The Dark Paradise Trilogy Box Set

by Heather C. Myers

  Keirah wasn’t sure what that meant and didn’t want to speculate. Her eyes focused on the liquid. There was something off… and that was when she noticed it. The silvery liquid wasn’t liquid at all, but forms; transparent forms swimming around in the vortex in a counterclockwise direction. She couldn’t make out the color of their hair or eyes or skin, but she could guess at gender. They weren’t wearing any clothes, but they were in their human forms.

  “Are these… souls?”

  Hades nodded, his own eyes fixed firmly on the vortex. “Yes.” He looked back at Keirah before resuming his stance. “This is where Noir was. Before you showed up. Trapped in the Vortex. Swimming in a circle, condemned until he redeemed himself. His face was passive, his body unmoving. He didn’t care one way or the other that he was here. I’m sure you can see the other souls–in pain, in shock, scared and sad–but not Noir. He didn’t look anything, really, except… pensive.”

  Keirah smiled without thinking about it. “That sounds like him,” she said under her breath. A thought struck her. “Wait, so these are the souls that are being punished?”

  Hades nodded. “They are trapped in their own nightmare,” he explained. “Not in their own fears, per se, but in something that will motivate them to want to be better. Those that refuse automatically get sent to Hell. Those that agree are trapped here until their time is up. Sometimes I get to decide that, sometimes God gets to. It all depends.”

  “Noir…?”

  “Noir arrived not quite knowing where he was. It was clear as an Excom he wasn’t, nor did he have any desire to, redeem himself. I know it would be you. You were going to save him. That is why I chose to release him from his Vortex last night. So he could see you. So he knew you were real and that he was allowed to hope.”

  Keirah furrowed her brow. “You’re trying to save him?” No one thought Noir could be redeemed, not even Keirah. But Keirah was fine with it. Yet, Hades stood before her claiming otherwise?

  “No.” A pause. “Not save. I want to give him a new perspective. That even someone as helpless and angry and terrifying as him can feel hope. You are his hope, Miss Shepherd. You are his redemption.” Another pause. “He’ll never change. And when you die, he’ll be stuck here in Purgatory forever. But right now, in this moment, he needs you.” Finally, he turned to look at Keirah. “Do you see that, Miss Shepherd?” He pointed upwards, to a staircase. Keirah hadn’t even noticed it before, but she nodded her head. “That is the exit back to earth. It will take you exactly where you were before arriving here. Before you get any notion of trying to reach the staircase on your own, keep in mind you will get nowhere near it without my presence. It simply will not let you.”

  “Why are you showing me this?” Keirah asked, keeping her eyes fixed on the staircase. She studied it, hoping to get a clue on how it worked and how she could use it to her advantage.

  “Because I am going to agree to let you leave with Noir, Miss Shepherd,” Hades told her. “But there’s a catch.”

  31

  How long had it been now? Though it felt like one of the longest weeks of Andie’s life, in actuality, only two days had passed since she had left the manor and moved into the guesthouse. The Phillip Guesthouse was located across the street from the manor. It was substantially smaller, of course, but it had two stories, three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a large kitchen, a larger living room, and a game room filled with two billiard tables, air hockey, foosball ball, and a jukebox. Originally, Andie had left the manor with only the clothes on her back, but there were times when she knew Jack wouldn’t be home, and as a result, went over and slowly started to collect the things she needed. She had only been over there twice, but she managed to avoid Beverly. Andie made it a point to take only what she needed, so the guesthouse only had six pairs of clothes, her laptop, and some of her DVDs.

  What Andie wasn’t exactly expecting was just how lonely she was. She knew that she had made the right decision, that she really did need space to move past what Jack had done despite it being indirect, but she found it even harder to fall asleep. The nights were probably the longest because she wasn’t there when Jack left as the Black Wing, and she wouldn’t be there when he returned – if he returned.

  But no. Andie forced the negative thought out of her head.

  All she knew was that she couldn’t sleep without him lying next to her, and the three or four hours she managed to catch weren’t fulfilling in the least. She would wake up looking absolutely horrible and all but fall asleep at work. Despite the fact that Lorraine didn’t know the details of what transpired between both Andie and Jack, she could definitely tell something had affected Andie because she looked… well, horrible.

  Currently, her boss was in her office, nursing her second glass of milk like it was a bottle of beer and staring blankly at the computer screen doing absolutely nothing that interested her. Lorraine shook her head. It was a sad sight. Maybe she was still sick…? But no, this had to do with her feelings. Lorraine could tell by looking in Andie’s eyes. What had happened? The personal assistant didn’t know.

  The phone rang, breaking Lorraine from any and all speculation. “Shepherd Animal Sanctuary,” she answered almost automatically. “How may I help you?”

  “Lorraine?” the familiar voice on the other end inquired. “Hey, it’s Melinda. Is Andie busy?”

  “Hey Melinda,” Lorraine said with a grin. “No, I’ll patch you through.” For a moment, Andie’s personal assistant put Melinda on hold, and after informing her boss of who was on the line, transferred her.

  “Andie?” Melinda asked after the young woman mumbled a greeting. “Is that really you? Okay, what, exactly, happened between you and Jack because I’m going to be honest, the man is… well, I’m sure you know how infuriating he can be.”

  “What makes you think Jack’s attitude has anything to do with me?” Andie asked, raising a brow, though she had to admit that what Melinda had said had certainly piqued her interest.

  “Oh, don’t even give me that,” Melinda chided. “He’s out at lunch right now, which is why I’m speaking so freely. But for a moment, cut the crap for like one second and tell me the truth. His attitude always has to do with you. When he’s getting some, I actually notice him smiling. When you guys are fighting, he’s just…” She let her voice trail off. “Angry.” She paused, before conceding her point. “But then again, Jack’s always been the quiet, brooding type of guy. How did you end up with him again?”

  Andie chuckled, the feeling of happiness suddenly foreign to her. “We had a fight, Melinda,” she murmured. “Now, this is just between you and me. When I needed him the most, to be at a meeting with Lucas Burr which ended… badly, he was with Vanessa, talking about that stupid party. My sanctuary’s party.”

  “No,” Melinda said, completely in shock. “Oh my God, Andie, I am so sorry.” She frowned, though Andie couldn’t see it. “What a dick. No offense or anything. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’ve been living in the guesthouse for the past couple of days,” Andie explained.

  “Oh my God, And, you moved out?” Melinda asked, her voice laced with concern. “I mean, I know what Jack did was absolutely the lowest of the low, but you’re not breaking up, are you?”

  “I don’t think so, Melinda, but to be honest, I’m not sure,” Andie admitted, closing her eyes as she pinched the bridge of her nose between her index finger and thumb. “I mean, I thought me and Jack would be able to work out anything together, but… It just really hurts. I never really expected something like this from him, you know?”

  “Yeah,” Melinda agreed, nodding a couple of times. “Are you okay? Do you want me to come over tonight? We can watch American Psycho and oogle Christian Bale’s delectable ass.”

  “As tempting as that sounds,” Andie said with a small smile, “I’m going to have to refuse. I just kind of want to be alone, you know?”

  “Of course,” Melinda agreed. “Hey, don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re st
ill coming to my bachelorette party, right? I mean, I totally understand if you’re not, but I really hope you will.”

  “Of course I’m still going to your bachelorette party,” Andie said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Like I’d ever refuse a trip to Disneyland.”

  “I’m glad,” Melinda told Andie warmly. “Hey, And, I gotta go. A certain appendage just walked back in for lunch. I hope the two of you work everything out, because, let me tell you, it’s really hard to deal with him when he’s so… cranky.”

  “All right, I’ll see you this weekend,” Andie agreed. “And thanks for talking to me.”

  When she had hung up the phone, Andie sighed and leaned back in her chair. Before she realized it, she was dozing lightly in her office.

  Unbeknownst to Andie, Jack felt just as empty as she did. As Black Wing, he would look over the guesthouse for long portions of time, camouflaged by the black night. He did it primarily to look after her; it made him feel better (albeit slightly) to watch out for her safety, to know that even though he wasn’t around, that she was safe, but mostly he did it because it brought him closer to her without overstepping his boundaries. He hated this – absolutely detested this separation. But he would endure it if it meant that she would come back to him. He would do anything, really, if it meant that she would come back to him. He hadn’t seen her, smelled her, touched her in two days.

  It was absolute hell.

  Jack didn’t realize just how much he needed Andie until the moment she walked out of his life.

  Would she come back?

  He wouldn’t even allow himself to think that there was even a possibility she wouldn’t.

  In fact, he tried not to dwell on it. A new criminal had begun to terrorize the streets of Onyx. He called himself the Tracker, notorious for slipping into heavily-secured buildings, finding people who put all their money into not being found, and escaping from things that were labeled ‘escape proof.’ Jack had Beverly running checks on different people, but there was still unresolved tension between the two. And Jack was certain that she would sneak over to the guesthouse and give Andie leftovers of dinner and whatnot. He managed to get her to speak on how Andie was doing, but she remained firm that if Jack wanted to know so badly, he should go over and ask her himself.

  But Jack was just as stubborn as Andie. And, to be honest, Jack didn’t want to go until he knew exactly what he was going to say, and what he was going to do to make it up to her.

  He couldn’t sleep well without her either, and what troubled him the most was knowing that she was right across the street, yet he could not go to her. So Jack tided himself over by spending a long portion of the night perched outside the guesthouse where she was surely sleeping. He might not be able to go in there and hold her like he was accustomed to doing, but certainly he could be as near to her as possible, making sure that she was safe and thinking about what he could possibly do to make her come back to him.

  Andie wasn’t sure if she was still invited to Jack’s pool party. She had thought about calling him to discuss it, but her pride wouldn’t let her pick up that cell phone, nor would it allow her to dial his number. What should she do, then? Should she not go? But if she didn’t go and was expected to, the press might catch wind of their little fight. But if she did go and she was turned away at the door, that meant that Jack was either really mad and didn’t want to see her, or something much worse. And would Jack show up to one of his own events dateless? He had in the past, hadn’t he? Only the Halloween party, which took place at his own manor last year, she realized. This party might be too important for him to show up without somebody else.

  And he didn’t call her to ask her to go in the past week either.

  So Andie reasoned Jack had one of two options. Either he took a date–whether that was some movie star or somebody he knew nothing would happen with, which was beyond Andie’s reasoning–or he went dateless.

  What about Vanessa? a voice inquired. What if he went with her since it’s supposed to be her investment in the first place for this party?

  “It’ll break my heart,” Andie murmured quietly to herself, as she studied her reflection in the mirror. At that moment, Andie knew she had to make a decision. If Jack does, in fact, go with Vanessa to his party as his date, then she would end things with him. The only reason she moved into the guesthouse was because she needed space, not because she had any intentions of breaking up with him. But if he saw her move as the beginning of a break up… well, then that’s what it would be.

  Andie decided to go with a vintage style one-piece bathing suit. It was a navy blue color with white polka dots with halter-style red straps. The bust was ruched with a red tie, showcasing Andie’s chest in a tasteful way. She pulled her hair over her left shoulder in order to braid it as best as she could when she realized that her hair now had to stay that way lest she want it to look unkempt. It didn’t bother her, nor did it bother her when she realized she had left the majority of her makeup back at the manor. Oh well. It wasn’t like she was going to wear that much makeup anyways. It was a pool party, for goodness’ sake. She debated for a long moment whether or not to wear heels or sandals, but she realized that if she chose the former, it might look a little odd, and it wasn’t like she was trying to win a beauty pageant or anything. So matching flip flops it was.

  Once Andie was completely lathered in sunscreen, she was ready to go.

  She showed up to the party a half an hour late, but she was sure no one would notice. If anything, Jack probably wouldn’t show up until much later to maintain his superficial playboy billionaire reputation the richies actually took seriously.

  “Fancy seeing you here,” a familiar dry tone said from behind her. Andie beamed and spun around, happy to find one person she knew at such an event. “Are you all right, Miss Shepherd?”

  “I’m okay, Beverly” she assured her, though her words sounded weak, even to Andie’s own ears. She ignored the paparazzi who seemed to have some sort of fascination taking her picture speaking to Jack’s aunt. It was then that she was glad she had wrapped that short, white sarong around her waist before leaving. “Just doing the best I can.” She paused, desire to learn about him overriding her pride, at least this time. “And him? How’s he doing?”

  “How he’s always doing when you’re gone for a portion of time,” Beverly told her, with a slight undertone of how this was supposed to be the most obvious thing in the world. “He’s cranky. He crawls over Onyx as an even meaner version of Black Wing, taking his frustration out on the criminals he encounters. He doesn’t sleep because he can’t. He’s snippy at work. I swear, Miss Shepherd, if he hadn’t trusted me with the keys to his vast assortment of liquor, I’m sure he’d be long gone in some drunken stupor.”

  “If I drank, I’d probably feel the same,” Andie murmured, trying to search for Jack.

  “Are you coming home soon?” Beverly asked, trying to keep the hopeful inflection out of her voice and failing miserably.

  Andie shrugged, returning her gaze to the woman in front of her. “It depends,” she began, but someone seemed to have cut her off by clearing their throat. When Beverly saw who it was, she nodded courteously towards Andie, but scuttled off in hopes to find her ward.

  “Andie,” the voice said, and when Andie cocked her head to the side, she caught eyes with Vanessa. Vanessa, as usual, looked absolutely beautiful. She was wearing a silky two piece, leaving almost nothing to the imagination, but she had the body to pull it off. Her red hair was in a fashionably high ponytail, and she was wearing some makeup. “To be frank, I’m surprised you showed up.”

  Andie immediately narrowed her eyes at the tone Vanessa was using, and she crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh?” she asked. “And why is that, since it’s my company you’re planning to invest in.”

  “Let’s face it, Andie,” Vanessa said, shrugging her shoulders slightly. “I mean, look at you and look at me. It would behoove Jack to be with someone who has timele
ss looks compared to the girl-next-door. I mean, really. The fact that you’re strawberry blonde just adds to this poor man’s version of me theory I have. I’m sure it’s been fun between you two. Jack really likes you – even I can see it. But this whole relationship thing isn’t going to work, especially with me back in the picture.”

  The last phrase caught Andie off-guard and she blinked a few times, trying to figure out if she heard Vanessa correctly. “I’m sorry, I think I misunderstood you,” she mumbled before cocking her head to the side and raising her brows, indicating for Vanessa to please go on.

  “I’m back in the picture,” she said, as though it was obvious. “What, Andie? Just because Jack Phillip asks you to move in with him doesn’t mean loves you! You can’t possibly believe that! He chose one of you normal people in order to earn the public’s trust. I mean, even I like you when I don’t want to. The public adores you, and because you’re affiliated with the brooding billionaire, they love him too. But he doesn’t love you. What we had back in college doesn’t just disappear. We’re still in love, Andie. I’m sorry you didn’t realize it until just now, but I think it’s time for you to leave.”

  Ever since Jack got there–dateless (unless, of course, his aunt counted as a date)–he had been searching for Andie, hoping she would come. It took him twenty minutes before his eyes caught sight of her familiar red hair, pulled into a braid that cradled her shoulder. She looked… Well, how she always looked… Was she talking to… Vanessa? Jack narrowed his jade green eyes and nearly choked on his dry martini. What in the hell could they possibly be talking about?

  He started to walk over to them when he watched as Andie took a couple of steps back before turning around and heading for the exit. Jack wanted to go after her, to make sure she was all right, but something inside of him told him to confront Vanessa about what, exactly, she had said.