Ultimate Temptations

by K. Anne

I pressed my lips together to keep from starting another verbal war with him. It wasn’t worth the energy. Instead, I stayed silent until we finally arrived at the movie theater where I worked. I circled the lot until I found a spot to park in.

  There wasn’t a lot to do around Shinnston, so most teenagers would spend a lot of their time in the theaters and in the mall that was connected to it. That meant that most of the time, my shifts at work would fly by. I hoped tonight wouldn’t be any different.

  As soon as I parked my car, I climbed out and locked it. Cain followed me across the lot to the sidewalk.

  “You might want to go invisible now unless you feel like explaining to everyone I work with why you’re following me around,” I said as I turned to look at him.

  He smirked at me before disappearing.

  I stared at the spot where I knew he was still standing. Curious, I reached out to see if I could feel him. I moved my hand back and forth, unable to touch anything but air.

  “I guess I don’t have to worry about anyone bumping into you tonight,” I finally said before turning and walking inside.

  Several people were standing in line in the lobby. I moved past them and walked through the door marked Employees Only. After shoving my coat and purse into my locker and locking it, I clocked in. Resigned to my fate of shoving popcorn into containers for the next six hours, I walked through another door that led to the counter.

  My manager, Colton, smiled when he saw me. “Hey, Ella. I want you at the ticket counter for a while.”

  “Sure.” I walked over to where he was standing.

  He was ringing through a couple of girls who were buying tickets to the latest romantic comedy. Once he finished with them, he logged out and moved away, so I could get logged into the system.

  For the next four hours, I did nothing but ring people through. Friday nights were always busy, but this one was ridiculous. For a while, I forgot that I had a demon in the lobby with me, watching out for Death, who seemed determined to find me. For just a few hours, I felt normal.

  “Ella, you can take a break. I’ll run the ticket counter while you’re gone,” Colton said after walking over to me.

  “Thanks.” I felt dead on my feet. My stomach rumbled, reminding me that I hadn’t taken the time to eat before coming to work. “I think I’ll grab something from the food court. I’ll be back in fifteen.”

  He nodded as I walked away. I clocked out and headed out through the employee door and into the lobby. I was relieved to see that it was finally starting to clear out a little.

  The mall was directly connected to the theater, but to move from one building to the other, I had to walk outside. It wasn’t far, but it was annoying when it was cold out. I hurried through the exit door and down the sidewalk to the nearest mall entrance. The temperature had dropped significantly since I arrived for work. I hoped that it didn’t start snowing before I made it home. My poor car probably wouldn’t make it since the tires were practically bald.

  “Are you going to buy me something, too? I’m starving,” Cain said from beside me.

  I yelped in surprise, causing several people to turn and look at me.

  My face heated in embarrassment as I turned to glare at Cain. “A little warning would be nice when we’re in public you know.”

  “That wouldn’t be nearly as fun.” He grinned as he held the door open for me. “And you didn’t answer my original question, so I’m taking that as a yes. Can we grab some mall pizza?”

  “Buy your own,” I huffed as I started walking across the mall.

  Our mall was fairly simple compared to some I’d heard of. It was only one story with one large open space going through the entire place. The food court was down a hallway right in the center of the mall.

  Worried that there would be a line, I quickened my pace. Cain stayed silent as we walked together. I caught several girls looking in our direction, their gazes focused on Cain.

  At school, most of the girls had finally settled down over the Collins brothers. I’d forgotten what it was like when strangers met either of them. They made every single person in the room stop and take notice. I wasn’t sure if it was some kind of demon charisma that helped Cain or if he’d always been this way. I didn’t dare ask him, not wanting to inflate his ego even more.

  When we reached the food court, Cain grabbed my hand and tugged me over to the pizza shop. I glanced down at my hand in his. Since Asher had disappeared, Cain seemed to find more and more reasons to touch me. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. He had kissed me twice, but that was before I had known what he really was. Things had changed since then, and I’d made it clear that I didn’t want him to kiss me again. He hadn’t tried again. Instead, he constantly found reasons to touch me.

  I stayed silent as Cain ordered two slices of pizza and drinks for us. I raised an eyebrow when I saw him paying for both of us as well. Whenever Cain was genuinely nice, it always surprised me.

  He handed me the drinks to carry before grabbing the pizza and finding a nearby table to sit down at. I sat across from him. When he slid my paper plate across the table, I picked it up and started eating like a woman possessed.

  “Hungry?” he teased.

  I nodded, my mouth too full to speak.

  “We only have two more hours until you’re free, right?” he asked.

  I nodded again.

  “Good. When we get home, I want to practice with the swords some more. You’re really starting to improve.”

  I gave him a look of disbelief as I swallowed my food. “We won’t get home until well after midnight. You can’t really want to practice tonight. It’ll be too late.”

  “You need all the practice you can get.”

  “My uncle—” I started to argue but stopped.

  “Your uncle will look the other way, just like he always does, thanks to Asher.”

  I grumbled under my breath as I took another bite. I hated to admit it, but Cain was right. I did need to practice.

  Over the past week, I had improved greatly, but it wasn’t enough, not even close. I was proud of the fact that I’d managed to block him once last night. He’d seemed as surprised as I was over that. The sword was starting to feel more comfortable in my hand, not so heavy and awkward.

  Cain had seemed to think that I was capable of handling it on my own if Death appeared. We had stashed my sword under my bed last Tuesday night. He’d given me strict instructions not to touch it unless we were practicing or if Death decided to visit me.

  As we ate, I people-watched. Friday night at the mall was always guaranteed to bring out a few oddballs. Once, I’d even seen a man dressed up in a gorilla suit while his companion wore a banana costume. Tonight though, I didn’t see anyone out of the ordinary.

  A few tables down from us was a young woman with her toddler son. She was trying to coax him into eating, but all he wanted to do was play with his toys.

  A couple sat close by as well. They were leaning across the table toward each other. The man was talking too low for me to hear, but whatever he was saying made the woman smile and blush.

  Teenagers walked past us in groups—the boys trying to look tough, the girls glued to their every word.

  For a moment, I wished I were one of them. Everyone around me was normal. They were out, living their normal lives, doing normal things with their normal friends. They had no idea that there was a demon nearby, devouring pizza, as he watched over a girl who everyone seemed to want dead.

  “What are you thinking?” Cain asked, pulling me out of my trance.

  I shook my head. “Nothing really. Just…” I motioned to the crowd around us. “That was me six months ago, Cain. I had friends. I was normal. Now, everything is so confusing. I’m no longer just an average girl. I’m a freak. And the worst part? I don’t even understand why I’m a freak. I don’t get why my mother tried to kill me—twice. I don’t understand why Death seems so interested in me. What did I do to deserve all of this?”

  I was on the
verge of tears, but I held them back. Crying would do nothing but make me look weak in Cain’s eyes. I didn’t want that. I wanted him to see me as more than just a girl who had caused him so many problems.

  “Hey, look at me,” Cain said.

  I looked up to see him watching me with a serious expression on his face.

  “You didn’t do anything, Ella. Sometimes, fate has more in store for us than others. You’re special, Ella. You’re going to do amazing things. These people around us? They won’t. They’ll live out their lives like everyone else. They won’t do anything special. It’s them who you should be feeling sorry for. You’re going to experience so much more than any of them could ever imagine.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked, confused.

  He shook his head. “Nothing. I just meant that you should accept whatever happens next. Fate has already set things in motion for you. You were picked for this.”

  I stayed quiet for a moment. “I know you’re hiding something from me, Cain. I’m not an idiot.” He opened his mouth, but I held up my hand. “I’m not going to ask you what it is you’re hiding—not yet anyway. I get that you and Asher both have rules that you have to follow. I won’t get you in trouble. I can wait. I just…I hope that whatever it is will help me. I don’t want to go any deeper into whatever this is than I already am.”

  “I’m truly sorry, Ella, but I can’t tell you anything that will ease your mind—not now at least.” He reached across the table and took my hand in his. “When all of this is over, you’ll understand just how special you really are.”

  I closed my eyes as his warm hand covered mine. I wanted more than anything to turn my hand over and lace my fingers through his. That was so incredibly wrong. Even worse was the way I felt when Cain acted this way. He was a safe haven for me. It scared me to realize just how much I had started to care for him. Even when he annoyed me, I was fond of him. When he left, I was going to be devastated. The same went for Asher. Both of these boys had wormed their way into my life, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever truly be ready to let them go.

  Cain pulled away. “We’d better head back, or you’ll be late.”

  My eyes snapped open, and I felt my face flush in embarrassment. I quickly finished my food before standing and tossing my garbage in the trash can next to our table.

  Cain stayed in sight until just before we walked back into the theater. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him disappear.

  When I made it back to the counter, Colton was no longer standing behind the register. He had one of the other girls, Shelly, running the ticket register. Confused, I made my way back through the employee doors.

  Colton was standing on the other side, waiting for me. “Ella, I want you to start cleaning the empty theaters. Nine and six just let out. Start with them,” he said. His voice sounded strange. It lacked any kind of emotion at all.

  Instantly, I went on high alert. “Uh…sure. Is everything okay? I thought I was on register tonight,” I said.

  “Clean six and nine, Ella.” Then, he turned and walked away, leaving me alone in the room.

  “That seem odd to you?” I asked Cain, knowing that he was with me.

  He appeared in front of me. “Yeah, definitely. If I didn’t know any better, I would guess that an angel or a demon has tampered with his memory.”

  “What?” My voice was full of surprise.

  He nodded. “Yeah. If it’s a demon, I’m not worried, but an angel concerns me. Most of them aren’t like Asher. They won’t just play nice for the sake of the job. There’s a good chance that they’ll see me and pull out one of their shiny little swords.”

  “Wonderful,” I muttered. “Stay close I guess. If it’s an angel, leave before they have a chance to hurt you.”

  He chuckled. “Angels don’t scare me, Ella. I have yet to meet one who can win against me.”

  “Don’t be cocky,” I snapped. “That could very well be your downfall one day.”

  He rolled his eyes before disappearing again. I shook my head in annoyance as I walked back out into the lobby and headed toward the theater’s entrance. I made my way down the hallway to the supply closet. I flipped on the light, half-expecting someone to be waiting for me. The room was empty. I loaded up a cart with cleaning supplies and tugged it out of the closet. It caught on the rug, nearly toppling over.

  “You could help you know,” I grumbled to Cain.

  He didn’t reappear, and the cart didn’t start moving, so I assumed that meant I was on my own.

  Cursing the carpeted floor, I pushed the cart down to theater six. I opened the door and held it open with my hip as I struggled to push the cart inside.

  “You’re so weak, little mortal,” Cain said as he appeared behind the cart.

  “Thanks,” I said when he pushed it through the doorway. I grabbed the cleaning sign off of the cart and put it outside the door before letting it close softly behind me.

  “Will there be anyone in here?” Cain whispered as he helped me push the cart up the ramp.

  “There shouldn’t be, but if I were you, I’d hide until we’re sure.”

  “Have fun with the cart then.” He disappeared from sight.

  The cart lunged backward since he wasn’t helping me push. I dug my heels into the ground to keep if from rolling all the way back down to the entrance.

  “Stupid demons,” I grumbled. “And stupid carts. This is why I hate cleaning duty.”

  Normally, the guys I worked with were assigned to cleaning duty since most of them were bigger than any of the girls. Also, they usually worked in pairs to get the job done faster. That made me extra leery of being sent in here to clean on my own.

  As I pushed the cart the rest of the way up the ramp, my eyes darted around to what I could see of the room. Even with the lights on the walls, there were still areas that I couldn’t see. I stopped once I reached the end of the ramp, relieved that I’d made it to the top.

  The theater was split into two sections, and I stood in the middle. Below me were twenty or so rows of seats and the ginormous screen. Above me were even more seats and the small projection window. I looked around the theater, still searching for someone about to jump out at me.

  “Up here,” a voice called from the top of the rows.

  I froze for a moment before I finally realized who it was.

  “Cain, you’re an ass. Don’t scare me like that!” I grumbled.

  “That wasn’t me,” Cain said as he appeared a few feet away from me. His eyes were trained on the figure who had spoken.

  “Wha—Asher?” I called out.

  Asher slowly moved out of the shadows and made his way down the steps toward us. Without stopping to think, I rushed up the stairs to meet him. I hurdled myself into his arms, causing him to make an umph sound as he was forced to take a step back.

  “I guess it’s safe to say that you’re happy to see me,” he murmured against my hair. “If I had known I’d receive this kind of greeting, I would have tried to get back sooner.”

  I pulled away. Now that I knew he was safe, I was annoyed that he’d just disappeared without telling us that he was leaving.

  I glared at him. “And just where have you been for the past week? I was worried sick about you!”

  He frowned. “I’m sorry. If I could have told you I had to leave, I would have. They didn’t give me a chance though. They pulled me back without summoning me.”

  “Why would they do that?” Cain spoke up finally.

  I glanced back to see him walking up the steps toward us. He stopped a few stairs away and leaned against the wall. “Usually, if they pull you back without a summons, you don’t come back. Most of the time, it means you’re in deep shit.”

  Asher looked over my head at Cain. “They didn’t pull me back because I did something wrong. They needed to speak with me.”

  “And summoning you wasn’t an option?”

  Asher hesitated. “They needed to talk to me immediately.”

  “Inter
esting,” Cain murmured. “I’m curious, what exactly did they need to speak with you about?”

  Asher glanced down at me before meeting Cain’s gaze again. “We’ll talk about it soon, but right now isn’t the time.”

  “Because I’m here?” I asked.

  Asher nodded. “I’m sorry, Ella, but yes. I can’t talk to you about this, not yet.”

  “More secrets. Just what I need,” I said, not bothering to hide my annoyance.

  “I will tell you but not yet. I have my orders, and I can’t ignore them yet again. They’re angry with me already.”

  “For what?” I asked.

  “For telling you the truth about what I am. They…made me understand that it wouldn’t end well if I went against them again.”

  “They tortured you?” Cain’s voice was sharp.

  When Asher didn’t answer, I gasped in horror. “They did, didn’t they?”

  “It doesn’t matter. Just let it go, both of you,” Asher said.

  Anger surged through my veins. “How dare they hurt you for telling me the truth! I wish I could hurt every single one of them. Heaven is supposed to be filled with the good ones.” I laughed, but it held no humor. “I think I hate them. No, I’m sure of it.”

  “Don’t say that!” Asher snapped. “You don’t hate them, Ella. Don’t you dare even think that.”

  “Why not?” Cain asked. There was smugness in his tone that I didn’t like. “Afraid she’ll decide that Hell is the better team?”

  “Enough, both of you,” I said as I looked back and forth between the two of them. “You’re back, Asher. That’s all that matters.”

  “It feels good to be back here with you.” Asher smiled down at me.

  His expression was so sincere that my anger over his abrupt departure started to disappear.

  “Not to spoil a super special moment between the two of you, but I think Ella should get back to work before someone walks in here and notices her standing here, talking to us,” Cain said, killing the moment.

  I fought not to roll my eyes. “You’re right, I suppose. Sticky soda isn’t going to mop itself up.”

  “I’ll help you,” Asher said. “With both of us working, it won’t take very long.”