Redemption (The Keepers of Hell Book 3) (6 page)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

     Jake was standing alone in his room when Shelly barged through the door.

     “You think you’re something special, don’t you?” Shelly grumbled at Jake. She looked him over from head to toe and back again. He was a respectable height, with broad shoulders and a lean waist. His legs were powerful, she already knew. The white t-shirt he wore stretched over his muscles and she could see their contours easily through the thin material. He was hers. How dare he think any different? How dare he show concern for any woman but her? So what if it came naturally to him. She didn’t like it and that was all that mattered.

     “I’m not special,” he mumbled, fixing himself a drink of water. His head was pounding. Why did he drink so much? “I don’t get any of this.”

     “You were a fighter in life,” Shelly told him. “That’s why Ash chose you.”

     “I fought fires,” he said. “And I fought people for money. That is hardly noble.”

     “The fire part is,” she reminded him. “I did some checking. You gave your life helping others. There is no greater sacrifice.”

     But Jake knew that wasn’t true. He had sacrificed his heart for his own selfish greed. He had lost his one and only chance at love and it was his fault. He deserved the eternity of loneliness he was facing.

     “Are you pissed that I got the better of you?” Shelly asked, making herself comfortable on his bed. “I am a demon. You can’t help it that you’re just not as awesome as I am.”

     Jake spun around to face her. “I’m not human anymore,” he reminded her. “See these wings?” he pointed over his shoulder. “Those mean I am angel. Not demon. I should be able to kick your butt across the caverns and back again.”

     “Then what stopped you?” she asked arrogantly.

     Jake shook his head and sighed. “I can’t hit a woman. Never could.”

     “Well,” she said shaking her head, “that’s a weakness if I ever heard one. We all saw what you did with the fire. You know what you can do. Having a weakness is like having a bull’s eye painted on your chest. Demons will see it and go straight for it. Every time.”

     Jake watched her move as she talked. She was graceful and fluid in every move she made, each deliberate and purposeful. So what if his eyes were still seeing tracers from all the alcohol he had consumed. She turned to look at him and her hair flipped over her shoulder. “I do not have a weakness,” he said a little breathlessly. But she had that effect on him. Already, his blood was on fire for her and his heart was hammering in his chest. He felt like a school boy on his first date. But this wasn’t a date. This was a demon trying to goad him.

     As if to prove his thoughts correct, she tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at him. “When are you going to give up and let Greed claim you?” she asked sweetly.

     Jake stood straighter, forcing himself to sober. “I will never be a part of your realm,” he promised her. “You can take that to the bank, sweetheart. It ain’t happening.”

     Shelly got closer to him and walked her fingers over his chest. “Oh, make no mistake,” she said quietly, “you are mine. I know that Ash is letting you play hero for now, but eternity is a long time. You’ll come around eventually and succumb to your greed.”

     Everywhere her fingers touched burned, and not in a bad way. Jake could feel his body trembling under her touch, and he knew by the look on her lovely face that she could feel it too. Shelly got her other hand in on the game and started tracing his shoulders and the tops of his arms with her fingertips. “It may take you a while to give in to greed, but how long can you resist me?”

     Not very long
, Jake admitted to himself. He could smell her. Smell her! She smelled of flowers and other girlie shit, but under that she smelled like sex in the sun. Hot. Musky. His body reacted to her immediately and his pants were quickly getting too tight.

     She leaned in and sniffed his neck. “You want me.” Not a question, but a statement of fact. Shelly leaned in and licked the side of his neck. There was no teasing or gentleness to it, she was tasting him. “Mmm,” she approved. “Tell me you don’t want me.”

     Jake fisted his hands at his side. The truth was, he did want her. He wanted her like he wanted to breathe. He wanted to feel her body under his and he wanted her shouting his name. But he wouldn’t give in so easily. She had made him look like a fool in the training center. She was all about herself and getting his ass into Greed. Well, he wasn’t going.

     Her hands explored his chest while her mouth planted little whispery kisses on his neck. She was murmuring something, but no, he was not going to give in. Aaaand then her hand found its way down his stomach and she cupped him through his jeans.

     He wasn’t going… what was it he wasn't going to do? Hell, he couldn’t remember. Shelly had molded her hand around his dick and was now stroking it through his pants. Her soft kisses had turned forceful. She was now sucking and biting his skin.

     That same skin was alive and on fire. Even his wings were twitching with the need to touch her.
Just one kiss
, he thought. Just one. He finally released his hands from their fisted position at his sides and grabbed the back of her head. He growled as he fused their mouths together.

     Heaven. He had died and gone to heaven.

     Shelly allowed Jake to control the kiss, at least, that was what she was telling herself, and she was sticking to that. His tongue forced its way into her mouth and bossed her tongue around until she sucked it between her lips.

     His answering groan was reward enough. Shelly felt herself growing hot and her thighs started to tingle. He needed to touch her. She pulled his hand from the back of her head and placed it on her breast. He released her mouth and moved to her neck as he massaged her breast. Her nipple had grown tight and hard, and he pinched it through her shirt.

     “Yes,” she sighed. “More of that.”

     Jake backed up and pulled her shirt over her head. She wasn’t wearing a bra and she didn’t need to. Her breasts were the perfect size and shape. He lowered his head and took one into his mouth. He relished her moan of pleasure as he sucked at her.

     Jake moved his other hand around her back to cup her butt. He squeezed for a moment and then moved around the top of her thighs. He paid attention to the other nipple as well, but his hand moved to cup her sex.

     She was hot in the palm of his hand. He lifted himself back to his full height, only to lower his head to kiss her again. Her hips rocked in his hands, rubbing herself against the heel of his hand. She pushed his head aside and sucked on the side of his neck.

     Shelly loved the way it felt when Jake touched her. She loved the feel of his mouth on her skin. She loved the way his breath came hard and fast. She sucked at his neck, wondering how he could deny that he belonged to her. He was a perfect fit for her body. As he increased the pressure on her sex, Shelly knew that no one was going to believe her when she claimed him if she didn’t mark him.

     As he groaned aloud, Shelly smiled. Yes. She would mark him. Then when the time came, she could give everyone a big fat
told you so
. She cupped his cock again and squeezed. He pushed his hips into her hand and that was when she made her move. She sucked harder at his neck, brushing her tongue against his skin and tasting the blood just beneath the surface. She sucked harder until he actually bled the tiniest bit.

     Yes! His taste! She let go of his neck and tossed her own head back. “Mine!” she growled as his hand moved faster against her. She felt the orgasm boiling to the surface and let it go. She clutched his shoulders while her body shook uncontrollably.

     Jake watched her as she orgasmed. Her eyes closed and her head fell back. He felt her nails digging into his skin but he didn’t care. Watching this demon in pleasure was erotic as hell, and even more so knowing he had done this to her.

     As her body calmed and she released her hold on him, Jake kissed the side of her face and her neck. He peppered her with kisses until she was able to stand on her own again. Then he looked at her with a whole new perspective. She had called him hers. Maybe he was. Who knew? All he knew right then was that he needed to get inside her. Now.

     Shelly brushed the wrinkles out of her clothes and pulled her shirt back over her head. “Well, I’ll see you later,” she said as she headed for the door.

     Jake was dumbfounded. “What?” he barked. “You’re leaving? But I thought we…”

     “Ugh,” she sighed. “It was the best I ever had. There is that better?”

     “You can’t just...” he started.

     “Yes,” she interrupted, “I can. Thank you very much. I needed that. Have a nice night now.” She walked out the door, leaving Jake with a hard on of steel and more frustration than a psychiatrist could handle. Not only was his body in a tiff because he was horny as sin with no outlet, but he wanted Shelly to come back for other reasons he wasn’t ready to admit. He liked her. Much, much more than he should. He liked the way she claimed him as her own. Fuck, he wanted her to own him and that was one giant head fuck in and of itself. He was well and truly fucked, and not in a way that he wanted to be.

CHAPTER TWELVE

     Jake had to get out of there. The more he thought about it, the more that woman pissed him off. How could she just get hers and walk away? She left him with a semi parked in his underwear and now the bitch was nowhere to be found.

     He decided it was best if he flashed himself to Earth to watch his charge, Lucy. Jake found himself standing outside of her home once again, looking in like a stalker. At first, everything was quiet. And then someone screamed. Jake flashed inside the house, and what he saw made his stomach turn.

     Lucy was lying on the floor with blood gushing from her nose. Jake wanted to help her, but he stopped himself. Her husband came barreling into the room and yanked her up by her hair. “You stupid bitch,” he ground out. “I told you that I don’t like raw steak.” He dragged her into the kitchen. The man snatched a piece of meat off a plate and shoved it into Lucy’s face. “Does this look cooked to you?” he barked. “It’s got blood on it. Blood!” he tossed the meat to the floor and forced Lucy to look at him. Her blonde hair was streaked red with her own blood, but she raised her eyes to meet his.

     Jake had thought this man had broken Lucy’s spirit, but now he wasn’t so sure. There was a fire in her eyes that sparked briefly before she masked it.

     “I’m sorry,” she said calmly. “I’ll make you another one.”

     “No you won’t!” he shouted at her. Lucy didn’t even flinch when he hit her. “I’m going to take a shower and when I get out, this mess better be cleaned up.”

     Jake watched helplessly as Lucy started to clean the mess. She washed the dishes and put them away. Then she swept the floor. When she returned the broom to the closet, she stopped to look at something.

     It was about then that her husband came out of the hallway and made his presence known. “You can’t hide in the fucking closet,” he barked at her. “Get out here.” He grabbed her by her hair again and slapped her across the face.

     Jake looked into the closet and saw there was a box safe in the back. It was open and empty. He wondered what would have been in there. It looked like the kind of box someone would keep a gun in. And then it hit him.

     “Oh, Lucy, no,” he whispered. He turned back to his charge but it was too late. She had the gun level with her extended arm.

     “You aren’t going to touch me,” she said softly. “Not anymore.”

     “Lucy, please,” her husband said sarcastically. “You don’t even know how to unlock it.”

     Lucy pulled the hammer back and the gun clicked into place. “Don’t I?’ she asked. “I’m leaving here and you are not going to stop me.”

     Her husband watched as she picked up her purse and her car keys while never taking her eyes off him. She walked backward toward the door, but when she turned to unlock it, he struck. He grabbed her arm and she spun around. He tried to get the gun from her but in the struggle, it went off.

     The room filled with an unnatural silence. The smell of blood got thick in the air and Jake held his breath. Lucy’s face was filled with horror, and after a long second, her husband fell to the floor.

     Lucy looked at his lifeless body for a moment and then she opened the door. She ran for hell or high water to her car. She slammed the door and jammed her keys into the ignition. Jake watched as she peeled out of the driveway and sped off into the night.

     Jake knew the husband was dead.
As well he should
be
, he thought. That man had been a monster and he deserved his fate. He followed Lucy down the street and into town. He had to keep flashing himself to keep up with her. She didn’t make it far. She took a corner too fast and the car lost its traction against the asphalt. It careened into the opposite lane and into oncoming traffic. Lucy yanked the wheel to her left in an attempt to try to correct her slide, but it was useless. A pickup truck laid on its horn and locked its brakes up, fish tailing away from her. The car veered back into her lane and then kept going. It finally slammed into a telephone pole. Jake heard the crunch of metal and breaking glass and prayed that she was all right.

     He got close to the vehicle and saw her sitting in the driver seat. She had thought to put on her seat belt, thank God. She was breathing and she would live. He let out his breath. She would be all right. That was, until her car caught fire.

     The engine ignited and it didn’t take long for the flames to engulf the car. Lucy was unconscious in the front seat. She had to get out! He needed to call for help. What was he supposed to do? A flash of memory smacked him right in the face. It was Ash telling him to never put his fire out again. Of course! That was it! Jake willed the flames into submission, and finally, all that was left of the inferno was a cloud of thick, black smoke. He heard sirens in the air and knew that someone had already called 911. Help was on its way.

***

     Shelly had followed Jake. She had marked him for a reason and this was precisely it. How dare he take an interest in another woman? Hadn’t she made it clear that he belonged to her? Apparently not. And look what he did! She made it there just in time to see him snuff out the flames on that woman’s car.  He wasn’t supposed to interfere!

     She made herself known by grabbing his arm and flashing them both back to Hell.

     They materialized outside of Ash’s office.

     “What the fuck?” Jake demanded.

     “You’re in deep shit, that’s what,” she told him.

     “For what?”

     “Ash, open the damn door,” Shelly called to their leader. The doors opened and she drug Jake in with her.

     Jake saw Ash sitting behind his desk, Antonio at his side. They were studying something on the computer screen, but both heads were staring at him and Shelly right at that moment. He also noticed there was still a caged man in the corner of the room.

     “How long is he going to stay there?” Jake asked.

     “Until I figure out what to do with him,” Ash answered. “What is going on here?”

     Shelly stepped up. “I’ll tell you what’s going on!” she yelled. “This fucktard just saved that woman’s life. He isn’t supposed to interfere.”

     “She was going to die,” Jake defended himself.

     “He put out the flames on her car,” Shelly explained. “I saw it.”

     Jake’s head whipped around to look at her. “What are you, my stalker?”

     Shelly humphed. “More like a babysitter.”

     “I didn’t ask for your help,” Jake countered. “And I don’t need a nanny.”

     “Well, apparently you need to be watched.”

     “Shut up,” Jake snapped.

     “Fuck off,” Shelly replied.

     “You are such a bitch,” Jake said.

     “You’re a fucking pansy, Mike Tyson.” She crossed her arms at her chest and raised one eyebrow at, as if she were daring him to come back with more.

     Jake couldn’t resist. “Martha fucking Stewart,” he smiled.

     Oh, he did
not
just call her Martha Stewart. “Go to hell,” she barked.

     She was even prettier when she was mad, Jake noticed. “You know, every time I am around you, my middle finger gets a hard on.” He showed her the finger in question and yep, it was standing at attention.

     Fire flashed in her eyes. “Better get used to it,” she snarled, “because the only way you’re getting laid around here is to crawl up a chicken’s ass and wait.”

     Ash held back his bark of laughter. He and Antonio were watching the exchange, their heads moving from Jake to Shelly and back. It was like watching a tennis match. With words.

     “Hey, Carrot Top called, he wants his hair back,” Jake retorted. He smiled as he watched the anger flush her face.

     “Does your ass get jealous of all the shit that comes out of your mouth?” she asked. Just mentioning his mouth reminded her of what that mouth felt like on her skin, which made her blood roar in her veins, which pissed her off even more.

     “Were your parents siblings?” he asked her.

     “You are such a huge douche bag you could cleanse a whale's vagina!” she shouted back.

     “Yeah?” he asked with a half-smile. He was handsome when he smiled. “Your vagina is so big that I would need MapQuest to find the g-spot!”

     “Save your breath asshole, you’re gonna need it to inflate your date later.”

     “Do you think we should stop this?” Antonio whispered to Ash. Ash shook his head. “I know that they are what they are but... damn.”

     “You’re sure about this?” Ash asked him quietly. “They don’t seem to like each other very much.”

     Antonio snorted.

     “You’re a fat lipped firebug!”

     “Soul sucking siren!”

     “Get off your man period!”

     “Dick rash.”

     “Knuckle dragging Neanderthal!”

     “Glue sniffing gutter slut!” Jake shouted. The pair were nose to nose now. Ash and Antonio were quietly betting on who would hit who first.

     “Isn’t there a hydrant you need to piss on?”

     “Selfish narcissistic tease.”

     “You're such an asshole. Kissing any part of you would be fairly termed 'rimming.” Someone actually laughed at that one, but Jake didn’t bother to look at who. Shelly was so close he could smell her.

     “Two tongued tattletale,” he said to her, a little softer.

     “If you were any more of a dick, prostitutes would be trying to shove condoms over your head,” she said through clenched teeth.

     “I’d tell you to fuck yourself and the horse you rode in on, but from the look on your face I’d say you already did that,” he said. She smelled so good.

     “If brains were dynamite you wouldn't have enough to blow your nose.”

     “Your birth certificate was an apology letter to your parents!”

     “Get your head out of your ass,” she barked at him, “it’s not a hat. Although, an ass is probably the only thing you could get to sit on your head! Either one, north or south!”

     Jake couldn’t take it anymore. She was driving him insane! And not just with her smartass mouth, but her scent! She was just as turned on as he was, and as hard as it was for him to admit, he wanted her. First he had to shut her up, so he did the only thing he could think of. He kissed her.

***

     Ash and Antonio watched as Jake picked Shelly up and slammed her into the wall. He covered her body with his own as his mouth plundered hers. “We should really do something,” Antonio said.

     “What?” Ash asked as Jake started grinding his hips into the demon.

     “I don’t know!” Antonio barked out on a laugh, “but if you don’t they’re gonna be having sex right here on your office floor.”

     That was enough to spur Ash into action. He stood from his chair and ran around the desk. “Hey, hey! Go to your corners. Or get a room. Or something. Just get out of here!”

     Shelly didn’t answer him, but shoved her hands through Jake’s hair and kissed him harder. Jake made eye contact and lifted Shelly’s legs to wrap them around his waist. Then he walked, while still kissing her, toward the door. Ash gave the mental command for the doors to open and Jake walked through them, taking his demon with him.

     “I think I will deal with his interference later,” Ash said, watching the empty doorway after they left.

     “I think that’s wise,” Antonio agreed.

     “Was I that bad?” Ash asked. “I mean, when I was getting my shit together with Elizabeth?”

     Antonio looked at his friend with a crooked smile. “You were so much worse,” he laughed.