“Are you not paying attention, girl?” Delia blew out a breath as if bored. “Okay, here’s the skinny. Exodus was one of the favored angels in paradise. Until he was caught one evening bending me over the banister. My, what an amazing lover he was.” She sighed as if remembering something pleasurable to her.
“Anyway,” Delia continued. “He was cast down to dwell on Earth for a thousand years, until such time he would be brought back to be judged.”
Disbelief and fear warred inside Niki. “You expect me to believe that Exodus is an angel? You truly are insane.”
Delia was in her face so fast Niki didn’t see her move. “I don’t give a shit what you believe, you homely little twat. All I care about is Exodus and basking in his shock at finding you dead on this office floor.”
Swallowing the bile in her throat, Niki attempted to scream, but all she could manage was a whispered, “Please…”
The beautiful face of the woman standing before her suddenly changed into something twisted and evil.
Delia’s mouth opened, and the voice that came forth made Niki think of sandpaper scraping over a bed of gravel. “I don’t want you, little mouse. You’re a means to an end is all.”
Niki couldn’t speak, so great was her terror. She could only stare into the blackest eyes she’d ever seen. This monster, creature, whatever it was, was about to kill her.
The creature laughed, a hideous sound that brought on more terror. And then she plunged her hand into Niki’s chest.
Unimaginable pain ripped through Niki’s small frame. The feel of the creature’s hand inside her chest was the most traumatizing thing Niki could have ever encountered.
The scream that had been trapped in her throat ripped free with enough force that Niki felt as if it went on for an eternity.
And then the hand was gone, along with the light in the room.
“Call out to him, little mouse.”
Niki’s knees buckled beneath her as darkness enveloped her. She fell to the floor with X’s name spilling from her lips.
“Exodus…”
Chapter Nineteen
Exodus stared up at the night sky, his heart heavy with shame. Not only had his sins caused him to fall, but this time, they’d nearly cost him his soul.
If he’d given in to his want and taken Niki Stanton, he would have doomed himself to an eternity in Hell.
But he loved her, he reluctantly admitted to himself. After a thousand years of walking the earth, thwarting thousands of women in the process, Exodus had fallen in love with Niki Stanton in less than a week.
“Exodus…”
The sound of his name on the wind couldn’t be mistaken, any more than the urgency of the cry.
“Niki!”
Exodus took off in a run, bypassing his Jeep and vanishing in mid-stride. His wings shot through his shoulders, burning away his shirt in an inferno of power.
He followed Niki’s essence, abruptly appearing in her small office at the diner.
She lay on her back on the floor, her beautiful face pale and lifeless.
“I figured that would get your attention.”
Exodus had been so caught up in his desperate attempt to reach Niki, he hadn’t sensed Delia’s evil presence.
The demon in question sat on the edge of Niki’s desk, her legs crossed at the knee, her body reclined back, and her hands resting on the desktop surface. “You got here faster than I thought you would.”
“What have you done?” Exodus snarled, stepping over Niki’s limp body to wrap his hand around Delia’s throat.
She didn’t even flinch. “I did what I should have done days ago.”
Exodus saw red. He allowed his rage to consume him.
His fiery wings flexed, preparing to wrap Delia in the inferno.
“If you do that,” she purred, her hands coming up to lock against his chest, “not only will she die, but her soul will belong to me forever.”
Exodus hesitated. “You can’t touch her soul, you sick bitch. She’s an innocent human being.”
“Her body may be innocent, but her soul is ripe for the picking. She doesn’t believe, my dear Exodus. Which makes her fair game.”
X wanted to howl his denial, to send Delia back to Hell in a flaming pile of ash. But he couldn’t. Not while she had possession of Niki’s soul. “Let her go, Delia!”
“I might be persuaded to release her. Though it’s likely she won’t survive the night anyway.”
Exodus tightened his hold on Delia’s throat, his teeth clenched so tightly he could barely speak. “What do you want?”
“You.”
“Fuck you! I’ll find another way.” He pushed her from him and bent to lift Niki into his arms.
“There is no other way, my love. And the more time that passes, the weaker her body grows.”
Exodus turned his back on the evil demon spawn and rushed from the room. He burst outside, his wings spreading wide as he lifted from the ground with Niki’s frail body in his arms. “Hang on, baby. Please, hold on…”
The local hospital came into view a few minutes later.
Exodus touched down in the shadows and ran like hell toward the emergency room doors.
He burst inside. “Help! We need help.”
A couple of nurses rushed forward. The dark-haired one on the right quickly asked, “What happened?”
“She has a heart condition,” Exodus explained, shifting Niki’s tiny frame in his arms. “I found her passed out on the floor. I have no idea how long she’d been there.”
One nurse turned back to the counter, snatched up the phone, and began speaking rapidly into the receiver.
The dark-haired one spun on her heel. “Right this way.”
Exodus followed close behind, through a set of double doors, and into an area with several curtains pulled.
“Lay her down here,” the nurse ordered, gesturing to a gurney at the end of the room.
Exodus reluctantly placed Niki’s body on the crisp white sheets and stared down into her pale face.
The other nurse who’d met him just inside the doors appeared next to him, holding a clipboard in her hands. “I’m going to need any and all information you have on her. Follow me.”
“I’m not leaving her,” came his hoarse reply.
“It’ll only take a minute. Alice needs start an IV and check her oxygen. It’s best if we move back and give her some room to work. The doctor is on his way down now.”
The next couple of hours were spent with the medical team doing everything they could to stabilize Niki. The doctor wanted to transfer her by air to a bigger hospital better equipped to handle Niki’s required care, but she couldn’t be moved until he had her stabilized.
The doctor approached Exodus and extended his hand. “Hi, I’m Dr. Prescott. I understand you brought Miss Stanton in tonight?”
Exodus accepted his outstretched palm. “Is she going to be all right?”
Dr. Prescott held his gaze. “We’re doing everything we can for her. Are you her husband?”
The doctor’s words stuttered X’s heart. “No, I’m a friend.”
“We’ll need to notify next of kin. She’s unresponsive at this time and needs to be moved to a facility that specializes in the kind of care she requires.”
Exodus felt his stomach lurch. He stared at the doctor for long moments before he could speak. “I’ll see if I can get ahold of her parents.”
The doctor touched him on the arm and strode away, leaving a shirtless Exodus alone with his thoughts.
If Niki died on that hospital gurney, Exodus would spend eternity hunting Delia until he destroyed her in the most painful manner he could dream up.
Chapter Twenty
Two Days Later
Bracken County Hospital
Exodus sat in a chair next to Niki’s hospital bed, holding her lifeless hand.
The morning after arriving in the local emergency room, she’d been airlifted to Marwalt General Hospital, where she remained in a c
omatose state.
X had gone back to the diner in search of Niki’s parents’ phone number.
After informing the Stantons of Niki’s condition, he’d appeared at his cabin, grabbed another shirt, and returned to Niki’s side. He’d been there ever since.
He gently squeezed her hand. “You have to come back to me, Niki. I need you to come back.”
The smell of a rotted corpse reached X’s nose.
He jumped to his feet in time to watch Delia appear in the room.
“You son of a bitch,” he rasped, lunging for her.
She had the audacity to laugh, disappearing a second before his hands connected with her throat, only to reappear on the other side of the bed, her hand hovering above Niki’s chest.
“Ah, ah, ah, Exodus. Stay where you are, or I’ll end her suffering with a flick of my wrist.”
Exodus stilled, his arms falling to his sides. “If you so much as—”
“You’ll what, kill me? Newsflash, dumbass. I’m already dead.”
“There are worse things than death, demon. Much worse.”
A spark of fear flashed in her eyes before her expression turned sinister once more. “You can save her soul, you know.”
Exodus dared not believe her, yet hope flared to life inside him. “If you have something to say, say it.”
Delia lowered her hand, her long red fingernail drawing lazy circles on Niki’s chest. “A trade. Your soul for hers.”
Exodus would give his soul a thousand times over if it meant saving Niki’s. “How can I trust you to release hers?”
Delia shrugged. “I have no use for the soul of one so weak. You, on the other hand, will buy me favor in Lucifer’s eyes.”
“Favor?” Exodus wanted to point out that there was nothing weak about Niki Stanton. She was by far the strongest mortal he’d ever known. But he kept those thoughts to himself.
“Yes, favor,” Delia sneered. “No more chains. I’ll be able to come and go as I please.”
Exodus lowered his gaze to Niki’s precious face. It ripped his heart out to see her lying there so still and quiet. I love you, sweet Niki.
“Release her, and I’ll go without a fight.”
Delia clucked her tongue. “Do you honestly expect me to believe that?”
Shifting his attention back to Delia, Exodus muttered quietly, “You have my word.”
The raven-haired demon flattened her palm over Niki’s chest and spoke something softly that Exodus didn’t understand.
Rapid beeping sounds exploded from the heart monitor behind Niki’s bed, signaling that her heart rate had accelerated.
Delia rounded the foot of the bed and held out her hand. “Let us go.”
“I would say my goodbyes,” Exodus snarled, unwilling to leave Niki’s side. She was in distress; he could feel it.
Stepping in close, Delia growled, “You have five seconds to take my hand, or I take her with me instead. One…”
Exodus would never see Niki’s smiling face again, never hear her laughter or her sarcasm.
“Two.”
He would never kiss her soft, sweet lips again or hold her in his arms and tell her how much he loved her.
“Three.”
He placed his palm against Delia’s, hating her more than he ever thought imaginable. “Be done with it.”
They vanished together a split second before the door burst open, and two nurses came running inside.
Exodus closed his eyes, sending every ounce of strength he possessed back into that hospital room and into Niki’s frail body. I’ll never forget you…
* * *
Exodus and Delia appeared in a dark, dank place that reeked of torment, hopelessness, and death.
He could hear the sounds of wailing in the distance, cries of pain and terror, as an oily blanket of despair wrapped around him.
Had Niki survived, or was she even now lying still and cold on that hospital bed? He attempted to block her from his mind, unable to imagine her in any other way but alive and well.
Delia stepped in front of him, holding a long length of black chain. “Over there.”
Exodus glanced in the direction of her gaze, noticing a thick rock slab. She wanted him on that slab.
“Move,” she demanded, her eyes swirling black in her face.
It would be so easy to remove those ebony orbs from their sockets and toss them into the fire behind her.
“I wouldn’t do whatever it is you’re thinking of doing. One word from me, and your precious Niki will be here to join you. Now, move.”
Exodus locked his jaw, attempting to not only block out the numerous screams echoing around him, but also the stench and the blazing heat.
He peeled his lips back over his teeth. “Niki is off limits to you, bitch. We made a deal. My soul for hers.”
Delia crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes, but you forgot one important factor. Your precious Niki doesn’t believe. So if I decide to set fire to her hospital room, she’ll be joining us regardless.”
Rage unlike any he’d ever known coursed through his body. He yanked his shirt over his head and strode toward the rock slab while unzipping his jeans.
“On your back,” Delia demanded, following a safe distance behind.
Exodus toed off his boots and peeled out of his jeans before lowering his body to the blackened rock.
“Sweet Lucifer, but you are magnificent.” Delia stared down at Exodus, lust swimming in her evil eyes.
“Spread for me.” She licked her ruby-red lips and set about chaining his arms and legs apart. She fastened the chains to anchors beneath the rock.
Exodus stared up into the darkness above him, steeling himself against her disgusting touch.
“I have never seen a more beautiful specimen,” Delia purred, running her fingertip along his chest. “You’re mine now, Exodus. Eternally…mine.”
His stomach tightened with dread as she dragged her fingernail down his stomach and circled his still soft shaft.
“Your defiance is not amusing, angel. It will only prolong your agony.”
Exodus continued to stare up into the darkness. “It’s not defiance. You disgust me.”
She leaned in close, forcing him to meet her hideous gaze. “By the time I’m through with you, you’ll be begging to be inside me.”
Exodus didn’t give her the satisfaction of a response.
When she returned to his line of sight, her clothes were gone, and her long dark hair fell forward to brush against his cheek. “I’ll give you one shot to please me. If you think to hurt me, just remember your homely little heart patient lying in the hospital bed.”
Exodus jerked his gaze to hers. “If you touch her, I’ll rip your skin from your bones!”
The corner of Delia’s mouth lifted. “How ever will you do that from your chains?”
“Delia,” he snarled, pulling against his bonds.
“Like I said,” she purred, moving to straddle his face. “Please me and your little troll remains safe. Hurt me and I’ll end her.”
Exodus couldn’t speak. He could only watch in revulsion as Delia aligned herself with his face, her fingers moving to open herself for his mouth.
She peered down into his eyes. “Once I’ve had my fill of your tongue, I’ll ride you to completion again and again.”
Nausea was instant. It traveled from his stomach to lodge in his throat. His mouth watered up in preparation to vomit.
She continued to lower herself until her wet center hovered an inch above his mouth.
Exodus shut his eyes, unable to bear the sight above him for another second.
Terrified screams suddenly erupted around him. He opened his eyes in time to watch Delia sail through the air and disappear into the darkness.
“If I live a million years, I will never be able to unsee this,” Leviticus muttered, striding over to stand next to the stone slab. “You do realize how you look?”
“Just get me up from here,” Exodus growled, relieved beyond
belief to see the other angel.
Leviticus pinched the bridge of his nose. “How do you manage to get yourself in these situations?”
“Levi,” X bit out, not in the least bit amused by his friend’s banter.
Bending to unhook X’s chains, Levi drawled, “Do you have any idea what I went through to get down here? The welcoming committee at the door wasn’t the least bit friendly. Now, get dressed. We need to hurry.”
Exodus freed his arms and legs from the chains, jumped to his feet, and pulled on his jeans.
Delia appeared from the shadows yet kept her distance. Even in Hell, Leviticus had the power to destroy her, and she knew it.
She narrowed her gaze at Exodus. “We had a deal. Your soul belongs to me.”
“Angels do not deal with devils,” Leviticus stated in a quiet yet powerful voice, drawing her attention back to him. “And it wasn’t his soul to give. Just as yours isn’t. Your soul belongs to Lucifer; his belongs to God.”
“But—” she began, only to be cut off by Levi’s hand gripping her face.
He lifted her feet off the ground. “He leaves with me.” With that, he tossed her away from him and motioned for Exodus. “Let’s get out of here before the stench becomes permanently embedded in my nostril hairs.”
“You just signed Niki Stanton’s death warrant,” Delia sneered, spinning on her heel.
Something inside Exodus snapped. His wings shot through his shoulders, powerful, erect flames of destruction.
He burst forward, slamming into Delia with the force of a tornado and wrapping her in a fiery embrace.
He could hear Levi shouting from behind him, but he didn’t slow. Exodus had one thing on the brain as he exploded toward the lake of fire…
Destroying Delia and the threat of her harming Niki.
Chapter Twenty-One
Exodus appeared at the foot of Niki’s bed, the stench of Hell still prominent in his nose. He’d seen Hell before in a dream, but his dream didn’t compare to the reality of the place.
The screams, moans, and wailing would likely stay with him for centuries to come. He couldn’t let Niki end up there. He wouldn’t.
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