The Keepers of Hell Box Set

by Danielle James

  Liam allowed her to ride out the waves of her orgasm but did not stop. He continued to eat at her like a starved man until she didn’t know how many times she had come.

  When he finally rose from her like Poseidon from the sea, Lacy couldn’t wait any longer. “Inside me now,” she demanded.

  Liam climbed up her body and positioned himself at her core. He pushed inside her slowly, cherishing the feeling of her body welcoming him home.

  Heaven. Liam had died all over again and went to Heaven.

  When he was seated all the way inside her, he stayed perfectly still. He wanted to remember this feeling always. This was where he belonged. It wasn’t but a minute before his body was moving on its own. He pulled almost completely out, then slammed his way back in. Over and over, he thrust inside her, filling her to the brink of pain and then retreating once again.

  “Fuck, Lacy,” he growled into her neck, taking the skin there and nipping at it lightly. “I can’t…” he wanted to tell her that he couldn’t hold back any longer, but he couldn’t form the words.

  “Don’t hold back,” she told him, sinking her nails into the skin of his back. “I want all of you.”

  Liam couldn’t have kept his control any longer if he tried. He thrust wildly, slamming the bed against the wall and growling her name until the pressure was too much and he had to let go.

  He reached between their bodies and flicked at her clit, sending her over the edge once again. Her body clamped down on him and Liam finally let go and joined her.

  ***

  Liam woke sometime later with the distinct feeling that they were not alone. He opened his eyes and saw the silhouette of a man standing at the foot of the bed. “What the…”

  “Hello, my child,” the man said.

  Liam jerked upright and pulled the covers over Lacy, who was still sleeping at his side. “Who are you” he asked, “and what are you doing here?”

  The man stepped closer to the bed and Liam could see him clearly, as if he stepped out of a shadow and into a brilliant light. He was tall and athletic looking, with short blond hair and clear blue eyes. He appeared to be young, but his eyes spoke of an eternity of knowledge and grace. The more Liam stared at him, the more he began to realize that the man wasn’t standing in a light, but the light was coming from him. “I think you know,” the man said.

  Liam knew. The answer was standing right in front of him. But for whatever reason, his brain was not getting with the program. He reached to his side without taking his eyes of the man in front of him and gently shook Lacy awake.

  She groaned and rolled over, but finally woke up. When she saw the man, she sat up and yanked the covers up to cover her breasts. “Oh, my God,” she breathed.

  The man chuckled. “Yes,” he said. “There is no need for modesty; I saw it all the day I created you.”

  Lacy stared at the man who was so beautiful and so awe-inspiring. He looked like any other man, and yet – didn’t. His light shone from the inside out and with it, He brought love and forgiveness with just a smile.

  “You… you are…” Lacy stammered.

  “Beautiful, strong, and smart,” He said to her, “but not the most articulate today.”

  Liam’s heart raced in his chest. This was it. He was here to judge Liam, and it was time to go back to Greed.

  “Why would I do that?” He asked Liam, as if he had spoken his concerns aloud.

  Liam scrambled off the bed and dropped to his knees on the floor. He placed his hands on the floor in front of his knees and bowed his head. “Father,” he said softly. “I know that I did some very wrong things. I spent more time than I can count in Greed where I belonged. I got out, but I have done it again. I have taken what I wanted and I am prepared to accept my consequences.”

  God took two steps to stand in front of Liam. “Please, my child, rise.”

  Liam stood and met the eyes of his creator. He expected to see judgment and anger for the sins he had committed, but that was not the case. He saw love, kindness, and forgiveness. God laid His hand on Liam’s shoulder and smiled. “You have done your time,” He told Liam. “And to take the one you love above all else and become one with her is not a sin. I knew that you would one day fall for this woman, and I always intended things to be this way. Why would I punish you for doing what I created you to do?”

  Liam didn’t understand. “I’m not going back to Greed?” he asked.

  God shook his head. “No. In fact, I think Ash may have a purpose for you yet.”

  Then He turned his attention to Lacy. “Everything that happens in life is part of your path. You were destined to be here. Not for your sins, but for your love and compassion. You were meant for this job, Lacy, and I know you will make me proud.”

  “I killed a man,” she whispered.

  “You didn’t do it with malice or with vengeance,” He reminded her, “and I do believe you asked for forgiveness. One hundred and sixty seven times, to be exact.”

  “I also interfered with your design,” she told Him. “I used my ability to influence a man’s family to let him die.”

  God cocked his head to the side and studied Lacy for a moment. “I gave you a wonderful gift,” He finally told her, “and I expected that you would use it. All things happen for a reason, and I knew you would use it correctly. You are not only in tune with the emotions and feelings of others, but can help guide them to the path for which they are meant to travel. You did exactly what I intended for you to do.”

  “Thank you,” she told Him.

  God smiled. “Be well, my children. Be strong. You are stronger together and all is how it should be.”

  And then, He was gone.

  “Can you believe that just happened?” Liam asked her.

  Lacy shook her head and stared into the eyes of the man who meant for her. Lacy now knew that she had never been in love with her husband. She hadn’t known what love really was until the day she met Liam. She had no idea then that he would not only become her most trusted friend, but her lover and her mate. He was so much more than that, though. He had taken her heart, broken so long ago, and stitched it back together again. He taught her what love really was. He helped her to believe in herself and mankind again. He was her dark, her light, her world. He was her happiness and her strength. She only had to die to find him. He was the other half of her soul. But Liam was so much more than that. He was her absolution.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Lacy flew through the clouds with Liam at her side. He held her hand tightly, trusting her not to let him fall. And she wouldn’t. She would always be there for him, no matter the cost. A smile lit his face and Lacy’s heart filled to bursting with the love she felt for this man.

  The man who had worked his way out of Greed and now stood by her side. He was settling into his new role in Hell as the keeper of Wrath. Lacy knew that he would be excellent at his job. The man didn’t know how to fail. The new recruit that Ash picked up was Jensen, and he was the new keeper of Murder. Now, the only sanction that was in suspension was Greed, and that was because Shelly was protected by the cage. She couldn’t run her sanction from there, though. But Lacy knew that as soon as they found Balthazar, she would go back to her realm and things would go back to normal. Not that Lacy knew what that was. As far as she could tell, Hell was in a twist before she even arrived.

  They searched for Balthazar on a daily basis, but their only means of finding him was to scry with Shelly’s blood. Jake didn’t react very well to seeing his mate being cut, and it was a fight just to get enough for scrying. Of course, every time they thought they had a lead on the demon, he would be gone by the time they arrived. Laura wasn’t proving to be any help either. She stayed in her prison, right next to Shelly, in the cage. She refused to talk, and Ash’s patience was running thin. Lacy thought he only left her alive because Shelly was doing a good job of breaking the witch down with her constant poking and prodding at her. Only time would tell on that front.

  Lacy knew th
ere was a fight coming and she worked hard every day to prepare herself for it. Liam worked with her closely, helping her to hone her gift and to control it at will.

  She had been to see Lucas several times since the first time and finally, his family agreed to let him go. It really was the kindest thing they could do for him. Lacy hoped that his passing would be painless and easy for him. At least, until he got to Hell.

  She had also been to check on Jamie. Ash had told her that there were big things in that boy’s future, and she believed him. The child had grown even more and filled out into a healthy adult. He had enlisted in the Army and Lacy couldn’t have been more proud.

  Overall, things were at best calmer than they had been. They were still on the hunt for someone who could not only close the portal Balthazar opened, but to destroy it, so that it could never be opened again.

  “Are you ready to head home?” Liam asked from beside her in the clouds.

  “I think we should,” Lacy told him. Seconds later, as if Liam knew what was to come, Lacy felt the familiar pull inside her that meant Ash needed her back in Hell.

  She stopped beating her wings and went vertical, taking Liam with her. She wrapped both of her arms around her mate and kissed his lips as she flashed them back to Hell.

  Epilogue

  Who knew the light at the end of the tunnel was real, Lucas thought as his body spiraled toward it, out of control. Lucas had no way to slow down and definitely no way to stop it. His body morphed to his wolf and back to human again so many times that he lost count. His wolf howled and Lucas shouted at the same time.

  As the tunnel got shorter and the light got brighter, Lucas began to feel a bit of peace. That is, until he got close enough to see that the light was coming from a wall of flames. Well shit.

  The tunnel dumped Lucas unceremoniously onto a solid floor and he landed with an ‘oomph’. He shook his head and saw that he was sitting on the floor of a cave, or something like it. All except the wall of fire he was facing. There was no fire in Heaven, was there? No. This wasn’t Heaven. Lucas knew he was hell bound, but some part of him wished otherwise. Where else would one go who had taken the lives of so many?

  “I don’t think I will ever get tired of watching that,” a man’s voice said.

  Lucas turned his head to see a huge brick wall of a man standing to his left. His hair was dark and cut short, his hands on his hips, and a pair of huge black wings rested at his back.

  “Maybe you could switch back to your human form so we could talk?” the man said.

  It was at that point that Lucas realized he was the wolf. He turned his head back and forth, noticing that he had instinctively backed himself into a corner. There was nowhere to go. Lucas crouched down and raised his hackles. A low growl reverberated up from his chest. He didn’t know who this man was, but he was menacing as fuck and his wolf was wary.

  The man raised an eyebrow at Lucas’s growl and stepped forward. His eyes, which were blue, changed in front of Lucas. They went from serene to blazing hot red. They were the things nightmares were made of. They glowed red like rubies and spoke of power beyond anything Lucas could comprehend. “I am the Alpha here,” the man said. “Human. Now please.”

  Lucas pulled his magic and shifted back to his human form.

  “Before you go making any assumptions, I am not a demon,” the winged man said. “I have an offer for you.”

  Of course he did. “Demons make deals,” Lucas said, rising to his feet. Feet? Whoa, he had his feet back. After doing a quick inspection, he had all of his limbs. And his voice. How the fuck did that happen? A little part of Lucas did a happy dance in his head. He was whole again! He was whole, and he was pretty sure he was in Hell. Damn if that didn’t deflate his party pretty fucking quickly. He guessed he hadn’t asked for forgiveness fast enough.

  “Yes, the spirit is free of the body’s imperfections,” the man said. His eyes had returned to the serene blue they had been before, but Lucas was still wary of him. “Now, back to the offer. I need someone to work for me, as a member of my Elite Guard, to help keep the peace around here and help keep everyone safe. We have a situation at hand and we could use someone like you.”

  “Who are you?” Lucas asked him.

  “I lead Hell now. Quick history lesson. Lucifer is no more and neither is his son. I’m in charge and I do things differently. Now, are you in or out?”

  Lucas shook his head. “In or out of what?”

  The man rolled his eyes. “Do you want to work for me or not? I’m on a bit of a time schedule here,” he said impatiently.

  “What if I don’t?” Lucas asked him. Why should he work for a demon? And why was the guy being so nonspecific?

  “I am not a demon. Angel. Wings. Come on now,” the man said with exasperation. “And if you don’t want to that’s fine. You will go on to your eternity.”

  “Which is?” Lucas wondered aloud.

  The angel shrugged. “I don’t know that. I don’t want to know. I wouldn’t want to influence your decision in any way. It must be your choice, made freely.”

  Lucas had a choice on his hands. Did he agree and work for this angel? Did he risk not doing it? “What if I do it and change my mind?” he asked.

  “You always were a sharp one,” the angel said. “You can go whenever you want. Your eternity will wait for you to get there.”

  Lucas didn’t really see where he had a choice in the matter. He knew he would burn for the lives he took if he didn’t agree. It couldn’t possibly be worse than being trapped in his own body. He took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ll do it,” he said quietly, hoping he wasn’t making a mistake.

  The angel grinned and his eyes changed from red back to blue. “Great.” He held out his hand and Lucas took it. They shook while staring at each other. “My name is Ash and I’m in charge here. Welcome to Hell.”

  Reclamation

  Copyright 2015 © Danielle James

  All Rights Reserved

  Reclamation is a work of fiction. It should be treated as such. Even though there may be references to real places or events, it is all a figment of my imagination. Thanks.

  Reclamation

  Keepers of Hell Book Five

  By Danielle James

  Introduction

  Who knew the light at the end of the tunnel was real, Lucas thought as his body spiraled toward it, out of control. Lucas had no way to slow down and definitely no way to stop it. His body morphed to his wolf and back to human again so many times that he lost count. His wolf howled and Lucas shouted at the same time.

  As the tunnel got shorter and the light got brighter, Lucas began to feel a bit of peace. That is, until he got close enough to see that the light was coming from a wall of flames. Well shit.

  The tunnel dumped Lucas unceremoniously onto a solid floor and he landed with an oomph. He shook his head and saw that he was sitting on the floor of a cave, or something like it. All except the wall of fire he was facing. There was no fire in Heaven, was there? No. This wasn’t Heaven. Lucas knew he was hell bound, but some part of him wished otherwise. Where else would one go who had taken the lives of so many?

  “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of watching that,” a man’s voice said.

  Lucas turned his head to see a huge brick wall of a man standing to his left. His hair was dark and cut short, his hands on his hips, and a pair of huge black wings rested at his back.

  “Maybe you could switch back to your human form so we can talk?” the man suggested.

  It was at that point that Lucas realized he was the wolf. He turned his head back and forth, noticing that he had instinctively backed himself into a corner. There was nowhere to go. Lucas crouched down and raised his hackle as a low growl reverberated up from his chest. He didn’t know who this man was, but he was menacing as fuck and his wolf was wary.

  The man raised an eyebrow at Lucas’ growl and, instead of backing off, he stepped forward. His eyes, which were blue, changed in front of Lucas. The
y went from serene to blazing hot red. They were the things nightmares were made of. They glowed red like rubies and spoke of power beyond anything Lucas could comprehend. “I am the Alpha here,” the man growled. “Human. Now, please.”

  Lucas’ wolf bowed its head in acknowledgment of the Alpha standing before him and then he pulled his magic to shift back to his human form.

  “Before you go making any assumptions, I am not a demon,” the winged man said. “I have an offer for you.”

  Of course he did. “Demons make deals,” Lucas said, rising to his feet. Feet? Whoa, he had his feet back. After doing a quick inspection, he realized that he had all of his limbs. And his voice. How the fuck did that happen? A little part of Lucas did a happy dance in his head. He was whole again! Arms, legs, a voice, and his wolf! He was whole, and he was pretty sure he was in Hell. Damn if that didn’t deflate his party pretty fucking quickly. He guessed he hadn’t asked for that forgiveness fast enough.

  “Yes, the spirit is free of the body’s imperfections,” the man said impatiently as if he had read Lucas’ mind. His eyes had returned to the serene blue they had been before, but Lucas was still wary of him. “Now, back to the offer. I need someone to work for me, as a member of my Elite Guard, to help keep the peace around here and help keep everyone safe. We have a situation at hand that we could use someone like you for.”

  “Who are you?” Lucas asked him.

  “I lead Hell now. Quick history lesson. Lucifer is no more and neither is his son. I’m in charge and I do things differently. Now, are you in or out?”

  Lucas shook his head. Could this guy be any more vague? “In or out of what?”

  The man rolled his eyes. “Do you want to work for me or not?” He was getting impatient and it was evident in the tone of his voice.