The Keepers of Hell Box Set

by Danielle James

  They caught very quickly. It didn’t take long for the fire to spark the lamp, which in turn began a fire in the wiring system. Elizabeth watched it go. If there was no house to live in, social services would have to find her and Eric another family to live with.

  When the room was filled with smoke, Elizabeth rushed down the stairs and into her room. She opened the window so that there would be ample oxygen to feed the fire. When the smoke detectors started blaring, she headed out the front door. She could have stopped by the phone in the kitchen to call 911, but she was a child. No one would expect her to think that kind of thing through.

  Just as she was opening the front door, she heard it. Her foster brother was screaming. He wasn’t supposed to be there! Elizabeth raced back up the steps to her brother’s door. The knob was hot but she forced it open. A wave of heat crashed into her face and stole her breath. She took a deep breath and held it as she forced her feet to move. She ran into the room, but couldn’t see anything. She looked for Eric, but all she could see were orange flames and black smoke.

  Finally, as the last of her breath left her, she heard him whimper. He had crawled under the bed, which was blazing. Elizabeth reached into the flames and grabbed her brother’s ankle. She yanked him out from under the bed and dragged him out of the room. When they were both in the hallway, Elizabeth was gasping for air. Eric was not. He wasn’t breathing at all.

  The fire had begun to consume the second floor and she could hear sirens blaring in the distance. She knew there was no time to loose. She picked up her nine year old brother and started walking. She missed the first step on the staircase and they both rolled and tumbled down the stairs. At the bottom, Elizabeth grabbed her brother and dragged him outside.

  She laid him on the grass and immediately began to breathe into his mouth. She didn’t know what she was doing, but she was going to try. She had to.

  Then someone else was there. Voices were shouting to one another and Elizabeth knew the fire department had arrived. She was pushed out of the way while paramedics began CPR on Eric. Elizabeth stood back and watched as the house burned. And then she looked at Eric. She had done this to him. She did. She didn’t know why he was at home, but it didn’t matter. She should have checked. She should have been able to save him.

  Even as the EMTs worked on him, Elizabeth knew in her heart that he was dead. He was gone and it was her fault. She had killed the only brother she ever had.

  ***

  Elizabeth yanked her eyes open and sat straight up in bed. She panted for breath as she tried to regain control of her body. Her throat was sore and she had no doubt that she had been screaming. She pushed out of bed and went to the bathroom. She put a cool washcloth on her face and tried to mop up the torrent of sweat that had been streaming from her pores. As she looked up from the sink to stare at her own guilty face, a strange feeling came over her. It was as if she were being watched. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and sent a shiver down her spine.

  She spun around but no one was there. She moved through the house looking for an intruder, but found nothing. She shook it off as remnants of the dream and gave up on sleep entirely. Instead, she headed for the kitchen.

  ***

  Shax watched the doctor with a pleased smile on his face. So the little doctor was a murderer. Nice. Now he would have his cake and eat it too.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Ash walked briskly through the caverns of Hell. He really wasn’t feeling like dealing with minions. He could hear them scampering after him, hiding in the corners. He could hear them whispering and grinding their teeth. To think, he had almost made it here for the rest of eternity.

  Before his near death experience, Ash thought he was prepared to face his fate. Not anymore. Not since he laid his lips on one lovely woman. He knew that he could never really have her, but he could watch her from a distance. Not something he could do if he were busy being filleted by various hell dwellers.

  Again he had to shake her from his mind. She was becoming a distraction, and in his line of work, he couldn’t afford distractions.

  It didn’t take him long to find the demon he sought. He was just closing a door that lead to one of the many realms of Hell. This one was named Brillos. He was tall, but not taller than Ash, with olive skin and black eyes. His midnight black hair fell over his shoulders and for all intents and purposes, he appeared human. Ash knew he was anything but.

  He wasted no time. Ash crept up behind the demon and pulled a blade from his boot. Just as he was reaching for the fucker’s neck, it spun around on him. The demon’s hand squeezed Ash’s throat to the point of nearly crushing it. As Ash struggled to pull air into his lungs, he grabbed at the hand that was slowly strangling him.

  “What do you want?” the demon spat.

  “For… you… to… die,” Ash ground out. With his free hand, he pulled his knife up and shoved it into the demon’s stomach, ramming it upward into his chest cavity.

  The demon paused, but didn’t release Ash. In fact, he grinned. “You’re one of Shax’s lackeys, ain’t ya?” he asked. “Well, I got news for you. That pretty little knife of yours isn’t gonna kill me.”

  Ash’s head was swimming. First of all, who the fuck was Shax? Second of all, who was this demon that didn’t die like it was supposed to? And third of all, Ash was going to die if he didn’t get some oxygen in his lungs, quick.

  His survival instinct kicked in and Ash let go of his knife. He jerked his knee up into the demon’s groin, and then punched it in the eye with his free hand. He kept punching. Blood was spurting from its nose before it finally let go of Ash’s throat.

  Air rushed into his lungs and Ash relished the burn. He would not be dying today. As he dropped to the ground, Ash kicked his leg out and connected with the demon’s knee. It buckled under the force and the demon howled. Ash kicked again, this time at its ankle. He heard a satisfying crunch as the bone of the demon’s ankle broke.

  As the demon went down, Ash snatched up his knife and leapt on top of it. He sat heavily on the thing’s chest and wailed on it with a flurry of fists. When he was satisfied that the demon wasn’t going anywhere, Ash raised his blade.

  “You can kill me,” the demon choked out, “but there will always be more. Shax will never let you have peace.”

  Ash paused. Demons lie, that was no secret. But now that he could think clearly, Ash thought Shax was the demon he had been working for. The same that he promised his soul to. The same one that sent him after this guy. And yeah, he already knew that his boss would never allow him peace. “I know that.”

  “But did you know he has you killing his competition for the throne?” the demon grinned through bloody teeth.

  Ash didn’t know what he was talking about, nor did he care anymore. This was just a distraction; a way for the demon to gather enough strength to kill Ash. Not today.

  Ash raised his blade high and brought it down hard into the demon’s throat. Blood squirted from its neck and Ash yanked his blade to the side. Then he slashed it again the other direction. When the demon’s head rolled free of its body, Ash was satisfied that his job was done. He could hear the minions getting closer, and he needed to get the hell out of dodge.

  He rose up to his feet, wiped the blood off his knife, and then chanted the spell to take him home.

  Elizabeth arrived for her shift exactly on time that night. For whatever reason, she really didn’t want to be there. She was worried sick about the man who checked out early and left the hospital. A small part of her had hoped that he would come to his senses and come back to the hospital. But her rational brain knew. That kiss… That kiss was a goodbye. She was never going to see him again.

  Unless he got shot again.

  Elizabeth gave herself a mental scolding. Of course she didn’t want that to be the only way she could ever see him again. He was too much for her, anyway. She wouldn’t be able to handle him. She knew it. He lived a hard life. It was evident in his stare, the way he wa
lked, the way talked. It was even more so by the sheer number of scars that man had on his body.

  She made her rounds, hoping for a quiet night. Everything seemed to be running smoothly, and for a change, there were limited cases of human stupidity in the ER. As she sat down at her desk to get in some much needed paperwork, Dr. Tucker entered her office.

  “How’s it going there, Dr. Rone?” he asked as he took a seat across from her.

  “Good,” she replied with a fake smile.

  “I was wondering,” he continued, “Leanne and I are having dinner at my place tomorrow night. I already checked the schedule and noticed you were off. I know Leanne is very appreciative that you saved her brother, so I was thinking you might join us?”

  “I don’t know,” Elizabeth answered. “I’m just so busy lately.”

  “All the more reason for you to relax a bit,” he said. “Besides, I already told her you would come. Don’t make a liar out me?” he borderline begged.

  Elizabeth sighed. “All right. I suppose a good dinner wouldn’t hurt.”

  Dr. Tucker grinned. “You know I’m an excellent cook.” He stood and went for the door. He turned back to her just before opening it. “Thank you. This means a lot to Leanne.”

  Elizabeth watched her friend go. How did she get roped into these things? And more importantly, would Ash be there for dinner as well? She had wanted to ask, but didn’t want to seem like she was interested. But she was most definitely interested, and that was putting it gently.

  The rest of her shift went well and she hardly had time to think about Ash. Between the several people admitted with the flu and the myriad of broken bones, bumps, and bruises, Elizabeth didn’t even have time to take her lunch break.

  As the sun came up and her shift came to an end, Elizabeth said goodnight to her nurses and drove herself home.

  ***

  After a day of fitful sleep and dreams about a gorgeous man in purple scrubs, Elizabeth finally gave up and got out of bed. She picked out a plain yellow dress for dinner and a simple scarf to cover her shoulders. Then, she did her hair and makeup. In fact, she hadn’t really primped in so long that she had to wash it off and start over twice. What the hell was she even thinking? She hadn’t made such an effort for a man in a long time, much less for a man she might not even see. Which was why she hoped he wouldn’t be there. She didn’t like the way he made her feel. Actually, she didn’t like that she liked it.

  Elizabeth didn’t know what she expected when she knocked lightly on Dr. Tucker’s door. At least some part of her hoped that the woman’s brother wouldn’t show for dinner. He didn’t seem like the sit down dinner type, after all. No, he seemed more like the grab a cheeseburger and get shot type. Oh wait, he already did that.

  But what if he was there? What would she say? And how was she supposed to look at him now after the kiss he laid on her? And how dare he kiss her like that and then walk away? It burned her ass a bit to think that he could do it. He probably kissed lots of women. Love ‘em and leave ‘em. Elizabeth hated guys like that. Ash was probably exactly that type.

  As she waited for someone to open the door, Elizabeth convinced herself that Ash would not be there and that it was for the best. And then the door opened.

  “Well, hello there, Doc,” Ash’s deep voice rumbled. As he opened the door wider, Elizabeth was met with a nice view of his broad chest covered in a black tee shirt. Her eyes traveled over his pecks, then down his abs. Without permission, they took in his long legs and even his boots, before going back up to meet his amused eyes. “Like what you see?” he grinned. Damn him.

  “I didn’t know you were coming tonight,” Elizabeth tried to say with the proper amount of nonchalant. She feared that she failed and it came out way too excited. His hair was clean and combed back off his face and his skin was shaved smooth. There was a scar on his chin that she hadn’t noticed before. It ran from a small dimple in the center up to his lower lip. The same lip she had tasted.

  She shook herself and pushed in the doorway. “Thanks for letting me in,” she said as she walked past him.

  “No problem. When Little Sis says dinner, I’m here.” He closed the door softly behind her.

  “Easy to please, huh?” Elizabeth joked with him.

  “I suspect I would be,” he mumbled. Elizabeth quirked an eyebrow at him, but he offered nothing further.

  She followed him to the kitchen where Leanne and James were laughing over a pot of boiling pasta. “Hey, I’m so glad you made it,” Leanne grinned as she wiped her hands on a towel. She walked over and embraced Elizabeth in a quick hug. “I hope you like Italian,” she said.

  “I do,” Elizabeth smiled back.

  “Great. It’s still got a few minutes, so if you’ll just make yourself at home,” Leanne said cheerfully.

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” Elizabeth offered.

  “Nonsense, you are my guest. Go play with Ash or something,” she answered. She even made a shooing motion with her hands.

  Elizabeth sighed.

  “Yeah,” Ash added in his way too sexy voice. “Come play with me.” He arched one of his brows and Elizabeth silently cursed the electric zing that went through her body at his suggestion. Oh the ways she would like to play with him.

  But he had kissed her and left her, hadn’t he? Elizabeth held to that thought as she found her legs leading her into the living room. Of course, the plaything in question was lounging on the sofa, his long legs out in front of him, crossed at the ankles. His size alone ate up most of the sofa and the grin he was wearing rendered her mind blank of all other thoughts.

  He was amazing. Had she thought he was scary before? Elizabeth gave herself a mental shake. No, Ash wasn’t frightening. He reminded her of being safe. Secure. Protected. Loved.

  Whoa, where did that come from?

  She planted herself on the recliner adjacent to the sofa and pretended to look out the window.

  “Did you have a nice night at work?” he asked her.

  “Umm,” she answered in a noncommittal tone.

  “I was worried that you didn’t get enough sleep.”

  “I never sleep much anyway,” she answered.

  “You should sleep more,” he said, leaning forward. “Sleep is what heals the body.”

  “And I suppose that since you are an exceptionally fast healer you would know,” she retorted. Fast healer her ass. She didn’t have any other explanations, though. Well, she was sure there were other explanations, but she had held his heart in her hand. She was one hundred percent certain he was human.

  “I do,” he answered her with a half-smile. “Anything exciting happen since I left?”

  Elizabeth leaned back in the chair. “No, not really. But it’s pretty hard to follow a gunshot victim who walks out three days later.”

  “Ok guys, it’s done!” Leanne called from the kitchen. Ash let out a sigh of relief. He was desperately trying to make any small talk to distract himself from the memory of the taste of her kiss. His pants were getting tight just trying not to think about it. He had thought that he wouldn’t see her again, but he hadn’t counted on his sister. That woman… he knew what she was up to and he knew her intentions were good. That didn’t change anything though. He was no good for the Doc and he knew it. That didn’t mean that if he was in the same room with her that he couldn’t enjoy her company, right?

  Whatever he needed to tell himself, he thought as he followed behind her to the kitchen where the smell of tomato sauce filled the room. The closer he got, the more he smelled. Garlic, oregano, basil… it was all there. If there were no other truth in the world, his sister could cook.

  Dinner went by incredibly slowly. Ash hardly tasted the food in front of him because he was preoccupied with the lovely vision of the woman seated next to him. That was his sister’s doing as well…. on purpose, he was sure.

  “Ash!” Leanne said sharply to him.

  “I’m sorry, Sis, what?” he asked.

  “I ask
ed if you had to work tomorrow. We were thinking about an outing.”

  And of course, the demon chose that moment to show up. He lingered against the fridge, grinning like an idiot. And since no one could see him but Ash, the fact that the bastard was naked was lost on everyone but him.

  Ash choked on his drink. As he coughed his left lung out, Elizabeth stood and patted him on the back. “You ok?” she asked when he finally de-strangled himself. He shot the demon a “go the fuck away” look and nodded for Elizabeth. “Yeah, I just got choked on my drink. And yes, I have to work.”

  “What do you do, anyway?” Elizabeth asked.

  “He is a contractor,” Leanne answered for him. “That’s why everything he owns is black. It’s easier to clean.”

  Ash nodded, but he didn’t miss the roll of Elizabeth’s eyes. She didn’t believe it for a minute. Actually, even Leanne didn’t know what he did every day. He was willing to bet that she thought he was a drug lord, or some other crime related job.

  After dinner was finished and the dishes were in the washer, Ash excused himself. “Thanks, Sis,” he said, kissing her gently on the cheek.

  “Don’t be a stranger,” Leanne said to him.

  “Goodbye, Elizabeth,” he said as he left. He closed the door behind him, not wanting to see her face as he said goodbye to her for the second time.

  ***

  “I thought that was never going to end,” the demon whined from behind him.

  “For the love of….” Ash started. “What the hell? And next time, put some fucking clothes on.”

  The demon shrugged. “I got a new assignment for you,” he said.

  “I haven’t finished the last one yet,” Ash reminded him.