Nasty. Although the way they were made through fornication intrigued, especially since that kiss in the chair. It was probably hugely sinful to want more.
She glanced at Julio and caught his eye. His smile warmed her, and she quivered inside when he squeezed her hand. Made her tingle. Hot.
Reminded her she wasn’t alone.
If she went back to Heaven, she would have to give him up.
She really didn’t want to. She wanted more time with Julio because her time on Earth had shown her that living creatures, human and not, craved affection. Desired to be touched.
I want love.
In Heaven, an empty spot gaped within her. Despite being in the most perfect place, she didn’t feel happy. Barely even content. But it was her life. It was safe.
Until it wasn’t.
At first, the new reality of Earth terrified, but as she navigated and learned, she found the hole within being filled. She felt happiness. If smiling and joy were a sin, then perhaps Heaven was the wrong place for her.
Curiosity as to other options was why she didn’t fight her descent to Hell very hard. Earth turned out to be nothing like she’d been taught, and as it turned out, neither was Hell.
Even better, Hell had Julio.
Their conveyance stopped without mishap, and the door to the carriage opened. The devil swept a hand. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I need to check the children. Their mother has them this morning, along with a nanny trained in the fighting arts. Just in case.”
“You fear an attack?” Helen asked.
“Yes. It’s my wife you see. She’s not well. Not well at all,” he grumbled. “And this is why I had to hide Muriel, only I couldn’t keep her and her magic down forever. And Jujube is already stronger. What can I do? I love them both.”
On that cryptic note, the devil left.
They were alone.
Julio leapt out first and turned to offer a hand. For a supposed minion of the devil, he had a courteous method. She took his hand and got a different peek at the place she’d been taught to fear.
In Heaven, they spent a lot of time solitary, contemplating stuff that she really had no interest in. On Earth, and now here in Hell, chaos reigned. Everywhere she turned she heard noise, saw color, felt life. It energized her in a way she’d never imagined. She wanted to see and touch everything.
They’d left the pier behind for a sidewalk comprised of cobblestones, each the size of a fist, tightly place together to form a boulevard that could have accommodated several people wide. Between it was a smooth street with light traffic. Demons—who looked rather human if one ignored the horns and occasional fang—rode what looked like Earth horses with wings. Plodding manticores pulled wagons because even Hell had to fix and replace things.
But who made the supplies? Because now that she knew Elyon didn’t create the cherubs, she had to wonder about the rest.
As she craned to eye the building that loomed high into the clouds of ash overhead, she asked, “Did the devil make all this?”
“No, we have workers that do the building or manufacturing. Although some stuff is imported from Earth.”
“Your society isn’t slovenly in other words.”
He snorted. “It’s Hell, not a free ride. If you want something, you work for it.”
“Or steal it.”
“Stealing is still work.”
Massive rusted doors inset with smoked glass slid open at their approach, and she assumed the mechanism was the same as that on Earth. Once she stepped through, she realized, as she glanced back, that small demons with tails and limbs that wrapped around a pole were the ones to slide it open and shut.
Julio caught her staring. “Machines don’t always work like they’re supposed to in Hell. Something about the laws of psychics not being stable. You’ll see lots of modern amenities done in a rather physical way. Kind of like The Flintstones.”
“The what?”
He blinked at her and smiled, a long thing that transformed his entire face into something soft for her. “It’s a television show I think you’ll like. I can explain the parts you don’t understand.”
It implied that they’d be spending more time together, which suited her just fine.
The lobby reminded her of the one in Bambi’s building with a grand space broken up by soft lighting and a desk for the guard. Only in this case, the guard turned out to be a rather massive demon. Thick. Muscled. Fanged. His red eyes flicked in their direction, and a lip peeled back.
“Who are you? Where are you going?” The high-pitched squeak almost made her laugh.
“I am none of your fucking business, going to more of none of your fucking business.” Julio’s profanity didn’t bother her. Words were words. And his use gave a certain elegance to them.
“Aren’t you a prize today. Good thing for you I knew you were coming. Probably before her because you’re a selfish prick.”
“Fuck you,” Julio declared.
“Kiss my hairy arsehole.”
Helen blinked. Especially as they erupted into laughter.
“What room does she have?” Julio asked when it died down.
“According to my instructions, the angel gets the penthouse. But there ain’t nothing set aside for you.”
“No need because I’m with her.”
The guard snorted. “Like fuck you are. She’s way too pretty for the likes of you.”
Helen’s mouth rounded. Pretty?
“This pretty angel is my wife, so put the word out that messing with her is messing with me.”
“Married.” The guard snorted. “My condolences.”
“You’re just jealous because, with your ugly mug, even your hand looks away when you jerk off.”
“I hope she gives you clamhellia.”
Julio’s final reply was a finger.
Helen waited until they got into the elevator to whisper, “Is everyone going to be that vulgar and aggressive?”
He snorted. “I guess you missed the part where we were joking. We’re usually worse. Baezel is one of my buds. We used to play poker every Sunday when I lived at the guild.”
“It seems an odd way to express a friendship.”
“I didn’t know there was a proper way,” he said as the elevator jolted during its ascent.
She glanced dubiously around her. “This doesn’t feel very safe.”
“Nothing in Hell is. But you get used to it. Elevators beat the stairs, trust me. The penthouse in this place is nothing to joke about.”
“You’ve been here before?”
“Nope. Way above my pay grade. I saw a televised special about it. The bathtub in the master bedroom is like a plunge pool.”
Given he seemed enthused about it, she couldn’t wait to see.
The elevator stopped with a shudder, and the doors slid open. She emerged into a vast space, too vast it seemed. She grabbed hold of Julio as he stepped out. Immediately, his cloak and presence wrapped around her.
It took her a moment to absorb the details—the massive room with high ceilings and windows on every far wall and more furniture than she’d ever seen—before she said, “This is for me?”
“Yup.”
“And who else?”
“Me if you’re okay sharing.”
For some reason that eased her tension. But she found herself annoyed, and it took her a moment to realize why before she blurted aloud, “Why does Hell have nicer things than Heaven?”