“The kind where I protect what’s mine and yours,” Ash grumbled from behind a huge desk. Had Lucas spoken out loud?
“Nope,” Ash answered for him again. “Sometimes I just get things. Like the whole ‘what the fuck’ you’re thinking right now.” Ash didn’t break his concentration from his task, which was typing away at a laptop on his desk. There was a woman standing behind him, rubbing his shoulders gently. She had dark hair and looked like she was of Asian descent somewhere down the line.
“I’m Elizabeth,” she said. “I’m Ash’s mate. He isn’t good at this whole get-to-know-you thing.”
“This is Jake,” Lacy told him, slapping one of the angels on his back. His wings were pretty interesting. They were dark close to his skin and got lighter as the feathers moved away from his back. The man turned around and smiled at him.
“Nice to meet you,” he said. “I’m Shelly’s mate. Believe me, her bite is worse than her bark.”
“Suck it, honey,” Shelly said sweetly from her cage.
The other angel turned around. He was tall with black hair that reached his shoulders. He had super white wings, and when he smiled a pair of shiny fangs peaked out from his lips. “Antonio,” he said with a nod. “How ya taking all this?” he asked as he pushed himself off the floor to offer his hand to Lucas.
“I’m not sure,” Lucas answered, taking the offered hand. “So far I have toured Hell and damn near got lost to Murder.”
“No shit,” the angel muttered. “What was it you did in life? Oh yeah, sniper. Yeah that’s a bitch. But no worries, you’re gonna be a warrior, just like me. You’re gonna be cool as shit, almost as much as me.” Lucas had to return the silly grin the angel wore. “Soon as Ash gets you in, we’ll all hit your funeral and then get you dressed up.”
“Dressed up?” Lucas asked. He figured at some point he would get to say goodbye to his loved ones, but what was he supposed to wear?
Lacy tugged at his sleeve. “Your wings,” she whispered.
Lucas nodded and kept the holy shit feelings he was having from escaping his throat. Wings? He was a wolf. Wings would be so cool, but what about the animal that lived inside him? How could a wolf have wings?
“You worry too much,” Ash said. “Come on over here so we can finish this up.”
Lucas took a seat in the chair across from Ash at his desk. “What do I need to do?” he asked.
Ash didn’t get a chance to respond to him. The office doors crashed open and a woman stalked her way inside.
“What the hell now?” she demanded. “Where is he?”
“I’m sorry Miss, but who are you?” Ash demanded, taking a stand.
“My freaking father. Lucifer. Where the hell is he?” the woman demanded. She was tall for a female, Lucas noticed, probably only a couple of inches shorter than he was. Her raven black hair fell straight down her back and her sapphire blue eyes blazed with fury. She was powerful. Strong. So much so that his wolf stood up and took notice. He knew that she and Ash were exchanging words, but he couldn’t manage to focus on it. Her scent filled his senses, forever blazing itself into his memory. Roses and vanilla. Was it something she used in the shower? Her hair swayed behind her as she talked, animating her words with her hands. Was it as soft as it looked? Lucas’ hands itched to touch those silken strands, to run it through his fingers, to grip it tightly as he marked her as his. His wolf howled in agreement. She was his.
Wait, what? His? And did she say Lucifer was her father? Lucas forced his attention back to the conversation going on in front of him.
“I’m sorry to tell you that Lucifer is dead,” Ash told the woman.
“By your hands?” she demanded. Her eyes showed a brief moment of sadness, but she covered it quickly with contempt.
Ash shook his head. “No. I’m his replacement.”
“His replacement,” she repeated slowly. She paced the carpet in front of Ash’s desk and Lucas couldn’t help but notice the fuck me red heels she was wearing. “You had one fucking job,” she shouted, stopping to slam her fist down on the desk. “One. And you fucked it up. Well, don’t be coming to me for help. That ship sailed a long time ago. I’m out.” The woman turned on her heel, threw her hand in the air, and left as abruptly as she had come. The heavy doors slammed behind her, leaving the room in an eerie, stunned silence.
“What the fuck was that?” Jake finally asked.
“Agreed,” Lucas said. And how do I get her back here?
Ash picked up his phone and dialed. “Mali,” he barked into it. “Get in here.”
In only a matter of minutes, a gnarly little man entered the office. “You called sir?” he asked. Lucas cocked his head to the side to get a better look at him. He was tiny, with skinny limbs, but all of his joints were much bigger than they should be. It was as if he had been twisted and untwisted too many times to straighten back out completely.
“Did Lucifer have a daughter?” Ash demanded.
“Well, yes, he did. Banished her to the Earth a good long time ago,” Mali told him.
“Why was I not told about this?” Ash growled. “I need to know these things!”
“I’m sorry, sir,” Mali pleaded, backing away into a corner. “I haven’t heard her name in so long. I didn’t even consider her.”
“What the hell do I keep you around for!” Ash’s voice boomed. He stomped over to the little man and yanked him up by his neck. “You didn’t think this was important?”
Mali gurgled a response, but it was lost in translation. He couldn’t get any air past Ash’s iron grip.
“Honey,” Elizabeth said softly. “You can’t just kill everyone who upsets you.”
“Fuck yes I can,” Ash growled.
Elizabeth placed her hand on Ash’s bicep. “Please don’t kill Mali before he can tell us what we need to know,” she said gently. Then she turned her attention to Lacy. “A little help here?” she asked the angel.
Lacy took a step forward and ran into an invisible brick wall. “I wouldn’t recommend it,” Ash growled over his shoulder. Lacy had the unique ability to affect one’s emotions, causing everything from serene calm to mass confusion and fear. She knew that Elizabeth only wanted Ash to calm down a little bit, but he wasn’t having it, and Lacy wasn’t stupid enough to push the issue. She nodded and backed off.
Ash tossed the man he was holding in his grip across the room and he hit the wall with a thud. His mangled body slid down until it hit the floor. Lucas was certain there was no way this little guy could have stood up after that, but he did. Mali stood up and brushed himself off before taking a steadying breath.
“Ryver is the daughter to Lucifer. He banished her long ago because she didn’t really fit in down here,” Mali finally said.
“What do you mean, didn’t fit in?” Ash asked him with a crinkled brow. His patience was wearing thin and it was all too obvious in the way his body shook with the need to maul something.
Mali brushed off his clothing and looked up at Ash. “For lack of a better description, she wasn’t evil enough to suit his preferences,” he answered.
Ash fell back into his chair, let out a heavy sigh, and scrubbed his hand over his head. “Well, she seemed to know that things were going on down here,” he said. “We need her back. She said not to ask her for help which means she probably can help. Which means we have to find her.”
“Agreed,” Lucas joined in.
Ash looked at his newest guard and smiled. “I’m glad you feel that way,” he said, “because you’re going to go get her.”
Chapter three
"Look, we don't have a lot of time here," Ash said, leaning back in his chair so that Elizabeth could settle herself in his lap. "Things have been a bit crazy here. I'm gonna give you the cliff notes version, if that's alright?"
Lucas nodded his head. He was used to being briefed on the fly.
"I took over this place after Lucifer was killed. Killed by his own son. That fucker was in turn killed by a family of vampires topside.
God gave me this gig and now I am in charge. Some serious shit has gone down since that day." Ash shook his head and took in a deep breath. "When I was still human, before this, I had made a deal with a demon. Long story short, I couldn't kill my mate and so I took that bastard out first. That's how I landed here. Some of the demons didn’t think I was fit to run shit here, and things got hectic. They tried to take what was mine." He gripped Elizabeth tighter and Lucas knew he was talking about her. He could understand. No one got away with touching or harming a wolf's mate. "I didn't know it at the time, but Laura, the witch in the cage over there, was playing both sides of the fence. She was sleeping with Shax, the demon I killed, and had this whole plan to rule Hell. She used her magic and a couple of humans to summon Shelly."
"That would be my woman," Jake interrupted. Ash shot him a glare and Jake sealed his lips up tight.
Ash turned his gaze back to Lucas. "She was caught, but not before stealing Shelly's blood and using it to control her. Hence the reason Shelly is now also in a cage. It is for everyone's protection. The fucking witch used her blood to make her free Balthazar."
"B is my father," Shelly added from her cell. "He's one nasty SOB. He was locked up in the first place for creating and attempting to open a portal."
"What kind of portal?" Lucas asked.
"The kind that opens the gates of Hell and lets all the fucking demons out," Ash snarled.
Lucas felt his eyebrows go up.
"So, yeah." Ash continued, "I've got one hell of a fucking problem going on here. After Balthazar escaped, he opened that fucking monstrosity. We managed to contain the portal, but we can't close it. Right now, it's a joint effort between us and some loaned warrior angels to keep it that way."
Lucas blew out his breath. Fuck. That was one hell of a problem. He knew he shouldn’t feel it, but he was getting nauseous. He scrubbed his hand over his military cut and leaned forward. He was no stranger to battle, and this definitely looked like battle. "What can I do?" he finally asked. "What are my orders?"
Ash relaxed somewhat. The corner of his lips twitched as if he were thinking of smiling. "Your first order of business is to find that woman. But first, we need to get your wings and your funeral out of the way."
Lucas nodded a sharp, single nod. He was perfectly okay with finding the woman and his wolf was good with it too. He was okay with fighting. What he wasn’t so sure of was his funeral. He knew his family would be hurting, and he wanted to make sure they knew he was alright.
"No worries," Antonio said, slapping him on the back. "You're gonna like the funeral. It’s a head fuck for sure, but it is necessary."
"Right," Jake agreed.
"Stop it guys," Lacy warned them. "Lucas," she said with a reassuring smile, "You'll do fine."
"I hope so," Lucas admitted on a heavy breath. Could this day get any weirder?
*****
As it turned out, yes it could.
Lucas followed Ash, Antonio, and Jake out of the office and through the corridors of Hell. It looked nothing like he would have imagined Hell to be. If he didn't know better, he would have thought he was in a huge office building in New York or somewhere that had equally large sky rise buildings. The floors were covered in soft gray carpet, the walls painted a pristine white. There were doors that led to offices, and then there were heavy steel doors that lead to each realm. Lucas wondered how each realm fit on its floor. After his tour, he knew that looks were deceiving here. Space was just an idea of sorts, and time, well, it passed on a completely different level.
Ash finally rounded a corner and what Lucas saw reminded him more of what Hell should look like. The carpet and doors were replaced by rock caverns that opened up into a large cave. There was a desk sitting in the middle of the cave, and at that desk, a woman. People were lined up single file, waiting for their turn at the desk.
"Triage," Ash said.
"Oh," Lucas replied. What else was he supposed to say? He thought he should have been surprised that Hell brought in the new kids much like a hospital waiting room, but he wasn't. Not after everything he had seen so far.
Lucas followed Ash out of the main cavern and down a dark corridor. He could hear the scampering of little feet in the shadows and he growled at them.
"Those are minions," Antonio told him. "Nasty little boogers. But as long as they are afraid of you, then you have nothing to worry about. Just make sure that they know you are nastier than they are."
"Minions," Lucas repeated. "Sure. Why not?"
"Not like the ones on TV," Jake tossed in. "These feed off the carcasses of the dead down here. Sometimes they even wait for it to die first."
Lucas shuddered. Eww.
Finally, they came to an open area where Ash stopped. "Okay," he said. "Let's do this."
Lucas watched as Ash bowed his head. Antonio and Jake did too, so Lucas figured he had better do it as well.
"Father," Ash spoke aloud and with reverence. "We seek your love and guidance on this day. I bring before you, your son, Lucas Strong, of the Strong Wolf Pack. He has shown strength and compassion, a strong will, and is ready to serve you. We ask that you grant him the gift of your love, the strength to follow through, the knowledge he will need, and the power to execute your will."
Lucas hadn't thought of this new gig as working for God, but he guessed it would be. The other guards were angels, and he was getting ready to be one too. He bowed his head and even the wolf inside him rumbled with approval. "Amen," he said out loud.
And that was when things went from weird to what the fuck.
Lucas felt a tingling on his back, lightly at first, but it grew in intensity. The tingle grew into outright pain. It was very similar to the phantom limb pain he had felt in the hospital, only worse. The pain seemed to reach out from his back and take up the space behind his body. Lucas doubled over with the pain. He grit his teeth and locked the scream that threatened to escape his throat inside. He would not let this get the better of him. He had lived through so much and this was no different. The angels had told him that this would happen and he only had to get through it.
Lucas forced his breath to move through his lungs. In and out, steady as the fire in his back spread. His wolf howled inside him, begging him to make it stop. Lucas worried for his wolf, but Ash had assured him everything would be fine. So far, the angel hadn’t lied to him. Lucas held tight to that belief as the pain grew to epic proportions. He felt as if his entire body was on fire, but the four angels at his side didn’t seem concerned.
And then, the pain stopped. It was there one moment, the worst pain he had ever felt in his life, and the next it was gone. Just gone. As if it had never been there at all. Lucas stood and stretched his back. He waited for the pain to come back, but blessedly it did not.
“Wanna see it?” Antonio asked with a grin.
Lucas craned his head around to try and see his new wings. He could see the tops of them. They were the same dark brown as his wolf’s fur, only richer and deeper. He thought for them to spread out and they did. His new appendages were the color of dark chocolate, flowing and gliding as if they were molten. “Wow,” he said.
“Yep,” Antonio agreed.
“What about my wolf?” Lucas asked. He did an internal scan of himself, finding his wolf right where he should be. It huffed in approval.
“Can you shift?” Ash asked him.
“I dunno,” Lucas answered. “I can try and see.” Lucas called to his wolf and was surprised when he felt the familiar popping and stretching of his bones. His wolf took over, landing on all fours just like he had millions of times before.
“Nice,” Jake said with approval. “I think you’re a bit darker than you were before.”
Lucas spun around on his paws trying to see what the angel was talking about, but as a wolf, he only saw in shades of gray or black. He humphed and transitioned back to his human form.
"I see the wings shift too," Lucas said out loud, but more to himself than anyone else. He was an angel.
He was a shifter. He was too many things to wrap his head around at that moment.
"Better get your head together," the angel Antonio told him. "Because it's time."
Ash nodded and silently commanded his guard to get moving. He flashed away and Jake followed suit.
"How the hell?" Lucas muttered. "They just disappeared."
"We call it flashing," Antonio explained. "It's all in your mind. You'll learn it pretty quickly. All you have to do is concentrate on a person or thing that you want to go to and your body goes there."
Lucas shook his head. "Like teleporting?"
Antonio grinned. "Exactly like that. You'll find that as an angel, you can do all sorts of things. The main thing you need to know is how to flash, fly, and keep invisible."
"Right," Lucas said with an unsure nod. "So, where are we going?"
"Your funeral," Antonio answered. "Concentrate on your family. That should whisk you right there."
Lucas did as the angel instructed. He thought of his mother and his sister. He thought of his pack. He closed his eyes and envisioned the way his mother looked when she laughed. The air around his body shifted and changed. It seemed heavier than it had before, and when Lucas opened his eyes, he was no longer in the caverns of Hell.
He was standing outside at the cemetery in his hometown.
The air was thick and heavy, humid and warm. It wrapped around Lucas' skin like a wet blanket. The sky was bleak as if it were threatening to open up and unleash its fury at any time. Lucas supposed that it was fitting weather for a funeral. It didn't rain much in Tombstone, Arizona, but from the looks of things, that was about to change. He looked from the sky to the temporary gazebo that had been set up. There were about a dozen chairs under the shelter where his pack was seated.
A light hand on his shoulder made Lucas jump. "Whoa," Lacy said, giving him a reassuring smile. "Take it easy, wolf man. Just wanted to remind you to stay invisible."
The Keepers of Hell Box Set Page 47
