Chapter Twenty #2
Interesting—I wouldn’t have thought demons would sweat, what with living in a very hot place.
Though I didn’t know, did I, that Hell was hot?
So much of what I thought I knew was proving to be wrong.
Maybe the similarities between London and Hell extended to the weather, so Hell’s residents weren’t naturally acclimated to warmer temperatures.
“You’re here,” Marcellus said, a grim smile on his face. I did not like that smile. It was one meant to invoke fear, and it definitely invoked it in me.
I might love him, but that didn’t mean I didn’t know what I was dealing with.
“I am,” I said. “It seems you are investigating without me.” I jerked my chin toward Phenex, whose glance darted between the two of us. “Have you gotten anything useful yet?”
“Tell him that I meant no harm,” Phenex sputtered. “I was just talking with those men, and they asked where we were going, and—”
“What men?”
Marcellus and I spoke in unison.
“The men in black!” Phenex yelped. “They were at the bazaar—that is where I first met them.”
I met Marcellus’s gaze. “The church?” He shrugged.
“Were these men affiliated with Saint Aloysius’s?” I asked.
He nodded eagerly. “There are two of them. They do accounting, not just for that place but for many of the other places in London.” It struck me that he wasn’t saying “church”; I wondered if it was because it was an unknown word in Hell (but how could that be?) or because it was uncomfortable for a demon to say.
“And you, what, discussed different bookkeeping methods? And accidentally told them my father would be at the tower?”
Phenex squirmed in his chair, which was when I noticed he was being restrained by several thin pieces of wire that were coming close to piercing his skin. “My lord,” I said sharply, “what is this?” I pointed to the restraints.
Marcellus raised a brow. “I didn’t want him to run off to my father to complain about ill treatment.
At least not until we get some answers.” He approached the chair and began to undo the wires.
Phenex shrank back, giving him a wary look.
“It seems he is offering us some answers, so I will offer him some freedom.” He turned his head to look at me.
“It isn’t as though I was torturing him. ”
“No, but you said if I didn’t—” Phenex began, but Marcellus quickly put his hand over the other demon’s mouth.
“Enough of that. Miss Hastings wouldn’t like it.”
I appreciated that he respected my feelings. Actually, it made me feel rather warm and squishy inside.
Wonderful. I was flattered because my demon lover was trying to respect my human sensibilities by not sharing his threats but wasn’t refusing to make them in the first place.
I was so far gone.
“Tell us more about these men. Do you know their names?” I asked.
Phenex rubbed his wrists. “I’m not very good with your names, miss. We met a few times—they seemed quite interested in some of the innovations I’ve made below.”
“In other words, they flattered you so you’d reveal information,” Marcellus said in a dry tone. “You can go. We have learned enough now.” He held his hand up. “But before that, we’ll want you to meet with them one more time. We need to know who they are.” The look in his eyes was a clear threat.
Phenex rose, his expression suddenly growing more scared. “You won’t tell the lord and master, will you? It was an honest mistake—”
“There’s nothing honest about us,” Marcellus cut in. “You know that.”
“But I don’t want him to think I was being disloyal. I only want what is best for Hell and for him.”
“You’d better practice putting that the other way around—for him and for Hell, then. I might mention it. I might not. It depends on what else we find out. Now go.”
Marcellus jerked his head in the direction of the door, and Phenex scurried out, giving me a last, pleading look, as though I could possibly intercede.
The door shut, and then Marcellus sat in the same chair Phenex had been in, gesturing for me to sit in the chair opposite.
Just another way he was entirely different from any other gentleman-presenting individual in my previous experience—none of them would have sat before a lady did. Then again, none of them would be concerned about whether I had eaten or would put my pleasure ahead of theirs.
So I was fine with the whole sitting-first thing, if it meant I got the other things.
“It’s not surprising the church is likely behind the fomenting-chaos attempt,” he said when I had seated myself. “What we don’t know yet is if this is a coordinated effort or just a few disgruntled God lovers.” His expression was disdainful.
“I don’t know how we will determine that without causing a serious amount of chaos,” I said, already feeling trepidatious about his finding various deacons, bishops, and other church nobility to question and possibly torture.
He shrugged. “True. I suppose knowing the source of the leak is good enough. Phenex won’t be foolish enough to continue speaking with those two.
Beyond our purposes at least.” I had to suppress a shudder at his clear and obvious menace—if I were Phenex, not only would I never speak to those two, I might never speak again.
Better yet, I would leave Hell and perhaps join the church myself, maybe as one of those vow-of-silence types.
But I wasn’t a demon, so I was likely overreacting.
“So you’re going to have Phenex meet with them again, and then…?” I let the sentence hang there.
“I’m going to ask them a few questions, that’s all,” he said, sounding as though he were trying to be disarming.
It didn’t work.
“I want to be there.”
He frowned. “You don’t trust me?”
I shook my head. “No. I don’t. And if you just happen to hurt—or worse—a member of the clergy, you and your father will be in far worse trouble than merely causing chaos.”
He gave me an assessing look, then eventually offered a reluctant nod. “Fine. You can be there. I hate to admit it, but you’re right. At least in this case.”
I suppressed a triumphant smile. I knew there was only so long I could lord it over him, and I didn’t want to push my luck.