by Jessi Gage
Frantically, she began pulling books off the shelf blocking her closet door until she could reach the finger latch. It was stiff, but lifted with minimal protest. When the door swung inward on its uneven hinges, she released a relieved sigh.
By the daylight coming through the window, she could see inside the deep space under the sloped ceiling of the house’s eaves. The closet was bare and dusty. From this straight-on angle, she couldn’t spy the board along the closet’s right wall behind which she’d hidden her supplies. She reached an arm through the shelves, and her fingers came woefully short of her goal.
Bother. She’d have to wriggle through the bottom shelf of the bookcase to get inside.
Swiping several large volumes onto the floor, she got on her belly and inched herself in a most undignified fashion through the shelving and into her closet. Once inside, she paused to listen, but heard no indication the one downstairs was coming.
Hands working swiftly, she found the removable board she’d been delighted to discover as a child. Over the years, she’d hidden myriad treasures in the dark cubby. Her gut tingled with anticipation as she lifted the board away and slipped her hand inside to touch the velvet pouch holding her greatest treasure: the grimoire.
It was still here! Still hers. And Draonius’s. To the right of the grimoire was her stash of candles, each painstakingly handmade with dirt from fresh graves, and dried herbs that had taken her weeks to collect in secret, all tied up in a tablecloth, just as she’d left them. She pulled the bundle from the hidey hole and set the board back in place, recalling the last time she’d done so. Then, she’d had the pockets of her dress stuffed with a flint box she’d lifted from the kitchen and the dagger she would use to stop Joshua’s heart.
She swallowed a lump of regret and wriggled back through the bookcase. It was too bad she’d had to use Joshua so. She’d cared for him. But she’d loved Draonius, and the demon had more to offer her than her sweet accountant ever had.
There was no time to put the books back. Leaving a mess behind her, she rushed from her old room and pulled the door closed. A quick scavenge in her parents’ old bedroom turned up a brightly-colored sack in which she tossed her belongings. A few items of clothing littered the floor. She put those in the sack as well and arranged them to hide the things beneath.
“All right,” she called as she strode down the stairs. “I’m ready to go.” In truth, she still needed a means to light the candles and a sharp blade, but thanks to Jade’s memory, she knew a “match” and a kitchen knife would be readily available at Emmett’s house.
Her heart floating with optimism and her precious parcel tucked under her arm, she met her companion at the bottom of the stairs.
“Let’s roll,” he said, swinging his keys around one chubby finger.
“You bet,” she replied, grinning from ear to ear.
* * * *
The late afternoon sun warmed Emmett’s right arm as he rested it on the rolled-down window of the sweeper. Lady Antebellum blared from the radio. All around him the Green Mountain National Forest rose up like a majestic gem with so many facets and variations on the color it was named for that he always thought of it as the land of fifty shades of green. He’d never been to Ireland, but he defied it to boast more green than Windham County.
This time of year, late August, the green was just starting to yield to highlights of gold. In about a month, this same route would be overwhelmed with brilliant orange, yellow, and sienna, but there would still be pockets of deep forest green thanks to the pines.
Normally, Tuesdays and Wednesdays were a guilty pleasure. When he hopped up into the sweeper on those mornings with his thermos of coffee, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and Snicker’s bar, he couldn’t wait to take his leisurely drive through the winding streets and rural routes of the northwest quadrant of the county. Few things brought him more pleasure than working hard, driving a big truck, and taking in all the goings-on in the area. But his heart wasn’t in it today. All he’d been able to think about was getting back to Jade.
It was finally time. He was done sweeping and heading back to Dover to park the rig. Pretty soon, he would be seeing Jade and hearing about her day.
Had she and Nick found anything at the library that might explain her house being haunted? How was her grandmother doing? What was Jade wearing?
Probably something cute.
He wished she’d picked up when he’d called her cell a little while ago. He wasn’t worried about her since he’d gotten hold of Nick, who told him all was well, but he wished he could have heard her voice. Oh well. It wouldn’t be long now.
He peeled off of Route 100 onto Dorr Fitch road, which turned into Dover Hill Road. After pulling into Jack’s Truck Yard and Wash near the landfill, he did a quick maintenance check on the sweeper and then hopped in his Chevy. Fifteen minutes later, he was parked in his driveway, tossing a freshening strip in his mouth, and strolling in through the shop.
Nick was at the kitchen table typing away on his laptop, probably doing some schoolwork while he had down time. Emmett felt a twinge of guilt for dragging his buddy away from seminary, especially since it seemed there wasn’t anything he could do to help Jade.
“Hi, honey, I’m home,” he said, crowding Nick as if for a hug and a kiss.
“Ew, no thanks, man. I’m spoken for.” Nick leaned away from his fishy lips.
“What, no dinner on the table? Does a man have to do everything himself?” He flicked on the oven and pulled the casserole he’d prepared yesterday out of the fridge. The guys he worked with at Herald and Son always gave him a hard time for his “fancy dinners,” a.k.a., his mom’s simple casserole and Crock-Pot recipes, but they usually shut up about it when he invited them in to share the bounty.
“Where’s Jade?” he asked as he took the plastic wrap off the cold concoction of chicken sausage, wild rice, and celery.
“Upstairs, I think. She’s been pretty quiet this afternoon. I think she’s bummed we didn’t find anything useful today.”
“I’ll swing up and say hi. Then I’ll get dinner together.”
Cracking his knuckles in a habit that made Emmett wince, Nick got up from the table and offered his help. Emmett got him set up with some bagged spinach, tomatoes, and cucumbers and put him on salad duty before taking the stairs two at a time to see his girl.
On the left of the carpeted stairwell was a beige-painted wall where framed photos of his friends and family hung. Belatedly, he realized that in one of the pictures, he had his arm around Chelsea as they posed at the summit of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. It was high time he took that one down. Maybe he’d replace it with a picture of him and Jade.
The right side of the stairwell was a blank wall that ended even with the floor of his bedroom. There was no door on his room. Rather, the stairs emptied out into the middle of the long room with a banister surrounding the stairs so one didn’t stumble into the gaping hole in the floor. Straight ahead was the bed. Turning 180 degrees put you facing his personal office space, which held an Ikea desk with a Dell computer and scattered paperwork on top. But it wasn’t his office that drew his gaze as he crested the stairs.
It was the sleeping angel in his bed.
Jade was snuggled up under his navy-blue comforter with her silky hair fanned out on his pillow. Her face was peaceful and free from makeup so he could see the dusting of freckles on her cheeks. He wanted to cover them with kisses. And speaking of kisses, her lips were full and natural and slightly parted in an almost irresistible invitation.
But he resisted. Only because he didn’t want to wake her.
He should go help Nick with dinner, but he loved watching his girl sleep.
While he sat there, close enough for the warmth from her arm to tease his hip through his jeans, she turned onto her side and hugged his thigh. Her hand slid up the inside of his leg and came to rest just under his growing package. A sigh from her sweet lips fogged his skin through the denim.
He sucked a
breath, suddenly feeling like a perv.
Poor Jade was fast asleep and utterly innocent and he was drooling over her like a horn dog. He needed to get hold of himself. She was hot for sure, but she was also smart, brave, honest, and fun. She deserved his utmost respect, especially while dealing with something that probably made her feel vulnerable.
As tempted as he was to climb under the blankets with her, and wake her with kisses, he forced himself to trudge back to the kitchen.
He’d wake her with a kiss, all right, but only when it was time for dinner. And it would be no more than a kiss. He’d behaved for years with Chelsea. He could do this thing with Jade.
Except his heart had never beat quite this hard at the sight of Chelsea after a long day at work, and his dick had never surged to full attention at an innocent touch from Chelsea. Or anyone else, for that matter. Only Jade.
He was in trouble with a capital T.
* * * *
Mercy smiled to herself as she heard Emmett coming up the stairs for the second time that evening. He was no doubt planning to wake her for dinner, judging by the mouthwatering scents of cooking meat and vegetables drifting up the stairs.
When he had come up an hour earlier, she had feigned sleep, hoping to entice him with her pouty lips and exposed neck. She would have liked him to crawl in bed with her, where she could give him a sample of the delights that awaited him in her arms. But he hadn’t taken the bait.
He had thought about it, though. She’d known from the change in his breathing he had become aroused when she’d cuddled up to his leg.
He would be hers. Tonight. And then she would give his flesh to Draonius. They would finally be free!
But first, she had to get rid of the friend.
As the approaching footsteps reached the top of the stairs, she arched her back to ease the bedcovers down below her breasts. She’d worn nothing but a thin white camisole and matching “panties” to bed, knowing the material showed the shadow of her areolas and the dark hair at the juncture of her thighs. It was the sight of her breasts straining at the fabric she counted on now to tease Emmett all through dinner. That way, when she suggested Emmett’s friend return to his school this evening rather than make another futile attempt to find Draonius at her old house, her quarry would be sure to agree. He would be desperate to touch her breasts, to taste them, to possess them. And she looked forward to letting him.
Soft footfalls of stocking feet on carpet drew near the bed. The mattress dipped and the warm pressure of a strong male body fitted itself along her side. A hot whisper over her ear made her shiver.
“Time to wake up, baby girl.”
She couldn’t suppress a hot shiver at his seductive tone. If she didn’t know from Jade’s memories he was as virginal as she’d been before Draonius, she never would have guessed.
Moving like a cat, she stretched and rolled over to plaster her body along his front. Her nose met the hot, fragrant skin of his neck. A subtle tilt of her pelvis made him suck his breath. The feel of his hard member against her stomach, noticeable even through the padding of the bedding, brought a purr from her chest.
Every inch of this man, down to his most intimate inches, would belong to Draonius soon.
She must not fail.
“Mmmmm, I missed you,” she said, careful to sound like Jade.
He shivered with the tickle of her breath on his skin. It was a heady thing, having seductive power over this fine specimen of a man.
His arm came around her. “Baby, I’ve missed you so much today. Come here.” He stroked her hair once then cupped her face and angled it so her lips met his.
How delightful to have him take control with his hands and mouth. Truly, her work would be easy tonight. When he pulled back from the kiss to gaze into her eyes, she said, “I’ve been dreaming about you.”
“Was it a good dream?” He held her tight to his muscular chest and flat abdomen. His thin cotton shirt hid none of his intoxicating warmth or strength.
She would miss Draonius’s alabaster skin and wavy, dark hair, but it would be no hardship to appreciate him in this form. No hardship at all.
“A very good dream.”
Deciding to leave him wanting, she leaned away as he approached for another kiss. “I’m sorry, Emmett. I just can’t help myself with you. If you keep kissing me like that, I’m going to jump you.”
His mouth curled in a wolfish smile befitting the predator he presumed himself to be. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.” He pulled her close again, and she pretended reluctance as he pressed his lips to hers once more.
There was no need to feign growing interest as he deepened the kiss and her body began to respond. After an indulgent minute that had both their pelvises rocking, she pushed out of his arms and sat up with the blankets pulled to her chin.
“I mean it. You promised to take it easy with me.” This seduction was going to be easy as catching fireflies on a summer night by the pond.
The cocky man sprawled on his back with his hands linked behind his head. The position displayed the muscles of his arms to perfection.
“Relax. Nick’s here. He won’t let me do anything I might regret.”
She bristled to hear him use the word regret in relation to intimacy with her, but recovered her composure quickly. “Well, thank goodness for Nick.” Her resolve to get rid of the other man doubled. She quirked her mouth in a playful grin. “With a failsafe close by, I suppose I don’t need to ask you to leave while I dress.” She stepped out of bed, letting the blanket fall away.
His eyes went round as wagon wheels as they focused on the thin fabric pulled taut across her breasts.
“Like what you see?”
He swallowed and held out a hand to her. She took it and crawled onto the bed on her knees. In an instant, he had her sitting astride him.
“You know I do. I like it a lot.”
If his smoldering eyes weren’t evidence enough he spoke true, his manhood, hard as iron beneath his jeans, most certainly was.
She leaned forward until her breasts were a scant inch from his chest. With her lips just brushing his in an almost kiss, she said, “Then it’s a shame I have to dress at all. If it was just us, I might be persuaded to dine just as I am.”
His member pulsed between her legs, and he emitted a groan.
She took it as her cue to hop up and pull on her jeans and T-shirt. She would leave him desperate and wanting. And then, when the time was right, she would give him exactly what he desired.
And take everything in return.
Chapter 20
Joshua finished explaining to Jade what they needed to do to get her back into her body. Though the young woman was spitting mad at being possessed, she exhibited a zealous concentration that proved she understood the gravity of the situation.
He found himself liking her a great deal. He prayed they would succeed.
Are you ready? he asked her at last.
You bet. Let’s go kick some demon ass.
Having grown accustomed to her frequent unladylike oaths, he merely smiled. Her determination was inspiring, to say the least.
Now, we shall ascend up into the sky. You will find there is a barrier, rather like a surface of water, only upside-down. Once we penetrate it, we will be buffeted by immense winds and bitter cold. Without a body to inhabit, it will feel as though the elements wish to tear you apart. But so long as you focus on holding yourself together, you shall not disperse. Whatever happens, do not let go of my hand.
She wrapped several tendrils, strong and flexible as spider-web ropes, around the shadow hand he extended.
I do not know where we will be in the physical plane, he reminded her as they rose higher and higher. It may be quite a journey to your body. But do not fear. I shall get you there.
Why are you helping me? she asked. Not that I’m complaining. But I know this is costing you energy, and since Draonius released you, you don’t have a demon to feed from either, so aren’t you risking—we
ll, you’re already dead, aren’t you? Her thoughts squeezed with regret he could read as easily as the words she projected. What’s in this for you?
He felt the sharp focus of her curiosity and, bless her, her suspicion. He ached for the woman who had known so little unselfish kindness that she suspected any good-doer of having ulterior motives. In his case, it was true. He did have a motive in addition to her wellbeing, although her wellbeing was, indeed, important to him.
He decided to be impeccably honest with her. Slowing their ascent so he’d have time to tell her everything, he said, I once thought, as many Believers do, that once God created his Heavenly Host, He’d had no reason to create more. I was wrong.
I have been made an angel. Whether it was my reward for bearing over a century of imprisonment by that vile demon or whether it has ever been my calling, I do not know, but I have tasted the peace of heaven and the eternal love of Almighty God. In His unfathomable wisdom and by His perfect will, I have been blessed above all mortal creatures and given charge over a small measure of His power.
God has given me the power to guide and protect you in this plane and the one above. And when I have done all I can for you, I will offer guidance and protection to another in need.
You’re an angel? she asked as they reached the shimmering ceiling of the abyss. As in wings and harps?
He winced at the common misconception. His time in heaven had felt like a thousand glorious years, and in that time, he’d learned much about the world Almighty God had made, the visible parts and the invisible.
Not quite. Think lightning bolts of power, swords of fire for slaying demons, and diamond-plated armor to protect against the enemy. The music I make with my cohort would shatter the Earth if the barriers between heaven and the physical plane fell.
Her tendrils slipped from his hand. Her essence furled into form and she spoke with her mouth. “It’s all true? There is a God, and he’s all-powerful? There are angels?” The black holes of her eyes widened. “Is there a...hell?”
