Years ago, I wrote a novella for a duet book with Valentine’s Day in mind. I wanted something different and developed the idea of a demon—who wasn’t all that demonic—being sent from Hell to prove her worth by corrupting a human. The human she chose, to her surprise, was an angel who had been sent to Earth to fulfill his greatest wish, to bake something perfect and worthy of Heaven. He’d been what he considered an ordinary baker in his life and he wanted to do so much more. Not unexpectantly, Mariah (our demon) had a difficult time corrupting Patrick. But what they discover is that the longer they remain on Earth, he becomes a little less holy and she becomes a little less what he father Lucifer wants her to be. What could happen? Maybe a revolution!
I’d forgotten about this story, but now I’m thinking I might revise it and offer it for sale… Look for Candy Hearts and Flours coming soon!
Blurb:
In the depths of Hell, things aren’t much different than here on Earth. There, as here, fathers find their daughters to be difficult ... creatures. And, there, as here, lessons are posed when behavior is unacceptable. In the case of Mariah Luce, a demon who just can’t seem to get evil down to a science, instruction comes in the form of a short visit topside. Her mission? To find a saint of a man and seduce him. In other words, to corrupt someone incorruptible. If Mariah can pull this off, she'll be evil! And welcomed back home.
At the other end of the spectrum, Joseph Patrick Benedict Smith has been an angel for centuries. His colleagues spent their time on Earth fighting devils or saving towns from floods, experiencing holy visions or converting whole nations to God. Not Joseph. He baked bread. Now he longs to do something huge, something he can point to with pride of accomplishment, and--heavens!--he’s being given the chance.
For one week, Las Vegas will host an humble baker as he strives for perfection in the Candy Hearts and Flours contest, and a determined demon who scours the city looking for one sainted man. Can she withstand the urge to be good, and can he resist the sweet pull of temptation?
Buy link:
Not yet available
Excerpt:
“Mariahhhh!”
Her father’s voice echoed through the chambers of Hell, bouncing off the rock ceilings and careening off the walls until all she really heard was a thunderous “...ahhhhh!” by the time the sound found her. She didn’t question that he bellowed her name. Indeed he only screamed when he was upset, and he only ever became that upset with one person. Her.
Mariah Luce sighed before closing her book and dragging herself from beside the fiery lake and up the path toward home. What had she done now? She stopped suddenly, remembering. There had been that teensy, tiny glass of water she’d given the man yesterday. But he’d been thirsty. And so good looking, and when she released him to stand next to her and drink, his naked body had glistened with the sweat of desire and longing. Such was everyone in the Second Circle where those who lust were trapped, but this man’s body had spoken to her. Truly.
That couldn’t be the reason her father called her, though. Yes, she’d broken the rules by releasing the man in order to give him a sip of cool water. And sure, she’d enjoyed the picture he presented, his sacs heavy and penis erect, standing next to her. But right after he drank, she returned him to the circle. There was no way her father could know about her transgression.
Mariah skidded to a halt inside the courtyard to her family home. Her father paced in front of the door as though guarding it from assault. His hands grasped his wrists behind his back and his face literally glowed blood red. She hadn’t seen him this angry since that vile man, Dante, had infiltrated Hell and then documented the structure that her dad and others had worked millennia to perfect.
Oh, dear. Whatever had happened was serious.
Off to one side stood her sister, hands folded over her very pregnant belly and smiling like the lying bitch she was. Her father couldn’t know about the glass of water yesterday ... unless Mariah had been seen. She narrowed her eyes at her sister, which only brought about a widening of the smug smile.
“There you are.” Her father’s voice rumbled like the worst thunderstorm on Earth. Feet spaced apart and arms crossed over his chest, he seemed ten feet tall and as imposing as a mountain. Flames flickered in his eyes. The horns protruding half a foot from the top of his head vibrated with fury. Fury directed at her.
“Yes, Daddy?” She was the baby and her father’s pride and joy, which both explained and obscured why he became so frustrated with her at times. She looked up, batting her eyes and showing the smallest upturn of her lips as she felt some small measure of relief. Whatever had brought about her father’s ire was too great to be her fault. She was yet a young demon with limited powers. Still, that look of pure pleasure on her sister’s face gave her pause.
“You’ve overstepped your bounds this time, young lady.” He’d lowered the volume, which frightened Mariah much more than the booming tones he’d used earlier. “Do you know what the problem is?”
She shook her head, afraid her voice would betray the trepidation building in her belly.
“Does this refresh your memory?” Her father extended his arm, palm up. Water sprung from his hand and spilled between his fingers, popping and spitting as it struck the blistering surface before hissing into spirals of steam.
The spring of water ended and his arms again draped across the expanse of his chest.
Mariah could only stand silently in the face of her dad’s wrath. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
Perhaps it was that she offered no excuse or fast-talking explanation. Whatever the reason, her father’s anger disappeared. He rested his hands on her shoulders. “Mariah, why do you do these things?” He nodded to where her sister stood. “Cassandra never does anything good or decent. Why can’t you be more like your sister? Sometimes, sweetheart, your mother and I despair at where we went wrong with you.”
“But, Daddy, I...”
“Cease!” He stepped away, a glare returning to his face. “Perhaps you don’t realize the harm you incur when you do something...” he grimaced “--nice. That man to whom you gave the water was refreshed. He went back into the Second Circle renewed, if only a little. But it just takes a little, Mariah. Immediately, he found a woman to fuck and came to release, making him feel even better. She climaxed, too, and experienced relief from need. Then she turned to another man and fucked again. By the time Cassandra warned me what had happened, the whole circle was a fucking mess. You see? One good deed leads to another, and another, and... That’s not why we’re here.”
He took a breath, but it didn’t seem to calm him.
“Do you like living here, Mariah?”
“What?” Startled, she gazed into his eyes, searching for a spark of the indulgent love she usually found. But there was no love. Only stark blackness to a depth she’d never known. “Here with you and Mama? Of course I like living here, I love it.”
“Then listen to me well. I’ve put up with your pranks and rebelliousness long enough. I overlooked when you went down to the Third Circle and chatted with the gluttons because you took your lunch with you and ate in front of them. Only later I heard that you’d shared your dessert with a woman. And I tried to be gentle in my punishment when you slipped into the Seventh Circle and allowed the heretics an audience to rail against ... well, you know who. It granted them some peace and I had to go before the council, but I gave you nothing more than a slap on the wrist. This time, you must learn. For your own good, you must discover what it is to be evil.”
Mariah felt the coldness of dread settle into her bones. Not a light matter in the heat of Hell.
“I’m sending you to Earth.”
She gasped. “No, Father! Please, not that!”
“Yes! No place in Hell compares to Earth when it comes to learning about evil. You have five days. During that time, you must find a saint, if one still exists, and you must seduce him. Bring him to his knees with desire. Feel the power that comes from control and bask in the glow of his fall from grace. When you glory in making a truly good man turn bad, then you’ll know the joy of evil and you may return.” Her father closed his eyes and took a harsh breath. Under the blood-rust of his complexion, he seemed to pale. “If you have not accomplished this in the designated time, you will be exiled forever from the gates of Hell.”
Mariah collapsed, unable to believe the heinousness of her punishment. She even heard a gasp from Cassandra. Never to come home? To share a joke with her mother, or playfully tease her father? She might never again sit and read a book beside the fiery lake or hear the screams of the damned. How would she bear it?
Her father’s strong hands lifted her to her feet. “Go, daughter, and take the lesson to heart. Search out a saint and destroy him. There will be no joy in Hell for your mother and me until you find the true path.” He chucked her under the chin and gave her a half smile. “You’ll see, my little demon. Once you’ve experienced being bad, you won’t want to go back to your old ways.”
He kissed her cheek, snapped his fingers, and she found herself on the strip in Las Vegas, Nevada.
After a while, Dee split her personality into thirds. She writes as Anne Krist for sweeter romances, and Jenna Stewart for ménage and shifter stories. All three of her personas are found on the Nomad Authors website. And all three offer some of the best romance you can find! Also, once a month, look for Dee’s Charity Sunday blog posts, where your comment can support a selected charity. Sign up for my newsletter and have access to free reads.
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1 comment:
What a cute story, Dee. LOVED the excerpt. :)
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