The Keepers of Hell Box Set

by Danielle James

  Ash asked him if there was anything else when Marcus declared himself finished, but the demon just smiled at him. “No, Sir,” he said. “Just checking in.”

  Ash watched the demon leave and let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “I don’t like him,” Ash announced.

  “Me either,” Antonio agreed from his corner.

  “What exactly are you doing anyway?” Ash asked him. “Aren’t you supposed to be helping me? You have sat on your ass this whole time without saying a word. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, but if you’re going to be here, you could be doing something.”

  “I was doing something,” Antonio replied with a phony, hurt expression. “I was talking to my mate.”

  Ash raised a brow at him and Antonio tapped his temple. “We’ve got a connection.”

  Ash just shook his head. He hated to admit that he didn’t know shit about vampires or angels, much less hybrids. Hell, he didn’t know shit about a lot of things. “I want to check in on my fireman,” Ash said, standing up and stretching his back out.

  “Ok,” Antonio agreed. “Let’s do it.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Ash didn’t know how he knew, but after he flashed to Earth, he knew exactly where to find his fireman. Only this time, he wasn’t fighting a fire. Ash made himself visible outside of the brick building he knew his man would be in.

  “What the heck is this?” Antonio asked from beside him.

  “Beats me,” Ash remarked. “Sounds like there’s a crowd in there though. Let’s go check it out.”

  Antonio nodded and they both walked to the door that would take them inside. Ash tried to turn the knob but found it was locked. Just about the time he decided to break it, a huge man opened it.

  “What’s your business here?” he rumbled at them.

  Ash took in the guy’s appearance. Tall, burly, military style haircut. This guy was security. He looked past the guy and into the building. He listened to the gathered crowd and their chants, and what they were cheering about. “I’m here to watch the fight,” Ash responded.

  “What makes you think there’s a fight in here?” bouncer man asked.

  Ash shook his head. “Is everyone on this planet stupid? Why else would I come here?” he barked. “Let me in.”

  “The entry fee is twelve,” he said, “and you can’t just watch. You come in, you fight. Last man standing takes it all.”

  “Twelve?” Ash asked him. “As in dollars?”

  The security guy chuckled. “This is your first time isn’t it?” he asked. “Twelve hundred dollars. Cash.”

  Antonio stepped up. “I think this will cover it,” he said, handing the man a wad of cash. “We’re coming in.”

  The security guard looked them both up and down before nodding and taking the money. “Good luck. You may be new but I think you got a chance. Just watch out for The Flame. He’s vicious.”

  “Whatever,” Ash muttered under his breath as he pushed past the bouncer. They worked their way into the open space. Ash realized that the building used to be a warehouse of sorts, but had long been abandoned. Now, it was used for underground fighting. For money, apparently, and a lot of it.

  “Where did you get that kind of money?” Ash asked Antonio when they were clear of the guard.

  “I’m an angel,” he replied. “And so are you. We will always have whatever we need, whether it’s money, or food, or weapons.”

  “Just like that?” Ash asked. “It just appears?”

  “Pretty much,” Antonio said, taking a bag of popcorn off a counter and leaving a few loose bills in its place.

  “That’s convenient,” Ash replied.

  “Yep. So where’s our guy?” Antonio asked.

  Ash closed his eyes and “felt” the room. There were so many bodies it was hard to get a lock on him, but finally, Ash could see him. “There,” he said, pointing at the makeshift ring.

  Both men turned to look and sure enough, the fire fighter was in the ring. He was currently laying waste to another man with his bare hands. When the fireman hit the man with a hard right hook, he went down hard. He didn’t get back up.

  “And the winner is, the Flame!” a different man announced. “Who’s next to take on this one-man army? Who is not afraid? Who has not fought yet this evening?”

  Ash looked sideways at Antonio. “Oh no,” Antonio said, “I don’t think so.”

  “Come on,” Ash urged him. He was prepared to launch a full argument as to why Antonio needed to have his ass kicked by this mortal man, but a woman behind them did the job for him.

  “Right here!” she called out. “This one hasn’t fought yet!” she was pointing to Antonio.

  He shot her a glare before turning his attention to the ring.

  “Come on down,” the announcer said. “Or are you too scared.”

  “I ain’t scared of shit,” Antonio announced as he made his way to the ring.

  “Don’t kill him, I need him,” Ash said.

  Antonio replied with a one-finger salute over his head. Ash smiled.

  “And what’s your name?” the announcer asked as The Flame danced on his feet in the corner.

  “I am The Spaniard,” Antonio answered in a pretty good impression of Russell Crowe. Ash shook his head. That angel was a jokester, through and through.

  “The Spaniard!” the announcer shouted to the crowd. They responded with cheers and boos alike. Then he turned to Antonio and the fireman. “The only rules are; there are no rules. Fight!”

  Antonio didn’t even have time to prepare himself before the fireman was on his ass. A right hook rocked his teeth in his mouth. Antonio shook it off and started paying attention. He dodged the next two hits, but the fireman got him good with a roundhouse kick to the gut. Antonio returned blows but kept his strength in check.

  After ten full minutes, Antonio was done with it. He could have ended the fight, but Ash was right. They needed this guy, so when the fireman threw a serious uppercut, Antonio took a dive. He let his body fall to the floor and he stayed there long enough to make everyone believe he had been knocked out.

  Ash was impressed. Although he knew that Antonio had gone down of his own accord, the fireman had some skills. That would come in handy when his time came. He watched as Antonio was helped off the floor and the fireman put his hands up in victory.

  They stuck around and waited for the fireman to leave. Antonio had been the last of the fighters to take him on, so when he won, the fireman was granted all the money people paid to get in, less the organizer’s take.

  They went invisible and followed him right from the fight to a local casino, where he walked in and was greeted by the host. “Hey, Jake,” the man said. “Was it a good night?” So that was his name. Jake. Ash filed that information away.

  Jake smiled. “Damn good. Made a killing.”

  “So you came here to celebrate?” the host asked.

  “Plan on making it a spree,” Jake answered. He walked through the doors and sat at the craps table. Ash wanted to know more about him, so he walked up behind the man and put his hand on his shoulder. Everything he ever wanted to know about the man came flooding into his mind.

  He was single, but not by choice. His wife had left him because of what Ash had seen that night. He would fight for money to feed his gambling addiction. When he lost, he fought more. This was his sin. Greed.

  “So if this guy, Jake, doesn’t want to be on my Guard, will he go to Greed for eternity?” Ash asked Antonio after they left him.

  “Depends,” Antonio answered. “Every soul is given the chance to repent. Whether or not he does it is up to him.”

  “You think this one is redeemable?” he asked.

  “I don’t think you would have chosen him if he weren’t,” Antonio replied.

  Ash started to ask something else, but suddenly, he had to go. Like, right now. Leave. He had somewhere to be. Ash spread his wings without thinking and took off.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

/>   Elizabeth was sitting on a bench in the park next to the lake watching the children play. It was a warm, Saturday afternoon, and there were plenty of children to watch. She had always loved kids. Whenever she felt stressed, she liked to come here and feed the geese that made the little lake their home.

  She pulled the sleeve of crackers out her bag and opened it. The geese started making their way to her as if a dinner bell had gone off in all of their heads. She didn’t know how they knew the crackers were for them, but they always did.

  She got out one cracker and tossed it on the ground in front of her. A goose with a brown head gobbled it up and honked at her for more. Before long, there were seven or eight geese surrounding her. They were even taking the crackers from her hand.

  She sighed heavily. That damned sunken feeling had settled into her chest again, and she had no idea why. She hated depression. Her rational mind knew that she had a good life. She had a great job that she loved, a couple of good friends, and was out of debt. What more could a girl want?

  A man, maybe? Elizabeth wasn’t interested in any man, but that didn’t stop the loneliness from taking hold of her and hanging on tight. There was a big, black void in her life, and she didn’t know how to fill it.

  Maybe I just need to get laid, she thought. A night or two of hot, sweaty sex might help.

  She laughed aloud, but it lacked any humor or happiness.

  That would only help if she could find someone she was attracted to. She had even taken to checking out guys that rolled through the hospital. While she could say this one was cute or that one was sexy, none of them did anything for her. None of them had the effect on her that would merit taking her clothes off.

  But that wasn’t entirely true, was it? There was one man that made her heart thump in her chest. Ash, Leanne’s elusive brother. Which was ridiculous. She didn’t even know him. Even if she had saved his life, how many other people’s lives did she save? She chocked that up to a Florence Nightingale illness.

  Mental illness. Great. Just add that to her ever-growing list of personal issues.

  She had to snap out of the funk she had gotten into. She knew one day she would, but the wait was slowly killing her.

  ***

  Ash didn’t know why he needed to go to the park, only that he should go there. He had turned one hundred eighty degrees around and nearly left Antonio behind in his rush to get there. Maybe another future Guard was there. He didn’t know.

  He landed by the water and searched the park. There were kids everywhere. No way he was gonna mark a kid.

  “What the Hell?” Antonio huffed as he landed beside Ash.

  Ash shrugged his shoulder. “I don’t know. I just feel like I am supposed to be here,” he replied without looking at the angel.

  Antonio let his gaze travel over the park and the people gathered there. It took him all of two seconds to see what had called Ash to this place. Elizabeth, his mate, was here. Antonio knew eventually Ash would start feeling the pull, but he didn’t know when. Now was good, though. “I don’t see anything out of sorts,” Antonio said, hopeful that Ash would not agree with him.

  He didn’t disappoint. “No, there is something here,” he said. “I can feel it. Something that pertains directly to me.”

  Antonio hid his grin. “Oh, hey, isn’t that,” he said as he pointed in Elizabeth’s direction, “isn’t that your sister’s friend?”

  Ash followed the direction Antonio pointed. “Yeah,” he agreed, “I think so.”

  “Well, let’s go talk to her,” Antonio offered. “Might as well since neither of us knows what we’re looking for.”

  “I don’t think I am supposed to be here to socialize,” Ash said with exasperation.

  “I didn’t say socialize. I said talk. While we are talking, we can be watching for something to happen. Whatever has drawn you here might just make itself known.”

  “I guess,” Ash said. “Let’s get visible.”

  “Hide those wings first,” Antonio reminded him.

  Ash closed his eyes and willed his wings to disappear. Even though no one could see them, he could still feel them. It was pretty awesome. Then, he made himself appear to everyone who wanted to see him. Antonio did the same and they started walking toward the doctor.

  “Oh, hi,” she said as they approached. “What are you guys doing here?”

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

  “We were just hanging out, taking a walk,” Antonio offered with a smile. “Mind if we join you?”

  “No, of course not,” she said, scooting over to the end of her bench and making way for the men to sit.

  Ash sat immediately next to her and Antonio squeezed his ass in on the edge of the bench. “Sure is a pretty day,” Antonio mused aloud. Ash rolled his eyes. That angel was seriously gonna talk about the weather?

  “Yes, it is,” Elizabeth agreed as she tossed a cracker to the geese surrounding her. “I like it here.”

  “Me too,” Antonio said. He looked out over the lake and his eyes took on a faraway look. “Hey, I’m gonna go find a bathroom,” he announced suddenly. “Save my seat!” he leapt up and darted off on foot, leaving Ash and Elizabeth alone.

  She turned to face Ash. “So, how are you doing?” she asked. “How’s the chest healing up?”

  “Good as new,” Ash told her with a small smile. “You fixed me up good.”

  Elizabeth nodded. “Glad to hear it. Try not to get shot again, will ya? I’m not in the ER anymore to save you.”

  You will not die, Ash heard in his head again. He shook his head and focused. Dr. Rone was a pretty little thing, he noticed again. The sun was reflecting off her hair, making it shine. He could see that she actually had a hint of red highlights in it. Her eyes were a deep chocolate and framed by thick, black lashes. She didn’t wear any make up that he could see.

  “Hello?” she asked him. Oh shit, she had been talking to him while he was zoning out.

  “Yeah, I’m sorry,” he muttered. Man, he had to get his shit together or else he was going to miss the reason he came to the park in the first place. Didn’t help that he had no idea what he was looking for.

  “Where’d you go?” she giggled. “I thought I was the only one who could live in my own head.”

  “I’m afraid I’m pretty good at it,” he mumbled.

  “I was asking if you had much of a scar,” she reminded him.

  Ash considered raising his shirt to show her, but decided against it. “Hardly a scar at all,” he told her with a grin. “Thank you again for that.”

  Elizabeth nodded. Ash was larger than life; she couldn’t believe she was sitting here talking to him. His dark hair framed his rough face and rich blue eyes stared back at her. God, he was yummy. Wasn’t she just thinking she needed to get laid? She wondered if he would be open to the job. Just the thought of it made her heart jump and her insides tingly.

  She could just crawl right up that hard body of his and have her wicked way with him. Maybe even chain him up and hold him captive for a little while. His shoulders were broad and the t-shirt he wore stretched across his muscular chest, leaving little to the imagination. She wondered if it was as hard as it looked and subconsciously licked her lips.

  ***

  Antonio didn’t really need a bathroom; he just wanted to leave the pair alone for a moment. He had walked around the side of the public restrooms and made himself invisible. He watched as they both ate each other up with their eyes. It was like eye porn. “Come on,” he whispered, “Just one touch. You can do it.” He got closer and hid behind a tree. He didn’t really know why he was hiding since no one could see him, but it just felt right.

  ***

  She had to touch him, just to see. Just once. “Well, I’m glad I could help,” she said with a grin and then gently patted him on the chest.

  Holy cow, she could feel the heat from his body even through his shirt! Her brain took off on its own and she saw little flashes of that handsome face above hers,
eyes closed and mouth open in ecstasy. Her insides turned to mush and wetness pooled between her legs.

  She yanked her hand away and looked into his eyes. Eyes that were blazing back at her. Had he felt it too?

  Ash scooted back from Elizabeth. No, he didn’t feel what she felt. He didn’t like being touched. Smart move, she scolded herself. Elizabeth let out a heavy sigh. Then it clicked in her head. He was always with Antonio and never said anything about a girlfriend. Holy crap! He was gay. “Why are all the good ones either married or gay?” she grumbled.

  “I’m sorry, what?” Ash asked her. He didn’t know this woman from Eve, but damn if he didn’t want her to touch him again. And that was all kinds of inappropriate. He was supposed to be working, and where the hell was Antonio?

  “I was just saying that all the good ones are either married or gay,” Elizabeth repeated. “I’m sorry I touched you. I didn’t mean anything by it. Your boyfriend won’t mind will he?” she asked. “Or do you call him your partner? I don’t want to be politically incorrect.”

  Ash scrunched up his eyebrows. “Boyfriend? Partner?” he repeated.

  “Antonio,” she reminded him.

  Death. Slow and painful. That was exactly what the angel could look forward to when he came back. “I am not gay,” Ash said slowly. “And if I was, I would certainly pick someone less irritating than that man.”

  “Oh,” Elizabeth said with a molecule of relief. “Well, I should go,” she said. She stood and Ash stood with her. “Bye now,” she called as she walked away.

  ***

  Antonio was standing behind his tree, watching the pair. He had kept himself invisible so that he could be a voyeur without raising suspicions. When Elizabeth asked about Ash’s scar, he got excited. No doctor could look at his or her own work without touching. But no, that wasn’t what happened. Antonio banged his head on the tree. “Why, oh, why couldn’t you just have a Jacob Black moment and take the damned shirt off?” he growled. This was going to be harder than he originally anticipated. What did he have to do? Tie them together naked in a hugging position?