Hell Hath no Fury (Dark Desires Book 2) Page 2

  Luke.

  I continued to watch him sleep. Had he brought me here? What happened? Despite his pained expression, he was still handsome. A warm, fuzzy feeling spread through my body, easing some of the pain that had taken root in my very being.

  He looked awkward in the hospital chair, his frame too big to fit into it comfortably. His position was stiff and actually looked painful. I wasn’t sure how long he’d been here. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been here.

  The stubble on his face was more pronounced, darker, and thicker than usual. He had slight bags under his eyes, and his hair was dishevelled—like he’d constantly been running his hands through it. It was clear we’d both been here a while.

  His clothes were casual—black sweat pants and a tightly fitted black tee that showed the outline of his muscular chest. I loved running my fingers along his chest, absentmindedly following the curves of his pecs.

  I looked down to find I was wearing a hospital gown—one of the ones that always gaped open at the back, exposing your ass to anyone behind you. The blankets from the bed were tucked up under my arms, essentially cocooning me in. Real sexy. I had some bruises on my arms, but they weren’t the cause of my discomfort; I couldn’t see the rest of my aching body, but I knew from the pain it wouldn’t look good.

  What happened?

  Why am I in the hospital?

  And why do I feel like I took a beating?

  The last thing I remember was getting ready to go meet someone. I’d got dressed and was heading to my bedroom. Who was I meeting? An anxious feeling rose through me. I felt uneasy, sick. Then I remembered.

  Daniel.

  I was getting ready to go meet Daniel. But I’d never left my condo. He was there, in my place, waiting for me.

  I killed him.

  Oh, my God. I killed him.

  I’d plunged a piece of wood through his heart, a heart that had been changed forever. He wasn’t the Daniel I’d known. I didn’t think it was possible, but he’d been crueller, darker, more twisted.

  I was overwhelmed when the recollection of everything that had happened with Daniel slammed into me. Him breaking into my home, him throwing me into various pieces of my furniture, him telling me he was a vampire, and then him proving it to me. And me killing him, watching as he faded into nothing before my eyes.

  I should have felt guilty, even upset at what I’d done. I’d taken a life, but in all honesty I felt relieved, at peace with the knowledge that I no longer had to live looking over my shoulder. I’d unburdened myself of a dead weight that had been dragging me down for years. If my body hadn’t been so messed up from the beating I’d say I’d have felt lighter. As it was, though, I felt like my body was fused to the bed. Like I was one with the mattress. Like it had somehow melded to my body.

  Luke’s hand twitched, pulling me from my thoughts and making me once again focus on his sleeping face. His expression remained troubled. His forehead was crinkled, and his eyes scrunched together.

  Wait, Luke was there too. He tried to help me.

  He must know that I killed Daniel. If he knew then why is he still here? Why didn’t he call the police or leave me to deal with it all myself?

  Then the realisation hit me like a freight train.

  He knew what Daniel was—he knew, and he didn’t care. He wasn’t scared by a vampire, because he was, in fact, something worse. Much worse.

  Luke was the Devil.

  I knew it sounded crazy, but it was the truth. I felt the painful truth in my bones. Luke was the Devil.

  The pain swelled in my body, not only from my injuries but also from the betrayal of what had happened. He’d played me. I was nothing to him other than an arrangement, and maybe a fuck just for the hell of it.

  He’d told me he loved me, but how could he? Was he even capable of that? I highly doubted it.

  I gasped and snatched my hand from his grasp, then tried desperately to force my limbs farther up the bed, away from him and his touch. I hardly moved, but it was enough to startle him awake.

  His eyes, still heavy, focused on me and he smiled.

  Is he fucking kidding?

  “Red, you’re awake. You gave me quite the scare,” he said in a gentle tone. He adjusted himself in the chair and leaned forward, attempting to take my free hand.

  I recoiled from him, in fear, anger, and repulsion. “Don’t fucking touch me,” I hissed. I didn’t want him anywhere near me.

  “Tess, please. Don’t be like this.”

  “Get out. Now!” my voice dripped with venom. I wanted him gone. Away from me. Now.

  “I’m not going anywhere. You need to let me explain—”

  “I don’t need to do shit. You, however, need to get out of this fucking hospital room and leave me alone. I don’t want to see you ever again.” Tears pricked at my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d gotten to me. Knowing just how much he’d broken me.

  “I’m not leaving, Tess, I suggest you get used to that.” He settled himself in the chair and continued to watch me.

  “Luke… Lucifer… Satan, whatever the fuck you’re calling yourself, I don’t want you here. Leave.”

  He interlaced his fingers and placed them on his knees as he remained in the chair next to my bed.

  Fucking stubborn prick.

  “Fine, then I’ll go,” I said, pulling back the blankets on the bed. I forced my legs from the bed. They were heavy, like two dead weights, but I had to get out of there. He hadn’t moved; he was still sitting in the chair.

  I planted my feet on the floor, and once I steadied myself, pushed off the bed. I stood shakily—and my legs immediately gave out. Shit, this was going to hurt. I expected to hit the floor, but it never happened. Soft yet strong arms cocooned me and prevented me from hitting the cold hospital floor.

  He lifted my body and held me tightly against his. Like I was a bride he was about to carry over the threshold. I desperately tried to push him away, hitting out at his chest and arms. But I was weak, and he was too strong.

  “Put me down now!”

  I don’t need saving. Especially not from the Devil.

  4

  Lucifer

  She was fighting me, hitting, and scratching at my chest. She was too weak to do any damage, and the blows hardly even registered. I desperately wanted to hold her, show her I would protect her and keep her safe.

  But that was the last thing she wanted.

  “I said put me down, Luke!” she demanded.

  I gently placed her back on the bed, and she pulled her knees up to her chest. The movement caused her to wince and it was clear she was hurting, and my presence was making it worse. But I couldn’t bring myself to leave.

  I thought about sitting on the edge of the bed, but seeing her curled up, defensive, like I was a threat to her, made me think twice. I instead moved around the bed, heading to the chair I’d been occupying.

  “Don’t sit; just leave.” She watched as I ignored her and sat down. “What do you want, Luke?”

  “To make sure you’re safe,” I said softly.

  “You don’t have to worry about me anymore. You have what you wanted. Daniel is yours. I’ll eventually be yours too. Until then, leave me the fuck alone.” Her voice was angry, but it was also laced with uncertainty, and something else.

  It was fear.

  She was afraid of me. It was like a sucker punch, and it took me aback. I didn’t want her to be scared of me. Of everyone, she was the last person that should fear me. “I won’t hurt you, Tess. You don’t have to be scared.” I heard my own voice crack from the emotion.

  “Are you kidding me? Of course, I should be scared. You’re the Devil. You are the actual fucking epitome of a bad guy. Whatever was between us, it’s done. There’s nothing more to say, so you should leave.”

  I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. How could I explain this to her, explain it so that she understood how I felt. I wasn’t used to all of this; emo
tions like these were new territory. They were unnerving.

  “Tess, I’m not going anywhere. Not until I know that Lilith is no longer a threat. I can’t have her hurting you. I wouldn’t forgive myself if anything happened to you,” I said gently.

  “It’s too late. Look at me. Look at me. I’m already hurt and you did that. You and Daniel, by having a pissing contest about who I belonged to. Like I was some piece of meat. It would have been easier if you’d both just measured your cocks, and left me out of it.” The fear was still there, but her anger had taken over. “You don’t care about me. I don’t think you actually know the meaning of that word. All you know is darkness. You filled my head with exactly what you thought I wanted to hear and it was all lies—”

  “I never lied about anything. I may have omitted some parts of my life, but I never lied to you or about how I feel about you. I love you, Tess. I do.” I leaned towards her, and she flinched back again. I felt an ache in my chest, and I knew I had to do damage control, show her how I felt.

  “Don’t, Luke. I don’t want you anywhere near me. Ever. You may not have lied, but you weren’t honest. I don’t trust a single word that comes out of your mouth, and I need you to fucking leave.” Her nostrils flared and her eyes narrowed; her knuckles had gone white with the tightness of her grip on the sheets.

  “We can talk about all of this later. You need to rest now. It’s important for your recovery and—”

  “You’re not listening to me. I can’t rest or recover while you’re here. For all I know, as soon as I go to sleep you’re going to drag me to Hell with you. Take my soul and add it to your collection. I might not even wake up.”

  Was she serious?

  “You’re being ridiculous. I’ve told you I wouldn’t hurt you—”

  “And I’ve told you I don’t trust you, Lucifer.” She said my name with so much contempt it hurt.

  Neither of us said anything. We stayed silent, as we each considered the other’s position, but neither of us willing to relent. I wasn’t sure how long we stayed like that. It wasn’t until the doctor arrived that we both snapped our attentions away from each other.

  “Ms. Adams, you’re awake. How are you feeling?” It was the doctor who had broken the tension between us.

  “Like I’ve been to Hell and back,” she said, glaring in my direction. “When can I leave?”

  The doctor picked up Tess’s notes and examined them. “Well, according to the X-rays, you have a couple of broken ribs, but they didn’t cause any internal damage. Your CT scan shows no internal bleeding anywhere, which is good. You’ll be pretty sore and tender for a while, though, due to the level of soft tissue damage. Can I ask… how exactly did you come by these injuries?”

  Tess began to speak, but I cut her off, once more feeding my influence to the doctor while I said, “We’ve already discussed this, Doctor. Now, when can Tess leave?”

  He shook his head as if clearing a fog that had taken up camp there. “Of course, sorry. You should be fine to leave once we get your discharge papers sorted, Ms. Adams. Shouldn’t be long now.” With that, he left the two of us alone again.

  Tess immediately turned to me and spat, “What was that? What did you do to him?”

  I rubbed my temples with my fingertips. How the hell am I going to explain this?

  “I used my influence.”

  “What? That’s all you’re going to give me? You dismissed him like it was nothing. I want him to know what happened—maybe that way he’ll make you leave.” She was still huddled up on the bed, the farthest away from me she could possibly be.

  “Tess, I made him leave. No one will know you’ve been here or what happened. I thought that was best for you, considering you’re the one who killed your ex-boyfriend.” She flinched at my words. I admit that I could have been gentler in my delivery, but I was starting to get pissed off. Can’t she see I’m doing my best?

  “What, so it all just goes away? As simple as that?” she asked.

  “If you want it to. I can make everything go away, Tess. Will you let me?” She had no choice, but I knew she’d now hate to be indebted to me.

  She sighed heavily as if the realisation that she couldn’t do this alone had finally dawned on her. “Hurry up and deal with Lilith so I can move on with my life. Without you in it.” She glared at me, finally coming to terms with her current predicament.

  “Tess, I will always be there—” I held my hand up to stop her from interrupting me. “I know you don’t believe me, but I love you. If you don’t want to be with me, then I’ll have to deal with that. But I will never leave you unprotected. You’re too important to me for that. I will kill anyone who hurts you and I’ll be with you, always.” I tried to keep my tone as calm as I could, but the thought of her being in danger shook me.

  I could see her cheeks had become wet, but she didn’t make a sound. I watched, unsure of what I should do. I shifted my weight in the chair, waiting for her response. I was about to move closer to her when she spoke.

  “I can’t be around you.” More tears stained her beautiful face and my guts twisted. “I need you to go, please,” she begged.

  “Emma is on her way. As soon as she gets here I’ll leave. There will always be someone with you though, Tess. If you don’t want it to be me, one of my people will be shadowing you until we’ve dealt with Lilith,” I said in an adamant tone. Conrath, it would be him. He’d served me well with Tess so far, and he already knew all of the details.

  “Fine,” she whispered while readjusting herself in the hospital bed. She shuffled farther down and stretched out her legs. Then she turned her body away from me slightly. She could still see where I was, but she didn’t have to look at me.

  I never once took my eyes off her; I was relieved that Daniel hadn’t inflicted any serious injuries, though I was pissed at him and Lilith for putting Tess and me in this position. I didn’t know if I could repair the damage they had caused, but I’d do my hardest to try.

  5

  Tess

  I shuffled myself off the bed and gently planted my feet on the floor. It was freezing cold against my bare skin, and it sent a little shiver through my whole body. Before I even had the chance to stand up properly, he was there.

  “Where are you going?” he questioned, holding his hand out for me to take.

  “To use the bathroom, if that’s okay with you?” I replied, ignoring his hand and standing while still holding onto the bed. He didn’t move from in front of me.

  Once I’d managed to steady myself, I took a tentative step forward. He was shadowing me like a parent would a baby learning to walk. “I’m fine, but it would be easier if I didn’t have to walk around you,” I said, glaring at him. He held up his hands and backed away, once again moving to sit down.

  “Let me know if you need any help.”

  Is he kidding? I’m pretty sure I can take a piss on my own.

  I turned to him, giving him a sarcastic smile. “I’ll manage.”

  I didn’t even need to go; I just wanted a minute alone, away from his constant gaze. Away from him studying my every movement, and fussing every time I winced—which was pretty constant. Whatever painkillers they had given me were definitely not strong enough. A bottle of whiskey might do the trick: numb the pain and make me forget everything, including that I’d had sex with the Devil.

  In all honesty, I was hiding.

  I was hiding in the fucking bathroom.

  Glancing at myself in the mirror, I realised I looked like shit. My hair was greasy and lank. I’d been cleaned of the blood that had covered my face and neck, but my reflection was awful. I was bruised, with dark black circles under my eyes. A dressing covered the mark that Daniel had left on my neck.

  I moved my eyes down to study my arms, where I found grab marks, and I could see multiple finger-sized bruises where Daniel had held me tightly. I knew the majority of the damage was on my torso—hidden from view. To fully take in the extent of my injuries I had to look under the abs
olutely fetching blue hospital gown I was modeling.

  Once again focusing on my reflection in the mirror, I gently lifted up the gown. Thankfully I still had on my underwear, no bra though—I assumed they’d cut it off.

  Daniel’s newfound power had clearly made him even more heavy-handed. No wonder I felt like I’d gone ten rounds with an MMA fighter. I was covered in bruises of multiple sizes—the largest being that on the side of my ribs. I shouldn’t be surprised. That was Daniel’s favourite spot. Hurt like hell, and it didn’t show.

  My body was in bad shape.

  In reality, all of me was in bad shape. Everything ached and felt broken—including my heart. I’d let my walls down, allowed someone else in, and it had turned out like this. I’d thought he was different, and we’d connected on a level I’d never experienced before. I’d felt so at ease with Luke, like I could be totally honest and open. I was my snarky, smart-mouthed, awkward self with him and he’d stayed, in fact, he kept coming back. Wanting to know more about me, but not being pushy or overbearing with it.

  Now I knew why. He’d needed to keep me close if he was to get Daniel’s soul. I was nothing to him, despite what he was telling me now. He was a good actor, though, I’d give him that. I nearly believed him, but how could I? He’d had years to practice his skills of manipulation and deception… many, many years of practice.

  I was nothing to him, a bump in the road. That feeling should relieve me. That I was insignificant. That I was nothing. I didn’t feel relieved though, I felt sick to my stomach at the thought that I meant nothing to him. I was being ridiculous. He was the Devil!

  “Tess, are you okay in there?” he said from just behind the door.

  Tears had once again started to fall, but I wouldn’t let him know it. “I’m fine. I’ll be out in a second,” I snapped.

  Tucking my hair behind my ears and smoothing the hospital gown, I readied myself to face him. So, I steeled my expression and took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping back out.