Damned and Desirable (Eternally Yours Book 2) (32 page)

I craned my neck up at Og, whose chest was heaving as he joined us. “What does that mean?”

Og let out a low whistle. “She go down many levels, maybe all thirteen.”

Og raised his club, pointed it at me, and bellowed. “It is she. Fawen angel. Mother of Nephilim. You will free us from Hell. All hail angel,” he decreed before bending down on one knee.

The other Nephilim followed his order, and the ground shook as they all fell to their knees. Garf peered at me, smiling through his sheen of tears.

I waved at them, mouthing to Og to stand up. “It was nothing, really.”

I looked down at my smoking hands, which I now realized were badly burned. Little black swirls were etched into my palms. Ouch! I was so going to need a manicure with some serious exfoliating. As soon as I got back to Purgatory, I was going to schedule an appointment, so long as I made it out of here in one piece.

Aedan

What reason do I have to lie to you, Aedan?

Ash’s words reverberated in my brain as I stormed up the cellar stairs, feeling as if I’d left my heart behind with her.

How could I have turned my back on her? She’d sworn she hadn’t slept with Callum, so why did I refuse to believe her? Because I knew what Hell water did to people.
I knew.
Callum was already damned for sleeping with my wife. What would stop him from sleeping with my girlfriend? And why had he helped her escape from Scorpius in the first place, knowing he’d put his soul in danger?

Could he, after over a hundred years, have a sense of loyalty to me? Could the regret of his betrayal have stayed with him all this time?

Over the years, Callum and I had crossed paths at least a few dozen times on Earth. Though our encounters were brief, and we were on opposite sides of good and evil, we had developed an unwritten pact, sparing each other even during heated battles.

There were so many things I’d wanted to tell my brother during those times, like I’d forgiven him for his betrayal and I missed him beyond words. I’d wanted to ask him how he fared in Hell, though I feared his answer would shatter my already-broken heart.

Mostly, I wanted to tell Callum I loved him.

But since I was too busy chopping off his accomplices’ heads, there was never any time.

I’d had the chance to reconcile with my twin and instead, I’d punched him in the face and sent him away. Ash was right. Scorpius would torture Callum if he found him.

Ash had never lied to me before. Why would I doubt her now, leaving her when she needed me most? Had I been blinded by jealousy? Some part of me hoped I was wrong, but another part of me realized if Callum truly had been loyal, then I’d just foolishly sent my brother to his doom.

Ash

I practiced my blasting skills on several more nettles as they poured out of the cave. Where they’d all come from, I had no idea, but I gasped when Mar stormed out, pointing her finger at me.

“How many men are you going to seduce before Aedan rids himself of you?”

I lifted my hands, preparing to strike. I couldn’t wait to banish this particular nettle to the thirteenth dimension. “I didn’t seduce anyone,” I spat.

She folded her hands demurely in front of her, batting innocent eyes. “You were warned about the water, yet you drank it anyway.” She wagged a disapproving finger. “Shame on you. Have you no self-control?”

Flaming pyres of anger surged inside my skull as electricity pumped through my veins. Forget banishing this nettle to any dimension; I was going to obliterate her from all existence. I slowly raised my hands to strike, feeling the charge race across my arms and pool in my fingers.

Og came up beside me, holding out a staying hand. “Wait, angel.”

I turned to him with wide eyes. “Why?”

His massive brow bunched over his eyes as he frowned down at Mar. “She look like angel.”

“I know,” I groaned, “but she’s not me. She’s her own, very annoying person.”

Og frowned as he tapped my wrist. “Angel is injured. Angel need healing.”

I looked down at the two black bulls-eyes burned into my palms. The skin puckered around the scorched parts, festering in bloody, bubbly boils. Charred flesh flaked and peeled within the holes, fluttering to the ground. Gross.

Og stepped in front of me and let out a low whistle. He looked down at me with sadness in his big, luminous eyes. “We no more train today.” He motioned to two giants guarding the cave. “Put nettles back.”

I couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t let me toast Mar. Was he that concerned about my injuries, or was he having doubts because she looked like me? He of all creatures should have understood she wasn’t real. Just like my sex dream with Callum wasn’t real, I reminded myself for at least the hundredth time that day. So why did I still feel guilty about it? Maybe my nettle was right. Maybe I didn’t deserve Aedan.

Garf took me back upstairs and washed my hands in holy water while the others stayed below to finish their training. The angry black holes in my palms fused together and healed in a matter of seconds. I held up my hands, admiring them.

I smiled up at him. “Thanks, Garf. That was way more effective than a manicure.”

We were sitting outside in the garden, a luncheon spread out before us. Jack was off somewhere chasing birds again while I sipped sweet wine. There was no sign of my boyfriend, and I was beginning to fear he’d left the pyramid. I hoped not. Og had told me demons especially hated Grims. I knew Aedan couldn’t make it out of Hell on his own. Besides, I didn’t want him leaving when there was so much still unsaid between us. I had no idea if there was anything left of our relationship to salvage, but I wanted him to know how grateful I was that he cared enough to risk eternal damnation for me, even if he didn’t trust me.

I twirled a piece of ripe, juicy fruit between my fingers. Though I was hungry, I was too worried over Aedan and Callum to eat. “Garf, do you know where Aedan went?”

He frowned as he set his wine goblet down with a clank. “Garf no see angry Grim. Garf no like him. Not nice to angel.”

Heat rose in my cheeks, and I felt a mixture of appreciation and annoyance at Garf’s assessment of my boyfriend. “I know, but he came all this way to save me.”

“So did warrior. Garf like warrior. He make better mate.”

Oh, jeez, not Sarge. Yeah, he was smoking hot when he wasn’t a big green ogre, and yeah, he’d risked his soul to save me. Working with Sarge today, I had come to realize I liked him a whole lot but not the same way I cared for Aedan. My feelings for Sarge were almost like one best friend felt about another. He didn’t make my heart go pitter-patter like Aedan did, except when he was dressed in nothing but a skimpy towel or trying to kiss me. Even then, it was desire fueling my racing heart.

With Aedan, I felt more than just lust. When Aedan and I were together, there was a spark in my soul that bloomed like one of the colorful flowery trees in the pyramid garden. And that’s when it hit me. I didn’t just care for Aedan. I didn’t just like him a whole lot. I loved him.

Well, shit. A little too late for that realization now, Ash.

I thought about Aedan’s confession to me yesterday, how he couldn’t imagine spending his eternity without me, and I realized I felt the same way about him. I couldn’t imagine spending my eternity without him, although the way things were going, it looked like I’d have no choice. I couldn’t be in a relationship with a man who didn’t trust me, no matter how much I loved him.

“Thanks for the suggestion, Garf,” I said, my shoulders caving inward with the weight of loneliness and depression. “But my heart belongs to Aedan.”

His heavy brow furrowed. “What about dragon demon? Ash no love him?”

I thought about the time I’d spent with Callum these past few days and realized I’d come to love him, too, but not in the way I loved Aedan. No, this was more in the way I loved Jack or even Garf. He was a loyal friend and a good, decent person, and for that he’d always have a special place in my heart. If I could find a way to get him out of Hell, he’d make some girl an awesome boyfriend one day, but not me.

“Callum is a good friend,” I said with a smile, “but nothing more.” I tossed the fruit on the plate, and slowly came to my feet, wiping sticky fingers on my toga.

Garf gaped at me. “Where angel go?”

Aedan had to know how I felt about him, even if he was still set on breaking my heart. I feared if I left my feelings unspoken, I’d regret it for all eternity. I heaved a resonant sigh. “I need to find Aedan.”

“I’m right here.”

I spun around to see my boyfriend standing in the shadow of the massive doorway.

“Aedan.” My hand flew to my throat. “How long have you been standing there?”

He shrugged. “Long enough to know I’ve been a fool.” He jutted a foot forward, his arms hanging limply by his sides. Slowly he lifted his soulful blue gaze to mine. “I’m sorry, Ash. Can you forgive me?”

I didn’t give it a second thought as I ran to him, crying against his chest as he wrapped his strong arms around me.

He kissed my temple and cheek, breathing into my ear. “Please don’t cry, sweetheart. I’m so sorry.”

For some reason, that made me cry harder. I didn’t know what came over me, but all the energy drained from my body. It was like my life force washed away with my tears. My legs weakened as I sagged against him. Aedan swept me into his arms, carrying me into our suite as I held tight to him.

“Garf go now,” Garf boomed as he thundered past us and out the door.

I didn’t look up to see him leave. I was too busy getting lost in a pair of bright blue eyes.

“Jack’s outside,” I murmured.

“He’ll be fine,” Aedan said as he set me on the table by the bed. He climbed on top of it and then hoisted me into bed with him.

I curled up in his embrace, not wanting to ever let him go. It was then it hit me, how many times in the past few days I’d come close to never seeing him again, and I couldn’t control the sobs that wracked me.

He ran a hand up and down my back. “Please don’t cry, baby.”

He tilted my chin, wiping my tears with his fingers before kissing each cheek and then planting a tender kiss on my lips. I grasped his hair and kissed him back with urgency, feeling I’d be swept into oblivion if I let him go.

He tasted of sweet nectar and spice as he groaned into my mouth. He swept a hand down my neck and collarbone before settling on my breast. I cried out when he squeezed, rolling my nipple through the tips of his fingers. He stroked my thigh, pushing up the hem of my toga before gently palming the apex between my thighs, pressing his thumb into my swollen nub until my panties were soaked through.

I arched my back as he slid my underwear off my hips, tossing them somewhere down the bed. I wrapped my hand around the base of his skull, crying out as he stroked my slick ribbon again before burying a finger inside me. I tossed my head back as he slid that finger in and out of my wet channel while applying gentle pressure on my nub with his thumb. He continued channeling into me while toying with my sensitive spot. It swelled bigger and bigger, and then burst like a popped balloon before throbbing against him.

I screamed into his mouth as he claimed me for a kiss, our tongues melding together while he buried his finger deep inside me.