by Mina Carter
Kayley licked her dry lips and his eyes followed the movement. She stopped immediately. She hadn’t done it deliberately, but she had no desire to ignite his fire, so to speak. She wanted to get in and get out.
“It’s lovely.” She had not expected anything like this room. It reminded her of a showcase home of the ultra-rich. Was this how Roark and his family lived? If so, did he really want to be set free?
“I, umm, I’m here to get Roark.”
“Of course. Of course.” Another lightning bright smile as he walked toward her. As he neared, his features blurred, and suddenly he wasn’t quite so handsome. He leaned down from his great height to whisper in her ear. “But what are you willing to pay, my dear?”
Kayley stepped back. Her father had warned her to be very careful what she said to this man. “There is no price to pay. The curse is lifted.”
“Says who?”
“Says this.” She took out the scroll her father had given her. He had spent the last two months trying to find a supernatural council willing to provide a writ of stay to the devil. She held out the document, half-afraid it would go up in flames when he touched it. Instead, the parchment straightened out, hanging in midair. He didn’t say a word as he read it.
“So, you profess to love this demon?”
“There is no if. I love Roark Conroy.”
He snapped his fingers and her heart dropped as the document disappeared. He turned and walked to a large oak desk, taking a seat behind it. It sat at the side of the huge fireplace that dominated the room. Again, the flames didn’t seem to produce any heat. No doubt, if this man wanted them to, they would.
“Come, sit down, my pretty, and let us discuss this issue.”
“There is no discussion. The curse placed upon the Conroy family is now lifted.”
“So you say.”
Kayley held her tongue and gripped her hands together when all she wanted to do was flick a disappearing spell at the man. Maybe it would at least make his dick disappear. That would give him something to think about.
“I will need proof.”
“Proof?” Oh, shit, Kayley thought. How did she prove she loved Roark? Some kind of mind reading? She had no desire to let this man wander around in her head, but how else could she prove it?
He studied her with a piercing gaze then laughed as if he had read her thoughts. He leaned back in his chair. “Did Rafe tell you the other part of the curse?”
“Yes.” Did Roark love her? That was the wrinkle in this great escape plan. Even if Roark didn’t return her feelings, she still had to try. She loved him that much.
“Come.” He rose to his feet, and with a powerful stride, he headed toward the door. It instantly opened, but Kayley didn’t see the guards.
They walked down the granite hallway. The walls had stopped flickering with flame and she wondered if that had been a parlor trick to scare her. On and on they walked, twisting and turning through the catacomb of rock, the way lit by large torches mounted on the walls. She clutched the amulet around her neck. It would be okay, she told herself repeatedly. It would be okay.
They slowed down and entered another hallway. In this section the granite had been hollowed out, forming small caves. Thick steel bars covered each opening. Jail. She was in hell jail, she realized. The air was hotter here, so hot it almost took her breath away. As they continued to walk, grunts and groans came from the darkness. She didn’t know if there were humans in the cells or creatures like the one that had almost escaped through the portal at the grocery store.
“Is Roark in one of these cells?” she demanded, coming to a stop.
The man turned and looked at her. “Would it bother you if he were?”
“Yes.” She didn’t hesitate in her answer. Besides refusing to turn his brother in, what had he done to deserve this? Love her? Oh, how she hoped that were true. Not that he was being punished and held in one of the cells, but that he loved her.
The man moved forward without answering. She hated to ask for a break, but she wasn’t used to this much exercise and in such humid conditions. Her breath came in short pants and she felt slightly dizzy. She couldn’t get dehydrated that quickly, could she? “How much further?”
The demon didn’t answer and she wondered what her punishment would be if she gave him a streak of purple hair. She had to remember the end game. Roark. Freeing Roark.
They stepped from darkness into light. Hell seemed to have fallen away and she was once again in the human realm. In front of her were brightly painted houses and green lawns. People walked up and down concrete sidewalks, smiling.
“This is where Roark lives?” She couldn’t keep the irritation she felt out of her voice. She’d thought of him down here suffering for what he’d done. Maybe being burned alive. She didn’t want something that severe happening to him… but still. If he lived in this section of hell, he certainly wasn’t suffering. She, on the other hand, was having a heat stroke.
“Yes, my dear. Over there.” He pointed to a large house on the hill. It reminded her of a manor house straight out of the 1800s. It seemed to be miles and miles away. Again, another silent sigh and she walked forward. Minutes seemed to turn into hours and one step into a mile. She walked and walked but didn’t get any closer to the house. The people around her kept smiling and talking, doing the same thing over and over again. Her surroundings suddenly reminded her of a movie set. A pretty façade.
She turned toward Luke, still walking beside her. As she watched, his beautiful clothes rotted away, hanging in tatters from his body. The stench of brimstone surrounded him and they were back in the tunnels, the walls once again on fire. Black tendrils of smoke stroked over her skin, swirled around her face, and entered her mouth and nose. She couldn’t breathe. She clawed at her throat, trying to dislodge what she knew was a manifestation of evil.
“I’m not going any further. You bring Roark to me.” She barely managed to choke out the words before darkness ebbed in around her.
CHAPTER SIX
“YOU WILL DO exactly as I say, my plump little witch, or you will never see your demon lover again.” He locked his fingers around her wrists, tighter and stronger than any metal handcuffs could ever be. Kayley fought but was no match for his superior strength. She kicked his shins. Aiming for his crotch with her knee, she was rewarded with a grunt of pain when it landed.
She was about to go for another strike, when a deep voice sounded behind her.
“Don’t you think that’s a little overkill, Luke? Your tailor is going to be very upset with you.”
The demon gave her a mighty push that sent her reeling backward. She landed hard on her bottom, but sprang back up quickly, running toward Roark. A thousand pinpricks of pain stabbed her scalp when the demon caught her by her hair and brought her to an abrupt stop. He pulled her face closer. Before she could protest, his mouth covered hers, his tongue pushing through her resistance. He tasted of mint and coffee, not at all what she’d been expecting. Maybe death and ashes?
A second later, she was ripped from his arms and pushed behind Roark’s big, rugged body.
“Enough.” His roar echoed off the burning walls. For a second, all sound ceased except for the hiss and crackle of the flames. The temperature spiked as the two males faced off.
Another pair of strong hands grabbed her arms. She instantly started to struggle.
“Hold still, little sis. I’m here to help.” Kayley craned her neck to see who held her in the tight grip, feeling a nauseating sense of déjà vu. He was a man she’d never seen before. She did recognize his voice from the hotel and he had Roark and Rafe’s dark, good looks. The missing brother?
He spoke, confirming her suspicion. “Name’s Remington.”
Their attention was recaptured by the scene unfolding before them.
“Now, now, Roark, don’t get your panties in a wad because I’ve been spending time with your latest piece of ass.”
Insulted, Kayley tried to break away from Remington’s ho
ld. He wouldn’t let her. “I gave you the parchment,” she shouted at Luke. “Now let him go.”
“Oh, my little witch, it’s not that simple.”
“I’m not your witch. I’m his.”
“That remains to be seen.” He circled the room and immediately Roark and Remington made a barrier between her and the demon. There was no way the other man was getting to her. She wasn’t worried about herself. She touched the amulet under her shirt. Besides allowing her to open a portal, it would allow her to contact the human realm. The great escape wasn’t going to be as easy as everyone had thought. She was going to need some help. She trusted her father — her family — with her life. Now it was time to trust them with Roark’s.
She closed her eyes and started the chant her mother and sisters had made her practice until she could say it in her sleep. All three men froze.
Roark was the first to speak. “Umm, baby, this might not be the best time to cast a spell.”
She ignored him and concentrated on the words.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, little witch.” Luke snarled, his face taking on a grim countenance. He knew what she was doing. She was summoning her father.
A man who was part human — and all kick-ass demon.
In seconds, her father appeared in the cavern. Knowing him, he’d probably already been on his way.
Luke’s expression changed immediately to one of cordiality and welcome. “Ephraim, so good to see you.”
“You might not think that in a minute, Lucifer.” He turned to look at the two men guarding his daughter. “Kayley, are you okay?”
She tried to break away again and Roark growled at her. “Stay still, woman.”
She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him. After all, she was here to rescue him. Instead, she stood on her tiptoes to look over his shoulder. “He won’t let him go, Daddy.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Oh, please, don’t use that defenseless, little girl act. You were ready to de-nut me not two minutes ago. Now you have to call your daddy to fight your battles?”
“Damn straight,” Kayley grinned at the disgruntled demon. She knew he was trying to bait her, bait anyone. Make them lose their cool so he would have the upper hand when emotions took over. His power fed off negative emotions.
Her father folded his arms across his massive chest. He was a big man. Almost as big as the Conroy brothers. “Why did she have to call me, Luke? Didn’t you read the order? You have no right to keep her demon. She loves him. The curse is broken.”
“There’s just one little catch.” Luke walked over to stand in front of Roark. “He has to love her in return.”
For a moment, Roark couldn’t catch his breath. It felt as if he were literally breathing the fires of hell into his lungs. “I do.” He turned to look at Kayley. “More than anyone will ever know.” He saw the love reflected in her eyes and he knew he would remember this moment for the rest of his very long life.
“Prove it.”
“Anytime,” Roark immediately responded, goaded into speaking by the smug look on Luke’s face.
“No!” Kayley screamed at the same time. “No, you can’t ask him to do that.”
Roark pulled Kayley into his arms. “It’s all right, sweetheart. I do love you.”
“I know you do, but —”
He pressed a hard kiss to her lips. “But nothing.” He pushed her back behind him. “Bring it on, demon.”
The two men circled each other. They were evenly matched in size and strength. Roark knew his chances of besting his boss, no, his former boss, was fifty-fifty. But, if he’d learned anything these last few weeks, it was to hold on to hope. Besides, he had love on his side.
“So a witch has beguiled another Conroy demon. How disappointing.”
“I’m in love. Not beguiled.”
“Tomato, to-mah-to. It still means you’re in the hag’s clutches.”
The insult to Kayley made Roark roar. He launched himself into the air and the other demon did the same. The sickening thud as their heavy bodies slammed together echoed throughout the space. Roark’s body screamed in pain after the mid-air collision. He was happy to note Luke didn’t look much better. They broke apart then slammed back together, throwing punches at the other whenever there was an opening. He heard Kayley’s cry of anguish in the background, but didn’t let it break his concentration. His brother was there to protect her and so was her father.
Damn, the witch had a demon for a father. Why did that not surprise him?
Hit after hit, the two men tried to grind each other to a pulp, but neither gained the upper hand. He realized this could go on for hours. Roark’s confidence of a happy outcome dwindled. “You’ve drawn blood, Luke. What more do you want?”
“How about your soul?” The bastard was in rare form today. Roark had never liked the king of hell. He used every temptation at his disposal to beguile the people whose souls he wanted. Now that Roark thought about it, he used love an awful lot. The love a parent had for a sick child. The love a man had for a woman. He stopped moving. Was that what it would take to break this curse once and for all? Roark’s total, unconditional surrender?
If so, that’s exactly what he would give.
“Enough.” He fell to his knees. “If it’s my soul you want, take it. Let Kayley and her father leave. Let my brothers leave. I’m willing to pay the price so they can find the same love I have with her.”
He looked up. His brother, Kayley, and her father stood behind Luke. She was now openly crying. Remington’s fierce grip encircled her upper arms, holding her back. He saw the anguish in his brother’s eyes and hoped he’d take this chance, go up top, and find a woman who could love him half as much as he knew Kayley loved him.
He caught her gaze, the disbelief in her eyes at what he was doing, tore out his heart. The terror she was experiencing was almost enough to make him come to his feet and kill the demon approaching him, sword in his hand.
But he couldn’t. He couldn’t condemn Kayley to a life in hell.
Luke swung the sword from side to side. “So you’re willing to give me your soul in exchange for your lover’s life?”
“Yes,” Roark growled. “I willingly sacrifice my soul for her.”
“Very well then.”
“I love you, Kayley,” he said, a smile lifting the edges of his mouth as their time together played in his mind. “Even if you can’t cast a spell worth a dime.”
She didn’t smile in return. Tears continued to fall from her beautiful gray eyes.
“Close your eyes, baby,”’ he ordered as Luke lifted the sword over his head. “Close your eyes, Kayley.”
He didn’t close his, wanting her face to be the last thing he saw as he left this plane of existence.
He felt the movement of the air as the sword came down. He waited for the pain, knowing it would be nothing in comparison to the agony ripping through his heart. Instead of feeling the sharp steel slicing through his flesh, a loud clang sounded. Instinctively, he rose, jumping toward Kayley in order to protect her. As he moved, he realized Luke had struck the ground with the sword, which accounted for the noise. “What the fuck, Luke?”
The demon stood with the tip of the sword resting on the ground, his arms propped upon the hilt. He gave a huge sigh and snapped his fingers. A piece of parchment hung in midair for several second before bursting into flames. The ash fell to the ground. “Roark Conroy, the curse placed upon your family is hereby lifted.” He waved his hand and bowed. “You may thank me at your leisure.”
“You always were an overly dramatic little shit,” Kayley’s father grumbled. “Was all that really necessary?”
“What are you talking about, Daddy?” Kayley pulled herself from Remington's arms. “You mean he wasn’t going to cut off Roark’s head?”
“Hardly, baby. The writ I gave you broke the curse.”
“Technically, it did not, Ephraim. It merely stated her love for the demon. Not his love for her.”
&
nbsp; “He said he loved her.”
“Yes, but we all know demons can lie rather well. This way there was no doubt.”
“You are a piece of shit, Luke.” Roark’s eyes narrowed as he took a step forward. The feel of Kayley’s hand on his arm stopped him.
“Wait, let me.” She stalked over to the demon who smiled as she neared.
“You are welcome, my dear,” he said. “Now you will always know that Roark does indeed love you. How about another kiss?”
“I never doubted it, you jackass.” She pulled back her arm and slugged him in the stomach. Luke was too tall for her to reach his jaw. The strength of her blow was considerable and the big man doubled over in pain. There was a stunned silence then all the men roared with laughter. All except Luke.
He straightened up. “There was no need for such dramatics,” he said sulkily, rubbing his sore stomach.
“I think it’s time we got out of here.” Her father waved his hand and mumbled a few words. A large, pulsating portal opened in the granite walls. “Until next time, Luke.”
The man nodded his head in acknowledgement. In a flash, he had disappeared too.
“Kayley.” Roark turned to her and cupped her face with his hands. He didn’t know what to say. She’d risked everything coming here. There had been no guarantee Luke would honor the writ and lift the curse. She could have been stuck in hell forever. Because of him.
“Sssh, we’ll talk later. Right now, I’d really like to get out of here.”
“Right.” He ran his fingers through his hair, hesitating.
“You do want to get out of here, right? With me?” Her voice held a note of insecurity Roark never wanted to hear again.
“Yes, baby. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“Then what are we waiting for?”
“I… I don’t know.” He realized his life had literally changed from one heartbeat to the next. He was no longer confined to hell. His family was free of the curse that had plagued them for thousands of years. He suddenly realized someone needed to tell his parents.
He looked at Remington.