Pure Hell (Seventh Level Book 1) (17 page)

Liam watched the exchange silently. His face remained impassive as if none of it meant a thing to him.

“Liam,” Kylie said, attempting to draw his attention her way. “He already has my soul. Walk away now. There is no way Anne would believe any of this long enough to show up here. Please just let me go.” She could only save one person at a time. Justice said he couldn’t be hurt. She only had to save Liam and Anne. All she needed was Liam to leave and she’d be down to one but Liam continued to ignore her. However, she did manage to snag Kieran’s attention. “Miss Trace, the point has never been for me to own your soul, but to force my son to accept his true nature. Don’t get me wrong, you were an important chess piece in this game but a pawn is all you are. You’d better hope I do not lose my need for your services.”

“I don’t understand,” she said, feeling the tears burning at the backs of her eyes. “I don’t understand what I could possibly do for you.”

Liam spoke without looking at her. “He needed someone who would understand me and accept my oddity as normal. He needed someone I could connect with through shared experience because they can walk both worlds as I can but most of all, he needed that someone to be dead so I would willingly choose this world over the human world. It has always been his wish for me to stand at his side and help him in his quest to corrupt everything good.”

Kieran tilted his chin acknowledging Liam’s words as the truth. “I’ve spent years searching for just the right person. You’d be surprised how rare you are, Kylie.”

“Not really,” she muttered under her breath.

He continued as if she’d not said anything. “One of a kind, actually. I’ve existed since almost the beginning of time and I’ve only met one other human who could see our world as clearly as you do.”

“Delphine,” she supplied and a hint of a smile touched his face at the name as if the mere mention of Liam’s mother brought back fond memories.

Liam growled and the sound seemed to bring Kieran back to the present. “Ah, yes. I suppose we should move things along. Justice, you’re free to leave.”

Justice clasped his hands in front of him and leaned against the wall as if settling in. “I think I’ll stay.”

Kieran waved a dismissive hand as if it mattered not at all to him and he rapped his knuckles on his desk. At the sound Septem appeared at his side. Kylie bit back a whimper and fought the urge to cower in the corner of her cage. With a subtle shifting of his weight, Justice placed his body between them. An overwhelming sense of gratitude for his protection swept over her. To most, Septem appeared to be a beautiful blonde woman named Pamela. Kylie didn’t know who Pamela had been in life. Most likely, she had been another hapless victim of Septem’s torment before he’d decided he enjoyed her form so much he wanted to keep it as his own.

When Kylie looked at Septem, her dual nature allowed her to see his true form. If anyone had asked her six months earlier to describe the devil’s appearance, she would have described Septem. He was the horned beast of lore and nightmares while the true devil possessed the face of an angel. Yet they were both equally evil.

“My lord,” Septem said in way of greeting with a short bow. His deep voice even sounded demonic.

“Bring Anne to me.”

The demon didn’t shuffle nervously the way Justice had but neither did he move to do as Kieran bid.

“I cannot.”

Kieran’s eyes flashed dangerously and Kylie did move to the back of her cage at his look.

“What do you mean you cannot?”

“Her soul was lost to us, my lord.”

Kieran leaned back in his chair giving Septem his full attention. “Explain.”

“There was an accident. Her and the cop she’s been running around with, Mark something or another.”

The whitening of Liam’s knuckles as he squeezed the arms of his chair was the only indication he gave he was hanging onto every word as avidly as Kylie was.

“What kind of accident? What’s happened to my sister?” Kylie was beyond fear of Kieran’s retribution over her interruption. She needed to know.

“Her soul passed unto the light. There was nothing I could do.”

Kylie went from standing to sitting with no memory of how she’d gotten there. A terrible mixture of grief and relief welled inside her. Her sister was gone but she was safe in the light. She didn’t know how to feel but her body settled on shock.

Liam sprang to his feet. “As it is my understanding you cannot produce proof of the torment of Anne Trace then I shall leave you to handle the remnants of your so called deal with this one.”

Without sparing her a glance, Liam walked away leaving her to her fate. It was the final blow. She’d gotten what she asked for but something inside her shut down in the face of it. She was broken.

*

The betrayal was so thick in its completion Liam could taste it. It was bitter and vile almost akin to defeat. In spite of the choking sensation in his throat, he held the stare of each demon he passed as his feet carried him away from the club. He would not show them any signs of weakness even as his heart melted away inside his chest. He felt every inch separating him from Kylie as if it ripped a layer of skin from his body but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t. In every way, Kylie had been perfect. She was the perfect weapon against him. It was almost brilliant in its simplicity. She was a ticking bomb set at his feet perfectly timed to cripple him at his weakest. The only option to avoid complete destruction was to walk away.

Instead of going completely insane with the thought of what it meant for Kylie, he concentrated on Mark. Two-thirds of Septem’s words were usually lies but Liam couldn’t see any gain for the demon in this case. As soon as Liam hit the back alley of the club, he closed his eyes and concentrated on finding Mark. The soul reaper inside him had no trouble locking onto his essence. Following that path, Liam used the same short cut as he had from the swamp except this time he found himself on the side of a backcountry road. Mark traveled this same road every day to and from work. It was normally a quiet street. Tonight, black plumes of smoke rolled from beneath the hood of a Mark’s 2010 Malibu. It was almost unrecognizable after the semi had finished with it, but Liam could feel Mark’s soul barely pulsing inside the vehicle. The smoke was too thick to see anything clearly other than the blazing orange flames. Liam plunged himself into the fray as only a man who couldn’t die would. If there was a single chance of saving Mark then he had to try. The metal of the driver side door burned at the same temperature as boiling hot lava beneath his palms. There wasn’t a doubt in Liam’s mind it was only a matter of time before the car blew sky high. He was determined it wouldn’t take Mark with it. Giving up the fight against the door handle, which refused to budge, he ripped the metal door away from its hinges and tossed it aside. His eyes and nose stung as the acrid smoke filled his lungs but hope surged through him when Mark’s eyes peeked open.

“Hang in there, Mark. I’m going to get you out of here.”

Crushed as the car was, it was impossible to tell which side of the car had been destroyed first. Liam’s guess was, the semi had clipped the driver’s side, spinning it completely around before crushing the passenger side as well. The impact had sent the car careening into the ditch. By the looks of things, it had also flipped a few times. Mark was still strapped in and a trail of blood oozed from his head. The fact the car had not exploded yet left Liam amazed, especially considering the flames had already burned a body beyond recognition in the passenger seat. It looked as if they’d been partially ejected before becoming consumed by the fire. Liam’s heart fell at the sight. In this case, Septem had been telling the truth. Heat licked at his back, reminding Liam of the precariousness of the situation. Wasting no time, he tore Mark from the car and rushed him away. Out of harm’s way, Liam checked Mark over for injuries. His head was still bleeding but it didn’t appear to be life threatening. No doubt he would be coughing up a lung for the next few weeks, but it seemed he would survive. Mark’s eyes were open but he either couldn’t see a thing or the shock of seeing Liam in his true form had stolen his voice. It seemed, even though Mark would live, today was still going to be the day Liam said his goodbyes.

“I’m so sorry.” The swelling in Liam’s throat had nothing to do with the smoke. He’d brought this hell upon Mark’s life. “You won’t see me again after tonight but I need you to know that.”

Mark’s hand lifted from the ground and a weak pat tapped Liam’s arm. Mark’s one gesture seemed to zap the last of his energy as he lost consciousness.

* * * * *

A loud roar rent the air as Kieran swiped his arm across his desk sending everything on top of it flying across the room. Kylie watched his fit of rage explode through sightless eyes. It didn’t matter. Liam was gone. Nothing mattered.

Justice and Septem stood patiently by awaiting Kieran’s fury to pass. It was intense but brief and before long, he was straightening the lapels of his jacket as if nothing happened. Reclaiming his chair, he relaxed and stared at Kylie seeming as lost in his own thoughts as she was in hers.

“I was so sure you were the answer,” he said after a moment.

Feeling ridiculously as if she should say something, she muttered, “Sorry.”

“It is done,” he said dismissing her and turning his attention to Septem. “Leave him with nothing.”

A gruesome smile stretched his lips. “With pleasure,” he growled as he disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

Kieran glanced in her direction. “Shit. I should have had him drop you off on his way.”

“Drop me where?” In spite of her numb haze, she couldn’t shake her need to know everything, even if she no longer cared what he did with her.

Kieran slammed his hand down on his desk causing her to jump. “Miss Trace, you are in hell. You have been in hell since the moment you died and it does you no good to continue denying your surroundings. I swear you remind me so much of my son. Everyone has their place in this world and the sooner you accept yours the better.”

“I will take her,” Justice said interrupting what looked to be swiftly becoming a tirade.

Coming to his feet, Kieran waved his hand in Kylie’s direction and a door appeared in front of her. “Knock yourself out,” Kieran called over his shoulder as he strode from the room.

As soon as they were alone, Justice threw the door open on the cage. Stooping, he lifted Kylie into his arms. He cradled her against his chest. She didn’t attempt to fight him. She didn’t have the will.

“Let’s get you out of here before he changes his mind.”

The room shimmered around them and began to change until Kylie was staring at the familiar walls of her apartment. “Sheesh. Hell reminds me an awful lot of home.”

Justice let her feet slip to floor but continued to hold her until he sure she was steady on her feet. He glanced around the room warily. The words Septem etched into the walls seemed to hold him fascinated. “You didn’t deserve this,” he said after a moment.

“Sure I did. I wanted more than I should.”

He shook his head. “But you got less than you were due.” He brushed her hair away from her face. “It is unfair.”

In spite of her dire circumstances, she dredged up a smile. “You’re determined to pity me, aren’t you?” Her humor fled as quickly as it came. Tears clogged her throat as the full impact of the day hit her all at once. Her sister was dead. Everything was gone and an empty eternity stretched out before her. “What am I supposed to do now?” she asked. Her voice came out in a whisper.

“You will do what souls do. You’ll languish in between.” His words were matter of fact but he scrubbed his hand against the back of his neck as if he was uncomfortable saying them. “Look,” he began slowly. “You don’t have to be here alone. I mean, I’m allowed to go wherever I want. Shit. This is coming off like a bad pickup line.” He ran his hand over his eyes before starting again. “I just mean if you get too bored or if this all gets to be too much then all you have to do is say my name. I’ll come play poker with you or some shit.”

It was a tiny glimmer of hope in an otherwise stream of nothingness and it meant more than she could say. Swallowing down her tears, she said the only thing she could. “I’d appreciate that.”

Chapter Seven

One hundred and fifty-three minutes. That was the exact amount of time it had taken Mark to go from everything to nothing. He’d worked it out in his head while chilling with his ass hanging out of a hospital gown. There were only so many things he could concentrate on to keep from going out of his mind. He had it broken down into increments. It had taken him ninety minutes to decide he was wrong for the way he’d treated Anne when she’d woken up from her dream. There had been fifteen minutes in which he’d paced the floor outside the bedroom door working up the courage to apologize. Depending upon which clock he went by in his house, he’d spent around eight minutes repeatedly reading the letter she’d left for him. He recalculated the time in his head. That gave him one hundred and thirteen minutes. He’d allowed another twenty minutes to pass while he tried to reach Liam. Giving up, he’d taken to the streets and headed for the only place he could think of where she might have gone—Kylie’s.

A chill ran over his skin as Pamela trailed her finger down his arm. “I bet you don’t make it in time.”

His knees were cold, he thought, forcibly tearing his mind away from those memories. The hospital gown was too short. Why didn’t they make things for people his size? Surely, hospitals had been treating tall people for as long as hospitals had been around. How long had hospitals been around, anyhow? The sound of screams of pain and terror filled Mark’s head. The smell of burning flesh assailed his senses until he wanted to strip away the layers of his brain that housed his memories.

A short perfunctory knock landed on his door before it cracked open and Lee popped his head in. “Oh good. You’re awake.”

Mark barely kept from snorting. Lee stepped the rest of the way into the room making sure to close the door behind him. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Mark recognized that smile. It was the one cops used when they were working a case. Lee’s next words confirmed his suspicions. “The doctor says you should be well enough to answer a few questions.”