Ruby Shadows (Born to Darkness #3)(37)

“I’m so sure,” I muttered. Comparing that sweet-looking little cherub boy to the grotesque boar-headed demon seemed ridiculous but Laish was clearly not going to listen to reason.

I fumed silently as we rode, but Laish still had more to say.

“Now that Druaga suspects what you are, we must be even more vigilant,” he said in my ear. “Had you simply remained silent he would have been too distracted by your beauty to notice you are more than you seem.”

“Distracted by my beauty.” I looked down at the thin red gown which clung to my breasts, outlining them suggestively. “Right.”

“You think I have dressed you as you are only for my own pleasure?” Laish demanded in a low voice. “It is a kind of camouflage, Gwendolyn. It distracts the sharp eyes of those who would expose you and put us in more danger than we are already in.” He stroked my thigh through the slippery red silk, making me shift uneasily as sparks of unwilling pleasure raced through my veins. “Not that it does any good if you are determined to expose yourself,” he said roughly.

“I’ll try to remember to keep my mouth shut in the future,” I snapped as Laish directed the huge horse down a long, carpeted hallway. “Stay quiet and look pretty. Great career advice.”

“It is if you are a concubine,” he remarked, sounding amused.

“I don’t understand though,” I said. “If secrecy is so important, why tell anyone at all who you are? Why not just go incognito and pretend you’re another, uh, demon-businessman, like the ones we saw in the lobby?”

“You mean the flesh merchants?” He sounded disgusted. “I would never allow myself to be classed with them. Besides, the upper floors of the hotel are difficult to get to and not nearly as safe as the first floor suites.”

“But this is a respectable establishment, isn’t it?” I asked, frowning. “How can it not be safe here?”

“No place in Hell is completely safe,” he said seriously. “You must remember that, mon ange. Ah—here we are.”

We had finally come to the end of the broad hallway—which reminded me more than a little of the one in The Shining—and found ourselves in front of a single door. A brass number 4 gleamed at us and there was an old fashioned keyhole just under the doorknob. No new-fangled key cards for the Hotel Infernal—apparently here everything was strictly old fashioned and by-the-book.

Laish dismounted easily and unlocked the door with the key. It swung open, revealing an opulent room carpeted in black and dotted with white furniture.

“My lady.” Laish turned to me and offered his hand to help me down from the horse. This time I took it, though I couldn’t help thinking that I was getting dangerously used to his touch. Which really wasn’t surprising considering how closely we were pressed together while we were riding.

Well, I was out of the saddle now and it was time to put a little distance between us. I dropped Laish’s hand as quickly and as casually as I could once I got off Kurex’s back and went to look inside the suite.

“Oh, it’s gorgeous!” I breathed as I stepped inside. Or maybe I should say, stepped down because it was a sunken room with a deep step just inside the doorway. The carpet was rich and thick, made of something that almost felt alive. It caressed my bare feet (I’d taken off the other black ballet flat) making me feel like I was getting a foot massage as I walked.


“Take your time and explore,” Laish said, nodding at the huge suite. “I must go tend to Kurex. I do not trust him to any of the handlers Druaga has on his staff.” He pointed a finger at me. “You are to stay in the room the entire time I am gone and do not open the door to anyone. Furthermore, do not accept any kind of offer, no matter how small or inconsequential it may seem.”

“Yes, sir.” I gave him a sarcastic little mock salute. “And should I put myself to bed early without supper while I’m at it?”

Laish’s eyes were suddenly half-lidded, his ruby eyes glowing as he looked at me.

“As to that, mon ange, I shall return and put you to bed myself. A process I am very much looking forward to.”

“What do you mean?” Despite myself, my heart started to pound. “We…I thought we didn’t have to…to do that unless we were paying the Sin Tax to get into the next level—the third circle of Hell.”

“The border between Baator and Minauros, the Great Dessert, is just beyond the sixth exit of the Hotel Infernal,” he said softly. “Therefore we may pay the Sin Tax ahead of time and in a much more leisurely fashion than we paid to get into the second circle.”

“We can?” I faltered, hating the tremor in my voice but unable to help it.

“Most assuredly.” His eyes were still burning.

“Remember your promise, Laish,” I said quickly. “You said you wouldn’t take me…wouldn’t go too far.”

“Yes, but we must at least go further than we did to cross the Styx,” he murmured. “The fee to travel deeper into the Infernal Realm grows with each step.”

“But still,” I said. “You told me you wouldn’t do that unless you had to. Until the end.”

His ruby eyes raked over me, making me feel incredibly naked.

“Just because I may not yet make love to you doesn’t mean I don’t anticipate stroking your beautiful body and making you come tonight, mon ange.”