Damned and Desirable (Eternally Yours Book 2)

by Tara West

  Aedan didn’t even acknowledge my presence as he pushed past me, stomping up to Callum. “Don’t lie to me, brother,” he said with a sneer. “I know about the water.”

  Uh-oh.

  Black smoke poured from Callum’s mouth as he scraped the charred soil with his foot, looking like a raging bull ready to charge. “I didn’t sleep with her, but if I had….” His smoky gaze shot to me as he flashed a devilish grin. “You’d know about it.”

  Oh, this was so not good.

  Jack whimpered beside me, a long trail of drool hanging off his fanged jowls. I leaned up and scratched one of his necks. “It’s okay, buddy. They’re just being idiots.”

  I shot Sarge an imploring look, but he was no help. He eyed the exchange with a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

  I watched with bated breath as Aedan and Callum prepared to charge each other like two runaway trains set on a collision course.

  A deafening boom rent the air. I stumbled, nearly falling over as if a bolt of lightning had struck at my feet.

  I spun around to see the big giant who’d carried me bearing down on Callum and Aedan with a scowl. “Enough bickering,” he bellowed as spittle flew off his lips, and unfortunately, all over my hair.

  Oh, well. Guess I could use a conditioning treatment.

  A hush fell over the gathering as we all gaped at the giant. “Nephilim seek answers.” He turned and waved his club at Garf’s back. “What you do here? What happen to wings?”

  Garf’s lower lip trembled as he bowed before the other giant. “Great King Og, Nephilim tricked by fair angel. She no angel. She Scorpius whore demon. She make Garf slave.”

  The crowd broke into grumbles and gasps, and my body shook when dozens of clubs struck the ground.

  Holy shit. The giant who’d carried me was their king! I searched the giant for anything to indicate he was indeed the Nephilim king, but he was dressed in a simple shirt and what appeared to be a rudimentary kilt made of coarse brown yarn, as were the rest of the giants. The only difference between him and the others was a shiny star medallion he wore around his neck.

  Garf pointed to me with a crooked smile. “She real angel. She save me with powerful magic.”

  I wrapped my wings around me, pressing into Jack as all Nephilim turned to me. The look of awe in their big, grey eyes made me feel more than uncomfortable. Why were these giants hell bent on making me holy? I had been an angel for one freaking day before I was given the boot. I hardly thought that counted.

  Og looked down at me, his fanged mouth pulling back in either a grimace or a smile. “We thank you, Angel, for saving our kin.”

  “No problem.” I shrugged, averting my eyes. “He saved me, too.” Which was the truth. I wouldn’t have made it past Shadow if it hadn’t been for Garf.

  Og turned back to Garf, his thick brow pulling together in a deep V and hanging off his forehead. “Where are Zam and Horfat?”

  Garf frowned and shook his head. “Garf no see them for many years.”

  Og’s heavy gaze bore down on me, making me feel

  so uncomfortable, I wanted to crawl out of my own skin. “Did you see other Nephilim?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “But I was in a cage the whole time.”

  Callum stepped forward. “I remember them. One was small for a giant, and the other was a female nearly twice his size.”

  Og frowned. “Yes, those our kin.”

  “I shared a cell with them,” Callum added. “We were Scorpius’s prisoners over a hundred years ago. That was when I last saw them.”

  The Nephilim began to grumble, more of them beating their clubs on the ground.

  Og silenced them with a wave of his hand. “Does Scorpius hold them somewhere?”

  Callum’s face fell. “I doubt it.”

  “What do you think happened to them?” I asked, though I feared I already knew Callum’s answer.

  “Most likely, Scorpius cast them to the fourth dimension,” he said.

  I cringed at that, covering my ears as the giants’ uproar was deafening.

  Og didn’t turn around as he held up his hand again, silencing the crowd.

  I looked up at Og before scanning the crowd. Hulking giants gaped at him with slack jaws, as if they were hanging on the outcome of his decision.

  “Well, now what?” Callum asked, which was rather brave of him, considering I already feared the answer wouldn’t be to our liking.

  Og didn’t acknowledge Callum as he looked down at me with a glint of determination in his eyes.

  My knees weakened at that look.

  Pulling back his beefy chest, Og banged his club on the ground. “Now we make war.” Then the giant pointed his club at me. “You will lead us.”

  My legs gave way before skeletal hands caught me. My world spun and then darkened.

  “Aedan?” Relief swept over me as I looked into my boyfriend’s familiar, bright blue eyes. “You’re you!”

  His eyes dulled, their edges framed by lines I hadn’t remembered seeing until now. Gah, he looked like he’d aged ten years. “How are you feeling?” he asked, holding my hand.

  Nervous laughter erupted from my throat. I tried to lift my head, but this fogginess settled in my brain, forcing me to sink into the soft pillows beneath me.

  “Oh, like I’ve been to Hell and back,” I grumbled.

  What had happened? Why was Aedan no longer a Grim? Had he freed me and taken me back to Purgatory? Despite the dizziness, I forced myself to sit up and survey my surroundings, disappointed to see we weren’t in my familiar bedroom. Aedan and I were laying side by side on a bed so soft, it felt like a cloud, and it was big, too, the largest bed I’d ever been in, with huge posts and velvety pink drapes. The walls had fancy crown molding with gold inlay, and little laughing cherubs were painted on the ceiling. Somewhere in the distance, I heard the soothing sound of water splashing, and as I inhaled deeply, my senses were accosted by the most divine smell, like tangy lemons and jasmine, or maybe it was spiced vanilla. It was hard to tell, but mmm, it made me so hungry.

  That’s when I realized Aedan had to have taken me to Heaven. It was the only logical explanation, because Hell certainly couldn’t have been this nice.

  “What is this place?” I asked as I lay my head down and closed my eyes, taking another deep breath and smiling as the fruity aroma soothed my senses.

  He settled both hands over mine, squeezing hard. “We’re in a guest chamber in the Nephilim pyramid.”

  My eyes shot open, and I bolted upright, shaking loose from his grip. “The Nephilim?” I gasped. “You mean we’re still in Hell?”

  He grimaced. “Unfortunately.”

  I pointed a shaky finger at his face. “But you’re not an ugly skeleton.”

  He shot me a stern look. “I know. Once we stepped into the pyramid, we changed back to our mortal forms. The Nephilim said it’s holy magic.” He frowned. “Not sure how they did it.”

  I kicked the covers off as images from my confrontation with King Og came racing back. “We can’t be here. They want me to start a war!”

  Aedan knelt beside me, pressing on my shoulders. “Calm down, Ash. It will do you no good to get worked up again. I am to have a private meeting with the Nephilim king shortly. I will explain there’s been a mistake.”

  He scooted off the bed and literally fell to the floor. I let out a low whistle as I peered over the side. It had to have been an eight-foot drop.

  “A big mistake,” I called down to him, my voice rising an octave. “I don’t know anything about war.”

  My eyes bulged as I got a good look at what my boyfriend was wearing: an ivory toga with a braided silver belt, his golden arms looking far more muscular than should be legal. It was a vast improvement over loincloths, the chosen attire of the locals. All I had to do was hike up that skirt to get a good look at, and maybe even a taste of, his forbidden fruits. My girl-gasm sonar screamed, “Hail Caesar!”

  I looked down at what I was wearing, surprised to see I
was also clad in a toga of deep gold. Had we been transported to Roman times, or was Demon Gap running a toga special?

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll take care of it,” he said in a condescending tone as if he was soothing a pouting child.

  Lust momentarily forgotten, I jerked back as if I’d been scalded by hot lava.

  Like hell, he will. I’m not letting some giant decide my fate while I lie around in bed.

  I threw my legs over the sides, wishing I still had my wings as I prepared to jump.

  Aedan looked up at me with a scowl. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going with you to this meeting,” I said, scanning the area for a ladder or set of stairs, or at the very least, something soft for me to land on.

  “Ash, you should rest.” But even as he said the words, he was holding up his hands to me.

  “To Hell with rest. I’ll have plenty of time to rest when I’m back in Purgatory.”

  I squealed as I slid into his arms. He caught me with little effort, squeezing me to his chest as I clung to him. That’s when I realized he’d journeyed all the way to Hell to save me, and I still hadn’t given him a ‘thank you’ kiss.

  Cupping his face in my hands, I gently brushed my lips across his. “I didn’t think you’d come for me,” I said with a smile as I breathed into him. He was all warmth and masculine spice, just as I remembered. Maybe he radiated sweat and sulfur, too, but this was Hell after all, and I was sure I didn’t smell like spring daisies after sleeping on a dungeon floor.

  “I would travel all thirteen hells for you, Ash. I love you so much.”

  I lost myself in his liquid blue gaze. “You do?”

  He pulled my hand to his lips, gently kissing the tips of each finger. “Enough to sacrifice my very soul for you.”

  My throat tightened with emotion as I searched his face for the truth. “I don’t want your soul. I just want your heart.”

  “You’ve got it,” he said solemnly without batting an eye.

  Could it be true? He loved me and not the memory of his dead fiancée? My hands trembled as I brushed my fingers through his thick hair. “All to myself?”

  “You and only you.” His gaze never wavered, and he enunciated each word as if he meant them. As if he truly loved me.

  “Oh, Aedan,” I cried before he kissed me, not urgently and passionately as I’d been expecting, but his lips melting into mine in the most soulful, exquisite sensation imaginable. My body went soft in his strong embrace as his gentle lips coaxed moans and groans from deep within me. My hands fell to his shoulders, grasping his hard muscles as he trailed feather soft, scorching kisses down my neck. His hands roved my backside before gently cupping my ass and pressing me against his erection.

  “I should haul you back up to bed and make love to you,” he growled against my mouth before diving in for another kiss.

  I pulled back, nipping his lower lip. “Mmm. Yes, please.” Forget the meeting with the king. Pleading for my immortal soul could wait. I had some other begging I’d rather be doing at the moment.

  We pulled apart in a flurry of pants and moans, like two caged animals begging for release. I ground my pelvis against his erection while his gaze traveled up to the bed.

  “Where’s a damn ladder when you need one?”

  I lifted the hem of his toga, slipping my hand underneath the soft fabric, cradling his balls and stroking up the length of his erection while panting like a rabid dog. He groaned as moisture from his glistening head coated my palm.

  “Make love to me on the floor, Aedan,” I begged. “I don’t care, just take me!”

  A thunderous bang shook the room, and I tumbled into Aedan with a gasp. He held me against him, cursing under his breath as he looked in the direction of the noise. A huge wooden door had been thrown open, and my black Lab, Jack, came racing toward us at an amazingly rapid pace considering he only had three good legs. A heartbeat later, I was being mowed down with wet, sloppy kisses.

  “Easy, boy!” I laughed, falling to my knees as his tongue darted into my eyeball. I tried to get a good look at his injured foot, but he danced around too quickly for me to steady him. It must not have been hurting too much.

  “Sorry.” A toga-clad Sarge appeared behind him, flashing a sheepish grin. “He heard you yelling and couldn’t wait.” But I could tell by the devilish gleam in his eyes, he wasn’t sorry at all.

  Nothing pops a girl’s libido faster than being coated in dog breath. As I was being muzzled by my dog, I stole a glance at Aedan, thankful his erection was no longer showing beneath the toga. His face was about as ripe as a forbidden fruit, though. I knew Sarge was on the bottom of his shit list at the moment.

  The room shook as a hulk of a man stomped up to us. He looked a lot like Garf, only wingless and not so grey. His shoulders were pulled back, not stooped, and he seemed to have this permanent smile etched into his face.

  I looked up at him. “Garf?”

  “Yah.” He vigorously nodded.

  I smiled even as Jack continued to lick me and step all over me with clumsy paws. “You clean up good.”

  He tilted his chin. “Thank you, angel.”

  I refrained from rolling my eyes at the angel reference as I slowly stood, patting Jack on the head. “Calm down, boy.” Then I turned to Aedan with a scowl. “Why is my dog in Hell?”

  He shrugged, not even having the decency to look sorry. “He insisted.”

  “He’s a dog, Aedan.” Sure, I remember Jack’s hulking demonic form, and I realized having a two-headed fanged beast accompany you through Hell had its advantages, but what if something had happened to my dog down here? I would have never forgiven myself. I would have never forgiven Aedan, either. “Look at his foot. Did a demon bite off his toes?”

  Aedan waved a hand at Jack as if his injury was no big deal. “He stepped in lava.”

  My eyes bulged. “Lava! My dog stepped in lava!”

  “He’ll be fine.” Aedan chuckled. “Besides, he’s not just a dog,” he said as he leaned down and peered into Jack’s eyes. “He’s your guardian angel.”

  Strange, because Jack stared right back at Aedan, and I almost thought I saw a flash of recognition in his big brown eyes.

  I gaped at both of them as if they’d been smoking demonic crack. “My what?”

  Aedan stood, fixing me with a no-bullshit stare. “He’s the spirit of one of your ancestors resurrected as an animal. It’s why he’s been waiting for you in Purgatory.”

  Whoa. For the first time in a long while, I was actually tongue-tied.

  I looked down at my dog. His tongue lolled to one side and his tail slapped the ground in a constant rhythm. “How do you know he’s got one of my ancestors in him?”

  “He knew when you were taken,” Aedan said. “He’s got a sixth sense, typical of guardians.”

  I scrunched my nose, peering down at Jack again. Still looking goofy and slapping that tail. “Well, who is he?”

  Aedan shrugged. “I don’t know, and I doubt he knows. He just knows he needs to protect you at all costs. He had to come, Ash.”

  I scratched my head while squinting at Sarge, but he just threw up his hands and smiled.

  “That’s nuts,” I said.

  Aedan laughed. “Crazier than anything else you’ve seen since you died?”

  He had me there, because I sure as heck had seen some crazy shit. “I guess not.”

  “Good.” Aedan pointed in the direction of the door. “Now we’ve got to convince the king of giants you’re not going to lead them in a war against a horde of demons.”

  Garf brought us through a maze of halls, with so many lefts and rights I would have gotten lost if he hadn’t led the way. This place was massive, with shimmery stone walls illuminated by wall sconces the size of sofas, and shiny slate floors that echoed with each of Garf’s heavy steps. I didn’t make a sound, being that I was still shoeless. Good thing the floors weren’t hot, because we’d been walking forever.

  As we neared th
e sound of thunderous bangs and booming voices, my stomach churned. Wherever we were heading didn’t seem like a private meeting. It sounded as if the whole Nephilim army would be there. I squeezed Aedan’s hand tight as I looked up at him.

  “Where exactly are we going?” I asked, my voice waning along with my nerve.

  His brow furrowed. “I’m not sure.”

  “Garf take you to king now,” Garf said with a smile as he stomped toward a pair of oak doors nearly twice his height. “Nephilim prepare feast in honor of angel.”

  I tugged Aedan toward me, hissing in his ear. “I thought you said this meeting was private.”

  “That’s what I thought,” he said right before Garf threw open the doors.

  We were standing at the threshold of the biggest cafeteria I’d ever seen, with a huge arched ceiling and wood beams that had to have been as wide as Redwood Pines, crisscrossing the diameter. More gigantic wall sconces flanked the walls, which easily spanned the length of two football fields. I stared down rows of at least a thousand rowdy Nephilim clanking their hands and mugs on long wooden tables.

  “Angel!” they chimed in unison as they lifted their drinks in a toast, pointing them directly at me.

  Oh, so not good. So, so not good.

  Behind us, Sarge swore, and Jack’s low whine seemed to be stuck on auto-pilot as we walked down a long row of seats toward the king’s table. Good thing Aedan had a protective arm around my shoulders, or I would have fainted from fright. Those goliaths were three times as tall as me and four times as wide. Why the heck did they want little ole’ me to lead their army when my whole body weighed less than one of their arms?

  The hall fell silent and huge faces turned, gawking down at me as if I was some kind of deity. They all wore togas similar to Aedan’s, with lace-up sandals that seemed to go with their Roman motif. I nearly stumbled as I peered down at my bare feet, feeling slightly underdressed, and hoping I appeared up to their standards. I thought back to my college kegger days, how I’d always worried about being underdressed at parties, eager to impress a few cute guys, and I tried to pretend these giants were just another group of drunk and stoned frat boys. It almost worked, except for the part that if a frat boy came onto me and I didn’t like him, I could blow him off and not worry about him eating me or smashing me into an Ash pancake with one swing of his club. Other than that, yeah, these giants were just like frat boys… really, really big frat boys. A few of them might have been sorority girls, but since everyone was in togas, and kind of scary looking, it was hard to tell.