by Tara West
I vaguely remembered following Aedan and Aunt Mar off the elevator and getting into a taxi. Jack sat between me and Mar while Aedan sat up front. Mar kept making all of these huffing and puffing sounds every time Jack sniffed her hair or drooled on her parasol.
The static in my brain was starting to break like a heavy fog dispersing off the bay.
“Someone please control this beast!”
Jack’s tail was happily slapping the seat as he lavished Mar’s face with sloppy kisses.
Wait a minute? Why is Mar in our taxi?
Mar pushed my dog’s muzzle away before leaning forward. “Aedan, please tell me this mutt will not accompany us on our journey.”
Aedan turned, his profile revealing a drawn mouth and weary eyes. “Yes, he’s going. Believe me, you will be thankful to have him on your side.”
Journey? What journey?
“Hang on. What the hell are you guys talking about?” I groaned as I rubbed my temple, regretting the sound of my voice as it rang in my ears like a thousand banging drums.
Aedan clutched the back of his seat as he smirked at me. “I believe the cheesecake is wearing off.”
“This should be a rude awakening.” Mar ended with a shrill laugh, making me want to smack the bitch right out of her.
How nice these two were sharing a joke at my expense. And, damn, my head was hurting worse.
“Aedan,” I growled, “what the hell is your ex-fiancée doing in our taxi?”
His stupid smirk vanished, replaced by hard lines and angular features. “There’s been a change of plans, Ash.” He acted as if he was the man in charge, and I had no freaking say-so in the matter. He may as well have said, “Me big strong man. Me make all rules,” and then clubbed me over the head. His chauvinism was so last century, and quite frankly, I was sick of it.
“Oh, hell no!” I instantly regretted the tenor of my voice. Note to self, do not yell after eating a copious amount of cheesecake. What was up with Heaven, anyway? Angry water and hangover cheesecake? Purgatory was looking better and better.
I groaned as I laid my head back. Jack tried to soothe me with kisses, but even the sound of his licking was too loud.
“Don’t worry. As soon as I find Katherine, I shall be on my way.”
I opened my eyes to slits, glaring at Miss Hoity Toity who was sitting on the other side of Jack, back stiff as if a stick wedged up her ass was holding her in place. She smoothed the fabric of her already pristine dress, chin held high and gaze straight ahead at Aedan as if my dog and I were beneath her notice.
“So you think you’re just going to waltz down to Hell, grab the snake-psycho, and come right back up?”
She glanced at me, anger flashing in her eyes. “My business in Hell is none of your concern.”
“It damn well is my concern.” I leaned forward, banging the back of my boyfriend’s seat. “Aedan, you seriously can’t let her go with us.”
“I’ve already explained this to her and her father, but she is determined.”
Actually, it sounded more like Aedan was determined, judging by his harsh tone. Then again, every tone was harsh when I had a thousand decibel gong banging in my ears.
“Have either of you seriously considered what will happen to Miss Priss down there?” My voice rose, and so did my anger. “This will be like Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets Cinderella. Instead of losing her glass slipper, she’ll lose her head.”
“I have heard the stories of Hell, and I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” Mar’s voice cracked, even as she held her nose in the air. She might have had Aedan snowed but she wasn’t fooling me.
I glared at her. “You won’t last a minute down there, and we’ll all end up risking our heads trying to save you.”
She slowly swiveled toward me, and I was nearly convinced she did have a stick up her ass, or at the very least, a corset so tight, she couldn’t make any sudden moves without busting a seam. “Well, let me put your mind at ease. Neither do I expect, nor do I want, your help.”
“Good, because I’m not risking my soul for you.”
“I’m so glad we are in agreement on the matter.”
She turned away, pinching her lips together as if she’d been sucking on a lemon. I realized I was that lemon, and talking to me brought a bitter taste to her mouth. Good. I reminded myself I’d have to engage her in conversation more often. In the meantime, I wanted to crawl into a deep, dark hole and never come out. Damn. My head hurt.
Weird how pulling into the drive of Delta House felt like coming home. It was still the same old weird bright yellow and green façade, like the Addams’s Family mansion meets Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. Jack must have thought so, too, because he bounded out of the car and ran around to the back, peeing on every bush along the way. A few weeks ago, I would have worried about him wandering off on his own, but after he bit off demon heads in Hell, I figured my dog could survive the wilds of Purgatory. He was probably scratching on the kitchen door so Boner would let him in and feed him cookies.
Mar was busy giving orders to the cabbie, directing him to be careful with her luggage. She brought luggage? Was she expecting the Ritz Carlton in Hell?
I dragged Aedan up the steps to Delta House, hissing in his ear. “How could you let her come with us?”
“Ash,” he groaned. “I don’t want to discuss this now.”
Too damn bad. I supposed his plan was to evade the topic until it was too late to send her back. I wasn’t about to let that happen. I banged on the front door and then issued Aedan a challenging glare. “She can’t go.”
His shoulders fell, and for a moment, I thought maybe he’d been defeated. “Ash, I made a promise to her father.”
Un-freaking-believable. What kind of Dad would send his kid to the fiery pit? It must have been a Murphy thing for all of the men to lack paternal instincts. “Her dad actually asked you to take her to Hell?”
“Yeah, and I owed him one, so I couldn’t refuse.” Aedan’s features seemed to transform before my eyes. Gone was the strong and self-assured man. In his place, I saw the vulnerability of a child. That same child who’d been orphaned at age sixteen.
But it still didn’t make sense. The Murphys had already lost Katherine. Why would they risk losing their other daughter? “What kind of a parent willingly lets his kid go to Hell?”
“The kind of parent who wants to see his other child freed from damnation.”
I’ve never had kids, and since Aedan told me women couldn’t conceive in the afterlife, it was obviously too late for me to try now. But I knew my mom would have never let me go. If I’d insisted, she’d have gone in my place.
“Then why doesn’t he do it?”
“Mar thinks she’s the only one who can get Katherine to repent,” he answered, but I could read the uncertainty in his eyes.
Repent? Wasn’t it a bit too late for her? I thought about my few encounters with Katherine in Hell. She’d beaten me after I refused to have sex with her, then she stabbed my nettle through the chest with a poisoned blade. Yeah, Aunt Kate was a real gem. I shook my head. “She deserves to be there, Aedan.”
He shrugged. “I know it.”
The door to Delta House creaked open, revealing Basil’s wide eyes, smooth pale hair, and nothing but darkness behind her. “You demons?” she asked in her usual raspy, haunted voice.
“Basil, it’s me, Ash.”
She squinted. “How do I know you’re not demons?”
“We’re not demons.” I crossed my heart. “I swear.”
“Ha!” she cried. “As if I’d believe the word of a demon.” She slammed the door in our faces.
What the heck was that all about?
I banged on the door. “Basil, let us in!”
I heard grumbling and the shuffling of feet right before the door swung open again. This time a beautiful Nordic God stood on the other side. Sweet mercy! He looked just like the Swede, yeah, Mr. Tall, Blond, and Drop-Dead-Gorgeous, only this guy had luxurious shoulder-
length hair, and if it was at all possible, even bigger muscles. I had to work to shut my jaw as I admired his beauty.
He flashed a knowing look, as if he was somehow reading my mind. “Ashley MacLeod and Aedan O’Connor?”
“Y-yes,” I stammered.
He smiled and stepped back. “Come on in.” That’s when I noticed the dazzling gold star hanging from a chain around his neck.
I continued to gape up at him as I walked beside his broad shoulders. “We’re not demons. I swear it.”
“I know.” He smiled down at me. “You had a meeting with His Holiness this morning, right?”
“Yeah,” I breathed and smiled back. Something about this guy was so mesmerizing. Could have been his scent, which was like a combo of fresh rain and spring air rolled into one. Could have been his large blue eyes as pale as the summer sky. One thing I knew for certain, his presence was like a drug. And, no, I wasn’t turned on by him in the physical sense. My libido had calmed since Hell’s horny water. Besides, I wasn’t that unfaithful, despite Aedan’s loyalty to Mar. I was simply in awe of this man’s beauty.
Speaking of beauty. I brushed a wayward strand of frizz behind my ears, lamenting the fact that my electrified hair had turned into a kinky mop again. Ugh, of all the times to have a bad hair day. Not that I cared what this guy thought of me. Okay, maybe I cared a little bit.
He turned toward Basil, and that’s when I saw the two white feathered wings tucked behind his back. Oh, wow. This guy was a real angel. All he needed was a harp, a halo, and some sandals, and he would have fit the stereotype to a T.
“Demons can’t get into The Penthouse,” he said to Basil.
She looked at us with hooded eyes. “Check them, anyway.”
“Basil, we’re not demons!” What happened to my sweet, fly-chasing psychic friend? And, oh, since she was a psychic, shouldn’t she have known we weren’t demons? Then again, she’d been fooled by Shadow.
“Sorry.” The angel shrugged, flashing an apologetic smile. “I have to follow protocol.”
“We understand,” someone boomed beside me. That’s when I realized Aedan was in the room. Oh, duh. I’d forgotten about my boyfriend. I checked behind him to see Mar hadn’t come inside. Knowing we’d left her outside brought a smug smile to my face.
“Ouch!” I blinked, shielding my eyes with my hands as someone flashed a bright light on me. “What the heck are you doing?”
“Looking at your aura,” the angel answered, but all I could see was his shadow. I swear that light burned out my corneas, and I’d been too busy triumphing over leaving Mar out in the cold to prepare myself.
I blinked several times and the room slowly came back into focus. Delta House looked as I remembered, from the ugly floral drapes to the warped wooden floors and stained sofas. The place had some kind of Victorian garage sale theme. I loved and missed everything about it. The angel had just finished flashing a small golden wand at Aedan.
“They’re cleared,” he said.
“Who exactly are you again?” I asked.
“I’m sorry. Where are my manners?” The angel’s golden star dangled as he bowed low, his wings fluttering with the movement. “Camael,” he said as he stood up, “but you can call me Cam. I’m an archangel from The Council. Once His Holiness got word demons had infiltrated Purgatory, he sent me to investigate.”
Wow. At least God was thorough. And double wow. Aedan had told me The Council was a group of angels who served directly under the Big Guy.
“Have you found any demons?” Aedan asked.
I almost wanted to point out several of the snooty Alpha House members, the ones who treated me like shit because I had made it to the top of Purgatory on borrowed credits. But being an asshole didn’t make you a demon. Otherwise, all of my old bosses and former boyfriends would have been demons, too.
“Shadow was the only one.” He grimaced. “Do you have any idea where Shadow is now?”
“Probably in the fourth dimension of Hell,” Aedan answered.
Shadow had been the head ghoster in Purgatory, leading us in missions against demonic ghouls who’d terrorized the living. Little did any of us know, Scorpius, the demon lord of Hell’s first dimension, had bound Shadow to him by blood, forcing him to do his bidding. Shadow kidnapped me from Purgatory and delivered me to Scorpius. According to a Nephilim prophecy, I was supposed to become Scorpius’s blood slave and manipulate the Nephilim into helping Scorpius spurn the apocalypse. Little did Scorpius know, he’d interpreted the prophecy all wrong. After we defeated Scorpius’s army, Shadow attacked my friend Sarge with a poisoned blade, sending him to the fourth dimension. The Nephilim captured Shadow and were supposed to behead him with the same poisoned blade, banishing him to level four. He deserved a far worse punishment.
Cam arched a pale brow. “And you plan on going back to the fourth dimension to get your friends, correct?”
Aedan folded his arms and nodded as a muscle twitched in his jaw. I knew his annoyed look, and this was it. I wondered why. “Seems like you pretty much already know everything,” he grumbled.
“That’s my job.” Cam smirked. “When are you leaving for Hell?”
Aedan puffed up his chest, his eyes narrowing. “Straightaway. We just stopped by to let the other Deltas know what happened to Sarge.”
If I hadn’t known any better, I’d say he was playing the who’s-more-macho-game, aka who has the biggest dick and the baddest attitude. I loved my boyfriend, but my bet was on the Angel of God.
Cam nodded at Basil, who was frowning at her shoes. “I’ve already briefed them.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh.” I had wanted to be the one to tell them, since I knew it would be better coming from a friend.
“I explained you will be leading a rescue team to retrieve the ghosters, Sarge and Shadow,” he said matter-of-factly.
Aedan swore. “I knew this wasn’t going to be easy.”
Wait, what? “Hang on.” I wildly waved my hands in front of Cam’s face, just in case he didn’t see me standing there looking ten shades of pissed off. “No freaking way are we getting Shadow. News flash. He’s evil.”
“Shadow can’t help it. He’s possessed by a powerful demon.” He said this as if he was justifying something simple, like why Jack pissed on the carpet.
“Exactly.” I planted both hands on my hips and adjusted the dial on my attitude to PMS-times-ten. “And you want me to bring him back up here?”
“His bond to Scorpius may have been broken after he was cast down. If not, I can excise the demon out of him.” Again, he made this sound as easy as looking to get laid while trolling fraternity bars in a mini-skirt.
I glared at Cam, thinking he looked less handsome by the minute. “Lovely, and how do you propose we get a demon overlord’s servant to cooperate?”
“You’ll have Nephilim with you, won’t you?”
“Yeah,” I added with a huff, “but we’ve got enough people to save.”
“Ashley, Shadow has already been judged. He does not deserve to be in Hell simply because he was forced into slavery by a demon. Bring him back.”
Okay, so maybe he had a point, but I still didn’t see how this was my problem. If God wanted Shadow back, why didn’t he go get him, or at the very least send one of his Council members to do it? I was sure their powers were far stronger than mine. No demon would even think of trying to make an archangel his bitch.
“Excuse me,” Aedan asked as if he’d been reading my mind, “but why can’t you go get him?”
“Believe me, I want to.” He held out both hands in an apologetic gesture. “But I’ve already been advised by His Holiness not to interfere.”
“Why not?” I snapped. This was so not fair.
“I do not question His orders. I obey them.”
Well, shit. And I supposed they expected me to do the same. Double shit. As if we didn’t have enough to do down there.
A loud knock on the front door brought me back to reality.
&n
bsp; Aedan frowned. “We left Mar outside.”
“She can wait,” I said with disinterest as I examined an imaginary speck of grime beneath my fingernail. I didn’t care if he left her standing outside for the rest of eternity.
I ignored the dirty look Aedan gave me before he threw open the door. Mar was standing there with her usual scowl. Big shocker. Mar’s facial features had only two settings: apathetic bitch or aggravated bitch.
“It’s about time.” She rolled her eyes at a pimple-faced young man standing next to her. “I tried to tell him to leave the letter with me.”
The man wore a brown delivery uniform and held a clipboard against his hip. “You Aedan O’Connor?”
“Yes.”
“I have a certified letter for you from the Supernatural Retrieval Committee.” He held up a clipboard. “I need you to sign here.”
Grumbling, Aedan scrawled on the document and the delivery boy handed him a large manila envelope. He thanked the young man, who was already halfway down the steps.
“Who are they?” I asked as Aedan ripped open the letter.
He scowled at the pale yellow carbon copy. “The Grim Union.”
“Well, is someone going to invite me inside?” Mar stomped a foot like a petulant child. She’d been used to having her every whim served in Heaven, no doubt. She was in for a rude awakening when we descended, and I was going to enjoy every moment of it.
Aedan waved at Cam, who was holding up his little wand. “He has to check you for demons first.”
“Demons!” she shrieked. “I am an angel.”
Aedan heaved a sigh, one that was so heavy, I felt the weight of his annoyance in my bones. I’d never made Aedan sigh that hard before. It was so nice seeing someone else on the receiving end of his aggravation. “Mar, let him look at you.”
“The indignity!” she cried as Cam shined the light in her eyes.
Aedan grabbed my elbow and steered me to the opposite side of the room. “They want me to report to headquarters.”
I gaped up at him, alarmed by the frightened look in his eyes. “What do you think they want?”
“Not sure yet.” He bent down and kissed my cheek, but it was so fast I hardly felt it.
