To Hell And Back (Hellscourge Book 2)

by Diem, J. C.

  By Friday, it was hard to hide my excitement and nerves at the prospect of seeing Zach again. During our training session, I managed to face down three foes with only one slice to my upper arm.

  “How badly are you wounded?” Nathan asked when he whisked Sam and me back to our lair.

  “I’ll be okay,” I replied. Sam had already raced upstairs to watch the latest show that he couldn’t live without seeing. Sophia was in the kitchen, humming something beneath her breath. Brie and Leo were busy hiding the latest bodies that we’d dispatched.

  “Let me see,” he insisted and unzipped my sweater before I could protest. He slid it down my arms to reveal the cut. Blood was still oozing from it and it would need far more than a band-aide to cover the slice.

  “See?” I said with something close to desperation. “It’s nothing.”

  He frowned and ran a finger alongside the cut without actually touching it. An uncontrollable shiver ran down my spine at the contact. “It is not nothing. I am sure it is painful. It will only take a moment for me to heal it.”

  “That isn’t necessary,” I said and backed away a step.

  “Oh, but it is,” he replied and caught me by the shoulders. His hand went to my chin and tilted my head back then his mouth came down on mine. Instant bliss sprang to life and I gave a helpless moan of need. It only lasted for a few moments, but Nathan’s eyes blazed when he pulled back and looked down at me. “There,” he said and ran his finger down my unmarked flesh. “You are whole again.”

  I didn’t feel whole. I felt like my heart was going to shatter into a million pieces. My entire body was flooded with adrenalin even though the kiss had been brief.

  He teleported away and I saw Sophia standing in the doorway wearing a shocked expression. “It isn’t what it looked like,” I said, hating how lame I sounded. “He was just healing my wound.”

  Crossing to the table, she sat down and motioned for me to do the same. “Violet,” she said, choosing her words carefully, “it is forbidden for angels and mortals to mate.”

  “Ugh,” I complained. “Do you have to use the word ‘mate’? It sounds like something animals do.”

  “This is not a laughing matter, young lady.” Her tone and frown were so human that I could almost forget that she’d once been an angel herself.

  “Do you see me laughing?” I countered. “I know there can never be anything between us.”

  “I can see that you mean what you are saying, but you have no idea why it is forbidden.”

  “Tell me,” I invited. I was dying to know more about angels.

  “It will take too long to explain and the others will no doubt be back soon.” Rising, she crossed to a shelf and took down a book. “I suggest you read this. It will tell you everything that you need to know about Nephilim.”

  My brow crinkled when I examined the book. I’d heard the term before, but I couldn’t remember where. I’d probably seen it in a movie or had read it in a book. The picture on the front cover was of a handsome angel wearing a white robe and a sorrowful expression. A woman was crouched at his feet with her hands over her face. It looked like she was sobbing in abject misery.

  I hadn’t even read the book yet, but I couldn’t help but sympathize with her. Every instinct inside me told me it would be a very bad idea to fall in love with Nathan. Unfortunately, it was too late for that. I’d already loved him even before I’d known that he was real.

  Taking a cup of tea with me, I headed for my room. Sam spared me a glance from the living room across the hall before returning to his show. I left my door open a few inches to indicate that I wasn’t shutting myself off from everyone then started reading.

  The book wasn’t particularly long, but it was extremely informative. Apparently, Nephilim were the byproduct of male angels and human women. Before they’d been cast out of heaven, two hundred angels had decided to try an experiment. They wanted to know what it was like to have sex, since it was such a popular pastime on Earth.

  Taking over human vessels, they’d mated with some of the most beautiful women on the planet. They couldn’t actually perform the function themselves and had to relinquish some control while still remaining in charge of their hosts’ minds. They’d apparently enjoyed the process so much that they’d gone on a mating spree.

  The end result of their experiment wasn’t pretty. Nine months later, the women died giving birth to babies that tore them apart. They’d passed their celestial essence to the babies upon their conception, which probably hadn’t been part of their plan. A cross between mortal and immortal beings, their progeny grew to monstrous size and became giants.

  Shunned for being loathsome in appearance, they grew twisted and evil. The unfortunate offspring lived for several centuries and caused misery wherever they went. They’d been infused with the perverse desires of their fathers and took whatever women they could find, spreading their seed far and wide.

  God had taken offense at the unnatural offspring and had forbidden any further intercourse between angels and humans. Ridding the Earth of Nephilim was one of the reasons why he’d flooded the planet. He’d cast the rebel angels out and no further Nephilim had been created since then.

  Closing the book, my heart broke when I realized why Sophia had insisted that I read it. God himself had decreed that it was taboo for angels and humans to intermix. No matter how much I craved Nathan’s touch, I had to resist him for both of our sakes. I couldn’t let him know the depths of my feelings. He was my guardian and he could never be anything more than that.

  A soft knock on the door drew my attention. “Yeah?” I said when Sam poked his head inside.

  “It is after midday,” he informed me. “If you wish to meet with Zach on time, we should leave soon.”

  I’d lost track of time while reading and was glad that he’d reminded me. “Are you sure you can tear yourself away from the TV?” I teased as I climbed off the bed.

  “There is nothing on that I wish to watch right now,” he said primly. “Make sure you bring your jacket,” he warned me. “They are predicting that snow will begin falling later.”

  “Awesome,” I muttered as I snagged my favorite jacket. It was far too light to wear in the snow, but I would wear it over my hoodie. Paired up, they would help keep me warm.

  Everyone was sitting at the table when we entered the front room. “Sam and I are going for a long walk,” I said as I put the book back on the shelf. I was careful not to let them see the cover. Nathan frowned when I avoided his eyes. He knew something was wrong, but I wasn’t about to explain what was bothering me in front of everyone.

  Leo opened his mouth, but Sophia surreptitiously shook her head before he could offer to come with us. “Do not stray too far away,” she said. She accurately guessed that I needed some time to deal with what I’d just read.

  “Keep watch for the raven,” Leo added. “We would not want it to carry you off to hell.” He smiled to show he was joking, but it probably wasn’t as crazy as it sounded. It had been strong enough to lift me off my feet after all.

  “We will be careful,” Sam promised and followed me outside.

  I pulled my hood up and he tugged his cap down low as we headed away from our base. We had plenty of time to reach the museum, but I hurried anyway. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was eager to see Zach, or if it was because I was running away from my feelings for Nathan.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Nineteen

  Still filled with energy from Nathan’s kiss, I had to force myself not to break into a sprint. I saw far too many flickering faces as we headed east. As Zach had instructed me, we turned north on Fifth Ave. “There are a lot of demons around here,” I said to Sam in a low voice as we neared another group of six hell spawn. They’d all chosen their territory, which seemed to take up a full block.

  He grimaced when he came close enough to sense their evil. Our bracelets were effective at making us nearly invisible to them, so we didn’t need to fear getting close. We’d ha
ve to deliberately draw their attention before they’d notice us. “More and more of them seem to be escaping from hell,” he said when we were safely past the group.

  “If the lesser demons can’t get out without help,” I mused, “then the Demon Lords and stronger captains have to be bringing them out. Maybe they found a loophole where they can bring a group of them through, leave them here then return for some more.”

  Sam shook his head in denial. I preferred his newfound self-confidence to cowering subservience any day. “They are allowed only one entourage of five minions.”

  He knew far more about hell’s rules than I did, so I came up with a different theory. “Then I guess more of them must be conquering the gates and escaping with their chosen few.”

  “I find it strange that so many could defeat the gates now, when it has proven to be so difficult in the past.”

  “This has to have something to do with me conquering the master gate,” I said unhappily. Maybe I’d weakened the system that had kept the demons penned up for so long. It didn’t bode well that more and more enemies were filling the city. With each demon that we expelled from their vessel, a human would die. My conscience was already weighing on me. I didn’t want dozens or possibly hundreds more deaths on my hands.

  “Even if that is true, it is not your fault,” he said in staunch support.

  “It kind of is,” I argued. “All of this is my fault,” I waved a hand to indicate Manhattan and the trap that surrounded the island. “If I hadn’t been born, we wouldn’t be facing a war with demons.”

  “You did not ask to be born.”

  “I know.” I blew out a heavy sigh. “But I was and Fate decided to dump this mess on my shoulders. Like it or not, I’m the only hope these people have.” I nodded at the people who were walking past us. Frightened to make eye contact, few gave us a second look. Sam reflexively glanced up and an elderly lady blanched when she saw his misshapen face. He quickly looked down again and we picked up our pace.

  I looked back to see her staring at Sam in something close to horror. He hunched his shoulders in shame and I linked my arm through his in silent commiseration. “At least I have one consolation,” I said with as much cheer as I could muster.

  “What is that?” His tone was forlorn.

  “I have something I’ve never had before; a best friend.”

  “Leo cares for you, too,” he said, clearly dispirited.

  “Leo is pretty cool, but I’m not talking about him,” I said and elbowed him in the side. “I’m talking about you.”

  “Me?” His eyes went round in surprise then he gave me a small, disbelieving smile. “ I am your best friend?”

  “Of course you are. I trust you more than anyone else. You always have my back and you put yourself in danger all the time just to keep me safe. Look at what you’re doing right now.”

  “Sneaking off with you so you can meet with your secret boyfriend?” he said slyly.

  “Exactly!” We both grinned and I was relieved to see he was less despondent.

  “I am so very glad that I met you in the portal,” he said, becoming serious again. “I would still be there now, shaking in fear, scared of leaving, yet terrified to return to hell. You saved me and I can never repay you for that.”

  “You’ve already repaid me and you don’t owe me anything, Sam.” My sincerity came through loud and clear and his eyes welled up. “You went back to hell with me and helped me find the first piece of the mystery object. If anything, I owe you.”

  “You are the only person who cares about me. I would do anything for you.”

  “The others are coming around,” I said. “I’m pretty sure Leo likes you.”

  “The angels think I am less than a cockroach,” he refuted sadly.

  “Brie is the only one who feels that way and who cares what she thinks?”

  “She is a holy creature who was created by God himself.”

  “She’s a holy pain in the ass,” I said dourly. He sniggered then looked around wildly to check that Brie hadn’t suddenly appeared to take her revenge, which sent me into gales of laughter. If he hadn’t been holding onto me, I would have fallen into a helpless heap on the sidewalk.

  “You have a very strange sense of humor,” he said when my giggles finally petered out.

  “It’s just one of my quirks that makes me so popular.” I was fully aware that I could be an even bigger pain than Brie, but that was too damn bad. I wasn’t perfect and I never would be. If anyone didn’t like it, they could get on their high horse and ride off into the sunset.

  “I have offended you,” Sam said hesitantly.

  “It takes a lot more than stating the obvious to offend me,” I replied dryly. “I was just thinking about how few friends I’ve had in my life because of my prickly personality.”

  “Your thorns are to protect you from being hurt.” He was wise beyond his mortal years.

  “I guess,” I shrugged. I’d always been different from everyone else and I now knew why. Fate had planned my destiny and had ensured that I would never be normal. It was no wonder I didn’t get along with kids my own age. Zach was the only one who had ever made the effort. My thorns hadn’t been long or sharp enough to keep him at bay. He’d wormed his way into my heart and he was lodged in there now. If he hadn’t come to live in Manhattan, I might have been able to forget about him eventually. But he was here now and I wasn’t strong enough to evict him from my life. With all the crazy crap I had to deal with, I needed someone I could just be normal with.

  Luck was on our side and we caught a green light at almost every corner. Passing the high-end stores on Fifth Ave, I took fleeting glances in the windows. A sparkly ring caught my eye and I paused for a moment to look at it. It had a large rectangular red stone and a silver band. The color was almost an exact match for the glow from my bracelet and dagger.

  Shaking off the fruitless wish that I could ever afford something so pretty, I trotted to catch up to Sam. A few blocks later, I spied the low gray stone wall that bordered Central Park. Trees ran along the perimeter. We searched the bare branches for the undead raven. “Let’s cross over,” I said as the lights changed. We crossed the avenue and kept our eye out for anything with wings. I saw plenty of pigeons, but no ravens.

  “There is the museum,” Sam said a few minutes later and pointed across the road. The building reminded me of the library where we’d kidnapped the hellscribe. It was long and wide and was made of light colored stone. A few people were standing in groups to take photos, or were just gawking at the sights. The most popular tourist areas still managed to draw a crowd. They probably thought there was safety in numbers. When it came to demons, no one was safe. They could teleport their victims away before anyone realized what had happened.

  We’d arrived a quarter of an hour early, so we settled in to wait. A black town car pulled up a couple of minutes later and Zach climbed out. He waved to his chauffeur and ambled into the museum. Giles watched for nearly ten minutes before he finally pulled into the traffic and drove away.

  “Do you think you can keep watch without Zach knowing you’re there?” I asked Sam.

  He gave me an insulted look. “Of course I can. He will have no idea that I even exist.”

  I wasn’t particularly comfortable at the thought of him following us around, but it was far too dangerous to ask him to leave. Besides, I doubted he’d be willing to let me out of his sight. Like Nathan, Sam had become my guardian. He just didn’t have teleportation or healing abilities.

  “Wish me luck,” I said then darted across the road just before the traffic surged forward.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Twenty

  Nerves hit me as I neared the main doors to the museum. I saw a pack of demons loitering nearby. Instead of a captain, a lord was in charge. To me, he stood head and shoulders above his lackeys. His vessel wore an arrogant sneer that made the humans veer around him.

  Too busy keeping my attention on the demons, I ran into someone
as they were leaving the museum. My hood fell back and I looked up to see a familiar pair of warm brown eyes looking down at me.

  “It’s good to see you again, Your Majesty,” Zach said and pulled me in close. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world to slide my arms around his back and to lean against him. We’d been apart for several weeks, but it might as well have just been minutes.

  I smiled at the nickname that only we two knew about. I’d told him that was my preferred name when he’d first introduced himself. “I’ll allow you to call me Violet,” I said.

  He laughed and took a step back so he could see my face. “I’m honored.” He stared at me for a while then shook his head in wonder. “I can’t believe you’re here in Manhattan. What are the chances that we’d both end up in the same city?”

  “It must be Fate,” I shrugged then bit down hard on the wild giggles that bubbled up inside me.

  Checking his watch, he pulled my arm through his. “We have two hours to kill before Giles will be back to pick me up.”

  “What do you want to do?” I asked. He slanted me a look that spoke volumes. “That doesn’t involve taking our clothes off,” I clarified.

  Heaving a mock disappointed sigh, he started walking. “Let’s just walk and catch up on everything that’s happened since you left Denver.”

  “When did you hear about my mother’s death?” I asked.

  “About an hour after the cops found her.”

  His answer startled me. “How did you find out about it so quickly?”

  “They used your cell phone to call me. They asked me if I knew where you were. They didn’t believe me when I told them that I didn’t know.” He smiled grimly and looked down at the cobbled sidewalk that ran parallel to Central Park. “They said they were going to bring me in for questioning. My father was ready for them when they arrived. He had four lawyers lined up by the time they knocked on the door.”

  I grinned and shook my head in admiration. “I bet that put a crimp in their plan to haul you down to the station.”