Beauty Bride 2 Page 4

  Finally, we exit onto a wide ledge of black rock that peers over the fiery river of screaming souls. Lucifer pulls me over towards one edge of the outcrop. An enormous circle is etching into the rock, inscribed with more designs of the demonic language. Lucifer snaps his fingers once and the circle twists, breaking away from the rest of the ledge and sending a plume of black dust into the air. A hole has formed where it was once connected to the rest of the ledge, and it floats within the small space, waiting for us.

  Gently, Lucifer coaxes me onto the circle of rock. The designs now glow bright gold, radiating heat as I step onto the heated surface. Lucifer snaps his fingers again, smiling at me as the floating disc of rock jerks, then descends into the hole.

  'Going down?" he grins at me.

  I stare at the glowing symbols my feet, then met his haze. "Hellevator?"

  He throws his head back and gives a sharp laugh. "Cliché, but it works."

  Our elevator descends quickly, taking us into the bowls of Hell. A tunnel of black rock surrounds us the entire way, barely lit by small flames embedded into the rock that flash by as we shoot downward. We grind to a stop seconds later, the platform pausing at a large arched hallway cut into the rock. Lucifer leads me into the brightly lit hallway, taking hold of my hand so I don't fall too far behind.

  The hallway is short, so short that we exit into an enormous dining hall in seconds. It's twice the size of the main foyer, with rich blue and green marble slabs tiling the floor and walls. Along the entire length of one wall are enormous oval cut-outs that let us peer into the vast chasm of souls below. The fiery pits below give off a soft red-orange glow that illuminates the room.

  In the middle of the room sits an enormous carved oak table that stretches nearly fifty feet across the floor. Covered with rich fabric, it carries the weight of hundreds of plates on its dark stained surface. From cooked venison to tiramisu, there's almost no delicacy left out of the feast.

  Along the table's length sit dozens of high-ranking demons, each seated in an elaborately carved chair diving into his own silver plate piled high with food. Those farthest from where Lucifer and I stand are simple generals or Keepers that manage the damned in the pits. The guests nearest to us have the charred remnants of wings attached to their shoulders, denoting their status as fallen angels. At the very end of the table sit two empty chairs, inlaid with stones and covered in twisting metal spires.

  The biggest, tallest and most elaborate chairs at the table. I couldn't begin to tell you who those belong to.

  Giving me a soft smile, Lucifer tugs at my hand and leads me toward the empty seats. One of the fallen angels looks up for an instant, then slams down his utensils and snaps his spine straight. He stares at us, holding completely still as we approach. The other demons look up, startled by their companion's sudden movement. They, too, notice us and halt their meal. Lucifer pulls my seat back and allows me to sit first, pushing me in quickly then taking his own seat at the table.

  A hundred pairs of eyes stare silently at us, waiting for instruction. My eyes flick to each of them, taking in my new, very formidable company. Their eyes, a menagerie of colors ranging from electric blue to pitch black, lock on me, periodically flicking to Lucifer in interest.

  "So," the fallen angel nearest to me speaks, his deep voice making my entire body vibrate. "This is our new queen?"

  "Beelzebub." My husband smiles and nods. "This is the former miss Lisa Harlowe. She's our newest addition to the family and our proud queen."

  The angel turns to me and smiles. He's strikingly handsome, with bright silver eyes, pale skin and wavy blond hair. A jagged scar runs from the top of his left eye to his jaw, marring what would have been a flawless face. His wings shift slightly as he reaches for my hand. He holds it lightly and inclines his head, his eyes never leaving me.

  "You majesty," he croons.

  I smile back. "Lisa is fine."

  He nods and smiles wider, lifting his head and releasing my hand. His eyes flick to my dress and widen with interest. I flush as I suddenly remember that the first two chains of my bodice are missing, leaving very little to the imagination. Beelzebub grants himself a few precious seconds of staring before gathering himself and chivalrously returning to his plate of food. I exhale quietly, relieved. I'm safe from being ravaged by and overly-interested fallen angel...for the moment.

  Lucifer turns to me and begins to counts off the former angels that line the table: sitting alongside Beelzebub are Asmodeus, Mammon and Leviathan. Sitting directly across from them are Belphagor, Samael, Astaroth and Azazel. They're all stunning handsome, but they don't come close to my husband. He shames them all.

  A little farther down the line of demons, leaning over the table so she can glare at me, is the deathly gorgeous and oh-so-infamous Lilith. Golden-haired, ocean-eyed and rosy-cheeked, she wears nothing more than a draped Grecian-style violet gown, mocking the idea of purity and delicateness by weaving dozens of tiny dead flowers in her hair. She's the epitome of murderous beauty. She's also a good competitor for Latifah when it comes to giving me they evil eye of death.

  Fuck. Evil bitch part two.

  CHAPTER 43:

  I sigh angrily and sulk in my seat. This is not what I wanted to deal with today. I already have Latifah trying to steal Lucifer away, and now Lilith is giving me a death glare? If there's one part about living in Hell I could truly hate, it's the man-eaters that live here.

  Lucifer reaches out across the table and drags a jewel-encrusted platter towards me. Roasted venison covered in a rich wine sauce. My stomach does a back flip at the smell and I nearly faint. I'm salivating but manage to keep my mouth shut to avoid making a mess.

  Lucifer smiles at me. "Eat."

  I smile back. Taking just enough time to place my linen napkin on my lap, I jam my fork into the plate of steaming meat and taking a delicate bite. Queen of Hell, yes, but I was raised with manners.

  The taste renders me mute for a moment, and I manage to suppress a moan. It's fantastic, along with everything else here. Swallowing my first delicious bite, I stab another piece of meat and take another delicate bite, feeding my hunger while keeping my royal charms in check.

  "How long has the marriage been official?" Belphagor breaks the silence.

  Lucifer grabs his own plate of food and starts to eat. "Three days."

  "She's been crowned, I assume." Belphagor's crimson eyes narrow at me.

  Lucifer nods. "Yesterday."

  A wide smile breaks across the fallen angel's face. "Excellent."

  I smile at him and, on instinct, incline my head slightly. His smile softens, though the energy from it stays the same, as he inclines his own head. My gut impulse has saved me. Queen or not, respecting these powerful figures who serve directly under my husband might just keep me alive for another century or two.

  "Those things real?" Samael's booming voice snaps me out of my silent musings.

  I turn to stare at him, startled and a little confused. His eyes, an electric ocean blue, are fixed on my barely-covered chest. His pouty lips are parted slightly, giving the tiniest hint of his newfound lust.

  Ah. Are those real?

  A proud smile rises to my lips. "Yes, they are." I glance at Lucifer for an instant. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid you'll have to consult with my husband if you want to see for yourself."

  Lucifer sputters and jerks in his seat, nearly choking on his bite of food.

  I'm barely able to suppress my laughter.

  Samael throws his head back and bursts out laughing, the deep sound echoing around the hall. "I like her!"

  Lucifer swallows his food and turns to me, giving me a sly, you're-in-so-much-trouble smile. I smile back innocently and take another bite of venison.

  "If you don't mine me asking," Samael's caught my attention again. "What are you?"

  My chin lifts involuntarily. "36D."

  He laughs again and swings his arm to the side, smacking Lilith on the shoulder. "She's got you beat by a full cup!"
>
  She scowls and rubs her shoulder. "She's still human."

  Beelzebub gives an exasperated sigh. "Will you give that a rest? You've been bitching about this all week. Yes, she's human. But she's Lucifer's choice, not yours. Give it up."

  She glares at Beelzebub, then flicks her eyes to Lucifer. "I just don't understand why you had to pick a mortal girl."

  Lucifer shrugs and takes another bite. "She's not mortal anymore."

  That doesn't placate Lilith. "You had your choice of millions of succubae! All of them were ready and willing to marry you in an instant. And you go for a human? Why?"

  Lucifer takes a long breath, closing his eyes and rubbing his temple with two fingers. Clearly, this isn't the first time my husband and Lilith have been at odds with his choice of a bride. My gut instinct tells me she's a more powerful form of Latifah - jealous that I, a human, bypassed her for the honor of marrying their master. Knowing that a grenade's about to go off somewhere, I scoot my chair an inch to the side, putting a tiny amount of distance between me, Lilith and my now frustrated husband.

  Lucifer manages to reign in his anger. "Lilith, we've had this conversation before. I wanted a human girl, so I married one. End of discussion."

  Lilith, unfortunately, is persistent. "But why? She's weak, fearful, skinny. She's got no experience with damned souls or torture methods. She doesn't belong here!"

  Lucifer's eyes narrow at her. "Lilith." His tone is dark, warning her that she's treading into shark-infested waters.

  "I'm only saying that if you had married a demon girl-"

  "Lilith, knock it off!" Samael turns to glare at her. "He found a girl to marry and it wasn't you. Deal with it."

  That shuts her up. Lilith stares at Samael in shock for a moment, then drops her head and glares at her food. My gut was correct again. She and Latifah are both envious of me being queen. As much are her not-so-subtle anger has rubbed me the wrong way, I'm glad someone besides my husband took my side in this fight. I mentally pat myself on the head. Showing a little respect to the former angels surrounding me has earned me a few allies.

  The table is silent for a moment, and I'm able to take another bite of food to soothe my raging hunger.

  "The CEO of Goldman sent in a request this morning." Asmodeus, the famed ruler of the lust circle in Hell, breaks the silence.

  Lucifer perks up. "What did he want?"

  The angel shrugs. "Insurance. He wanted to make sure they'd be covered in case the market crashes again."

  Samael scoffs. "Some people just won't accept their own faults."

  I stare at Asmodues, curious. "I thought you only ruled over the lustful. How did you know about Goldman's plea?"

  Thankfully, the fallen angel gives me a warm smile instead of a rueful glare. "You're correct in that I do rule over the souls of those whose libido got the better of them. But all of us under your husband have direct access to any request made from the human world. It's a failsafe to make sure that stuff gets handled if Lucifer here were to ever go M.I.A."

  "Oh." I nod and smile at him. Well, that does make sense. If Lucifer happened to be tied up with creating a war - or, perhaps, tangled up in bed with me -- someone would have to make sure the place ran smoothly.

  "If she were a true queen, she would have known that," Lilith growls quietly.

  CHAPTER 44:

  There's a collective groan at the table. My happy mood sinks like a block of cement into my gut. Lucifer's deadly scowl has returned, along with Samael's angry glare and Beelzebub's exasperated sigh.

  "Lilith," Samael warns.

  She shrugs. "I'm just making a point."

  No, you're being a bitch. Please be less of a bitch.

  "Lilith. For shit's sake, just stop." Beelzebub mirrors Lucifer's previous action of rubbing his temples. "We're trying to have a peaceful dinner with our new queen and you just can't shut your damn mouth."

  Lilith raises her head and stares at me coldly. "She's not fit to be our queen."

  That's it.

  I can sense the hurricane has landed, but I intend to jump ship before it hits me. Before my husband can erupt on her bitchy demonic ass, I shove my chair back and stand up from the table.

  "Lisa-" Belphagor starts.

  I shake my head and stare directly at Lilith. "No, I'm done here. I've been chosen as your queen and you refuse to accept that. That's fine. You have free will as much as I do and I'm willing to respect your choice. But I will not sit here for the entire meal listening to you whine and complain about me getting picked to be queen over you. You're a demon. You should be able to control yourself better."

  Lilith stares at me, thunderstruck. Lucifer's lips hold a small smile meant to show his pride for me. Asmodeus and the rest of the fallen angels can barely hold back their laughter.

  I don't stop. "You're centuries older than I am, and yet you sit here throwing a fit like a child. I honestly expected more from a demon as infamous and powerful as you, Lilith. Unfortunately, your reputation far from precedes you. If all you can do is insult my humanity and my ignorance about a place I've only lived in for three days, then perhaps I shouldn't grace you with my presence."

  Having said my piece, I turn on the balls of my feet and step away from the table. I spin and begin to make my way towards the short hallway we came in from. Behind me, I can hear the scrape of a chair on marble as Lucifer steps aside to chase me down. I can also hear the sudden eruptions of laughter coming from dozens of fallen angels and high-ranking demons. I've managed to show some spine and put Lilith in her place in front of Lucifer's best and brightest.

  Not bad for my third day on the job.

  Within seconds of my exit, Lucifer has caught up to me. His icy hand grips mine as he gently pulls me to a halt. He steps in front of me, a brilliant smile on his face and absolute elation in his eyes.

  I smile and cock my head. "Proud of me?"

  "You have no fucking idea." He leans in and kisses me. "Stay," he murmurs against my lips.

  I sigh and shake my head. "No. I'm not going to sit there and listen to her chastise me all night."

  He pulls back and stares at me apologetically. "I can toss her in the fire pits if you want."

  I smile at his attempt to console me and shake my head. "What I really want is a nice long bath and a nap."

  Fuck, that actually sounds good.

  Lucifer sighs. "You're sure?"

  I nod. "I'm exhausted."

  He gives a soft smile. "I'll have Samael escort you back."

  I shake my head. "No, I want to go alone."

  "Lisa..." he starts.

  "Lucifer please. I need a little time to clear all the murderous thoughts out of my head." I rise up on my toes and kiss him. "I'll be fine."

  He sighs again. "I suppose you can handle yourself."

  "Suppose?" I stare at him. "I just verbally kicked Lilith's ass."

  That brings his smile back. He steps forward and loops his arms around me, his enormous wings sweeping around to encase me in feathery softness. He leans in and kisses me again, his hands sliding down to cup my ass. I smile against his lips and circle my arms around his neck.

  "You be safe, damn it," his whispers against my mouth.

  "I'll do my best." I pull away and start to make my way towards the hallway. "You come to bed, damn it."

  "Couldn't think of a reason I'd decline." His smile is breathtaking.

  I giggle softly and kiss him one last time before I turn and start down the hall again. "Send Samael after me with that plate, will you?" I call over my shoulder.

  He winks at me. "Will do."

  I smile and enter the hallway, looking back to watch him as he makes his way back to the table. His wings are folded tightly against his back, twitching in anticipation for something. I catch sight of Lilith's horrified face and understand that someone's about to have their ass handed to them. A small smile cracks onto my lips. Serves her right. That woman has a bigger attitude than mom when I beat her at Monopoly.

  I
make my way down the short hallway, lost in thought of how nice that warm bath will feel. My breasts are still a bit sensitive from the piercings, and being rubbed by the fabric of my dress hasn't helped them heal much. The hot water might do them some good.

  I step gingerly onto the slab of rock that brought me down here, not wanting to be caught off guard and have it shoot up when I'm not prepared. Instead, it seems to wait for me to gain my balance on the uneven surface before gliding smoothly upward. This trip is faster, and I reach the top in a matter of seconds. When I step onto the ledge of rock, the circle descends back into the abyss, resetting itself to collect another high-ranking official wanting to leave the hall.

  I turn and make my way down the labyrinth of hallways Lucifer and I walked through. Somehow, I've managed to memorize the majority of turns we took, and I'm able to make my through a good portion of the twisting maze. For the few turns I haven't branded into my head, I take my best guess, hoping that all roads will lead to the main corridor eventually.

  My gut instinct, once again, has saved my ass. After ten minutes of twisting and turning through the dimly lit mass of corridors, I'm spit out into the cold emptiness of the main hall. It's deathly quiet here, but right now I like it that way. I have a chance to clear my head and figure out how I'm going to deal with my new role as queen. I turn and start making my way down the hall towards my room, my body kicking into autopilot as my mind figures out how to handle my current issues.

  First things first: Mom. She's been elected as my servant, which means she'll serve under me for the next three hundred years until her debt to Lucifer is cleared. She'll be taking my every request and demand, answering me without question and doing anything I ask without hesitation.

  I shiver slightly, uncomfortable with the thought. Yes, she screwed me over and forced me into a married with the baddest of bad guys, bit she's my mother. Having her be my servant just doesn't sit right with me. I know there's no way I can reverse her punishment or lessen it -- she might get placed with someone less inclined to treat her with respect or sympathy -- but still.