Authors: Alicia Dean
Soul Seducer
Soul Seducer
by
Alicia Dean
~*~
ShadowSpell
Publishing
~*~
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Soul Seducer – 2014 re-release of 2012 novel.
COPYRIGHT © 2012 by Alicia Dean
ShadowSpell Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Published in the United States of America
Cover Art by
Steven Novak ~
http://novakillustration.com/
To my mother. Thank you for the encouragement you’ve given me—for the unconditional love you show your family—and for your caring, selfless nature. I love you so much.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my friends and family for your support, my OKRWA and HERA groups, my critique partners, Natasha, Janet, Betty, Christy, Sheila and Kelly. I’d also like to thank Winona for her guidance on the nursing details—I had no idea where to even start. Thank you, R.T. Wolfe, for your beta read. And thank you Claire Ashgrove—a talented author, my friend, critique partner and sometimes editor. You totally rock.
About Soul Seducer:
She spent her entire life fighting death. Now she’s falling in love with him…
Audra Grayson became a nurse in order to help save lives. But one night after a brutal beating, she almost loses her own. The near-death experience opens a door between the world of the living and the world beyond. Two Grim Reapers invade her life. One is charming, with the angelic blonde looks of a saint and the black soul of a psychopath. The other is dark, dangerously attractive and, in spite of her distaste for his reaper duties, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to him.
When Audra's patients begin to die unexpectedly and her loved ones are threatened, she will risk her life—even her soul—to save them. But can she risk her heart to an inhuman being whose very purpose is to take those she is trying to save?
*** Warning: Explicit language, sexual content, and graphic violence ***
Table of Contents:
Gravel and blood filled Audra Grayson’s mouth, but she’d long ago lost the strength to spit it out. Cold night air blew against her back where her blouse had been ripped. Her wrist was broken, as were a couple of ribs. The men hadn’t used weapons, but there were three of them, and she was only one woman. They hadn’t needed weapons.
At the beginning of the beating, they’d hurled curses at her.
Take that, bitch...that’ll teach you to mind your own business, whore
, each profanity emphasized by grunts as they’d punched and kicked her. Her first thought had been for Maria, the victim of domestic violence she’d come here to meet, the frightened mother who needed her. Where was Maria? Had they killed her?
Audra braced for the next blow, praying they wouldn’t jerk her to her feet again. That hurt the most, the movement like a thousand knives slashing into muscle and tendon, ripping her to shreds.
When silence stretched and nothing happened, she was at first elated, then terrified. Were they going after weapons?
Dear God
. A whimper started in her throat, but she was too weak to release it.
Dimly, she became aware of pounding feet. A new voice, filled with rage and shock, penetrated her pain and confusion. “Hey, what the hell are you doing?”
“Shit! Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
The sound of retreating footsteps echoed in the alley.
“Is she alive?” This man’s voice was different. Not harsh and menacing like her tormentors’.
Hands touched her body—gently this time.
“Call 9-1-1.”
Audra opened one eye—the one that wasn’t swollen shut—to look at the man kneeling over her. He was middle-aged, wearing a brown coat with hair the same shade. Unfamiliar. He hadn’t been one of her attackers. Relief trickled through her, but it was soon overpowered by the agony screaming through her body.
“An ambulance is coming. Is she breathing?” The owner of this voice remained beyond her limited vision.
“Yeah. She’s alive, but God knows how.” Another gentle touch, on the tip of her shoulder, as if he was afraid to touch her anywhere else. “Hang in there, lady. Help is on the way.”
She turned her head slightly, trying to see her other savior. All she could make out was a silhouette behind the kneeling man.
Movement ten feet away, at the mouth of the alley, caught her attention. Two men. Not close enough for her to see, yet she could see them clearly. How could that be? Even though she couldn’t lift her head, couldn’t actually
see
them, their images played out in her mind. One man was tall, handsome, the streetlights making his golden hair glow like an angel’s. The man next to him had dark hair and wore a leather jacket.
The angel smiled, but the other man scowled as he stared at her, his chest rising and falling with ragged breaths. His eyes were an odd shade of blue, reminding her of something… Yes. She remembered. The Caribbean. Standing on the boat, looking out over the water, marveling at the many colors of the ocean. The most vivid, startling blue had been the one on the horizon, just below the setting sun. His eyes were that same hue.
“She’s mine,” the blond said.
“Like hell she is,” the dark one growled.
“You think you’re going to take her?”
“You can’t have her. I got here first.”
Audra frowned. Surely, she was hallucinating. At this distance, in the state she was in, how could she see and hear the two strangers so clearly? And what were they talking about? Take her where?
The man leaning over her seemed unaware of the figures in the background. His attention was focused on her, until the wail of sirens split the night.
He looked over his shoulder, then back down. “They’re here. You’ll to be fine.”
She wished she could share his optimism, but she was an RN. She knew she was in a bad way. She’d probably have known, even if she hadn’t been a nurse. There was nowhere on her body that didn’t scream with agony.
Beyond her rescuer, the blond man started toward her, but his companion shot out a hand, gripping his arm. “I said you can’t have her.”
The blond halted. His angelic features took on an expression of fury.
Were they Heaven and Hell, battling for her soul?
If so, she didn’t care who won the battle, as long as they made the pain stop.
Audra opened her eyes and turned her head, sending a sharp pain through her jaw. She swallowed and briefly squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back nausea. When it eased, she once more moved her head, taking in her surroundings.
Machines beeped next to the bed. An array of vases holding flowers rested on the windowsill. A border patterned with brightly colored seashells ran along the wall. She was in St. Anne’s, the hospital where she worked.
Outside the window, a light smatter of rain fell in a dusky sky. Evening then, but what day? Why was she in the hospital? She drew her gaze away, to the opposite side of the room. Her friend, Riley Sullivan, sat next to the bed, head bowed.
“Hey.” Audra made a croaking sound, but wasn’t sure if the word actually formed into something coherent. That little bit made her entire face hurt, so she didn’t attempt anything further.
Riley lifted her tear-streaked face. “Hey, back,” she said. “How you feeling?”
“Hurting. Wha’ happened?”
Riley shook her head, her silvery hair shimmering like a disco curtain. She opened her mouth as if to answer, then clamped it shut, turning to look over her shoulder.
Audra heard what Riley must have heard. Someone coming into the room. With difficulty, unsure why such a small thing should take so much effort, she lifted her head.
Dr. Jaxon Maroney, her ex-husband and lifelong friend, stood just inside the room, clipboard in hand.
“Hey,” Audra said, the only word she could manage.
“Hi. How are you?” Jaxon moved to her bed. Riley scooted back to give him room.
“Feel…funny.” Audra struggled to speak. “Wha’ happen’?”
“You don’t remember?” Jaxon smiled, but worry hovered in his soft brown eyes.
She scowled, trying to recall. Nothing. She shook her head. The motion sent a shock wave of agony through her face. She held her breath until it subsided.
He stared down at her, his expression solemn, the perpetual dimples disappearing. “You don’t remember the attack?”
Her scowl deepened. “Attack?” The memories started crowding in, along with the fear. “Maria. Needed help.” She wasn’t sure how many of the words actually came across. Her mouth was numb, dry, not operating properly. “They...they...” The fear intensified. She remembered it all. Arms grabbing her from behind. Dragging her into the alley. Three men, maybe four. “Oh, God. They beat me. Why?”
“Shhh. It’s okay,” Jaxon soothed. “You’re safe now.”
“When did—” She frowned. She had no idea how long she’d been here.
Riley came closer to the bed, taking Audra’s hand in hers. “It happened last night. I’ve been here since, waiting for you to wake up.”
“Sadie?”
Sadie was Riley’s five-year-old daughter. She’d never been away from her mother for this long.
“Brent is taking care of her. I didn’t want her to see—” Riley broke off, but Audra knew what she was going to say. She didn’t want Sadie to see Audra like this. She would be frightened. The way Audra’s face felt, she could only imagine what it must look like.
“Where’s Maria?”
Jaxon looked at her questioningly. “Maria Bellafonte?”
Audra nodded, slowly, painfully. “Scott was…out of his mind. Where...is she?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. She was nowhere around when they found you.”
Her stomach knotted with worry. “Got her. Maybe...killed her.”
“Was Scott one of the men?” His jaw clenched.
Scott and Maria were frequent visitors at the hospital. Maria as a result of the beatings Scott administered, and Scott from one altercation or another—a knife fight, a drunken brawl, an equally drunken fall from one of the roofs he repaired on the rare occasions he held down a job.
“Not Scott,” she told Jaxon. She hadn’t recognized any of her attackers. They’d caught her unaware. It had been dark. The beating started before she could make out anyone’s features. But she’d have known if one of them had been him.
“Then maybe it had nothing to do with Maria?” Jaxon said. “Maybe she’s safe and you’re worrying about her for nothing.”
The pain was swelling, coming on full force. Her ribs had gone from aching, to a piercing pain that nearly cut off her breath. Her face was no longer numb but had started tingling with unbearable sensation. She sucked in a breath.
“The pain’s coming back, isn’t it?” Jaxon asked, frowning.
She managed a nod.
Riley patted her hand. “We’ll get you something for it, sweetie.”
“I’ll be right back,” Jaxon promised.
Audra watched him leave and caught a glimpse of two men—one blond, one dark—hovering in the hallway. As quick as the flash came, it was gone. One second the men were there, then they weren’t. She recognized them, though. The men from the hallucination she had while waiting for the ambulance. Why would the same hallucination return now?
A disquieting sensation filtered through her soul. Not a hallucination. They were real. She knew they were.
“Just hold on,” Riley soothed. “Jaxon will be back with something for the pain.”
Audra nodded, not telling her it wasn’t the pain that was causing her consternation, but rather bewilderment and an abiding fear that something in her world wasn’t right.
“I’m okay.” Audra paused to cringe as a shaft of pain ripped through her mid-section. “Tell police. Maria…”
“Shane’s waiting outside, so you’ll have a chance to tell him yourself, but here’s an idea. Why don’t you worry about
you
right now? Maria’s been with that asshole for ten years. She knew the risks.”
“Doesn’t deserve—”
“Please. Don’t try to talk,” Riley interrupted. “You need to save your strength. I didn’t mean she deserved to get hurt. I’m just saying that she’s not the one in the hospital right now. Let’s focus on getting you well, then we’ll worry about Maria.”
Audra didn’t reply, but she thought maybe Maria wasn’t in the hospital right now because, instead, she was dead.
Before that unsettling thought could take hold, Jaxon reappeared, administering pain medications into her IV.
“This will make you sleep. The police are waiting to speak with you, but I’ll tell them you’ll talk when you wake, okay?”
She nodded, already feeling her limbs and mind relax. In seconds, the room faded away, and she drifted into oblivion.
~*~
Some hours later, Audra pulled her eyes open to find Riley and Shane Dunham standing next to her bed. She’d gone to school with Shane. He’d moved away right after high school, but had returned a year ago and was now sheriff of Boon Springs. They’d dated in high school, but Jaxon and a lot of years had come and gone since that time.
“Audra, you feel up to answering a few questions?” Shane asked.
She managed a nod. Shane’s deep brown eyes held concern, although he smiled reassuringly. Sprinkles of grey dotted his dark hair and character lines creased his tanned face.
“I don’t think she’s up to it, Shane,” Riley said. “She can barely talk.”
“I’ll be brief.” His tone was gentle. “The sooner I can get information, the sooner I can run these assholes down.”
“S’okay.” Audra made herself smile at Riley. “I’ll talk.” She didn’t want to do it, but she wanted it done. She wanted the assholes found.
Riley sighed reluctantly and moved to one side so Shane could take her place.
“Try to answer the best you can. Just nod or shake your head on the yes or no questions, okay?” He pulled out a notepad and pen. “Did you recognize your attackers?”
She shook her head.
“Did they say anything to give you a clue as to who they were?”
Audra swallowed painfully. “Water.”
Riley picked up a cup from the tray next to her bed and put the straw to Audra’s lips. Audra sipped, then lay back against the pillows. “Nothing. I was...meeting Maria. Laundromat. They grabbed me.” She sucked in a breath. “Dragged me...alley.” Panic swam in her chest as she recalled the terror, the pain. “Beating. Hitting. Kicking.”
Riley moved closer and placed a comforting hand over Audra’s.
“How many were there?” Shane asked. “Don’t try to talk, just lift up the number of fingers.”
Her head was woozy. Her hand felt disconnected from her body as she lifted it and held up three fingers, then four.
“So, it was three, maybe four?” At her nod, he continued. “Is there anything you can tell me about them? Anything familiar at all?”
She thought for a moment, then shook her head again.
“Did they threaten you? Tell you why they were doing it? Did they take anything, like your purse? Money? Jewelry?”
“Geez, Shane. Slow down,” Riley admonished. “Give her time.”
“Right. Sorry.” Shane gentled his voice. “Just answer as succinctly as you can. If you don’t know, shake your head. Only speak if you have information for me.”
“Didn’t take anything.”
“Did they give you any clue why they attacked you?”
Audra started to give him another headshake, then remembered something. A very small something, but it was something. “Said I should learn to...” she drew in a breath before continuing, “...mind my own...business.”
Shane scowled. “Did that mean anything to you? Do you know what they were referring to?”
Audra thought about Maria. Her husband would damn sure think Audra should mind her own business. But Scott hadn’t been one of the men. She was sure he’d
like
to beat the shit out of her, but it hadn’t been him.
“No.” She lifted her pleading gaze to Shane. “Check on Maria.”
“You think she had something to do with this?”
Audra frowned in irritation. “Hurt. Could be hurt.”
“Okay. Sure. We’ll check on Maria. If you were going to meet her, she might know something about what happened. I’ll go talk to her when I leave.”
Audra sighed wearily. She was worn out and hurting all over.
“Do you know the men who came to your rescue?” Shane asked. When she shook her head, he said, “I spoke with them. They’re not from here. They were heading back to their hotel room when they heard the men shouting, cursing at you. When they ran into the alley, the assailants fled.”
“Tell ’em...thank you.” The words seemed so insignificant. Those men had likely saved her life.
“I will.” Shane flipped his notepad shut. “I’ll let you get some rest while I check a few things out. I’ll be back to talk to you in a few days, okay?”
He patted her hand and left.
“They’ll be in soon with your pain meds.” Riley moved back to her bedside. “Are you feeling any better at all?”
Audra thought about the rundown Jaxon had given her on her injuries. Her ulna was fractured, necessitating a wrist brace. She had several contusions, a couple of bruised ribs, and a dislocated knee. Nope. Not much better. She didn’t expect to feel better for a long while. For Riley’s benefit, she forced a smile and a nod. All in all, she was grateful. She could be dead. Probably would be if her rescuers hadn’t shown up and scared off the attackers.
“Yes, better,” she lied.
After a dose of pain meds, she drifted off and woke a while later, with Riley standing next to her bed.
“How you feeling?” Riley asked for the thousandth time.
“Better,” Audra said, although she wasn’t completely convinced of the fact. “Maria?”
Riley rolled her eyes. “Shane called. Maria was at home, unharmed. She claimed she knows nothing about what happened to you. Apparently, Scott was in jail last night. He’s still in jail.”
Audra nodded, relief sweeping through her. Maria was okay. At least for now, until her asshole husband was released from jail.
Riley turned and retrieved something from the nightstand next to the bed. She lifted a large pink Teddy Bear toward Audra.
“A volunteer brought this in. It was delivered downstairs. It’s cute, but the neck is ripped.”
“Too bad,” Audra replied sleepily. “Coulda given it...Sadie.”
“Yeah, too bad. She only has about a zillion stuffed animals as it is.”
Audra smiled.
“There’s a card.” Riley silently read the message. Her eyes widened, her face losing color.
“What?”
“Nothing.” Riley put the card behind her back, as if Audra would lunge from the bed and snatch it from her.
“Tell me.”
“We should call the police.”
Audra lifted a hand for the card. Reluctantly, Riley held it out to her.
Audra read the words, fear clutching at her heart as she realized, the bear’s neck wasn’t
accidentally
torn. His throat had been cut.
The words on the card confirmed the intended threat.
Next time, you die.
~*~
Three days after the attack, Audra lay in her hospital bed, somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, her limbs heavy, her body relaxed from the medication. Rain pelted her window, perfect background music for an early evening nap.
