BEYOND THE RAINBOW

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - THE FORSAKEN

Her heart bolted into overdrive and she could feel his presence without even turning.

"Damn it...." Tanouie muttered, keeping her back to him.

"Consider it done, but the degree of its damnation is the question."

Gentle hands splayed warm fingers over her shoulders and his soft voice melted her resistance like butter on hot bread. Her body recognized his touch with an answering tremor. It stole her breath.

"Turn and face me, little one. Are you injured?"

"N-no."

Tanouie couldn't help but obey the gentle pressure of his hands as he turned her into the world of his chest. Her nose flared, breathing in his inimitable scent and her eyes were riveted to the curling chest hairs peeping at the vee of his black silk shirt. She dared not look up as he made his inspection. His nearness scattered her wits and made nonsense of her boast to reject him, no matter what the coercion. He was not even trying to seduce her. There were no overtones of impropriety as he ran his hands down her arms and finally put a finger under her chin to tilt her face up to his gaze. Through her lashes she saw a definite softness in his fathomless eyes as he gently flicked the fingers of his other hand over the flour smudges on her cheeks. Were his lips actually twitching in amusement? But the illusion was swiflty negated by his frown of concentration as he turned her head this way and that, looking for evidence of scratches from her brush with a marauding killer. After a time he seemed satisfied and set her back from him, letting go of her with a circumspect nod.

"Good. So just excuse me while I deal with that swine of a thing before we get to what the hell I am going to do with you, Your Majesty." He was actually smiling as he gave her a mock bow. But the look he turned on the terrified creature in the crate was coldly implacable. Striding the few steps to stand before it, his presence silenced it without speaking a word and there was no drawing out of its punishment.

"Return to your origins, minion, never to rise again." Lucifer's command was accompanied by a click of his fingers and the creature disintegrated into a stream of black ash that was drawn into a whirling vortex tunnel. It closed as quickly as it opened and Touie found herself staring with budding respect at the regal man before her. This was no savage display of power. His back was to her momentarily and he said nothing for some moments.

"I'm glad you didn't torture it." She said softly into the silence.

"Dead is dead. I see too much of it to get personal." Lucifer turned and there was now no sign of softness. There was arrogance in his saunter as he returned to consider her. The look he gave her was clinical. She squirmed under it. Finally he shrugged. "The incident is your fault entirely. You represent food to them. And I thought I told you to stay out of Hades. Do you plan to shack up with your boyfriend in this dive? Or earn a crust by servicing the cliental, perhaps?"

Jaddai's mouth opened to protest. "I say! That's – "

"Be quiet, Elf! This is not your hour of judgement." Lucifer forestalled him. "I want to hear what she has to say for herself. You." His gaze fell on the blue warrior. "Leave us." Belina left hurriedly under the snapped directive.

"You're judging me?" Tanouie's eyebrows had shot up.

"It is what I do here." He folded his arms in lordly fashion.

"Here in a kitchen?" She squeaked.

"You were expecting trumpet fanfares on the Golden Gates?" He said sarcastically. "This is Hell. All inmates have a classification. Since you have been reduced to human status, are you to be his trollop in this quarter and risk starvation. Or would you prefer to be a well fed harlot in Debasement?"