“Now, you mark him and we wait for him to die,” Antonio said.
“I’m not killing him!” Ash barked.
Antonio laughed. “No, silly. You mark him so you will always know where he is. When he dies, as humans do, he becomes yours.”
“I don’t want his soul,” Ash grumbled.
“You don’t get his soul… He has to accept your offer… Just, don’t worry with it right now,” Antonio said. “Just go mark him.” He accented his words with a not so gentle shove between Ash’s shoulders.
“I don’t know how to do that,” Ash reminded him.
“I don’t either,” Antonio said. “I guess you just touch him with that in mind. I dunno, just try it. I’m hungry over here!”
Ash rolled his eyes and went over to the fireman. He laid his hand on the man’s shoulder. The man shivered for a second and looked around, but then went back to breathing the oxygen that the EMT insisted he breathe.
“All done?” Antonio asked.
Ash shrugged his shoulders. “I guess.”
“Great! Now let’s get some food!” Antonio grinned and leapt into the sky. Ash followed him.
They flew for a while in comfortable silence. Ash even dared to think that the warrior was growing on him. He even almost sort of liked him. Ash had a feeling of accomplishment, which was a welcome change from the overwhelming dump of information he had received lately.
Ash was trying to take everything he had learned, everything he had been shown, and file it away in neat little compartments in his brain. That was working about as well as a bull in a china shop. He imagined his brain looked more like the city dump and less like an organized office.
As he flew, he made a conscious effort to let go of the stress he had been under. He smiled as they passed a flock of geese that were no doubt heading south for the winter. He was really going to enjoy this part of his job…..the freedom.
A part of him wondered what his sister was up to. As if he knew exactly what Ash was thinking, Antonio said, “Hey, let’s go see about that sister of yours.”
Ash nodded his head and they were on their way.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Leanne was sitting directly across from Elizabeth in the small sandwich shop. “So how are things going on the OB floor these days?” she asked her new friend. Elizabeth was a doctor in the ER when Leanne’s brother had been shot. Thanks to her, Ash had survived what would have been a fatal wound otherwise. Leanne was engaged to the doctor who had been on call that night, James Tucker, but he hadn’t been there fast enough. Elizabeth had, so it was easy for Leanne to form a fast friendship with the doc. She had moved herself out of the ER and onto the OB-GYN floor shortly after Ash disappeared. That brother of hers was always doing that. It worried Leanne a bit that he had been gone so long this time. Normally, he would disappear for days or even weeks at a time, but this time he had been MIA for months.
However, he was a big boy and could take care of himself. She just wished he would answer his damn phone.
“I like it,” Elizabeth answered her. She cut a piece of her sandwich off and popped it into her mouth. “I much prefer bringing life into the world than seeing it out.”
“I get that,” Leanne agreed.
“How’s the wedding plans coming?” Elizabeth asked her.
“Pretty good,” Leanne answered her. “I wish I could get a hold of Ash, though. I want him to walk me down the aisle.”
“Still no word from him?” Elizabeth asked. She was more concerned than she thought she should be about that. She knew that she had operated on Leanne’s brother, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember the man’s face.
“Nope,” Leanne told her. “I know he’s off doing whatever it is that he does, but damn. He could at least answer the phone.”
“Men are real considerate sometimes,” Elizabeth said. “How’s James doing with all the wedding plans?”
Leanne barked out a laugh. “He is staying as far from it as possible. He says whatever I want he will go along with it, just as long as at the end of the day, we’re married.”
Elizabeth nodded her approval. Just then, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She felt as if someone were watching her intently. She looked around the restaurant but didn’t see anything out of sorts. Leanne was still talking about wedding plans, but Elizabeth couldn’t concentrate. She felt a tight squeeze in her chest and suddenly felt like crying. Damned depression, she thought, choking back the tears and covering it with a cough.
***
Ash watched his sister eating lunch with a beautiful brunette woman. She was wearing hospital scrubs so he assumed she was someone who worked with his sister’s fiancé. He watched in silence as they talked wedding preparations. He saw that Lele was well and healthy and hadn’t missed that she wanted to talk to him, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off her friend. Who was she? And more importantly, why did his dick think that he should go over and ravage her immediately?
Antonio’s head whipped back and forth from Ash to Elizabeth as he watched the new leader of Hell become completely enraptured with the dark haired woman sitting across from his sister. A smile played across his lips. Yep that was her. Antonio had been given a double mission with this one. First, help Ash get assimilated into his new position and pick out his guard. Second, get him back together with the love of his life.
Antonio had been given the story of how Ash had asked God to make them forget each other. But Ash’s power to lead had been forged by the love he had for this woman. She was meant to be his… his mate. The one he who completed his soul, balanced him out, and was meant to be by his side forever.
From the looks of things, she was definitely his mate.
Of course, it wasn’t as easy as just telling Ash that the woman was his. No, he had to find a way to make it happen between the pair without running his mouth. The big guy, God, would never take something as important as a mate away from anyone…. not a vampire, not a shifter, and not a human. Although he had honored Ash’s request, he had put in a little loophole. He didn’t always give people what they wanted, but God always gave them what they needed. And Ash needed his mate. That loophole? Easy-peasy. They just had to touch, skin to skin, and everything they had forgotten would be restored. They already remembered little flashes…. a sound, or a feeling. They just didn’t know what it meant. Antonio intended to change that.
Of course, Ash was acting like a man without his mate. He was bitchy, grumbly, and although he had kept it in check so far, prone to violence. It was only going to get worse. Antonio felt a smile play on his lips as he watched Ash pretend not to be interested in her. Now, if he could just orchestrate it perfectly…..
***
“How do I make her see me?” Ash asked, yanking Antonio out of his own head.
“Shit,” Antonio snapped and grabbed Ash by the arm. He flashed them both out of the sandwich shop and around the corner into an empty alley.
“What the fuck?” Ash demanded.
“You made yourself visible,” Antonio answered. “You can’t just be appearing out of thin air like that! People are smart as individuals, but as a whole, they are panicky, easily frightened creatures. You have to think, man!”
“I was thinking!” Ash shouted back at him. “I was thinking that I wanted to talk to my fucking sister!”
“And that is how you became visible!” Antonio shouted right back at him. “First you gotta hide your wings. Then make yourself visible. And do it where you ain’t gonna scare the shit out of someone.”
Ash fisted his hands at his sides. Yep, he was gonna punch the fucker. He took back all those thoughts he had about maybe liking this dick rash. He knew the angel was there to help, but right now, he was seriously cock blocking him. He wanted to talk to Lele, and he wanted to talk to the brunette.
There was a deep growling noise emanating from his chest and Ash was powerless to stop it. Before he could rein in his temper, Ash was all over that vampire angel like stink on shit, thr
owing his body at him and tackling him to the ground. They rolled around a bit before Antonio flashed away from him.
“Man, what did I say? You gotta get a grip on your temper!” Antonio barked from the other end of the alley. He shook his head. The leader of Hell could easily dispatch his ass if he wanted to; luckily, he didn’t know how to use the power God had given him.
Ash stood and glared at him. “Fuck you, man,” he growled.
“Pfft, fuck you.” Antonio replied.
Ash knew he had lost his shit. “Look…” he grumbled.
“It’s all good,” Antonio replied, brushing off his pants and the squabble at the same time. “Now, how about we hide these wings and get visible. I want a fucking sandwich.” Ash noticed that Antonio had also ditched the chain mail and was now wearing a black t-shirt and jeans.
Ash nodded. He imagined his wings disappearing and they did. Then he willed himself to be seen by everyone. He felt the earth tilt slightly under his feet for a split second, then it was as if he were just the same as he always was.
“Great,” Antonio announced, clapping him on the back. “Let’s eat.”
CHAPTER NINE
They entered the front door of the sandwich shop like any other, non-angel, humans would. He saw his sister at the same time she saw him.
“Ash!” she yelled and got up from her chair, causing it to fall to back and clatter on the tile floor. She ran across the room and leapt into his arms.
He picked her up easily and spun her around. “Hey, Little Sister,” he said with a genuine smile. “How’s it going?” he asked as he gently sat her back on her feet. He looked down into her eyes and was rewarded with the spark of happiness he saw there.
“You ass!” she barked and slapped his chest. “Where the hell have you been?”
He couldn’t tell her that Hell was exactly where he had been.
“I’m afraid that’s my fault,” Antonio offered. Was it just his imagination or had the angel taken on a heavier accent? He had spoken with a bit of Spanish accent before, but it seemed a lot heavier now.
“Oh, hi,” Leanne said as if she just noticed him. “I’m Leanne.”
“Antonio,” he said, taking her hand and shaking it.
“Yeah, that’s great. Can we sit?” Ash interrupted.
“Yes!” Leanne exclaimed. “Come sit at our table.” She led them to the table she shared with Elizabeth. “Ash, you remember Dr. Rone,” she said.
Ash stared at the woman. Dark chocolate eyes stared back up at him. Man, she was pretty, he thought. He started to put his hand out to shake hers, but she only nodded at him, so he did the same, raising his hand and running it through his hair instead. Awkward. Ash took a seat on the side of the table, placing himself between Dr. Rone and his sister and across from Antonio. Of course, that also put Antonio between his sister and Dr. Rone. Ash pursed his lips and bit the inside of his cheek. Antonio already said he was mated, or married, or something. He just couldn’t help it. He didn’t want the angel anywhere near his sister or her friend with that freaking suave accent and all that black hair. Who was he kidding? Antonio was every girl’s wet dream and there was no way he didn’t know it. Hell, Ash was a guy and he knew it. Fucker.
Ash had never been jealous. What the hell was wrong with him?
“Ash, are you ok?” Leanne asked him. “You’re growling I think.”
Ash made a show of clearing his throat. “No, sorry, I just had something in my throat.”
“Now, what have I told you about things in your throat,” Antonio said with a wag of his brow. “Deep throating will do that to you.”
Leanne and Elizabeth both spit their drinks through their noses at the same time and burst out laughing. “I didn’t know you swung that way, Big Brother,” Leanne snorted.
Antonio opened his mouth and starting singing “All Night Long” by Lionel Richie. He even started shifting his hips in the chair in a weird kind of butt dance.
Ash knew it. He was going to kill Antonio before it was done and over with. But not quickly. No, he was going to find a way to make him suffer. He was going to cut out his vocal cords first. Then he was going to cut off that hair. Man needed a haircut anyway. Then, he was going to peel the fucker’s skin right off his body.
“I’m sorry,” Antonio offered. “I think I offended him. He looks like he is planning my slow, painful death.”
“You have no idea,” Ash grumbled.
“Ok, ok,” Antonio backed off. “I was just kidding with ya, no need to get your panties in a twist.”
“I like him,” Leanne offered. “He’s fun. It’s about time you started hanging out with fun people.”
“It’s not by choice,” Ash mumbled.
“We’re partners on a new project,” Antonio told the women. “We’re building a new construction down south and trying to get it up and running as smoothly as possible.” He kept talking and Ash nodded in the appropriate places. Ash had always told his sister that he was into architecture, so the lie that was really not so much of a lie falling from the angel’s lips, was very believable. “Anyway, he wanted to see you so we made the trip here just for that. Lucky we got hungry the same time you did.”
“Yeah, lucky,” Ash agreed.
“Well, can you be here for the wedding?” Leanne asked. “I want you to give me away.”
Ash felt his heart fill with love for his sister. She was happy. Safe. All the things he was wanted for her. Everything was worth it. “Of course I will,” he said, taking her hand in his own and giving it a squeeze.
“Thank you,” she said. “I was worried before that you wouldn’t approve, but after James and Elizabeth here patched you up, I just knew you would have a change of heart.”
“Patched me up?” Ash asked with a raised brow.
“Yeah, silly. When you were shot. Elizabeth saved your butt, remember?”
Ash looked at Elizabeth. You will not die. The words rang in his head like something he should remember. But he didn’t. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I don’t remember much about that time frame. Guess getting shot will do that to you.”
“Yeah, it sure will,” Elizabeth agreed. “Don’t feel bad, I have a hard time remembering things that happened while under the influence of adrenaline.”
What she wasn’t telling them was, even though she knew she had operated on him, she couldn’t remember any of the details. She had written meticulous notes in his chart, which was how she remembered as much as she did, which wasn’t much. In her notes, she wrote that she had held Ash’s heart in her hands. How could she not remember that? She had convinced herself that it was the adrenaline and that the depression she was suffering from was causing lapses in her memory.
“Of course, you wouldn’t remember much,” Leanne reminded Ash, “You were heavily drugged, and you left the hospital AMA! It’s a wonder you survived at all. Hell, it’s a wonder you survive taking a shower every day!”
Ash inclined his head at his sister. “Touché,” he grinned at her, then turned his attention to the doctor. “So you work in the hospital?” he asked her.
Elizabeth nodded. “I used to work trauma, but not anymore. It just doesn’t hold the fascination that it used to,” she said. “Now I work in OB.”
Ash nodded. “That’s a respectable change.” He shoved a bite of his sandwich in his mouth and reached for the salt for his fries. Elizabeth was reaching for it as well. Ash stopped his hand mere centimeters from hers. “Oh, sorry,” he said.
“No worries,” she chimed as she grabbed the shaker and salted her food. Antonio rolled his eyes. Maybe if he punched Ash in the nose and bloodied it, she would fix him up. They would be touching then. On the other hand, maybe he needed to trip Ash while he was in close proximity to the woman. Or he could push her. He cringed at the thought of pushing a woman, no matter the reason.
They sat and made small talk until the food was gone and Ash had promised to be there in a month for his sister’s wedding. Antonio didn’t get them to touch each
other, but there was still time. There would be many more opportunities to put the pair together. He would see to it, even if it killed him.
CHAPTER TEN
“That was fun,” Antonio said as they walked around the side of the sandwich shop. “We should get back though.”
Ash’s eyes darted over to look at the angel without turning his head. “Yeah, I guess,” he said. He was sorry to have to leave his sister again, and he was sorry to leave her friend. There was just something about her that he couldn’t nail down. He knew that she patched him up, but he didn’t remember that. It felt like something else. Something bigger. But what? Ash shrugged and decided that it was better not to worry over it. He had so many other things to deal with at the moment.
As they rounded the corner, they made themselves invisible again. “Back to Hell?” Ash asked.
“Home sweet home,” Antonio said with a smile. “At least, it’s your home.”
Ash grumbled something unintelligible and nodded. “Ok, let’s do this.” He concentrated on going back to his office as Antonio said, and in a flash, he was there.
“I’m beat,” Antonio announced, “going home for the night. But if you need me, just call out and I’ll be here in a flash.”
Ash nodded and watched the angel disappear into thin air. Then he was alone in his office. He wandered over to the wall of screens and checked in on each of the sanctions. Everything seemed to be running as it was supposed to, so he moved on. He went into the room with the mirror and thought of Lele. The mirror changed from his own reflection to his sister kissing her fiancé. He didn’t really need to see what was obviously coming next, so he thought of the doctor he had met that day.
The mirror changed again and Ash saw her. She was brushing her teeth and preparing for bed. He wanted to look away, but he couldn’t. He watched until she was snug in her bed and obviously dreaming before turning away himself. He didn’t know exactly what it was about her, but she fascinated him. Even though he had only met her briefly, he just knew that she was full of fire and spunk. He knew there was more to her than meets the eye.
Salvation (The Keepers of Hell Book 2) Page 5
