Sexy As Hell (7 page)

"
What’s your name?
"
Seth asked.

"
Camille,
"
she answered automatically, resting her chin on her knee.

"
No, I mean your real name, not your host’s name.
"

What did it matter? The clock was ticking away and she’d be right back in Hell before too long. And this time, she’d return a failure.
"
I’m just one of many in service to the Dark Lord.
"

Seth sat quietly for a moment and then seemed to give up trying to talk to her. He stood and sighed, turning to walk away from the cell.

"
My name is
Isra
.
"
She spoke the words suddenly as he moved away. She needed to keep him as close and engaged as possible. What could it hurt to talk? Perhaps gaining his trust could get her somewhere.

"
Isra
?
"
Seth sat back down.
"
Tell me about yourself,
Isra
.
"

She couldn’t help but wrinkle her brow in confusion. He wanted to make small talk? Okay. She could do that. She liked the way he said her name, anyway.
"
What’s there to tell, really? I’m a demon. It’s not exactly like I can tell you about my childhood and my aspirations to be a country music star.
"

Seth laughed, and
Isra
grew more confident in her ability to befriend him.
"
What about Hell? What do you do down there?
"
he asked.

"
We play a lot of strip poker.
"
Isra
smiled.
"
Seriously,
"
she added as the smile slipped away,
"
there’s nothing that goes on down there that is appropriate for polite conversation. As I said before, there’s a reason we fight to get out, even if for just a day.
"

"
How often do you manage to get out?
"

Not nearly often enough, she mused.
"
If we’re lucky, once a decade or so, although the passage of time is sort of fluid down there.
I haven’t been out since the late nineties. I got to stay on Earth for a whole week that time.
"

Seth’s eyes shot up in surprise.
"
How’d you manage that?
"

"
Well, the first twenty-four hours are the biggest hurdle. Once you capture a man’s soul, you can stay for several days until you have to do it again. Of course, the more souls you consume, the stronger you are and the longer you can fight Hell’s pull on you. And you need to be strong to fight Michael’s warriors. Otherwise, they’ll overpower you and exorcise you back to Hell.
"

"
Is that what happened to you?
"

"
On numerous occasions.
"
Isra
frowned.
"
How come you haven’t tried to drive me out of Camille?
"

Seth leaned back in his chair.
"
Well, to be honest, the process is draining and dangerous for me and the host. I’ve been around a long time and learned a few things in my years at work. If I can keep you from stealing a man’s soul before sunrise, I can skip the theatrics. It’s easier that way.
"
He looked over his shoulder and
Isra
followed his gaze to the countdown clock. About seven hours left.

"
Do you want something to drink?
"
Seth got up and went to the kitchen.

"
Sure.
"

Seth returned and slid a juice box through the bars.
"
No sharp objects,
"
he explained.

Isra
accepted the box of fruit punch.
"
I guess you think I can’t gouge your eyes out with my plastic bendy straw.
"

"
It’d be a feat if you could.
"
He laughed and sat down with a can of soda.
"
How does one get out of hell for these excursions of yours?
"

"
Sometimes you can slip away without being noticed. At sunrise and sunset the fabric of this world thins and it’s easier to pass through. You have to get through the guards, though.
"

"
Guards?
"

"
Mean sons of bitches.
Hairy, smelly, and very strong.
Their breath is like hot, rancid broccoli. They’re there, primarily, to keep the souls inside, though. Demons escaping are the least of their worries. Especially since so many are deliberately sent out.
"

Seth listened to her with unexpected interest.
"
So did you break out this time or was this an assignment?
"

"
Do you normally interrogate your captives?
"
Isra
countered. She’d never been asked so many questions. It was usually a
"
seek and destroy
"
mission for both sides.
Hopefully she wasn’t giving away any
vulnerabilities
in her attempt to befriend him.

"
Sometimes.
I’m usually a lot meaner, though.
"

Isra
sighed. She couldn’t tell him the truth. They might suspect her motives, but if they didn’t, she wasn’t going to tip Michael off.
"
I did this on my own,
"
she lied.
"
I was trying to prove myself to another demon. My big mouth gets me in trouble, sometimes. He challenged me to take one of Michael’s warriors. I took the bet.
"

"
Why did you choose me and Camille?
"

She shrugged.
"
I watched several of you
that I suspected to be in Michael’s employ
before I made my decision. You were the biggest risk, but you obviously had the biggest vulnerability in your neighbor. I thought using Camille would give me an advantage. It almost worked.
"

"
What if you lose and have to return empty-handed?
"

She shook her head. That was not an option.
"
You don’t really want to know. I’ll just say that I’m not in a hurry to go back.
"
Isra
turned to the clock, watching the red digits tick away the time she had left.
"
I don’t have long and it’s obvious I’m not getting out of here. What do you say to some dinner? I’d like to eat as much pizza as I possibly can before I go.
"

12:20 A.M.

Seth couldn’t believe how quickly the time passed while he was talking to
Isra
. They’d eaten more pizza and chatted about a number of different topics. They had both lived the long, storied lives of immortal creatures, but from very different perspectives. The things she’d seen and experienced in her lifetime were often dark, but fascinating, and he couldn’t help but keep asking questions.

She had more in common with Camille than she would probably care to admit. They were both smart and witty. He almost liked her. Well, as much as one could like a demon set on sucking your soul into the pits of Hell.

At the very least, it killed two more hours and didn’t involve her getting naked again. He wasn’t sure his heart could take it.

"
Seth?
"

He dumped their dirty plates into the trash and returned, dusting crumbs off of his hands.
"
Yeah?
"

Isra
frowned, her brow knitted in thought.
"
Would you like to speak to Camille again?
"

Seth was surprised by her offer.
"
What’s the catch?
"
He almost felt guilty for suspecting her of a trick, although it was highly likely that it was.

She pouted, her bottom lip sticking out seductively.
"
No trick. I just...
"
her voice faded out.
"
I just thought it would be a nice thing to do. You’ve been
kinder
to me than you had to be.
"

Seth tried not to chuckle at the pained expression on her face. She didn’t seem to enjoy being nice, but whatever bit of conscience she had was getting the best of her.
"
Okay,
"
he agreed and settled back into his chair. As an afterthought, he slid the seat back another foot or so.

Isra
curled up beside the bars and closed her eyes. An involuntary shudder came over her, followed by a deep sigh.
"
Thank God,
"
Camille’s voice echoed in the steel cell. She opened her blue eyes and smiled at Seth.
"
I don’t think I can take much more of this.
"

Seth returned her smile.
"
Hang in there. It won’t be much longer.
"

She nodded and looked down at her hands.
"
It's a little weird being a spectator to your own life. Not having control over anything I do or say. I honestly can't believe some of the things she's done tonight. It's so embarrassing." A flush rushed to her cheeks that was a little unexpected considering all the thing she ——
Isra
—— had done tonight. Without making eye contact, she said, "Seth, can I ask you something?
"

Seth had hoped she would pick up their last conversation where it left off, but didn’t push the issue.
"
Sure.
Anything.
"
After the door to this world had been so violently kicked in, people usually had questions. Some he could answer, some he couldn't. But he did his best to comfort the demon's victims.

"
Do men really like women like that?
"

Her question caught him completely off guard. He was ready to explain the structure of Hell, the mission of a succubus... but not this.
"
Women like what?
"

"
Like her?
So blatantly sexual.
Wanton.
Kinky, even.
Do men really want a woman like that?
"

Seth wasn’t sure what to say.
"
Well,
"
he stalled,
"
yeah, I guess. Men aren’t very complicated. They’re easily distracted by sex. But at the same time,
"
he argued,
"
we’re also territorial. We don’t want to share our woman with another man. I guess that’s the allure of a woman who can be a lady to the casual observer, but wild in bed.
"

Camille listened and nodded.
"
That makes sense. I never really looked at it like that. I’d always strived to be the kind of woman a man wants to marry. The kind you’d be proud to take home to your mother. I guess I missed the point. Men want the best of both worlds.
"

"
I don’t think the man who had you could be disappointed.
"

She looked up at him, her bright blue eyes wide with surprise.
"
Thank you. I guess it would be an exciting adventure, then.
"

"
What would be?
"

Camille crawled to her feet and pressed her body against the bars.
"
Exploring my untapped sexuality.
"

Seth had to struggle to swallow the lump in his throat. His jaw tightened as his thoughts strayed to the possibilities of such an adventure.
"
I’m sure it would.
"

"
Would you like to help me?
"

Her words were so direct it threw him off his guard. He got up from his chair and approached the cell. He searched her blue eyes for the rosy hint of
Isra
behind them. There was only Camille. His hands closed over hers.
"
God,
would I...
"

She smiled, the worry disappearing from her face.
"
Good.
"
She watched him for a moment, the expression slowly transitioning to a sultry gaze. She stood up on her toes and leaned as far as she could into the bars to kiss him. He bent down and met her lips, ignoring the cool metal pressed against his cheek.