Hell in a Handbasket

by Mila Young

  “Human.” Dorian rubs the scarred side of his face as he mulls over the new information. “Human… human and not an ordinary, even.”

  “Correct,” I reply. “From what the investigators found, she comes from a long line of humans. Not an ounce of magic in their veins.”

  “How fascinating.”

  I glance out the window to the acres of woods surrounding our property and remember how Elias had been standing outside watching as Aria rode me to ecstasy. And how seeing him had only fueled my possessiveness of her. Elias hasn’t been back to the mansion since, and I’m sure seeing us together is the reason. Did I care that he was off brooding in the woods again? No. Not only is this part of his pattern, it means I got my message across. Aria is mine if and whenever I want her.

  “Anything about this Saint Charity General Hospital then? I’m assuming you called there as well.” Dorian’s voice forces me back into the room, back to the conversation. “This must be some kind of record from her birth. $18,590… Is that how much having a baby goes for on Earth? That’s highway robbery.”

  “The hospital is closed. Permanently.” Of course, after Aria had left my office, I’d checked my laptop to find she’d been searching for the place, too, only to come up empty-handed.

  “Shit.” He throws the paper onto my desk with an exasperated sigh. “It’s nothing but a dead end.”

  Exactly. Now he understands my frustration. Then, to hear that Sir Surchion is also on the move with our relics… We’re failing in all aspects.

  My cell phone rings, and I quickly pull it out of my jacket. The number is unrecognizable, but that doesn’t mean anything. Most people in our line of work use burner phones for tracking purposes. “Yes.”

  A man answers on the other line. “Mr. Cain. It’s Freeman… With the search team Delta?”

  I quickly rack my memory for what team Delta is and where they were assigned to look. With so many of my groups searching for relics scattered all over the world, it’s hard to keep track of them. Especially by name.

  “We’re the west division,” Freeman says to my hesitation, and it clicks at that. Ah, yes. He was one of the two teams assigned in the States.

  “Do you have an update for me?” Usually, the teams check in periodically via email. It was easier to note progress—or in most cases, failures—in a simple note. Leaders rarely call. My pulse picks up at the thought of some kind of good news, like Alfonzo had given us with the heart. “Have you found something?” I ask in a rush.

  “Yes, we think we struck a bit of luck here in Missouri,” he says, a thread of pride in his voice.

  Missouri? What a random place to have hidden a powerful relic, but I suppose that was the point, wasn’t it? Put it in a place no one will think to look.

  “What is it?”

  “The spine,” he replies, and my excitement surges immediately. I slide to the edge of my chair. “I believe we’ve tracked it to the Milo Swamps.”

  I glance up at Dorian, who’s watching me intently. I’m sure he knows something’s up just by my change in posture. “Send me the exact coordinates, and I’ll be on the next flight over.” Then I hang up the phone and set it down.

  “What was that all about?’ Dorian asks right away.

  It takes me a while to respond. My brain is still processing the call and the possibility of having another relic in our possession. Once we retrieve the others from Sir Surchion, of course. Which is a hurdle we’ll have to cross as well.

  With both hands on my desk, he leans forward. “Well?” he presses. “What is it?”

  “They’ve tracked the spine,” I begin, but before I can continue, Dorian’s excitement gets the better of him.

  “No fucking way. Where? How far do we have to travel this time? Is it close?”

  I hold up a hand to stop him. Running a hand over his face, he sucks in a breath to steady himself.

  “It’s in Missouri,” I tell him when he’s finally settled.

  His eyes widen. “Missouri? What the hell’s in Missouri?”

  “Swamps, apparently.”

  Dorian’s mouth twists in disgust. “Of course. It couldn’t be hiding on the sunny beaches of California, or a five-star day spa in the mountains. Or better yet, in wine country.”

  Sure, marshes and wetlands aren’t ideal, but this isn’t exactly supposed to be a vacation, either. I am going for the relic, then coming straight back. There are too many important things here to attend to. Like retrieving the eye, heart, and hair strand from a dragon before he flees the country.

  Which gives me an idea.

  Slowly, I stand on my feet. “I have good news for you then. You’re not going to be coming with me this time.”

  He looks at me in disbelief.

  “We’ve exhausted all our normal outlets of investigation and have found no leads. I’m sure we don’t have much time before the collector flees. It’s time to narrow our focus. I need you and Elias to find Sir Surchion and take back what’s rightfully ours. We need those other relics. With Elias’s tracking and your speed, you should be able to do it.”

  “That’s if I can pry Elias’s ass out of the woods, and if we don’t end up killing each other,” he grumbles. “A lot of uncertainties there.”

  I narrow my gaze on him. “I’m counting on you to work together on this. You’ve done it before, you can do it again.”

  “Right. Fine.” He seems less than thrilled to agree, but we both know it’s something that has to be done.

  “Alright then, it’s settled. I’ll see if I can charter a private jet out to Missouri for the morning,” I say and open my laptop. The screen is cracked in the bottom corner from when I threw it across the room, but it’s still usable for now. I’ll get a new one soon enough.

  “And what of Aria?” Dorian asks.

  His question takes me off guard. “What of her?”

  “We can’t just leave her here by herself. What if she escapes?”

  “She won’t escape,” I reply. “We’ll post guards to watch her again. Restrict her to her room only while you’re gone. Bring meals to her—”

  “That’s cruel,” Dorian says, shaking his head. “You can’t just keep her locked away like a pet.”

  I don’t see the harm in it. “It’ll only be for a few days.”

  He sighs heavily. “Haven’t you learned anything?”

  I clench my jaw, my annoyance building. “What do you expect me to do? Bring her with me?”

  Suddenly, his lips split in a grin, and I instantly realize my mistake.

  “Oh no. Absolutely not,” I say shortly. “No way in hell am I bringing her across the country—”

  “And why not?” Dorian interjects. “I think it’ll be good for you two.”

  “Good for us…?” I’m not sure what he’s getting at here.

  “You know… Since you’ve recently spent some time getting more acquainted.” He wiggles his brows. When I don’t take the bait and respond, he adds, “Since you fucked.”

  I stare at him, stiffening. I hadn’t told Dorian about my and Aria’s encounter in my office, and I doubt Aria did, either. But, as an incubus, he can sense these things. It’s part of his power; he absorbs the sexual energy in a room, and since Aria and I had sex in this very spot… let’s just say I should have seen this coming.

  “We’ll discuss this later,” I say to brush off the topic. It’s not one I want to deal with right now.

  “Oh, you can bet your ass we will.”

  A conversation I’m not looking forward to. I heave a sigh. “Fine, I’ll bring Aria with me. Maybe she can prove to be useful.”

  Dorian crosses his arms and smirks my way.

  “That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” I snap.

  He shrugs.

  “I meant with her ability to track down dark magic. It can be helpful when searching the swamplands. Maybe her power can pinpoint an exact location and save time.”

  “If you say so,” Dorian says and laughs. “I’ll admit,
I’m a bit jealous. I get beast-boy and a dragon while you get Aria and a mini-vacation out west. If you’d rather, I’d be up for a trade.”

  My head is shaking ‘no’ before I even realize. When he puts it like that, I guess this could be a somewhat enjoyable trip. Gaining another relic and spending more time alone with Aria… Is there really a downside to this?

  A zap of electricity races to my groin, and my cock jerks just at the thought of having her legs wrapped around me again, her shuddering and screaming as I make her come over and over. This woman does things to me I can’t explain or control. And although her influence over me is unnerving at times and a bit dangerous, that’s what makes it… dare I say, fun?

  Now my head is spinning for another reason entirely, and I’m itching to leave even more than before.

  ARIA

  After eating lunch alone—like most days recently—I leave the dining room and make my way up the grand staircase toward my room. I’m supposed to work at Purgatory today, but with a few more hours until my shift, I figure I’ll relax in my room. Maybe play with Cassiel before I have to leave him for the night.

  As unexpected as our meeting was, I’m glad I found him. I’ve grown quite attached to the little lynx kitten, and now that Sayah is untrustworthy and unable to keep me company, it’s nice to have someone around to talk to besides the demons.

  Plus, it’s given me more time to think through my next plans. There is no chance of me tracking down the orb, so that’s out. I can always try taking something from the mansion—like one of the smaller sculptures or paintings—and selling that instead. Then I could use the money to get as far from this town as possible.

  I don’t know why, but the idea of stealing from the demons again feels… wrong. Especially since they rescued me from Sir Surchion and the werewolves.

  Things have certainly changed in the past few weeks.

  Sayah is uncontrollable.

  I possess powers I shouldn’t.

  And I still have no lead on who my parents are.

  The thing is, now I’m wondering if the smarter decision is to stay here and let these demons help find out about my past. They seem to be just as interested as I am, and they certainly have the money and influence to find things out. More than I do. I would never get a chance like this again.

  Then there’s the hard fact that these three men are starting to grow on me. I never thought I’d say this, but I enjoy their company. No matter how arrogant, dominant, and crazy they are.

  What am I doing?

  “Aria.”

  I turn in the middle of the steps to see Cain at the very bottom of the staircase, looking up at me with his business attire on. He looks so sexy dressed in a charcoal gray suit and black shirt underneath. Polished. Refined. Absolutely droolworthy. And with his hair combed back from his face and his blue eyes sparkling, it’s like being in the presence of a model from magazines and billboards. But I know better. He’s the devil in disguise, and all that sexiness and danger wrapped in a perfectly tailored suit only makes him even more irresistible to me.

  His gaze scans me from head to toe and back again, lingering a little longer on my hips and legs. And it takes me a moment to realize why. I’m wearing a short-as-sin pleated skirt and knee-high stockings for work—part of my overly-sexualized uniform—along with a see-through white blouse that shows off my black lace bra underneath. The only comfortable thing I went for this time was the sneakers, which I was hoping Cain would let me keep and not complain about. And the way he’s staring at me, with hooded eyes and the slightest curl to his lips, sends a delicious shiver down my spine. Looks like I might get away with not wearing high heels after all.

  “Yeah?” I call back to him. “Do you need something?”

  His body tenses as if he wants to say something, but after a moment, he decides against it. “I’m having the servants throw some of your things into a suitcase. Our plane leaves first thing in the morning,” he says instead.

  I blink. His words are the last ones I’d expected. “Wait, what? A plane?”

  He nods. “You’re coming with me to Missouri. For business.”

  Okay… Now I’m more confused. “But I have work tonight,” I say. It’s stupid, I know, since he’s technically my boss, but I love my job. It’s the little break I get from all this Hell craziness.

  “No work for the next couple of days. You’ll be with me instead.”

  It takes a minute, but his other words register with me late. “Did you say Missouri? What the heck is in Missouri?” What business could possibly be there?

  “Like I said. Business.”

  I roll my eyes. “Okay then. But why do I need to come?”

  “So you do not want to join me?” he asks, brows lifting in surprise. “I thought you’d like some time away… with me.”

  “Just-Just you… and me?” My pulse begins to race at the idea of us alone together again. Especially since the last time in his office had been so… intense.

  “Would you like that?” he asks, eyeing me carefully and coming up a step.

  Fuck yeah, my mind screams automatically, but my gut twists with uncertainty. Sure, I’d love to have some private time with Cain, but something feels off about his offer. It’s just so out of the blue. He’s not the romantic type. At least, as far as I’ve seen. That’s more Dorian’s scene. Unless Dorian encouraged him to do this… maybe gave him the idea? That would be the more innocent and desirable of the scenarios, but I can’t help but feel like there’s more to this trip than him wanting to spend more time with me.

  When it comes to Cain, there’s always something more behind what he does. Another motive.

  “Why do you need me to go?” I ask him straight out.

  He blinks in surprise. “What do you mean?”

  I cross my arms over my chest and give him a deadpan look.

  “Does there have to be a reason?” he counters.

  “With you, there always seems to be.”

  He rubs his jaw in thought, seeming impressed I’d figured it out. “Very clever of you, Aria.”

  I try to think of what “business” Cain could possibly want me there for. He’d shooed me away yesterday when meeting with one of his business partners, so this has to be something he needs me specifically for. What could that be…

  “The relics.”

  The answer pops into my head immediately. He would need me for the relics, to help track them down by using my gift. Why else drag me across the country with no warning? It’s the only thing I can think of.

  His smile is slow and deliberate, only confirming my suspicion. “Very good.”

  “You want me to help you track them down?” I ask him. “Is Sir Surchion in Missouri? Is that why?”

  “No, it’s a new relic. The spine.”

  Spine? Yuck. What’s with these relics being modeled after body parts?

  “It’s been tracked down to the swamplands of Missouri, but it’s a lot of ground to cover,” he continues and climbs up another step closer to me. “That’s where you come in.”

  But I’m already shaking my head frantically, my anger stirring. Stupidly, I thought he’d wanted some trip away with just the two of us. Or I’d hoped for it. But all he wants is to use me. What a complete and utter asshole.

  “I’m not going,” I snap. I turn sharply and trudge up the rest of the steps to the second-floor landing. I’m about to go up the next set of stairs to the third when there’s a rush of air and Cain’s suddenly in front of me, eyes black. He leans forward, pushing me back into the banister. I glance over at the foyer way below. If I fall, there’s no doubt I’ll break my neck. My heart hammers against my ribcage.

  His hand snatches my chin and forces my attention back to him. That sly, devilish smile returns, the one that makes my stomach somersault with mixed emotions. He peers down at my mouth briefly, and I hold my breath, unsure what he’ll do next.

  “Oh, Aria,” he says, mimicking sincerity, “I’m sorry if I misled you to believe
otherwise, but you don’t have a choice.”

  I glare at him. I hate myself for my own stupidity. For thinking he cared about me and our time together. He only wants me around so I can help him get what he truly wants. The relics. Is that my new role now?

  His eyes swirling back to their normal blue, he releases me, and my jaw aches from his firm grip. Still smirking, he pulls his shoulders back and proceeds back down the steps. I watch him go, wishing looks could really kill. He’d be dead in a heartbeat.

  “We leave at five a.m. sharp,” he says without turning. His hand glides along the wooden banister as he descends. “Don’t keep me waiting.”

  In that moment, I realize I hate him. Hate his arrogance, hate how he affects me, the way he can manipulate me so easily. I fall for it every time.

  Furious, I grab the wing pendant around my neck and pull, snapping the chain. I’m done wearing the thing and being considered “his.” D-O-N-E. Done.

  I throw the necklace to the foyer, and it slides across the marble to his feet just as he hits the bottom step. He pauses, head tilting in curiosity before bending down to pick it up. With the gold chain in his hand, he looks up at me, and for a second, I swear I see hurt hovering in his gaze. Another ruse, I’m sure.

  “Aria,” he tries, gentler this time, but I don’t want to hear any more of his sugar-coated bullshit anymore.

  Shaking my head, I push off the banister.

  “Fuck you, Cain.” As strong as I want to be, I can’t help the pain lacing my voice, but I don’t care. I hope he hears it. Then I turn sharply and hurry down the second-floor hallway, hoping to god he leaves me alone and doesn’t follow me.

  I get halfway down the corridor when I conclude he has. Good. It’s bad enough I’ll have to endure a few days alone with him for this trip. I may be under his stupid contract and forced to do what he says, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to make it easy for him along the way.

  With no true destination in mind, now that I’m off work tonight, I stroll along the second floor. My gaze swings from the many portraits and other art pieces hanging on the walls to the large windows on the opposite side. Movement below catches my eye from outside in the grounds, drawing me to a stop.