Ultimate Temptations

by K. Anne

  “I’m sorry, Asher. Obviously, I could tell there was something going on between you two, but I figured it was just normal brother stuff. I had no idea…” I trailed off.

  “Our differences go back further than you could imagine.”

  “I…I don’t know what to say,” I told him honestly.

  He sat up. “There’s nothing you can say. It is what it is.”

  “But…” I hesitated. “You guys said that Heaven and Hell are at war. Doesn’t that mean that you two are still fighting against each other?”

  “It does. The only thing I can hope for is that whenever this war is over, we’re both still standing. Maybe then we’ll be able to put aside our differences and finally come to some sort of truce.”

  “That’s so sad.”

  He chuckled. “Lots of things in life are sad. Even more are unfair.” He looked at me with what I thought was pity. “But you just have to keep moving forward, no matter what fate has in store for you.”

  “Can I ask you something else?”

  “Sure, but I can’t promise that I will answer.”

  I had to give him credit for being honest at least.

  “What’s it like to die?”

  My question seemed to surprise him.

  He hesitated for a moment before answering, “Dying was…painful. At least, mine was. It was also terrifying. I was seventeen years old and in the middle of one of the bloodiest battles of the war. I watched my friends, my neighbors, and complete strangers die right before my eyes.”

  “I can’t even imagine,” I said quietly. And I couldn’t. Reading about battles from the past was one thing, but to actually be there and see the things Asher had seen…I couldn’t even begin to comprehend what he’d seen and felt.

  “I didn’t think it could get any worse until”—he swallowed roughly—“I was hit. The pain was indescribable. The only comfort was that it lasted for just a few seconds. The guns they used back then didn’t take bullets like today’s. Instead, they used round lead balls. They left quite a…hole in whatever they hit.”

  I shuddered. “I’m so sorry, Asher. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  He smiled. “No, it’s okay. I came to terms with being dead a long time ago. Besides, it’s not like I just disappeared from existence. I’m truly home now.”

  “Are you happy in Heaven? What is it like there?”

  His expression softened. “I am happy. It’s where I belong. I feel peace there, even when the conflict erupts between us and Hell. I know I’m doing the right thing and protecting those I serve.” He paused. “As for what it’s like, you’ll find out one day, I’m sure. I don’t want to ruin it for you, but like I said earlier, it’s similar to Earth.”

  “That’s…kind of comforting,” I said.

  He laughed.

  The room filled with silence. It wasn’t uneasy though. After everything I’d learned, it was nice to just take a moment to breathe. After a while, Asher moved closer to me. I was surprised when I realized that I had no desire to move away from him.

  I gave him a questioning look as he lifted a hand and carefully moved my hair away from my neck.

  “I meant to ask earlier, what happened here?” His fingers brushed against the bruises on my neck.

  “I went looking for answers. It seems that I only found more questions.” I paused. “And a little more trouble.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “I heard Cain and you talking about my mother that day in my kitchen. I thought maybe she would be able to tell me what I needed to know, so I went to see her.”

  His eyes found mine. “And did you learn anything from her?”

  I shook my head. “She said the same thing as last time. I was supposed to die. She did mention that something must be protecting me.” I gave him a skeptical look. “At least she was right about that. You and your brother have been watching out for me. I can’t help but wonder how she knew that.”

  He shrugged. “Some mortals are more in touch with the other realms. She could very well be one of them. That would explain why she used to drink so much.”

  He ran his fingers over my bruises again. I shivered at his soft touch.

  “I assume she’s the reason you have those bruises now.”

  “Who else would have tried to strangle me? Of course these are from her. The woman just can’t seem to keep her hands off of me when I’m within five feet of her.”

  “I’m sorry she hurt you—again.”

  I tried to keep the pain I was feeling out of my expression. “With her, it’s what I expect. She did tell me she loved me and she even looked as if she felt bad this time. I guess that’s something.”

  He sighed as he finally moved his hand away from me. I squeaked in surprise when he suddenly pulled me to him and hugged me.

  “Life is so very unfair. It seems you’ve had to deal with more than most. For that, I’m sorry.”

  Unsure of what to do, I hesitantly hugged him back. “It’s okay. You and Cain will keep me safe for now, and once all of this is over, I’ll leave here and find some peaceful existence where I’m just a normal girl.”

  Asher’s body tensed for a moment before relaxing again. “I’m so sorry.”

  I finally pulled away when I started to feel uncomfortable. “Hey, it’s fine. I’ll deal. I always do.”

  He seemed bothered by my words. I rested my hand on his shoulder, hoping to give him some kind of comfort. He looked down to where my hand rested, seeming surprised that I would so willingly touch him.

  “Asher, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Just lost in thought I suppose.” He reached up and rested his hand on top of mine. “I’m surprised you’d want to touch me after all you’ve learned.”

  I hesitated for a moment, trying to think of the right way to describe how I felt. “I was freaked. Hell, I’m still freaked. I mean, come on, if our roles were reversed, you’d react the same way.”

  He chuckled. “Ella, if there were two of you in this world, I wouldn’t be freaked. I’d be in Heaven.”

  I felt my cheeks warm, but I ignored him as I continued, “Even though I’m kind of freaking out, I still like you. I haven’t a clue why, but I do. You’re a good…person, Asher. Anyone who spends any time with you at all would know that. Being an angel doesn’t change that about you.”

  He gave me a tiny smile. “You’re something special, Ella Wilkins. I hope you know that.”

  Our eyes locked again, and I felt myself getting pulled in. Asher lowered his head just a fraction of an inch, and I realized I had moved closer, too. Our faces were only a few inches apart. My heart started thundering in my chest when I realized that I wanted to kiss the boy next to me. That was wrong on so many levels. He was an angel. That right there should have been reason enough. Add in the fact that I’d kissed his brother, and it was enough for me to abruptly pull away.

  I saw disappointment flash across his face, but it was gone in an instant. I wondered if I’d imagined it.

  Asher cleared his throat. “Anyway, we really do have homework that needs to get finished. Why don’t we get started on it?”

  I grinned. “What? The angel can’t just magically make his homework do itself?”

  “Sadly, no. Trust me, I tried—several times,” he teased.

  I stood and walked across the room to where my backpack was. “Let’s get started then.”

  And that was how I ended up working on my homework with an angel. My life was officially insane.

  When Cain walked through my bedroom door later that night, Asher quickly said good-bye to me before practically running out of the room.

  Asher had been extremely quite while we worked on our homework and throughout the rest of the day. I was sure that he was thinking about his past and all the things I’d forced him to remember. Guilt gnawed at my insides. I’d hurt Asher without even meaning to.

  “So, do you want me to lift more furniture? Or have we moved past the denial stage?” Cain asked onc
e Asher was gone.

  “You can leave my furniture where it is. Thanks,” I said in greeting.

  Cain smirked, obviously over his little fit from that morning. “Now, you know our dirty little secret.”

  “I suppose I do,” I said.

  “Aren’t you going to start asking me questions? Or maybe you’ll gush like a schoolgirl over how awesome I am.” He paused. “Oh, wait. You are a schoolgirl. Gush away.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”

  “Yet you still find me charming enough to kiss—twice. I must be doing something right.” He dropped down onto my bed.

  “Please, make yourself at home,” I said sarcastically. “And we’re not talking about that—ever.”

  “Why not?” he asked.

  I hated the fact that he was still smirking at me.

  “Because I said so. That’s a good enough reason.”

  He opened his mouth, but I held up my hand.

  “Enough, demon. If you’re going to stay with me all night, then don’t talk. It’ll make things so much easier.”

  He mocked me by pretending to zip his lips shut. Tonight was going to drag on forever. I was sure of it.

  An hour later, I lay on my stomach in bed, trying to read a book—emphasis on the word trying. It was rather distracting to have Cain sitting against the far wall, constantly moving or humming. Every time I looked up, he would be staring at me.

  “Will you look somewhere else?” I finally said when I couldn’t take his staring any longer.

  “Can’t. You never know when Death might sneak back into your room. I don’t want to take my eyes off of you for a second.”

  I groaned. “So, you’re going to follow me into the bathroom, too?”

  He smirked. “I can if you’d like. I can even help you out while you shower.”

  “Um, no. I think I’ll pass,” I said.

  He shrugged. “Your loss. I guess I’ll just stand outside the door while you do whatever it is girls do when they spend an hour in the bathroom.”

  “You haven’t been alive since 1777. I’m pretty sure they didn’t have indoor plumbing back then. So, how do you know how long a girl spends in the bathroom?” I shot back.

  His smirk turned into a full-out grin. “I come to Earth a lot to collect souls. Sometimes, I have downtime. I find ways to entertain myself.”

  I groaned. “You’re gross. I can’t believe you actually follow girls into the bathroom.”

  “Hey, even I have morals. If they start getting naked, I leave.”

  “What a gentleman,” I mumbled as I turned my attention back to my book.

  I made it through all of two pages before he spoke again, “I’m bored.”

  “Go watch some girls,” I said, not bothering to take my eyes off of my book.

  “I’m watching one now. Still bored.”

  I finally glanced up. “What do you expect me to do about it?”

  “Let’s go somewhere.”

  I looked up at the clock. “It’s ten thirty. There’s nothing open this late. Plus, we have school tomorrow.”

  “Who cares about school?”

  “I do. You’ve already found your permanent job placement. I, on the other hand, need to graduate, so I can go out into the big, bad world in a few months. I doubt I’ll make it far if I lack a high school diploma,” I said, not bothering to hide my sarcasm.

  “You’re so boring. If I hadn’t already died, I would have died of boredom within the first five minutes of babysitting you,” he grumbled.

  “You know, for a demon, you’re kind of whiny.”

  He rolled his eyes. “This demon needs to stretch his legs. Come on.”

  “No,” I said stubbornly.

  He was silent for a minute. “I’m sure you’re curious about what I do as a demon.”

  “Not really,” I lied.

  “Liar.”

  I finally gave up on reading. I closed my book and tossed it on the floor. “Fine, great demon master, tell me all about your job. Does it have benefits? How long until you can retire? Do they let you take vacations?”

  He stood. “Someone took their sarcastic pill tonight, didn’t they?”

  “I can’t help it. You bring out the worst parts of me.”

  He walked across the room and held out his hand. “Come with me. I’ll show you what a demon does. It’ll be fun.” He grinned. “Plus, it’ll be a learning experience. I know you’re all about the learning.”

  I groaned. “You’re impossible.”

  Still, my curiosity was piqued. I wanted to know what exactly Mr. Demon planned to show me. I reached up and grabbed his hand to pull myself up. Instead, my entire body locked up. I literally froze in place. Before I could blink, everything went black. I felt wind rushing past me, blowing strands of my hair away from my face.

  As soon as it started, it was over. I gasped for breath and held on to Cain’s hand for dear life as I tried to recover.

  “See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?” he asked.

  I looked up. We were no longer in my bedroom. Instead, we were standing in a narrow alleyway. Tall brick buildings surrounded us. I could hear a car horn honking off in the distance.

  “What…what did you do?” My entire body shook as I clung to Cain’s hand.

  “I transported us to a more entertaining location.” He grinned. “Welcome to London, Ella.”

  I gaped at him. “London?”

  He nodded. “Traveling with me is so much faster than flying, don’t you think? Plus, it’s free.”

  “I…I don’t understand. We’re on a different continent!”

  “I see you paid attention in geography class.”

  He patted me on the head. I slapped his hand away.

  “I can travel—fast. It’s one of my abilities.”

  “What are we doing here?” I tried not to think about the fact that I’d traveled across an ocean in only a second.

  “Working. Come on.” He started walking.

  When I didn’t move, he tugged until my feet finally got the message. He kept my hand in his as we moved out of the alley and down a street. There wasn’t another soul around. I expected him to keep to the shadows just to be safe, but he strolled right down the street like it wasn’t the middle of the night, and he wasn’t a demon.

  “Shouldn’t you be stealthier or something?” I whispered.

  He laughed loudly. “I can shield myself, Ella. I’m shielding you, too.”

  “Shielding?” I asked stupidly.

  “If anyone were to walk by us right now, they’d never see us. We’re invisible.”

  “Oh,” I said. “Wait a minute. I know you can do that to yourself, but how am I invisible, too?”

  He squeezed my hand. “As long as I touch you, you’re shielded.”

  “Well, that’s a nifty little trick,” I said as we walked past a black car with heavily tinted windows.

  “Indeed it is. Now, hurry up, or we’ll be late.”

  He quickened his pace, forcing me to do the same. A few blocks over, he stopped abruptly.

  “Hey,” I grumbled. “What are you doing?”

  He held his finger up to his lips. “Shh.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You just said no one can see or hear us. Why do I have to be quiet now?”

  “Because”—he pointed up at the building in front of us—“Death is here.”

  Pure unadulterated fear coursed through my body. I took a step back, but Cain tightly held on to my hand.

  “Why did you bring me here if he’s here?” I asked frantically.

  “Calm down, Ella. He’s not here for you.”

  “Then, who—” I stopped midsentence when I noticed two figures dressed entirely in black carefully making their way down the fire escape on the side of the building.

  Once they reached the ground, they glanced around, looking right through us, before slipping into the shadows and out of sight.

  “Who was that?” I asked.

  “Doesn’t ma
tter. They’re not who we’re here for.”

  Before I could say anything else, the world went black, and the wind rushed past me again. Then, we were standing in the middle of a living room.

  “Now, where are we?” I asked.

  “Top floor. Death has been here. Now, it’s my turn,” Cain answered. When I opened my mouth to speak, he shook his head. “Just watch.”

  He stared down a long hallway. After a few seconds, I started to grow impatient, wondering if he was just messing with me.

  Finally, something happened. One minute, the hallway was pitch-black. The next, a blinding light was in its place. I shielded my eyes with my free hand as they started to water from the intensity.

  “Ella, I have to let go of your hand now,” Cain said.

  “What? Why?” I asked.

  “Because I have a job to do.”

  Before I could protest, he released me. Instantly, the bright light disappeared, as did Cain. Fearing that he’d left me behind, I spun in a circle, searching the room for him, but I found nothing.

  “Cain?” I whispered. When he didn’t answer, I called his name again, louder this time, but still nothing.

  “Don’t panic,” I said. Then, I laughed. “Sure, don’t panic. I’m only an ocean away from home. No reason to panic at all. I’ll just find the nearest police station and ask them to fly me home.”

  As if I wasn’t freaked enough, another thought occurred to me. Cain had said Death was here right before he had done his little magic act to bring us to this room. Maybe he didn’t want to protect me after all. Maybe he wanted to deliver me to Death himself.

  Fear clawed at my insides, shredding them. If that were his plan, I was already dead.

  No. He wouldn’t do that, I told myself.

  Cain was sarcastic and even a little perverted at times, but he wasn’t evil. He wouldn’t do that to me. Plus, if Death were nearby, this room would be a freezer by now.

  I looked around again, expecting Death to be watching me. The room remained empty. I turned my attention back to the hallway where the light had been. Maybe Cain was back there, hiding.