Fire (Beautiful Ashes Series, Book 2)

by Ann, Lora

  “I’ll meet you on the next block. Go north.”

  “Copy that.”

  *****

  Shelby noticed a shadow and snuck to the left of some pallets. She came up behind the small figure hunkered down. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  Keeley jumped on a gasp. “Shit, Angel. You ‘bout gave me a heart attack.”

  “You know very well my name isn’t Angel,” came the stern reply.

  “You’re mine, so deal with it,” Keeley snapped back.

  “You are a sassy little thing. That SEAL has his hands full.”

  “Please don’t tell him I’m here.”

  “Why the hell not? What have you gotten yourself involved in now?” She gave Keeley a leveled look.

  There was no sense in denying what was. “I have people looking for me.”

  “Shit girl. You are a magnet for some nasty trouble.”

  No truer statement about her had ever been uttered before. “I know.”

  Shelby didn’t miss the chagrin in her voice or the shrug Keeley gave to look like she didn’t care. What a crock! “You stay to the right of where I’m going.”

  She nodded but didn’t say a word. Her heart was in her throat. She was so close to Tar. Somehow her luck shifted in an instant. She’d found her angel nurse and the man she loved in one swoop, but until Keeley knew the situation, she didn’t want him to see her.

  Shelby needed her head examined. How the hell she ended up in this mess was beyond her. But she believed in true love and wanted to help Tar and Keeley. The tension in Keeley told her something happened between the couple since the last time she’d seen them. She couldn’t help but hope they worked through their differences.

  Tar met her exactly where she told him. And Shelby couldn’t shake the feeling, Lisa wasn’t being completely honest. That was confirmed as she watched the woman looking at Tar with blatant lust in her gaze. Never a good thing. Women were dangerous when they were manipulating a man. It was obvious she didn’t give a damn who noticed, either.

  Shelby opened the door to a small but clean home. “It’s not much but you’ll be safe here.”

  Lisa turned to her. “Who owns this place?”

  “Doesn’t matter. You have running water and electricity.”

  “Thank you, my lady.” Tar held out his hand.

  Shelby grinned. “You are charming. Maybe a prince instead of a knight.” She winked and shook his hand.

  Lisa gave her one nasty glare before schooling her features for Tar’s searching gaze. She smiled and looked down at Cole. “Sweetie, go see what room you’d like to sleep in.”

  “‘Kay, Mommy.”

  She put a claiming hand on Tar’s arm and softly stroked. “I’m going to take a shower.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Shelby noticed he didn’t even turn her way, but his voice gave away he cared for his sister-in-law. “What’s the story between you two?”

  Tar shrugged. “We were engaged once. But my brother won her heart. End of story.”

  “Watch yourself there, Knight. That woman still wants you.”

  “Nah. She’s upset, and the signals are crossed.”

  “Really! You think that?”

  “Yep. Sure enough do.”

  “Then you are an idiot.” Shelby walked out of the room leaving Tar bewildered.

  He heard another door shut, making him wonder what the ever-loving fuck that was all about.

  Keeley was doing her best to breathe through what she witnessed. Whoever that other woman was wanted her man, openly lusting him for all to see. She needed to leave. Get as far away as possible. She turned to run when Shelby hobbled before her. “Leave now and that bitch wins.”

  She swallowed hard. “Maybe she’s better for him.”

  “If you believe that; if he’s not worth fighting for; if you don’t think your love is enough, then don’t let me stop you.” Shelby opened a door for her. “Go. You have my blessing.”

  Keeley stood there in shock, blinking several times. “I-I…whose side are you on anyway?”

  “Team True Love all the way. But don’t think for a second it’s easy, or that you don’t have to work hard for it.”

  “Do you know who that slut is?”

  Shelby gave a knowing grin. “His sister-in-law.”

  “Oh fuck!” Keeley’s coloring drained as she slid to the ground in an ungraceful heap.

  Shelby began to search the tiny woman. Didn’t take long for her to see the blood around the makeshift bandage. “You do this to yourself?” she queried, inspecting the raw wound on Keeley’s thigh. “Self-harm is not the way to gain control.”

  “I need the pain,” came the gut-wrenching confession.

  “You need control. That’s found deep within yourself.”

  “How the hell would you know?” Keeley spat out.

  “Seriously. Look at me. I’m lame. You don’t think I understand. That I haven’t tried to take my own life. Yet I’m still here. Why, I honestly don’t know. Must be some reason.”

  Keeley met her gaze with compassion. “To be my angel.”

  “So help me keep my wings.”

  “Okay.”

  “Alright. You have a mild infection in this mess you did to yourself. And I’m willing to bet you haven’t eaten in a while. Let’s get you back to my place. We’ll discuss exactly what to do to get that man in there away from the bitch.”

  “I like the sound of that,” Keeley affirmed as she did her best to keep from throwing up. The pain she was in was different and not bringing the high she craved. Instead it brought misery. Maybe she was redeemable. She really didn’t care if hell was where she ended up. But she did care about Tar. And that cunt would not get him. Keeley would fight with all that was in her. Lisa had broken his heart once and tap danced on the pieces. She was the cause of some of his demons. No. Keeley would not permit her to hurt him again. It was time to be the warrior he thought she was because damn it all, he was worth more. She might not deserve a man like Tarius, but one thing was for certain, neither did that woman.

  This.

  Was.

  War.

  Chapter Twelve

  The house was tiny and moth balls permeated the air. Tar lay on the couch with a feeling Keeley was close by. No matter which way he turned or how much he attempted to talk himself out of such nonsense, his heart, mind, body and soul told him she needed him. He fell into an uneasy sleep that eventually led to a dream. A very naughty dream where he had Keeley tied to a bed as he tormented her with wicked teases. The shift in position pushed his painful erection against the unforgiving zipper. Of their own accord his hips thrust while in his dream, he was demanding Keeley suck his cock. Her hooded gaze met his as she slid the tip of her tongue along his sensitive slit. A deep moan escaped him with her name on his lips. The dream so real, Tar could feel the silk of her mouth on him. He reached forward and fisted her hair with the command, “Harder. Take all of me, Tigress.”

  Her teeth scraped over his ridge just the way he loved it, and he didn’t fight the orgasm. Tar’s eyes opened as his mind left his desire filled wet dream. The evidence right where all could see. Fuck. There wasn’t a change of clothes around. He improvised and found a towel in the bathroom. After a cold shower to get himself under control, he washed out his camos. Lisa walked by in just her bra and panties. Tar did his best to avert his eyes but couldn’t deny the little glimpse he got beforehand. She was still a beauty queen. He remembered when she’d won that contest on a dare, but he quickly pulled back his reverie before traveling back to the way they’d celebrated. Guess it really was true, once you had shared yourself with someone you loved in the most bonding of ways, those feelings still remained. He was in love with Keeley. He loved his brother. Those were strong enough to keep himself in check. Lisa was the past, but when she sashayed in front of him barely clothed, he realized she was trying to tempt him. “What the hell are you doing? You’re a married woman. To my brother,” he growled.

/>   Lisa’s gaze went straight to her feet with a contrite, “I’m sorry. I was hot and felt gross in those clothes. I didn’t mean anything by it.” Her eyes slowly lifted to his. “I should’ve been more modest. Please forgive me.”

  Tar studied her for a moment, making damn sure he only stared at her face. Her pretty brown curls making her appear younger than twenty-nine. He saw nothing that said she was lying to him. There was even a blush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks. “It was an honest mistake.”

  She nodded emphatically. “I won’t do it again.”

  “Fair enough. Get some rest. No telling what tomorrow holds.”

  “Good night, Tar.”

  Man, he really needed to pull his shit together. Shelby’s warning was playing tricks on him. He settled back on the couch and let Keeley fill his mind once more.

  *****

  Lisa leaned against the wall and watched him sleep. She knew he’d be more challenging than Chase was to seduce, but she wasn’t counting on her own feelings surfacing. His body caught in utter ecstasy as he climaxed earlier, sent shivers down her back. This Keeley woman definitely held his body hostage. Question was, did she own his heart? Tarius was loyal and fierce in love, passionate and wild in bed. He needed a woman who could handle all that power. There was a time when his size and strength worried her. Now, she craved how he lost all control and unleashed. Chase was soft and sweet, caring and gentle. Tender was what she thought she wanted. But Tar was a beast in bed. He fucked hard. She wanted that again. To be the reason his desire took over. Again the vision of having both brothers invaded her mind. She slipped a finger inside her pussy while her imagination let loose. How would it feel to have one sweetly love her body as the other pounded into her—devoured her. She pinched her clit and came, sucking her fingers while watching Tar in the throes of another passion filled dream. Crawling toward him, her intention was clear. She’d bring him the pleasure he dreamt of. Except a little voice stopped her, “Mommy?”

  She about jumped out of her skin. “Oh, Cole!”

  Tar hopped off the couch ready to slay anyone trying to harm them. “What’s wrong?!”

  “I had a bad dream, Uncle Tar.”

  “Hey there, Partner. Come here.”

  He lifted his nephew into arms as Lisa watched the flex of muscles. God, she wanted to yank the towel from his hips and lock her mouth around his big cock. But she knew that was not the way to win Tarius McNeil. He came with a code of honor. One she needed to break carefully. “Baby, mommy and Uncle Tar won’t let anything harm you,” she cooed and rubbed up against Tar.

  He smiled down at her. “See there, Buddy. You’re safe.”

  Cole reached forward and pulled Lisa with Tar into a bear hug. “We just need Daddy.”

  Lisa seized the moment and let a tear fall. Acting had always been her forte and she played the distraught wife card well. “I want Daddy home safely too, sweetie.”

  “I’ll do everything in my power to bring him back,” Tar vowed.

  Lisa took Cole into her arms. “Let’s get you back in bed,” her voice broke on a sob as her little boy held on tight.

  Tar watched wondering just how he was going to follow through on his promise. But he would, or die trying. If only he could see Keeley once more. Though it wasn’t about him. His family needed him. Sacrifice. He would lay it all down for them, and for her. Tar hoped she knew that somewhere deep inside.

  *****

  Keeley hissed around the rag she was biting down on as Shelby cleaned out her wound. “Damn girl, you did quite a number on yourself. What did you use?”

  A mumbled, “rock,” was all she could say. Fuck. It hurt! And damn her body for craving that. There was a sick sort of ecstasy involved, staring down at the blood. With each swipe of gauze and pinch to help release the infection, Keeley grew closer to orgasmic heaven. She was completely lost. How could she fight for Tar when she couldn’t even conquer this battle. Worse…she didn’t want to overcome this need, this desire. Unlike the artificial ones she’d once succumbed to, pain gave her control. Fed her in ways she still didn’t understand. On a deep breath, she let herself slip further into the dark embrace.

  “You know there are ways to temper this into something more reasonable, Keeley.”

  Her gaze shot to Shelby’s. “How did you know?”

  “The look of utter passion is written in every line of your face, hon. I’m not judging. But please understand the difference.”

  That had her attention. “I’m listening.”

  “You hurt yourself to find control of a situation, but have discovered pain also releases your sexual desires.”

  Her head fell as she whispered, “I’m a total fuck-up. I can’t even get self-harm down correctly.”

  “Stop that! You can’t keep hurting yourself like this. But you wanting sex or anything to do with it a little rougher than others—well, who the hell has a right to tell you that’s wrong? What two people do in the privacy of their relationship is just that, private. Although I do believe it should never be done casually, no matter how you have sex.”

  Keeley leaned forward. “You mean never outside of marriage.”

  She smiled. “Call me old-fashioned.”

  “But plenty of people have a piece of paper claiming they’re married; doesn’t mean they are.”

  “Very true.” She bandaged the jagged cut. “Hopefully the antibiotic I gave you will help this heal faster. You’re positive you don’t want anything more than acetaminophen for pain?”

  “I can’t.” She leveled a look on Shelby. “So if a paper doesn’t decide if you’re married or not, what does?”

  “I believe it’s love and commitment. Two becoming one happens when bodies and souls join. What you do with that is up to you. For me, that’s not casual or simply for pleasure.”

  Keeley was sleepy and Shelby’s words tickled her mind. Marriage was so much more than a certificate. And fucking was completely different than making love, sharing one’s soul, one’s heart with another. She’d definitely experienced both and craved Tar in a way that called to her entire being. The thought that she was already married to him filled her with a bone deep love, making slumber peaceful.

  *****

  Damn light! Every time he locked his claws into her, it showed up in yet another. The demon growled and paced. Her fucking head was full of forever love. Made him so goddamn sick he could hurl. He was losing her. Every second she slipped further away, grew stronger by the moment.

  “She was never yours,” came the voice from the other side of the room.

  “Angel,” he spat out, “go back to paradise and leave me be. This is our playground,” he roared as he lept toward the glowing figure.

  “No, Demon. You have that all wrong. You’re merely permitted here.”

  The fight was fierce as swords were drawn, battle shields in place. A league of demons sat on one side, an army of angels on the other. Cheering and jeering taking place as good and evil locked in combat. Unsuspecting, the sleeping beauty slept as the fight raged for her soul. But one was able to penetrate her walls of protection. Caleb snuck in to taint her blissful thoughts of being Mrs. Tarius McNeil. “He could never love all of you, my dear. Your twisted desires for sexual torment will leave him disturbed. And you’ll never be fully satisfied without pain,” he whispered and hissed, licking along the column of her milky-white neck. “Come to me, darling. You can’t live without agony, and he is unable to harm you. If you force him, he’ll hate you.”

  Keeley swatted at the tongue along her throat, gasping for air as she felt pressure. Dear God, he was choking her. She tried to call for help, but he squeezed tighter. A nail now digging into her fresh wound. The combination of the two contrasting pains bringing about new cravings. He was right. Tar could never comply, would never deliberately cause such excruciating agony. Her fight eased, giving in to the allure of what Caleb, only Caleb, could give her. Until a groan brought her fully upright. The man from the cave was caught in a death
grip. She’d seen him other places too. The Lodge, over the edge of the cliff. He was terrifying and beautiful all at the same time. She reached for him and the apparition with Caleb’s face became something hideous. Keeley looked around and realized she was surround by creatures, yet not. They had human like features but were more, somehow. Another cry made her move before thinking. She grabbed a hold of the beast that held on tight, but was no match for him. Like a ragdoll she landed against the wall, her breath leaving her. “No,” she wailed and came to her knees. “GET OUT!” she commanded. Lights flashed in strobe fashion then everything went pitch black.

  *****

  Shelby raced in calling out Keeley’s name, but she couldn’t answer. Someone or something was pinned against her. Keeley wasn’t frightened so she knew it wasn’t Caleb. But her demons were familiar, which meant she couldn’t be sure of what was holding her. A warm feeling filled her with a soft firm voice, “It’s not time yet, Keeley Kincaid. Fight!”

  She wanted to stay in that feeling of cocooned protection, safe.

  Shelby searched until her hand felt a small foot. “Thank God. Keeley, honey, answer me,” she demanded frantically as her hands traveled up. There was something over her. Shelby’s grasp became desperate. Did someone break in? Was this one of the creeps after Keeley? Her fingers came in contact with something soft like a feather. Sure enough, that was exactly what it was. What the hell?

  Keeley’s groaned, “help him,” brought Shelby out of the land of wonder.

  All of a sudden, a brilliant light flashed like a bolt of lightning and Keeley lay there blinking up at the ceiling. Shelby clutched her shoulders and gave a little shake. “Are you okay? Can you hear me?”

  Those big sable eyes locked onto hers and she could see fear and awe in them. Keeley nodded but didn’t speak. Shelby wasn’t sure what just happened. Her mind was providing answers that didn’t make sense. Angel. How could that possibly be? She helped Keeley to her feet, noticing the bandage was missing and the wound reopened. “Did you do that to yourself?” Dear God, this girl needed help Shelby couldn’t give.