Knight's Absolution (Knights of Hell Book 5)

by Sherilee Gray

  Kyler. He didn’t need to say his female’s name, it was written all over his face.

  “Is Spencer okay?”

  “I don’t know.”

  He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her.

  Luna took it and saw a phone number scrawled on it.

  When she looked up again, Rocco was already walking out. She glanced at Gunner. “Can I use your phone?”

  “It could be a trap,” Chaos said.

  Luna shook her head and stared the knight down. “Spencer’s my friend. He’s looked out for me since Azel took me from my home.”

  Gunner crossed his arms. “Let’s just think this through…”

  “I’m going to talk to him one way or another,” she said. “You can’t stop me.”

  The muscle in Gunner’s jaw jumped.

  “What harm can talking to him do?” Nothing would stop her from making contact with Spencer. She’d been worried about him since they were separated.

  When neither of the males said anything or handed her their phones, she turned to Chaos. “He helped me save Grace, to bring all those demi home, that has to count for something.”

  His eyes grew hard, then finally he nodded at Gunner. She turned back to the male who would soon be her mate and moved into him, getting closer, pressing against him, and looked into his eyes. “I need to know he’s okay, Gunner.”

  He made a rough sound, not quite a laugh. “Christ, female, I’m in serious trouble with you, aren’t I?” He pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it to her.

  She didn’t know what he meant by that, but she liked the way his amber eyes sparkled.

  “Keep it short.”

  She opened her mouth to protest.

  “Just until we know where he is, what he’s been doing since we found you, yeah?”

  “Fine,” she said. “But I trust Spencer with my life. I have many times. He loves me in his own way. He’s taken care of me since I was small, made sure I had everything I needed, and he always tried to sneak me food when Azel was pissed off and locked me away. He’d never do anything to hurt me, Gunner. He’s family.”

  His biceps tightened, and his cheek ticced. Something she’d said had made him unhappy. “Call him.”

  She quickly dialed the number.

  “Put it on speaker,” Gunner said, looking tense.

  The phone rang twice.

  “Luna?” Spencer’s familiar voice echoed down the line.

  “Thank god. I’ve been so damn worried. Where are you? Are you okay?”

  Silence. “Luna?”

  “Yes, Spencer, it’s me.”

  “What the hell have they done to you?”

  Her face heated. “They haven’t done anything. They’ve kept me safe. They’re helping me.”

  “You used the word ‘worried,’ and there was feeling behind it. Something’s happened,” he said gruffly.

  “That’s not important now, tell me where you are.”

  Another pause. “I’m being watched. I can’t make a move, not yet.”

  “Why did you leave? The knights would have protected you.”

  “There was so much confusion. I tried to follow, but Sir’s henchmen were everywhere. I lost sight of you and had no choice but to run.”

  “Tell me where you are, we’ll come for you.” She glanced at Gunner when she said it. His expression remained tense, not giving away what he was thinking or feeling. Now that she’d begun to understand emotions, she didn’t like that Gunner was hiding his from her.

  “As soon as I know it’s safe, I’ll text you and let you know my location.”

  She didn’t want to wait, she wanted to get him now. “The knights can handle it. Just tell me.”

  “I’m not putting you in any more danger, Luna. I’ll send you a message as soon as I can. I have to go.” Then the line went dead.

  Luna glanced up at Gunner, then at Chaos. “Do you believe me now? You can trust him.”

  “He could be lying, under orders from Azel…”

  “No,” she said with so much force she even surprised herself.

  Gunner moved closer. “Luna—”

  “No, Gunner. You’re wrong.” Then she leveled a look at both massive knights. “It’s your job to protect demi, isn’t it? Well, Spencer needs your help. You have to help him.”

  Chapter 24

  Hell

  Tobias clung to Scarlet, his legs only slightly stronger. They’d been making slow progress through the cavernous tunnels for what felt like hours; though, he was sure it was nowhere near that long. Still, he felt like he was on above-ground time. Hours here translated to days up there.

  He glanced at Scarlet again. His female was strong, but he was much bigger and she’d been taking most of his weight since they’d set off. The muscles in her arms trembled from the exertion.

  “You need to stop and rest,” he said, trying to slow her down.

  She looked up at him, cheeks dark from the strain, and shook her head. “Not yet, it’s not safe here—”

  The thud of footsteps ahead had him cursing. They’d turned into a long unbroken hall with nowhere to escape. It sounded like only one, a guard, judging by the clank of steel against steel, the sound of the black armor Diemos’s guard wore unmistakable as he walked. Tobias looked quickly around, but there was nowhere to hide, no nook or room to duck into. The guard would turn the corner and be on them in moments.

  Scarlet cursed as well, and before he could process what she was doing, she pulled the drab brown cloak she wore off her shoulders and threw it around his. Then she leaned against the wall, reached forward, and tugged him against her.

  His body may have been cut to ribbons and weak as a foal from blood loss, but as soon as he found himself pressed against her perfect curves, his body reacted. He stared down at her, into her vibrant green eyes, and all the precious oxygen he’d been fighting to get into his lungs left in a rush.

  Her lips parted and her cheeks darkened. “Quick, kiss me.”

  “What?” His heart exploded into action, pumping what little blood he had left through his veins and down to his cock.

  “Demons sometimes come here for clandestine…um, liaisons.”

  “Why? Demons fuck anywhere.”

  “Not when several of the high-ranking officers have lovers who are extremely possessive and have been known to kill anyone else they sleep with.”

  She tugged the hood over his head and tugged him closer. She was completely concealed by his body and was more holding him up than anything, but it had the same effect. They looked as if they were in a lover’s clinch. The sound of those boots thumping on the stone floor grew louder.

  Her gaze searched his as she licked her lips and gave him a small nod.

  Tobias had been without her, without his reason to breathe for so long. For so damn long. How many times had he dreamed her back to life, dreamed of kissing her, even when he was so consumed with darkness, even when his demon had crept into his heart and turned him into a monster? He’d tried to fight it, but he’d still felt her loss as if half of him was missing, even then.

  And if they lived through this moment, he would make sure they were never separated again.

  “You need to make it convincing,” she whispered, blushing even more.

  Scarlet never blushed. There was only one occasion he remembered, and now was not the time to think about that. This new version of her was just as intriguing, just as perfect. But his female was still in there, he’d seen her when she’d fought that demon in his cell, her quick thinking now. He would bring her back, every part of her.

  “I think I can manage that,” he rasped before he lowered his head and finally…fucking, finally, caught her lips with his.

  Scarlet’s gasp shot through him as soon as their mouths touched, zaps of electricity shocking him, setting him alight. Christ, it was like forked lightning raining down on them, through them, grounding him as he sucked her lip on a deep, needy moan and slid his tongue agains
t the lower one.

  Home.

  It didn’t matter where the fuck he was, she was home. His mate. His Scarlet. Always.

  Scarlet whimpered, her hands clutching the cloak he was wearing and holding him to her as if she thought he’d step back.

  Not fucking happening.

  Her lips parted, and he got his first proper taste of her. His entire body jolted. Yes. There you are, my beautiful girl. There you are. Her tongue swiped back, tangling with his, and he had to brace one hand against the wall so he didn’t crush her with the full weight of his body, while the other curled around her waist.

  He tugged her closer, needing more of her, and pain from his injuries sliced through him. He ignored it, didn’t care if he fucking bled out all over again, not when Scarlet was back in his arms, kissing him the way she used to, as if she could never, would never, get enough of him.

  His heart expanded in his chest, his eyes stung, and his throat tightened—

  She stiffened. The thud of those boots was louder. They were nearly on them. He dug his fingers into her waist, telling her it was going to be okay, that he had her, and hating that he was so fucking weak right then.

  He waited for the boots to stop, for someone to shout or recognize who he was, but that thud only paused for a moment before carrying on. Obviously reluctant to disturb them in case it was one of his superior officers.

  The footsteps faded away, and Scarlet tugged him closer a moment, then released him, taking her perfect lips away from his. He wanted to chase them, take them back, but he had to be careful.

  If he gave too much away, if he told her outright who he was, who they were to each other, he might freak her out, she might run from him, and the powers Lucifer had given him wouldn’t come to be, would vanish into thin air. He wouldn’t be able to do what he was sent here to do…whatever the fuck that was. He wouldn’t be able to help his brothers.

  Whatever his task here would be, he had a feeling it wasn’t going to be easy. But he’d do anything for the female looking up at him wide-eyed, her forehead still pressed to his. He’d keep her safe.

  He’d try to make up for the evil he’d done. For the way he’d hurt…fuck, nearly destroyed his brothers.

  Her breathing was heavy, cheeks flushed pink. “Yes, that was um…very, convincing.”

  “You think?”

  She nodded.

  “Thanks. You were pretty convincing yourself,” he said, and despite being on the run in Hell and feeling as if he’d been crushed under a boulder, he smiled when she blushed deeper and had trouble meeting his eyes.

  She dipped her gaze to her feet. “R-right, well, we better get going. They obviously haven’t sounded the alarm yet, but it’s only a matter of time. We need to hurry. It’s not much farther.”

  She slid back under his arm, and wrapping hers around his waist, they walked, shuffling really, along the hall again.

  A short time later, they reached a crossroads and carried on ahead. The farther they went, the more untraveled the cavern looked. Cobwebbed and abandoned. The hall suddenly came to a stop, the whole thing boarded over with scorched heavy timber.

  Scarlet leaned him against the stone wall, gripped one of the boards, and pulled. It came free, and she leaned it to the side.

  “What is this place?” he asked as she helped him through the space she’d made, then put the board back in place behind them.

  She glanced up at him. “Lucifer’s old chambers are down here. Diemos closed off this wing and boarded up his rooms when he took over. I found the key in my room a long time ago, caught in a deep crack beside my bed. I have no idea how it got there, but every spare moment I had, I searched for the room the key fit.” She led him to a set of wood and iron double doors and pulled the heavy iron key from her pocket.

  That couldn’t be a coincidence. Somehow Lucifer had engineered this. He had to have. “Why did you search?”

  She shrugged. “I’m not sure. I just had this feeling that I needed to find it. And when I found the rooms, I thought perhaps I might need this place one day. I don’t know why.”

  “Why didn’t you come here a long time ago? You could have been safe here.”

  She blinked up at him and shrugged again. She couldn’t explain it.

  Tobias could.

  She hadn’t known it, but she’d been waiting.

  She’d been waiting for him.

  Chapter 25

  Gunner had never been in any kind of romantic relationship in his long life. He’d never bothered, had never wanted one, because his mate had always been out there, and it was only a matter of time before he found her.

  Luna was finally here with him, and fucking typical, the world was on the verge of falling apart.

  Nothing was how he’d imagined it would be. No. But he was happier than he’d ever been in his life, despite the impending doom.

  Tomorrow there would be more fighting, more anger, more pain, more desperate searching for a way to stop Diemos from walking through the portal one solstice or equinox after using Rocco’s female, her power, and tearing their world down.

  So tonight, he was going to do something he never had. Go on a date—or something like that. Netflix and chill? He’d heard the term before. He guessed it meant relaxing with your loved one in front of the TV? It was a human thing. He had no idea what the hell he was doing, but he wanted Luna to know how important she was to him. Maybe get her to relax, enjoy herself for one night. Without fucking Azel being mentioned, or the coming goddamn apocalypse.

  One night with no worries. Just the two of them.

  So when he walked back to his apartment after talking with his brothers and Grace—discussing the heartbreaking fucking truth that they had no idea where James was and trying to come to terms with the fact that he might be dead—he was desperate to see Luna.

  He needed to be with her.

  Just one night without thinking about any of it. Or at least try not to.

  Pulling his phone from his pocket, he did a Google search.

  "Netflix and chill" is an internet slang term used as a euphemism for sexual activity…

  He closed the screen with a curse. Okay, that wasn’t what he thought it meant, not at all. But it wasn’t as if he had time to keep up with fucking human slang. And now he had an image of Luna in the shower with him, her beautiful little body all curvy and wet, the way her pussy had felt gripping his fingers.

  Shit.

  Nope.

  Don’t think about that. Do not fucking think of Luna coming around your fingers.

  He reached his apartment and took several calming breaths before he opened the door and walked in. She was there waiting for him as he’d asked her to. And her bright smile when she saw him made him fucking light-headed. Just the sight of her soothed him.

  His demon clawed at his subconscious to be free, to get to her, and writhed in pleasure at the sight of her at the same time. He was as confused and desperate for their female as Gunner was. He was also calmer than he’d ever been in Gunner’s life.

  She grinned and motioned to the coffee table in front of his couch, where she’d set out popcorn and soda as well as a couple of glasses.

  “This is what people do on movie nights, right? Eat popcorn and drink soda?” She looked at the table. “I’ve never done anything like this before, have you?”

  He’d asked her if she wanted to do this tonight and she’d seemed excited. He shook his head, his throat working, mouth dry as hell. “Not like this. I don’t think watching Ghost Busters with Rocco counts.”

  She laughed softly, and he felt it right behind his ribs. Luna was wearing her tight black jeans and her favorite soft sweater. Her long black hair was down and now layered with pink—Grace had helped her color it the day before—and her violet eyes were bright and ringed with black eyeliner, making them pop even more than they already did. A grin curled his lips when he looked down and saw she was wearing a pair of his socks.

  She wriggled her toes. “You don’t min
d that I stole them? My feet were cold and these looked so warm.”

  “You can have anything of mine you want.” He moved closer to her, always desperate to get closer.

  She tipped her head back as he leaned in and kissed her gently hello. And Christ, it took everything in him not to take it deeper, not to beg for more. Her cheeks were darker when he lifted his head, and that just made him grin wider.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said, the words leaving his mouth without thought, and the way she smiled after he said it made him determined to tell her every single fucking day. “Okay, what are we watching?”

  She rushed around the couch and all but dove on it before she patted the seat beside her. “Well, after much deliberation, I’ve decided on Deadpool.”

  She was sexy and impossibly cute, and Gunner moved around the couch, in a hurry to get close to her again. “What’s a Deadpool?”

  “No idea, but Grace said we’d both like it.” He sat and Luna grabbed a soft-looking blanket, that wasn’t his, and draped it over them both. She glanced up at him, her nose scrunching up in a fucking adorable way when she grinned.

  “You cold, love?” he muttered, damn near mesmerized just looking at her.

  “Not really, but Mia said this is what you do when you have a movie night.”

  “Are you telling me Zenon sits under a fluffy blanket and watches movies with his mate?” Gunner asked.

  “Yes, that’s what I’m telling you. And she gave me this blanket since she knows how much I like soft things.” She rubbed it on his cheek. “See? So soft.”

  That had him swallowing, mouth dry all over again. His heart was beating faster too. When she was like this, experiencing something new and wonderful, it was a fucking delight to witness. It also cut him to the bone knowing how neglected and deprived she’d been for so long. He wished he’d thought of getting her a soft blanket like this.

  He nodded and tried to calm the fuck down as she settled back with the remote. She turned on the TV and clicked around, opening Netflix and choosing the movie. “Eve showed me how to use it…Netflix, not the TV. I’ve used a TV before, obviously.” She snorted. “I may have been locked in our bedroom most of the time, but I’m not that ridiculous.”