She returned his playful smile. She couldn’t help it. The guys weren’t that fond of Ryan—an issue she’d fully resolve when she got the craziness of the wedding behind her and this year’s season filmed and in the can—but she liked him. His British accent and green eyes always made her smile, even when he aggravated the stuffing out of her.
Then again, she also knew one of his deepest secrets and could afford to be more generous toward him despite recent events.
“I know. I totally lost track of time working on that cover shot with Jeff for the new magazine.” She smacked her forehead. “Dang, I forgot my purse.”
Ryan leaned back in his chair and templed his fingers in front of him. “Where is it, love?”
“It’s under my desk in my office.”
He closed his eyes. Seconds later, her purse appeared in front of him on his desk. He opened his eyes. “Better?”
“You’re a lifesaver. Thank you!” She ran around the desk and gave him a quick hug, then snatched her purse off his desk and left to get the car he kept for her in the parking garage downstairs.
Ryan watched her go. He closed his eyes again and inhaled her sweet scent, which still lingered in the air like a dream.
* * * *
Kal had quickly learned juggling her public and secret lives wasn’t easy, but doable. It was a far easier adjustment than coming to grips with the fact that the Christian dogma she’d been raised on was total myth. She’d been the only child of Reverend Kenneth Martin, head shepherd of the First Columbus Evangelical Baptist Church of Christ. After graduating from Ohio State, she went to work for gO!Network, where she was assigned as producer to the Otherworlds show.
There she met Will Hellenboek, the handsome, brooding, unsmiling co-host of the show. Within the space of a month she’d been possessed by a wraith, deflowered by Will, taken as his soul mate to save her life and his, and was now engaged to him.
You’d never suspect her boss, Ryan Ausar, was really head of The Firm—the euphemistic name for the Underworld. In other words, the Devil, if you wanted to get technical about it.
More shocking to Kal was the fact that the whole “demons bad” memo was wrong. Demons, particularly the archdemons like Ryan, Will, and his cousin, Aidan Faust, protected the world from the bad things that wanted to break through from other realms and take over.
Let’s not forget that “Hell” was actually Atlanta, Ryan’s true base of operations, if you wanted to get technical.
Oy.
Ryan had arranged Kal’s job and the wraith possession to force Will back to The Firm. The only way to get him back was to make him take Kal as a soul mate.
And so here she was.
Heaven on earth in the arms of an archdemon.
Who’d a thunk?
If you’d told Kal what her life would be like a few months ago, she would have insisted you were crazy.
Now she was living a dream come true. Her very own happy ever after.
So what if she did it a little bass-ackwards with the wedding after the wedding night? No, her parents wouldn’t approve, much less believe her, if they knew the full truth.
That’s exactly why she wasn’t telling them.
Kal negotiated her way through Columbus traffic to find the florist. Kal’s mother would have a cow if she was late. Her parents thought the network flew her from Tampa to Columbus as necessary on a private jet. Will and Ryan had managed to put at least some of their differences in opinion behind them to get Kal back and forth, since she couldn’t do the disappearing trick without them. If Will was around he sometimes brought her up. If not, she could always call Ryan to bring her to him.
Kal wasn’t sure how it all worked. She didn’t want to know. At least they didn’t make Star Trek transporter jokes about it.
She was still willing to take a few things on faith, especially when not knowing the full story might be better for her peace of mind.
Kal made it with five minutes to spare. Her mother, Laura, anxiously paced in front of the entrance.
“There you are. I swear, cutting it close. Come on, honey.” Her mom grabbed her hand and dragged her inside.
At least Kal wasn’t late like she was last week. Ryan had to take her to the caterer’s himself, appearing with her in the alley behind the building so they wouldn’t be seen, then she had to call him when she finished to bring her back.
After an hour of sorting through roses and lilies and other flowers she really didn’t care about, Kal offered an opinion on something she didn’t hate and let her mother make the choice. Frankly, Kal had no opinion. She’d have been happy with eloping but her mother wouldn’t hear of it. With her handsome prince firmly by her side for all of eternity, Kal realized the wedding wasn’t important. When Kal fell in love with Will Hellenboek her need for a dream wedding had fallen by the wayside, along with her long-held religious dogma.
“Can you come over for dinner?” her mom asked. “I’ve got boneless ribs in the slow cooker.”
“Okay. I can’t stay late though.”
“That’s fine. Your father will be happy to see you.”
Kal followed her mom and made a quick phone call to Ryan to let him know the change in plans. Yes, he was head of the Underworld and had assured her he didn’t mind doing this for her. That was still no reason to be rude and keep him waiting.
And he was a sweetheart, all things considered.
Kal ended the call and drove, lost in thought again. Her father nearly had a coronary when she took the network job and moved to Tampa. He had tried everything short of abduction to make her return to Ohio. He insisted she should date Jeff Conrad, even though at the time she’d barely known Jeff.
Despite Kal and her mom finally discovering and using their backbones, he wouldn’t relent on the Jeff issue. During an Otherworlds shoot at an Ohio location, Kal and Will broke the news to her parents that they’d gotten engaged. To say her father was less than pleased would be… well, flat out wrong. He’d gone “nuke-u-lar,” as Becky would say. Kal’s father showed up with poor Jeff in tow the next night at the shoot, trying once again to force her into a relationship with him.
Geez, he was freaky about it.
Her father, not Jeff.
The “Ohio Shoot Incident,” as Kal thought of it, backfired when Jeff met Aidan and true love struck.
She’d have to remember to ask the guys if Cupid was a real guy, like Ryan’s dad, Hades.
Ryan had given her dad a gentle mental nudge to back off and accept her relationship with Will.
Ever since then, her father had been…
Almost normal. He’d even retired.
Kal pulled into the driveway behind her mom’s car and followed her inside. Her dad sat working a crossword puzzle at the kitchen table. She kissed him. “How are you, Daddy?”
He rubbed his forehead. He’d been doing that a lot over the past few months. “I’m okay, sweetheart. How are things in Florida?”
“They’re good.” Her mother wouldn’t let her help with dinner, wanted her to spend time with her dad. “We’re starting a new magazine to go with the show. It comes out next month.”
He nodded. “That’s good. Real good, sweetheart.”
His pleasant acceptance and well wishes unnerved her in a way. Until the night of the “Ohio Shoot Incident,” her father had been, literally, a fire and brimstone preacher. Ryan assured her he didn’t really do anything to him, just helped him accept her life as it was. She wasn’t sure that was the whole story.
It was also odd how, despite knowing her father had despised him, Will encouraged her to spend as much time as she could in Columbus with her parents. He was either the world’s best son-in-law-to-be, or maybe he knew something she didn’t.
“Are you having another headache, Daddy?”
He smiled and patted her hand. “Nothing bad. Just the usual.”
Her mom set the table. “Kenneth, you are going to the doctor whether you like it or not. I’m calling for an appointment tomor
row.”
“That’s not necessary. I told you, both my parents suffered migraines. I’m sure that’s all it is.”
“Daddy, if you’re in pain, why don’t you let the doctors take care of it?”
“You don’t need to spend your time worrying about me, sweetheart. Now tell me about your new magazine.”
That shocked her. He’d been against her working on the Otherworlds show once he found out it was all about hunting ghosts and other paranormal phenomenon. Until the “Ohio Shoot Incident.” Now he wasn’t against it, but he rarely asked her about her job.
“It’s…Jeff’s the editor.” Let’s see how that plays in Paducah.
Her father nodded. “That’s good. He’s very talented. I’m glad he’s happy working with you.”
She hadn’t broken the news to him yet that Aidan and Jeff were an item. That could wait.
Until Atlanta froze over.
In July.
She was simply happy her father seemed to finally accept Will Hellenboek would be his son-in-law.
* * * *
Kal stayed for an hour, had a nice visit. She’d be back in three days for another appointment with her mother regarding planning the wedding. They were trying to keep everything quiet so the paparazzi didn’t invade the ceremony, although Ryan had assured Kal he’d take care of that.
Why not? He was already performing the ceremony at Kal’s request. After all, he’d brought them together, how fitting for him to officiate. A Baptist minister’s daughter getting married by the Devil, in a church, to an archdemon.
Talk about irony.
She kissed her mom and dad good-bye before driving away. When she was a few blocks from their house, she turned onto a quiet side street and pulled over.
“Ryan, appareo.”
He appeared in the passenger seat. “Ah. All done, are we?”
She smiled. “Thank you for this. I really appreciate it.”
He patted her hand. “No problem, love. Anything, you know that.”
She leaned over and gave him a big hug. “I’m coming back in a couple of days.”
“Right. Just let me know when.”
“You sure you don’t mind driving the car back?”
“If I minded, I wouldn’t have said it was all right. Ready to go home? Or would you prefer the office?”
She glanced at her watch. “Office, I think.”
“Don’t forget your purse.”
She retrieved it from the back seat. “Thanks, Ry.”
“Close your eyes, love.” She did. He muttered something under his breath, his voice disappearing as she felt the shift.
After Ryan sent her back to Tampa, he closed his eyes and deeply inhaled. It was tempting to put his nose to the driver’s seat and sit there sniffing the upholstery all night.
With a sigh he got out, walked around the car to the driver’s door, and climbed back in. He winced when he banged his knee on the steering wheel—he’d forgotten to ask her to move the seat. The seat still felt warm from her body.
He tried not to let his mind drift in that direction as he drove to his office.
He would return home to Atlanta after taking the car to the garage. While he could easily transport it to the garage with his powers, it would be difficult to explain if someone witnessed him doing it.
He didn’t mind the drive. It allowed him more time with his thoughts and memories without any intrusions.
If only the world could be different.
Kal’s scent slowly faded from inside the car. Will knew, as did Aidan, that in her previous life, Kal had been Will’s murdered soul mate, Abby. Ryan hated doing that to them, but Will had been trying to die and all other attempts throughout the years to bring Will back to The Firm had failed.
Ryan couldn’t, however, tell them Abby had been his Chloe in a previous life.
Then he went and nearly blew it when he let it slip to Kal that Abby had been the reincarnation of his soul mate. He didn’t think she had put the pieces together yet. If he made a point of telling Aidan to keep his mouth shut about Chloe, that would almost guarantee the information slipping out. Frankly, Ryan was surprised Aidan hadn’t spilled the beans yet.
Perhaps he’d finally mastered that damn big mouth of his.
Traffic was light as he made it downtown and pulled into the parking garage. One last deep breath as the faintest traces of Kal’s scent still lingered.
He’d never deny he loved her still. In his heart, Kal was and would always be his soul mate, no matter who she was today. With her alive, even as a different person, he could never bring himself to love another.
But he would never admit it to anyone else. She was Will’s soul mate again, would be his wife. For the greater good, that’s the way it had to be.
As head of The Firm, Ryan couldn’t allow emotion, even his own, to blind him to the big picture. Ultimately, he was responsible for the safety of mankind.
Chapter 2
Kal opened her eyes in the office she shared with Aidan. Aidan wasn’t behind his desk. Kal stuck her head out the door to see who was still there. Jeff’s light was on. She walked down the hall and pushed his door all the way open. She found him hunched over his computer, the layout software open, working on the magazine.
“Hey, you okay?”
He nodded, then leaned back. His back audibly cracked. “Yeah, just double checking the proofs on this. I’m still catching stuff.”
She sat next to him. “We can go over this tomorrow. It’s late. You should get home.” He wasn’t living with Aidan—yet—but she knew they spent a lot of time together. The two men didn’t openly talk about their relationship with others, even though around their immediate “family” Aidan and Jeff engaged in small, innocent displays of affection like they had earlier.
“I’m not in a rush. He’s out with Will and the others on a shoot.”
“Oh, crap!” She clapped a hand over her mouth as Jeff laughed.
“You’re still not down with the whole swearing thing, are you?”
“I forgot about the shoot tonight!”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s an easy one, a private residence. Will called Cabrio in to help.”
She felt guilty about sloughing off her show duties. She had to get a better handle on this. “These wedding plans are driving me crazy. I wish I’d just eloped with him. This is nuts.”
“Be thankful at least we’re not eloping.”
She playfully shoved him. “Yeah, who knew your dad would take the news so well? I’m sorry my dad hounded you all those years.” Jeff had come out to his parents before moving to Tampa. They’d been surprisingly supportive considering Jeff’s father’s active role as deacon in Kal’s father’s church, and being Kal’s father’s long-time friend.
He shrugged. “Shocked the hell out of me.” He realized what he said, looked at her, and they both laughed.
Jeff had also accepted the news about Aidan’s true identity quite well. Once Ryan helped Aidan and Will prove it.
True love knows no bounds, Kal figured.
At least Jeff didn’t have to get possessed by a wraith and lose his virginity in the process to be inducted into the inner circle.
“You need a ride home?” Jeff asked.
“I suppose I do. Will brought me in this morning. I don’t want to interrupt him on a shoot.” Not to mention she didn’t want to bother Ryan again.
“How about we stop for a snack on the way? My treat. Give me ten minutes to finish here.”
* * * *
They stopped for ice cream on the way home and spent an hour laughing and talking. Kal really did like Jeff now that neither of them were resentfully avoiding parental involvement in their personal lives. Jeff was good for Aidan. Kal had seen a new sparkle in Aidan’s eye over the past few weeks as the men grew closer. She wasn’t sure what level their relationship had progressed to, but it was obvious the men cared deeply for each other.
Ryan had arranged an apartment for Jeff in Will’s condo
complex. Regardless of what Will, Aidan, Purson, and Geryon thought about Ryan, the very fact that Ryan didn’t bust Aidan’s balls, even playfully, over the request was more proof to Kal that there was a caring heart deeply hidden behind a lot of pain in Ryan’s soul.
Jeff walked her to her door and waited until she was safely inside. Kal turned on the lights and settled in bed in front of the TV, waiting for Will’s call. Around ten-thirty, he did.
“Did I wake you up?”
“I wasn’t asleep yet.”
“Did you have a good visit with your parents?”
“Yes. Mom’s going to make Daddy go see a doctor over his headaches. They’re getting worse.”
“That’s good. So what kind of flowers?” Did Will hesitate a moment? She couldn’t be sure.
“I don’t know. I’ll be honest, we looked at so many, I just narrowed it down and told Mom to choose. You know I hate that kind of stuff.” Kal groaned. “I wish we’d eloped.”
His warm, rolling laugh filled her with desire. “Too late now, honey. We’ll get through it. If you need my help, let me know.”
“Thanks.” She thought about it, finally said it. “I’m just glad you and Ryan put your differences aside for me. I think it’s sweet. That alone is a big stress off of me.”
“Anything for you, sweetheart,” Will murmured. “You know that. I’ll be home around five in the morning. Love you.”
She smiled. “Love you, too.” Kal settled in bed, knowing she wouldn’t sleep well without Will.
He popped in around two a.m. to check on her, found her asleep, the bedroom TV still on.
He smiled and leaned over, gently kissed her.
She murmured in her sleep and clutched his pillow tightly to her.
“I love you,” he whispered before disappearing back to the location.
Aidan looked up from the base set-up, tonight cramped quarters in the back of the larger cargo van. “How is she?”
“She fell asleep with the TV on.” He pulled his mind back to the job at hand. “You going to check on Jeff?”
Aidan smiled and shook his head. “We’re not quite there yet.”
“I thought you two were an item.”
Hell's Bells Page 2
