstep, her friends would die. She couldn’t fail. She had too much at stake. Besides, Rafe and Kalli couldn’t be far behind. Perhaps she could just go along with this charade for a little while.

“Do we have an agreement, Lucy?”

She raised her head to meet the embers of Belial’s gaze. If only she could extinguish those embers. “Yes—”

“No Lucy. You can’t.” Serah, slinking and crawling on the ground, gazed up at her, her eyes pleading. “Don’t let this monster—”

“Enough already,” he said with a deep gravelly growl. A cryptic smile contorted his lips as his wing tip loafers connected with Serah’s gut.

Serah groaned and curled into a ball. “Please…”

“Spare us the soap opera melodrama,” Lamia said, joining Belial. Reaching down, she grabbed Serah by the collar of her blood-speckled coat and dragged her across the snow-veiled earth.

“So do we have a deal?”

“My friends go unharmed.”

“Very well. Lamia, back away from the prisoner.”

With an irritated growl, she slithered away from Serah, her snake arms disengaging from her friend’s limp body. “She won’t stay like this forever, you know.”

“Who’s in charge here? You or me?” Belial, his eyes sparking, lashed out his hand. In a burst of bright light, a ring of fire erupted around Lamia’s scaly legs. Shaking his head, he chuckled, the sound, despite its quietness, came out low and menacing.

“You, my prince.” With that, Lamia slid away to join her partner in crime.

With an irritated breath, Belial spun the keychain around his finger, the clanging of metal taunting her. He took slow meticulous steps around her, his hands roving up and down her body. Her skin crawled and her stomach roiled. His toxic stench hung heavy in the air, growing thicker with each caress.