by J. S. Scott
Zach didn’t remember his father. A fisherman, he’d died in a violent storm at sea soon after Sophie was born. His mother had been left in a poor area of London with nothing except two young children to feed and no money. Zach knew his mother had been a prostitute, using the only commodity she had to feed herself and her two children, and he had never condemned her for it. How in the hell else was a woman with two young children going to make money in the early nineteenth century? His mother could have given him and Sophie up, sent them away, but she didn’t. Instead, she had become old before her time, developing consumption after years of struggling to take care of them. Before she had breathed her last, she’d made him promise to watch out for his younger sister, and Zach had taken that deathbed promise seriously. Still, he had failed both his mother and his sister. Both of them were dead, his innocent sister Sophie at the tender age of twelve.
Why wasn’t it me who died? It should have been me!
“Playing with your balls again, I see.” The deep, gravelly voice sounded from the doorway of his plush office. His eyes rose as he glanced at Kristoff Agares, the Sentinel demon king, as he swaggered into Zach’s office with a smirk, not waiting for an invitation. Not that he ever did. Kristoff answered to no one as far as Zach knew, and he did exactly as he pleased.
Zach reached out a hand and stopped the clacking executive toy, focusing his scowling attention on the tall blond demon. Although he had gained a grudging respect for Kristoff over the last two centuries, Zach had never quite let go of the fact that the Sentinel demon king hadn’t shown up a little earlier, in time to save Sophie instead of him. But he hadn’t. Kristoff had intervened when Zach was caught stealing and had made his bargain with him. Later that same day, when Kristoff had come to complete Zach’s bargain and transform him into a Sentinel, the demon king had found Zach clawing at Sophie’s grave, angry and half crazed because he hadn’t even been able to say goodbye, hadn’t been there when his sister had perished and been dumped in a mass grave along with other bodies from the pest house. Kristoff had transported him away, taking him into his own home to give him time to get over his grief and anger. Unfortunately, although his anger and grief had lessened over the last two hundred years, his guilt and remorse still remained.
Kristoff lowered his muscular body into the roomy leather chair in front of Zach’s desk as he remarked casually, “You need to find your radiant. You have absolutely no sense of humor.”
“Did it ever occur to you that your stupid comments aren’t really all that funny?” Zach muttered as he frowned at Kristoff.
“Nope. I’m hilarious. You’re just in desperate need of a radiant,” Kristoff told him with a grin. “You need to get laid.”
His radiant? Oh, hell no.
A radiant was the Sentinel equivalent of a mate, the one who would bring light back into his dark soul. All Zach had ever found were women who wanted to lighten his damn wallet…not his soul.
Once…just one time…I’d like to find a woman who wants me and not my money.
Truth was, Zach had given up on taking women to bed just for sex a long time ago. It just seemed to make him darker, and more restless. The emptiness of casual sexual romps just no longer appealed to him. It left him even more lonely and unsatisfied than he’d been prior to the sexual encounters.
“I don’t need my radiant to get fucked,” Zach grumbled defensively, although he hadn’t gotten fucked for quite some time.
“Trust me. You need more than a quick, unemotional screw.” Kristoff’s expression grew serious, his voice concerned.
“I assume you’re here for a reason?” Zach shot his superior a glare, wanting to change the subject. He did want more, needed more, but it wasn’t something he actually wanted to discuss at the moment. He was too restless, too edgy, and he’d been that way for a while now. It was as though he was just waiting, biding his time until some type of mysterious metamorphosis happened, and the uncomfortable, impatient feeling was making his fuse shorter every damn day.
Kristoff shrugged. “Aren’t I always?” He leaned forward and shoved a file across the desk toward Zach. “Your next assignment.”
Zach actually released a sigh of relief. It had been a few weeks since he had been given a mission. He needed the distraction, the challenge. Boredom wasn’t good for him. It gave him too much time to think, and thinking usually led to regrets and guilt. Honestly, he didn’t mind being a Sentinel, and he didn’t regret that part of his bargain. There was nothing he loved more than letting Evils give him a reason to annihilate the ugly little bastards.
Yeah, I need a mission. I have too much time on my hands right now.
Zach didn’t need to worry much about business because there was absolutely no reason why he should. He’d always be wealthy. Winston Industries was worth billions and he knew it always would be. Any decision he made would be the right one to increase his wealth. Being rich was part of the demon bargain he had made two hundred years ago. Demon magic would make it a certainty that he stayed a billionaire, which pretty much took the challenge out of work for him, leaving him with too much time to think, unless he was on assignment.
Zach lifted the file curiously. “A recruitment?”
Kristoff shook his head. “A rescue.”
Zach’s hand halted before he opened the file, his eyes returning to Kristoff with a startled expression. “The Evils are abducting an innocent? How?” It was a stupid question and he knew it. The bastards had a multitude of trickery and deceit to capture blameless souls. But his surprise over being given a rescue instead of a recruitment disturbed him in a visceral way, an instant denial ringing in his head, telling him that he would suck at rescue. Hadn’t he failed in the task of keeping an innocent from harm in the past? Oh, hell no. Not a rescue. He was used to recruiting salvageable souls that were straddling the line between good and evil to become Sentinels. He was the last Sentinel that should be left with the care of a blameless soul. More than likely, he’d screw it up; the Evils would take the victim, and he’d end up with another death on his conscience. Whoever the poor unfortunate human might be, that individual deserved a hell of a lot better Sentinel than him as a savior.
Truly evil demons could manipulate humans in any number of ways. Their main goal was to sway as many untainted and unsuspecting humans to the demon realm as possible, using whatever means available. The catch was…the uncorrupt human had to agree, had to give permission to be taken, even when not entirely understanding what the bargain with the Evils entailed, since the assholes weren’t exactly into full disclosure. Wallowing in the pain caused by corruption of an unblemished soul was empowerment to an Evil. The purer the soul, the more power the Evil absorbed. And once the vow to go with the Evils was uttered, that was one more soul lost to the Sentinels. And if there was anything a Sentinel really hated, it was to be defeated by an Evil. The instinct to win was strong, the trait imbedded since the creation of the Sentinels and passed on by demon magic whenever a new recruit was changed and indoctrinated.
Kristoff nodded his head to the file that Zach was holding as he replied, “Emotional manipulation. Not uncommon for the Evils, but pretty dirty this time.”
Zach opened the folder. His breath whooshed out of his lungs as his inspection was met with the blinding smile of a veritable angel. With flame-colored hair that tumbled over her shoulders, Katrina “Kat” Larson-the name on the file label-was definitely an unholy temptation. Zach viewed all of her pictures slowly, taking in the creamy light skin and curvy, generous figure in every photo. Every picture showed her laughing or smiling and her spirit was almost infectious, even via the glossy images.
No wonder the Evils want her. Her sweetness practically jumps out of the photos.
Kristoff spoke as Zach continued to stare at the woman’s pictures. “Twenty-seven-year-old female. Coerced to sacrifice herself to the Evils for a week in exchange for her eight-year-old nephew’s life…her twin sister’s child. He suffers from leukemia, which is currently in remission
. They apparently told her he wouldn’t die if she would come with them to the demon realm for a week.”
“And will it save him?” Zach asked distractedly as he placed his hand over the smiling face of the woman to absorb her information, rather than wait for it to be revealed on paper. He couldn’t read her thoughts unless he was actually close to her, but he could get the general facts faster by absorbing the written words in the file.
Kristoff leaned forward as his voice lowered. “No demon has power over life and death from disease, Zach. Not even me. We can see the outcome sometimes, but we can’t interfere. I’ve told you that. You just choose not to accept it. The Evils can only damage souls or kill a human victim who agreed to bargain. They don’t have the power to cure an incurable disease.” Kristoff sighed as he leaned his muscular body back into the soft leather of the chair. “They told her that her nephew would live…which is true. What they didn’t tell her is that it has nothing to do with any power they have. Her nephew’s disease will stay in remission whether she goes to the demon realm or not. They’ve managed to use her fear for her nephew’s life to manipulate her without actually lying.”
“Bastards! So they led her to believe her nephew would die unless she struck the bargain and went with them?” Zach snarled as he closed the file, his brown eyes starting to glow amber as he looked at Kristoff, his face revealing his frustration and anger. Shit…he hated those ugly little bastards. He’d seen humans who they’d manipulated and taken to the demon realm, souls the Sentinels hadn’t been able to save. Sometimes they killed their human victims in the demon realm after absorbing all the power they could get from the individual. Occasionally, they sent the bodies back alive, but drained of their souls, completely lifeless. That particular action was usually done as a taunt to the Sentinels, and it generally worked. His kind had a very hard time not being angry when confronted with the harm done to a human who couldn’t be saved.
“Obviously they didn’t say that directly,” Kristoff answered unhappily. “They just told her that her nephew would live if she gave up a week of her life to live in the demon realm. Not exactly a lie, but definitely an extreme evasion of the truth.”
“Dammit. She’ll be destroyed, a shell of who she was before leaving…if they even send her back alive. All for nothing.” Zach’s hands clenched into fists, his knuckles whitening with the pressure. The thought of the smiling, innocent, vivacious redhead being turned into an empty body with none of her spirit left made his guts roll, although he wasn’t quite sure why. It wasn’t as if he didn’t see it happen frequently, but his emotional reaction to this particular case unsettled him. Maybe it was because he didn’t normally take these types of assignments.
“Not if you get to her first.” Kristoff’s eyes were intense as he nailed Zach with an urgent look. “She doesn’t understand that they mean to steal the life from her soul and she hasn’t given consent. You need to convince her, Zach. She has a soul worth saving.” He hesitated before adding, “She’s…special.” Kristoff sounded like he wanted to add more, but simply shook his head.
“Why me? I’m a recruiter…not a rescuer. Why didn’t you give the job to Drew or Hunter?” Drew and Hunter were rescuing Sentinels. Zach…wasn’t, and he didn’t want to be, although he was reluctant to give this particular assignment to another after seeing the victim and absorbing her general history. Something about her intrigued him, made him want to learn more about her, see her in person.
Zach recruited new Sentinels, humans who had nowhere to go, no one to help them…and who were ready to leap from good to evil because of their circumstances. He offered them the same bargain Kristoff had offered Zach a few centuries ago. That was Zach’s designation, a demon duty completely different from that of his two partners in Winston Industries. Zach, Drew, and Hunter posed as brothers, all leading Winston Industries together, but they weren’t actually blood-related. They had just all wished for the same damn thing, had wanted the same demon bargain. Money. And they had gotten it. Drew was the only one of the trio who seemed to be happy with his bargain. Zach was still filled with regret, even after two centuries. And Hunter was downright bitter and angry.
Be careful what you wish for…
“Drew is busy with another mission, Hunter is…unavailable, and I have another urgent situation. It has to be you, or Kat will probably end up in the demon realm,” Kristoff replied, his voice neutral, but his eyes were intense as he stared Zach down, forcing him to make a decision.
“How long do I have?” Zach replied, focused on his mission, determined that he wouldn’t screw up this time. There was no way the Evils were going to get their claws into this one. The woman looked sweet, innocent. Just the thought of her soul being drained of goodness had him half crazed.
No wonder I’m a damn recruiter. How the hell do Drew and Hunter tolerate doing this type of assignment day after day?
“Sundown. They’ll appear for her final consent and take her,” Kristoff replied without hesitation.
Zach stared at the large glass windows that lined one wall of his office, overlooking the city. As he saw the late afternoon light beginning to fade, he quirked a dark brow at his boss. “Cutting this a little close…don’t you think?”
“Not my fault. I didn’t discover the situation until this afternoon.” As both men stood and Zach stepped out from behind his desk, Kristoff slapped him hard on the back. “It’s nothing you’re not capable of, Zach.”
Zach scowled as he answered, “I may have to bend a few rules if I can’t convince her quickly. You didn’t exactly give me enough time to do much persuading. ”
A smile curved Kristoff’s lips as he answered noncommittally, “I think you know how to bend the rules without completely breaking them like Hunter does.”
Zach didn’t reply. With a curt nod to Kristoff, he allowed himself to fade out until he disappeared completely.
Kristoff’s expression turned to one of satisfaction as he watched Zach’s form completely disappear before shimmering out of view himself, leaving the plush, high-rise office completely abandoned.
Chapter Two
Almost sunset. Almost sunset.
Kat Larson shivered as she dropped her suitcase near the door of her tiny, shabby apartment, trying to reassure herself for about the millionth time that she was doing the right thing. It was only a week. She’d give herself up forever to the flames of Hell if it meant that Stevie would survive.
She cringed as a sharp knock sounded on her door. Heart racing and hands shaking, she reached for the knob. Since when do demons knock politely at my door?
They had started showing up in her nightmares and had progressed to appearing before her whenever and wherever they damn well pleased, battering at her emotions with scenarios about what could happen to Stevie in the future. In the end, she had been ready to agree to almost anything to make them stop, unable to bear the imagery of how her precious nephew could suffer in the future if she didn’t agree to the demons’ demands.
Wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans, she took a deep breath and pulled open the door.
Kat’s face registered her surprise at seeing the man who stood in front of her. She recognized him. Not that she exactly mingled with people of Zachary Winston’s caliber, but she had seen his handsome picture on the wall of the sleek high-rise building, the headquarters of his corporation. Several times a week. She had a plant and flower maintenance business and Winston Industries was her biggest client.
She’d seen the pictures of all three Winston brothers side-by-side, but it was this man who drew her gaze to his picture more often than it should.
It’s his eyes. He looks sad…and haunted.
All three brothers had dark hair and eyes, but that was where the resemblance ended. Drew Winston’s eyes were mischievous, Hunter Winston’s angry, but Zachary Winston’s gaze reflected some sort of sorrow, and something about his image had always moved her, making her wonder what was in his past that made sadness linger in such gorgeous ey
es.
It was hard not to give Zachary Winston a second look…or a third. Oh hell, the tall muscular body, currently covered by an expensive charcoal-gray suit, was difficult to ignore. Combined with his gorgeous face, dark brown eyes, and neatly trimmed raven-black hair, the guy was every woman’s fantasy. In person, he carried an aura of danger and masculinity that sent her heart into overdrive.
What the heck was he doing here?
“Mr. Winston,” she acknowledged him politely, her voice a little breathless. “What are you doing here?” Was it about the job she was doing? Oh God, please don’t let him be here to fire my company. Kat desperately needed that income.
Had she taken a rational moment to think about the possibility whether Zachary Winston, billionaire extraordinaire, would come to her low-income apartment building just to fire her in person, Kat would have laughed at her own stupidity. Like Zachary Winston even knew who she was, or that she was on his radar? But Kat wasn’t exactly reasoning well at that moment. She was still busy freaking out over the fact that she was about to make a bargain with a couple of ugly little demons.
“Ms. Larson.” He nodded, giving her a perplexed look. “Have we met?”
“No, sir. My company does the plant maintenance for your building. I’ve seen your picture.” Kat continued to gape at him as she continued. “Is this about business? I thought I was doing a good job.” She cursed her shaky voice as she questioned him. Could this day get any worse?
I’m going to end up both making a demon bargain and losing my biggest client in the same day?
His lips turned up as his eyes raked over her in an intrusive, assessing manner. He didn’t even try to hide his perusal of her body as he answered, “Not corporation business, Katrina. I believe you were expecting someone to be here.”
Oh. My. God. Please tell me Zachary Winston is NOT a demon. I practically drool over his photo every time I see it. Please don’t tell me I’ve been salivating over a damn demon.
