by K. B. Draper
“Good. Good.” I sighed, cupping her face in my hands as my eyes filled with tears. “God, I missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” she said, her own eyes watering with the words. “I’m still mad at you, but I’m so glad you’re here.”
There were more words, more tears, more kisses. We finally broke apart to let the rest of the gang have their turn at me. Danny and my reunion involved some wet eyes, too. Mia was one long rib-crushing hug and a few choice words, colorful words. Michael and Nava were full of “thank you”s and “we’ll never be able to repay you”s. Apoc gave me his special slobbery greeting, despite the fact I’d just chatted with him a few days ago. But I took it, and I loved every sticky bit of it.
We finally sat, ordered drinks and food, and got caught up on the goings-on from the last few months. On their end that had consisted of the new dynamic duo, Danny and Issa, plus Mia taking over the demon hunter gig while I was predisposed and Norm took a little vacay. Not that there has been much demon action since the big day. But there continued to be the rogue escapees.
Despite that, Danny and Mia were starting to settle into a normal-ish relationship. Danny was splitting time between Mia’s place and the reservation; however, Mia was considering moving closer since she could work from anywhere. And as it turns out, Danny isn’t merely good at catching demons. In his downtime he’d started helping Mia on a couple of human asshole cases, and together they had made quick work of them.
Grand’s leg was healing, and Six has had another career change, this time to therapy dog, Every day they are taking afternoon strolls and subsequent naps alongside the river together. Michael and Nava were sharing custody of Apoc, but the blush in his reinstated angel’s cheeks told me that might not be the only thing they were sharing. Sammy and Ariel make routine visits, but had resumed their previous life, well not previous-previous life. They were still here on Earth doing the faux human thing, and apparently Ariel was prego. And that simple thought made me smile a little extra. Oh, and Loretta and Rex had been out on a few dates and things seemed to be going well. And then it was my turn.
I whitewashed a good bit and no big dealed the rest of it. I did, however, clarify the fact that I technically hadn’t killed Lucifer when I shattered the crystal blade in his chest. Sorry, not sorry. I’d simply released the essence of one of Apoc’s worlds, which then expanded and consumed him.
I might have taken a bit too much delight in describing Lucifer’s current digs, which consisted of everything being a varying shade of pink. Sky, walls, water, couch, fridge, birds, trees … you get the Pretty in Pink picture. He has one TV station which only plays Bachelorette reruns. One radio station that is All Celine all the time.
Foodwise we switch it up between tofu and pinto bean meatloaf that’s always burnt on the outside, cold on the inside, and soy bean burgers and one pack of soy sauce for his condiment. I gave him something on the dessert side of things: Oreos. Every flavor ever created. Only catch is all the creamy insides have already been licked out.
Oh, and all he has to wear is Hawaiian shirts, cheap plastic flip-flops, and linen pants for which he has no iron. They had questions of course—mainly about the Oreos and a few-one offs about linen pants, but mostly about if I hadn’t killed Lucifer where had I been all this time. So, fun fact: God still needs someone in charge of the flip side. They’re super-serious about the whole balance thing.
“I’m kind of the temporary devil until they find a permanent replacement,” I said. “They’re taking applications. Then they’ll do interviews and backgrounds and such.” To be honest, I wasn’t in a rush. It turns out I’m pretty okay with making sure real-deal bad people get their comeuppance. But for the born and bred demons, ones that hadn’t gotten a choice in the matter, I’d actually started an aqua-lava aerobics and a knitting club—you know, just to help them deal with their anger issues. Bingo night was a bust because the hell hounds kept eating the ink blotters and, well, one of the bingo callers, but … we’re still working with them.
“If you are here, who’s running the place now?” Mia asked.
I waved a hand. “Oh, I left an intern in charge. It’s fine.”
Eventually we broke up the party and headed out to the parking lot and toward Woody. Of course I hadn’t needed a car for this trip, or for any trip as of late, but I was glad to see that Danny had fixed the dents and dings and was using him to get around. I ran a hand down his faux woodgrain panels. “You want to—” Danny said, but I waved him off. “He’s in good hands. You keep him.” I turned to Ashlyn. “Do you have plans?”
“I do.”
“Right, of course you do. I’m sure they have you doing all kinds of miracles or—”
“Plans with you,” Ashlyn clarified, as she slid her hand into mine and leaned in to give my ear a playful nip. “Very prolonged, intense, punish you kind of plans.”
My heart lit off in my chest. “I have been bad. Kind of the epitome of bad. I mean I have the horns and tail to prove it.” Ashlyn took a step back. “Figuratively,” I said, pulling her back in.
She laughed. “Let’s get out of here.”
“I have just the place.”
“It’s magnificent,” Ashlyn whispered.
I pulled my eyes from the clifftop view of the lake. Our lake. “I’m glad you think so because I might have already bought it.”
Ashlyn spun on me. “You bought it? How?”
“This gig does come with a few fun perks.”
Ashlyn crossed her arms across her chest. Lucky little limbs. “Perks?”
“Deal making. I’m apparently very persuasive.” I double brow wiggled, pulling her in against me, making her arms wrap around me instead.
“When did you have time? When did you buy it?”
“Earlier today.”
She leaned back. “Awful confident I’d forgive you.”
“Not at all actually. I was just really, really hopeful. Worst case, I thought I’d give it to Michael and Nava for a place to raise Apoc if you didn’t want—”
“I want. I very much want.” She kissed me. “But what about Michael? Maybe they could find something nearby?”
“Good possibility since I bought this whole cliff side of the lake.” Ashlyn just blinked at me. “About a hundred and fifty acres. Give or take.”
“But there are houses. How did you?”
“Again, mad persuasive skills.” She cocked a concerned brow. “Fine, that and I paid them five times their value.” That got a raise of the other brow. “Right. I found Luci’s password to his bank account taped under his keyboard. Evil one, two, three, four.” I rolled my eyes.
Ashlyn turned to look at the lake and the moon’s reflection dancing on the tiny ripples of the dark water. “I’m still mad. More hurt really,” Ashlyn explained.
“I know. I just didn’t know another way. And after he …” I shook my head, clearing the image of Ashlyn dying in my arms. “I thought I lost you,” my voice cracked. “I … he—”
“Trust me love, I know. I woke up and Ariel told me what you had done. I …” She took my face into her hands, forcing me to meet her eyes. “All that matters now is I’m here. You’re here. We are all here because of you and what you did, what you sacrificed. It was stupid and reckless,” she waited until my lips turned up in a grin, “but it was selfless and I wouldn’t or shouldn’t have expected anything else from you.”
“Does that mean you forgive me?”
She slid her arms around my neck. “Always.”
It was me that leaned back this time around. “Cool, but um where do we stand on that whole punishing me thing? ‘Cause I mean I am kind of the devil and that’s my kink so I’m totally down—” She shut me up with a kiss.
“Do the walk again,” I begged, scooting my ass back against the tree at the edge of our makeshift bed of blankets and clothes.
Ashlyn shook her head. “One more time, and then we’re done.”
I took a long, blood-stirring up and down of the
real-life Victoria’s Secret model before me. “We are never ever going to be done,” I growled.
Ashlyn smiled as she spread her pearlescent white wings. “Never ever?” she asked as she placed her hands on her hips.
“Never, ever,” I confirmed, my pulse hammering at the sight of her and her matching white lacy lingerie.
She took five runway worthy steps to the edge of the blanket and leaned down to run a fingertip along my cheekbone, stopping on my lower lip. “This angel thing comes with an immortal clause. Never ever could be a really long time.”
I wrapped my hand around her wrist, pulling her on top of me. “Did you get the lowdown on the whole falling from grace thing? Because after what I have planned for you, you’re probably going to get kicked out.”
Ashlyn moved to straddle my hips, giving her own a roll to torture me. “I’m up for testing the limits.” She brought in her wings, curling them into her back.
I gave her a devilish grin. Literally. “Leave them out,” I growled, as I pulled her mouth to mine.
The
*holy freaking forever hell*
End.
About the Author
In 2008, K.B. Draper discovered a talent for storytelling after drinking a bottle of cheap wine at a Christmas Party. One of her equally intoxicated friends said, “You are so freak’n *burp* funny. You should write a book.” The idea stuck and so did a cocktail napkin (in an inappropriate place) but that’s a totally different story. After that, K.B. Draper taught herself to write; which was challenging because she was a bad student and an even worse teacher — but words started to make sentences, sentences made paragraphs and paragraphs eventually made a story, which came to be her first book, The U-Haul Diary.
K.B. Draper is not a classically trained writer, but she fakes it pretty okay and hopefully inspires a few chuckles along the way.
Books
The U-Haul Diary
The Kanyon and Daylen Series:
Close-up
Fade-out
Stand-in
Retake
The Demon Series:
Demons Shemons
Spirits Smirits
Hell’s Bells
www.kbdraper.com
