Match Made in Hell Sneak Peek
The last bite of the torte lingered on my tongue, a bittersweet note that paired perfectly with the sweet Moscato wine. I took another sip to wash down my dessert, trying not to choke on it as I laughed at Jake’s story. His eyes crinkled at the corners and his smile was infectious as he regaled me with stories about his mischievous Great Dane pup. It’d been a long time since I’d felt this warm and happy.
“So, Rebel just sits there, with my sock in his mouth, absolutely refusing to hand it over. And the second I come closer, he takes off like a clumsy horse, tearing through the house—” Jake’s words stumbled into silence and the sparkle in his eyes dimmed as his gaze hitched over my shoulder, a frown now creasing his brow.
“What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?” I swiped at my mouth, horrified at the thought that I might have smeared chocolate across my cheek or something equally embarrassing.
“No, but…do you know him?” Jake asked hesitantly, his focus on someone behind me.
I turned, half-expecting to find a waiter or hostess. Instead, my heart slammed into my ribs when I caught sight of an unexpected, but all-too familiar face. A face I never expected to see again, considering we literally lived in two separate worlds. I lived here, on Earth, and he lived…in hell.
Rathiel—or Captain Bootlicker, as I’d always loved to call him.
He looked almost the same even though it’d been years since we’d last seen each other. The same dark, tousled hair and the same piercing pale blue eyes that only angels—fallen or otherwise—possessed. The only difference was a scar I didn’t remember him having, a violent slash that cut a cruel, jagged path along his jawline.
The shock of his presence punched the air out of my lungs. In the ten years I’d lived here on Earth, I hadn’t so much as caught a whisper from anyone from my former home. And even if I had, I never would have expected to see Rathiel here. He never left my father’s side, his eternal loyal servant.
“Rath…” His name fell from my lips like a quiet realization.
His eyes shifted from me to Jake, who now stood protectively behind me. Rath’s jaw clenched, and if I wasn’t mistaken, a flicker of something dark crossed his features. A flicker that vanished an instant later. I must have imagined it.
He turned his focus back to me, and I shivered. Odd. Rath had never affected me like this before. I’d always written him off as a waste of demonic space. Nothing more than my father’s lap dog. But there was something about seeing him here, in my realm, while I was on a date, that unsettled me.
“Lilith,” Rath said, his voice a deep growl.
Jake’s hands touched my bare shoulders, a move Rathiel noticed. His eyes narrowed dangerously, and for a moment, I considered shrugging off Jake’s touch before deciding otherwise.
“Friend of yours?” Jake asked.
I shook my head. “Not particularly.”
Rath’s gaze snapped back to me, and a flash of something—anger, annoyance, pain—twisted his features.
I frowned. Rath and I had never been friends. Ever. He’d played guard a few times, whenever my father had deemed it necessary, but beyond that, the two of us had rarely shared words. Which made this visit of his all the more confusing.
“We need to talk,” Rathiel said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
“Kind of in the middle of something here,” I replied.
The corners of his mouth lifted in a humorless smirk, a dark shadow passing over his face. “Now, Lilith.”
I wanted to push back, put him in his place—I was Lucifer’s daughter, after all. I commanded demons, they didn’t command me. But humans had little to no knowledge that there were other beings in the universe, and I really didn’t feel like explaining to Jake that I’d pissed off a former fallen angel-slash-vampire.
I threw Jake an apologetic look. “I’ll just be a sec.”
Stepping away from the table, I bristled when Rathiel gripped my arm and guided me toward the front door. We stepped outside in the wintry chill and I wrenched my arm free, if only to wrap it around myself. Strapless dresses and minus thirty temperatures didn’t pair well together.
“Well?” I barked when we were alone. “Care to tell me what this is all about?”
Rath’s gaze slid down my body, hunger in his gaze.
“Yes, I’m wearing a dress,” I sniped, my teeth already chattering. “Get over it, and tell me what you want so I can get back to my date.”
His eyes climbed back up my length, and when they met mine, all the anger and rage had vanished. Instead, I saw something almost…tender. Then, his voice devoid of all emotion, he said, “Your father wants you dead.”
The words hit me hard, and suddenly, the cold air didn’t matter. The dress, the date, the dessert—all of it fell away.
My father wanted me dead.
And he’d sent Rathiel to kill me.
…. interested in Match Made in Hell. Get it now!
Do you know what it’s like to be Lucifer’s daughter? I mean, all I want is a nice apartment with southern exposure. A guy to rub my feet at the end of the night. Oh, and a job that doesn’t involve torturing souls for all eternity.
Unfortunately, escaping my infernal heritage isn’t as easy as moving to Earth and adopting a cat named Purrgatory. Not after someone took a pitchfork to my memories and scrambled them up real good. I can’t even remember how I got here.
I was this close to a normal life. Even found a guy who might want to rub my feet. But in the middle of our first date, he barges in. Rathiel, or Captain Bootlicker as I prefer to call him. My father’s right-hand man and a fallen angel turned vampire. One moment, I’m enjoying dessert, and the next, he’s hauling me out of the restaurant claiming my father wants me dead.
Rath calls it protective custody; I call it overbearing and obnoxious. He swears he’ll kill anyone who touches me, which is sweet in a terrifying, please-don’t-eat-my-date kind of way. I never asked for a guardian demon. But he’s determined to play hero, whether I like it or not. And unfortunately, I’m starting to love it.
Maybe I don’t want a normal life. Maybe I want…him.
We just need to survive my father first.
This adventure-packed story with vampires, demons, and Lucifer”s daughter is perfect for readers who love:
· Scarred Heroine (emotionally and physically)
· Enemies to Lovers
· Forced Proximity
· Touch Her and Die