“So there are six hell gates?” I asked. “Where are the others?”
“There’s one on every continent,” Gabe replied. “Except Antarctica. There aren’t enough humans to prey upon there. Every gate is closed, but sometimes demons escape through the cracks. We’ve been experiencing a lot more demon activity at this hell gate over the past two decades, so the board had to beef up security.”
“What happens if the gate opens?”
I don’t know why I asked the question. Anyone with an ounce of intelligence would know that when a gate to hell opened, it would be awful. But Gabe didn’t act like I was asking a stupid question.
“If the gates open, creatures far worse than your little demons will come through,” he said with a stony expression. “Creatures that desire to tear mankind apart and destroy everything that’s good. It would be the end of the world, essentially.”
I let out a tense sigh. “Can the gates ever be opened?”
Gabe got to his feet and offered me a hand. “No, that’ll never happen. According to the prophets, the only thing that could ever open the gates is a demonic angel and that’s not possible. Demons can’t possess angels.”
That was a relief.
We gathered the fallen snacks and he led me back to the barracks. People were starting to get up by now and we passed some of them in the halls. They gaped at Gabe and welcomed him home, staring questioningly at me. But no one said anything or tried to corner me. It was a lot less scary running into them, now that I knew they weren’t demons.
“I’m going to get Raquel excused from training today,” Gabe said as we stood in front of my door. “She can keep you company as you get used to your new surroundings.”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” I quipped back. It was already mortifying enough that Gabe had to save me from Adam once. I wasn’t going to repeat that mistake anytime soon. “I’m not a child.”
He sighed in defeat and shook his head. “No, you’re not.”
His eyes bored into mine as if he wanted to say something else. I tried to use that moment to thank him for saving my life twice already, but couldn’t find my voice. Instead, he blinked and opened the door for me, standing back.
“All the same, I think it’s best if Raquel stayed near you today. Things are different here than in Hanna.”
“I won’t argue about that,” I muttered as he left me in the empty room.
Demons, angels, and hell gates. It was like I’d stepped out of my plain old life and into a horror movie. Not only had my own grandmother tried to serve me up to a demon, but now, I was living with angel half-breeds. This was nothing like home. My whole life was about to become something entirely different.
Chapter Fourteen
Raquel wouldn’t let me leave our room for almost a week. After the slip I’d given her, she was sure I’d try to escape again the first moment I left her sight. No matter how many times I tried to explain to her that I had been under the false impression that she was a demon, Raquel wouldn’t budge. It took me forever to convince her to show me the stables.
But finally, I’d won that argument this morning. Maybe it was the call of the outdoors or the fact that we’d watched every movie she owned at least once, but my new roommate relented and led me out of the manor and to the stables on the northern lawn. She chattered away a hundred miles a minute, as she had done all week, explaining the Nephilim way of life.
“I’m not really sure why mom insists I keep taking these awful riding lessons,” she complained. “In my opinion, the Nephilim weren’t meant to ride a wild beast six feet off the ground. My feet are better on the ground, thank you very much.”
“Do you use them to fight demons?” I asked. The idea of an angel army on horseback was a frightening thing to think about.
“Yes. And mom thinks it’ll turn me into a proper lady when I learn how to ride horseback. I told her that it’s been over a hundred years since she lived in England, when proper ladies rode horses. Things are different now. I’d rather learn to drive a car.”
I smiled at the ground. Raquel had been talking nonstop about the new bright yellow Mustang GT she wanted. From what I understood, hell would have to freeze over before Esther would agree to buy that car for her daughter.
Raquel had been good company. Her constant need to talk hadn’t allowed me to dwell on the horror that left me homeless and the target of some creepy demon goddess. Still, her presence made me miss my old best friend with an ache I couldn’t describe. Kate and I had been friends since we were babies. While I still hated the fact that she betrayed me and ruined my life, I couldn’t erase the years of memories we had together. It would take me a long time to forget her.
“And that giant building is the training complex.” Raquel pointed to a huge metal building on the northwest side of the lawn. “That’s where I get my butt kicked every day by Eric Lutz. He’s training me and a handful of other people. He says I’ve got the best aim with a pistol he’s seen anywhere.”
I stopped walking, making Raquel pause a few steps in front of me.
“You fight with guns? I thought it was just swords.”
She shrugged. “A lot of the guys are old school, with the silver coated swords and daggers. But my generation is spicing it up with silver bullets. They’re not just good for werewolves, you know.”
I felt my eyes grow huge. “Werewolves are real?”
Next thing you know, she’d tell me vampires were real too.
“No, silly.” She laughed, her face turning red. “I was joking. Werewolves are just a myth. But you should’ve seen your face.”
I blew out a frustrated breath and barged ahead of her, determined to put her freckled face behind me. Raquel caught up in a couple of bounds, her long skinny legs easily outpacing my own.
We entered the huge stables and instantly I was calmed by the familiar smell of dozens of horses. Each stall was full. Walking by the doors, I counted twelve bays, three palominos, and six chestnuts. A beautiful dappled gray was being groomed in the aisle. It tossed its gorgeous mane of hair and snorted at me, lowering its nose so I could scratch it.
“Reba doesn’t normally like humans,” a woman said behind me.
I turned to see a stout, barrel-chested woman with wavy black hair approach us. Compared to the giants that strolled about here, even towering over me, she was positively short.
Coming up beside me, she stroked Reba’s snout. “That’s why I got her for such a great price. Her rider couldn’t get her to behave. She was trying to train her to win competitions.”
Reba whinnied and pranced in place, sticking her nose in the short woman’s pockets.
“Always wanting a treat.” She chuckled, pulling a carrot out and putting it on the palm of her hand for the horse to snatch.
“Laramie, this is Lizzy.” Raquel said, watching Reba warily. “She just loves horses. I tried to talk her out of it, but she wanted to come see your stables.”
Laramie grinned at me and slid a bridle over Reba’s nose. “Want to take a ride on this little lady? I was just getting her ready for some exercise.”
I had to stop myself from squealing with excitement. After the week I’d had, riding a horse would feel like heaven.
“I think the look on your face says enough,” Laramie laughed. “Let me get her saddled for you and I’ll lead you to the corral. I’ll get Tim McGraw out for Raquel.”
Raquel groaned as if she’d just been grounded for a month. I shook my head at her, but couldn’t keep the smile off my face. How anyone could hate horses was beyond me.
“Laramie names most of the horses after country music stars,” Raquel whispered in my ear. “She’s obsessed with it. It’s always blaring on the radio when I have to help her clean the stalls. Makes me want to puke.”
Luckily for me, I didn’t mind country music at all. Laramie led me to a giant corral where Hank Williams blared through a pair of rusty old speakers. A few other riders already rode in the corral, doing figure eights and ju
mping over poles. My heart quickened when I spotted Gabe riding a handsome black horse with a white star on its forehead. He leapt over a four foot jump, landing smoothly on the other side.
“I’m going to assume you know what you’re doing and just let you have at it,” Laramie said in her gruff voice.
She helped me get my foot in the stirrup and swing my leg to the other side. I settled into the polished black English saddle like it’d been made for me. Reba moved forward at the touch of my heels and we walked around the ring a few times to get used to each other. Eventually, we fell into a stride and began to pick up the pace, even braving some of the lower jumps.
This was the happiest I’d been in days. My heart had ached for Lara Cleary’s riding lessons and her little bay horse, Charlie. Out here, all my cares and fears fell away until it was just me and that horse, trotting across the corral.
I’d almost forgotten there were other people in the corral with us, until Gabe and his black horse cut into our path, making me pull back on Reba’s reins. I nearly lost my seat. He stopped in front of us, allowing his horse its head to pick at some stray grass.
“You’re a great rider,” he said, his eyes trailing from my boots to my face.
The time he’d spent out in the sun had already given his skin a healthy glow, so very different from the couple of days he’d spent tied up in my shack. He really was back to normal.
I looked down at the reins, fighting the blush that heated my face.
“Thanks, you too. Your horse is a beauty.”
He looked down at the horse and grinned. “Laramie named him Clint Black. I just call him Clint.”
Clint snorted at that moment, as if he knew we were talking about him.
“It’s nice to see you out and about,” Gabe added. “I was beginning to think you’d never leave your room. I kept looking for you at mealtimes.”
This time I snorted. “That’s because my babysitter wouldn’t let me out. She’s afraid I’ll run off again.”
“Oh.” Gabe looked down at his hands. “I don’t suppose you’ve given up on running?”
I wasn’t sure what to tell him. Staying with the Nephilim was definitely a huge step up from cohabitating with demons, but I was so out of my element here. Surely, I couldn’t stay forever.
“I’m not sure,” I told him. “I mean, I don’t plan on running away again, if that makes you feel better.”
He looked up at me with a piercing gaze that made my stomach flip.
“Yes.”
“But I don’t think I belong here. I can’t just hide out in your gigantic house while my life passes by.”
He pressed his lips into a thin line and looked like he was going to argue with me, but I cut him off.
“I can’t live around people who won’t age for the next one hundred years while I grow old and die. It’s just too weird.”
Gabe opened his mouth to say something, but snapped it shut again in defeat. I thought I saw the faintest bit of pain flicker across his face. The moment was fleeting and soon he had on his usual grim frown, making me think I might have imagined it.
“At least take advantage of the time you have here to meet some people,” he said.
Clint was beginning to grow impatient standing in one place so long and started to prance in front of us. Reba stayed still under my legs, staring at the fidgety black horse.
“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea…”
The more people I got to know, the harder it would be leave. Maybe that’s what Gabe wanted.
“There’s a party next weekend,” he interrupted. “There’ll be games, dancing, and lots of food. It’ll be fun. You can meet people there.”
I grimaced at the idea. Dances had never been my idea of fun in school. Maybe that was because my class was tiny and Granny never would’ve let me go to a dance with a boy anyway.
“I’ll race you for it,” he added. “Down to the manor. If I win, you have to go to the party and save me a dance.”
The idea of dancing in Gabe’s arms, pressed tight against his chest, sent a thrill through me. All my talk about not wanting to be around people who didn’t age was sort of a fib. I wanted to be near Gabe. He still had a magnetic pull that drew me to him.
“And if I win?”
Gabe gave me a rare smile that lit up his face. “What do you want?”
I thought about it for a second. If I planned on leaving, I’d need supplies and an idea of where to go. He could take me to Spearfish, a nearby town, and I’d be able to find everything I needed.
“If I win, you have to take me to Spearfish for an afternoon.”
He lifted his chin and frowned, then nodded solemnly, like he knew why I wanted to go there. With the deal struck, all I had to do was win and I’d be on my way to leaving the Black Hills behind… and with it, all of my awful past.
“Go!”
Gabe kicked Clint into a canter and sped off for the open corral gate. I didn’t have time to protest his unfair advantage. Reba followed my instructions like a perfectly bred racehorse, instantly taking off into a gallop with the touch of my heels. We raced after Clint and Gabe, overtaking them just outside the corral gate.
There was a long stretch of grass between us and the manor. Gabe and I were neck and neck, the wind whipping in our faces. I snuck a glance at my competition. Gabe was bending as low as he could over Clint’s neck, his muscular thighs gripping the horse’s back. The wind was mussing his normally perfect hair and flinging it into his eyes.
I tore my attention away from the sexy image next to me and willed Reba to run faster. Surprisingly, she pulled ahead, stretching out her legs in a smooth gallop that was easy for me to ride. We passed the finish line first and I pulled her into a small circle to slow to a trot.
“You’re an even better rider than I thought,” Gabe panted, leading Clint over to me. “You win, fair and square.”
“Not so fair,” I laughed. “You had a head start.”
He shrugged his shoulders and grinned, unlikely to admit to any fault. “I guess you don’t have to go to the party. But it would be good for you.”
I sighed. Maybe I didn’t want to get to know anyone else here, but Gabe had saved my life. The least I could do was go to a stupid party.
“I’ll go,” I told him, circling Reba in tight until she stopped. “And I’ll save a dance for you. Does that make you feel better?”
His eyes lit up, although he pretended to frown. “I suppose.”
I clicked my tongue at Reba and walked her back to the stable with Gabe and Clint at our side. No good would come from getting to know the Nephilim, but at least I could put on a brave face, and make him feel better about bringing me here. Besides, it was time I stopped feeling sorry for myself.
Chapter Fifteen
Raquel threw an armful of dresses on her bed and stood back to survey them. I wasn’t sure where she kept all these clothes, but somehow, she’d managed to cover our entire room in potential outfits for the Nephilim party tonight.
“I like the blue one,” she said, pointing at a thin little dress that would barely cover my rear, let alone her six-foot long body, “but I like the pink one, too. I can’t decide.”
I sighed and rolled over on my bed. The book Raquel had brought for me from the library would have to wait. She would never give me any peace until she had the perfect outfit.
“Go with the green one.” I pointed to a shimmery green dress draped across her headboard. “The color looks great with your hair and the cut is very flattering on you.”
Raquel’s eyes lit up. “Perfect!”
She dropped her pants right there and didn’t wait for me to turn around before she stripped the rest of the way, and pulled the dress over her head. I was right, it did look great on her. With her complexion, the green dress was magnificent. It fell just above her knees with a short layer of tulle at the end which made it poof out. It was the perfect party dress.
“Is there a reason you’re getting so worked up
about this party?”
I didn’t understand her sudden obsession on what she would wear tonight. The Raquel I’d gotten to know the last few days was overly confident and silly. I hadn’t seen this nervous side of her before.
Raquel spun in front of the mirror, making her dress frill out.
“Now that Gabe is off the market, I’ve set my eyes on Patrick Gelling.”
I nearly choked on the Twizzler I’d been nibbling on.
“Off the market? What do you mean?”
Raquel raised an eyebrow at me. “Aren’t you going to the dance with Gabe? That’s what I heard the other day at lunch. There are some girls who aren’t too happy about that, by the way. As if they stood a chance.”
Sitting up, I shook my head. “No way. Gabe told me to save a dance for him. That doesn’t mean we’re dating.”
“Hmmm…” Raquel’s disbelieving frown made me rush to defend myself.
“Really, we’re not…I mean, he’s not interested. We wouldn’t. He’s just too…”
Too hot? Too manly? The list could go on and on. But the most important thing was that I was too human. What superhuman man would want to date a mere mortal? As much as the fantasy thrilled me, Gabe and I were not dating. Plus, I would be leaving the manor very soon. It didn’t make sense to entertain such silly ideas.
“I still don’t believe you.” Raquel put up a finger when I tried to argue. “But I won’t mention it again... for now. Let’s just find you something to wear.”
I looked down at the pair of jeans and smooth white blouse Raquel had loaned me last week. “What’s wrong with this?”
She snorted. “You’ll be so out of place you’ll stick out like a sore thumb. You have to wear a dress. Every other girl will be wearing one. Even the boys wear something nice. You don’t want to stick out, do you?”
I supposed she was right. Sticking out was the last thing I wanted to do tonight.
“Here.” She threw a red dress that landed in my lap. “I saved this one for you. It’ll be perfect.”
Heart of a Demon: A New Adult Paranormal Romance Page 9