“We were attacked and then we were naked.”
“Nibo!”
“What?” he asked innocently. “I was going to tell you. As I said, I can make no promises. This is more Thorn’s territory than mine. I drop souls off at such places. Getting them out is not something I ever thought about doing. I’ve never made such an attempt and have no idea how to really go about it. But for you,mon ange, I’ll risk angering the great powers of the universe.”
Those words made her heart sing.
And he proved them as soon as they were dressed. She watched as he used his powers to paint his face in the loa style so that it bore a skull over his features, and his loose-fitting island clothes changed to his trademark dandy fashion of an ornate black overcoat with a purple sash and shirt. Skulls and crossbones bedecked his black-and-silver tricorne that he wore over a long purple headscarf trimmed with silver coins.
He looked dashing.
Dangerous. Mysterious and haunting. One glance and it was obvious he was a creature born of ethereal things. A man who walked between realms and who feared nothing and no one. While she knew his kindness, he was renowned for his vicious lethality that could come out whenever he sensed someone was in the wrong. He hated injustice and was highly protective of those who fell under his protection. His temper was legendary, and she’d seen him lash out at his own companions at times. Especially if he was in his cups. Oddly enough, he seldom drank around her. Maybe a few sips, but never to excess. Until now, she’d never given much thought about that.
And that made her smile, for Xuri wasn’t known for his restraint. “Why is it you never drink around me?”
He paused checking his pockets to stare at her. A slow, charming grin spread across his face. “Don’t you know?”
She shook her head.
Wrinkling his nose, he walked into her arms and kissed her. “Who needs rum when you already make my head spin,chère?”
Aye, he was a sexy, incredible beast. Especially when he held her like this and she could feel every inch of his body pressed against hers.
“You are far too charming.” She tugged at his feathers.
He flashed a devilish smile. “That I am.”
Then he dressed her in a dark burgundy gown with an outrageous feathered headpiece that held a ship in the center, where it appeared to be sailing in a storm of swirling silver-and-black feathers with pearl accents. Using his powers, he painted her face and teased her hair into a bold hedgehog style, with thick curls that fell to her waist.
She smiled at him. “You are ever an outrageous dandy.”
“Life is not for the meek,mon amour. And neither is fashion. Both always favor the bold. When you enter a room, you should turn heads, not stomachs.”
“I don’t know. Sometimes restraint is the better form of valor.”
“Not when you’re going to war. What better place is there to clash and be loud?”
He had a point. They were certainly loud. There was no denying that.
She liked it. “So where are we going?”
His grin turned roguish as he tucked his skeletal cane beneath his arm and pulled on a pair of black gloves. “You know I try to take you to the best places,chère.We’re going to hell without a handbasket.”
And with that, he took her not only to the hell he’d promised, but straight into the lowest, darkest pit of it, where only the most tortured of souls were sent.
Valynda glanced around as they emerged from the darkness into a rather pleasant field. “This doesn’t look so bad.” Especially when compared to the hell realm where she’d been tortured and that Thorn had rescued her from. This one was bright and cheery, point of fact. Children ran about, singing and dancing, chasing each other. Granted, off-key, but still it was a nice, pleasant day.
How could this be anyone’s hell?
Nibo snorted. “One man’s trash is another’s rose.”
No sooner had he spoken than she heard the agonized scream of someone in the throes of absolute misery.
The sound sent a chill down her spine and brought her up short. “What the devil is that?”
“What the devil, indeed.” He grinned at her as he turned around and spread his arms wide. With true psychopomp flare, he walked backward toward the noise.
More curious than she wanted to admit, she followed after him. What could be going on to cause someone to lament this heavenly place in such a manner? ’Twas obvious the screaming person was in agony. But she couldn’t imagine why.
