She wouldn’t go down that road because Cooper the dragon was good-looking. The kind of good-looking that made it hurt to look at him. The sooner she asked Portia for help, the sooner she could figure out the rest of her life.
And that didn’t involve handsome, scarred dragons.
She had been distracted away from her desperation because of the injured and dying dragon, but now that Cooper was better, Alice had to get back to her own life and save herself before she ended up at the bottom of an ocean withherarms ripped off.
Alice left the impressive suite on the top floor of the resort and took the elevator down to the lobby. Ocho, the leathery-skinned imp who was in charge of the elevators, opened his hands out to her as soon as she tried to walk off.
“Gimme, gimme,” the imp chanted over and over again until Alice produced a small brown paper bag from her back pocket. She dumped a whole bunch of candy corn into the imp’s hands, and he greedily ate all of the candy before eyeing the empty bag. “Bye, bye,” he shooed her away, much to her relief.
The last thing she needed was to get into a fight with the imp who basically controlled the elevator, but it didn’t take very much to insult the creature. He liked his candy corn and could easily turn into an absolute terror like most imps.
Alice didn’t have a choice but to make a stop at the gift shop to get more of the tipping currency for the little red beast on her way to Portia’s office. As she walked down the long and impressive marble hallway, Alice was sure she was being watched. The air around her turned acidic as if some witch was trying to do magic too heavy for their powers. Alice was familiar with the smell, and it was one of the reasons why she was on the run for her life.
She hastened to Portia’s office, looking obsessively over her shoulder in case she was, in fact, being followed by some witch. She knocked on the door, rapping her knuckles with a bit more force than she had intended. Portia opened the door, wearing a kind smile that didn’t slip when she spotted the witch.
“If you’re here, it can only mean that our patient is doing much better.” The succubus smiled brightly. “I can’t thank you enough for helping Cooper. He is such a good man, but he hasn’t always had it easy and…” She stopped talking. “Oh, but Alice, you look like you’ve seen a ghost. Is Cooper not doing better? Is there something wrong with his wing…umm, I mean, his arm?”
“He’s fine. He will be just fine, but I came here for a reason. The resort, I mean. I haven’t had the chance to tell you all about it, but I need your help,” Alice whispered. She kept looking over her shoulders, certain that someone was following her. There was no one there, obviously. She had closed the door herself, but Alice was afraid…more afraid than she had ever been in her life. Andthatwas saying something.
It was more than the usual fear, though. It was the first time Alice couldn’t fix her problems by herself, and she didn’t like it one bit.
Needing help meantaskingfor help. Asking for it meant that she would get it, and then…because all humans suck…she would be let down. But beggars couldn’t be choosers, and if she didn’t do something soon, she would wind up dead.
Better let down than dead.
Portia seemed to perk up with Alice’s words, but that could have been her hope coloring what she saw. The elegant succubus leaned in closer, and her voice was conspiratorial when she spoke. “You need help? Why?” Her eyes flashed with eager excitement.
Alice was slow to nod in agreement as she tried to string some words together. She had a few false starts, but thankfully, Portia remained patient. Finally, Alice took a deep breath, licked her lips, and said, “My old coven wants me dead. They’ve already sent three different spells to kill me. I barely managed to survive the first. The second was bad, but I had wards up to defend myself. The third…” She took another deep breath when the wound gave a flash of pain. “I’m still recovering from the third.”
Portia immediately stood. “Where are you hurt? What do you need? I can have the best doctors in here in no time.”
Alice sighed. “No, no. I don’t need a doctor. I’m taking care of it myself. The healing is just taking a bit longer to work than I anticipated. It’s more of an annoyance, especially since I ended up using a whole lot of my powers to help Cooper.”
“The mere annoyance of being hunted by assassins, yes,” Portia smiled. “But you’re here now. A guest of Hellscape Holiday Resort. While you are here, you are under my protection.”
Alice gasped. “But that would mean that, by extension, I am under the protection of Lucifer.”
“Yes,” Portia nodded. “That’s exactly what it means.”
The witch was completely blown away. “How can this be? How can you have so much power?”
Portia threw her head back with a laugh. “It pays to have powerful friends,” she responded slyly. “But all that matters now is that you’re here, and you’re safe.”
“For now. I can’t stay here forever. I have a life I want to get back to. A job. I can’t hide away here forever.”
“There’s no harm in staying here forever. I don’t intend to leave any time soon.”
Alice couldn’t blame Portia. If she had access to so much power…to Lucifer’s ear…then clearly, running Hellscape Holiday Resort came with some pretty interesting benefits. It couldn’t be in the hands of a more deserving person.
Portia Flemming’s reputation was known far and wide. She was a succubus who kept her word and understood loyalty's value. She never turned away a person in need, and she was a friend to many.
This was exactly why Alice had sought this place. Well, that and the tiny fact Alice had helped Portia with another witch a little while ago. Hellscape Holiday Resort was the first place that popped into her mind when Alice realized she needed a place to hide while she figured out a way to save herself.
“I wouldn’t throw you out if it meant putting you in serious danger, Alice.”
“I know,” she sighed. “I’m just on edge. What I need,” Alice began, pacing the length of the office. “What I need is the kind of protection that lasts a lifetime.” She tapped her lips in thought. “I’ve got no clue what the hell would fit the bill. It would take a whole lot of magic to upkeep like that for years. I don’t know of anyone who can upkeep like that. Do you?”
Alice turned to face Portia and was immediately startled by the look on the other woman’s face. It reminded Alice of a little kid who was about to do a prank. It wasvery much notthe reaction Alice expected. “What?” she asked.