Raising Hell by Julie Kenner Page B

Delilah he could see anything through.
    He was wrong, of course. She wasn’t with him. That much was clear when her hand whipped out, her palm catching him across the face in a slap that left his skin burning.
    “You son of a bitch,” she said. She climbed to her feet and ran into her room. He stayed rooted to the spot, listening to her pack. He wanted to go to her, to beg her to stay, but he knew he couldn’t do that. He’d used her. He loved her, yes. But he’d used her. And in the worst possible way. He had no claim to her now. And besides, more than anything, he wanted her free. And that meant he wanted her away from him and, most especially, away from his father.
    She came back into the room, the duffel slung over her arm. “Stay away from me, Nick,” she said. “I don’t ever want to see you again.”
    “I know,” he said, then drew in a breath. “But I do love you, Delilah. I want you to remember that.”
    She made a noise, almost like a snort. “I don’t care what you want me to remember,” she said. “Because I’m going to do my damnedest to forget you. To forget everything.”
    A loud boom shook the apartment, and a whirlwind of flame appeared in the middle of the loft. Delilah’s eyes went wide, and she stood rooted to the spot. Nick wasn’t so impaired. He leaped to his feet, grabbed her arm, and yanked her toward the door. He pushed her through, yelling at her to run. To leave. And to never, ever look back.
    And then he shut the door and turned to face his father, well aware that he deserved whatever punishment the devil might have in mind.
    “Kelley-Hart. Publicity and Public Relations. How may I direct your call?” Lila answered the phone on autopilot, the same as she’d been doing for the last four days. Carrie had arranged for her to get her old job back, and she was grateful. At least it paid the bills while she applied for colleges and scholarships. Not that she’d started doing much applying yet. Mostly she’d just been sitting around, feeling numb.
    She’d almost lost her soul.
    She still couldn’t quite get her head around that. Both that it had happened, and that Nick had saved her.
    Of course, he’d set her up in the first place, but in the end he’d come through for her. She’d survived.
    She couldn’t help but wonder if he could say the same. She couldn’t even imagine what it must have been like for him, facing down the devil and having to admit what he’d done. Sure, the devil was his father—how weird was that?—but still. In the end, would that help Nick at all?
    The more she thought about it, the more ashamed she felt. Nick had saved her. Nick had loved her. And she’d left him to face his father alone. She’d abandoned the man she loved because she’d been too afraid of—
    She cocked her head, startled by her own thoughts.
    The man she loved?
    The phone rang, but she ignored it. Did she really love him? Could she? The man had almost stolen her soul, for goodness sakes. But he had given it back, and surely that counted for something?
    She frowned, her thoughts a mishmash. Even if she could forgive him, that didn’t change the fact that he was the devil’s son. Not exactly the kind of man she’d ever imagined bringing home to daddy.
    But, of course, Nick could hardly help who his father was.
    And did his family really matter? The question was whether she loved the man, not his heritage. And despite how furious she’d been when she’d learned the truth, the answer was that, yes, she did love him. Loved the way he’d made her laugh, and the way he’d made her see herself. The way he’d seen her. Loved the way he’d taken a chance at the arts center and then admitted to her that he liked it. And she even loved the way he’d teased out her wilder side. Not the dark, soulless part— that she’d just as soon forget—but the sexy, daring girl hiding just under the surface. The girl she’d been that very first night in his bed.
    She’d felt alive with