by Jane Hinchey
“Lucy.” Dacian was there, holding me in his arms, letting me cry against his chest until eventually, I cried myself out. And that was when it started. The anger. It boiled up, from the depths of my soul, bubbling through my veins, consuming me. Thunderclouds tinged with red gathered, red forks of lightning struck the Earth with angry booms. This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
“Lucy, calm down.” Dacian released me, backing away, palms out, a worried expression on his face.
“You’re either with me or against me.” The rage in my voice changed it. I sounded like a stranger and I didn’t care. I only cared about one thing. Levi. I’d move Heaven and Earth to get him back. And that’s exactly what I intend to do.
Chapter 19
Excerpt: Levi’s POV
The minute a smoking hot angel named Lucifer strolled into my shop I knew I was in trouble. Not in the sense I was going to have my ass dragged to Hell and suffer for all eternity trouble. This trouble was centered around my heart—and how it skipped a beat the moment I laid eyes on her, her long black hair swinging around her, not unlike a smoke-filled cloud, giving her an ethereal quality. And her aura. Man, her fucking aura did me in. Like her magic, it was tinged black and red and it was the most stunning thing—besides her—that I’d ever seen. The darkness around her wasn’t evil though, and I’d initially been surprised. After all, isn’t Satan the root of all evil? But her darkness was sexy and seductive and at the heart of it, filled with good intentions.
All my life I’d been on the edge, on the outer circle of everyone and everything, talking to the dead tended to ostracize you. I was labeled a fraud, accused of ripping people off, taking their money and passing on fake messages from the spirit world. The accusations stung, but I couldn’t blame anyone for thinking that way, because the truth is, the fake psychics are out there, spinning bullshit stories to part you from your hard-earned dollars. Only I’m not one of them. My grandmother had taught me everything I know, not only how to use my skills, but how to turn them into a fruitful business. Which I had. I made good money at what I did and had built a reputation for myself—an honorable one. The few girlfriends I’d had never stuck around for long, wanting my undivided attention constantly, which of course I couldn’t do. When the dead wanted to speak with you, they weren’t going to wait until you’d finished your date.
Until Lucy. Lucy understood the foibles of the dead. Of course being the devil gave her a distinct advantage in that department. And while I’d never given Heaven or Hell any real thought, of their existence or otherwise, her explanation of the way things were made perfect sense. I knew there was a veil, that the dead crossed it. Once again it was only logical that there were other dimensions beyond that veil. She’d opened my eyes to so many possibilities, but what she didn’t know, which I did my best to keep from her, was that I knew. I knew the toll her job took on her. I could feel the sadness in her when she slept, tossing and turning at night, her dreams not giving her peace. She didn’t enjoy the torture. She wasn’t the sadistic bastard everyone thought she was. I snorted, hell, she wasn’t even the male everyone thought Lucifer was.
Lucy cared about others. She seemed to care more about others than she did herself, and that went against everything I thought I knew about Hell. She was different, unique, and I couldn’t help the pride that swelled inside me with that knowledge.
I felt her now, slipping away from me and every fiber in every cell of my body screamed in protest. I reached for her, hand extended even as I was propelled backward, jerked off my feet. It all happened so fast yet in slow motion at the same time. The rip in the veil where Zuska had slipped through initially, now reopened as he left…taking me with him.
The flash of surprise on Lucy’s face, that quickly turned to horror. Her screaming my name and reaching for me, our fingers missing by inches. Then she was gone. I was staring at nothing, dragged backward through a tunnel of wind pushing and buffeting me so I could barely catch a breath. When we finally stopped I was flung to the ground and I lay there, gasping, unable to fathom what had happened. I was in another realm, alone. All I could think of was that I needed to get back to Lucy.
“It surprises me you survived the vortex, human,” Zuska spoke, reminding me that I wasn’t exactly alone. He was responsible for my presence here, wherever here was.
“Oh?” My heart was still thundering in my chest, panic threatening to overwhelm me. I was at his mercy and that didn’t sit well with me.
“None have before you,” he admitted, and it became clear why he’d come to Earth. They’d tried stealing humans in the past and we’d perished during the journey. Leaving them no soul to eat. If you wanted to consume human souls, you had to travel to Earth to do it.
“I wonder if it’s anything to do with this?” I asked, holding up the glowing sword that was clenched in my right fist. While my eyes had been on Lucy as I’d been dragged backward, I’d seen Dacian toss me the sword from the corner of my eye, had felt my fingers automatically close around the handle as I’d been jerked back through the portal and I’d held on with a death grip the entire time. I lay with the sword held up, admiring the glow, wondering how it looked so heavy but felt incredibly light in my grasp.
“How did you get that?” Zuska took a step back, then another. I glanced at him. He was afraid. Of me? Or the sword? I figured it was the sword, but I was the one wielding it, so I let myself take some of the credit. Sufficiently orientated, I swung into a crouching position, eyes on Zuska.
“Send me back,” I demanded.
“Can’t.” Zuska shook his head, backing further away. Launching to my feet, I swung for him, the sword slicing through his shirt, leaving a thin line of blood across his abdomen. Just a scratch, but warning enough. “Send. Me. Back,” I repeated.
“I can’t,” he repeated, clenching his stomach. “I only get one trip, there and back. I’ve no more power.”
I squinted at him, trying to get a sense if what he said was the truth. “You said you were opening the portal, sending for your brethren. You have the power.”
“I said I was opening the portal, yes, but I wasn’t traveling through it. I was going to summon them.” Damn it. Keeping the sword trained on him I glanced around. This place was desolate, the landscape of rock as far as I could see. Overhead were dark clouds and the constant rumble of thunder—I got the feeling this wasn’t a storm rolling in, this was the normal atmosphere for this place. Wherever I was.
“Where are we?”
“My realm.”
“I know it’s your realm, asshole.” My anger moved up a notch. Anger at being taken, not only from my home, my world, but Lucy. Her face flashed in my mind again, the sheer terror on her face, the panic as she’d reached for me, the disbelief as the veil closed between us. I could feel her pain, echoing my own in my chest. Whatever our connection was, it was strong. I felt compelled to get back to her. I had to return. Failure was not an option.
“What is this realm called?” I asked again.
“You are in the Broken Forrest.” An expression flitted across his face, one I didn’t understand. Was it…glee? Even though I’d injured him with the sword the sorry son of a bitch seemed happy about it. “Why are you smiling?” Now his mouth had twisted into a full-blown smile.
“You spilled my blood.” His eyes dropped to where a single drop of blood had fallen onto the stone.
“And?”
“It has alerted my tribe to my return. And that I am hurt.”
“They’re coming?” I guessed, a feeling of dread settling on my shoulders.
“They are,” he agreed, nodding. There was nothing for it. I didn’t know how many were coming or what I was up against. The one truth I knew was that they would kill me. They fed on souls and I’d just presented myself as a very tasty meal. But the only one who knew I was here was standing in front of me. Survival was my only option. Praying for forgiveness I sprung forward, catching Zuska unaware, wiping the smirk from his face as I plunged the sword thr
ough him.
He toppled backward, blood dribbling from his mouth, eyes open, unseeing. Drawing the sword out of his gut, I wiped the bloody blade on his clothing, then bent, checking for a pulse. Dead. I thought I’d be filled with remorse, but strangely enough, I felt empowered. Glancing around, I knew I needed to leave this place before more of his kind arrived. Over to the left was a mass of large rock formations, the only place to hide in this desolate place. I began to jog, hoping I was running away from what was coming and not toward it. And all the while, I thought of Lucy. How the fuck was I going to get back to her? My burning desire to stay alive had little to do with me, and all to do with her. She’d awoken in me something I thought I’d never feel and there was no way I was going to let anyone, soul stealer or not, take that away from me. No one.
THE END…for now
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Book two: The Devil Inside, coming to an e-reader near you 23 January, 2018
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https://janehinchey.com/books/hells-gate/
About the Author
Aussie Author Jane Hinchey writes sexy, snarky, badass, paranormal romance and suspense.
Living in the City of Churches (aka Adelaide, South Australia) with her man, two cats, and turtle, she spends her days writing fantastical stories full of dark sexy vampires, hot shifters, sexy aliens, jaw-dropping demons, sinful angels, and magical witches – and while they can be snarky and swear a lot, they mean well and you’ll grow to love them. Honestly.
When she’s not in her writing cave she’s usually playing the Sims, Civilizations or something similar, binge watching Netflix or upping the ante in the crazy cat lady stakes. Read more from Jane Hinchey:
Jane’s Website: http://janehinchey.com
Notes from the Author
Lucy has been in my ear for over a year with this book and I’m so thrilled it’s finally in your hands! I re-wrote the beginning three times because there were just so many directions the story could have gone in and Lucy kept changing her mind. It wasn’t until I introduced Levi that she calmed down somewhat. Probably because he was smoking hot and she was keen to get to know him *wink*.
If you enjoyed Straight to Hell, please consider leaving a positive review or rating on the site where you purchased it. Reader reviews help my books continue to be valued by resellers and help new readers make decisions about reading them.
You are the reason I write these stories and I sincerely appreciate each of you!
Many thanks for your support!
~ Jane Hinchey
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Book Lists
THE AWAKENING SERIES
First Blade
First Witch
First Blood
* * *
SCI-FI ROMANCE STANDALONES
Returned
Heart of Darkness
Destiny’s Touch
* * *
HELL’S GATE SERIES
Straight to Hell
The Devil Inside (coming soon)
Hotter than Hell (coming soon)