by Sam Cheever
Luc buried himself to the balls and cried out, his cock jerking hard within her. His orgasm seemed to go on and on, each release-induced spasm urging a matching reaction from Esther’s channel and spinning him into a fresh contraction of bliss. At last he collapsed over her, his chest heaving, and gathered her close.
“So. Was it worth roasting in Hell?” She kept her tone light, but a tiny flare of doubt made the words tremble on her tongue.
It wasn’t until Luc laughed that she realized she’d been holding her breath.
“Esther Egg, I’d roast in the pits for centuries for the chance to do that just one more time.”
She shoved against his chest and he rolled over. Esther climbed on top of him, sliding her pussy over his still-hard cock. “Okay. But only if you’re sure.”
Luc placed his hands on her hips and lifted her, letting her slowly glide back down his shaft. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
Chapter Eight
They sat at a rustic, wood table on the porch, eating breakfast at one o’clock in the afternoon. They’d stayed in bed for hours, loving, exploring, and talking. Luc had gently questioned Esther about her time in Perdigo, and despite her obvious attempt to downplay her circumstances, what she’d told him had just about broken his heart. Several times, Luc had been on the verge of telling her that he’d stayed close, often watching her from afar for hours at a time. But his cowardice for not approaching her ate at him. He’d come to realize it would have been worth any punishment to be with her, loving her and easing her loneliness during the last couple of years.
Times when he’d found her crying because the ass-wipes around her treated her like an oddity, a dangerous person to know, he’d been on the verge of flinging off the bonds holding him away. He’d been so close to making himself known to her. Once or twice he’d taken that step, walking up to her and asking how she was. But he hadn’t told her how he felt. He hadn’t stayed and held her until she stopped feeling alone.
In the end it hadn’t been concern for his own punishment that had stayed him. It had been worry for her. For whatever reason, the assembly had decided to make an example of Esther. He hadn’t known then -- and he still didn’t know -- how far they would take it.
“Can they find us here?”
Luc looked up from his breakfast of eggs and bacon and frowned. “I’m afraid so. When I shifted, I pretty much ensured they could follow us to this place.”
She looked out over the lawn, to the tall evergreens he’d planted in a tight circle around the property. “But they can’t see past the circle?”
“No. They can’t see into or breach the circle.” He forced himself to stop there. He didn’t want her to worry, but he could feel them getting closer. By nightfall, Luc was pretty sure the cabin would be surrounded by nasties.
That was when the fun would start.
“So what’s the plan?”
He smiled. “I’m not sure you want to know.”
Esther picked at her eggs and sighed. “I’m sorry I got you into this, Luc.”
He dropped his fork, not all that hungry himself. “You didn’t get me into anything. I did this for my own reasons.”
She looked up, cocked her head. “Why did you help me run away?”
Luc looked into her wide, golden-brown eyes and felt himself falling even deeper into his feelings for her. The sun was just starting to drop in the sky, and its golden light had found her, bathing her in an aura that made her look ethereal and pure. With her creamy brown skin, oval face, delicate nose, and lush, burgundy lips, she could easily fit in with the heavenly set. And since he’d gotten to know her, he realized her soul was every bit as beautiful as her form. “I had to.”
She frowned. Obviously that wasn’t the response she’d been looking for. But Luc couldn’t give her any more than that. Not yet. Not until the plan he’d put into motion played out. He wouldn’t saddle her with the knowledge of what they could have together unless he knew they could keep it.
He stood, gathering up their plates and starting into the house.
“You didn’t tell me what the plan is.”
Luc looked out over the lawn, rubbing his arm. An hour earlier, his tat had started burning steadily under his shirt, despite his liberal consumption of salt. The assembly’s goons were close. “I’m expecting a visitor today. Once I talk to him, I’ll know more.”
He left her quickly then, not wanting to answer any more questions. If things didn’t go well with his visitor, they would have some tough decisions to make. Luc only hoped they could both live with the results of those decisions.
* * *
Esther rubbed her arms, feeling a bone-deep cold that had crept up on her despite the heat of a bright, afternoon sun. She shuddered, thinking of her Gramma Mills who used to tell her someone had walked over her grave when she got one of her dark feelings. Esther wished it were that simple. Unfortunately she’d seen the truth in Luc’s face across the table. He didn’t think she knew they were heading toward an impasse. But she had no misconceptions about what was ahead. Something was out there. She could feel the dark, oily evil just beyond Luc’s pretty, green circle. They’d come for her, and Esther now knew they’d get her. She’d been stupid to think she could run from her fate.
Despite Luc’s assurance that she wasn’t to blame for his situation, Esther knew better. She’d forced him into action by doing something stupid. And now he’d pay the price for her selfishness. She couldn’t let that happen. Esther was going down, but she had no intention of dragging Luc down with her.
A low rumble shook the porch, and Esther’s coffee mug bumped across the table, spilling coffee in its wake. She grabbed for it before it tumbled over the edge and braced herself against the porch rail. The rumble grew in power, until the glass in the cabin’s windows rattled beneath it, and culminated in a concussive boom. A silver explosion of light burst through the windows, painful in its intensity.
Esther covered her face as a blast of heat ruptured the air. She jumped up and started running, screaming Luc’s name as she flung open the cabin door. She coughed, her eyes stinging. The scent of ozone was thick in the air, like the moments before the onset of a violent storm. Light still pulsed through the room, emanating from a creature whose head nearly touched the ceiling. Massive wings pounded the air, knocking Esther backward to slam against the wall. “Luc!”
The thing was holding him off the ground by the throat as if he weighed nothing. Luc’s handsome face was purple, and his hands clawed at the creature’s grip. The winged creature turned his head, focusing a fearsome gaze that glowed golden amidst the silvery white of his energy. Long, golden hair flowed around a square-jawed, impossibly handsome face, the full lips tightening with anger as he looked at her. His enormous wings lifted, the feathers sparking in the sunlight that speared through the window. “Esther Mills.” His voice boomed around the space, bouncing off the walls and vibrating her eardrums, sending pain like knives spearing through her. She cried out, covering her ears and falling to her knees.
A distant roar brought the creature’s gaze sliding toward the window.
Esther leapt to her feet and charged, flinging herself against the winged man. Electricity spit as she met his flowing robes, and searing pain flared in all the places where they touched. As she fell away, he turned and a wing slammed into her. Esther’s feet left the floor and she sailed across the room, crashing against the wall. The last thing she heard as she slid downward was Luc’s voice screaming her name.
* * *
She doesn’t belong here.
She certainly doesn’t belong in Hell.
I can’t help you, Lucifer.
Can’t? Or won’t?
Does it matter?
She’s suffered greatly, Briathos. She doesn’t deserve it.
I don’t know what you want from me.
Take her away.
The voices tugged at Esther, drawing her toward consciousness. She fought her way through the b
lack void, the words springing from her comprehension like peas off a fork. She didn’t begin to grasp their meaning until her eyes blinked open. Then it all came together with horrible clarity. Luc was bargaining with the creature.
Bartering away her life.
Her heart rate picked up, and Esther’s chest grew tight. She was hidden from view by a wide, upholstered chair, her body crumpled along the base of the wall. She tried to sit up, and pain slammed across the front of her skull. The pain made her nauseous and dizzy. Esther lay back down, closing her eyes against the light that made her head throb.
“The last time I saw you, you smote me, Lucifer. You have great, iron balls to summon me here. The evil ones surround this place. It is but a matter of time before they find a way to take her. You will both suffer greatly for her perfidy.”
“We were friends once, Bri. For all the times I covered your back. For all the centuries of love we shared. Do this for me? Take this woman away from here.”
“What of the assembly? Do you think they’ll just shrug their shoulders and chalk it up to lessons learned?”
“I’ll handle them.”
“You’ll boil in putrid tar all the days of your life.”
Esther had heard enough. She didn’t know what that thing was in there, and she had no idea why Luc was bargaining her away, but she didn’t intend to let him do it. She got to her knees and crawled toward the kitchen, moving behind the island and heading toward the door. If she stayed out of sight until she reached the door and then ran as fast as she could, she thought she might just about make it to the perimeter and through before Luc could reach her.
“I have no choice, Bri. I love her.”
Esther’s hand was reaching for the doorknob, her thighs tensed to spring, when his words crashed into her. Before she could stop it, a small sound of pain emerged from her lips.
Silence throbbed across the cabin.
“Esther?”
With a cry she jumped to her feet and dragged the door open, running out into the bright sunshine. The distant perimeter of jagged green blurred behind tears as she ran. Luc loved her. He was trying to sacrifice himself to save her. She couldn’t let him suffer like that. Not for the sin of loving her.
Her sneakers dug into the earth, and her heart beat painfully as she ran. Behind her, the sound of Luc’s feet hitting the wood of the porch spurred her on. She fought the urge to turn as he screamed her name. She didn’t want to see his face. Esther couldn’t bear to see the pain there.
The footsteps pounded closer. “Esther, don’t do it!”
She sobbed, digging down deep for the courage to run harder, faster, toward the horror on the other side of the protective circle. The closer she got to the perimeter, the thicker the evil coating the air. Menace clogged the atmosphere there, cloaking the sun and dragging against her as she ran. The grass beneath her feet crackled, seared and dry from the heat, and the bushes dripped with something slimy and thick.
The stench of Hell clogged her throat, making it hard to breathe. A constant, threatening rumble made her stomach twist. Esther intended to fling herself through the bushes. She wouldn’t hesitate, wouldn’t slow for fear she’d change her mind. Something terrifying waited just beyond the bushes to rip her into pieces and send her back to Hell. She had no doubt she’d spend the rest of her days in the fiery pits.
Stars burst before her eyes. Her step faltered. Esther tripped, falling through the bushes just as a strong hand grabbed her arm and wrenched her backward.
She cried out even as a sense of relief razored through her. She turned to see Luc’s treasured face, his eyes dark with pain. Tears spilled down her cheeks. He’d saved her… Luc loved her and he’d saved her again.
Esther started to smile.
Just behind her, a roar sent putrid breath scouring across her skin. She began to turn as a massive snout speared through the bushes, teeth snapping, and showered her with acidic saliva. A knife-like vise closed over her arm, jagged agony made her scream, and she was ripped backward, through the perimeter. The only thing she heard as the bushes snapped shut again was the sound of Luc’s horrified shout ringing in her ears.
Chapter Nine
Luc roared in frustration as Esther was ripped from his grip. When she’d opened the bushes, she’d broken the circle that was keeping her safe. The high-pitched, terror-stricken sound of her screaming brought him tearing through the hedge behind her.
“Briathos!” Luc threw himself on the first gargoyle, dragging it off Esther. He flung the thing away, sending it soaring through the air and into the circle, where the monster screeched in horror as its thick hide melted under the protections he’d woven into the circle.
Luc turned, his heart breaking in his chest. Esther had stopped screaming, a terrible sign. She was buried under slavering gargoyles, and all he could see were her feet. Her small sneakers twisted as the monsters ripped at her, her silence even more terrifying than her screaming had been. Luc roared in rage and fear, lunging toward the creatures.
He flared up and grabbed the first ’goyle, wrapping it in a crushing grip as his fire burned into the howling creature. When it went limp he flung it away and grabbed another. As he dragged the gargoyle off Esther he sobbed.
She was a torn, bloody mess on the ground, her pretty eyes staring blankly skyward in death. Even while Luc grieved over the way she’d died, he knew her soul form would appear soon, and he needed to finish off the monsters before it did.
If the dark creatures extinguished her soul form, Esther would be gone forever.
The last gargoyle chewed noisily on Esther’s body as Luc ripped it free, flinging it over the bushes to die a horrible death.
Luc knelt beside Esther’s body, gathering it close. “I’m sorry, Esther Egg. I should have stopped you.”
White light flared behind Luc but he didn’t look up. “You took your damn time, Bri.”
“If you are intent on doing this thing, I had preparations to make.”
Luc looked up, tears blurring his vision. “You’ll do it?”
“I’ll attempt to, yes.”
Luc lowered his head, pulling Esther closer. He’d never get the sight of those monsters chewing on her lifeless body out of his mind. What a horrible way to go.
“Luc?”
He looked up as Briathos stepped between them to hide Esther’s bloodied corpse from her soul form. “Esther Mooring, I am Briathos, your guardian angel. I’ve come to carry you into the light.”
Luc placed her body behind a bush and stood, forcing his features into a mask of indifference. He nearly lost his resolve when he looked upon Esther’s beautiful, confused face. “Go with Bri, Esther Egg. He’ll take good care of you.”
She blinked, frowning. “What? Why, Luc? Shouldn’t you be taking me before the assembly?”
“No. I’m not going to let them torture you anymore. In Heaven you’ll be safe and free from the ugly cycle they’ve put you through.”
Briathos wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Come, child. Heaven awaits.”
The ground rumbled, and they all looked toward the horizon, where the sky had turned black and roiled with clouds. “The assembly’s coming. You should get going, Bri.” Luc avoided Esther’s gaze, not willing to see the hurt and confusion there.
Esther grabbed the angel’s hand. “No! We can’t leave and let them punish him.”
“Go, Esther!”
She shook her head, stepping away from Bri. “I won’t leave you to take my punishment, Luc. I refuse.”
Luc panicked. “Esther, be reasonable…”
“Don’t tell me to be reasonable. I thought you and I were partners. But you made plans without me. Plans to send me away. That’s bullshit, Luc. Don’t you even care what I want?”
Instead of answering, Luc looked at his friend. “Make her go with you, Bri.”
The guardian stared at Luc for a long moment, his expression thoughtful. Finally he shook his head and stepped back. “Nay. It’s enough that we a
re stretching the bonds by altering her contract without legal means. I’ll not take her to Heaven against her will.”
A tree branch snapped by on a roiling wind, hitting the bushes and spearing through. Leaves and dust spun as the wind picked up, bringing with it the sour stench of sulfur. The dark clouds in the distance had grown until they almost touched the ground.
“Esther, quit screwing around. The assembly is almost here. If you thought your situation was dire before, they’ll make sure it’s much worse now that you’ve run. They’ll need to make an example of you, honey.”
She bit her lip, watching as, one after another, the assembly judges stepped from the roiling clouds and strode toward her. Her stomach twisted in fear. The judges looked pissed. She was pretty sure they’d never been forced to come to the Earthly plane to fetch a soul before.
She glanced at the angel, wondering if she could stand living an eternity without being with Luc. The celestial creature stared back, a spark in one eye as if they shared a secret. Esther blinked, a thought occurring. She suddenly knew what they would do. Allowing a small smile to lift the corners of her lips, she shook her head. “I don’t need to go with Bri. I have an idea, Luc.”
“Esther!” Luc glared at her, obviously frustrated by her refusal to do as he asked.
Tension twisted between them. Esther put her hands on her hips and glared back.
The wind picked up, and a hunk of metal slammed into Esther. She exclaimed in pain and rubbed her thigh. Luc took a step closer. “They’re almost here, Esther. You’re running out of time.”
She held his gaze. “Do you trust me, Luc?”
He closed his eyes, no doubt remembering when he’d asked her the very same thing. Finally, he sucked in a breath and nodded.