by J. N. Colon
He didn’t seem convinced. He bent, looking under my bed.
“Dad! He’s not there.” The Neanderthal probably couldn’t even fit.
He stood back up and shot me a wink. “Just kidding. Mostly.”
I shook my head. “Get on that ice cream breakfast. I’ll be down in a minute.”
“Sure.” He strode out the door but peeked his head back in. “If he’s hiding in the closet, tell him I’m making steak and eggs also, but he gets none.”
“Dad!” I threw a pillow at him, but he dodged it, chuckling on his way out.
I groaned and pulled the covers over my head. If my dad really had found Jayson in my room, he wouldn’t be laughing about it no matter how much he liked him.
I knocked on Jayson’s front door, his watch clutched in my other hand. His shirt was hanging in my closet. He could have it back when his salty ocean scent faded from the material. Until then, it was mine.
My heart pounded a little too fast. It was ridiculous. I was just here to return his watch. That was all. It had nothing to do with our steamy make-out session this morning.
A groan slipped out. What was I doing here? He was going to think I was using his watch as a reason to see him.
No. Wait. If anything, it was the other way around. Maybe he left it at my house so he had a reason to come see me.
I shook my head, shattering the warring thoughts. Jayson left in a hurry. My dad was walking into the room. I needed to stop reading into this. We only kissed. Well, and there was some touching…
The door swung open before I could lose my nerve. Max appeared. “Hi, Lena.”
“Hey, Max. Is Jayson here?” I held up his watch, shifting awkwardly. Ugh. Why did I think this was a good idea? “He left this at my house.”
His brows dipped. “He’s not here.”
“Oh.” Crap on toast.
“But you can wait in his room.” He motioned me in. “He should be home soon.”
“That’s okay. You can just give it to him.” Sitting in his room until he got home screamed stalker vibe.
A big grin spread over Max’s lips. “Trust me, Lena. Jayson will be thrilled to find you in his room when he gets home.”
My cheeks heated. What exactly did his uncle know about us? “Okay.” I let him guide me into the house. “If you say so.” Did he know what Jayson and his friends were?
Max chuckled and closed the door. “I do say so.”
I fought a grin and climbed the stairs before he could make me blush anymore. Did Max know Jayson spent the night at my house? I hoped he wasn’t planning on telling my dad.
That aroma I was getting seriously addicted to filled my nostrils as I stepped into Jayson’s neat room. I placed his watch on his bedside table and folded down on the mattress. Images of us in my bed this morning flooded my mind. My lids drifted closed as I recalled the way his lips molded to mine. His hands were rough and firm as they glided across my skin…
My lids snapped open, and I jumped up. My breathing was ragged. Gawd. If Jayson came in here right now, he’d know exactly what I was thinking about.
I shook my head and trailed to his dresser, needing a distraction from the Neanderthal’s smoking hot skills. My gaze landed on a picture hidden in the back, the small silver frame beginning to tarnish. A little boy with bright hazel eyes was being hugged by a gorgeous woman, her auburn locks blowing in the wind.
My chest tightened. This must be his mother. He never spoke about her, but my gut told me she’d died. Why else would he be living with his uncle? I knew what a loss like that felt like and wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Maybe one day he’d tell me what happened.
I set the picture down, knocking over a small wooden box. The lid flipped open, and a large coin tumbled out. I caught it before it rolled off the dresser.
I shook my head. I was such a disaster.
The coin was a little bigger than a silver dollar and as thick as four stacked together. The metal was dark and oddly warm in my palm.
My lips puckered as I examined the strange symbols.
It suddenly started vibrating. Uh-oh. I shouldn’t have touched it. No telling what kind of items the Nephilim had. For all I knew, it could be a demon-summoning coin or something that called a taxi to Hell.
I grabbed the box and dropped the thing back in. Or I tried. The coin wouldn’t budge from my skin.
Just craptastic.
I dropped the box and tried prying it off with my other hand. No such luck.
What the frack! It was stuck.
The room started spinning, and the walls closed in. A bad taste coated the back of my mouth. Leave it up to me to touch some magical coin. Stars popped along my vision, and my muscles turned to jelly.
Before I could grab onto anything, my body dropped, hitting the floor with a thud. Darkness consumed me whole.
Chapter 24
My palm landed against the smooth facade of a building as I used it for support, the stone ice-cold on my skin. Snow gently fell, collecting on a narrow, cobblestone street that stretched for miles.
Where was I?
Tall onyx structures towered over me, twisting spires disappearing into the impenetrable sky.
I rubbed my forehead with my free hand, trying to recall my last memory. I was waiting for Jayson in his room. A picture of him and his mother sat on his dresser. I knocked over a box. A coin tumbled out.
My heart lurched against my ribs. I yanked my hand away from the frigid stone, my palm empty. I’d passed out on the floor—and then I woke up here.
The back of my nape prickled. I swallowed hard. Where the hell was here?
I began walking. Every building was the same—dark, empty, and unwelcoming. I wasn’t about to call out for help, inevitably leading a monster to me. I wiped snow from my shoulder, but it wasn’t cold.
It wasn’t snow. It was ash.
An icy wind blew, bringing with it a foul stench like rotten eggs.
My stomach clenched as a yawning chasm ripped open inside of it. Just fracken craptacular. I knew, without a doubt, where I was.
Hell.
The endless rows of slick stone structures blurred around me, and I grabbed hold of a pole with a dim reddish hue emanating from the tip. I swallowed the bile oozing up my throat.
I was right. That damn coin was some kind of magic teleportation taxi straight to Hell. But was my body here or just my mind? The only way to Hell was through a gate, and I hadn’t stepped foot over one of those.
I ran my fingers over my neck, finding no bandages or bruises. The tightness in my chest loosened some. My body must still be on the floor in Jayson’s room. Max would have heard me fall, and Jayson would know something was wrong.
He’d get me back.
As long as I wasn’t dead.
My head spun again. I just had to go and think that, didn’t I?
I wasn’t dead. I’d know if I bit the bullet. Right?
I released the pole and dragged my fingers through my hair. If this was Hell, where were the tortured souls? What about the scorching flames? And the demons?
“Let me guess, you’re wondering where all the fire and brimstone is?”
I whipped around at the smooth, velvety voice. A man strolled toward me, his gait lithe and effortless. Air caught in my lungs, but not because he was some grotesque creature with scaly skin and horns. It was the opposite actually. “Who are you?” My words were barely more than a whisper.
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He stopped a foot from me, the ash dissipating on his black suit as if it were scared to mar his perfect visage. Midnight locks curled away from the high cheekbones slashing his porcelain pale face. Eyes the color of sapphire that rivaled a summer sky peered into mine, holding me still.
He was beautiful. And he was terrifying.
My heart sped up, pumping blood through my veins too fast. Something dark swirled beneath his pretty exterior. It was a lie, a trick to lure me into a false sense of safety.
“When I felt the heavenly presenc
e here, I assumed it was Nithael’s offspring.” A slow smile curled his symmetrical lips. “And then I found you instead, little bird.”
My pulse quivered. He knew who Jayson was. Did he realize I was bound to the Nephilim?
I glanced around, searching for an escape. There wasn’t one.
“Hell is much more than just the burning pits.” Solid fingers brushed ash from my shoulder.
I gasped and stepped back, my breath quickening. I hadn’t seen him move. “Are you a demon?”
He shook his head. “I’m much older.”
My heart plummeted to the soles of my feet. Oh my God. “A-Are you Lucifer?”
His head tilted back as deep rumbles of laughter poured out. “No, little bird. I’m not Lucifer.”
My brows dipped. “I’m glad you find me so funny.” I slapped a hand over my mouth. This guy wasn’t the devil, but he was someone old, evil, and powerful.
His chuckle prickled my skin. “You are too cute. I can see why the Nephilim wanted to keep you.” Those piercing eyes bored into me as his head tilted. “There is much more beyond this sweet little shell.”
I took a shaky step back. “Who are you?”
“Where are my manners?” He dramatically bowed, his smile charming. “I am Astaroth.”
Every drop of moisture evaporated from my mouth, and cold demolished any warmth left in my body. I was standing in front of the creature responsible for whatever craziness was happening in Mystic Hollow. He was the person the totems were being brought to. He was the person Moloch reported to.
He was a fallen angel.
My knees buckled, and I was headed for the hard cobblestone.
Iron arms slipped around my waist, keeping me upright. “Woah, little bird.”
I stiffened and struggled uselessly in his grasp.
Astaroth tsked. “I’m not going to hurt you.” His breath was too warm, spawning shivers down my back.
“Says the guy who sent his lackey to suck my soul out,” I hissed.
His head cocked to the side, one perfect brow arching. “Come again?” He leaned me against a cold stone building. “Who did what?”
Phantom pains seared across my neck as images of the demon choking me flashed behind my eyes. “That creepy demon, Moloch, attacked me last night. He wanted me because part of Jayson’s soul is inside me.” There was no point denying it. He already knew.
“Did he now?” His face remained impassive, but something dark flickered behind his cerulean eyes. “I assure you that won’t happen again, little bird.” He winked. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“I don’t understand.” Hadn’t the demon attacked me on his orders?
Astaroth was barely an inch from me, wrapping his arm around mine. “There are so many things you don’t understand. Why don’t we take a stroll and talk?”
My brain shrieked at me to run, but my body wouldn’t listen. It followed Astaroth’s command. “I’d rather not take a leisurely stroll with an evil fallen angel.” My mouth didn’t have the same constraints apparently.
“I may be one of the Fallen, but who said I was evil?”
“Aren’t you?” He was hanging out in hell. Only evil creatures did that, right?
“On the contrary, little bird.” He turned, leading me down another road that hadn’t been there before. “I just didn’t like all those pesky rules angels of light have to abide by, so I left that world behind.”
“Rules?” Lines creased my forehead. “You mean you wanted to sin?”
“Sins.” His chuckle made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “Thou shall not lie. Thou shall not take the Lord’s name in vain. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s wife.” His lips curled into a wicked smile. “I like that one.”
“Yeah, those.” I swallowed hard. Astaroth had been around for eons, but he looked like he was in his early twenties He probably coveted lots of willing wives over the years.
“Those, my dear, are human rules. Angels have to follow a much more rigid and unbreakable set of laws to remain in His good graces.” He rolled his eyes. “Angels aren’t even allowed to think of another love besides the heavenly devotion for Him.” He leaned forward. “Because He will know. And He might just smite the angel down.”
My brow puckered. “But what about the Nephilim? They’re made from an Angel and a human—uh—relationship.”
“You mean sex, little bird.” His blue eyes flared brighter. “You can say it.”
A flush colored the apples of my cheeks. “You know what I mean.”
Astaroth looked forward again, his smile faltering. “A little loophole in the rules. The Nephilim allow for heavenly intervention in the human world without breaking the rules. But I’ll let you in on a little secret.” His eyes flicked in my direction, growing dark. “Those angels are given orders to come to Earth and find a viable human to produce a Nephilim with. It’s still His doing, His way of maintaining order and keeping Lucifer’s dark creations at bay. And the most horrendous part? He cuts out the angel’s memories of the human afterward to prevent their fall from grace shall they choose to remain on the earthly plane.”
That did seem kind of screwed up. Were archangel’s different? Was that why Jayson knew his father? “Why doesn’t G—He—change the rule?” Astaroth had flinched when I started to say God. Maybe that name wasn’t allowed in hell.
He tsked. “He’s incapable of admitting error. If He changed one of his rules, that would be admitting He was wrong about something. And He can’t be wrong. Ever.”
I wasn’t sure about that. God couldn’t be that hardheaded.
“Now do you see how strict it truly is for heavenly beings.” We turned down another slick cobblestone road lined with the same ebony buildings. Ash no longer fell on me. Astaroth’s presence was keeping it away. “Humans have free will and sin as much as they like. Once their time comes, as long as they repent, He takes them back into his heavenly light.”
That part seemed to be true.
“Meanwhile, angels who want to indulge in just a moment, a little taste, of what humans get are tossed out of the Silver City with no hope of redemption.” He gently bopped me on the nose. “And that is why I fell. Not because I’m evil, but because I want to experience all this earthly world has to offer. Humans have it without question. Why can’t I have the same luxury?”
I nibbled on my bottom lip. Astaroth kind of made a good argument, but I wasn’t an idiot. There was malice under those simple words.
He waved his hand, and a door appeared in the once solid façade of a building. “Let’s get out of this dreadful scenery.” He pulled me across the threshold, a hard slam echoing as the door shut.
A massive, cavernous room surrounded us. Polished black and white marble gleamed under the crystal chandelier hanging from the towering ceiling. Silver adornments twinkled.
“Where are we?” My voice echoed, bouncing off the lustrous walls. My neck craned back, surveying the spiral staircase that wound up so high the iron railing disappeared.
“My home.” Astaroth released my arm and clapped. Classical music began to play from somewhere.
I glanced down and did a double take. “What the hell?” A sparkling silver ball gown had replaced my jeans and flannel shirt. The weight of a tiara rested on my head.
The fallen angel laughed. “I can see that’s not your style.” He clapped again.
The music changed to “Smoke On The Water” by Deep Purple, and the extravagant frilly princess get-up was gone. I was now in ripped jeans, some killer black boots and a studded leather jacket. A vintage Kiss t-shirt was underneath.
A smile began to spread my lips as I pinched the soft cotton fabric to make sure it was real. Now, this is my style.
“Splendid!” Astaroth said. “Not all of Hell is bad. That’s only what they want you to believe.”
My smile fell. Crap. I’d forgotten I was in hell. And being charmed by a fallen angel.
“Oh now,” –his finger tipped my chin up— “what’s
with the frown? Don’t you want to know what else I have to show you?”
“Not really,” I said, pulling away from his grasp. “This is just a trick anyway. A lie.”
A long sigh drifted from his mouth. “I have not told one single lie since you’ve been here. And believe me, if I wanted to trick you I would. I did learn it from Him. He’s the trickster in disguise.”
My head snapped back. “How is that?”
“He’s always giving you impossible choices. Make the wrong one—according to Him—and your paradise is snatched away.” The snap of his fingers echoed above the song. “I’m sure you’re familiar with the tale of Adam and Eve.”
“Of course.” I didn’t think this was going to be the same story I’d read in the Bible though.
“He gave Adam and Eve paradise. They could have anything they wanted in the Garden of Eden.” Astaroth held his finger up. “Everything except fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”
I shrugged. “Why couldn’t they have been satisfied with everything else? They didn’t have to know good and evil.”
He waved his hand, and a round table appeared. “He wanted them to live in ignorance. He didn’t want to share his knowledge—because knowledge is power, little bird.” Astaroth snapped, and a silver platter appeared in the center of the onyx table filled with a round, crimson fruit. “Could you resist that knowledge?”
I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry. “Sure. If I was told I couldn’t have it.”
Astaroth ticked his head, those blue eyes burning twin holes in me. “Could you really?” He was suddenly behind me, his hands resting gently on my shoulders as he guided me toward the table. A looming, gothic fireplace with sharp edges spilled firelight around the shining fruit. “Aren’t you hungry, little bird? When was the last time you ate?”
My stomach clenched. I had no idea what it was, much less when. I licked my lips.
“We call these nefas. Wouldn’t you like to sample the sweetest thing ever created?” He leaned close to my ear. “Satiate that sweet tooth of yours.”
