Carnage (Hell Hounds MC, #1) by Susan Hayes Read Free Book Online

hair, and when he was done, his horns were gone. He looked human now, save for the eerie flames that glowed in his eyes. “But to answer your questions, yes, he’s safe and sound back at the Hell Hounds’ headquarters. No, I’m not going to punish him. I never intended to do anything to him, that was all for show.”
    “Why?”
    Lucifer made a gesture with one hand, and she found that the sheet that had been wrapped around her had been transformed into a toga-like garment of deep red trimmed in gold.
    “Why? Because I needed to know how you felt about him. If you’d stood by and let him be punished, that would have spoken to your character, and your feelings for him...or lack thereof.” He held out his hand to her. “Come. Our conversation is going to take some time, and I’d rather not do it here. Carnage is my finest Hound, but his taste in interior decorating leaves a lot to be desired.”
    “Can I leave him a note? I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.”
    “Who said anything about goodbye? You’ll see him again, if you wish to, that is. I’ll have a message sent letting him know you’re fine. Good enough?”
    “Yes. Thank you. And uh, I’m glad to hear I’m going to be fine. I thought you might want me dead.”
    Lucifer arched a dark brow. “Dead? No, Little Bird. I don’t want you dead. If I did, I’d have sent Carnage to do the deed directly. We really need to talk, you and I.” He gestured with his outstretched hand. “Come.”
    There was no turning back now. She closed the short distance between them and placed her hand in his, marveling at the turn of events that had led her here, to the moment she came face to face with the most feared being in all creation. “What do I call you?”
    “Your Highness is always acceptable, of course. Grandfather would also be applicable, but it smacks of sentimentality, and implies I’m closer to my dotage than my prime.” He gave a dramatic shudder. “Why don’t you call me Luc?”
    “Grandfather?” she asked, stunned.
    “Mhmm. Didn’t your mother tell you? She was well aware of your father’s lineage.”
    “She almost never spoke about my father, and she certainly never mentioned we were related.” Grandfather ? Holy hell mom, you should have told me. That would’ve been handy information to have all the years she was alone and running for her life.
    “There are some remarkably large gaps in your education, Little Bird. Come with me and I’ll see what I can do to enlighten you.”
    There was another shift in the air around them, and the next thing she knew, she was standing in the middle of a palace so opulent it dazzled her senses. Reds and golds in a hundred different shades shimmered and danced in the light of a thousand torches, lamps, and candles. The air here was perfumed with exotic scents that almost hid the underlying tang of sulfur and ash that tainted the air.
    When she had her bearings, Lucifer led her a short distance to a pair of gilded, ornate chairs set by a window, providing her with her first real view of Hell.
    “Welcome to my home,” he said, gesturing to the vista outside.
    It wasn’t what she had expected. In fact, it looked like Earth...more or less. Earth’s sky wasn’t a burnt, murky orange, though. It was also far less crowded and a lot quieter. That struck her as odd, given how many people seemed to be destined to spend eternity being punished for their sins.
    The palace was set in the center of a typical modern city, with streets and buildings stretching off in all directions. The architecture was different in subtle ways, and everything was bathed in the odd orange light, but it was definitely a city, not a fiery pit of suffering. There were even people—or fallen— moving along the sidewalks, and a few vehicles trundled up and down the streets. It all seemed perfectly normal.
    “You’re looking for the pits of screaming, tortured souls, and the eternal flames, are you?” Lucifer asked, his voice rife