Savior (The Keepers of Hell Book 1) (10 page)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

     “Oh, I’m so sorry,” Elizabeth said as she scooted her chair back and crouched down to clean up the mess she made.

     “Don’t worry about it,” Ash told her. He got up and walked around the table to help her. He brushed her hand with his and she jerked it back. He tried to ignore the stab of pain and disappointment he felt at her rejection.

     “I uh, hell,” she mumbled. She sat back on her ass and looked up at him. She had known he was dangerous from the first time she saw him. Now, he was proving her right. But why tell her? Why make love to her like she was the only woman in the world? Was that all part of his plan? She could have sworn she felt real tenderness from him when they were together.

     “Elizabeth,” he pleaded with her, “Please listen.”

     “Are you going to do it?” she asked bluntly.

     That was something he loved about her. Her directness. Shit…..Love. He was well and truly fucked, wasn’t he? “Hell no,” he answered her quickly. “I will find another way.”

     “What about your sister? Won’t he kill her?”

     “He says he will, but there has to be something else I can do. I know you’re not a murderer.” Ash moved toward her, and although she didn’t back away, she kept a wary eye on his every move. “I told you, I won’t hurt you.”

     “There is something you should know,” she said softly.

     “I already know,” he said. “I did my research. I don’t believe for a second that you would deliberately harm anyone. Not now, not ever. I can’t do it.”

     “What happens, exactly, if you don’t do it?” she asked. Elizabeth wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

     “He gets my soul and my sister.”

     “What if you run away? Hide somewhere obscure and change your name?” she asked.

     Ash shook his head. “He’ll always be able to find me.”

     Elizabeth stood and brushed off her shorts. “I think I should get dressed now,” she told him. “I have a shift at the hospital. I don’t know what to tell you to do, but if you feel like killing me is the best way to go, I understand. Just don’t let me see it coming,” she told him.

     “Are you fucking crazy?” he demanded as he grabbed her arm and turned her to look at him.

     “Not everyone is as innocent as you think,” she said. “We all have our skeletons. We all have our crosses to bear and we all have to pay the piper when the time comes.” She pulled away from him. “I can’t deal with this right now,” she said as she turned away from him.

     Ash felt a stab of regret for telling her. But he wanted to be honest with her. Always. For however long that may be. He wanted her to know that she was important to him and that he cared for her. “I’m going out for a bit,” he said. “I need to clear my head. If you want to come back after your shift, you can. You’re safe here,” he told her.

     She nodded, but didn’t answer him. Ash couldn’t bear to watch her walk away from him, so he turned for the door. He grabbed a sweatshirt on his way out and pulled it over his head.

     The city was nearly dark by the time he made it into the town proper. A million thoughts swam in his head, but not one of them included killing Elizabeth. His brain wouldn’t even think it. But what was he to do?

     Ash didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know where to turn. There was no way he could ever hurt Elizabeth, even if what Shax said was true. He just couldn’t do it. But that fucking demon had put him in one hell of a position. He couldn’t kill Elizabeth, but if he refused, Shax would get Lele. He was being forced to choose between his sister and an innocent soul that Ash had grown to have some very fierce feelings for.

     He wandered the city streets, arguing with himself. Should he or shouldn’t he? What if there was a way? No, that was impossible. The demon had already seen to that. It was his own fault Elizabeth was even on the fucker’s radar. He should have kept his big mouth shut.

     Ash didn’t even have a friend he could call and ask for advice. Not like he would spill all the details, exactly, but it would’ve helped if he could just vent a little bit. He slammed his fist into a metal dumpster as he passed it. He had wandered into the same part of town where he had been shot. Well, if the gunman was still hanging around, he wasn’t going to get to shoot Ash again.  He had better things to worry about than getting shot. He had a huge problem on his hands and he had to figure out how to fix it.

     As he sulked through the streets, a sign caught his attention. It was stark white against the filthy street and stuck out like a sore thumb. It said, “Leave your burdens with us.” Ash looked to his left and saw that the sign belonged to an old church.

     Well, what could it hurt? He thought. He didn’t know if God would even listen to him, but he was getting desperate and he needed to figure something out. A Hail Mary pass to God was worth a try. That is, as long as he didn’t burst into flames upon entering the building.

     Ash forced his feet to climb the three steps leading to the huge wooden doors. He expected them to be locked in this part of town, but to his surprise, they weren’t and the doors opened easily. For just a moment, Ash couldn’t move.    The inside of the church was beautiful. He couldn’t even remember the last time he was in a church, but he just knew it wasn’t as lovely as this small space. The windows were tall and filled with colorful stained glass, and in between each window was a wooden carving depicting a scene from the bible. Ash had walked half way down the aisle before realizing he was inside the church. He felt a mental relief that he had not burst into flames.

     Ash couldn’t remember exactly what he was supposed to do, but he saw several candles burning on the altar, so he headed there. He picked one up and lit it off the flame of another before returning it to its rightful place. Then Ash went to the second pew and sat down. He placed his arms on the back of the first pew and rested his head on his arms.

     After a few moments, he raised his head and stared at the large statue of Jesus. Then he looked to the ceiling. He was certain he was the only one in the sanctuary, and he figured, why not?

     “God,” he said quietly, “I know I haven’t been the best servant to you, but I need help. I can’t do this. I can’t let any harm come to either woman. What am I supposed to do?”

     Ash wasn’t surprised when he was answered with total silence. He dropped his head back on his arms and fought the desperate tears that threatened his eyes.

     “Sure is a nice place here,” a man’s voice said from right beside him. Ash picked up his head and saw that the pastor had come to sit by him. He hadn’t made a sound. The man was lean and athletic looking, dressed in white with a white collar. His hair was golden blonde, cut short in an almost military style. But that wasn’t the most interesting feature. This man had the most intense blue eyes Ash had ever seen. They spoke volumes about knowledge and comfort. They portrayed love. Yes, that was the feeling those eyes invoked. Unconditional love.

     Ash finally remembered that the man had spoken to him. “Yeah,” he answered. “It is.”

     “What troubles you, my son?” the pastor asked.

     Ash sighed. “I don’t know. Everything?” he offered a small, sad smile.

     The pastor smiled back at him. “The weight of the world is too much for even the strongest man’s shoulders,” he said.

     “Yeah, and especially too heavy for mine.”

     “How can I help you?” the pastor asked.

     Ash didn’t know why, but he started talking. “I have a decision to make. If I go one way, I will hurt someone I love. If I choose the other, I will hurt someone who doesn’t deserve it. I have no choice in the matter. I must choose a path and neither of them will bring any good to the world.”

     The pastor sat back in the pew and placed his hand on Ash’s shoulder. “There is always a choice,” he said. “God has given you free will. You should listen to his word and use the gift he gave you.”

     “Uh,” Ash grunted, “First of all, it doesn’t matter which path I choose. I am damned both ways. Second of all, the only word of God I ever heard was in the Bible, translated so many times over the centuries that who knows if it is even close to right. Not to mention heavy with interpretations and opinions. It’s even now written in terms that no normal person understands. But thanks for listening, anyway.”

     Ash went to stand up, but the pastor stopped him with a hand on his arm. “You have free will to choose your own path,” he said sincerely, “If the path is not already in place, forge a new one. You are the owner of your destiny. No one can own you unless you let them. And for the record, God is still speaking, my son. All you have to do is listen.”

     Ash hung his head and closed his eyes. If only it were that easy. And what did that mean, God is still speaking? He opened his eyes and turned his head to ask just that, but the pastor was gone. He had disappeared as silently as he had come. Ash felt a shiver run up his spine as an idea began to form in his head.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

     Elizabeth was grateful that the ER was balls to the wall busy that night. She hardly had time to think about the conversation she had with Ash earlier that evening. Of course, the lack of time didn’t stop her brain from wandering every spare minute she had.

     If he had planned to kill her, he would have done it already. Lord knew he had enough chances. And why did he bother telling her?

     Funny, she thought, that she wasn’t afraid. It wasn’t that she didn’t think he would kill her, because if it came down to it, there was no way she was going to let him choose her over his own flesh and blood. No, that wasn’t what was odd. The fact that she wasn’t afraid to die was what she found out of the ordinary. Most people feared death. Not Elizabeth. She had known a long time ago that her day would come.

     She never figured on it being at the hands of a man that she had grown to care about, though.

     It didn’t matter. As she clocked out for the night, the first rays of sunshine were brightening the sky. Elizabeth turned her face up to the morning sky as she left the hospital, and for the first time in her life, she felt at peace. She had spent her adult life wondering when her time to pay for her sins would come, and now it had.

     She supposed if it had to be anyone, she would want it to be Ash who did it. At least he would do it painlessly. With love.

     Damn, she thought as she started her car. She didn’t even remember walking to it, but she was in the driver’s seat just the same. Her head had been anywhere but the here and now. And even though she didn’t make a conscious decision to do it, Elizabeth drove back to Ash’s home to meet her destiny head on.

***

     Ash finally made it home just before dawn. He walked into his empty house and tossed his knives on the floor. He wasn’t surprised that Elizabeth was not there. He didn’t expect to ever see her again. Some part of him had held on to the hope that she would believe that he didn’t intend to hurt her, but who was he kidding? He had just told her that he killed on a regular basis and that he was supposed to kill her. Who in their right mind would stick around for that? And she had left, hadn’t she. In less than twenty minutes after he confessed it all to her, she was out the door, like the good, smart doctor she was.

     Ash actually felt some measure of relief that she had flown the coop. Of course, that feeling was mixed up with the sadness he felt and the keen sense of loss that had taken root deep in his chest. But ultimately, it was better if she stayed away. Hell, she was probably half way across the country by now.

     Ash trudged to the bathroom to wash the stress of the night away. He intended to stay in the shower until he had thoroughly washed away all unprofessional thoughts of Doctor Elizabeth Rone.

***

     Elizabeth knew she was going to end up at Ash’s house. She pulled into the driveway and put her car in park. She sat behind the wheel, allowing it to idle for a moment before turning the key. She debated with herself for a short moment before getting out of the car. She didn’t bother knocking on the door. Instead, she pushed right through it.

     Immediately, she heard the sounds of the shower from the bathroom. She didn’t think it through, she just acted. Yeah she was probably walking in the shadow of death, but she feared no evil. At least, not from Ash. And if it was her destiny to die, well she was going to do it on her terms.

     She walked down the short hallway and pushed open the bathroom door. She yanked her scrub top over her head and shoved her bottoms down around her ankles. She kicked off her shoes and pants at the same time and then went for the shower door. She opened it softly and stuck her head in.

     “Can I join you?” she asked with an innocent smile.

     “Holy hell!” Ash shouted and jumped back until his back hit the shower wall. “What the fuck?”

     Elizabeth couldn’t help it. She laughed. The sight of her big, scary man jumping out of his skin was too funny in light of the serious circumstances. She laughed even harder when he realized that he had jumped and why. The look of confusion on his face was priceless. Elizabeth thought she might just die from laughter as her eyes started to water and her face started to hurt from being stretched into the huge grin she was wearing.

     “Shut up,” Ash grumbled with a slight smile. He tried to be nonchalant, but it wasn’t happening. Her laughter was as contagious as it was beautiful. It wasn’t long before Ash found himself laughing with her.

     The feeling was so foreign to him. How long had it been since he really laughed? He couldn’t remember. And that was just one more reason to keep her in the world. The world needed a laugh like hers. It was like angels singing in the wind, or some similar profound shit he didn’t have the right words for.

     “I fail to see what you find so amusing,” he grinned at her.

      Elizabeth pushed into the shower stall with him. Ash was momentarily distracted by her naked form in front of him. He would never, so long as his soul existed, forget the beauty of his woman naked. His eyes were attracted to the water droplets as they raced down her tanned skin toward her feet.

     “Hey, I’m up here,” she gently reminded him.

     “Yeah, sorry,” he said, yanking his eyes back up to hers. “You came back.”

     “Yes, I did,” she remarked. “I’m not afraid of you.”

     Ash felt an enormous weight lift from his shoulders. He didn’t know how much he had needed her to say those words before that moment. He reached for her face and cupped her cheek in his large hand. “I’m glad,” he murmured, before he dropped his head and took her lips in a gentle, easy kiss.

     It was as if she had spent her whole life kissing Ash. Like it was meant to be. She didn’t resist when his arm snaked around her waist and pulled her close to his body. She raised her arms and wrapped them around his neck and opened her mouth for him.

     Ash didn’t want to think about Shax or demons or killing right then. He didn’t even want to think about his sister. All he wanted to concentrate on was Elizabeth and making her forget herself in pleasure. He reveled in the feel of her breasts pressed up against his torso. He kissed her mouth gently, memorizing every curve, every flavor that she had to offer him. His hands took off on their own little expedition, running over her back and shoulders, then her sides and waist. He dropped them both down to cup her ass cheeks and then pulled her hard against him.

     He wanted to remember every curve, every different texture of her skin. He caressed her skin like it was the first time and as if it were the last.

     She finally pulled her head back, allowing it to lull back on her shoulders, and Ash took the opportunity to taste the skin of her neck. He licked and nipped and sucked at every inch of her skin. He trailed blazing hot kisses over her collarbone and over her shoulder. “I can’t believe how you taste,” he said against her skin.

     “Tastes like water,” she mumbled softly. Her hands went to his hair, holding his head to her body. “You better taste it again,” she recommended.

     Ash smiled and did as she said. He bent at the knees and kissed the valley between her breasts. His hands worked up her sides until they supported each breast. Then he moved to take one nipple into his mouth.

     “Oh yes,” she moaned. Ash flicked his tongue against her nipple and then sucked it into his mouth. When her breathing became labored, he moved to pay homage to the other nipple as well. They were tight and hard against his tongue, like diamonds covered in the softest silk. Ash kept one of his hands in place, holding her breast to his mouth, while the other moved south.

     He gently rubbed the inside of her thigh and when she opened for him, he cupped her sex in his palm. “Ash,” she pleaded with him.

     “I know, baby,” he told her and slid one finger inside her. She was hot and wet for him, and his cock jerked in response. “Fuck yes,” he groaned.

     She rocked her hips against his hand while he nipped and sucked at her nipple. When she whimpered, he added another finger to the game.

     “I want you to come in my hand,” he told her.

     “Oh fuck, keep that up and I just might,” she played with him, a bit breathless.

     Ash knew just what to do and dropped down on his knees in front of her. He looked up at her face, which was relaxed, her mouth was slightly open. The sight of her breasts above him and the sensual look on her face was just about the sexiest thing he had ever seen.

     “I have to taste you again,” he told her. He spread his knees to allow himself to drop down further, and then put his mouth on her. He darted his tongue out, spearing her lips and raking across her clit. Elizabeth shuddered in his hands. Ash groaned aloud as her taste exploded on his tongue. She was the sweetest candy to him and he knew he would never get enough of her.

     He lapped at her clit relentlessly and began wiggling his fingers inside her. It wasn’t long before she was moaning for him. The shower beat against his shoulders and the water sluiced over her body. For one brief moment, he felt as if time itself had stopped. And then, she came apart for him.

     He allowed her to ride the waves of her orgasm until they subsided, then he stood and turned off the water. He picked her up without a word and carried her to his bed.

     “I want you,” he said.

     Elizabeth smiled at him. “I want you.” She scooted back on his bed and lay before him like a feast fit for a king.

     Ash wanted to spend hours making love to this beautiful creature who had become so important to him, but he found that his body had other ideas. “I can’t wait,” he warned her as he crawled up her body.

     “I don’t want you to,” she whispered. “Get up here, now.”

     Ash bracketed his elbows on either side of her head and she spread her thighs for him. He settled into the cradle she had created for him. He could feel the wetness of her core against his cock and it was all he could do not to drive into her like a madman. Instead, he leaned down and kissed her again. His tongue dueled with hers as she grabbed a fistful of his hair. She bit his lip and he thought he was going to lose it right there.

     “Now,” he warned her. He positioned himself at her entrance and pushed inside as slowly as he could. He savored each and every feeling that entering her body caused him. She was warm and inviting, she was trusting, and she cared for him. He knew he didn’t deserve it, but he took it anyway.

     Once he was fully seated inside Elizabeth’s body, Ash stopped. He trembled with the effort it took to remain still.

     “What is it?” she asked, raising her brow in concern.

     “I just want you to know something,” he began.

     Elizabeth put a finger to his lips. “Shh,” she said. “I know. Me too.”

     Ash wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted to say to her, but the fact that she felt it too was enough for him and he pulled his hips back until only the head of his cock remained inside her. Then he drove it back inside in one powerful thrust.

     Elizabeth couldn’t help it. She screamed out his name when he pushed inside her so forcefully. He filled her completely and the burn was a welcome heat that coiled deep inside her. Her nails dug into his back and that spurred him on. He drove himself into her over and over again with powerful, claiming thrusts. She brought her knees up and locked her ankles behind his back so that he could go deeper. He touched parts of her that no one had ever touched before, both literally and figuratively.

     Ash moved over her until he could no longer fight the tingling in his lower spine and the tightening of his balls. “I can’t hold out much longer,” he told her. Her response was a long, sexy moan. Ash redistributed his weight to one arm so that he could reach between their bodies. He flicked at her clit with his index finger and arched his back so that he was driving the head of his cock directly against her g-spot.

     “Oh hell yes!” she screamed out as the orgasm took over her body. Her hips jerked forcefully underneath him and Ash had to be careful to stay inside her. As soon as she crested, he let himself go. He felt her tighten around him and his cock jerked inside her repeatedly.

     When he was spent, he dropped his head on her shoulder. He kissed her skin lightly, and then rolled off her, taking her with him and tucking her head in the crook of his arm.