The Keepers of Hell Box Set

by Danielle James

  ***

  Ryver felt the power growing inside her and she forced it from her body to the tips of her fingers. She let it out, flowing from her to the portal. Her magic surrounded the huge column like a blanket of mist, swirling around it and encasing it. Ryver concentrated harder. She didn’t just want it closed, she wanted it destroyed.

  Blocking out the sound of death and battle, Ryver pushed harder. The Guards had surrounded it with powerful magic and she would have to break through that before she could even attempt the portal. As the magical band aid began to melt away, Ryver could feel her power draining, but still she pushed on. Once the Guard’s magic was gone, the portal was hers to control. Her father would have allowed it to rip wide open again. So would any number of demons, but she wasn’t like them, she reminded herself. She was her own person and she was going to destroy it.

  She funneled her anger at her father for not loving her the way she was. She was angry at her mother. How could she just abandon Ryver? She was angry at Balthazar for putting her mate in danger and for forcing her to call her magic in the first place. All of this barreled out of Ryver’s soul and into the portal. Ryver smiled when she heard the crackling that would be the beginning of the end for this unnatural doorway and for Balthazar.

  ***

  Lacy heard the crackling noise coming from the portal and pointed at it. Ash nodded and smiled. She was doing it. Ryver was going to destroy the portal. “Now Lacy!” Ash commanded.

  Lacy focused her energy on Balthazar, forcing any and every emotion she could fathom into him. He was confused and his eyes met hers immediately. The black irises accused her and Lacy knew that he knew she was the one responsible. She pushed harder.

  The crackling got louder.

  Ash, Lucas, Jake, and Antonio moved in.

  The crackling became a crunching noise.

  Ash raised his sword.

  Balthazar stood still, stunned by the onslaught of raw emotion he was forced to feel.

  The crunch became louder.

  The Earth shook beneath their feet.

  The SEALs stopped in their tracks.

  Time stood still for a moment, and then the portal began to glow with white light.

  There was a heartbeat of total silence.

  Balthazar looked at the portal with disappointment and then flashed himself away.

  Lucas looked to his mate, standing next to the portal with her arms out wide, knowing what was about to happen. He lunged for her, shifting to his human form, “Ryver!” he shouted.

  And then, all hell broke loose.

  The air itself seemed to ignite as the portal exploded. Time slowed to a crawl as a mushroom cloud raced into the sky. A circle of raw energy moved out from the portal, incinerating everything in its path.

  “Run!” Ash shouted, but he didn’t know if anyone heard him. Even he was not fast enough to escape the blast. He thought of his mate, his Elizabeth, and wondered if he would ever see her again.

  Lacy raced for the SEALs, but she wasn’t fast enough. “Run!” she shouted. The vampire looked to her and recognition lit his face.

  “Ms. B?” he breathed just before the energy overtook him.

  “Jamie, no!” Lacy shouted before the blast took her too.

  Antonio grabbed Jake’s arm and flashed them both to a safe distance where they watched as their leader was knocked back and then hidden by the smoke. They watched in horror as the SEAL team was burned where they stood, leaving only scorch marks in their place. Then, time sped up again and the portal collapsed on itself. Demons were dragged into it, by a force unseen, as well as anything else that was too close. The demons spun around the portal and were sucked in, like a black hole. And then, the light disappeared and it was black. It grew smaller and smaller until finally, it winked out of existence completely. The complete and total silence that followed was deafening.

  “Dear God,” Antonio said as he surveyed the damage. The once green meadow was scorched black, trees had fallen and burned to ash, and everything was covered in a thick layer of dirt and debris.

  “What do we do now?” Jake asked.

  Antonio sighed. “Now we clean up.”

  Chapter twenty-one

  “Ash!” Jake shouted as he flashed to his leader’s body. The angel was lying on the ground, still as death. Jake skidded to a stop and grabbed at Ash’s shoulders. “Wake up, man,” he shouted. “Please be alive. Fuck me, please be alive.” There were many things that Jake could handle, but the loss of his leader was not one of them. Ash had seen something in Jake worth saving and gave him another chance. The man was more to him than a leader, he was a brother. He just had to live. Jake shook him harder.

  Ash groaned as he came to consciousness and then, like turning on a light, he was fully aware and shot to his feet. Black fire erupted all over his skin and his eyes blazed red. “Where is he?” Ash snarled, looking around furiously.

  “He’s gone,” Jake told him, relief filling his voice as he sat back on his haunches.

  “Dead?” Ash demanded.

  Jake shook his head. “No, he got away.”

  “Fuck!” Ash bellowed. “Where is everyone else?”

  “Whoa, man,” Antonio said gently. “Calm down just a little bit. We need to make sure the others are okay.”

  Ash pressed his lips together and forced himself to calm. He wished that Lacy would help him and this time, he would have let her. Speaking of which, “Where is Lacy?”

  “Got her!” Jake shouted as he ran to the angel in question. He lifted her into his arms and called to Ash, “She’s unconscious, but alive.”

  Ash nodded and went to Lucas. He shook the soldier until his eyes fluttered open. “On your feet soldier,” he commanded and Lucas sluggishly did it.

  He forced himself up and shook the confusion from his mind. “Ryver!” he shouted when the fog cleared and ran to where the portal used to be.

  His mate. His beautiful mate was lying on the cold ground. Her incredible wings had been burned down to mere stubs at her back and were bleeding slowly. “Oh God, baby, I’m so sorry.” He hated himself at that moment. He had convinced her to help and now she was hurt. Lucas could feel the soft rise and fall of her chest as he lifted her into his arms, but that did nothing to calm the storm of guilt that built in his chest. “This is my fault,” he whispered. He was grateful that she was alive, but Lucas didn’t ever want one single hair on her head hurt and now look at her. What had he done?

  “Let’s get the girls home,” Ash said, his anger taking a backseat to the safety of his Guard. “Then we are gonna find that bastard and end him once and for all.”

  Antonio and Jake nodded, and Lucas fell in behind them as they all flashed themselves back to Hell.

  ***

  “Ash!” Elizabeth cried out as her mate appeared in their room. Ash didn’t say anything, but scooped his mate up into his arms and covered her lips with his own. He punished her mouth with his, claiming her once again as his own. When he finally allowed her to breathe, there were tears in her eyes. “We watched,” she told him. “From the mirror. We saw everything.”

  “It’s okay now,” he told her, pulling her closer. She gripped the back of his hair in her fists and yanked his mouth back to her own. Ash had experienced true fear of never seeing her again. In that moment, when he had been unsure if he would live or die, he saw her face. He remembered the first time he saw Elizabeth in that human hospital. She had saved his life and then saved his soul. She was more than his savior, Elizabeth Rone was his salvation and he didn’t plan to ever let her out of his sight again.

  ***

  Jake handed Lacy’s limp body over to Antonio before walking into Greed. Shelly was there, waiting for him. “You son of a bitch!” she growled at him. “How dare you put yourself at risk like that!”

  “Baby,” he said softly, “It’s my job. And I’m fine.”

  “I can see that now,” the demon shouted at him. “I have been worried sick for you! I can promise you this. I am
never going to be the stay at home little lady ever again. I am a fucking demon and I am not helpless! I am not a little housewife and I will not be treated as such.”

  Jake smiled as he watched his beautiful mate cross her arms over her chest. Her fiery locks draped over her shoulders and fire lit her eyes. She was every bit as magnificent as the day he had met her. She had been slow to come to the conclusion that Jake was her mate, but man he was glad she did. Shelly had been the keeper of Greed and his name had been on her list. Now, the only lure the realm held for him was Shelly. She was more than his mate. Even though it had not been her intention, she had brought him up from the weight of his sins and gave him a reason to live his life better than before. She was his redemption, and Jake would never forget it. He closed the distance between them and kissed the fight out of her. Yes, next time, she would be by his side.

  ***

  Antonio didn’t get all the way to the entrance of Wrath before Liam was out of the realm and taking Lacy from his hands. “Is she?” he asked with a slight tremble in his voice.

  “No,” Antonio reassured him. “But she needs time to rest and heal now.”

  Liam nodded and stared into the angel’s eyes, silently portraying his thanks. Then, he took his precious cargo to their shared room. Liam kicked the door open and then closed it again with his heel as they entered. He gently placed Lacy on the bed and stretched his long body out beside her.

  He had never realized how relieving it could be just to watch someone breathe.

  Her face was dirty and bruised, and Liam was sure the rest of her would be, too, under her clothes. Her magnificent wings were also dirty, the iridescent color almost completely replaced with blood and dirt. Otherwise, Lacy appeared to be intact. Liam didn’t dare wake her, knowing that angels could heal themselves given time, so instead he stayed still beside her. He stroked her face gently and brushed her blonde hair away from her face.

  “Please,” he whispered. “Please let her heal.” Liam prayed silently to God and hoped that He was listening. Lacy was so much more than his woman. She thought that Liam was her saving grace; that he was the one who taught her to live with her sins, but that wasn’t true. At least, it wasn’t the whole truth. Lacy had done so much more than love Liam. She had shown him what it truly meant to live and to play. She taught him to trust, and most of all, she taught him to love. She was nothing less than his absolution and he would do whatever it took to make sure she stayed with him.

  ***

  Lucas flashed directly to his sleeping quarters in Hell with Ryver in his arms. His wings twitched desperately at his back, demanding that he do something. Anything. His wolf was in complete agreement, but as a man, Lucas didn’t have a clue what to do for her.

  He started by lying her gently on the bed. He was careful of Ryver’s wings, or rather, what was left of them, and laid her on her side. With his lips pressed together, Lucas searched for a place to start. His mate was bloody and dirty from head to toe. Never had he seen her with even one hair out of place, much less in the condition she was in. He had a distinct feeling that if she were conscious, the first place Ryver would go would be the bath.

  That was where he would start then.

  Lucas looked around for a pair of scissors and was surprised when a pair just appeared in his hand. That’s right, he thought, angels always have whatever they need. He used the newly acquired sheers to carefully cut away at her clothes. They fell in a broken heap around her body. Lucas wasn’t about to try and pull the fabric out from under her body. Not yet.

  He rushed to the bathroom to get a wash cloth and a basin of warm water. As carefully as he could, Lucas balanced her body wash, the water, and several towels as he walked back to the bed where his mate lay.

  Her perfect porcelain skin was marred by cuts and bruises. Lucas felt shame like he had never felt before. This was his fault. He choked back a sob when his eyes caught on her broken wings again. The tears burned the back of his eyes, but Lucas held them in. He knew he had to be strong, for her.

  He squeezed a small amount of soap into the water and then dipped the washcloth in before wringing the water back out again. Then, Lucas gently began to wipe away the dirt from her skin. He started at her shoulder and worked his way down her arm, and then to her fingers. He took great care to get all of the dirt and blood off of his woman, taking extra care around her many wounds. None of them were too big, mainly scratches, but Lucas knew the damage was more than skin deep. He had no idea what kind of damage had been done to her insides.

  He moved down her body, rinsing and wringing the cloth over and over again until every inch of her skin that was exposed was clean. Then Lucas moved to her back. He gently wiped her skin between her wings, flinching as he cleaned the wounds. Why had he gone after her? He could have let her be and she would be safe. She would be unharmed.

  Lucas shook his head. They had needed Ryver and he knew it just like she had. She only embraced her power because of him, though. Surely if her power was so great, it could heal her as well.

  He had to stop beating himself up if he was going to continue to help her. Lucas gently moved her body so that he could wash the other side. He knew the sheets were getting wet, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was that Ryver was clean when she woke. When Lucas had washed all the outward physical evidence of her pain away, he vehemently wished for clean sheets.

  The ones on the bed disappeared and were replaced with clean, soft cotton sheets. A comforter appeared folded at the foot of the bed as well. Lucas turned his mate so that she was on her stomach, making sure her face was turned so that she could breathe without putting pressure on her wings. He pulled the cover up to just below her battered wings and then lay down beside her. “Come back to me,” he whispered to his mate. “Come back.”

  Lucas must have fallen asleep because he became aware of a feathering touch on his face. He yanked his eyes open and was greeted with sapphire blue eyes that sparkled like blue diamonds. “Ryver,” he breathed in relief.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  Lucas sat up and noted that she was still on her stomach. “Are you okay?”

  She graced him with a half, but genuine smile. “I will be fine. How are you?”

  Lucas ran his hand over his head. “Scared as fuck,” he admitted.

  “You don’t have to be afraid anymore,” Ryver told him.

  “Will your wings grow back?” he asked her, looking pointedly at her back.

  “I don’t know,” she answered him honestly. “I don’t care. I’m just happy to be here with you.”

  Lucas snuggled back down next to her, as close as he could get without hurting her. “I love you.”

  Ryver smiled at him again. “I have to tell you something,” she said.

  “Anything,” Lucas promised.

  “I know where you were headed when you died,” Ryver said in a low voice, almost a whisper.

  “Oh?” Lucas asked. “Me too. Murder.”

  She shook her head. “No. You were affected by the realm because you believed you belonged there. But really, you were on the fast track to Heaven.”

  “How do you know that?” Lucas asked, propping his head up on one arm.

  “Because I can know things too,” she said. Ryver was quiet for a moment before she continued. “I wanted you to know that. I know that Ash would never keep you here against your will. If you wanted to go on to your eternity, he would understand. I would understand.”

  Lucas didn’t hesitate for even a second. “No way. This is my eternity. Here, with you.”

  “But,” Ryver started, but Lucas interrupted her.

  “There is nothing that Heaven can offer me that would even come close to an eternity with you. I am happy with my little slice of Heaven, even if I had to go to Hell to find it.”

  Ryver pressed her lips together and commanded the tears to stay at bay. He loved her. No one had ever truly loved her before. It was an incredible feeling and she knew at that moment that she return
ed his feelings. Never before had she felt such a strong connection to another being and never before had she cared so much. “Okay then,” she said, satisfied.

  “Rest,” Lucas told her. “Get better. Then we’ll talk.”

  Ryver wanted to argue with him, but she was tired down to her bones. “I love you too.” She closed her eyes and let sleep claim her once again.

  Chapter twenty-two

  “He’s not there,” Ash growled at Mali. “Where the fuck is he?”

  “I don’t know, sir,” Mali stammered.

  Ash slammed his fist down on his desk. “Damn it! Did you check upstairs?”

  Mali didn’t have to ask about where upstairs was. He knew Ash was talking about Heaven. “I did, sir. He’s not there either.”

  “We must find him!” Ash shouted. “Why the fuck can’t just one thing go right in this mother fucking hell hole?”

  “Who?” Lacy’s soft voice asked.

  Ash’s ire immediately cooled. “Lacy, you’re up.”

  The Guard nodded. “Feeling a little better. Liam told me what happened. Jamie was there. Why was he there? Is he all right?”

  Ash forced a deep breath into his lungs. “That’s who we’re looking for. He was supposed to be at the wall of fire, but he isn’t. And he isn’t in Heaven either.”

  “Oh no,” Lacy whispered. “This is my fault.”

  “No, it isn’t,” Ash told her. “He was supposed to die and become one of us. But damn it if I can't find him!”

  “What can we do?” Lacy asked, forcing her emotions under control.

  “You can stay here and continue to heal,” Ash said. “Antonio and I will go looking for him. If we’re lucky, we’ll find Balthazar as well. If we do, Lord help his demon ass.”

  “He will come for me eventually,” Shelly added. “I know he will.” She knew her father would blame her for his failure. She knew that he wouldn’t hesitate to use her as bait or as leverage, and the Guard would pay the price.