"I have an idea." I flopped belly down on my bed and reached for the service phone on the bedside table. I'd never had occasion to use it before so the voice on the other end sounded mildly surprised.

"Good evening, ma'am," said the woman at reception. "How may I assist you?"

"Could you put me through to Mr. Thorn's room?" I asked politely. "I need to speak with him."

I heard a brief rustling of papers. "I'm afraid Mr. Thorn is in a meeting," the woman said tonelessly. "He's requested not to be disturbed."

"Could you tell him it's Bethany Church calling," I said.

"Please hold."

Her tone changed dramatically once she returned. This time she addressed me like a VIP. "My apologies, Miss Church," she said in a breathless, fawning voice. "I'll connect you straightaway."

The phone rang twice before I heard Jake's silky voice purring into the receiver. "Hello, sweetheart. Miss me already?"

"Maybe," I said playfully. "But that's not the reason for my call. I'd like to ask your permission for something." Jake wasn't the only one who could turn on the charm.

"Is this a joke, Beth? Since when have you asked my permission for anything? Last time I checked you had quite a will of your own."

I tried to make my voice sound sweet and imploring. "I just figure there's enough bad blood between us," I said. "I don't want to make things any worse."

"Uh-huh." Jake sounded skeptical. "What do you need?"

"I was wondering if I could maybe visit the clubs," I said in my most unassuming tone. "You know, hang out with the club rats and get to know the place."

"You want to go clubbing?" Jake was taken aback. I knew I'd caught him completely off guard.

"Well, not really," I said. "I just feel like I haven't been out of this hotel room for so long. I think I need to do something before I go stir-crazy."

Jake was quiet while he weighed up my proposal. "Fine. But you can't go alone," he said eventually. "And I'm in the middle of something important right now. Can I pick you up in a few hours?"

"Actually," I said, "Tucker offered to tag along."

"Tucker?" Jake laughed outright. "He won't be much use to you on the dance floor."

"I know," I said. "But he can play chaperone." I lowered my voice, suddenly filling it with disarming familiarity. "I just want to know if you think I'll be ... you know ... safe with him? I don't know him all that well, it's not like we're friends or anything." I shot Tuck a repentant look. "Do you think he'll look after me? He won't hurt me or anything?"

Jake gave a low, threatening chuckle. "You'll be perfectly safe with Tucker. He won't let anything happen to you because he knows if he did, I'd skin him alive."

"Okay," I said, trying to disguise my disgust. "If you trust him then so do I."

A new thought crossed Jake's mind. "I trust you're not planning to do anything stupid?"

"If I was, would I ask for permission first?" I let out a long sigh of what I hoped sounded like disappointment. "Look, don't worry about it, I'll stay in. I don't even feel like going anymore."

"No, you should go," Jake urged, anxious not to dampen my mood. "You need to get to know this place if you're ever going to call it home. I'll let security know you're going out."

"Thanks. I won't be back late."

"That's probably best. You don't know who you might run into."

"I'll be fine," I said breezily. "Everyone knows I'm yours by now."

"It's nice to finally hear you say that."

"There's not much point denying it."

"I'm glad you're coming around. I knew you would in time." His voice was low and he sounded so genuinely pleased. It was scary the way he'd built up our relationship in his head-he was completely delusional. I almost wished I could help him, but I knew it was too late for that.

"I'm not promising anything, Jake," I clarified. "Just going out for a while."

"I understand. You have fun."

"I'll try. Oh, and by the way, I'd like somewhere a little more upscale than last time. Any suggestions?"

"Bethany, you never cease to amaze me ... go to Hex. I'll send word that you're coming."

I put the receiver down and flashed Tucker a satisfied smile. I couldn't have been more pleased with my performance had I just climbed Everest.

"He bought it?" Tucker looked amazed.

"Hook, line, and sinker."

"I've gotta hand it you, you're a better liar than I gave you credit for," he said.

"I was good, wasn't I?" I jumped off the bed and headed straight for the door, eager to get out the stuffy hotel room.

"Uh ... Beth." Tucker stopped me and appraised my outfit.

"You're not gettin' into any club dressed like that."

I looked down at my floral dress and sighed. Tuck was right. I needed to look the part. I rummaged through the other items in my wardrobe. There was nothing that even came close to what I needed.

I was beginning to get frustrated when someone rapped curtly at the door. When Tucker opened it, there stood Asia holding a garment bag in one hand and a designer cosmetics kit in the other. She stepped into the room flashing a savage grin and made no secret of the fact that she was there under duress. She was wearing a leather minidress with a lace-up bodice and red thigh-high boots. Her skin was like milky coffee and she had coated it with something that made it iridescent under the lights.

"Jake sent me," she said in her husky voice. "He thought you might need some help getting ready. Looks like he was right." She threw the garment bag over the nearest chair. "This should be your size. Try it on, then we'll deal with the rest." She looked me over as though I were beyond help. Before I could say anything Asia had followed me into my bathroom. Turning away from her, I hurriedly pulled on the black-and-white bandage dress she handed me and slid my feet into the crystal-studded pumps with bows on the heel. I frowned as Asia resentfully lined up compacts and giant brushes on the marble counter. I knew she wouldn't be wasting her time on me unless Jake had expressly asked her.

"Oh, honey," she drawled. "If you're gonna hit the clubs you gotta look the part. You can't go turning up like some Girl Scout."

"Let's just get this over with," I grumbled.

"Fine by me." Asia grinned and pointed an eyelash curler at me as if it were a deadly weapon.

When I emerged from the bathroom, I was unrecognizable. Every loop and natural kink in my hair had been ironed out, my mouth was a sticky berry-colored pout and silver-blue eye shadow glittered on my lids. Bronzing powder covered my face, giving my naturally pale skin a sun-kissed look. Earrings in the shape of giant fans hung from my ears and the false lashes Asia had glued above my own tickled when I closed my eyes. She had even sprayed my legs with fake tan from a golden bottle and I smelled like a giant coconut.

My transformation appeared to render Tucker speechless. "Beth, is that you under there?" he said. "You look ... um ... very ..."

"Quit your drooling, farm boy," Asia snapped. "Now let's make tracks."

"You're coming?" he asked.

"Sure. Why not? You got a problem with that?" Asia's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"No problem at all," Tucker said. He looked at me meaningfully, concluding that this must be Jake's idea of an insurance policy.

When the three of us left the penthouse suite and came down to the lobby, everybody stopped to watch us in unison.

My new attire may not have felt right for an angel, but it did make me feel better equipped to cope with the dangers that might be waiting in the murky tunnels of Hades. I was keen to get going and start my search for the elusive portals. I knew it was dangerous, but for once I wasn't intimidated. I felt as if I'd been kept in the dark, both literally and metaphorically, for weeks.

I purposely ignored the appreciative smiles from the hotel staff as we sailed out of the revolving doors. I was fast learning that manners and friendliness weren't the way to go if I wanted to gain any respect in Hades. Outside a uniformed doorman tipped his hat and signaled to a long black limousine that crawled silently up to collect us.

"Mr. Thorn ordered a car for you," the doorman announced.

"How thoughtful of him," I said grudgingly as I slid into the backseat with Tucker. Even when he wasn't there Jake liked to keep a tight hold of the reins.

Asia sat up front. The driver appeared to know her and they chatted briefly about mutual contacts. From behind the partition of tinted glass, Tucker and I caught muffled fragments of their conversation.

"Stay close at Hex," Tucker advised. "I'm told it draws an interesting crowd." I didn't ask for his definition of interesting. I would soon find out for myself.

The club district of Hades was very different from where Hotel Ambrosia was located. The hotel appeared to be in a more remote area while the club district was a maze of tunnels with metal doors set in concrete walls. The bouncers guarding the entrances looked like clones with their crew cuts and expressionless faces. The way the music spilled out with its rhythmic beat made you feel like the place had a heartbeat of its own. The effect was claustrophobic.

Club Hex was located at some distance from the others, accessible via a separate tunnel. When Asia flashed her pass I realized entry here was by invitation only. Once inside I understood why. The first thing I noticed was the scent of expensive cigars in the air. Hex wasn't so much a nightclub as a gaming room for the Hades' elite to wile away their time. Its main patrons were high-ranking demons of both sexes. They all moved with the agility of panthers and shared a preoccupation with vanity, which was evidenced by their glamorous attire. Not all of them were demons. Some I could see were human-not souls, but flesh and blood, like Hanna and Tuck. I understood without having to ask that they were there for the express purpose of pleasuring their masters.

The club's decor with its baroque flavor was dramatic and suggested the opulence of a long-gone era. There were classical statues, marble pillars, chairs richly upholstered in black velvet, swags of silk curtains and ornate, carved mirrors on every wall. I recognized the song that filtered through the speakers in the ceiling. I'd heard it before in Xavier's car although it seemed much more fitting here: "I see the bad moon arising. I see trouble on the way. I see earthquakes and lightnin'. I see bad times today."

Some guests sat at small tables with fringed lampshades, sipping cocktails and watching pole dancers wearing what looked like beaded lingerie. At the central tables the high rollers were engrossed in various games. I recognized the more established games, like poker and roulette, but one called the Lucky Wheel puzzled me at first. Some half a dozen players sat around a table watching small computer screens. The screens showed a mass of people on a dance floor. Each dancer appeared to be represented by a different icon on the wheel. The dealer spun the wheel and the player won if it finished on the icon they'd chosen. It would have struck me as mindless had I not seen for myself the torture that lay in store for the dancers in the pit.

There was nothing secret or clandestine about the patrons of Club Hex. Behavior that might have been deemed objectionable on earth was openly flaunted here. Couples engaged publicly in what could only be described as foreplay as well as unashamedly snorting lines of white powder from countertops and popping pastel-colored pills like candy. Some of the demons were rough in handling their human counterparts and the alarming thing was that the recipients seemed to enjoy being mistreated. The total absence of moral parameters was sickening.

I started having doubts about being there at all let alone seeking out information about portals. The confidence I'd started out with was fast evaporating.

"I'm not sure this is such a good idea, after all," I said, wavering. Tuck said something in response that I couldn't hear above the din of the music. All eyes turned toward me when I entered, despite my attempt to blend in and appear inconspicuous. Some of the demons even sniffed the air as though they could smell that I didn't belong. The ones nearest to us sidled closer, their shark eyes glinting. Tuck wrapped an arm around my shoulder and steered me toward the bar, where I hopped onto a stool, thankful for his protective presence.

Asia ordered us vodka shots. She downed hers in an instant and slammed her glass down while I sipped tentatively at mine.

"It's not cordial, sugar," she mocked. "Are you trying to draw attention or what?"

I flashed her a defiant look then tipped my head back and gulped down the contents of my glass. The vodka had no taste but rather coursed down my throat like liquid fire. I followed her example and slammed down my empty glass triumphantly before realizing it was a signal for the bartender to refill it. I left the second glass untouched. My head was already swimming and Tucker was glaring at me. Then Asia said something that came out of the blue and caught both of us by surprise.

"I think I can help you find what you're looking for."

"We're just here to have some fun," Tuck said once he'd recovered.

"Sure you are. I can tell by that look on your face," sneered Asia. "Cut the crap, Tucker. It's me you're talking to. I know what you want and I may have a contact who can offer some advice."

"You're helping us?" I asked bluntly. "Why?"

Asia's tone was condescending. "Well, I'd rather not help you, but his majesty appears to have developed a schoolboy crush, which some would call downright embarrassing. I feel it's my duty as a loyal subject to do what I can to help him get over it. And I figure the best way to do that-"

"Is by getting Beth the hell out of here," Tucker finished for her as if it made perfect sense.

"Exactly." Asia directed her attention to me. "Believe me, I never do anything that doesn't benefit me and right now I'd love nothing more than to see the back of you. Hopefully before any real damage is done to the Third Circle."

I remembered Hanna mentioning the Third Circle back when I'd arrived, but I didn't understand why it was under threat.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded.

"Asia's referrin' to the rebel faction that wants to see Jake brought down," Tuck explained. "They feel he's been neglectin' his duties of late."

"I don't believe it," I said. "How can a faction of demons plot against their leader?"

Asia rolled her eyes. "Jake isn't just a demon, he's a fallen angel. He's one of the Originals, the ones who fell with Big Daddy right from the very beginning. There are eight of them, the Eight Princes of the Eight Circles. Of course, Lucifer himself presides over the ninth ... the hottest circle of Hell."

"So if there were only eight original demons," I said slowly, "all the others must have been created by them."

"Oh, wow," Asia said mockingly. "Not just a pretty face. Yes, the Originals run the show. The other demons have no real control, they're disposable, nothing but worker bees. The favored ones are assigned to the torture chambers or invited into the beds of the power players. Sometimes they band together to try and overthrow one of the Originals. Course, they always fail."

"What if they were found out?" I asked.

"Jake would slaughter them all."

"There ain't nothing the Originals won't do to protect themselves," Tucker said. "Jake more than anyone."

"So how does this rebel faction plan to overthrow him?" I asked.

"They don't do much," Asia shrugged. "They're idiots mostly, waiting around for a chance to damage his power."

"I thought you were his biggest supporter," I said, trying to keep my voice level. Maybe we could bargain with Asia after all. "Why haven't you told him about this?"

"It never hurts to keep a few things to yourself," Asia said.

"Are the rebels angry with Jake because of me?" I asked.

"Yep." Asia threw up her hands. "They've expressed their concerns but Jake won't listen." She sneered at me. "There's no accounting for taste, I guess."

"Aren't you putting yourself in danger by helping us?"

"Haven't you heard the expression 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'? Let's just say my ego is wounded."

"Can you tell us what you know about the portals?" Tucker asked.

"I didn't say I knew anything. But there is someone out back who might. His name's Asher."

Heavy drapery across a back wall led to an alleyway where a demon in an Italian suit was waiting for us. Asher turned out to be in his mid-thirties. He was tall with dark hair cropped close and a face like a Roman emperor. A cowlick fell across his forehead and there were pockmarks on his cheeks. He was chewing on a toothpick, unaware that he looked like a cliche from a gangster movie. His nose was slightly hooked and he had the same flat shark eyes that identified him as a demon. He was leaning against the wall but moved gracefully forward upon seeing us. He looked me up and down; his curiosity quickly replaced by disapproval.

"That outfit isn't fooling anyone, sweetheart," he said. "You don't belong here."

"Well, at least we agree on one thing," I replied. "Are you with the rebels?"