“Thanks,” she said.
“Now, get to work,” he laughed as she grabbed her stuff and headed upstairs. The OB unit was quiet for a change. No one was in dire need of her, and no babies were pushing their way into the world right that moment. It was just as well, seeing as how she was late and arriving with stitches.
She briefly explained her tardiness to the nurses and then told them that if they needed her to page her. Elizabeth then took herself for a walk around the floor. She passed the nursery and stopped for a look at the babies she delivered the day before.
***
Ash hated to admit it, but Antonio had been right. Babies were very calming. Antonio was making goofy faces at one newborn boy and the child was watching him intently. “I thought no one could see us,” Ash said.
Antonio turned to look at him. “Normally they can’t, but babies always can. Don’t really know the whys of it, they just can.”
Ash looked at the baby next to him. She was in her little crib, sleeping away. Her mouth twitched every now and again and he wondered what a newborn would dream about. The whole place smelled like Johnson’s baby bath and powder, combined with the scent of what he could only describe as baby. Why did babies smell so good? He leaned down and breathed in near the little girl. She smelled wonderful….like flowers, sunshine, and happiness. Yeah, happiness. That was what babies smelled like.
Ash thought one day he would want a baby, but then immediately decided against it. He wanted a son, but who would be the mother? He didn’t want a family in the life that he led now. There was no room for that. He wouldn’t be able to give them the attention they would deserve.
Then he felt it. That string that pulled him yanked on him hard. He looked behind him and saw her. Elizabeth. She was walking outside of the nursery, just on the other side of the glass. His brain brought up images of her lying on her bed the night before.
“Let’s go,” Antonio said, taking Ash by the arm. “We need to get out of the nursery.”
“Why?” Ash asked.
“Because you have a nasty habit of getting visible at bad times,” Antonio answered him. “Just outside there.”
The pair left the nursery and got visible before walking back toward Elizabeth. Antonio’s heart jumped in anticipation. Maybe now the SOB would touch her. As they approached, Antonio could hear a low growl emanating from Ash’s chest.
“Dude,” Antonio said, “What’s with the angry dog impression?”
“What?” Ash barked at him. “You’re fucking nuts.”
“No,” Antonio differed, “you are growling. Stop it. And why?”
Ash looked at Elizabeth who just then turned to face the men. There was a cut on her head that had recently been stitched.
“Oh, I see,” Antonio said. “Hey, you go find out what happened and I will just stand here and look at the babies.”
Ash barely heard him as he stomped over to her. “Who did this?” he demanded. Ok, that was really smooth. Ash was pissed though. Someone had hurt her.
“Hello to you, too,” she smiled.
“Who hurt you?” he asked her.
“Oh this,” she said, raising a hand to her wound. “That would be me. I slammed my face in the car door this morning.”
“Then I shall rip the car to pieces. Mangle it beyond recognition. I will slay the beast that has caused you pain,” he said with a smile. What the fuck? He had been hanging around Antonio for too long.
Elizabeth laughed. “That is what I like about you guys,” she said. “You’re just so funny.”
“Seriously, though,” Ash said, “are you ok?”
“Yeah,” she told him. “Just a flesh wound. Your sister’s fiancé stitched me up.”
Ash nodded his approval.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Baby watching,” Ash told her. “Antonio says it’s good for the soul.”
“I think it is too,” she admitted. “That’s why I’m here. They always make me feel better; like I am at peace when I am surrounded by so much new life.”
“Oh, come on already,” Antonio grumbled.
“What was that?” Ash asked over his shoulder.
“Nothing,” Antonio replied with his head leaning on the glass.
Ash looked at the wound. It really wasn’t bad. That led to looking into her eyes and then down at her lips. He wanted to kiss her, he realized. He raised his hand up from his side, toward her face. He could already feel the skin of her cheek in his palm. She leaned her head as if to accept the touch he was about to deliver. He wanted to touch her. He needed to touch her. Just another inch…
What the fuck was he doing, he thought as he put his hand back down and shoved it in his pocket. First, he was watching her, now he was thinking about touching her. What had gotten into him? He had no right to touch her and really, he had no right even talking to her.
“Well, we should go,” Ash said quietly. A loud thump came from behind him and Antonio groaned.
“Ok, see you around,” she replied.
Ash walked past Antonio, who had a red mark on his forehead, and left the hospital, posthaste. He was pretty sure that he heard Antonio grumbling something about an idiot as he went.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Leanne was admiring her wedding dress as it hung in her closet. She didn’t dare take the bag off it for fear that it would somehow get dirty. When her doorbell rang, she went to answer it immediately. On the other side of the door was Elizabeth.
“I’m so glad you came!” Leanne said, pulling Elizabeth into her home. “I have to show you!”
“Ok, ok,” Elizabeth laughed as Leanne pulled her by the hand. She led her into the bedroom where the closet door was wide open. Hanging on the rod was a white garment bag.
“It’s finally finished!” Leanne squealed.
“Well, let’s see it,” Elizabeth said.
Leanne carefully unzipped the bag and pulled it away from the dress. It was a full-length gown with a mermaid bodice. Tiny little sequins were sewn into the bodice and the skirting was full, billowing out from the rest of it.
Elizabeth admired the dress. “Put it on,” she said with a sly grin.
“Help me?” Leanne asked.
The pair worked their way through the dress until it was on Leanne’s body. “I hope you have plenty of people to help you get this on for the big day,” Elizabeth laughed as she tried to straighten the skirts. There was just so much of it!
“I know right!” Leanne laughed.
Leanne was beautiful in her gown. After Elizabeth managed to get the zipper up and all the little buttons on the back fastened, Leanne twirled in a circle, giggling like a schoolgirl. Elizabeth squashed the tiny seed of jealousy she felt. Her friend was happy and she was happy for her. Now was not the time to dwell on all the things missing from her own life.
“I’m so happy for you,” she told her friend.
“Thank you,” Leanne beamed.
Elizabeth immediately thought of Ash and how he looked at her earlier that day in the nursery. She had thought for certain he was going to kiss her. He had even raised his hand to touch her, but then turned away at the last second. She wanted him to touch her.
“What is it?” Leanne asked, taking a seat on the bed. She brushed the skirts of her dress down in an attempt to wrangle them into submission.
“Nothing, why?” Elizabeth answered.
“Don’t give me that,” Leanne rebuked. “Come, sit. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
Elizabeth sat next to her and let out a sigh. “Can I ask you something?” she finally said.
“Of course,” Leanne smiled.
“Is your brother gay?” Elizabeth just blurted out.
Leanne choked on her own spit. “I’m sorry, did I hear you right? Did you just ask me if Ash was gay?”
Elizabeth looked down. “I know it’s none of my business, I was just wondering.”
Leanne laughed. “No, honey, he’s not gay. What on earth would make you as
k that?”
Elizabeth shrugged. “I saw him and his friend at the park yesterday,” she began. “I don’t know what I was thinking, but I touched his chest and he moved back away from me. Then I got to thinking, he is always with Antonio. I apologized, and even though Ash told me he was not gay, I saw them. When I was in my car, I looked back and they were nose to nose. Antonio was holding his face as if he was going to kiss him or something. I just looked away and drove off.”
Leanne laughed harder. “Oh man! I bet that went over well. No, he is straight. He isn’t much on relationships, but I have seen him with a girl a time or two.”
Elizabeth nodded. So it was her.
“Oh, I get it,” Leanne said with a grin, “You like him. You want my big brother!”
“No,” Elizabeth started to defend herself but Leanne would have none of it.
“Yes you do! Oh, my God!” she yelled.
“Ok, maybe I think he is attractive,” Elizabeth admitted.
“Pfft,” Leanne said. “I have eyes. Even though he’s my brother, I can see what other women see. That man is gorgeous.”
“Yeah,” Elizabeth grinned, “in a “let me crawl up your body and have my way with you” kind of way.”
“Ew, but I get it,” Leanne nodded.
“Sorry,” Elizabeth said. “I just find myself thinking about him a lot lately.”
“Can’t say I blame you,” Leanne told her. “He’s a great guy if you can get past the macho tough man act. He is probably the most selfless man I know.”
“Well, he made it pretty clear that he isn’t interested in me,” Elizabeth sighed.
“Not necessarily,” Leanne said, putting her hand on Elizabeth’s knee. “You just gotta try harder. He may be great, but he is also pretty dense. You might try hitting him over the head or something.”
Elizabeth laughed. It had been too long since she had laughed with another female. This girl talk thing was therapeutic.
“Well, this is convenient,” a man’s voice interrupted their conversation. Elizabeth and Leanne both looked at the source at the same time. “I thought I would only find one of you here, but look, there you both are! Saved me some trouble.”
The man was tall with dark hair and blacker than black eyes. “Let’s go ahead and get the pleasantries out of the way. You’re coming with me.”
“The hell we are,” Leanne said, standing along with Elizabeth. Each woman did her best to push the other behind her. “You can leave. I’m calling the police.”
The man laughed. “The police will do you no good,” he assured them. He moved toward them too fast for their eyes to track him. Then, he had a hand on each of their throats. “You ladies are going to do just fine,” he growled.
Elizabeth couldn’t draw in enough breath to respond, but Leanne could, and she used it to scream.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Elizabeth woke in what she could only imagine was the basement of an abandoned house. The air was thick and musty and it smelled of mold and decay. She opened her eyes a small slit and looked around. She was tied to a small cot in the corner of the room. There wasn’t a window that she could see. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she saw that she was not alone in the room. Leanne was chained to the wall adjacent to her.
Elizabeth tried to get up, but realized she wasn’t just tied to the bed; she was chained. Her wrists were crushed in metal handcuffs and heavy, thick chains secured her arms above her head. As she struggled, she realized that her feet were secured as well.
“Leanne,” she whispered. Leanne’s head hung to the side and her hair covered her face. “Leanne,” Elizabeth hissed.
“She is quite the heavy sleeper,” a man’s voice said cheerfully. “I’m sure she will wake soon enough.”
Elizabeth turned her head toward the voice and her breath caught in her throat as she swallowed a scream. The man was not a man at all, but a beast. He was tall and black with a huge horn on his head. A million questions were flying around in her head, but the one that troubled her most was why she wasn’t surprised by this?
“I know, I am nice to look at,” he grinned at her, revealing a row of razor sharp teeth. “But you are not for me,” he continued. “Marcus wants you.”
“Who are you?” she asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” he answered. He sat back in his chair as if he were debating something with himself. “Yep, I think I’ll wake my toy up now,” he declared and then stood. He walked over to Leanne and slapped her face. Hard. The smack echoed through the room. “Wake up, bitch,” he snarled.
Elizabeth watched helplessly as Leanne woke immediately and cried out in pain. “What the fuck?” she snarled at him. Then, Leanne really saw him–and she screamed her freaking head off.
“Ahhhhh,” the demon taunted her in a bad imitation of the scream. “Oh, help, help! The big bad demon is going to get me!”
“Leave her alone!” Elizabeth shouted.
The demon yanked his head around to face Elizabeth. “Don’t you worry,” he said to her, “you’ll get yours.”
“Fuck you,” Elizabeth shouted at him. “Leave her alone!”
The demon laughed and backhanded Leanne. Elizabeth cringed at the sound it made. Leanne’s head jerked to the side. When she raised it back up, there was fire in her eyes and she spat blood from her mouth in the demon’s face.
“Bitch,” it snarled at her, and then he hit her again. Elizabeth didn’t want to watch but she couldn’t look away. She screamed at the demon over and over, but he seemed to enjoy it. “Too bad your brother is too weak to come and save you,” it growled at Leanne.
Leanne raised a brow at the demon. Her expression was a challenge to the demon, and it knew it.
“Why don’t you call for him?” It smacked her again. “Call for you brother. The big, bad, Ash. He won’t hear you, though. He isn’t strong enough to find you.”
Leanne pressed her lips together. She wasn’t going to do anything the demon asked of her.
“Adule,” a sharp voice said, making Elizabeth turn her head. She had since closed her eyes, but now she opened them. “What are you doing?”
“I was just having a bit of fun with the sister,” he replied. “I don’t think she knows about her brother.”
The new man walked over to Leanne. If not for his black eyes, Elizabeth would have thought he was human. “Do you know what your brother has become?” he asked her. Leanne pressed her lips tighter together. She wasn’t going to say anything.
“It doesn’t matter,” the first demon, Adule said. “He doesn’t need to see the action, only the aftermath.”
“What are you talking about?” Elizabeth demanded. She didn’t know where the spark of courage came from, only that it was there. She figured they had been taken as some kind of torture for Ash, but what had he done? And what was he in to? Were they some kind of demon mob? Leanne was obviously not going to help them and Lord help her, she wasn’t going to help the demons either. She knew it right then; she wouldn’t do a thing to help them find Ash, even if it meant her life.
“Ah, my pet,” the human looking demon said to her. “Your mate is weak and we intend to exploit that little matter.” He turned and walked over to her. “But first, I intend to play with you first.”
Mate? What the hell did that even mean? “I’m not his mate,” she growled at him as he came closer.
“Oh, you are,” he said with a grin. “But he didn’t want you, did he? No. He sent you away.”
This guy was about two cards short of a deck. Elizabeth rolled her eyes dramatically.
“Spunky one, aren’t you?” he smiled. “No worries, I can beat that right out of you.” He sat on the edge of her cot and Elizabeth tried to move her body away from his, but she was secured tight and had nowhere to go. He raised his hand and she braced herself for the blow she knew was coming. Instead, he traced the side of her face with his fingertip. It was almost a loving caress, which in turn made her stomach threaten to heave.
“
Yes,” he said, turning more fully toward her, “I think I shall play with you before killing you.” He drew his fist back and punched her in the face. His knuckles cracked into her eye socket. Pain exploded behind her eye and she knew that her orbital bone was broken. He hit her with his other hand, matching up her eyes.
Elizabeth wanted to cry out, but she couldn’t. She wouldn’t. She could hear the first demon attacking Leanne, but there was nothing she could do. She was helpless and she hated it. Over and over, the demon struck Elizabeth, but she took it. She swallowed her cries of pain and she shoved the pain way down inside herself.
When he finally stopped, Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief. But he wasn’t finished with her. No, he was just getting started.
He shoved her legs apart and climbed between them. “You won’t be needing these,” he growled as he ripped her scrubs off her legs. Elizabeth knew she was going to have bruises on her legs from the material being yanked off. She also knew exactly what was coming next. She could barely see him through the swollen skin around her eyes, but she heard the unmistakable sound of a zipper going down. She closed her eyes and willed her brain to check out of the current situation. If she was going to survive, she was going to have to go somewhere else in her head.
She was almost calm, breathing in and out slowly, concentrating on keeping it together, when she felt the demon shove himself inside her. She felt the delicate tissue inside her ripping as he raped her. The pain was excruciating, but she would not give him the pleasure of crying out. She fought to keep control of herself, distancing herself from the reality of what was happening to her. She shut out the smell of his foul breath in her face, and she shut out the sound of his grunts. She shut out everything…. and eventually, even the pain. The last thing she thought before she slipped into unconsciousness was Ash, please help me.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Why can’t I see her?” Ash demanded.
“I don’t know,” Antonio answered him. “I can’t work that thing,” he declared with a wave of his hand toward the mirror.
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