Sweet Revenge (Dueling with the Devil) (6 page)

She wiped her face on her arm. She couldn’t imagine what she resembled at the moment
.“
What do you want
?”
she returne
d,
holding her voice stead
y,
even when her nerves still fluttered.

The door handle to her stall jiggled
.“
I don’t know what the fuck you’re doin
g,
but get your shit togethe
r,
come out her
e,
and act like you fucking want to be with me. Don’t let him think he has you. Don’t give him that power
.
”

Strangel
y,
Xavier became her voice of reason tonight
.“
No one cares about Jacque
.
”

“
Then get that fine ass out her
e,
so we can show him
.”
Amusement tainted his tone.

Her stifled giggle mixed with his mirth
.“
Okay. Give me a minute and I’ll be out
.”
Once she heard the outside door shu
t,
B
e
l
l
s
t
e
pp
e
d
o
u
t
o
f
t
h
e
s
t
a
l
l
.

The granite countertop was cool to her touch. She turned on the water and wet a paper towel. She dabbed at the smudged eyeliner. She licked her lips to moisten them. She longed for her purse. It contained all her beautification secrets. Regrouped as best as possibl
e,
she headed out to face her demon
s,
both emotionally and literally.

The door opened with a thu
d,
slamming into the back of Xavier’s head
.“
Oh shit. Sorry. I didn’t expect you to be out here waiting
.”

He gently rubbed the spot
.“
I see you put yourself back together
.”

A veil of ambiguity shielded her previous emotions
.“
I’m fine. Just needed a moment
.”
She sashayed in front of hi
m,
clearing a path through the writhing bodies.

Xavier caught the back loop of her jeans to slow her down. He spun her around and interlaced his fingers through hers. The music paced out a slow bump and grind. Xavier yanked her into him and ground his hips against her. Leaning dow
n,
he kissed the curve at the base of her neck. Her body quivere
d,
causing a small growl to escape his lips.

Brushing his scruffy cheek along her sensitive ski
n,
he sneere
d,
“
You need to get him out of your system. I’m not going to have your female bullshit getting me killed
.
”

He held her hands to her side when her nails punctured the palms of his hands. She squirmed to release her arms with little success
.“
Don’t worry about me. I can handle myself. You make sure you hold up your end of this deal
.
”

The heat emanating from his body beckoned her. Her anger and passion intermingled in a dangerous dance of seduction. He lowered his ful
l,
soft lips to her mouth. Her bottom lip trembled as his tongue begged entrance. He released her hand and wove his fingers into her blonde locks. The tension drained as she gave in to hi
m,
granting him access to her unabated desire. He palmed her as
s,
as her arms snaked around his neck. If she wasn’t carefu
l,
she could get caught in her own ruse.

“
Hey. Maybe you two should get a room
.”
Laurent’s voice
s
a
v
e
d
h
e
r
f
r
o
m
g
i
v
i
ng
i
n
c
o
m
p
l
e
t
e
l
y
.

She backed awa
y,
drunk on wanton lust
.“
Go bother someone els
e,
little brother
.
”

“
So you got me by fourteen months. Big whoop
.”
He teasingly stuck his tongue out at her.

Bell threaded her fingers with Xavier’s. She led the way back to the VIP area. Laurent brought up the rear. She took a sharp intake of air as the others came into view. Xavier squeezed her hand for encouragement. She eyed the other female
s,
marking her dominance. Her brother took a seat beside a little Catholic girl. Bell prayed to Lilith her brother wasn’t trying to hook up with the silly human.

Bell played with the hem of Xavier’s shirt
.“
You about ready? You need to prove to me that you’re worth keeping around
.”
Some part of her wanted the statement to be true.

Jacque pushed out of his seat
.“
I think we’re heading ou
t,
too. Ang got me all over the place with the wedding stuff. Laurent and Etienn
e,
we still have to meet with the security team at seven in the morning
.
”

A groan came from the resident vampire
.“
Why must everything happen at the crack of dawn? You demons and humans need to start realizing morning is my bedtime
.
”

“
Just like you vampires need to understand when you start parties at midnight that’s our bedtim
e
,
”
Laurent rebutted.

Xavier kissed the top of Bell’s hea
d,
before turning toward

the VIP
e
x
i
t
.“
I think a bunch of immortals arguing about time is the essence of irony. Only the short lived humans should worry about time
.”
This garnered a snicker from the crowd as they meandered toward the front of the club.

“
Everyone knows we live a long time. But we’re not immortal. Too many have gone down recently for us to forget
.”
Sadness shaded Jacque’s eyes.

Xavier nodded in agreement
.“
That’s very tru
e,
my friend. This war will take a huge toll on our kind. And for what
?
”

One word said it all
.“
Freedom
.
”

CHAPTER FIVE

Freedom. What a novel idea. Are any of us truly able to choose our own lives? Or are we all slaves to Fate? Fate could be a wicked bitch when she wanted to be.

The group huddled on the sidewal
k,
waiting for the valet to bring the vehicles around. Xavier observed his brother and Angel. Their love was obviou
s,
their happiness even more so. His inability to find the kind of joy they shared pained him. Karma was more of a bitch than Fat
e,
but he reaped what he had sown.

Bell leaned against the light pos
t,
chatting with her brother and Etienne. Her blonde tresses shimmered under the lamp light. Her milky skin held a soft sheen like fine silk. She tossed her head bac
k,
amused by whatever banter she and the vamp exchanged. A pang of something akin to jealousy stabbed at Xavier. He ignored the feeling and diverted his attention elsewhere.

An odd scent wafted through the air. The hair on his arms stood on end from the electric currents hovering over his skin. A power stronger than he ever experienced before drew near. The night fell silent. Confused expressions and the shifts into a defensive stance evidenced the others in the group also felt something amiss. Even the humans sensed the danger in the air. The presence of evil crept over Xavier’s skin like fog rolling in from a swamp.

“
Holy hell! What the fuck is that
?”
the witch they called Nat exclaimed.

The males protectively stepped in front of the females. He backed closer to Bell although Laurent shielded her from the direction of the danger. Xavier’s natural warning system screamed within his body although the threat wasn’t evident. The power wielded by this being was fierce enough to make him want to run for his life. He had encountered some serious badness in his lifetim
e,
but nothing to this extent. Fear sent a wave of nausea through his stomach. This intruder made Death seem like a cuddly puppy.

A cloud of energy descended upon them. It struck hard and fast. Blood showered down like rain. The zing of metal slicing through air compelled Xavier to throw his body in front of Bel
l,
knocking down both her and Laurent. Pain blazed a trail across his chest. His bloo
d,
warm and thic
k,
oozed down his abs. Bell’s breath caught in a gasp as she struggled under his bulky form.

Deft hands clasped him under his arms and dragged him toward the door of the club
.“
Everyone get the fuck insid
e
,
”
Jacque barked.

The sounds of feet hitting pavement and gunshots clamored behind him. Xavier struggled to maintain his shift. The extra energy expended for his disguise increased the healing time of his wounds. He willed himself to stay awake and not give into the darkness luring him away. He had no idea what would happen if he passed out. He couldn’t reveal his identity and leave Bell to answer to the consequences. Picking up his head to survey his surrounding
s,
he searched for her fac
e,
something to keep him grounded to consciousness.

Had he lost his mind? What the fuck was he thinking jumping in front of them like a crackhead diving for a dollar bill? Bell scurried to his side as Jacque lugged his limp body into the club. She released the air trapped in her lungs when he raised his head and scanned the area. As their gaze me
t,
her sad eyes smiled at him. He found fortitude in the relief in her expression.

The thump of the music matched the intensity of the pain pulsing through his body. They maneuvered around the crowd as dancers stopped to gawk at the brutal scene. A diagonal gash damn near gutted him in half. A path of blood followed Jacque as his made his way to the VIP section. Xavier could see the tip of his sternum peeking beneath the sliced flesh. The deep wound ended in the rigid muscles of his stomac
h,
just below his rib cage.

Jacque lowered him to the ground. Bell knelt down next to Xavie
r,
gently lifting his head on her lap
.“
He
y,
stupid. What did ya think you were doing out there
?”
Her voice came out small and distant.

His laugh gurgled in his throa
t,
as blood continued to seep from his body. She reached up and snatched the linen from the table. Jacque took her cue and grabbed it from her hand. While Bell gently peeled the tattered strips of Xavier’s shirt from his bod
y,
Jacque ripped long strips of cloth and tied them around Xavie
r,
coercing the two parts of his chest to close. Every pull of the bandaging was like the pressure of a thousand pound winch snapping his bones back in place. Bell caressed his face as he grimaced from the torture exerted by Jacque’s bindings.

The others made a semi-circl
e,
waiting to speak. Angel scooted between Bell and Jacque and helped to tie off the bandages. Her friend Nat lowered herself on Xavier’s other sid
e,
softly laying her hands over his chest. White light radiated from her palms. Xavier jerked in reaction.

Red with rag
e,
Bell gritted between clench teet
h,
“
What the fuck are you doing to him
?
”

“
Healing hi
m
,
”
Angel responded for her friend.

Bell’s cheek brushed the stubble shadowing his jaw as she leaned down and whispered to hi
m,
“
Hold on for me. I can’t have you dying before you finish your job. I know you’re strong enough to pull through this. Don’t you dare leave me
.”

His hand found hers and gave a firm squeeze. He fought to demonstrate his strength to he
r,
as he struggled to remain
c
o
n
s
c
i
ous
. He was amazed he still held his shift through all his agony. He never took his eyes from her face and her gaze remained steady on him. Her forehead creased deep in worry. He was supposed to be rescuing he
r,
but she was the one tasked to be
his
savior tonight.

“
Bell? Sissy! You gotta move over. Nat is a healer.
L
e
t
h
e
r
t
a
ke
ca
r
e
o
f
h
im
.
”
Her brother’s voice broke through their haze. Someone tugged at her sleev
e,
then scooped her from the floor
.“
No. I don’t want to leave him
.”
His hand grasped tighter around her small fingers
.“
Please let me stay next to him
.”
 

Whispers fluttered behind her. Something about never seeing her concerned about anyone. The light diminished from the witch’s hands. She fell back into the waiting arms of Etienne. He assisted her into a chair and handed her a drink. Tiny sparks of energy traveled through Xavier’s bod
y,
rejuvenating his cells. Bell closed in on him. He honed in on her as his body mended. She rested his head on her lap again and brushed her fingers over his temple. Fear glazed over her expression. Her vulnerability enhanced her beauty.

Dark lashes fluttered slowl
y,
revealing the most precious aqua jewels he ever had the pleasure of viewing. Her alabaster hand stood in stark contrast to the rich chocolate hue of his skin. A slow grin crawled across his lips. Before she could stop hi
m,
Xavier caught the chains on her shirt and jerked her to him. His kiss devoured her.

He held her fir
m,
relishing the scent of her arousal. The heat of his mouth burned against her ear
.“
You surprised me. I didn’t know you cared so much for me
.”
He lay bac
k,
tickle
d,
as she snatched out of his grasp.

“
I don’t like my dates dying on me
.”
In one swift motio
n,
Bell stood.

Xavier’s head hit the floor with a thud
.“
Shi
t,
Bell
.
”

Her foot connected with his sid
e,
with excruciating accuracy. The others watched with fascination
.“
Get your ass up. I’m ready to go
.
”

Laurent lead Bell away with a firm grip on her elbow. But even with the distanc
e,
Xavier could hear their exchange.

“
Bell. What’re you doing? He just saved your life. You could cut him some slack or maybe at least not kick him
.
”

Bell folded her arms across her chest
.“
There’s nothing wrong with him. I didn’t even kick him that hard
.
”

Her brother caught her by the arm
.“
You clearly care for him. I doubt the whole ‘I just met him’ thing is tru
e,
but whatever. You need to stop trying to be so tough and let someone in. This guy must like you to take a blade in the
c
h
e
s
t
.
”

Exhaling a deep breat
h,
Bell muttere
d,
“
I don’t know what you think you see or know. I don’t care about him. He’s entertainment for the moment. If he’s stupid enough to get killed for m
e,
then more power to him. I’m not gonna get played again
.”
Without another wor
d,
she stomped toward the bar.

Xavier stared at the industrial piping running along the roof of the club to keep his attention away from Bell. His actions were foreign to him. This night had morphed into some abstract scene from the Twilight Zone. Lucifer wanted Jacque and Angel back desperately. Maybe he opened up the contract to others. But if the thing that attacked was working for Lucife
r,
why did it come after Bell?

As he pushed himself off the floo
r,
taking a seat on the sof
a,
he could hear the others discussing the same questions plaguing his mind. Only they were missing the piece of information about Bell and him working for the Devil. No one knew where this monster came from. But they feared its power. The situation became more complicated by the minute.
I wish I could’ve stayed dead.

Beyond the craziness of the creature hunting them and maintaining his disguise as Bell’s new boy to
y,
Xavier struggled to squelch the burning need to fuck Bell. Every time she came near hi
m,
his body became a conduit of sexual frustratio
n,
revolting against his natural proclivity to stay levelheaded. He longed to touch he
r,
hold he
r,
inhale her heady scent. She drove him so crazy he jumped in front of some unknown creature and almost got himself dead.
I have finally lost my shit.

Laurent snapped him out of his introspection
.“
He
y,
man. Thanks for saving my sister
.
”

Xavier lifted his head
.“
Not a problem. All in a day’s work
.
”

“
Wel
l,
thanks anyway. Are you staying with her
?”
Laurent took a seat next to him.

Shruggin
g,
Xavier answere
d,
“
I guess. If she wants me to
.
”

“
I don’t want her alone. I
w
ou
l
d
a
s
k
h
e
r
to
c
o
m
e
h
o
m
e
w
i
t
h m
e,
but I know she won’t go for that. I’m staying with Jacque and Angel until my renovation is done
.
”