Sweet Hell Page 5

  Josie looked as if she wanted the floor to swallow her up.

  "That never stopped you before, you head case."

  "Nor you,” Orpheus countered angrily. “You immortal man whore!"

  Josie threw up her hands. “Okay, that's enough! I don't know what's going on here, but it needs to stop.” She turned to Orpheus. “You can't come onto private property, buster, smash up my bakery, and insult my ... friend like that! I don't know who put you up to this sick prank. But I swear to God, if I find out Mike and Angelo are behind this, I will wring their scrawny necks. If only my dad could see this...” She trailed off, then turned back to Dionysus. “Wait. Immortal man whore?"

  Ah, fuck. Now it was going to get touchy.

  "Go ahead,” Orpheus prompted, clearly loving the show. “Tell her the truth."

  "Dionysus?” she said softly. “What truth?"

  He grabbed her hand. Gods, it was so soft! It was a nice hand when it wasn't drenched in egg yolk. Small, with delicate lines. And it felt good in his. “Josie. There's something you don't know about me."

  He tried. He really tried to spit it out, but it was stuck in his throat. After all, it wasn't every day one announced one was an ancient, powerful deity. With issues. He implored Orpheus with a look. “I can't. Not like this."

  His enemy's blue-eyed glare hardened. “Well, that's too bad, because I have a job for you to do. One only you can do. And because I'm on borrowed time here, I don't have all day to make things cozy for you. I've waited an eternity for this, and I'm not about to wait any longer.” He looked at Josie, nostrils flared. “Your friend here is a Greek god."

  She looked back, unfazed. Then she rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Tell me something I don't know."

  Dionysus choked back the laugh threatening to explode from him. He could have hugged her!

  Orpheus wasn't so impressed, the crazy-eyed bastard. “No, really. He's immortal. You know, as in living for all time. Never dying. Supreme. Divine! A fucking god!"

  Josie's head was shaking. She wasn't willing or able to process this information. Dionysus was starting to wish he'd never walked into the Marino Brothers Bakery. Well, actually, that wasn't true. He couldn't regret meeting her. Frustrating woman that she was. He just regretted her finding out what a true freak of nature he was.

  "I don't understand,” she breathed, ignoring Orpheus, who was still rambling like a lunatic in his corner of the basement. “What is he saying?"

  Hurt by the strange light in her eyes, he turned to the bastard. “What do you mean you have a job for me to do? I don't do your jobs."

  "Oh, you'll do this one. Remember Eurydice?"

  He nodded. How could he forget? Eurydice had been Orpheus's one true love. When she'd died eons ago and had gone to Hades, he'd gone insane out of grief. The old myths told how the gods granted Orpheus one opportunity to retrieve her from hell. Everyone knew the story of how he was warned to lead her from Hades, and told not to look even once at her. But tempted to glance back at his beloved wife, he had, and Eurydice had been lost to him forever.

  What the myths did not report was how depraved Orpheus had become after losing her. History chose to remember him as a gentle musical genius. In truth, he'd become a madman. Dionysus remembered how he'd raped, hurt, and killed others in revenge.

  Including the one who'd meant the most to Dionysus.

  He'd had no choice but to kill him to stop him from hurting others.

  "Did you know, Dionysus,” Orpheus asked, “that my sentence in hell came with a few restrictions? They didn't allow me to see her. Not once. Oh, I was told I could look for her, and I tried. I spent centuries trying, digging my way through each endless cavern of shame and sorrow. I bribed and tricked every official in Hades that I could find, but no one would tell me where she was.” He stared into space, remembering. “And then darling Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, heard of my struggles. She was touched. Allowed me to visit with her to plead my case. The only problem being she grew fond of me, and decided she didn't want to lose her favorite pet to his rightful wife."

  "Doesn't sound hopeful,” Dionysus said.

  "Luckily, I can be persuasive. Persephone's granted me a short time to find Eurydice. If I don't find her within that time, she'll block off access to her forever. You may think I've been punished all these years. My true punishment is only just about to begin. I need you to bring her back to me. You owe me!"

  "I owe you nothing! You had your chance with her,” Dionysus shouted back. “Besides, why don't you keep looking instead of wasting time here?"

  Orpheus grunted in frustration. “Because you killed me for my ... crimes, I was banished to a part of Hades where I can't reach Eurydice. She's an innocent. Men like me don't get to see women like her in hell. They've made it impossible. If you had let me live out my life naturally, I might have been reunited with my wife in death. But, no, because of you I've been sentenced to a plane in hell where I can never reach her. You did this to me, and you're my only chance.” His face crumpled in sadness, and for a moment, Dionysus thought he glimpsed something of the man he'd once been. “You have to go to hell and bring her to me. Do you have any idea the torment I've been in? Living without my love for so long?"

  Dionysus looked at Josie. She was in tears at his story, even though he could tell she was frightened and stymied by his mention of hell.

  To live an eternity in hell without one's love. He supposed that could be perceived as somewhat vexing.

  Although it had been so long since he'd felt any smattering of what could be called love. He didn't necessarily think he was the best one to ask about it.

  Still...

  "How much time has Persephone given you?” he asked quietly.

  "One measly week. She's toying with me. She's no better than the rest of the gods.” Orpheus breathed in deeply and looked a bit less crazy, but only for a moment. “And I swear to you, if you do not do this, I will kill your lover. I may be just a sad shade of a man, but I can still fit my fingers around Josie's neck and squeeze the life out of her forever."

  Her tears dried up at that remark.

  So, Orpheus thought he was in love with Josie. He'd seen them kiss, had seen the fire between their bodies, and had drawn the wrong conclusion. And now he thought he could threaten her.

  Despite the clear error on Orpheus's part, it still made Dionysus see red. “If you touch her, I'll incinerate you."

  "Then you'd better bring her with you on your quest, because I can't guarantee I won't be tempted to lock her in the freezer again while you're gone."

  "You monstrous fuck,” he seethed. He'd been hoping Josie had locked herself in by mistake. “You did that to her."

  "And I'll do it again,” Orpheus promised. He tucked his lyre away, wound his cloak around his head, and another wind started up in the basement, making Josie jump. “You have one week, Dionysus. Find my Eurydice. Then I'll find you."

  With that, he disappeared.

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  Chapter 5

  Greek mythology had never been one of Josie's strong points in school. In fact, she'd always thought the stories were kind of silly. Tales of men with goat legs, and sea monsters, and prancing nymphs were just never her thing. Give her a good Agatha Christie any day.

  But that didn't mean she hadn't paid some attention in her Religions of the World class. She was beginning to remember the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. There was an opera named after them. Her mom used to hum the music while she baked.

  And she was definitely starting to recall the myths about Dionysus, Greek god of wine. She stared at Dionysus Iros. Some very compelling comparisons were starting to form in her head.

  Greek god of wine...

  "Josie—"

  She held up a hand, cutting him off. “Iros is an interesting family name."

  He held her gaze. “It's not a family name at all. I had to choose a surname to fit in among mortals. I chose Iros. It means, uh, hero. Don't laugh."

/>   "Right,” she said, lips pursed. “And you're a Greek..."

  "God,” he supplied. “I'm a Greek god. Have been for a long time."

  "Why should I believe you?"

  "I got you out of the freezer. You've seen what I can do."

  Her lip trembled. “Not really. Maybe there's a problem with the hinges."

  He huffed. “You have no choice but to believe me, Josie. I'd love to stand here and appear to you in all my glory, but frankly we don't have time. And considering I have to drag you down to Hades with me before the week is up, you might want to jump on the bandwagon.” He started marching back up the steps to the bakery.

  How dare he walk away from her! “Wait! I'm not going anywhere with you, buster!” She scrambled up after him.

  "Well, you heard the man. You can't stay here. I can't take a chance that he'll come back and hurt you."

  This was too much! “Well ... if you're such a powerful Greek god, why don't you hit him with your lightning bolt?"

  He stared at her, looking almost tired. “Wrong god, sweetheart. I'm not Zeus. But hey, A for effort.” He walked into the middle of the bakery, held out his hands to her, and said, “Well, shall we?"

  "Shall we what?"

  "Go to Hades?” And then he looked at her as if to say, “I'm waiting."

  "I'm not going anywhere until I get some proof!"

  "Josie, Josie. I would think the journey to hell might be proof enough."

  "No.” She shook her head. This was way too weird. Yes, he was far too handsome to be a regular man. Yes, his kisses made her feel as if she were part of a drunken orgy. And yes, one glance from him was so sexy it was practically an out-of-body experience. But he was going to have to do better before she got on board with all of this nonsense. “I want you to do something. To prove you're ... different."

  He almost looked bored. “What would you like? A little plague? Pestilence?"

  "God, no!” She thought about the options, and it only freaked her out even more. “I'd prefer if you kept it to a minimum of devastation, please. I'd hate for you to ... smite someone.” And then the perfect idea struck her. “Wait! I know! Follow me.” She tore out of the bakery.

  Dionysus shouted after her. “We don't have time for this, woman! The sooner we find Eurydice, the sooner we can come back. Where in the blazes are you taking me?"

  She ran to the back of the bakery, and up a set of stairs that led to a couple of apartment units above the store. At the top landing, she fished for her keys, conscious of his big body right behind her. All too aware of the inch of space between them, pulsing with a sexual electricity that was making her feel loopy.

  "Josie,” his voice rumbled.

  She steeled herself against the deep urge to yank her top off and pull his head down to her breast. Instead, she turned to him, determined. “If I have to go to hell with you, I'm not wearing the same clothes I wore to work. What if I run into someone I used to know? I need to shower and change first. And while I do, you can prove your divinity to me."

  She stuck her key in the lock and tried to ignoring his impatient muttering.

  Dionysus waited for her to open the door, then realized he could have just blown it in for her. But that would have probably scared the pants off her. Which wasn't a bad idea considering the fact that through all this craziness, he still had a hard-on the size of Poseidon's trident.

  And she smelled so good ... like tiramisu. It had been so hard not to touch her while she was looking for her house key. He'd wanted to reach out his fingers and entwine them in her burnished hair, to brush his lips against the back of her neck.

  By Hera's nipples, he was already in hell!

  The door to the adjoining unit opened while she was still fiddling with her lock. He watched in shock as a man appeared in the doorway. A gigantic, muscled, Nordic beast of a man. One whose teasing smile and blue bedroom eyes were trained on Josie.

  Dionysus hated him on sight.

  "Oh, hi, Petter,” she mumbled, clearly oblivious to the man's frank appraisal of her cleavage. “Don't mind us. My key's stuck again.” She looked up at both of them for a second. “Petter, Dionysus. Dionysus, Petter."

  The blond stuck his hand out, and Dionysus did everything in his power not to crush it into a fine powder.

  "Hey,” Petter said. “Just like the Greek God!"

  They both glared at him.

  Her neighbor sucked at his teeth, because apparently he was still chewing on his dinner and hadn't bothered to swallow before harassing them at the door. The big, blond Neanderthal said, “Josie, babe. Thanks for the cannoli the other day. They were awesome."

  Dionysus felt the air being sucked from his lungs as if someone big had just punched him. She gave food to other men? Just how many men was she sharing her cannoli with? He'd thought he was the only one.

  Damn.

  "Don't mention it,” she said, finally opening her door. “Although you might not see any more for a while,” she said under her breath.

  She headed inside, and Dionysus was quick to follow her in, blocking the way in case neighbor-boy chose to follow.

  "See you later, Petter!” she called.

  "See you, babe. Ciao, Greek god.” He put his hand up for a high five.

  Dionysus slammed the door on him, feeling his blood boil. First priority after returning from hell was to find Josie a new apartment. One far away from Norwegian sex maniacs with a penchant for free sweets and boobs.

  "What did you do that for?” she demanded. “Petter's nice. A little thick around the neck, but he's nice."

  "Did you see the way he was drooling over your chest?"

  "Really?” She actually smiled. “Huh."

  He suddenly had the urge to smite someone old-school style. A thick-necked someone. But his plan for vengeance was rudely interrupted when a low, painful-sounding howl erupted from the hall. Dionysus watched as a squat, matted, hunk of dirty fur waddled into view.

  "Meooooowwwff,” the thing spat, making his blood run cold.

  "What is that thing?” he whispered.

  Josie, seemingly unbothered by the sight of the hairy beast, ran into the hallway, scooped it up, and plastered its gargoyle head with kisses. She covered its flea-infested ears with her hands. “Shh. Don't talk about him like that. It's not good for his confidence."

  She set it gently on the floor, and it scrambled away, leaving a trail of smelly fur tufts.

  "That's Cats Domino,” she said happily. “My baby. And you're going to fix him."

  He stared. “You want me to help that animal to prove I'm a god? Sweetheart, I'm pretty sure it's already dead."

  She blinked at him, unimpressed with his lack of eagerness. “He's just very old and infirm.” She breathed in and a tear gathered at the corner of her eye, one she hastily blinked into oblivion. “Just this week, I had to make an appointment to put him down, but I haven't been able to do it yet. I love him. So. Can you do it or not?"

  She was ready to cry over that tangled mess of fluff. And gods, if it wasn't hurting him to see her like that! Sheer insanity!

  "I can do it, Josie,” he said quietly.

  If she loved that thing, he would do it.

  For the first time, she looked a little nervous as she went to retrieve Cats Domino from the corner he was currently spraying. “Will it hurt him?"

  He smiled, wanting to make her feel better. Needing to make her feel better. “No. Bring him to me."

  "He probably won't let you hold him,” she explained. “He only lets me hold him because I know how to do it so it doesn't hurt him. Is that okay?"

  He gazed into her hazel eyes, suddenly so taken by her love of the beast that his heart was pounding. Hammering in his chest, in fact. This was it. He was going to give her proof. Real proof.

  Why was he so terrified to do it? Perhaps because it meant he was fully exposing himself to her, something he'd done with so few others. There had been Ariadne, of course, but that was so long ago.

  He swallowed,
put his hand on Cats Domino's head, and uttered the words that would change Josie's life forever.

  If not his as well.

  Josie watched, holding her breath. Dionysus was whispering something she didn't understand. There was a certain intonation that sounded Greek to her, which made sense. It was actually lovely to listen to him. He had such a nice, deep voice, made even more sensuous by the exotic words he spoke. He gazed into her eyes as he chanted, and she was unable to look away. She felt so hot, for a moment she wondered if his words were meant, not to fix her cat, but to make her horny instead.

  Either way, it seemed to be working.

  Within seconds, the cat's hairs were standing on end as much as hers were. She looked into Cats Domino's cloudy eyes and marveled as they began to clear, turning into the bright green they once were. His tummy felt less squishy too, she realized, more streamlined, as if he were sucking in his gut. The tremble in his legs stopped. The crick in his neck corrected itself. And his fur magically lost all its tangles, turning from a dull, matted gray into a gleaming silvery coat. He mewled in happiness and sprang from her arms, only to dart around the room as if he were one of those trained felines from the cat treat commercials.

  She let out a laugh and looked up at Dionysus. He was smiling at her. “Some of my better work, I think."

  She flew into his arms and hugged him. If she'd been able to fit her arms around his huge chest, she would have done so, but had to settle for encircling him three-quarters of the way around. He gasped and stood still. And then she felt his corded arms tightening around her. Pulling her close. Lowering his head and breathing her in. As if she smelled so good to him. Which was odd because he was the one who smelled like heaven.

  He was a god, after all.

  The magnitude of the moment hit her and she felt her legs grow wobbly, but he kept her enfolded in his arms, holding her up. Feeling so small, she dared to look up, only to find him staring at her, heat in his eyes.

  What did one say to a deity? All her years as a Catholic choir girl had never prepared her for this situation. Was she supposed to genuflect? Cross herself? She settled for whispering, “Thank you. For everything."