Chain of Lust (Spirit World 2)

Jean-Luc growled like a beast. The sound of it made the hair on Maddie’s skin stand on end. “We’ve never crossed paths before, but I’ll tell you, you just fucked with the wrong guy.”

“Oh, please.” Jezebel’s phony laugh rang to the ceilings. “I’ve fucked with all different guys before.”

With one agitated swoop, he grabbed Jezebel by her shirt and smashed her against the wall. “Listen, demon. Lucifer has passed a judgement. Siegfried must do the time. I escorted that sorry ass prick to Level Twelve an hour ago. He’s going to be there for a very long time. So you can tell that bitch of a mistress of yours, she can kiss my ass.”

“You’re bluffing. Lucifer is indisposed.”

“Not anymore. He’s back and he would be very interested to hear what you and your mistress have done. The Pit is no longer Lilith’s own sandbox.”

Maddie squirmed and pressed her face near to the crack. She couldn’t see Jezebel clearly from this angle. She just saw her arm flailing next to Jean-Luc’s bulk.

“Where is she?” Jean-Luc’s angry voice filled the room.

Jezebel replied with derisive laughter.

Why didn’t Jean-Luc notice her, she wondered. The cupboard’s door was thin. He should be able to hear her. Maddie leaned on her side and smashed the heel of her shoes on the wood, rattling the whole door. She screamed through her gag.

Jean-Luc jerked his head. Alarmed. He released Jezebel. The woman stumbled to the floor. “She’s here,” he hissed. “You veiled her. Show her to me, demon.”

He noticed! Maddie kicked the door over and over, as hard as she could.

“Lift your spell, Jezebel,” he warned.

“You wish.”

Another hissing growl swept the room. Black fury darkened Jean-Luc’s face. He pounced at Jezebel. Maddie couldn’t believe what she saw. One moment she saw an angry man and the next

, he’d shifted into a gargantuan black dog from Hell.

Maddie cringed. She’d never seen Jean-Luc in his beastly form. Not in such an obvious way. She’d seen the shadow of a great dog when he’d saved her from being flattened on the pavement. The beastly Jean-Luc was scary. He looked like a Rottweiler on steroids, the size of a male bison. His fangs were bigger than Maddie’s arm and his paws were larger than a car’s hubcap. A feral anger emanated from the great beast. Not a drop of humanity was left in him.

The dog snatched Jezebel in his mouth and shook her like a rag doll. The demoness screamed in pain. He gave a rough yank and flung Jezebel like he was tossing a Frisbee. Jezebel slammed against the wall and crumpled. The dog pounced on her and shook her again, as if he wanted to tear her to pieces. Jezebel begged him to stop. When he did, Jezebel was lying in a heap, a mess. She didn’t look like the gorgeous diva she had been a few minutes ago. She looked like a leathery dragonfly that had had its wings plucked.

The dog sniffed the air and turned in Maddie’s direction. He ran and pounded the cupboard’s door. The wood splintered everywhere. Maddie closed her eyes. When she opened them the great big dog was crouching next to her. Happy.

“Whoa. Easy boy…” she said through her gag.

Jean-Luc shifted into his human form. He removed her gag and the ropes. “That bitch,” he murmured. “How dare she do this to you?”

Maddie was relieved. She rubbed her forearms and wrists. The ropes had made her legs fall asleep. He helped her to stand.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Kinda.”

“Let’s get out of here.” Jean-Luc swept her off the floor and carried her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Maddie protested. A heartbeat later, everything blurred. Jean-Luc moved at such incredible speed, all she could see were moving shadows. She was dizzy. When the vertigo finally stopped, she found herself on the roof of a building.

It was night-time. The sky was clear. The air was pleasant, with a slight chilly breeze.

Jean-Luc put her on her feet and gave her a bone-crushing hug. “I thought I’d lost you.”

“I…can’t…breathe…”

He released her. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

Maddie patted her chest, coughing. “Maybe now you can tell me what it’s all about?”