Page 83 of Sealed By Fire (The Nature Hunters Academy 2)

“So, how do you think the weather in hell is these days? Any global cooling going on down there?” Shelly said as she rocked back on her heels.

Osiris frowned at her. “Are all human females as strange as you?”

“Nope. You’d be much better off tossing me back in the ocean and finding a fish that’s a little more normal.”

He took her hand without a word, and they left the future. When they reappeared, they were sitting in the balcony of a theatre. The stage was empty. The place was lit by burning lanterns lining the walls. Shelly looked down and realized she was wearing a silk dress and corset. She looked around and saw that all of the women were dressed similarly, and the men wore finely tailored dark, three-piece suits.

She turned her attention to the stage. A woman stepped out and began to sing. It was a beautiful opera in a language she didn’t understand.

She looked over at Osiris, who was also dressed in a suit, looking very debonair, and she’d dare say even sexier than he had before. “You brought me to the opera?”

“Not just any opera,” he said. “The very first. The year is 1597 AD.”

She turned her attention back to the stage and leaned forward, listening to the haunting sound of the woman’s voice. By the end of it, Shelly felt tears on her face. The pain in the woman’s voice was so apparent, so sad, that Shelly could feel it in her own heart. She felt Osiris’s eyes on her, and then his fingers were tucking her hair behind her ear.

“What’s it like to feel as deeply as you do?” he asked her quietly. His hand rested on her shoulder. They were no longer in the theatre but suddenly in a living room, decorated with what could only be called decadent fabrics and fixtures. The furniture was made of black velvet, and lush gold curtains hung from walls that looked to be at least twelve feet tall. Red rugs on the floor were thick and beautiful, bearing golden threads woven into intricate designs. Large pictures hung upon the wall. Upon closer inspection, Shelly realized they portrayed a battle, but not one fought between men. These were winged beings. Some looked like men, and others were grotesque and evil. Demons, she had to surmise.

“Where are we?” she asked, forgetting the question he’d asked her. She felt a breeze on her skin and looked down. She wore a long, black silk nightgown. A flowing robe was draped around her. Shelly grabbed the sides of the robe and yanked it closed, finding the ties to hold it together and tying them tightly. She snapped her eyes to his. “Really?” She growled.

He shrugged unexpectedly. “You’re beautiful. You should be clothed in garments that accentuate that beauty. We’re in a place I like to come when I tire of the souls. It is still in the underworld, though.”

“Oh, okay then. And for the record, I don’t wear sleep clothing in front of strange men.”

“But you wear it in front of men who are not strange?” he asked.

“Don’t twist my words,” she spat. “You know what I mean.”

Osiris walked over to and trailed a finger across her cheek. “So much passion in you. Everything you feel, even your irritation, is intense. How do you fit it inside of you without exploding?”

“Believe me, it’s not easy, especially around infuriating people like you. It’s like you were created to push buttons.”

He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Oh, right,” she said sheepishly. “You’re Lucifer. It’s not like you’re meant to create warm fuzzies.”

“I am what I am,” he said as he dropped his hand.

He sounded so sad and it confused Shelly. She’d never considered that the ruler of hell could have feelings other than hate. Isn’t that what he did? Hate the human race, hate anything good and pure? Hate, hate, hate?

“Why are you mumbling the word hate? Have I broken you?” Osiris asked.

She shook her head. “Sorry. Sometimes I don’t realize I’m talking out loud.”

“Can we sit?” he asked and motioned to the black couch.

It looked so comfortable that Shelly wasn’t sure she wouldn’t fall asleep. Until that moment, she hadn’t realized how tired she was. “How long have we been out hopping through history?”

Osiris sat down next to her, a little closer than she was comfortable with. “We have two hours left.”

“What?” she asked, shocked at his answer.

“Time moves differently when you’re sifting through it.”

“Sifting,” Shelly said. “That’s fitting. And no wonder I’m tired. I’ve been awake for two days straight.”

Osiris snapped his fingers and a cup appeared. “Here, drink this. It will help.”

“What is it? Hell’s version of an energy drink?” She took the cup and sniffed it. “Wait,” she said, pausing before she could drink it. “This isn’t like the fae thing, is it? Like don’t drink or eat anything in Faerie? Does that principle apply to hell, too?”

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