To Hell and Back (Mel Goes to Hell Series Book 4) Read Online Free

but Mel still couldn't seem to loosen her tongue, so he answered, "No, you'll refer those matters to whoever has been handling them since she left. Mephi will be screening all her calls, so if you try to call her for anything that I haven't approved –"
    "Let her speak for herself!" someone shouted.
    "Yeah, let her go!"
    Before Luce could work out who had shouted, more than half the demons erupted out of their seats with similar angry shouts. It was like being back in his office in Hell, where every demon had wanted to defend her and beg for her release. Instead of individual demands, though, now there was a demonic cacophony that drowned out the whimpers he could feel escaping from Mel.
    "Get out!" he roared over them. "This briefing is over. Get back to work!"
    He repeated it several times until all the demons left the lecture theatre. Mephi, who was the last, gave him a dark look as she descended the steps.
    "Is Miss Angel all right? What can I do to assist?" Mephi asked, sounding concerned even as her eyes burned red.
    "She's fine," Luce said curtly. "You get back to work, too."
    He watched as she slowly made her way up the stairs and out the door. It wasn't until they were alone that he pulled Mel into his arms and whispered, "I'm so sorry. I didn't realise it would be this bad."
    Mel pushed herself far enough away to look up at him. "The last time I managed to deliver a speech in front of a crowd, they turned into a mob and tore my body to pieces. Thousands of years may have passed, but I can still feel those clawing nails as if it was yesterday. I am…a poor presenter at best, Luce. I'm sorry."
    "It's hardly your fault. I won't make you do that again – ever. I swear." He wet his lips. "How can I make it up to you?"
    Mel smiled wanly. "Maybe it'd be best if I went outside and got some fresh air for an hour or so before I return to work. I need to pick up a few things, anyway. I'll return in time for lunch."
    "Do you want me to come with you to make sure you're okay? I mean, you almost collapsed in here."
    She shook her head. "I'll be all right. See you in an hour or so, my love. Don't burn the office down while I'm gone."

Mel set the bags on her desk, peeping at some of the satin and lace she'd bought when she'd given in to temptation. It wasn't for her, after all…well, it was, seeing as she, and not Luce, would be wearing all that lovely lingerie, but he was the reason she'd bought it. The poor man had cried over her bloodstained bra in Hell, for goodness' sake. He deserved to see her in its replacement. In all of the replacements.
    She wanted each item and ensemble to be a surprise, so she opened the desk drawer, hoping to stash them away before he saw them. The drawer was full of bits of paper. Mel pulled one out and squinted at it. A lottery ticket. They were all lottery tickets. She pulled the whole drawer out and emptied the contents on her desk. How many tickets were there? Hundreds, maybe. A closer look revealed that they were more than a year out of date. Even if they'd been jackpot winners, they were null and void now. She transferred the mess to her wastepaper basket and tucked her purchases into her now empty drawer.
    Not a moment too soon, either.
    A knock at the open door made her look up. Expecting Luce, Mel was surprised to see Nybbas.
    He grinned nervously. "Hi, Mel. It's good to have you back. A bit of a promotion for you, isn't it?"
    Nybbas was the only person in the whole corporation who could give a worse presentation than her – at least, he had been, until she'd helped him. Mel had always suspected Nybbas had feelings for her, but he'd never dared to go against Luce. "Perhaps," she said. "It's certainly an improvement to doing Lili's stapling and photocopying." She nodded at her computer. "Are you here to set that up for me?"
    He reddened. "No, the imps took care of that this morning while we were in Luce…Lord Lucifer's briefing. I wanted to ask if everything was all right." He sidled