Pandora's Box - Eve Newton

Chapter 1

Annabelle

I stand on the frozen ground, completely stunned as I look out around the white landscape. I shiver and it’s not only because of the cold.

“What did you do?” Killian asks as he strides towards me.

“What makes you think I had anything to do with this?” I reply, mock wounded.

“You are trouble, Princess,” he says with a sigh and rubs his hand over his face.

“Well, not going to argue with that but this wasn’t me.”

“Can you fix it?” he asks earnestly.

I understand his concern. We have just put Hell under lockdown. Throwing a different climate at them with no prior warning and one where the majority of them don’t even know what snow is, isn’t the best thing to have happened today.

“Not sure,” I murmur as I spot a Demon walking towards us.

She is a female, with light blonde hair and as she gets closer, I see her ice-blue eyes linger on Killian for a minute before they land on me. She gives me a thorough appraisal that kind of makes me wish I was naked, instead of bundled up in fighting gear and my huge coat.

“Our Queen, right?” she asks me before she turns back to Killian. “Killian. Nice to see you again.”

I narrow my eyes at her and step a little bit closer to my male, just in case she decides to get any ideas about jumping on him right in front of me.

“Xavi,” Killian says with a brief nod in her direction. Then, he looks back at me blandly, which makes me want to giggle like an idiot.

He absolutely has no clue that this female would do him in a heartbeat if he gave the word.

She looks at me and holds her hand out. “Xavier, Your Majesty. Horseman of Pestilence.”

I balk at her openly.

I never really thought about Pestilence as a gorgeous, blue-eyed, blonde female before. I’d kind of expected a skanky Demon with pustules and shit all over his face.

Just shows you how wrong you can be.

I reach out for her hand and grip it tightly, giving her a once-over that she cracks an icy smile at.

“Not what you expected?”

“Not at all,” I admit.

“I get that a lot.”

“I bet,” I murmur.

She releases my hand. “I have returned from my assignment on Earth. I think you will be incredibly pleased with the outcome of the pandemic sweeping across the globe.”

“Hm, I’m sure.”

“I could tell you all about it over a drink,” she says, stepping a bit closer.

I gaze into her astonishing eyes. “I can read the report that you give to Roberta,” I say, wondering what the Hell she is up to. She is now looking at me like she wants to eat out my pussy, and while I wouldn’t say ‘no’, I’m not sure my males would appreciate it. Killian especially, as I hear him let out a low rumble when Xavier reaches out to pull my coat apart and dips her finger into my cleavage.

“Where is the fun in that?” she purrs.

“Hands off, Xavi,” Killian growls at her, giving her a not-so-gentle shove backwards.

She raises her perfect eyebrow at him before understanding dawns. “I see,” she murmurs, leaning in closer to me again. “Come and find me if you want that drink.”

“I don’t chase.”

“Don’t expect you have to. I’ll be easy to find.”

With that said, she disappears in an icy whirlwind of strong sulfur-smelling smoke, leaving me madly curious, a little bit sweaty and definitely turned on.

I give Killian a bright smile and loop my arm through his. “We need to gather the troops and sort out this mess.”

He nods briskly and before I can flame us back to my bedroom, he sends us to another room down the hall with a bolt of lightning that I swear he made hit me on my ass in the process.

Asshole.

“What?” I snap at him, shaking my arm loose.

“I have never been a possessive male, Princess, but seeing you out there flirting with Xavi has brought out a primal instinct in me that I didn’t think existed,” he snarls.

I try not to laugh.

He seems so pissed off about it, poor Horseman.

I take off my coat now that we are back indoors and fold my arms. “Jealous?” I taunt him.

He grabs me by my shoulders, dragging me to him. “Yes,” he spits out. “Happy?”

“Very,” I murmur. “I feel the same about you.” I drop my defensive stance and reach up to place my hand on the back of his neck. “I want to brand you with my initial like