Savior (The Keepers of Hell Book 1)

by James, Danielle

  When he was spent, he dropped his head on her shoulder. He kissed her skin lightly, and then rolled off her, taking her with him and tucking her head in the crook of his arm.

  ***

  “Well this is interesting,” Shax’s voice jerked Ash out of slumber.

  Ash didn’t know when he fell asleep, but he and Elizabeth both had. As he looked at her, he saw her worried face and knew that she heard the demon as well.

  “Get out,” Ash demanded, sitting up and finding his pants. He yanked them up his legs and then stood to face Shax. “This is my home, not yours. Get out.”

  “I thought we had an agreement,” Shax reminded him.

  “You can’t even keep your own agreements,” Ash said with a roll of his eyes.

  “Oh that’s right. I gave you some time to kill the woman. I’ve changed my mind. It seems you have grown attached to her and I can’t have that.” Shax studied Elizabeth with his eyes. “And what a fine specimen she will make to my collection.”

  “Don’t ever look at her again,” Ash growled.

  “I can and I will,” Shax told him. “She is to be mine and your time is up.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “You will not touch her,” Ash spat at Shax. “She is innocent.”

  Shax bellowed out a full rolling laugh. “Is she now?” He leaned back against the wall and grinned. “Is that what she told you? Interesting.”

  Ash felt Elizabeth stiffen behind him. “It’s what I know,” he said. “And you have no right to try to take her soul.”

  “Tell that to her little brother,” Shax sneered. “I bet he would be so happy to know that the sister who set fire to the home they lived in and then left him there to die is completely innocent.”

  Ash felt the skin on the back of his neck burning and he clenched his fists at his side. “That isn’t what happened and you know it.” Ash inched his way slowly to his blade that was secured under the mattress. He knew he had to keep it close. He knew that he needed to get the Blade of Darkness in his hand before Shax made his move for Elizabeth.

  “Ah, but it is.” Shax sneered his twisted grin at them both. Ash sat on the edge of his bed and sank his hand under the mattress.

  “It’s true,” Elizabeth whispered from behind him. “I let him die.”

  Ash didn’t turn to her, but addressed her. “You were a child. I already looked it up. The fire was an accident. You ran back in to save your foster brother. There was nothing you could’ve done.”

  “I didn’t save him,” she whispered. Ash could literally feel her grief rolling off her. He got back to his feet and put his body between her and the demon.

  “And now she tries to atone for her sin by saving any and every wanker that rolls through the ER,” Shax mocked her. “But I got news for you, Sweetheart; no amount of saving people is going to make up for the life you took.”

  Ash felt his anger boil over and knew that Shax was going to kill Elizabeth, no matter how badly he wanted to save her. That fucking demon had taken his family and now he wanted Elizabeth too. He didn’t believe for a second that she was guilty of anything except being a child. He couldn’t let the demon have her. He wouldn’t. He loved her. He doubted himself before, but at that moment, everything became clear. Elizabeth was his way out. She healed his broken soul and threatened Shax to the point that he felt the need to make Ash kill her. And then he would be taking an innocent life. It was a sure way to ensure that Ash’s soul went to Hell, contract or not.

  Well, it wasn’t happening.

  Ash gripped the amulet around his neck and threw his body at Shax. As they connected, Ash quickly chanted the spell to take them both to Hell, leaving Elizabeth behind in his home.

  They landed hard in the caverns of Hell. Ash landed squarely on top of the demon’s chest. Shax grunted but rolled them both easily to the left.

  Ash used the momentum to jump to his feet. He could hear the scuffle of minions gathering for the show. They would wait, though. They wouldn’t endanger themselves by getting into the mix, but would wait to pick off the leftovers of the loser.

  “Is this how it is going to be then?” Shax asked with fake confusion. “I thought we were close. I thought we had a deal.”

  “Asking me to kill an innocent is a deal breaker,” Ash growled at him.

  “Then I shall own all three of your souls,” Shax grinned as he lunged for Ash.

  Ash jumped out of the way and slashed with his blade. It raked across the demon’s arm, leaving a gash in its wake. The smell of burning demon flesh filled the cavern and burned Ash’s nostrils, but he kept moving. He struck again with the Blade of Darkness, this time hitting nothing but air. The demon was huge, but he was fast. Much faster than a creature his size should be.

  “Is that the best you got?” Shax laughed. “I’m just toying with you.” He pulled back his meaty fist and let it fly forward, connecting with Ash’s face. The crunch of his nasal bones and cartilage breaking echoed through the air. Ash could taste the blood as it ran from his nose and into his mouth. He spit it out and came at the demon again.

  “You will never have them,” he growled at the demon as he kicked out with his leg. It connected with Shax’s chest. The demon grunted as the air left his lungs. Ash used the opportunity to move again. This time he struck with his blade. The sharp edge barely grazed the demons face as it ripped by his head.

  Shax threw another punch and this time, Ash was thrown against the stone wall. He felt his head smack hard against the stone and saw stars behind his eyes.

  Shax used the temporary disorientation to come right at him in a full frontal attack. Ash tightened his grip on the blade at his side and pretended not to be prepared for the attack. Just as Shax’s body touched his own, Ash brought his hand up, forcing the blade into the demon’s ribs.

  Shax stopped dead in his tracks and cocked his head to the side. “What the fuck?” he demanded as his blood poured from his body.

  “You taught me well,” Ash forced out of his mouth. “You taught me to fight. You taught me to always be prepared for the attack. You taught me how to defeat any demon, including you.” He jerked the knife upward into the demon’s heart. “You will not have Lele. You will not have Elizabeth. And you will not have me. I was a child. I was unaware of what I was agreeing to. You took advantage of me and you killed my family. My family, who was innocent!”

  As the demon lost more blood, he grew weaker. Ash pushed him forward with the blade still buried in his chest. “You are the one who is guilty,” he continued as he walked the demon backward. “You are the one who has sinned.” Shax’s body hit the wall on the other side of the cavern and Ash was now chest to chest with him, only the blade separating them. “Our little deal,” he continued, “is null and void. It became void the day you took advantage of an innocent child, the day you took my innocence away from me and turned me into a killer.”

  “This is far from over,” Shax gurgled as he became even weaker.

  “For you, it is,” Ash growled. He yanked his knife upward again and the demon’s ribcage gave way under the onslaught. “You have pushed and pushed in the pursuit of greed and to feed your own narcissism. I’ve got news for you, demon, it ain’t all about you.”

  Ash pulled the blade down hard until it returned to his side, the demon’s blood dripping off of it. “Go to Hell,” he grunted as Shax’s body hit the floor.

  Ash stepped back and watched as the light left Shax’s eyes. He thought he would feel some kind of relief when the minions scampered out and began to feast on the demon corpse. But that was not the case. Ash didn’t feel relief, and he didn’t feel remorse. He felt a twinge of sadness. Not for the demon, but for all the time lost. All the time he spent doing the demon’s bidding when he could have been a normal guy. He could have found Elizabeth so much sooner and could have had a normal life with her. He could have been a father. He could have really gone to school and made something of himself. He could have, should have, and would have.

 
It was no matter now, though, Ash thought as the last remnants of the demon was devoured by the minions. What was done was done and now it was time to start over. Fresh. Without fear of what the demon might do to muck up his life.

  “Yes it is,” a man’s voice said.

  Ash jerked his head around and saw the pastor from the church standing there.

  “Uh,” Ash said. Yeah, real articulate.

  “It is time for a new beginning, in more ways than one,” the man continued.

  “Who are you?” Ash finally asked when he managed to untie his tongue.

  “You don’t know?” the man asked. He was dressed in a whiter than white suit, complete with white shoes that were polished to a high shine.

  “I think you better tell me,” Ash said. “It’s been kind of a long day.”

  The man chuckled. “I am the Omega. I am Him. The One. I have many names. But you probably just call me, God.”

  Ash felt the floor tilt under his feet. The air suddenly became too thin and his eyes couldn’t focus. He tried to blink the fuzziness away, only to realize that he was crying. The tears began to flow freely from his eyes and Ash sank to his knees before his God. He hung his head and let himself deflate.

  “Be well, my child,” God said to him softly.

  “Forgive me Father, I have done nothing but sin,” Ash told him. It was the truth. He had killed so many. Their faces flashed in his mind over and over in a matter of seconds, a glaring reminder that he was unworthy of the man standing in front of him.

  “That is not true,” God told him. “You took your time about it, but you found your way.”

  Ash raised his head and looked at the man in front of him. Of all the ways he imagined God would look, this was not exactly it. He had short blonde hair and deep blue eyes that crinkled slightly around the corners. He was no larger than any other man, and yet he was larger than life itself as He stood in front of Ash.

  “I don’t understand,” Ash finally admitted.

  “Your path was forged long ago,” God told him. “I knew you were special that day, when you were just a boy, and you sacrificed your own future to save your sister. That was an unselfish act of love if I ever saw one. Shax never had any claim to your soul. He kept you to him only by fear and intimidation. An innocent child can never be held to a contract, and even if you were an adult when you agreed, it was not for personal gain. And now, today, you risked it all to save the life of a woman you knew to be innocent. You didn’t understand what your path was until today.”

  “I still don’t understand,” Ash told Him. He bit back a stab of resentment. What did he mean that Shax never had any claim to him? “You mean to tell me that I wasted all these years doing for that demon when I didn’t have to? Why didn’t you help me? If I was yours, then why let me spend so much time alone, killing and living in fear?”

  God shook his head. “You were never alone, my son. I was always with you. Who do you think made sure you survived all of those fights?”

  “I could have used your help,” Ash muttered.

  “I did help you. When you came into the church seeking guidance, I gave it to you.” He grinned even wider. “Free will means that you have to seek me out on your own. Even I cannot force you into my arms. And, I let you live your life because it was your path. You did what needed to be done to get to this place in your life. In your destiny.”

  Ash breathed a sigh of relief. Shax was dead and the contract was void. He could finally be with Elizabeth. He could finally give his heart to the woman he now understood how much he loved. Maybe there was enough time for him to have some semblance of a normal life.

  God smiled down at him. “Stand with me,” He commanded, and Ash’s body obeyed. He stood up and took the hand that God offered him. “I have a job for you,” He said. “It is time for you to take your rightful place.”

  Ash followed God as he walked further into the caverns. The minions stayed back, as did every other creature in Hell. He followed Him through the maze of tunnels and caves until they came to an opening that was easily the size of a small city. Just before entering, God turned to Ash.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “You have worked hard and you shall have your reward,” the man told Ash. He closed his eyes and a slow smile spread across His beautiful face. Ash felt a tingling at his back, just between the shoulder blades, and then a sharp burn. “You are mine now, forevermore. You have proven yourself worthy of the position I grant to you this day,” the man continued. Ash tried to listen to each word, but the burning on his back was getting very intense. It was all he could do not to crumple over from it. “You shall lead where others have failed. You shall bring the wrongs of your predecessors to right. You shall reign beside me, not in the Kingdom of Heaven, but the Kingdom of Hell. You shall be the executioner of my judgment.”

  Ash felt his own head jerk up. What? The Kingdom of Hell? Did he just hear that right?

  “You did hear that right,” God answered for him. “And I have gifted you with all the power you will ever need to do the job right.”

  Ash had momentarily forgotten the pain in his back, which he now realized was gone. He jerked his head around and looked over his shoulder. He didn’t have to look hard. He had wings! Huge, shiny, sparkling, black as onyx, wings. In his mind he thought for them to move and they obeyed without delay. The magnificent pair spread out from his back. They had to be at least ten feet across, and as tall as he was. They shimmered with each slight movement, almost as if they were made of black liquid reflecting the sun. Ash had never seen anything so beautiful.

  “I, uh, I don’t know what to say,” Ash finally managed to mutter. What did one say when they were gifted with wings? Freaking. Wings. The likes of which any self-respecting angel would be envious of.

  “Say thank you,” He said.

  “Thank you,” Ash said sincerely. He wanted to tell Him that he was no good for this job, that he couldn’t do it. And why him? Surely there were better prospects out there for the job. And what about Elizabeth? He had just triumphed over some serious evil. “Why me?” he asked out loud. “I was kind of hoping to have some kind of normal life. I was hoping to find Elizabeth and tell her the good news. Maybe celebrate a little?”

  “I have chosen you because you are strong enough. You are one of the most loving, honest people I ever created. You know the meaning of sacrifice. You know what it means to pay your penance.” God paused to search Ash’s face. “Would you refuse me this?”

  Ash’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times. He had envisioned his life playing out a million different ways, but none of them like this. He figured he would die at some point while battling a snarling demon, but definitely not leading them. But one does not argue with God, does one? No. Ash had committed enough sin for two lifetimes and was being given the opportunity to atone for that. And hell, he had wings!! Ash shut his trap tight and willed the clouds from his head. “Lead Hell?” he asked.

  “Yes. I know you will do a fine job,” God said to him with a knowing smile.

  Ash turned to the man. “So you’re really Him?” he asked.

  “Yes, my son,” He answered. “And it is time for you to take your rightful place.”

  “Wait,” Ash said, grabbing Him by the elbow. He quickly released him and apologized. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what got into me.”

  God smiled at him. “I assure you, it is quite all right. Now, what troubles you?”

  Ash didn’t want to say what was about to come out of his mouth. He didn’t want to, but he knew if he didn’t ask, things would always be dangerous. Elizabeth would never be safe. “I would ask something of you,” Ash began.

  God raised an expectant brow.

  “It’s Elizabeth.” Ash took a deep breath and steeled his courage. “I don’t want her to be a part of this life. I don’t want this for her. I want her to be happy and safe. I want her to be loved by someone who deserves her. I want her to be loved by someone who will be no danger to her and w
ill hold her tight at night and love her with all the respect and happiness that she deserves.” Ash paused for a moment, doubting his courage, but finally continued. “I don’t want her to know me. I don’t want her to remember me or any of this.” He made an all-encompassing motion with his hand. He could already feel his heart breaking in his chest. He had to choke back a sob. His heart was vehemently against the words that were about to leave his lips and it was making no secret of it. “And I don’t want to know her,” he finally added in a hoarse whisper.

  “Are you sure about this?” God asked him.

  Ash nodded. “As long as we know each other, we will never be able to stay away from each other. As long as Elizabeth is with me, she’ll always be in danger. This is the only way I know to keep her safe.”

  “As you wish,” God answered. “The truest of loves is the one that can let go.” He nodded once and then turned to walk away.

  Ash followed Him with a heavy heart, but no idea why he felt so empty.

  TO BE CONTINUED…