Tempting the Demon's Kiss (Hellscape Holidays Book 6), page 1
TEMPTING THE DEMON'S KISS
HELLSCAPE HOLIDAYS
BOOK 6
MILLY TAIDEN
CONTENTS
Tempting the Demon’s Kiss
About the Book
1. Portia
2. Meg
3. Ford
4. Meg
5. Ford
6. Meg
7. Ford
8. Portia
9. Meg
10. Ford
11. Ford
12. Meg
13. Ford
14. Meg
15. Meg
16. Ford
17. Ford
18. Meg
19. Meg
20. Ford
21. Ford
22. Meg
23. Meg
Epilogue
About the Author
Also by Milly Taiden
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Published By
Latin Goddess Press
Winter Springs, FL 32708
http://millytaiden.com
Tempting the Demon’s Kiss
Copyright © 2023 by Milly Taiden
Cover: Jacqueline Sweet
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Property of Milly Taiden
March 2023
Created with Vellum
TEMPTING THE DEMON’S KISS
HELLSCAPE HOLIDAYS 6
NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR
MILLY TAIDEN
— For my readers,
I hope you’ve enjoy our Hellscape Holidays Resort. I’ll be back.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Meg Pearson didn’t expect to spend the rest of her life working as a sous-chef in Lucifer’s kitchen at Hellscape Holidays Resort. But after a bad career move, she’s out of options and on the run. Hell’s hotel is the best place for a witch to hide. Or so she thought.
When ten guests are poisoned, Lou and Portia call in a demon private investigator. Ford Huntington immediately takes the case. What better way to gain a favor from the devil than to save his beloved resort?
But nothing is ever simple in Hell. Ford and Meg join forces when the hotel’s fate is on the line. Have Portia and Lou made their last match? Or will love save the day?
When the devil is your matchmaker, expect one hell of a time!
ONE
PORTIA
Portia Flemming was having yet another wonderful evening at Hellscape Holiday Resort. The stars were shining brightly, and the breeze was the perfect temperature. Not too cold, not too hot. Just enough to be comfortable lounging by the beach.
There were a few tasks she was supposed to be working on, but the night sky was too beautiful to pass up. Paperwork could wait. After all, she had most of eternity to get it done. She turned her face toward the moon, letting the sound of happy resort guests soak into her. She smiled at a couple who were clearly turning a one-night stand into something deeper.
Nothing was as delicious as helping two creatures find love. Not even one of Lou’s famous drinks could compare to that sensation of helping two people come together. And that was saying something. Lou’s drinks were known in all corners of the underworld as the best.
Her bartender cousin had other gifts and other projects, and he mostly liked to play matchmaker with her guests. Maybe it was the succubus in her, but Portia just wanted the whole world to find love. Things would be much better all around if humans and paranormal creatures were all kinder. If they made more room for love in their lives, everything would be just a little happier.
Portia liked that she helped more love grow in the world along with Lou when he wasn’t too busy causing all kinds of grief for the resort. She was leading by example, something Lou still needed to master. He liked trouble far too much for his own good.
“Portia,” a voice squeaked loudly in the distance.
Portia sat straighter. Una was running toward her, looking pale and scared. The succubus stood and rushed toward the pixie.
“You need to come quick!” Una panted before bending at the waist, huffing and puffing.
“Are you all right?” Portia rushed toward her. “What happened?”
“You need to get to the kitchens. Now.” Her assistant wasn’t in the habit of causing a stir for nothing. There was always a good reason, and never before had there been such desperation and fear in the pixie’s eyes.
Portia nodded and motioned for Una to follow. The succubus was used to things taking a turn in her resort. She couldn’t be shocked because the guests were demons, witches and warlocks, shifters, vampires, and the list just went on.
Just like in every other business in the world, there were good clients and bad clients. The bad ones she dealt with were just a bit more complicated since they could have access to all kinds of powers. Magical and shifter clients alike.
Of course, bad clients weren’t picky and demanding in a place like Hellscape Holiday Resort, like in a normal human hotel. Portia expected that kind of behavior from most of her guests. It just came with the territory of her business. Bad resort guests here used their powers to hurt other guests.
Judging by Una’s demeanor, someone was definitely hurt. The pair rushed, with Portia letting Una take her to the trouble.
“Whoa, there,” Lou called out as they walked by him. “What’s the hurry?”
Neither Una nor Portia answered. They kept on running, and Lou fell into line with them. They didn’t stop until they were in Flame, the most exclusive restaurant on the resort. Even from a few feet away, Portia could sense something was terribly wrong.
“No!” someone shouted from inside. “Stop. Make them drink this.”
Portia ran into the restaurant just in time to see Meg, the sous-chef, forcing a large vial into a woman’s mouth. The woman was barely conscious, and she wasn’t the only one.
Tables were overturned, and people were crying while holding their loved ones. The chef made the woman gulp down the liquid. Seconds later, the woman stopped convulsing and passed out.
“What the hell is going on here?” Portia roared.
“No time,” the sous-chef answered, running to another person and feeding them from the same vial. There was nothing but chaos. Some diners were crying silently, gathered around a sleeping person. Others were screaming at the chef to hurry while holding convulsing people. Portia spotted Meg taking the last of the vial’s contents to a man who trembled on the ground while his partner held his hand, crying.
“What the fuck is happening?” Lou asked.
Portia knelt by one sleeping patron and took the woman’s pulse. Faint but there. “What happened? What are you doing, Meg?”
“They could die if I don’t give them this,” the sous-chef answered. Her long brown hair had partially escaped from her hair tie, and there was a thin layer of sweat on her forehead. Her hands trembled as she pleaded with Lou with tear-lined eyed.
Lou nodded once before helping Meg while Portia joined in. The man’s eyes rolled back into his head, and he was finally still and quiet.
“He’ll be okay,” Meg said quietly. “They’ll all be okay.” She collapsed on the floor and cupped her hands to her face. “How did this happen?” she repeated under her breath over and over again.
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Lou’s eyes were cold. He was seconds away from doing something very drastic and terribly dangerous.
“I don’t know,” Meg answered. “I think …” she inhaled deeply, “they were poisoned. They’ll be sleeping for a long time. I knocked them out with this.” She pointed to the empty container in her hand.
Portia checked the pulse of the final sleeping person. “Hear me now,” the succubus stood. At once, there was calm. “I don’t know who attacked your hundredth birthday party, Ivona. I am so sorry. We will make this right. The person responsible for this will be punished. Lucifer will hear of this.”
As soon as she spoke those words, the atmosphere in the restaurant calmed further, but not by much. Portia understood that their leader’s support would be crucial now.
“Lou, here, will take your names and information. This will be reported to Lucifer immediately. I will deal with this. Ivona, if there is anything you and your family need, please let me know.”
Ivona shook her head. “Find who ruined this day and fry their ass, Portia. Where can we finish the party while these babies take a nap?” No one was shocked by Ivona’s joke. She was a demon, as were most of the people in the room. They were difficult to kill, but Portia wouldn’t take it so lightly.
She pointed to Meg and Van. “Kitchen. Now.”
The two retreated back to the back while Portia took a turn in the room, spending a few moments with each sleeping demon, warlock, or witch. She made promises and vows. One by one, the ten poisoned people were taken to the resort’s clinic. There, they would be tended to like royalty.
This was only the beginning. Portia and Lou now had to find who was responsible for such a terrible act at Hellscape Holiday Resort.
Portia barged into the kitchen, where Van sat on the floor, his head in his hands. Meg was at the counter, separating ingredients. The rest of the staff sat quietly, looking like newly reprimanded children.
“Explain yourselves,” Portia roared.
Meg shook her head. “There is nothing in here that was poisoned, as far as I can tell.” She pointed at the pots and pans on the stove and to the bowls and containers on the counter. “None of it is contaminated. I don’t know how the poison got in, but they all reacted so quickly. Whoever did this seriously overdid it on the dosage. If I hadn’t …” The sous-chef shuddered. “This was attempted murder times ten, at the very least. Who knows how many people were the target?” Meg continued to move around the kitchen, triple-checking every dish and ingredient.
“What does this even mean?” Lou’s voice was low and full of anger. Portia was right there with him.
“It means whoever did this did so intentionally,” Meg replied, her features tensing as someone experienced in violence.
“Are you saying we’ve had our first attempted murder at our resort?” Lou snapped.
Portia shook her head. “No. It wasn’t. It was the first attack on multiple guests.”
Lou’s features fell. “You’re right. Damn it, when you’re right, you really are right. An attack. Here.” He shook his head. “There will be Hell to pay for this. Shall I get Bertha?”
“No. You know she can’t help with this.”
Portia considered their options. Who could they turn to for help? Lou didn’t have the attention span to investigate. Besides, Lou would go on a rampage if the task was left up to him. There was no telling what would happen to the resort. He sometimes had a hard time being subjective. For the very same reason, Portia knew she couldn’t be the one to dig around for answers.
They were too close to this. It was personal. Portia wanted the very best of the best detectives to solve this terrible incident. The whole of Hellscape Holiday Resort’s reputation was at stake. Yes, paranormal creatures didn’t exactly expect their stay in Hell’s hotel to be all roses. But this was a blatant attack on the resort and what it meant to Portia and Lou.
“Didn’t I hear that Clara Bay-Huntington’s son was some kind of PI?” Lou mumbled.
“Is he?” Portia’s mind was reeling. “You want a Huntington incubus to investigate this?”
“Ford is a good egg. In fact, I hear his track record is pristine. He’s even thinking about retiring. Do you think we should pay him a visit?”
“Better yet, Lou. Make him an offer he can’t refuse. I want the best demon on the case.”
“Agreed,” Lou’s eyes were dark and full of fury. “No one touches my guests. No one.”
Portia shook her head. “It was incredibly stupid to assault the resort.”
Lou conjured a drink out of nowhere and gulped it down before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “And when the guilty are found, there will be nowhere in Hell to hide.”
That was the devil’s promise.
TWO
MEG
Meg Pearson sat on the uncomfortable chair with her head buried in her hands. She didn’t want to move or even take a breath. As soon as she did, it would make all of this very real.
And she really didn’t want it to be real.
“I don’t know what happened.” Her brother and Flame’s chef, Van, shouted, tearing at his hair. He repeated it over and over until one of the other kitchen staff members quieted him, but Meg didn’t look to see. She had her own worries. She had just been caught force-feeding guests a potion by her boss and her partner in crime, the bartender, Lou.
They couldn’t blame her. She tried to save them. Why did her work life always crumble to shit? Her love life wasn’t any better, but that had never led to ten people being poisoned. That was a small win … weird as it was … but it was all Meg had just then.
“If the chef can’t tell me, then someone else better start talking right now,” Portia Flemming, their boss and the resort manager, said with a terrifying calm as she walked around the kitchen. She impatiently tapped her foot at us. “Well?” she asked. “Anyone?”
Meg kept her head down. Maybe she could be spared if she didn’t make eye contact with Portia.
“You, Meg,” Portia said. “Tell me what happened. You’re the only one who seemed to take charge of the situation.”
Meg’s mouth went dry. Succubi had great power, and though Meg was a witch, she didn’t want to go up against her boss. She needed this job. “I-I don’t know,” she replied with a whisper.
Van glared at her as though answering Portia’s questions was being disloyal to him. Didn’t the chef know that Portia was his boss too? Of course, Van didn’t care. He was the typical chef. Big ego with a knack for blaming everything on everyone else.
When a dish was overcooked, it wasn’t because Van asked too much of his kitchen staff. It was the staff’s fault for messing up. Never mind that Van’s behavior lately was completely erratic. But no one was allowed to scream in her face about a perfectly fine poached egg. Not even her brother.
“Try again,” Portia said. “I want to know how ten different resort guests who dined at your tables tonight ended up with nearly fatal food poisoning?” She tapped her foot again as she waited for an answer.
“I honestly have no clue, Portia,” Meg finally met her boss’s eyes.
For a long time … what felt like a good thirty seconds … Portia didn’t stop staring her down. If Portia was hoping to find the truth of what happened in Meg’s eyes, she was looking in the wrong place.
“And you?” Portia turned to Van. “You’re the chef. You’re the one responsible for anything that leaves your kitchen. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“Have you talked to the waitstaff?” Van sniffed, and Meg wanted to stop him, but it was too late. He continued and said, “They easily could’ve tampered with the food.”
“The waitstaff,” Portia repeated under her breath. “Thanks for the tip, Van. I’ll be sure to get their versions of tonight’s events. Right now, I’m interested in yours.”
Van shot Meg another glare. This time, he was asking her to do something. But what could she do? She couldn’t go against Portia Flemming. It wasn’t just career suicide, but it was also unfair to Meg to ask her for protection. Again.
Why should she take the brunt of Portia’s anger? It was Van’s menu that had made ten people sick. If it weren’t for her quick-thinking skills, those ten people might have died.
Actually, they definitely would not have died. There was enough nightshade in the sauce to kill a whole elephant herd, but demons were made of stronger stuff. Witches and warlocks were too.
“Do you want my opinion?” Meg repeated Portia’s words.
“Yes, yours. How did you know what potion would heal the sick?”
Meg shrugged. “I didn’t,” she replied. “I just followed my instincts and did my best.”
Portia flinched, but Meg continued. “At least I did something. Everyone else stood there in shock. I went to the kitchen and prepared an antidote.”
“What did you use?” Portia asked.
“A basic potion any witch would know to make in a pinch.”
“Basic?” the succubus asked. “Why didn’t you think of it, Van? You are the chef. The leader.”
“He froze,” Meg answered, earning herself yet another glare from her brother.
“You would think the chef would be cool enough under pressure to take care of this,” Portia sighed.
“We all react differently,” Meg wanted to protect her sibling. Van might be the typical ego-crazed chef, but he was still her brother. There was no way he was responsible. “When your last chef quit, you hired us. You tracked us down.” She didn’t want to push her luck, but she was desperately trying to help Portia remember that her last chef was the one who had an anger problem.
