Hell on Earth

By Adrianna Morgan

"Five and a half years ago, I sold my soul to a demon. I didn’t mean to; that is, I didn’t know I was doing any selling, until my arch nemesis explained the ring on my finger as a sales receipt. The currency was my soul. Now I have six months to find a demon named Azazel and get him to change the terms of our transaction, otherwise I will wind up in the one place I want to get as far away from as possible, Hell."

Self-proclaimed Witch Extraordinaire Bri Montague is living the life she loves until her arch nemesis tells her that the deal she made with a demon resulted in a life expectancy of six months. Now she has to find the demon who cursed her, outwit him to gain her life back, and find her missing mentor--one of the most powerful witches in her coven--all without scuffing her designer shoes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Androsia Publishing LLC
• Release date: Jul 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781940341026

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Cover photo © wmiami - Fotolia.com

Cover photo © cardiae - Fotolia.com

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

All rights reserved. This E-book is licensed only for your personal enjoyment. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the author. The only exception is brief quotations in printed or online reviews.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Please visit me at adriannamorgan.com for more on the Hell Bent and Bound Series!

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1 – Hell Hath No Fury

Chapter 2 – If You’re Going Through Hell…

Chapter 3 – A Living Hell

Chapter 4 – What’s a Witch to Do?

Chapter 5 – Every Witch Way…

Chapter 6 – Good Intentions

Chapter 7 – Sweet as Sin

Chapter 8 – Black as the Devil

Chapter 9 – Pure as an Angel

Chapter 10 – Hotter than Hell

Prologue

If there is one thing I don’t like, its surprises. So, imagine my surprise when I knocked on the door of the man I’d been in love with for years to find my arch nemesis, Helena Black, sitting on his couch. Granted, I think they were dating…or fucking…or whatever you call it, but it was still a surprise. Especially when I had banished her to Hell the day before.

Let me start from the beginning. My name is Bri…Brianna Montague. I guess I always knew I was…special. So when I was approached on my 18th birthday by a woman who claimed I had a ‘gift’, I naturally accepted it. What was this ‘gift’? Well…I’m a witch. Not your white, do good witch. Nah. I’m all about me. So, my magic is a bit different. And I can read minds. Most of the time. So right now I am staring at Helena and wishing her to the deepest pits of Hell for two reasons. One; she was sitting on Evan’s couch blocking her mind from me and two; well…she was sitting on Evan’s couch.

I pasted a smile on my face and turned away from Evan. His too perceptive blue eyes were clouded with anger and I had a hunch he wasn’t too happy to see me. Could be because I had banished him as well. Not that I meant to, but he had to come barreling in to save her. It wasn’t my fault he got caught up in the spell. My eyes swept over her abominable red hair and pasty skin. You would think that the girl had been deprived of the sun, but I knew her brother and many nights, many nights we talked about his family in the Caribbean. Including his sister.

The strain and tension in the room was evident and for a second, I wondered if Helena and Evan were at odds about something. I could only imagine that it had something to do with the ‘trip’ I had sent them on.

I knew Helena was a witch, but I wondered if Evan did. My smile grew wider as I glanced back at Evan. He had to know. How else had she gotten back? I expected Evan to return…hell; I had to call in a few favors to make certain his banishment was reversed. Even still, he looked tired…and pissed. Oh goody.

Helena! How good to see you! I forced the sugary sweetness into my voice and her eyes narrowed.

Evan sighed as he glanced at me. What’s up Bri? He stood near the still open door and I wondered if he had forgotten it was open or if he was subconsciously telling me to leave. Either way, I was not setting one foot outside that door until I figured out why—and how—Helena was back.

Nothing much. Just being neighborly. I sat next to Helena and patted her cotton covered leg. The woman was wearing pajamas. In the middle of the day. No accounting for taste. But the tension in the room was just too interesting to let slip by.

Just so you two know; if there is trouble in paradise, I am a really good listener. I smiled as a show of good faith. I’ll admit it, I was curious. And a bit devious. There was much more to this story. Yeah, she and I weren’t the best of friends…okay, I hated her guts. And I wasn’t the best neighbor, but I was curious about her.

I always seem to know what people are going through. Right, Helena? A slight twinge pricked my conscience when she turned those dark eyes on me and I remembered her dog. The weird looking Chihuahua. The moment I saw it I knew it was her familiar, which was why I grabbed it in the first place.

It was just my luck that the demon I had summoned was willing to take such an abomination. Now, I wondered what had happened to it and I silently cursed myself. I didn’t care, remember? This was revenge. There is no conscience when it came to revenge. My mentor’s voice rang in my ears. Envision your goals and your path to achieve it.

Evan cleared his throat. Thanks for the offer, Bri, but this is a private matter between me and Helena and we are trying to get everything sorted out. He indicated the door. Not trying to be rude or anything, but we were kinda in the middle of something.

I looked at Evan in shock. He was kicking me out? For her? No way. He was a man. Men had been falling at my feet since I could stand. Time to turn on the charm.

Oh, Evan, I pouted, I only wanted to make sure you were okay.

Helena had gotten her hooks into him. That was the only reason he was resisting me right now. She had somehow manipulated him into thinking that she was the better woman—witch—for him. I took a deep breath and muttered a quick spell, reaching into his mind to undo whatever evil she had tainted him with. The tendrils of my magic pushed into his head. I was almost there. I frowned. Evan was in love. He loved her. There had to be something wrong. There was no way he could have fallen for her that quickly. I tried harder, putting more energy into the spell as I tried to delve deeper into his mind.

Suddenly, Evan was still. Unnaturally so. I turned around slowly and faced Helena. She was showing her true colors now. Dark energy radiated from her and I wondered if half the covens on the east coast could sense her. She had placed Evan in stasis, a kind of frozen state, although he was able to see and hear everything around him and I wanted her to admit what she was—and what she had done to him.

I wondered how you got back. My voice was cold, all trace of warmth and friendliness gone as I stared at her.

She shrugged; those dark eyes of hers blank as she watched me. I moved towards her and she rose slowly from the couch as I eyed her, my gaze raking her up and down. I was not about to let this strange woman take what was rightfully mine. Okay. So Evan and I weren’t official—well, we hadn’t even done much more than make out a few times, but I was right here and he had to go and fall for the new meat. She had to have done something to him. But you didn’t see anything in his mind. The annoying little voice in my head yelled. So? I stubbornly ignored it; she’s a witch, she can manipulate. It’s what they—we—do.

My eyes were hard as I looked back at Helena. I decided to call her out, make her admit what she was. Obviously, you are a witch. But not from any coven around here. And how did you get back? I banished you to Hell.

She refused to answer; a small smirk playing around her lips as she stared coolly at me. I knew what she wanted. She wanted me to admit what I was to Evan. It didn’t matter. There was no way I was going to be with him anyway. He had told me only a few minutes ago that he wanted me to leave. I was only staying long enough to help him, and then I was gone.

Her continued silence bothered me more than anything. How had she gotten back? She should not have been able to. Not with the spell I used. What? Some archaic spell you are unwilling to part with? You made a deal with the devil?

She looked at me and smirked again. It was really starting to get on my nerves. If she wasn’t such a behemoth, I would smack her in the face, but the girl was big and I wasn’t sure I could take her in a fair fight.

The question you should be asking Bri, is how did Evan get back? You banished both of us, remember? Her voice was soft and triumphant…and instantly I hated her all over again.

I waved a hand airily. Oh, I worked a spell for Evan. I willed him to return, so I knew he was here. You, on the other hand, should still be in Hell where I sent you. I fingered the ring on my left hand. It was a gift from the demon who had given me the spell. The ring itself was insignificant; it was small and old; a dark burnished gold with ruby inlays, but the spell that had accompanied it had been magnificent. If it had worked properly.

Helena turned those dark eyes to me again and the cold in her gaze chilled me to the core. She indicated my ring. You made a deal.

What? I stared at her. Of course I made a deal, there was no way I could banish her to Hell otherwise. No witch was that strong, but that was none of her business.

She pointed again to my ring. You made a deal.

I looked down at the small token on my hand, willing my nervous fingers to be still as I tried to play off her comments. What are you talking about?

The ring. You made a deal with a demon.

I laughed. No, I simply traded your dog for the ring and a book of spells. I swallowed thickly. I had made a deal and now that the spell had not worked, I was willing to renege, even if it meant tracking my demon down for the rest of my life.

"Trading one dog for a ring and a book of spells is not an even trade. An item for an item. You were given two things and the person you traded with received one. By default, the second item was your soul."

Helena’s words penetrated my thoughts and my face paled. My soul? I had made a deal, but I didn’t sell my soul. All I wanted was the spell. The ring was a gift. Wasn’t it?

H-how do you know that? I licked my lips nervously.

She smiled without mirth. I am a demon. It’s what we do.

I stumbled back against the chair as my breath left me in a surprised squeak. It made sense now. There was no way she was that strong of a witch to be able to block my powers. She had cut me off when I was trying to reach into Evan’s mind and she was strong enough to block my mind reading. And to get back from Hell.

I knew it. I knew something was off about you.

She smiled.

That red hair. That crazy pale skin. I stopped; my mouth gaping open as air left my lungs in a rush. Red hair. On a demon. Holy Hell. I was fucked. I had pissed off the Queen of Hell. The only demon I knew with that combination of hair and skin was—

You’re not…Lilith? I gasped the name, willing my heart to slow. It would not do if I were to die before I got a chance to redeem myself.

No, she answered, shaking her head. I’m her daughter, Helena. Princess of Hell.

Princess of Hell. Satan’s daughter. His only daughter. I knew there was no love lost between Satan and Lilith, but his daughter might be a different story. My eyes started to lose focus. First, I was tricked into selling my soul and now the witch—make that demon—I had tried to banish, was the daughter of the Lord I had pledged to serve. My eyes rolled back and the last thing I saw was Helena’s smirk.

Bitch.

*

For someone who ran away from home, you sure like to throw that title, ‘Princess of Hell’, around. Evan rolled his shoulders for the umpteenth time, the deep baritone of his voice penetrating my skull. I guess he had not liked the whole ‘stasis’ thing.

Helena sighed as if they had this argument quite frequently. My eyes narrowed. Evan did seem to take everything in stride. For a human, he should have run screaming from the room, but instead he was cozying up to the demon bitch.

You knew about this?" I asked him, hurt that he had not even thought to tell me about any of this.

Evan nodded. "Didn’t know until you sent me to Hell."

I paled again and Helena patted Evan’s leg even as he glared at her. Apparently, they still had some issues to work out but it was not my fault that Evan wanted to be the hero all the damn time. He didn’t have to run into the room trying to save her. I bit my lip suddenly feeling guilty as an image of Evan lying in a lake of fire inserted its way into my head. It had been my fault. There was no other way to look at it.

I-I-I’m sorry, I stammered, the words stuck in my throat. I guess that explains how you were able to get back so quickly.

Helena nodded, the smirk gone from her face for the moment. Without the veil of jealousy covering my face, she looked almost…likeable. Almost.

Yup. And that explains why you wear that ring.

My gaze flew down to my hand. I had almost forgotten about the ill-fated object. The ring shone dully against the light filtering into the room. I’m really doomed?

Helena nodded again. Basically.

"How many years? Just