Dark and Deadly: Eight Bad Boys of Paranormal Romance (108 page)

He might not be worthy, but he wasn’t an idiot either. He would take it.

As the sun rose, Lilly put fresh blankets down for Belle and her new family. She brought water and food out for both the big dog and the hellhound. She fed Alex, too. He sat across the table from her, knowing he wanted to stay. Whether he belonged or not—maybe he’d never know. But if he could a find a way, he would never leave. Yet the words wouldn’t come so he did the only thing he could—he made love to Lilly. He let Lilly make love to him.

The first time, they’d been driven by something primal. He still felt that Lilly would always be a basic need in his life. Air. Food. Water. And Lilly. Not necessarily in that order. But as he let his fingers wander over her silken curves, what he felt came from deep inside. It was longing and hope and belonging, all twisted into the spark that ignited when he moved between her legs and thrust into her body.

Nothing could compare to the feel of Lilly, surrounding him, hot and wet and wanting. Him. Wanting him to complete her.

In the end, he didn’t say the words. But she knew.

Blue sky showed through the clouds when Alex stepped from the bedroom. He went to the window to see what impact the bright sun had had on the frozen world. The sight that met his eyes made him still with shock. Silently, he pulled Lilly beside him.

“Look out the window,” he said softly.

Lilly’s eyes widened as she took in the five hellhounds sitting on the porch, lined with military precision to keep watch from every angle.

“I know this sounds crazy,” he said. “But I think they’re guarding us.”

From somewhere not far away, the sound of other hellhounds baying raced across the bright morning. The hounds on the porch stood up and Blue-Eyes—as Lilly had dubbed him—jumped out of the enclosure. He gave Belle a parting glance that she seemed to understand. At the door, he turned those eyes on Alex.

The message was clear.

The battle was no longer coming. It was here and these creatures of damnation were now his army, if Alex chose to lead them. He gave the hellhound a stunned laugh.

“Yeah. Okay.”

The hellhound sneezed, shook its body, and waited for the door to be opened.

Alex strapped on his machete and Lilly reached for her rifle. He hated the thought of her going out into what could only be a bloody fight. But she gave him a bright smile.

“I’m an even better shot when I can see what I’m shooting.”

He laughed again. It was ridiculous to be so happy in the face of waiting violence. Yet he couldn’t stop grinning at her. “Did you really learn to shoot from YouTube?”

She pressed her mouth to his. “Ask me tomorrow.”

Her pack of crazy dogs gathered around the hellhound at the door, ready to accompany Lilly out and fight at her side. Even the toy dog danced with impatience.

She told them all to sit this one out.

“Stay with Belle, girls.”

Harley barked in protest, but when Lilly settled him beside Belle, he nudged the puppies into place and patrolled the edges like a sergeant.

“Lilly,” Alex said before he stepped outside.

“Don’t you dare say goodbye.”

Alex shook his head. “Not a chance. If we get out of this, only God himself can take you from me or me from you.”

“It was always that way, Alex. Didn’t you know it?”

He smiled again and kissed her. Together they went out to fight for their future.

Lilly didn’t know what to expect of the hellhounds who’d stood guard, but she had faith that they wouldn’t turn on the humans when they stepped out. She was so focused on the interaction between the animals that she didn’t see the three men who slipped out of the trees until she heard Alex curse beneath his breath.

The hellhounds leapt over the railing and made themselves a front line for this new enemy. Lilly’s mouth was dry as she watched the men warily approach. They each carried a weighted machete just like Alex’s. As they passed the bloody circle where the hellhounds that had attacked last night had fallen, they slowed.

Finally, the three men stood in front of them. They eyed the hellhounds that defended Lilly and Alex with distrust. Who could blame them? Lilly glanced at Alex’s face. He knew these men and something twisted in her heart. If they attacked, which it looked like they intended to do, Alex would be forced to fight against his own again. It would hurt him, inside.

“What is this madness?” the man standing in the middle of the newcomers asked.

“Change, Jackson,” Alex answered darkly. “This madness is change.”

The man he’d called Jackson shifted his gaze from the hellhounds to Lilly and then to the hand Alex held clasped in his own. She saw something move in his eyes. Astonishment, mixed with rejection.

“A human female?” Jackson demanded.

Lilly might have laughed if not for the loud, shrieking bay that rushed them from all sides. The three men brought their weapons up, turning so they stood with backs in the center of the ring they’d made.

“Stay with me, Lilly,” Alex said. “Back to back, like they’re doing.”

She just had time to do as he instructed before the first hellhound broke from the trees. In seconds, more joined. A lot more. So many, she lost count. The sound of growls and breaking bone, of blood-curdling howls and pained screams filled the day. They fought without speaking. Lilly loaded and fired, but the hellhounds learned quickly that she could see them now and they dodged with greater speed and more respect.

Blue-Eyes and the five hellhounds that had followed him dove into the melee without hesitation. Blue-Eyes worked in tandem with Lilly, wounding the ferocious creatures, slowing them down enough for her to shoot.

The battle might have lasted for days or it might have ended in seconds. Lilly had no frame of reference. All of her attention was focused on the danger coming head on and her awareness of Alex behind her, still standing, still swinging. And then suddenly it was over.

Slain hellhounds covered the ground. The snow had become slushy and now it mixed with blood and gore, sharp with the stench of sulfur and brutality. Only one of the three men still stood. The others lay in mangled pieces beside the black corpses.

Shaking with the shock of so much violence, Lilly lowered her rifle and tried to catch her breath. Blue-Eyes and three of his mates gathered around her, and cautiously, she petted one, then another as they nudged forward for attention.

Jackson moved to Alex’s side and watched Lilly with the animals. His jaw dropped and his eyes grew wide.

“I don’t understand this,” he said.

From the corner of her eyes, Lilly saw agreement on Alex’s face. The turn of events didn’t make sense to him, either. Yet with each passing moment, Lilly sensed that Alex’s shock had waned and in its place was acceptance… tolerance…. hope.

“It confuses the hell out of me, too,” Alex said. “But it is what it is.”

Jackson made a sound of disbelief. “And what the fuck is that?”

“Evolution?” Alex offered, meeting Lilly’s eyes and smiling into them. “It’s the wave of the future, my friend.”

Jackson shook his head. “Your future, maybe. But not mine.” He looked down at the bloody mess around them and the eviscerated bodies of his comrades. Silently, he and Alex moved through the dead hellhounds, putting blades through hearts, removing heads. Finished, Jackson faced the hellhounds that had fought for Alex and Lilly.

They sat in row, ever watchful. It seemed they’d prepared themselves to face whatever might come next, even death. Lilly was moved by their courage. She believed they’d earned a right to live, but the two men facing them might not agree.

“What do you want to do with them?” Jackson asked, with a nod at the creatures.

“Let them live,” Alex said and Lilly wanted to cheer. “There are others still out there, waiting to attack. Maybe others that want to belong. Either way, we might need the backup, later.”

Jackson gave Alex a hard look. “It’s not natural. You know how cunning they can be. They’re playing a game and once your guard is down, they’ll turn on you.”

There was a very real chance that Jackson could be right. But Lilly didn’t believe it. She shifted her gaze to Alex.

“They’ve had plenty of chances to do their worst,” he said. “Now they need a chance to do their best.”

Jackson shook his head again. “Hellhounds on earth. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Alex smiled at Lilly. “Not a clue. But we’ll figure it out. I’m where I need to be. So are they.”

A taut silence fell after those words and Lilly felt her chest tighten from the tension that moved between Alex and Jackson.

“You’re going to try to stay,” Jackson said after a long moment.

“Yes.”

“Even though it’s forbidden.”

“Yes.”

Jackson’s gaze lingered on the hellhounds sprawled at Lilly’s feet before shifting to Lilly’s face. She could see the questions in his eyes. He didn’t understand how she’d convinced Alex to stay. He couldn’t imagine why he’d be willing to risk everything for her.

“I won’t lie for you,” Jackson warned with a gruff sigh. “But I won’t volunteer any information either. I’ll tell them I saw you in battle. I’ll tell them I presume you dead—which I do, just so we’re clear. They may be able to track you from the Beyond, though. You know that.”

“I know they’ve claimed they have that power. But I’ve learned a lot since I came here. I’ve learned they lie.”

Jackson seemed unsettled by this comment, but in the end, he didn’t argue the point.

The two men embraced and Alex said something to Jackson that Lilly couldn’t hear. Jackson pulled back with a stunned laugh. He was still laughing as he walked away, disappearing into the trees. Leaving Alex behind. With her.

He’d chosen Lilly.

Alex took her hand and led her up to the cabin. The hellhounds spread out and flopped down on the porch, clearly exhausted and no longer on watch. They felt safe. Against all odds, so did Lilly.

Blue-Eyes followed them inside and joined his mate in the enclosure. Lilly watched as he licked his pups before settling down beside Belle. He let out a loud and contented sigh and closed his eyes. Seeing that his work was done, Harley jumped out of the enclosure and went to snuggle with the other dogs on their beds by the fire.

“What did you say to Jackson?” Lilly asked.

“I told him that evolution had its perks.”

“Meaning?”

“He knew what I meant.”

Alex’s smile warmed her from the top of her head right down to the soles of her feet.

“So, Lilly Winslow. Now that you’ve got me, what are you going to do with me?”

Lilly grinned back. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to fall in love with you, for starters.”

“I like that plan,” he said, lifting her off her feet and carrying her into the bedroom. “I’m pretty sure you won’t be alone in it.”

As Alex kissed her to prove his point, Lilly decided that she was very much going to enjoy this forbidden life of Alex Moore.

The End

Thank you for reading
The Forbidden Life of Alex Moore
and I hope you enjoyed it.

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The reaper entered the room as Santo Castillo spun the cylinder of the revolver, took a deep swallow of Wild Turkey, then put the muzzle in his mouth. He pulled the trigger without hesitation. The hollow click that followed seemed to mock the shadowed silence.

Santo choked back a sob, dropped the gun on the low coffee table in front of him, and reached for his glass again. For a long moment he just sat there, shoulders hunched, silent, dry sobs wracking his body. A tall man, with broad shoulders and a heavy, muscular frame, he looked odd crying his dry tears. The reaper moved closer, perplexed by the duplicity of human emotion. The man wanted to die. He begged for death, yearned for it. And yet he fought it even now, when it was too late.

The reaper paused just behind him and blew a soft breath in his ear. Santo stiffened, lifted his head, and looked around uneasily.

Yes. I’ve come for you.

A shudder went through the human and he took another hasty drink, wincing as the burn of the alcohol slid down his throat.

A light hung just above the couch and coffee table where Santo wallowed in his misery. The reaper gave it a gentle nudge, making it sway back and forth, producing cadaverous shadows that slithered across the walls. The chain squeaked ever so slightly in a macabre overture to what would come. Santo’s gaze darted warily around the room. His fear seasoned the air and the reaper breathed it in. Fear always honeyed the reaping.

He moved closer, trailing his fingers over Santo’s broad shoulders, admiring the hard strength of him. Yes, he would be perfect.

Perfect,
he whispered.

Santo jumped and spun in his seat, staring right through the reaper, seeing nothing but the queer boogeymen of his imagination. His anxious eyes grew hot with panic as he turned back around. The small hairs on his nape stood on end. Santo reached for his gun and fumbled, sending it in a tailspin across the table, knocking over a framed snapshot he’d propped in front of him—a silent witness to his madness. The gun skated off the smooth surface and hit the carpeted floor with a dull thud.