To Hell and Back (Mel Goes to Hell Series Book 4) (3 page)

"Once everyone's here, I'll brief them on the change of management and your role here, then let you speak to them," Luce said as they entered the empty lecture theatre. Some idiot had stopped ordering coffee beans for the magnificent coffee machine Mel had won for them, so there was only that instant stuff that he wouldn't touch. He'd sent Mephi out for coffee for Mel and himself. Mel had laughed and said her first task would be to get the espresso flowing again and he couldn't express his appreciation emphatically enough. Maybe after work…

Mel laughed shakily. "Me? Speak in front of everyone? Oh, Luce, that's not a good idea."

"They all know you and they all owe you, too. They'll shut up and listen to you, I swear." The gentle shake of her head brought him up short. "What?"

"Luce, I'm terrified of public speaking. You rescued me from it yourself once in this very room, when the fear overcame me and I fell to my knees. Your kindness that day always stands out in my mind. The room was full of human reporters, yet it was you, a demon, who came to my aid and helped me up." She blushed. "I thought then that you wanted something and you'd use my weakness against me, but you never did."

How could he have forgotten? She'd fallen and the only thought in his head was the irresistible urge to help her. The moment he'd touched her, he'd felt an alien ardour to hold her forever and a powerful yearning for salvation only she could deliver. With his mind scrambling to understand the churning desires, he'd named her his saviour in front of the assembled press. Luckily for him, they'd lapped it up. Or was it Mel's luck that had done it?

"I'll be there, right beside you," he said. "And it's not public speaking when you know them all and they know you. It's like a conversation with a lot of people, all at the same time. Just say that the first thing you're going to do is sort out the coffee situation. Everyone will smile and clap, I'll warn them again not to ask you to unjam the photocopier or they'll be headed straight back to Hell, and we'll end the briefing. You're the most powerful angel any of them have ever seen – capable of obliterating the lot of them if the mood takes you. You have nothing to be afraid of. It'll be fine."

Her nervous smile tugged at his heart. "All right, I'll try." Her pale purple skirt swirled around her legs as she crossed to a chair in the front row and gracefully lowered herself onto it. She made the worn cloth seat look like a throne, though it was no different to any of the others. Every movement she made screamed out that she was no ordinary angel. How could he have been so oblivious to it before?

At ten, not a second before, demons started trooping in, in groups of two or three. They filled up the middle and rear seats of the lecture theatre, row upon row of dark shirts and suits that made Mel and her pastels stand out all the more. There wasn't even a hint of red among them – Lili must still be in Hell, Luce figured, which was fine by him. His chest still itched at the feel of her claws digging into his heart. He waited, letting them talk among themselves, until Mephi appeared in the doorway and gave a sharp nod. She perched on the edge of the seat nearest the door.

"Good morning," Luce began with a grin. "As you can see, I'm back at the helm of the HELL Corporation and the future's looking brighter than ever. Through my skills of persuasion, Miss Melody Angel has returned as Special Projects Director and, with her assistance, business here in HELL will be better than ever. So I'd like everyone to warmly welcome back…Mel!" Luce waved his arms with a flourish. "Come up here where everyone can see you, Mel."

She gave a painful smile and rose shakily to her feet. When the smattering of applause started, she stumbled, but righted herself before she fell. Her gaze locked on Luce's and he couldn't help but see the determination that drove her to keep walking. Every step seemed to take more willpower than he'd ever owned.

No. He'd promised to stand beside her and he would. Starting now. Luce strode to meet her, wrapping an arm securely around Mel's waist and walking with her the last few steps to the lectern. He was supporting most of her weight by the time he reached it – her legs seemed to want to fold up beneath her – but he couldn't let her fall. Couldn't let her show weakness in front of demons because they'd swarm like seagulls.

They both turned to face the crowd and the clapping abruptly ceased. Mel's hand seized his and he was swamped by a flood of terror so intense he'd never experienced anything like it before. Not his – hers, as her throat froze so she could barely draw breath, let alone speak. Not only did he have to keep her upright, he'd have to speak for his usually eloquent angel.

"Mel and I will be working very closely together for the foreseeable future, so I don't want to hear about anyone asking her to help them out on any project that hasn't been personally approved by me. If you need an appointment with Mel, Mephi will be handling her schedule. And if I hear anyone asking her to do anything with the photocopier, I will personally see that person transferred to Level Eight, effective immediately," Luce thundered.

"Mel, will you be the first point of contact for animal welfare and alien invasion issues?" someone called from the audience.

Luce waited, but Mel still couldn't seem to loosen her tongue, so he answered, "No, you'll refer those matters to whoever has been handling them since she left. Mephi will be screening all her calls, so if you try to call her for anything that I haven't approved –"

"Let her speak for herself!" someone shouted.

"Yeah, let her go!"

Before Luce could work out who had shouted, more than half the demons erupted out of their seats with similar angry shouts. It was like being back in his office in Hell, where every demon had wanted to defend her and beg for her release. Instead of individual demands, though, now there was a demonic cacophony that drowned out the whimpers he could feel escaping from Mel.

"Get out!" he roared over them. "This briefing is over. Get back to work!"

He repeated it several times until all the demons left the lecture theatre. Mephi, who was the last, gave him a dark look as she descended the steps.

"Is Miss Angel all right? What can I do to assist?" Mephi asked, sounding concerned even as her eyes burned red.

"She's fine," Luce said curtly. "You get back to work, too."

He watched as she slowly made her way up the stairs and out the door. It wasn't until they were alone that he pulled Mel into his arms and whispered, "I'm so sorry. I didn't realise it would be this bad."

Mel pushed herself far enough away to look up at him. "The last time I managed to deliver a speech in front of a crowd, they turned into a mob and tore my body to pieces. Thousands of years may have passed, but I can still feel those clawing nails as if it was yesterday. I am…a poor presenter at best, Luce. I'm sorry."

"It's hardly your fault. I won't make you do that again – ever. I swear." He wet his lips. "How can I make it up to you?"

Mel smiled wanly. "Maybe it'd be best if I went outside and got some fresh air for an hour or so before I return to work. I need to pick up a few things, anyway. I'll return in time for lunch."

"Do you want me to come with you to make sure you're okay? I mean, you almost collapsed in here."

She shook her head. "I'll be all right. See you in an hour or so, my love. Don't burn the office down while I'm gone."

Mel set the bags on her desk, peeping at some of the satin and lace she'd bought when she'd given in to temptation. It wasn't for her, after all…well, it was, seeing as she, and not Luce, would be wearing all that lovely lingerie, but he was the reason she'd bought it. The poor man had cried over her bloodstained bra in Hell, for goodness' sake. He deserved to see her in its replacement. In all of the replacements.

She wanted each item and ensemble to be a surprise, so she opened the desk drawer, hoping to stash them away before he saw them. The drawer was full of bits of paper. Mel pulled one out and squinted at it. A lottery ticket. They were all lottery tickets. She pulled the whole drawer out and emptied the contents on her desk. How many tickets were there? Hundreds, maybe. A closer look revealed that they were more than a year out of date. Even if they'd been jackpot winners, they were null and void now. She transferred the mess to her wastepaper basket and tucked her purchases into her now empty drawer.

Not a moment too soon, either.

A knock at the open door made her look up. Expecting Luce, Mel was surprised to see Nybbas.

He grinned nervously. "Hi, Mel. It's good to have you back. A bit of a promotion for you, isn't it?"

Nybbas was the only person in the whole corporation who could give a worse presentation than her – at least, he had been, until she'd helped him. Mel had always suspected Nybbas had feelings for her, but he'd never dared to go against Luce. "Perhaps," she said. "It's certainly an improvement to doing Lili's stapling and photocopying." She nodded at her computer. "Are you here to set that up for me?"

He reddened. "No, the imps took care of that this morning while we were in Luce…Lord Lucifer's briefing. I wanted to ask if everything was all right." He sidled into the room, glancing around as if he was afraid to be seen talking to her.

"Why wouldn't it be?" she asked.

He coughed. "Well, Spike – one of the imps – said that he'd seen you in Hell. That Lord Lucifer had you in his lair in the lowest levels. You…you can't trust the imps, you know, because they like to cause trouble. It's what they live for. And demons…well, we can lie like humans. I guess you already knew that. Or I hope you did. But you…you're still an angel, right? And angels can't lie. So I thought if I asked you, at least I'd know it was the truth. Did Lord Lucifer…did he…"

Mel nodded once. "I've seen his lair in Hell, yes. He keeps a two-pronged fork in an umbrella stand behind his desk. A bident, I believe it's called."

Nybbas paled. "You mean it's true? You really are working with Lord Lucifer now?"

She forced herself to smile. "Yes, I'm here to help Luce. I'm sure he explained that in the briefing."

His eyes darted around the room and then to the door before he crept toward her desk. Dropping his voice so low it was barely audible, Nybbas said, "You looked terrified when he touched you this morning, Mel. We've been talking around the office and we think he's gone too far. Corrupting humans and the occasional angel, fair enough, but you –" He swallowed. "If you need help with anything, and I mean anything, tell me. I'd defy Lord Lucifer for you."

"Are you ready for lunch, Mel?" A grinning Luce stood in the doorway, raising his eyebrows suggestively. "I booked us a table at the Hilton's restaurant and the chef tells me he has fresh oysters that just arrived. Don't think you'll get out of it that easily. After what you said this morning…"

Nybbas looked horrified.

Mel blushed. "Yes." She rose and headed for the door. "Thanks for setting up my computer, Nybbas. I'll let you know if I have any trouble with it."

Luce held out his hand and she took it. Together, they made their way to the lift. It looked like everyone was headed out for lunch at the same time, because it seemed to take forever for the lift to reach their floor and the smells wafting up from the atrium lobby were all from food.

Mel inhaled deeply. "I swear I can smell peppermint. Do you think someone spilled peppermint oil in the water feature? We'll be smelling it for days if they have."

Luce sniffed. "Is that what that stench is? Hell, I hope not. I'll talk to building management and make them pump out the whole damn fountain. I won't be able to smell your perfume if my sinuses are stuffed with that!"

Mel laughed softly all the way down to the lobby and out to the arcade. The smell didn't fade as they walked – in fact, it seemed to strengthen until Mel thought she could taste it. Sugary, sweet and sharp, it was like…

"We have a candy shop here? In the HELL Corporation building? The tenant manager must hate me. Or maybe Persephone approved it. That must be it. Something so sickly sweet has no place in HELL," Luce muttered, glaring at the shop where peppermint rock candy was being made.

Mel stopped and addressed the shop assistant. "My friend isn't a fan of peppermint. Too sweet, he says. Do you have anything a little more sour for him?"

The girl set down her spatula and peeled off her gloves. "How sour do you need it? Dissolve-his-tastebuds-and make-him-pucker-up sour, or the type of tart sweetness that just sort of tingles a bit?"

Squeezing Luce's hand, Mel replied, "I think I can get him to pucker up without dissolving his tongue. I'll take the tingles, please." She laughed with the shop assistant as she paid for a small jar of lemon lollies and presented them to Luce. "Here you go, my love. Something as sour as you want to be."

For a moment, he fought to keep his frown but it was a losing battle. He burst out laughing and tucked the jar into her bag. "There's lemon in your perfume, isn't there?"

"Lemon blossom, yes."

He stopped laughing, but a rueful smile remained. "I'll share them with you later."