by Donna Grant
Ivy’s forehead furrowed. “Is that where she’s at?”
“We don’t know where she is anymore. She called and told us she was fine, but she’s still angry.”
“As she should be. What were y’all thinking?” Ivy admonished. “You’re her family.”
If Christian didn’t think he could feel any lower, all he had to do was hear Ivy use that disappointed voice and he was proven wrong. “She won’t answer my calls.”
“Give her time. She’ll come around.”
“Delphine is dangerous, Ivy. We have each other here, but we don’t know where Riley is. If she’s alone, she could be targeted.”
Ivy raised her brows. “Then you better start leaving some heartfelt messages to get her to call you back.”
“Probably.” His mind was already past Riley and centered squarely on Ivy. “You’ve been alone for a year?”
She nodded, her gaze lowering to the porch for a moment. “I have. There are times it’s bad, but the days are getting better. I work from home as a medical transcriptionist, so I can make my own schedule.”
“Interesting.”
She laughed, her eyes twinkling. “Now you’re making fun of me.”
“Never,” he vowed, his smile growing.
Silence stretched as they stared at each other again. Christian was thankful he was so far away from her on the porch because if he had been closer, he would’ve kissed her.
“So, no one new in your life?” he asked after he cleared his throat.
She looked pointedly at him. “Just you and your family. Before that, no one.”
“You’re not seeing someone?” It was a valid question, though he wanted to know the answer for himself, not for the investigation.
“No.”
One simple word, but with it, Christian wanted to rejoice. Then he reminded himself that he didn’t care. He didn’t want a relationship.
Of any kind.
“Do you want to know my favorite color, as well?” she asked with a grin.
Christian laughed as he dropped his arms and pushed away from the column. “I’m sorry I’m prying into your life.”
“It’s all right. I’ll tell you anything you want to know. I don’t want to die.”
That wiped his smile away instantly. He didn’t want her to die either. “Did anything significant happen ten years ago?”
“That’s right. The ten-year deal thing.” Her face scrunched up as she considered his words. “I left the hospital for the last time and got better.”
Christian knew of her illness, but hearing her say it was like a punch in the gut. “You were sick?”
“Yes, but no one could diagnose what was wrong with me. I was sick for years. In and out of the hospital all the time. I missed so much school that my mother decided to homeschool me.”
“You look healthy.”
She glanced down at herself. “Now. Back then, I could barely lift my hand from the bed. My mother had to feed me. My mind worked great, but my body...well, didn’t. No one could get near me because a simple cold could kill me.”
“My God.” Christian didn’t know what else to say.
Ivy tucked a curl behind her ear and put her hands in the back pockets of her jeans as she glanced at the bayou once more. “All the poking and prodding by the doctors, and the numerous medications I was on eventually worked. Though I fear that whatever it was will return one day.”
To be miraculously healed like that wasn’t something that happened often. Usually, it meant that magic or a demon was involved.
“Did anyone visit you in the hospital and ask what you would do if you weren’t sick anymore?”
Ivy’s head cocked to the side. “I thought of that last night, but besides my doctors and the nurses, my mother was the only one who visited.”
“The demon could’ve been a nurse or doctor.”
She was shaking her head before he finished. “None of them ever asked me such a thing.”
“Then I’m out of ideas,” Christian said in frustration.
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he thought of her mother. She would have wanted Ivy to get better more than anything. The same thought must have crossed Ivy’s mind because her face crumpled.
“Ivy,” he said and took a step toward her.
She raised a hand to stop him and stepped back. “My mother was devout in her beliefs. She wouldn’t have traded my soul in such a way.”
“She couldn’t.” Christian rubbed the back of his neck, feeling like the biggest ass for having to say his next words. “Ivy, the only soul a person can bargain with is their own.”
“You think she sold her soul?”
“It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“Then why are the Hell Hounds after me?”
It was a good question. “Your mother died last year, right?”
“In her sleep. The autopsy showed it was a heart attack.”
“If that’s the case, then the Hell Hounds should be satisfied. They got their soul, even if they didn’t have to come to get it.”
Ivy gave a little shake of her head. “That still doesn’t explain why the Hounds are after me.”
“It’s time we found out.”
Christian strode back into the house with Ivy on his heels. They walked into the office. He went to the desk and sat, once more pulling out the journal.
He glanced up and pointed to one of the laptops sitting on the coffee table. “Do you mind looking up your scenario?”
“Not at all.” Ivy sat, pulling the laptop to her and opening it.
Christian thumbed through the journal until he came to the part about the Hell Hounds while he heard Ivy punching the keyboard.
“What’s going on?” Vincent asked as he walked in.
Christian didn’t look up from his perusal of the passages. “We think Ivy’s mom might have made the deal, but she died last year of a heart attack.”
“That shouldn’t matter then,” Vin said. “The Hounds got their soul.”
“Exactly.” Christian glanced up at his eldest brother. “Then why are they after Ivy?”
Vincent let out a whistle that sounded throughout the house. In a matter of moments, everyone would be in the room.
Vin walked to the bookshelf and drew out two books. “Looks like we need to alter our research.”
Christian slid his gaze to Ivy to find her watching him. He gave her a nod, and her answering grin did funny things to his insides.
He decided to chalk it up to the four waffles he’d eaten.
CHAPTER SIX
Ivy was about ready to call it a day after eight hours of research when Beau let out an expletive.
“What?” Christian asked.
She still couldn’t believe how hard he was working to help her. Yet, she couldn’t figure out why. He didn’t know her. Sure, his family helped the innocent, but for him to go to such extremes just seemed...odd.
At least, she had never encountered anyone who would do such a thing. Granted, her experience with people was limited, but she’d watched enough TV to know it was unusual.
Beau’s gaze landed on her. Ivy straightened, wondering what she had done.
“I found something,” Beau said as he rose from his chair and walked to her. He handed her the book, his finger next to the third paragraph on the page. “Read that out loud, please.”
Ivy took the book as she set the laptop next to her. She took a deep breath and started reading. “Hell Hounds, by all accounts, are simply animals doing the bidding of the Demon of Souls. They’re not just beasts, however. Special care should be taken when trying to dodge them.”
She paused, not liking what she was reading so far. “Once a person makes a deal with one of the many Crossroads demons and sells their soul, it’s owned by the Demon of Souls.”
“We know all of this,” Lincoln said.
Beau motioned for Ivy to keep going. “Finish the passage.”
Ivy shrugged and returned her gaze to the
book. “A soul can’t be bought back. Once sold, it is lost forever. A person normally has ten years before the Hell Hounds are sent to retrieve their soul – and take the person to Hell. For the few who trade their souls to help another, the same rules apply.”
She stopped reading because the implication that her mother had sold her soul to help her made her chest feel as if it were caving in from the weight of it all.
Suddenly, Christian was sitting beside her. He met her gaze briefly before he leaned over and finished for her. “There is one known instance where a person who sold their soul to help another died before their ten years came due. The Hell Hounds were then sent to the one who was saved to retrieve their soul.
“After a lengthy investigation, it was discovered the original deal-maker killed themselves to prevent having to face the Hell Hounds.”
Ivy shoved the book off her and stood. She paced before the fireplace. “No. My mother didn’t kill herself. There was an autopsy. They would’ve found it.”
“No one said your mother committed suicide,” Christian said.
But everyone was thinking it. Including Ivy. She stopped and tried to draw in a calming breath. “What this tells me is that despite not having made the deal, the Hell Hounds are still coming for my soul.”
“Actually, no,” Christian said as he finished reading something in the book. “They can’t.”
Beau nodded. “He’s right. You didn’t sell your soul.”
“Then why come after me?” Ivy was getting more confused by the minute.
Christian set the open book on the coffee table before him. “They’ll kill you, taking you to Hell to show the person who did sell their soul.”
“Oh. Well, that makes everything better then,” she said sarcastically. Ivy put her hand on her forehead. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”
Ava rose and came to stand beside her. “It’s very much called for.”
Ivy was dipping back into feeling sorry for herself like she had done as a kid in the hospital. Things were out of her control then, and it was happening all over again.
“I think that’s enough research for the night,” Lincoln said as he closed the book he’d been reading. He replaced it on the bookshelf and clicked on the CD player.
Music came over the speakers. Ivy recognized a song by Hozier as one she really liked. As if it were some sort of cue, everyone put away his or her books and computers.
Ivy could only stare in confusion as the three couples came together. Lincoln and Ava began to slow dance next to her while Olivia sat on Vincent’s lap behind the desk and began kissing him. Beau was smiling as Davena danced to him. His arms snaked out and caught her, pulling her against him as they began to kiss, as well.
Ivy tried not to look at Christian, but she couldn’t stop herself. He had his head down, as if he could pretend nothing was happening by not looking.
She quietly made her way around Lincoln and Ava and walked out of the house. That morning, she had watched the sun rise above the trees, now she was watching it sink behind them.
Davena had told her the back property was warded, including the boathouse. Ivy stepped off the porch, waiting for a Hell Hound to take her. When nothing happened, she took another couple of steps. Then a couple more.
Finally, she walked to the door of the small structure and opened it. The cages she saw inside drew her up short. Then she realized the guys had to have somewhere to put the monsters.
Ivy spotted the huge sliding metal door and cracked it open a bit. She smiled as she finished pulling it all the way open and took in the water lapping at her feet.
She sat down and leaned against the side of the door, listening to the cicadas fill the night with their music.
A sound drew her attention to the door she’d walked through. She saw a silhouette and recognized Christian.
“Couldn’t take it either, I see,” he said.
She laughed. “That was...awkward.”
“You’re the only one who understands my need to have my own place. I’m surrounded by couples on a daily basis.”
“I find it hard to believe you don’t have someone.”
He made a face as he drew closer. “Not me.”
“Relationships are complicated. I’d rather keep things simple.”
“Exactly.” He leaned against the opposite side of the door.
“I like to answer only to myself.” His grin made her laugh. “You’re looking at me as if you’re not sure whether to believe me or not.”
He shrugged a shoulder. “Normally, women want to talk about how soon they can get married, and how many kids they want while explaining how they’re going to change their men.”
Ivy nodded since she had a couple of friends just like that. “Why do women always want to change their men?”
“Good question. I’d like the answer to that, as well.”
She looked away when she couldn’t handle his intense gaze any longer. He seemed to be able to see right into her mind, and she didn’t want him to know how many times she thought about running her hands over his body or ripping his clothes off.
“No hunting tonight?” she asked into the silence.
The music from the house rose, drifting outside as if those inside had opened windows.
“Not with the Hell Hounds after you. We’re better all together.”
His voice was a seduction all its own. Ivy closed her eyes. Did he know how his voice affected her? Is that why he lowered it, making his words come out as soft as silk?
“Lincoln had the right idea. We need to take our minds off Hell Hounds,” Christian said as he pushed away from the doorway.
Ivy’s eyes snapped open to look at him as he sat near her. His black hair tempted her fingers to touch the strands and see if they were as soft as they looked.
“I used to come out here all the time to get away from the craziness of the house,” Christian said and looked straight ahead. “I’d sit right here and listen to the sounds of the bayou, watch gators and turtles swim past, and try to pretend that my life didn’t involve the supernatural.”
Ivy pulled her gaze from Christian to look at the purple and pink-streaked sky. “It’s beautiful here. A place of solace.”
“It’s that and much more.”
She felt his eyes on her. Unable to stop herself, Ivy turned her head to him. She wanted Christian, and the seductive music wasn’t helping matters at all.
He turned toward her and tugged on a lock of her hair. “Curls. That’s what I called you when I first saw you in the bar.”
She raised a brow. So, he had noticed her. Ivy would’ve had to be blind not to appreciate such a fine specimen herself. She had taken plenty of peeks as he had leaned over to shoot pool.
“Having been sick for so long, I have a habit of not waiting around for things.” She swallowed, hoping she wasn’t about to make a fool of herself. “I’d like to take my mind off the current mess. Interested?”
“As if you have to ask,” he said before his hand slid into her hair and around to the back of her neck as his lips covered hers.
Ivy leaned forward, her hands going to his chest. She slowly moved them up to his shoulders and then around his neck. The kiss was fiery, passionate.
She was up on her knees with him as their bodies came together. His arms wrapped around her tightly, pulling her close, his hands roaming everywhere.
His kisses took her breath away while enflaming her already burning desire. She tugged up his shirt to feel his skin.
The kiss broke long enough for him to rip off his tee. Their gazes met as he cupped her face. She was drowning in his blue eyes, sinking into the passion that enfolded them.
Then they were kissing again. Ivy wasn’t sure when her shirt was removed, and she didn’t care. She was living in the moment. Life was so fragile and could be taken at any moment. She wasn’t going to wait around. She was going to enjoy whatever time she had left.
What better way than in the arms of a man who made
her crave his touch?
Christian lowered them until they were lying on the concrete floor. She belatedly realized that she was on his shirt.
He rose over her and leaned back on his haunches. “You have to be the most interesting person I’ve ever met.”
“Then you must not have met very many people,” she said.
He removed her boots and then slowly unbuttoned her jeans. Ivy tugged them over her hips. Then she was in nothing but her bra and panties.
“My turn,” she said as she sat up and reached for the waist of his jeans. She unbuttoned them, opening them wide.
The trail of chest hair narrowed at his belly button and disappeared into his waistband. She ran her hands over his impressive chest and wide shoulders. His skin was warm, his muscles hard beneath her palms.
She had known he would have an amazing body, but she hadn’t been prepared for such sheer gorgeousness. His skin was bronzed from time in the sun, and there were marks from wounds that looked like slashes from talons. There were even some healed bite marks.
“I live a hard life,” he said.
She lifted her gaze to his face as she traced one of his scars. “These show how powerful and resilient you are.”
In answer, he claimed her mouth in a kiss that was both savage and tender.
Their arms went around each other as they gave in to the passion.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Christian burned. With each kiss, he yearned for Ivy even more. Her skin was soft as down, her kisses as intoxicating as the finest bourbon.
He ran his hand down her side, feeling her warmth beneath his palm. She yanked down his jeans, and he quickly stepped out of them. Then he hooked his thumbs in her panties and lowered them.
With a little flick, he tossed the lace away. Her leg lifted to wrap around his hips. Christian groaned and rocked his aching cock against her.
A shiver raced along his skin as her nails lightly scoured down his back. He rolled them until he was on his back and she was straddling him.
