Neither Heaven nor Hell would stop that from happening.
Chapter 17
Kendra/Josselyn
Kendra was lost in thought again. She looked down at the soapy water, and at the single fork and dishrag in her hand. She sighed and then tossed the utensil in with the other clean dishes to be rinsed.
“Stop it. You are worrying over nothing, Kendra,” she mumbled to herself as she set the water to drain.
“I wouldn’t say it was exactly nothing,” Josselyn said quietly, then watched as Kendra’s frame went rigid. She totally expected her to scream bloody murder and run from the room. After what the female had been through, she was surprised she hadn’t already been admitted into an asylum and fitted for her very own straightjacket.
Now she knew why Rhyan was so enamored with the chick. She was strong.
She watched and waited patiently for Kendra’s next reaction. She already knew what she was thinking, but rushing her wouldn’t help anything.
Kendra took in a deep breath, then looked over to Ben’s sleeping form in the bassinet she’d brought into the kitchen. She hadn’t wanted him out of her sight for even a second. She braced for the worst, and then turned to face her new company.
The girl sitting at her kitchen table was beautiful, Kendra thought. She wasn’t supermodel thin, but those curves were only part of what made her gorgeous. The girl wouldn’t have looked right skinny. She had long blond hair, huge sad brown eyes and an impeccable taste in clothing. Where did she get those boots?
Josselyn studied her always perfect manicure as she responded to Kendra’s thought. “Heaven. We have a wonderful mall,” she said, then looked up and winked at Kendra, but knew the gesture wouldn’t ease Kendra’s nerves at all.
Kendra swallowed, then pulled a chair out from the table and sat across from the angel. “You’ll have to bring me some the next time you visit. I wear a seven and a half.”
Josselyn studied the woman in admiration. She could see them becoming great friends one day, but in order to do that she would have to keep her safe. She nodded. “I’ll see what I can do about that.” She stuck out her hand and when Kendra only eyed it, she introduced herself. “My name is Josselyn.”
“And I assume you already know who I am and everything about me. I also assume, since you’re here and Rhyan isn’t, that something really bad has happened, so why don’t we save the chit-chat for some other time, like, maybe after I’ve helped bring him back from Hell.”
Wow, Josselyn thought as she retracted her hand and gave Kendra a knowing smile. “There’s nothing you can do to help him. I would have come—”
“Bullshit!” Kendra shouted, and Ben started crying. She quickly stood and picked him up, then cradled him protectively to her chest. Holding him in her arms calmed her down a bit. “Why are you here if I can’t help him? Can he even be helped at all?”
“We are doing what we can for him, but he has to be the one to actually bring himself back. He is aware of what he has to do. I came here against orders, so I can’t promise I’ll be able to return anytime you call me, but I will do what I have to do if and when danger finds you, regardless of what they say.”
“Look, there is some major screwed up shit going on up there if they think Rhyan would do anything to land himself in Hell.”
Josselyn looked away from her, unsure of how much to actually say. She knew the girl was strong, but even the strongest of humans had limits. She wondered what Kendra’s limits were. She looked up and noticed the girl had sat back down in the chair across from her and she was waiting patiently for an explanation.
“Rhyan wouldn’t question whether or not I could handle it, Josselyn. He would already know I could,” Kendra spoke only with her mind, knowing Josselyn would catch every word.
“Right. Well, his soulmate has been there for over three hundred years and he has to go get her now.”
Kendra blinked a few times. She vaguely remembered Rhyan telling her one time that he had never met his soulmate because she had been taken by her guardian demon over three centuries before. Why on Earth would he have to go rescue her now? She struggled to understand, but her mind was failing her.
“The guardians thought meeting his own soulmate would be the only way to bring him out of his depression.”
Kendra’s head snapped up and she locked eyes with the pretty angel. “Depression? What the hell does he have to be depressed about? He’s in Heaven, for Christ’s sake!”
Josselyn sat in silence, knowing if she just gave the girl a little time she would figure it out on her own. She watched as the blood drained from Kendra’s face and as the one hand she had atop the table began to tremble. She knew.
Kendra swallowed hard and looked away as her eyes misted over. “Why didn’t he just let someone else have my case if it was too hard for him?” Her fingers wiped at a stray tear, then she just rested her chin on her fist.
“He couldn’t let you go—but he’s better now, focused even.” She paused for a moment then continued in a quiet, sad voice. “He’s found her.”
Kendra looked back to her temporary guardian angel. She had to keep telling herself it was temporary. Accepting Rhyan was gone forever was not going to happen. He was strong enough to go through Hell and back. She believed that. And looking at the sad angel sitting across from her, she also believed that she wasn’t the only one grieving his absence. “Fate can seem cruel, Josselyn. There were a few times I could have sworn fate was wrong about who my soulmate really was. I will always love Rhyan, but I understand now that it wasn’t wrong about who I am supposed to be with. I’m not happy about where Rhyan is or what he must be going through right now, but I am happy he found his soulmate. It’s the only way he will ever feel complete.” Kendra reached across the table and took Josselyn’s hand in hers. “Love him, but don’t waste one more minute of your eternity being sad that he is not yours. You, too, have a soulmate somewhere out there. Go find him.”
Josselyn’s eyes flooded with tears, she jumped from her chair and flung her arms around Kendra.
“Oh!” Kendra adjusted Ben in her arms so he could sleep comfortably without getting smashed between them, then hugged the angel back.
When Josselyn finally pulled away, Kendra smiled. “I’m really glad you came to tell me about Rhyan and that there is hope. I have no doubts he can make it back to Heaven.”
Josselyn’s smile faltered a little. “Uh—yeah, that wasn’t the reason I came to talk to you, but I’m really glad you took the news so well. That was the reason the guardians didn’t want me saying anything to you. They thought you would freak.”
Kendra’s eyes grew wide and her heartbeat began to race in her chest. She held on to Ben a little tighter. Rhyan being in Hell was bad news, but she had faith in him. He would get out. She knew he would. What could possibly be worse? She already knew the answer. She just couldn’t make her mind accept it.
“Go on,” Kendra said with a not so steady voice.
“Murry—”
“Oh, God, no.” Kendra’s hand quickly found her mouth.
“Rhyan said he has been promoted and he has access to you again. I promised him I would do everything necessary to keep you safe, and I will, Kendra. If it’s in my power, I won’t let him hurt you or any of your family.” She glanced down at Ben’s sleeping form and smiled. “I don’t know how long this will take, but I’m sure you are aware of the precautions we must take.”
They both jumped up in alarm when the front door opened.
“Honey, I’m home. It was a rough…oh, hello,” Adam said as he entered from the hall into the kitchen and locked eyes with Josselyn.
“Um…Josselyn, this is my husband, Adam. Honey, this is Josselyn, my new guardian angel.”
Adam gave Josselyn a nervous grin, then looked to Kendra’s scared eyes and tense body as she held tightly to Ben. Something really had happened to Rhyan. “Aw, shit!”
Chapter 18
Rhyan
I knew I was lying on sat
in sheets before I even opened my eyes. I wasn’t restrained, so I felt the mattress beside me. It was empty.
I wasn’t sure exactly what I would have done if she had been there. I felt like the last three hundred years hadn’t been wedged between us. All my thoughts and emotions were telling my mind that I had made love to my wife only the night before. That nothing bad had happened to separate us for such a long period of time.
“I wasn’t sure how you would react to waking up beside a baby killer. Believe me, if I could jump out of my skin and run away from myself, I would do that in a heartbeat,” Abbi said and my eyes opened to focus on the stone ceiling above me.
I needed a moment after a remark like that. I felt horrible about what she had done to herself and our child after learning of my death, but I didn’t have time to argue with her. I didn’t want to fight with her at all.
“Kiss her.”
“Shut the hell up, Malcolm! I got this,” I said in my head.
“Sorry,” Malcolm said back to me.
I propped myself up on my elbow and looked down at my body. I raised the flat sheet up to check on my lower extremities. Everything was still intact. I was naked, but all valuable body parts were present and accounted for.
“I didn’t undress you. I had my minions do that and put you in bed. I’m—” She cleared her throat. “I wanted you to be comfortable.”
I looked in the direction of her voice. Abbi was sitting with her back to me on the couch, knees pulled up tightly to her chest.
More memories of us laughing and loving flashed through my mind. I knew it had to be Malcolm trying to help, but memories, good or bad, weren’t something I cared to see at the moment.
I knew how Kendra had felt with me invading her privacy, now. It was annoying.
I guessed Malcolm was my guardian angel. I didn’t quite know how I felt about that.
“Can you find something to do? Please? I promise to shout if I think you can help with anything,” I said.
There was a long moment of silence, then Malcolm replied, “Yell if you need me.”
“You betcha!” I was thankful to have him, but damn.
“I heard that,” Malcolm said, but I ignored him.
I glanced around my immediate area for my clothes, but ended up sorely disappointed. There was nothing except the sheet over me.
Well, I thought as I scooted off the bed and wrapped the flat sheet around my waist, she’d seen me in far less.
I walked slowly, but surprisingly my muscles didn’t hurt from any of the beatings I’d taken since I’d entered into Hell. I physically felt…good. My mood, however, was a different story altogether. I had no clue how to make this right and get her to come back to Heaven with me. I realized I wanted that, and not just because that was the only way I would get a ticket back into the place. I actually wanted to be with my wife again.
I had a sinking feeling it wasn’t going to be as easy as her just repenting, if I could even get her to. This was Hell. The master of all tricks ran the damn place. I also had a bad feeling I would run into that particular trickster before I could depart.
I decided to cross that bridge when I got to it. I had bigger problems right then.
I looked down at Abbi’s beautiful chestnut hair. I remembered everything about it, the texture, the smell and the feel of it as it caressed my bare chest the times we’d made love.
Her breath hitched slightly as my fingers touched her face. I ran them lightly down her jaw line until I’d cupped her small chin in my hand. The bruises had already begun to fade. I pulled with minimal pressure to encourage her to look at me. I wasn’t forcing her to do anything she didn’t want to do, but I wasn’t moving from that spot until she looked at me, either. I had an eternity, and so did she. We could see who tired and gave up first.
Her eyes locked onto mine with little resistance. At that moment I knew I was lost to her once again and forevermore.
How could I have forgotten anything about her? I wondered, then fell to my knees, devoid of any strength or pride.
“Abbi,” I began, but she looked away from me. I could tell she was throwing up walls and I aimed to knock them back down.
She squealed when I stood and scooped her up in my arms, then tossed her on my left shoulder like a sack of grain. Her feather-like hits on my back as she struggled to get away felt like mosquito bites. I knew with the power she possessed I could be laid out on the floor with another dagger through my heart in less than a second, so I was guessing she really didn’t want to hurt me anymore.
“What are you doing? Put me back down, Rhyan!” she said, and threw me another round of love pats to my shoulder blades.
I just laughed. “I will put you down, Abbi, just as soon as I get you to the bed.”
She gasped and her body went rigid. I could tell she was staring at the back of my head like I had lost my mind. I smiled to myself; maybe I had.
“I can’t sleep with you!” she said, aghast.
“You’ve wanted to have sex with me since I got here. And now that I’m taking you up on the offer you want to turn me down. I don’t think so.” I tossed her on the bed playfully, then raised an eyebrow and chuckled at her shocked expression. “I wasn’t planning on sleeping anyway.” I shrugged. “I’m not tired.”
I watched her eyes move down my body and stop at my sheet-covered hips. I suppose it was the first time I noticed that I had an erection, too. I wasn’t nearly as surprised by it as she seemed to be. I knew I wanted her.
Fear covered her features and I lost my smile as panic consumed me. Was she scared of me? I didn’t want that. “Abbi,” I said as I fell to my knees on the mattress and quickly crawled to her. She shied away from me, seemingly afraid to let me touch her. She shook her head, her eyes wide as I gently touched her face. “It’s me. I’m your husband, Abbi. I would never hurt you. You know that, right?” I asked, searching her terrified eyes.
Her lips pressed firmly together and huge tears fell from the corners of both her eyes, simultaneously, as she nodded.
I was freaking out in my head and I was really surprised Malcolm hadn’t jumped in to give me a brain tranquilizer before I overloaded. I promised to give him a shout if I needed him, but I still wasn’t sure I did, or that he could actually help me if I did.
A sob escaped her lips and I took my chances in touching her. I grabbed her in a loose hug and she clung to me like a small child would their mother after waking from a night terror. “Oh God, Abbi, what’s wrong? Talk to me, please, baby.” I ran my shaking hand over her hair soothingly as she cried.
After a while her sobs stopped and her breathing evened out. I felt her take several deep breaths and knew she was about to speak. I had a bad feeling it wasn’t going to be good when she did.
“I’m not allowed to touch anyone, nor they me, ever again. I belong to Lucifer, Rhyan.”
I remembered Murry going on about her being his whore, but I’d thought he was only trying to get me riled up.
I pushed her to arm’s length and examined her expression. She wasn’t lying. This wasn’t happening. Lucifer would bring down Heaven before he would allow someone to take something from him. Especially something as special as Abigail. We had to run away. I had to find a way to get her out of there.
“No…you don’t belong to him. Do you hear me? He took you from me over three centuries ago, and I’m here to take you back. You fell into depression after my death and one of his life-sucking demons jumped all over that. He can’t have you, Abbi. I won’t allow that to happen again.” I ran my thumb over her wet, bruised cheek. “He did this to you because of me, didn’t he?”
She averted her eyes from me, trying hard to hide the truth within their depths. But I hadn’t missed it. Rage filled every part of my body. I felt like I could rip the Devil apart with my bare hands. I was praying for the chance when I noticed she had gone all ‘deer in the headlights’ on me again.
I forced myself to at least calm down physically…for her.
> I looked around the area again for my clothes. “Where are my clothes?” I spotted them folded on the table full of toys and torture devices and left her and the bed to go retrieve them. “We will just leave, go to Heaven. He won’t have the chance to touch—”
“I can’t—”
“Put something on besides that hideous reaper cape.”
“No! I can’t go anywhere, Rhyan!”
I stopped and turned on her, fury in my eyes. “Yes, you can! All you have to do is forgive yourself, and then ask God for forgiveness and we’ll both have a one-way ticket out of here! You can do that, Abbi.” I pleaded with her as I nodded, but she was shaking her head in disagreement as the tears flowed silently down her face. It was breaking my heart that she couldn’t see how simple it was. “I forgive you. Do this…” I fought with my own tears, but lost the battle. “Do it for us. Please.”
She only sat in the center of the bed and stared at me with sad eyes, not eyes that had promise, or eyes that even considered trying to leave Hell so we could be together again; they were just sad and hopeless.
I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but the harder I tried, the bigger the damn thing got. “Why?”
“He has my soul.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“Just forget it! It’s not going to happen, Rhyan.” She crawled from the bed and threw the cape to the floor.
Every muscle in my body tensed and my stomach lurched, but I forced myself not to look away from her beaten body.
“This…this is minor compared to what he’s capable of, what I’ve witnessed him do to others, and what he will do to me if I disobey him. It’s not by choice, Rhyan, but I do belong to him.”
I walked to her, picked the cape up and wrapped her back in the satiny fabric. “Then I will just have to figure out a way to take you from him.”
“How could you even think that possible?” she pressed.
“We are soulmates. It is fated that we be together. I will get your soul, then you will leave with me.”
Hell's Gift Page 11
