Savior (The Keepers of Hell Book 1) (9 page)

     Perhaps he was lying. Elizabeth could admit to herself that she didn’t know shit about demons or deals, but she couldn’t fathom that making a deal with a child wouldn’t be frowned upon. Even if it
was
done and he was telling the truth, a child lacks the knowledge and resolve to make a binding deal.

     And she had always believed in Heaven, why couldn’t Hell be a real place as well?

     “Are you going to say something or just wear a rut in my carpet?” Ash asked her as he leaned back in his seat. He nonchalantly crossed one of his long legs over the other.

     “This makes no sense,” Elizabeth finally said. “Or maybe it makes perfect sense. I don’t know.” She kept on walking from the sofa to the window and back again.

     “I don’t expect you to believe me,” Ash told her. “But it’s the truth and there it is.”

     “You healed so fast,” she said more to herself than to him. “You act so strange. You look like a fighter.”

     “And you are giving me whiplash with all that pacing,” Ash told her.

     “Stuff it,” she snapped as she passed him on her pace yet again. “All those weapons,” she continued. “Is that how you healed so fast?” she demanded, turning to face him.

     “The demon healed me,” Ash replied.

     “Now why would a demon heal a human?” she asked. If she was going to believe him, and she was still on the fence about that, she wanted some real answers. “I don’t know much about them, but I am pretty sure they are all about death and destruction, not healing.”

     Ash nodded. “Yeah, but he wanted me to keep working and I couldn’t with my chest cracked open.”

     “And the deal you made? What was it, exactly?”

     Ash let all his air out on a heavy sigh. “I work for him, Lele stays safe.”

     “And if you refuse to do it?” she asked, taking a seat next to him.

     “Then he gets both Lele and me.”

     Elizabeth felt her heart stop in her chest. Then it jumped back to life and thundered so loud she could hear it in her own ears. “What do you mean, he gets you?”

     “I mean, he gets my soul and hers.” Ash took her hand in his. “Which is why I have to keep killing the demons he tells me to. I can’t risk her. I won’t.”

     “So as long as you do what he says, you and your sister are safe?” she asked.

     “That about sums it up.”

     “And if you’re killed on one of these jobs?” she asked.

     “Then he gets my soul,” Ash told her honestly.

     “Well that’s a crock of shit,” she announced.

     Ash laughed. “Yeah, I agree, but it’s what I signed up for.”

     “Haven’t you tried to get out of it? I mean, there is always a way. Even the most ironclad agreements have special clauses. You were a child. How can a child enter into any binding agreement, human or otherwise? There has to be a way out of this,” she rambled.

     “Believe me Doc, I’ve tried. I spent a long time arguing with myself over this. I have read and reread the contract in hopes of finding something I missed before. It’s just not there. There is nothing I can do.” He shook his head. “Don’t you think I would have by now if there was a way out? That’s why I have been staying away from you. I’ve already told you too much.”

     “Why
did
you tell me, anyway?” she asked.

     “I don’t know,” he answered. “I just couldn’t let you be afraid of me. My life sucks and it always will.”

     “Why did you kiss me?”

     Ash chuckled. “I wanted to?” he answered with a quirk of his lip.

     “You never intended to see me again, did you?”

     “No,” he told her. “I don’t know why, but I don’t want this for you. You are a good doctor with a lot of good left to do in the world. I never let anyone close to me because it could be dangerous.”  He realized now more than ever how dangerous it would be. The demon would see to it that Ash never had anyone to call his own.

     “Well it’s a bit late for that now, isn’t it? It was too late the moment you walked into my emergency room and I saw you.”

     “You can’t be near me,” he said. He realized that, as they talked, their faces were getting closer and closer. He could smell her subtle perfume now.

     “I should leave, then,” she said softly. Closer.

     “Yes,” he whispered, hoping she wouldn’t.

     “Ok,” she agreed. But she didn’t make any move to get up and leave. In fact, she was so close that if he just tilted his head and moved one more inch, he would be kissing her. The thought of her lips and the way they felt against his rattled his common sense. He should let her go. He should let her leave. He should tell her to run and never look back.

     Instead, he closed that short distance and took her mouth.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

     Ash didn’t waste any time. He plundered her mouth with his tongue, fighting her for dominance. The fact that she had grabbed his head and fought back was thrilling for him.

     Ever since he had first laid eyes on her, Ash couldn’t get Elizabeth out of his head. He couldn’t forget her eyes, her scent, and since he kissed her the first time, her taste. He thought that he must have imagined the flavor she had, but now, as he sucked her tongue into his mouth, he knew he had not.

     Ambrosia. That’s what she was.

     He ate at her mouth like a man starved. He traced the shape of her lips with his tongue and took the bottom one between his teeth. That elicited a moan from her and Ash went back for more. He cradled her neck in his hand and tilted her head for better access. He pushed her gently on to her back. The sofa was not nearly big enough for the both of them, but somehow he managed to lay her down and crawl over top of her without letting her mouth go.

     Elizabeth couldn’t hold on to a coherent thought while Ash was kissing her. All she could do was feel. And that is what she did with her hands. She raked her fingers down his back and loved the growl that rumbled out of his chest. She found his ribs and then ran her hands over his arms too. She couldn’t get enough of those toned muscles that rippled under his skin.

     He was perfection as far as she was concerned. The scar down his chest only added to his wicked charm. When he finally allowed her to breathe, it was only so that he could suck at her neck. Which she loved. She leaned her head back as far as she could so that he could reach her better. Her hands found their way to his waistline and she pushed at his jeans. They were too snug to move so she grabbed two handfuls of his tight ass.

     And that had him rocking his hips into her. She split her legs to accommodate him and was rewarded with the thick ridge of his cock rubbing against her.

     “Oh my God,” he groaned. Ash ground himself into her harder. He could feel the heat from her core through the thick denim of his pants.

     “Please,” Elizabeth said on a hoarse whisper, “I need this.”

     “Me to,” he agreed. He lifted his weight off of her only long enough to shove his jeans to the floor and kick them off his feet. Elizabeth sat up and started to lift her shirt. “Allow me,” he offered as he grabbed the hem and yanked it over her head.

     Elizabeth giggled like a school girl. “Thanks,” she grinned.

     “I think those are the most perfect breasts I have ever seen,” he told her as he admired her chest. She was wearing a lacy pink bra and all he could think about was getting it off of her.

     “This will be better,” she said as she reached behind her back to undo the clasp. The material fell away from her skin and Ash’s mouth watered. He could actually taste her skin in his mouth.

     He rumbled something unintelligible and lunged for her. In a second flat, she was on her back and he had her nipple in his mouth.

     “Oh yes, like that,” she moaned and arched her back to push herself further into his mouth. “Suck harder.”

     Ash did as he was told and was rewarded with a sharp cry of pleasure from her lips. He knew that he could live an eternity with only that sound in his ears. He kissed from one tight nipple to the other, until they were both red and swollen.

     Elizabeth pushed at his chest and Ash rolled to the side. “Sit up,” she demanded. He did and then she was standing in front of him. She pushed her pants off, leaving her only in her lacy panties. She crawled into his lap and straddled him, then leaned down and kissed him hard, rubbing herself against his erection.

     “Oh God,” he moaned around her lips. “I gotta have you now.”

     Ash reached down and took her fragile panties in his hands. With one sharp tug, he ripped the material away from her body and tossed them across the room. He lifted her hips and positioned her over his cock. “You ready?” he asked.

     “Hell yes,” she replied.

     He pushed his hips off the cushion at the same time she lowered her hips, impaling herself with his cock. Ash pushed up again and was fully inside her. “Fucking hell,” he growled as he started to rock his hips into her. Elizabeth tilted her hips back and forth, accepting each and every thrust he gave her.

     When she cried out in pleasure, he picked her up off of him and placed her on the sofa, facing the back. “Hold on,” he said as he put her hands on the back of the couch. Elizabeth angled her knees apart while Ash stood behind her. He pushed back into her and Elizabeth screamed out his name. He knew he had not hurt her.

     Back and forth he pushed into her, lost in the sounds of their bodies meeting and their labored breathing. He was covered in sweat, but he didn’t care. He had never felt so much at home as he did with Elizabeth. She was something special to him, as if she was made for him, and he took it all. When he could hold out no longer, he reached his hand around her and found her clit with this thumb and finger. On his next thrust he gave the little nub a pinch and sent her flying in ecstasy. He followed right behind her, holding her body tightly to his own until the orgasm subsided.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

     “I’ve never known you to play with your targets first,” Shax’s voice boomed in Ash’s head. He jerked upright in his bed and sure enough, the demon was standing by the door with his arms crossed over his chest.

     “Get out,” Ash grumbled softly.

     “Afraid the little woman will hear me?” Shax sneered. “Don’t worry, she can’t.”

     Ash looked to his left and saw Elizabeth sleeping soundly by his side. Her hair was fanned out over the pillow and concealed part of her face. They had made love in just about every room of his house that night, but managed to find their way into the bedroom. Ash resisted the urge to cover her with his body; to protect her from the demon’s sight.

     “I grow tired of your procrastination,” Shax said with a roll of his eyes. “I gave you a job to do and yet, here you are, not doing it.”

     “Why her?” Ash asked as he threw his legs over the side of the bed. “What has she ever done to deserve to die?”

     “I told you, she took the life of another,” Shax replied.

     Ash grabbed his pants off the floor and yanked them up his legs. “Out there,” he said, pointing to the door. “We aren’t going to wake her with this conversation.” He waited for Shax to turn and leave before following him out of the bedroom. Once they were in the kitchen, the demon turned to Ash.

     “She set fire to the home she lived in. Deliberately. Her brother was inside and he was killed in the blazing inferno that she ignited with her own hands. He was in the house and she knew it. She left the house while he was inside screaming for help. She watched him die.” The demon leaned back against the counter with a completely contented look on his face.

     “I don’t believe you,” Ash growled. “No way would she ever hurt a fly.”

     “Believe me or don’t,” Shax said. “But it’s your sister’s life that hangs in the balance. Would you really be so willing to sacrifice her for a woman you don’t know? For a woman that is guilty?”

     Images of Leanne flashed through Ash’s head. He saw her being held in the arms of the demon in front of him. He saw her being raped and murdered, over and over again, in still pictures that played like a strobe light in his mind.

     “Stop it!” Ash yelled, grabbing his head and shutting his eyes tightly, willing the images away. “I know what I have to do. Just give me the time I need to do it.”

     “There isn’t much time,” Shax told him. “You have three days. If by the end of three days the woman still breathes, then not only is our contract void and I own your soul, but I will collect your sister’s and the good doctor’s as well.”

     Ash didn’t say another word as he watched the demon disappear in a cloud of smoke. He left behind the heavy stink of sulfur in his wake. Ash’s nose and chest burned in its wake. The nose was from the demon stink. He had a feeling his chest was for a whole other reason.

     Three days. He had three days to come to terms with what he had to do.

     Or find a way out of it.

     Ash walked quickly to his bedroom and peeked in the open door. Elizabeth was still sleeping soundly on his bed. He gently pulled the door to, but not closed. He wanted to hear her if she needed him. Then he took himself to his computer and turned it on.

     He opened Google and searched newspaper articles on a fire involving Elizabeth. At first, nothing was doing. He scrolled through page after page of arson charges and accidental fires. Then, after five pages, he found it.

     It was an article from twenty years earlier. Elizabeth was only a teenager at the time the home she lived in caught fire under suspicious circumstances. He read on, only to find that the reporter mentioned that Elizabeth tried to resuscitate another child from the home. The article didn’t give much other information though.

     Ash returned to his search page and scrolled through the list a bit more. He didn’t find any other information about the fire, so he logged into the city’s database. He found record of the fire, but not anything he hadn’t already read.

     He knew he was going to have to dig deeper. The article mentioned that Elizabeth and the other child were foster children, so he went to the county database for social services. It didn’t take him long to hack into the system and soon enough, he found her file.

     Elizabeth had been with several families over her childhood. She was removed from the home with the fire and the file stated that the family requested it. They believed Elizabeth was responsible for the blaze. There was an interview with her in the file so he opened it.

     After a long two hours, Ash was able to ascertain that even though she set the fire, it was never her intention to kill her brother. In fact, she had tried to save him.

     Ash closed his laptop and stretched backward in his chair. He could hear the shower running and knew that she was awake. He pushed out of the chair and went to make her some fresh coffee. He needed her to talk to him as she had needed information from him the night before.

     Just about the time the coffee pot stopped dripping, Elizabeth walked into the kitchen wearing a pair of his boxers. Ash felt his chest puff out in pride that she was wearing his clothes.

     She followed the direction of his eyes and blushed. “I hope you don’t mind, mine didn’t make it through the night.”

     Memories of the night before leaped into his mind, the image of her panties ripping away from her body being the most prominent. His cock jumped behind his fly. “No of course not,” he said as he willed his cock into submission. He needed to think clearly now, and the image of her wearing a tank top and his boxers was not helping in the least. “I made coffee.” Duh.

     “I can see that,” she said with a knowing smile. Damn her for knowing exactly the effect she had on him. “I hope you have cream.”

     “In spades,” he grinned at her.

     She rolled her eyes and helped herself to the coffee pot. She moved around his kitchen as if she belonged there. As he watched her move with confident grace, Ash realized that he wanted her to belong there. He wanted her to be a part of his life, and not a part that came and went just as easily as he changed pants. He wanted her to stay.

     But that wasn’t going to happen, was it? He was supposed to kill her. But how could he? Even if any part of what Shax said was true, Elizabeth wasn’t that girl anymore. She was a healer. He didn’t believe even for a minute that she had intended for her brother to die. It wasn’t fair for the demon to ask this of him.

     But who ever said demons were fair? He had made the deal, and now Shax owned his sorry ass. He had to do what he said or it would be Leanne that paid the price, and it would be with her soul. He hated that demon. Now more than ever.

     “Is everything all right?” Elizabeth asked cautiously. “You’re growling like an angry bear.”

     Ash shook himself out of his thoughts. “Yeah, uh, listen. We gotta talk.”

     “Oh no,” she said as she took a seat. “That’s never good. Here, let me do it for you. This thing between us, it’s been great, but after I get dressed it’s over.”

     Ash felt his brows tighten over his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said, “but what?”

     “You’re about to give me the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ speech. I’m saving you the trouble. It’s ok, Ash. I’m a big girl. I know how this works.” She studied her coffee cup while she spoke. “You don’t have to say it.”

     Ash shook his head. “Uh, ok, but that’s not what I was going to say.”

     “Oh?” she asked. “Well, what was it?”

     Ash sat across from her. “It’s about that demon I told you about,” he started.

     “The one you made a deal with,” she said.

     “Yeah,” he agreed. “It’s about something he wants me to do.”

     “Well, what is it?” she asked. “You only kill other demons, right?”

     Ash ran his hand through his hair. How the hell could he explain this to her? He didn’t want to say the words out loud, much less to her. “So far, yes. Our contract says that I can’t kill an innocent.”

     “He wants you to kill a human,” she said. Not a question.

     “Yeah,” he answered.

     “Is this human guilty of some unforgivable crime?” she asked, leaning in toward him.

     “He says murder,” Ash mumbled.

     “I see,” she said. “What are you going to do?”

     “I don’t know,” he answered. “I can’t hurt her. I won’t do it.”

     “So it’s a woman,” she said.

     “It’s so much worse than that,” Ash told her. He forced himself to look into her eyes. His stomach was twisted up in knots and felt like it was full of lead. He made note of the curious expression on her beautiful face; how the tiny lines at the corners of her eyes made her look like someone who laughed a lot, of how the tilt of her lips was adorable, how the hair brushed her forehead. He wanted to remember her like this. Unafraid of him. Because what he was about to say was going to change that forever. Finally, he found the courage inside of himself to be honest with her. “He wants me to kill you,” he finally said. And that is when her coffee cup hit the floor and shattered into a million pieces, sort of like his life.