Hell's Kitty (Welcome To Hell) (14 page)

She sat on the edge of orgasm.
It was time. He thrust his cock into her, a firm stroke that sheathed him in one swift motion. His fingers dug into the perfect roundness of her ass as her channel clung to his shaft like a velvety glove. Hot, wet, and tight, she squeezed him as he pumped in and out of her.

Her panti
ng cries grew as erratic as her breathing, and she joined him in rocking their bodies; he thrust in as she pushed back, driving him deep until he slammed himself into her welcoming flesh.

“Harder,” she cried.

He listened.

“Faster,” she begged.

He obeyed.

“Felipe,” she yelled as she came, an orgasm he shared. How could he not when
her channel fisted and milked his cock, waves of her bliss shuddering through her? He roared as he spurted hotly within her. His fingers scratched her flesh as his whole body went rigid, but she didn’t seem to mind the pain, not if the second shuddering climax that went through her was any indicator.

She collapsed face first on the bed, breathing hard. He couldn’t help but drape himself atop her naked back, unwilling to lose the closeness.
Not yet.

She giggled.

He frowned. “What’s so funny?”

“I guess I’m not so different from the waitress downstairs after all. I just chose to maul you in private.”

He could have pointed out the many differences between them, such as the fact the wench would have gotten a gold coin and a polite boot after giving him head while Jenny … sweet Jenny got to pant again and share his bed. As for the cuddling in his arms? He blamed that on the lumpy mattress.

The following morning, Jenny did her best to return to her aloofness of before with Felipe. It didn’t quite work. For one
thing, every time she glanced his way, she couldn’t help the heat that coursed through her limbs. All too well, her body remembered how he touched, kissed, seduced. Oh, how it wanted more.

As if he knew his effect, he’d
toss her a cocky grin or sneak a pinch to her bottom. But she got him back when they shared his Hellsteed’s saddle, subtly rubbing his groin, leaving him in a state of perpetual arousal. He growled in her ear.

“If we didn’t have company…”

She murmured back, “Prude. My aunts say having an audience is like extra foreplay.”

Audacious words, which she didn’t quite mean and trusted he wouldn’t act upon. He didn’t, but not out of a sense of modesty. “If I weren’t afraid of another attack, I’d totally prove you wrong.”

Distracting or not, neither could resist the teasing touches. The only thing they did avoid was any talk of the future or what happened between them. Attraction and lust, and the satiation of them, were all they allowed. As their journey took them farther into Hell, the call of the sea but a distant memory left far behind, they spent many nights in strange beds. It became almost a game when they hit the inns, stabling their mounts and refreshing themselves with food and drink at choking speed before escaping to their room, to Valasca’s amusement.

But Jenny didn’t mind the haste, not when it meant such pleasure.

They spent days on the dusty roads, encountering few other travelers, most giving them a wide berth, especially when Felipe swapped into his feline shape to roam and scout. A magnificent beast, she never tired of watching his graceful prowl as he slunk through the wilderness, popping in and out of sight, the impressive gleam of his saber teeth deterring predators from attack, both the two-legged and four-legged type.

The striped feline with soft fur was a natural
-born hunter who delighted in bringing her bloody gifts. They, in turn, used those offerings to pave their way at the inns, partaking of the juicy fresh meat—which gave her and her temporary lover the stamina needed to endure their vigorous activities at night.

As for ambushes and attacks,
whoever the culprit was determined to hunt her before seemed to have given up or couldn’t find them. But just in case, they took extra caution when they came upon bodies of water, Jenny holding back until Felipe had ascertained them free of danger.

As with all good things, however, their journey eventually came to an end.
Or almost. They finally came across a town large enough to boast a portal, a big one too with access to all the rings. It seemed only the portal in the Amazon village was affected, or so they surmised when they entered the fourth ring’s bustling marketplace to find their method of traveling the rings intact and working fine.

It was also where Valasca decided to part ways with them.

“According to the merchants, the portal at the compound began working again the day after our departure. Just another vagary of the magic in Hell.”

“So you’re going home then?” Jenny asked, sad to see her go.

“I will, once I’ve gathered some supplies. No use in wasting this trip.”

“I’ll miss you.” She certainly would. Valasca offered a refreshing female viewpoint of this new world she found herself in, and her warrior ways were an example that strength came in many forms. Some physical or
, like Jenny, metaphysical.

“I could stick with you another day if you think you might need me?”

As if Felipe would admit he needed help. Jenny had grown to understand a lot about the hellcat during their journey. She knew he harbored a lot of pride and that he preferred to be alone, even when on a mission.

It was why she kept guarding her heart. Despite her whimsical fantasy that this magnificent man would grow to care for her, she wasn’t foolish
enough to believe he’d change his lifestyle to keep her.

However, telling
herself to not get attached and actually not allowing it to happen? She feared she’d already failed.
But at least when he leaves, I’ll have whatever new adventure awaits me under Lucifer’s rule.
And if she didn’t like it, she could always return home to her aunts.

O
nly as a last resort, though. If there was one thing Jenny had discovered, it was she enjoyed the adventure of not knowing what lay ahead and the adrenaline of battle, even against mundane creatures in the wild. She looked forward to the discovery of the new towns and people she encountered. She even got used to the leering stares and ribald remarks—she especially enjoyed them when Felipe reacted with a snarl or a growl.

With a final hug, Valasca and her mount melted into the crowds
that streamed into the vast marketplace.

The stallion she and Felipe sat upon lurched as he tugged the reins, their destination in a different direction. Just beyond the outskirts of town, a circular archway of crumbling stone awaited, each
of the portals a swirling, multi-colored whirlpool.

Felipe had her dismount, and they stood in line, waiting their turn. As they inched forward, she eyed those stepping between the arches with trepidation.

“Does portal travel hurt?”

“Not exactly. But neither is it entirely pleasant.”

“What do you mean?”

“No one is quite sure how the portals work. Well
, Lucifer might, but he’s never told anyone. I can say that stepping into one is like dipping your whole body into the coldest thing imaginable.”

“Like a cold swim.”

“Worse. Because it’s not fluid but existence itself. Space. It’s like you become a piece of ice that shatters into a thousand pieces and then is put back together on the other side.”

“That sounds awful. Is it dangerous?”

“Not usually.”

At his less
-than-promising words, she shot him a worried glance.

He grinned. “Don’t worry. They don’t lose too many travelers. It wouldn’t be good for business if they did.”

Before she could retort, it was their turn, and he was right. It was awful, yet … somehow oddly familiar. As if she’d been there before, even if she didn’t recall it.

In that dark void
connecting the rings, she felt her body disintegrate, but her consciousness remained. The numbing cold touched her, but having spent her early years in the dark depths of the Darkling Sea, it didn’t bother her. The distant whisper though? Those made her incorporeal form shiver.

Jen-n-n-n-y.

The disembodied voice echoed her name around her, seeking, bouncing the sound around the floating particles of her existence. She wanted to cry out for Felipe, to feel his reassuring hand wrapped around hers, but in this space between worlds, on a plane that held no life, no existence, no substance, she was alone.

Yet not.

Jenny. Jenny. Jenny.

The voice chanted her name
, and in that moment, she was glad she didn’t have a voice, else she might have made a sound and drawn its attention to her. But even despite her muteness, something
saw
her.

She felt it coming, almost like a rushing wind, sending her motes of self tumbling in a frenzy as it drew nearer and nearer. The icy determination and menace reach
ed out and—

Out she stumbled into the red glare and heat of Hell, the ash gusting in swirls
around her face making her blink. She barely had a moment to draw a breath when Felipe was grabbing her and hugging her, practically cracking her ribs.

“What the fuck happened?”
he demanded.

“What do you mean?” she asked, still somewhat dazed.

“For a while we thought you were lost. I came out of the portal, but you didn’t follow.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked, her mind slowly recovering from the odd journey, the cold edge of fear melting in the heat.

“I mean the portal didn’t spit you after I came through. At least not right away. You went in over three hours ago.”

“Three hours? But it only seemed like minutes
…” Her voice trailed off. So she’d not imagined the strange encounter in the dark place. “I don’t suppose you heard a voice while going through?”

He frowned at her question.  “Through where
? The portal? No. Why?”

“Nothing, but I think from now on I’ll stick to the longer method of travel overland.”

“Probably a good plan given your close call.”

Close call or just temporary escape?
For some reason Jenny couldn’t help but think that whatever searched for her in between the planes was the same thing seeking her out in Hell. Question was, could she stay out of its grasp?

The fear and anxiety he’d suffered when Jenny didn’t emerge from the portal wasn’t something Felipe would ever forget. In his anxiety, he’d completely lost his furry mind
, going so far as letting his cat loose as he attempted to jump back through and search for her. However, the portal wouldn’t allow it. He lunged and jumped, hit the swirling disk, and, much like a bug on a windshield, found himself squashed, face first, slightly stunned at the impact and then sliding in slow motion to hit the ground.

Not one of his more noble moments.

During that three-hour wait, no one could step into the swirling depths of the rip, although Felipe kept testing, going so far as grabbing a passing imp and tossing him at the portal. The bruised fellow cast him many a dark glare as it stomped off, one of his horns bent at an odd angle.

The three hours
he spent waiting for a sign or answer were the longest of his life and most nerve-wracking. He’d paced first as a cat in front of it then as a man, cursing aloud at every mage who showed up. One by one they declared themselves baffled. Even the oldest, wisest crone of them all, Nefertiti, couldn’t give him a definitive reply as to whether Jenny lived or not.

With her hunched frame but strikingly lively eyes, Nefertiti, whom many claimed lived with a harem made up of hundreds of Hell’s handsomest
, most virile males, cackled as she said, “Fear not, kitty. I think your lady friend yet lives. Our Lord has plans for her and you.” An ominous declaration, one he didn’t have a chance to question because, without warning, Jenny, her lips blue, her skin cold but amazingly enough alive, was spit out by the interdimensional rip.

He caught her in his arms, hugging her tight,
the tension within him easing as she appeared unharmed. Yet the fact he’d cared so much in the first place sounded a giant warning bell. His relief was for more than just the fact he’d not failed in his mission. He was happy to see her. Reassured at her wholeness. Feeling a wave of protectiveness, a strong one that urged him to mark her and tie her to him, giving him a tender thread that he could use to track her in the future.

A c
razy, impulsive idea, which he was sure would dissipate once the shock of her almost-demise wore off. Sure, he cared for Jenny. She’d become a valued companion and friend. He’d miss her when she was gone.
I don’t want her to leave.

Where did that thought come from?

Keep her.

His cat tossed in its two cents, which prompted Felipe to say to her as he led her away from the now functioning portal and its backlog of people waiting to use it,
“If you’re willing to ride for an hour, we can arrive at Lucifer’s castle before nightfall.” Where he could rid himself of Jenny before he did something foolish and permanent.

It didn’t take a genius to realize at this point that h
is brilliant plan to bed her often wasn’t working. Not only did his hunger for her grow instead of decrease with each encounter, more and more he dreaded parting from her. He didn’t like what it meant.

“
You mean that doorway didn’t drop us into the first ring?”

He shook his head.
No portals were allowed direct travel to the inner ring, Lucifer’s paranoia not allowing it. “Might as well give them a fucking key and invite them to invade,” was the great Lord’s reply when anyone dared to ask. But no one ever complained. Complaints, which Lucifer called whining, often ended up with the whiner in question getting thrown in the stomping vats where, once strained of all bodily fluids, fermented, and bottled, created some fine vintages for the vampires who could afford them.

“The rip took us to the second ring, right on the edge. But from here to the castle we’ll have decent roads to travel and even better, guards p
atrolling them, making the likelihood of attack unlikely.”

“That close? I could really use a shower and change of garments,” she said with a wrinkle of her nose.
Down veered her gaze to her travel-stained clothing, the few hours ride before their trip through the portal having taken its toll, especially when they ran into a flock of hell-ickens. They weren’t dangerous, and tasted quite good when basted with butter and garlic. However, their method of defense was less than pleasant. They dropped eggs when frightened, ticking little time bombs that exploded and hit anything in its radius with sulfuric-stinking, slimy yolk.

Her plus water and no clothing?
It wasn’t just his cat purring at the image. But no, he needed to start putting a distance between them.

“I guess we could stop somewhere for the night
, and I could deliver you to the boss in the morning.” One more night wouldn’t kill him.

“
I think I like that plan better. It will be nice to get clean and a last night of sleep before meeting the big man.” She tossed him a smile, one he’d come to know all too well.

Apparently a shower wasn’t the only thing she had in mind.
Problem was Felipe no longer knew if he could trust himself with her. Now that the end of their journey had practically arrived, his cat paced inside his head, protesting and demanding they do something.

I’m not leashing myself to one woman.
His statement fell on deaf ears. His feline practically smirked and clearly conveyed a,
I’d like to see you stop me
attitude.

Did he dare allow himself one more night in Jenny’s arms? Could he chance losing control for just one second and doing something that would alter the course of his future? Paint his belly yellow. He was afraid to find out.

She frowned at him when they reached the inn and he asked for a room with two beds. As he carried their meager gear up the stone steps, she questioned him. “Since when do we need two beds? Or is this for appearance sake?”

“Listen, Jenny. You’re a nice girl and all
…”

“I hear the big but coming,” she mumbled.

“However, as I told you from the start, I’m not boyfriend material.”

“I wasn’t asking you to go steady,” she snapped as they reached their door. “I’m perfectly aware I’m not the type of girl anyone would want to
settle down with.  I just thought we would enjoy one more night of fun.”

Her words hit him like a slap. He had to bite his tongue not to jump to her defense and tell her it wasn’t her
who was the problem, but him. She was too wonderful to tie herself down to the likes of him.
Yet Remy, the biggest ladies man around, managed to turn over a new leaf.
Couldn’t he? And what if he didn’t? He never wanted to hurt Jenny. Because then he’d have to kill himself. A dilemma for sure. One best avoided, no matter how cowardly.

“Yeah, well, I was kind of planning to sit in the bar for a little while. Listen to the gossip and catch up on what’s been happening since I left to fetch you.”

“Because I was just a job, and the job’s done.” The tight way she said it shrunk his usually big ego into domestic cat-sized. He didn’t like it at all. Just like he didn’t enjoy the disappointment in her eyes, the hurt he could sense and the sensation he was being a monumental idiot when he walked away.

But it was for the best, right? Felipe wasn’t ready to settle down no matter how much he liked Jenny or how she made him feel. The domestic life wasn’t for him
, even if he was tired of bouncing from bed to bed, town to town, never knowing where he’d end up or where his next meal would come from. If he failed to appear one day, would anyone notice or care?

Ysabel would.
But how long before she sent out an alarm? Felipe was a free spirit, roaming without care or contact sometimes for weeks on end.

However,
what would he do otherwise? Pair up with a green-haired temptress and embark on whatever mad scheme Lucifer had planned for her? Stick to her side, protecting her from Undines and other menaces to her safety?

Mak
e love to her each night until he got her with child then expanding his protective circle to a cub?

Ack! He couldn’t blame a hairball this time
for his choking fit.

Lucky for him,
he knew what would soothe his clogged throat. Ale. Lots of it.