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

into a mausoleum.
    "Hey, Mel!" he called.
    "Mmm?" Her hand touched his back before her fingers began kneading out the tension across his shoulders. "There's nothing to be afraid of here, Luce. I won't let her hurt you."
    He snorted, but he knew he couldn't fool her. His locked-up shoulder muscles gave him away. "What's with the weird dolls? Does she have a fetish with death?"
    "With death? Why do you say that?" Mel's fingers dug deeper, ironing out all the stress of the day.
    Her fingers were magic. Nothing short of miraculous. "The dolls look like dead children. The tattoo she had on her nether regions is a copy of Renaissance artwork depicting the netherworld. The way she always wore black, the same colour as her hair. And how she visited me in Hell, even my lair, when no one else could get in. Well, except you, of course, but I'd never want to keep you out. Just everyone else." He moaned softly.
    "Well, there was that unfortunate incident when she was very young. Hades kidnapped her and dragged her into the Underworld for a time. It was very traumatic for her and I'm sure there were lasting effects on her psyche. If my terror at public speaking has lasted this long…" Mel laughed shakily. "Well, Persi might be afraid of death, and this is how she deals with it. Maybe her coping strategy is more effective than mine. When we find her, I must ask her."
    "She's not here, is she?" Luce asked.
    Mel shook her head. "The place looks exactly the same as we left it, when we came to collect your things."
    "So she's been missing since then?" Even as he said it, he knew it couldn't be true. Persephone hadn't been missing when she was harassing him in Hell. She'd gone missing while he and Mel were in Heaven. He wondered if it was because she was jealous of Mel.
    "There should be dust, but there's none. That means she must have been here less than a week ago, surely."
    Luce hesitated, but knew he'd have to say it. "I have a cleaner. Someone who comes and cleans the place once a week, every Friday. I had an email from her saying her invoices hadn't been paid, so I fixed that today. She was here last Friday…or at least she said she was and I paid her for it. If the place isn't dusty, it's because of the cleaner." His brain kicked into gear. "Wait. If Persephone's been here since Friday, the beds will be made differently. She always does them like hospital beds."
    Luce hurried to his old bedroom, the one with the incredible view he wanted Mel to wake up to. He ran his hand down the corners of his bed and relaxed a little more. "Your cousin didn't make this bed. The sheets were fresh on Friday and haven't been touched since. I'll check the guest beds, too." The other two beds yielded the same result: no sign of Persephone having slept in them. A swift check through the walk-in wardrobes revealed a few items of women's clothing, a huge collection of shoes and many empty spots where things were missing. Her suitcase was nowhere to be found, either. He returned to the lounge to report this to Mel. "So she must be travelling somewhere," he concluded, settling onto the three-seater.
    Mel sank onto the seat beside him. "Her favourite sex toys are gone. All of them. That means she intended to travel for some time."
    Luce shot upright. "You know about those?"
    Mel laughed softly. "I'm hardly innocent, Luce. Just because I've never used them, doesn't mean I'm ignorant of their form or function. I could say the same about certain parts of your anatomy, too."
    To his own surprise, Luce blushed.
    "Let me show you," he suggested, hearing the lust in his voice but not caring. Mel could handle him. Or not, as she desired.
    She pushed him away and rose. "After dinner. We have to head back to my place to pick up some clothes and stuff for tomorrow, then I'd like to eat. I'm willing to bet you know a place nearby that serves oysters, just the way you like them."
    He laughed. "Sure do. Are you saying I'll need them?"
    Mel wet her lips. "Perhaps."

"That was