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CHAPTER10
Talk about déjà vu.
It had only been a handful of weeks since she first made her escape from the Pit, but nothing changed. There was her cubicle with its ever growing list of souls for her to enter into her computer. The black mark outside in the hall that was all that remained of poor Simon. And, of course, Jerroz leering as he detailed every inch of delicious torture that he was going to put Becca through for leaving her post.
When she was first planning on how to get out of Hell, it was this precise scenario that had her hesitating for so long. As a low-level demon, the endless busywork was bad, but it wasn’t painful. It wasn’t torture. If she betrayed Lucifer, she would be tossed to devilish demons just like Jerroz, a fate worse than simply dying.
It had all been worth it, though, for the chance to be free of this. She’d died once, her soul being relegated to Hell courtesy of her reckless agreement with the devil. She’d pushed herself to escape if only because the one thing Becca had wanted was freedom. Even if she had to die again, that was fine, so long as the endless monotony finally ended.
But then she met Raze. And even before he admitted what she—okay—probably knew all along to be true, she was glad she risked everything for the chance to get to know him. To love him. She had a second chance beyond her wildest dreams, but she threw it all away the second she went outside for some air and a moment to think.
And now that she was actually about to face some real torture? She couldn’t help but think that nothing could be as bad as never seeing Raze again.
Jerroz must’ve picked up on how little his threats were affecting her because the ugly demon kept making the torture sound more and more frightening. She barely paid him attention which, of course, only incensed him.
Literally.
The Pit, already so hot and humid, started to fill with smoke as Jerroz started to lose his temper. She remembered what happened to Simon and, for a moment, understood true fear. But it faded almost entirely in the next. Maybe that was what she needed. If she was looking at an eternity in the Pit, knowing what she could have had with Raze, what she gave up because she let her fear rule her, then maybe becoming a black scorch mark on the floor was another way out.
His burn from before had already faded. Even though it hurt like, well, hell, demons had a high tolerance for pain as well as a fast healing ability. If Jerroz wanted to, he could make the torture last and last—which was precisely what she didn’t want.
A quick way out. If that’s all she had left to look forward to, then that was what she was after.
She opened her mouth, ready to say something to goad him further when, all of a sudden, the last voice she’d ever hoped to hear again came lilting down the hall.
“Where’s the girl?”
Jerroz stopped smoking at once. With a smug glance over at Becca, he dashed out into the hall, waving his hand over his horned head.
“Over here, my lord.”
Well. Suicide by demon was looking a lot more promising than whatever Lucifer had in store for her.
She swallowed. Then, because she didn’t know what else to do, she sat at her desk, running her rosary beads through her fingers as she waited for Lucifer and Jerroz to return.
The Pit was hot, but her beads were cool; even in the depths of Hell, they provided both comfort and relief to Becca. She’d almost forgotten about that small quirk. Now, she clung to it. At least it was one small thing to keep her from losing it entirely her as her worst nightmares came true.
For such an evil creature, it was a shame that Lucifer didn’t look the part. Like Raze, he had angelic good looks; only the pointed goatee fit her image of the villain he truly was. He exuded poor malice, though, his aura almost as black as his hair. He was bad, deep down to the depths of his rotten soul, and he reveled in that.
Just like he would revel in whatever consequences he laid on Becca for betraying him.
Jerroz was jabbering at his side. The demon hadn’t seemed so short before, but seeing him come up to Lucifer’s shoulder really made her notice how tall and imposing the devil really was.
She gulped as he strode into her cubicle, Jerroz saying, “I have plans for her, my lord, if you’d like to hear them. First, I thought I could—”
What it was the demon planned to do to her, Becca didn’t know. Because, as soon as she was able to rip her terrified stare from Lucifer’s expression, she noticed something glittering in front of his pitch-black shirt.
Hanging on a simple golden chain, she saw an elaborate-looking key. Bigger than would fit most ordinary doors, it was glittering gold and had an aura that was achingly familiar.
Lucifer caught Becca’s stare. A smile that could only be called devilish tugged on his lips as he slipped the necklace beneath his black shirt.
And then he said, “That won’t be necessary, Jerroz. After my little jaunt upstairs, I think this is exactly where I want the girl.”
“But, sire—”
Lucifer’s eyes swirled with red. Unless Becca was imagining it, it seemed like there were actual flames licking at his pupils.
Jerroz shut his jaw so quickly that the tip of his oversized fang sheared off a hunk of his tongue. It landed on the floor with a wet slapping sound.
