Beelzebub Girl (12 page)

"That's a shame," Dallas said. "I love my family and couldn't imagine not seeing them regularly." Which was why I'd do everything in my power to keep Amber with us so Dallas wouldn't leave.

"When's Amber coming?" I made it sound nonchalant as if I didn't really care, but my heart picked up in speed.

Dallas swallowed the chunk in his mouth before replying. "I forgot to tell you. Thanks for reminding me. She said she'd catch the first flight from London."

First flight? As if. Aidan could teleport, meaning he could close his eyes and transport her here within a few seconds. Only Dallas was naïve enough to believe his sister's plane could defy all rules of modern aviation by flying thousands of miles in the short timespan between breakfast and lunch. So his sister hadn't told him everything about the supernatural world after all. I wondered why. Besides, Amber's situation must be dire if she and Aidan were coming to Hell knowingly. "That's great. You can stay here and work on the campaign while I pick them up from the airport."

He shook his head. "I'll come with you."

I smirked. "Sure. Whatever you prefer."

"Your dad doesn't mind?" His inquiring gaze focused on me. For a moment, I felt as though he looked right through me into the very core of my being. I swallowed hard, considering my words so the lie would sound believable. The sensation passed when he took another bite and washed it down with a big gulp of orange juice.

"Dad's always been rather fond of guests. He said he'd be happy to let them stay in one of our cottages on the other side of Disneyland."

Dallas frowned. "Is it safe there?"

"Yes." I nodded enthusiastically. "Even more so than here. All our special guests stay in a cottage. They're fancy with lots of space and modern kitchen appliances. Amber will love it there."

"I hope so," Dallas whispered, pulling me close. His heartbeat throbbed like a drum, racing faster than mine. I raised my lips to his when my phone rang.

"It's them." I didn't even need to look to know. "Why don't you answer while I make sure the cottage's ready for their arrival?"

Dallas nodded and pressed the phone against his ear. I headed out in search of my future personal assistant.

I found the Omnidus scrubbing the marble floor in the kitchen.

The balcony doors hung wide open. A hot gust of air wafted in, sucking the last bit of oxygen out of the room. If I were mortal, I would've probably fainted by now.

Walking past the gleaming kitchen counters, all kept in black and white with marble surfaces, I hurried to close the door and turned on the air conditioning. The Omnidus bowed and maintained his position until I signalled him to rise. He stood, shooting me fleeting looks from under singed lashes. For the first time, I noticed he was clad in rags, grey and worn from years of washing. The pair of pantaloons frayed around the ankles, his dry skin peeked from under the gaping holes in his shirt.

I inched closer and placed a hesitant palm on his scrawny shoulder. "What's your name?"

"Ginny." His tone was even more high-pitched than before which made me conclude his nerves in my presence hadn't settled.

"Ginny," I repeated. "Do you remember we talked about a promotion?"

He nodded, eyes scurrying across the floor. Whatever happened to the little creature must have scarred him for life. I continued, "No one will ever hurt you again." I knew I was making promises that might be hard to keep, but I vowed to do my best and protect him. "I'm here with your first job assignment."

Ginny's eyes lit up. "Anything, Princess."

Admiring his work ethic, I grinned. "I'm expecting guests, so I need you to prepare one of our best cottages for them. We'll need a vase of fresh flowers on the dining room table with a pitcher of ice water. Set out extra hand towels, toilet paper, and soap." I squeezed Ginny's hands to make sure he was listening. "Lots of soap. We know Aidan needs to wash all that vampire stench off of him."

Ginny's hesitant smile disappeared. "A vampire."

I rolled my eyes. "I know what you're thinking. Like water would help, right? A girl can always try."

"I'm a kitchen aide, but I will do my best to meet your expectations," Ginny said. I beamed at him, pleased.

"Just pretend you're opening up a new hotel and you need to impress the guests. You'll have to strip the beds, scrub the bathroom and put out a nice welcome mat. Make it as chic yet cozy as possible."

"Yes, Princess."

I tapped a finger against my lips, my mind racing a hundred miles an hour. "Oh, and Amber gets pretty grouchy without her coffee, so put the coffeemaker on a timer to start up in the morning. Don't forget to stock the fridge. We'll also need to place a basket of shampoos, soaps and lotions near a giant stack of fresh towels. Air out the place and leave two robes out on top of the bed with some chocolates. Some black, fluffy slippers would be nice too."

"Chocolates?" Ginny asked.

"You're right. Add some candles and rose petals." I bit my lip.

"No, cancel that part. That's overkill. Although, I'm sure those two could use a little romance. It's just that Aidan's a whole lot nicer when he's all floaty and in love. Guess you can say he's more tolerable to be around."

Ginny nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, Princess."

I regarded him, wondering whether it might just be too much for him. "I know you're thinking I'm going overboard with all of this, but Amber and Aidan must be spoiled at all costs. I have to make the chick happy, and the vampire dude too. If she leaves, Dallas leaves with her...and my life is over...literally. I'm putting you in charge of the whole operation, so gather a few Operandes and get to work because you only have two hours. Can you do it?"

He bowed his head whispering, "No one will listen to me."

He was right, but I was Lucifer's daughter so, naturally, being resourceful ran in my DNA. "Don't worry about it. I'll make sure they do." I was almost out the door when I remembered Dad mustn't know.

"One last request," I called over my shoulder. "You can't tell anyone."

I didn't wait for Ginny's answer because I knew he'd never dare cross me, or question my motives. Thrain, on the other hand, just might.

Back upstairs, Dallas had finished his conversation and was keen on recalling it. I held up a hand to stop him and muttered, "Sorry it took so long. Can you wait just a few more minutes?"

He nodded so I headed out again, panting from all the running around. When had I become this harried yet industrious person? It felt good to have an agenda that kept my mind too busy to contemplate the curse or its implications. Mind, I wasn't even bothered because I was certain Dallas was the one. Whatever this curse entailed, it'd never even stand a chance to manifest itself.

I'm so proud of my little protégé
, Pinky whispered. Was he crying? I turned sharply, but the little angel averted his face.
The way
you're trying to help that poor creature shows me Kinky's disgusting
ways aren't rubbing off on you.

Pinky's problem was his sense of reality was rather distorted.

Hell was a place built on hierarchy and keeping up appearances. I peeked left and right to make sure no one snooped on us. "Now, don't get emotional on me," I hissed. "I'm not helping Ginny as much as I'm trying to help myself. Imagine being stuck here for the rest of your life." I shuddered.

Pinky gasped.
Good gracious. What a disaster. Your mother
would be so upset.

I closed my eyes and sent Thrain a message to meet me in the hall. A few minutes later, the door swung open and in he walked, a grin playing on his lips. "Miss me, gorgeous?"

"Don't get your hopes up, mate. You and I ain't happening. Are you alone?" I peered around him, lest his bulky physique hide one of his helpers.

"Why would I bring anyone along on our date?" He marched past me into the living room and sank into Dad's leather sofa, his dusty boots grazing the soft throw. His insolence was hard to bear, particularly since I was a girl who valued cleanliness. At times, however, it makes sense to sacrifice one's integrity for the sake of a higher cause, so I bit my lip and kept quiet.

"It's not a date," I hissed.

Thrain smirked, self-satisfied. "Still trying to deny the feelings you have for me that burn deeper and hotter than Hell itself?"

My jaw dropped. Seriously, could he be more in love with himself? "I asked you to meet me in the hall. How you got the idea this was a date is beyond me. Listen, I need you to do something."

He narrowed his gaze. "If it involves deceiving your father, I won't do it."

"Of course, you will. Who do you think will run this place one day?" I raised my chin a notch. "If you want to have a future in Hell, you'd better start sucking up to the second-in-command otherwise—" I trailed off, letting him fill in the blanks.

He smirked and shifted in his seat, rubbing his dirty clothes over the cream throw, which was my joy and pride since it fit the black décor perfectly. Counting to ten, I clenched my fists.

I could see him fighting with himself whether to believe me or not. "You said you'd never be interested in holding any sort of position in Hell."

"Times change. Let's just say I can see myself taking over Dad's position in a few years." I cleared my throat. "Now, listen. My personal assistant, Ginny, will require protection to finish his work assignment.

Make sure you've got his back."

Thrain cocked a brow, amused. "I didn't know you had a personal assistant. Who is this Ginny? Another guy I should know about?"

I shrugged. "You know Dad's kitchen aide. I've promoted him."

Thrain laughed. "That's certainly a nice leap up the career ladder."

"You could say that. Can I count on you?" I infused as much authority into my voice as I could muster. "Or do I have to look elsewhere for an employee worthy of my trust and a long-lasting collaboration?"

He bowed deeply, his piercing gaze remained fixed on me. "Your wish is my command, Princess."

I didn't like the smug grin on his face. Drumming my fingers against my thigh, I inclined my head. "Well? Can you take it from here or do you need any more instructions?"

To my delight, he finally got up from my pretty sofa and headed out with another bow. Playing a role in Dad's business might not be part of my life plan, but the perks weren't to be disregarded. It was time for the next part of my plan, so I pushed the thought to the back of my mind and joined Dallas. He was sitting on the bed, waiting patiently. His eyes shone, the corners of his mouth twitched. My heart made a somersault. I pushed the empty plates aside and sat next to him, my thigh brushing his, sending shivers up and down my body.

"Sorry about the delay. I had to take care of some details. What did Amber say?"

He leaned into me and brushed a stray lock out of my face.

"Their plane landed an hour or so ago."

I cleared my throat to stifle the laugher bubbling inside my throat. Yeah, right. I bet they were still packing in London.

"Are you all right?" Dallas asked, handing me a glass of water. I took a deep gulp and almost choked on it when he said, "She'll meet us outside Disneyland's Entry B in fifteen minutes, which must be up by now. I don't understand why they didn't just take a taxi."

Maybe I should run the taxi into Hell idea past Dad. He might get a laugh out of that one. "Maybe they were broke and took the shuffle bus. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see them." And get them out of my system so we could finally focus on our relationship again.

"Makes sense. What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Dallas jumped up from the bed. I laughed.

"You're not too excited or anything."

"Thanks for doing this." Dallas's face was mere inches from mine, his voice was low, his breathing came in short rasps. "I'm glad we get to spend more time together because I like you a lot." He laughed softly. "Ever since hearing your voice on the phone I knew I had to meet you. It wasn't an option, more like a need. Crazy, huh?"

Not really. "I'm glad you stalked me, otherwise we might not have met before I turn eighteen."

"Why? What happens when you turn eighteen?"

I shrugged. "Dad's been pestering me about moving back home. I was planning to come back in a few weeks."

"I'm glad I got to see you again before you disappeared forever,"

Dallas whispered. His hand wandered to my back as if to hold me in place. His lips parted. I held my breath, my mind devoid of thoughts, but my heart got the message and started racing.

They're about to kiss. Isn't that cute?

Pinky's voice jolted me out of the moment. I groaned inwardly and averted my gaze. How was a girl ever supposed to seal the deal and get the guy to fall head over heels for her with someone wrecking every attempt at bonding?

Clearing his throat, Dallas jumped up and held out his hand.

"Ready to go?"

I intertwined my fingers with his, marvelling at the electric jolt running up and down my arm. "Are you sure you don't want to wait here?"

He shook his head. "You've done enough already."

I smiled because I was about to do even more, for both his sister and myself. Even though the portal could be opened anywhere, we took the way we came so Dallas wouldn't get suspicious. We drove around until we found the right entry. I opened my phone. Now all I had to do was wait for the perfect moment to hit enter.

"Making a call, babe?" Dallas asked.

"Uh, no. I'm checking to see if my dad called." Dad had given me a new code to open the portal this time so Dallas wouldn't pass out when we stepped through. It was also Dad's idea that I present him with a love letter to keep his attention occupied so I wouldn't have to feign yet another Gulf of Mexico thunderstorm. I tapped his arm. "I wrote you something. It's in the glove department."

"Really?" He pulled out a red envelope and tore it open, hesitating.

"Well, read it," I prompted.

Gazing down, he started to read out loud. "My dearest Dallas, the day you came into my life changed my world...."