Hell Bound (Seventh Level Book 2)

by Charity Parkerson

  Liam shrugged. “Most dreams are something else. It’s why people wake up screaming from nightmares and try to hold onto the ones where we get to see the people we love who have died.”

  It was hard to do but Mark looked over at his mother. “So my mom is really here?”

  Liam forced Mark to return his attention back to him. “We can’t help her but we can help Anne, so focus on me and nothing else. Stay close to me and do exactly as I say. This is not a place you want to stray off on your own and get lost.” His face turned deadly serious. “You may be offered a deal here by either Septem or my father. My father will try to convince you it is the only way you’ll ever see Anne again. He is an exceptional liar. Believe nothing you see or hear and listen only to my words.” He squeezed Mark’s shoulder hard enough to leave bruises. “You can trust me. This is the reason I accepted my father’s offer to be Soul Collector, so I can save people.”

  Mark’s first test about only focusing on Liam came a few seconds later when his mother whispered, “Baby boy, please take me with you. I don’t like being dead.”

  It broke his heart to hear the pain and sadness in her voice. All he had ever wanted was to save her one day from her life as a prostitute, but his last year in high school an officer from the New Orleans police called his grandmother with the news she had died from a drug overdose.

  Instead of turning around to look at his mother, he concentrated on Liam’s eyes. “Let’s find Anne and save her.”

  Liam nodded. “She’s not far, but Septem will do everything within his power to keep her. She’s special to him.”

  It wasn’t easy to keep from turning around. His mother was sliding the bare bones of her fingertips down his back. Chill bumps were covering his entire body and the hairs on his arms were standing up.

  Liam snapped his fingers an inch for Mark’s face. “Focus.”

  Mark nodded. “I’m trying, but it’s not easy.”

  As Mark looked on, Liam’s eyes turned red and he peered over Mark’s shoulder at his mother. Liam clapped three times and shouted, “Be gone and worry us no more with your presence!”

  Mark didn’t turn to see if she obeyed or not, but the horrible smell surrounding them disappeared. There was no doubt, whenever all of this was over, he would look back on this moment with an aching heart. Right now, he couldn’t think about not being able to save her from her hell. He needed to do as Liam asked in order to save Anne. He couldn’t live with doing otherwise.

  “What do we do now?” Another snake slithered up his arm, but instead of freaking out, he merely flicked it off. When Liam turned and walked away, Mark followed behind him. He had no doubts at all Liam knew what he was doing. They had been partners long enough for him to understand he could trust Liam with his life, so there was no reason to doubt him when he needed him the most.

  Liam pushed through the undergrowth, as if it wasn’t there. “Septem has been leading you away from her.”

  “How can we save her if she willingly sold her soul to him? Do you have the power to break contracts?” By now Mark’s bare feet were covered in black mud and grime. His arms and back were streaked in oozing scrapes and gashes from repeatedly running into sharp overhanging branches.

  “Normally, we wouldn’t be able to help her, but Septem went behind my father’s back when he made his deal with her. I was there when he lied to dear old Dad. I can’t wait to see what happens when we break this bit of news to my father. To stay out of harm’s way, you might want to step behind me when Dad learns of Septem’s lies. You’ve heard the saying, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned? They have the saying all wrong. Hell hath no fury like a liar who’s been lied to. While Dad draws great pleasure from tricking people out of their souls, he expects full devotion and truthfulness from his servants.”

  After stumbling through the woods, underbrush and uneven terrain, they finally broke through to the other side, and found themselves on the edge of a small clearing. Hundreds of candles suspended in midair lit the area. No matter how hard Mark inspected them, he couldn’t see what held them in place, but before his mind had time to accept the strange fact, a weird form of chanting caught his attention. In the eerie lighting, it wasn’t easy to make out, but when he strained his eyes, Mark was finally able to see the dark, bobbing shadows. The longer he stared at them, the more it looked as if they were dancing in a wide circle.

  He leaned toward Liam. “What the hell is going on?”

  Liam’s face was grim as he pointed up above the area where the shadows were dancing. “They smell fresh meat.”

  When Mark gasped and stepped forward, Liam placed a hand in the center of his chest forcing him to stop. “Be patient. All of the participants aren’t here yet.” He made a point of looking Mark directly in the eyes. “Stay here until I call for you.”

  As Liam walked toward the dark dancing shadows, Mark tried to catch his breath. It wasn’t easy standing there doing nothing with Anne so near. She was in the center of the clearing inside a gilded cage dangling in midair. What made it even harder to obey Liam was the fact Anne had her face pressed against the bars looking at him with tears streaming down her face. She was no longer making any sounds, but every now and then, she would look down at the shadows reaching for her before switching her gaze back to him. He could see the look of horror etched on her face.

  As Liam drew closer to Anne’s cage, the shadows dissipated until there were only a few left. The chanting was now a low muttering, almost more like complaining than the organized song it had been. Liam flicked his fingers in a shooing motion and the last remaining shadows disappeared. The only sounds left were the creaking of the cage as it swung back and forth.

  “Septem!” Liam stood under Anne’s cage with his legs and arms spread wide. “I’m here to expose your trickery. We can do this face to face or I can send my father’s cronies looking for you.” He peered up at Anne and winked.

  Mark’s heart soared when Anne returned Liam’s wink with one of her own and then smiled. No matter what she had been through, Septem hadn’t broken her lovely spirit yet.

  With his gaze fixed on Anne’s smile, Mark almost missed Septem’s appearance. The air grew heavy and smoke billowed in with the stench of death and sex. Even though it wasn’t cold, Mark’s arms broke out into chill bumps and his first reaction was to rub them in order to ward off the uncomfortable sensation.

  Septem floated several inches off the ground and he was completely naked. All seven of his cocks were stiff, as if the confrontation with Liam sexually excited him. Mark had only seen the real Septem—hidden beneath the Pamela disguise—briefly in the past and never in his full glory. The demon was a dull black, from the top of each of his seven horns, to the tip of all seven tails. If Mark hadn’t been with Liam, he wasn’t certain he would be so calm in the face of such an evil entity, but he maintained full confidence in his old partner. He could see from Liam’s expression, he held a trick or two up his sleeve.

  Septem slowly circled Liam. His lips stretched grotesquely across his razor sharp teeth. Drool dripped from his chin as he spoke, “What are you doing here interfering in my business, Spawn of Satan? You aren’t good enough to wipe the blood from my cocks, much less put your sniveling nose in my personal business. Do you dare try to blackmail me?”

  Liam crossed his arms and leveled a deadly stare on Septem. “You are very bold in your choice of words out of my father’s presence.” He nodded toward Anne. “I’m surprised you had the balls to lie to Kieran. You know as well as I do what he does to those stupid enough to do so. I wonder in which corner of the universe you plan to hide in order to avoid his wrath?” Liam made a point of circling underneath the perimeter of Anne’s cage. “Did you seriously think you could outwit him?” Liam’s laughter was mirthless. “You really are a bigger fool than I thought you were. I don’t always see eye to eye with my father, but even I have never underestimated his intelligence.”

  Septem drew himself up to his full height and closed the dista
nce between them. An inch from Liam’s face, his temper showed itself. “You dare insult me? I can snuff out your life-force until there’s absolutely nothing left.” His grin widened and his eyes became calculating. “Yes. That’s exactly what I’ll do. Your father would never miss you. Do you honestly think you’re the only offspring he has? Kieran has roamed this world for centuries and he has lain with thousands if not millions of women.”

  Liam snatched hold of one of Septem’s horns. “Don’t move, bastard. I’m expecting company.”

  Septem’s eyes widened and he tried unsuccessfully to pull away, but in an instant, the air filled with a static charge and a loud clap of thunder shook the ground.

  In a blinding flash, a fourth figure appeared in front of Liam and Septem. In a surreal way, the tall, blond man was too beautiful to be considered handsome. He was smartly dressed in a black tux, tie and a crisp white shirt. He seemed almost bored but his voice revealed his annoyance. “You do realize you’ve interrupted my night at the opera, and most importantly, I was about to teach a very respectable lady how to do a proper blow job.”

  When he finally stopped complaining, he cocked his head to one side, as if absorbing the scene in front of him. As soon as he looked over Septem and Liam, he glanced upward at Anne. With his full attention on her, she backed as far to the other side of the cage as possible without pushing through the bars.

  Kieran shook his head, and a look of disappointment crossed over his face. He pointed toward Anne. “You, my dear, are supposed to have passed into the light, and out of our reach. So, I’m left to wonder as to why you are here?” He held his arms out wide, and looked from side to side. “I see my son and my second in charge, so who do I blame for this mix up?” He didn’t give anyone a chance to say anything before he circled them.

  Mark hated being so far away from Anne. He could see she was trembling, but when he took a step forward, Liam leveled a warning glare his way before returning his attention back to his father. Feeling totally out of his element, Mark chose to do Liam’s bidding and stay rooted in place. A few seconds later, he was happy he’d listened to Liam, because Kieran’s form shifted and grew until his clothes fell into shreds onto the ground. His beautiful, white skin turned crimson, and his long blond hair fell out leaving in its place, two, huge horns ripping through his skin. Loud bellows rent the air, as Kieran stomped the ground until it shook.

  Kieran’s once cultural voice changed into a guttural roar. “You dare lie to me, your master?” He rushed over yanking Septem from Liam’s grasp and shook the demon with a force that left Mark feeling a little sorry for him. Kieran held the demon in the air so he was forced to look inside of Anne’s cage. “And you did it for this lowly human?” He clasped Septem against his chest and whispered loudly, “Do you know what I do with liars?”

  Septem was trembling too hard to speak, but he did try to nod. It was all the confirmation Kieran needed. He screamed and stomped until the surrounding trees toppled over. Liam grabbed Anne’s cage to keep it steady as Mark dodged the falling trees by crouching in a nearby ditch. By the time Mark was able to look back into the clearing again, he almost wished he had remained in the dark about what was taking place. Kieran was now surrounded by hundreds of black horned demons. They were ripping Septem into pieces and eating him. Blackened flesh hung from their mouths and littered the ground, but none of it stayed there for long. Thousands of tiny forms appeared like an army of roaches and devoured the discarded flesh.

  Instead of staring at the macabre scene, Mark chose to see how Anne was holding up. He was relieved Liam blocked her from viewing the worst of it. The feast only lasted a few minutes and when there was nothing left of Septem, Kieran slapped his hands together signaling the end and his minions instantly disappeared. With his unpleasant task taken care of, Kieran returned to his former beautiful form, but with his clothes shredded on the ground, he was now completely naked. Instead of being self-conscious, as most other men would have been, he strutted around Anne’s cage rubbing his chin as if in deep thought. “So what do we do with you, Ms. Trace? You must have some special pussy if you enticed my best demon to betray me. I guess I should check for myself.”

  Mark jumped up. “No! You keep your hands off of her.”

  Kieran didn’t even acknowledge his presence, but turned to Liam instead. “You knew I would destroy Septem when you brought me here. I have to wonder what you hoped to gain. It was in your best interest if I believed her out of my reach, so why expose her now?”

  Liam’s expression remained respectful. “You asked me to take this position. As your soul collector, it is my job to make certain no rules are broken. Septem has been very naughty. He was trying to claim two souls that didn’t belong to him. I’m merely doing my job. Your earlier attempt to hold Anne’s soul in exchange for Kylie’s is of no consequence now, since Kylie is mine. However, Septem has been making backroom deals and with his passing, those pacts are voided.” He nodded toward the cage. “I’m returning her to her rightful place, and I’m tearing up the contract signed by one Wade Collins.”

  Kieran stood perfectly still for several minutes. He could have been mistaken for a statue. He finally said, “I know of no such contract.” His eyes moved over Liam, as if assessing his honesty, and with a nod, he waved a dismissive hand in Anne’s direction. “Fine. These Trace sisters have been nothing but trouble.” He pointed at Anne. “The next time you are careless with your soul, you should not expect the same kindness from me. I will take what you offer and make you pay for the loss of my best helper.”

  Liam stepped between Kieran and Anne, forcing his father’s attention to remain focused on him. “I’m only asking for these two contracts, even though I could ask for all of them. I think I’m being generous. Don’t you?”

  For a moment, Mark thought Kieran might go ballistic on them again. His skin quivered, as if it might expand and reform into his true self. At the last second he held it together. He leveled a cold stare on his son. “No one threatens me.”

  Liam didn’t appear ruffled by his father’s intense stare or the tone of his voice. He smiled and casually crossed his arms. “I would never threaten you, Dad. I’m merely doing my job by making certain you get the souls you deserve.” He briefly looked over his shoulder at Anne before meeting his father’s intense stare again. “You don’t want her anyhow.” He held out his hands. “Look at the mess her bargaining has already caused for you. Can you imagine an entire eternity with her in your realm? It would be total chaos.” He peered upward and grinned. “When it’s her turn for her soul to move on, just think of all the disruption she’ll cause to your competitor. Let him deal with her.”

  Kieran walked over and stood directly in front of Liam. “I see what you’re doing, but this one means nothing to me. Do with her as you please, and as far as this Wade Collins goes, I have never heard of him nor did I know he had signed a contract. I’ll release only those two souls, but,” He leaned forward until their noses were almost touching, “if you think I will stand quietly by while you rob more souls from me, you couldn’t be more mistaken. I will do to you as I did to Septem, son or no. I will not be mocked.” Just as when he had appeared earlier, the ground shook from a loud boom of thunder and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

  Unable to stand on the sidelines any longer, Mark rushed across the clearing toward Anne. Liam was helping her climb down from the cage as he ran toward them. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Mark was there to wrap his arms around her.

  *

  The first thing Mark was fully aware of was his arms around Anne. His bedroom was bathed in moonlight so it was bright enough to see her face. Her expression clearly said she didn’t believe he was real.

  He found it a little hard to accept she was real too so he traced the outline of her face as a reassurance. “Are you okay?” He could feel the pounding of her heart against his own.

  The simple question was all it took for her tears to fall. She was soon sobbing so hard Mark h
ad to cradle her face into the crook of his neck. He wasn’t surprised by the waterworks. Being under Septem’s control must have been a horrendous experience. There was no doubt in his mind Anne needed to have a way of releasing all of those pent up emotions. It was a privilege to be there for her and have her safe in the comfort of his arms.

  Several minutes later, Anne’s sobs slowed and soon the only sound in the room was their breathing. He took a chance and asked again, “Are you okay?”

  Anne lifted her head from his shoulder and waited for him to meet her eyes before answering, “I have missed you so much. The first night you came to me in a dream I knew then everything was going to be okay. There was no doubt in my mind you would find a way to save me.”

  He shifted so he could lean over her. “There’s no power in hell strong enough to keep two people who are meant to be together, apart. The poor bastard had no idea what he was fighting against.” He kissed her forehead before pulling away and standing. “Let’s go get cleaned up before the rest of the household wakes up.”

  For the first time Anne looked at around at her surroundings. “The rest of the household? Where are we?”

  Mark nodded toward his private bathroom. “It’s going to take some explaining so why don’t I fill the bathtub with water while we talk?”

  Anne gathered the top sheets around her body. Instead of looking at Mark, she focused on the floor. Suddenly feeling very unsure of himself, he tucked a finger under her chin, and left her no other choice but to look at him. “There’s a shower and a tub. I’ll let you have your privacy but I have been searching for you too long. I’m staying as close to you as I can for right now. Okay?”

  Her eyes skirted away again, so he knelt to be eye level. “What is it?”

  Tears ran down Anne’s face again so Mark wrapped his arms around her again. She whispered into his neck. “I’m so ashamed.”

  He rocked back on his heels so he could make eye contact with her. “You should never be ashamed for trying to save your sister. I’m not ashamed of you. I think you’re the noblest person I have ever met.” He placed a light kiss on her lips before saying, “Maybe one day you’ll see the woman I see.” After standing, he tugged on her hand until she had no other choice than to follow him into the bathroom. Once there, he grabbed a couple of clean towels before turning the water on in both the tub and the shower.