The Keepers of Hell Box Set

by Danielle James

  ***

  Kaia stomped her way to Murder to find her husband. As much as she hated to admit it, that witch had ruffled her feathers. Now, she just wanted to find Jensen and go to the Playground to see Calli.

  She pushed the doors to the realm open easily and without reservation. She knew to expect the unexpected from having visited the other realms, but once inside, her heart slammed against her chest and Kaia had to resist the urge to run back out again.

  People, all shapes, sizes and sorts, were chained to the stone floor. Each one was being tortured or killed by something Kaia couldn’t see. There were black, inky blobs moving around, surrounding the tenants of this place, taunting them. Blood ran thick on the floor and Kaia pushed down the urge to vomit. How did her husband stand to be here every day?

  She needed a drink. No, no she didn’t. The urge to drink herself into oblivion had been miraculously absent lately, but one second in Murder and she was ready to crack a new bottle. I am no wimp, she thought. I can do this. Just find Jensen and get out of here.

  She forced her feet to move through the maze of bodies, looking only for one face. She stopped abruptly when one of the ink blobs appeared in front of her. It rose up from the ground and began to take the shape of a person. Soon, Kaia recognized the face. It was her own.

  “You killed me,” the blob-Kaia said.

  Kaia’s head began to feel loopy, even hazy. It was as if she had been drinking. “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “Sorry doesn’t give my life back,” it said to her.

  The loopy feeling progressed into full drunken mode. “What’s going on?” Kaia asked desperately. She tried to move but found that she couldn’t. Heavy steel shackles had appeared from the ground and secured her ankles. She was stuck.

  “You killed me,” the blob said.

  “Let me go,” Kaia slurred. She understood what was going on. She now felt the effects of the pills and alcohol that had ultimately caused her demise, but she was helpless to stop it.

  “You will pay,” the blob said.

  Kaia felt the world slipping from her and her legs would no longer support her weight. Was she going to die again? Was she stuck in the realm forced to relive her own death over and over again?

  She barely felt it as her body hit the floor. Her vision was so severely blurred that all Kaia could see were shadows. She closed her eyes, accepting her fate. This was where she was supposed to be after all.

  Jensen heard the sharp beep of his tablet, letting him know that an expected soul had arrived. He tapped the screen and then dropped it. Kaia was not supposed to be there! He turned and ran through the realm, shouting her name.

  When he saw her, she was lying on the ground, covered by one of the demons. “Get off her!” he shouted, but the blob demon didn’t respond. “Damn it!” he cursed. “Ash! I need help!” he called into the air, hoping his leader would hear it.

  He dropped to his knees and shoved the demon off of his wife and tried to pick her up. The shackles held firm, keeping her deep within the dying dream. “Kaia!” he shouted, his heart splitting in his own chest. He had to get her out of there before it was too late. “Wake up! Damn it wake up!” He shook her shoulders, but still got no response.

  Ash appeared next to him. “What’s going—oh fuck me, why doesn’t anyone listen?” He growled as he knelt down by their side. “Let her go!” he commanded to the realm. “This one is mine!”

  The shackles fell away and the demons backed off. Jensen scooped her up into his arms and high tailed it for the exit. Ash watched them go, shaking his head. Hadn’t he told her to stay out of here? Yes, he was certain he had. Next time, she would listen.

  ***

  Kaia could feel herself returning and realized that she was bouncing all over the place. She forced her eyes open and saw that she was in Jensen’s arms, and he was running for all he was worth. “Jensen,” she croaked out.

  “Oh, thank God,” he said on a heavy breath. “I thought I lost you for a minute there.”

  “What happened?” she asked. “Why are you running?”

  Jensen slowed his pace and looked down into her eyes. “I had to get you out of there,” he said. “Never come back in Murder.”

  What had happened came crashing back to Kaia with crystal clarity. Her heart sank. “I guess I really do belong in Hell,” she said sadly.

  “Only for as long as you believe you do,” he replied. He kicked the door open to their private quarters. “One day, it may not be that way.”

  He carried Kaia to their bed and laid her gently on top of the covers. He lowered himself down next to her, cradling her with his entire body. “I don’t ever want to lose you again,” he told her.

  Kaia understood that she couldn’t visit him at work, but she didn’t feel like she had lost anything by going there. Her life before death had been empty and cold, and now it wasn’t. She felt as if a significant part of her soul had been restored. As she lay there in Jensen’s arms, Kaia knew that she would take this second chance and hold on to it with both hands.

  Kaia knew that she had been dead inside since the plane crash. Ending her own life had just been the final step. Now, with Jensen at her side, holding her and loving her once again, she felt as if her soul had been reborn. She felt more alive in Hell than she ever felt in her life. She had an amazing job, she could see her daughter every day, and an incredible husband that she would never have to part from ever again. There was even hope that one day Jensen, Calli, and herself might all get to be together permanently. She may have lived and died on Earth, but coming to Hell had been her resurrection.

  Chapter Thirteen

  "It took some doing, but we finally cracked this bad boy," Antonio said with the flash drive in hand after materializing in the office. "You gotta see this." He helped himself to Ash's computer, pushing the drive into the USB port. After tapping at a few keys, he leaned back so that Ash could have a look at the files.

  "Are you fucking serious?" Ash asked with a raised brow. "Can they even do this?"

  "Apparently, they can," Antonio said. "They have an inside man, allegedly."

  "Wait," Ash told him, pushing Antonio aside and leaning in closer to the screen. "If Mr. Train wins, they are going to use this advisor, Mr. Talbot, to poison the entire dinner?"

  "Looks like botulin toxin," Antonio agreed. "It has some great uses, but when ingested it’s deadly."

  “And it would just look like a bad case of food poisoning," Ash noted. "It's really sort of genius and downright scary at the same time."

  "You ain't kidding," Antonio smiled. "At least we know how far this whole thing can go. I feel a little relieved."

  "Yeah," Ash agreed, "But I can't condone the killing of humans, even if they are bastards."

  "This still does not answer why he would even try for the presidency, though," Antonio said. "There is still more to this story, we just don't have it yet."

  "That is exactly what worries me," Ash replied. "I feel like there is this giant elephant in the room, except no one can see it for what it is. Everything feels off. Why would Balthazar give two shits about politics in the first place, and what does it have to do with us?"

  "Whatever it is, we have to figure it out," Antonio said absently, staring at the screen. "We have to."

  ***

  War sat atop his horse and stroked her fiery mane as he watched the people in Washington, D.C. turn against one another. The debate that Pestilence had started had just the effect War had been looking for. Each human had very strong feelings one way or another, and all they needed was a little push from War to break into rioting. At first, it was just a punch here or there, but now, the humans had pulled out their guns and knives, taking each other’s lives.

  He could have stayed and watched forever, but there was still much to be done. The day was wasting, and he had yet to see the west coast of the greatest nation in the world. He kicked his heels into the horse's sides and clicked his tongue, urging the mare to move on. They travele
d on the wind toward the west where new adventures awaited their arrival.

  Humans, in particular, were easily swayed and violent by nature. It wouldn't take much to incite all-out war on the streets. Toss in a natural disaster, and let the looting begin. Of course, there were also the politicians. War was an economic decision for them. Social media was going to be a great ally in his efforts. It would seem there was a story going around about the Russians and their super nuclear weapons and what direction they were aimed. A little nudge and the politicians would deploy troops to the borders of Russia. A cold war was only cold for so long before it turned very, very hot.

  War would do as Balthazar asked for the time being because it was fun. The demon who had freed him had earned his loyalty, for now. But there was a limit to what the horseman would do for another. Ultimately, it was only a matter of time before War would have to set that demon straight. War answered to no one, and the demon would learn that the hard way.

  ***

  "Ash!" Lacy called out urgently as she busted into his office. She turned on the television and pointed at it. “This is getting out of hand,” she said, watching the news unfold. Ash and Antonio were still at the desk, searching the internet for any and everything that might shed some light on the situation. Several other angels had joined the search, and they all joined Lacy in front of the TV. “First it was rioting, now there is a real threat of a cold war with Russia? Or worse? What the hell has the world come to?”

  “It’s because that man is running for office,” Kaia said. “He not only has the whole United States divided, but the rest of the world too. Love him or hate him, it seems humans are very passionate about their feelings.”

  “That’s not all,” Shelly pointed out. “The natural disasters are on the rise.”

  “That’s right,” Jake agreed, taking Shelly’s hand. “If I didn’t know better, I would think the end is nigh.”

  “Ha ha smart ass,” Lacy said. “Seriously though? What the heck?”

  Ash looked at the several screens in front of him. He studied each one, taking in the story behind the pictures. “Fuck,” he growled and then flashed away.

  “Where did he go?” Lucas asked.

  “I don’t know,” Elizabeth answered, “But I feel like you should follow him.”

  The six angels did as she suggested and followed Ash. They materialized on the top of a mountain in the Smokies. “What is it?” Kaia asked, standing next to her leader.

  “I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind,” he quoted. “Look.”

  Kaia looked up and saw that the moon was in fact, blood red. A meteor shower had begun and it looked like the stars were falling from the sky. “Oh no,” she breathed.

  “The earthquake, the disasters, the floods, the fighting,” Ash started.

  “Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer[i],” Kaia quoted.

  “When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him[ii],” Ash said.

  “Uh, I’m ashamed to admit that I am not real familiar with the Bible, but I am pretty sure those are quotes from it,” Lucas said. “What exactly does that mean?”

  “It means we’re in deep shit,” Jake told him. “It’s from Revelations. Referencing the end of the world and the four horsemen.”

  “No,” Lucas said with disbelief. “It couldn’t be.”

  “If Balthazar has learned the location of the four horsemen and let them out, it would explain a lot of things,” Ash said. “Like the weird presidential candidate that has an impressively large following for someone that people love to hate. And all the uprising and fighting. The natural disasters. It explains it all, really.”

  “How do we know if that’s what he’s done?” Kaia asked.

  “We get our missing guard, and then we find Balthazar before he can set the rest of the horsemen free, that’s what. And then we put them back. I don’t know how, yet, but I will. Trust me on that. I will find a way.”

  “We’re with you, boss,” Kaia said, and the other five angels nodded in agreement. Shit just got really real.

  Chapter Fourteen

  They all returned to Ash’s office and told the others what they discovered.

  “Ok, let’s suppose this is real. How the fuck are we supposed to capture and detain the fucking four horsemen?” Antonio demanded. “I thought they were separated and hidden away?”

  “They were,” Ryver said. “I wasn’t privy to the details, but I know my father was the one who actually hid them.”

  “Well, I’m sorry, but that doesn’t help a whole hell of a lot,” Jake snipped at her.

  “Calm down,” Shelly said to her mate. “It isn’t like she can just visit her dad and ask.”

  “There is someone who might know,” Ryver said quietly, pretending to study her fingernails.

  Ash’s head whipped around to her. “What?” he asked her. “Who?”

  “My brother,” Ryver answered. “Stephan.”

  “Oh, that’s just fucking great!” Antonio barked sarcastically. “Except there is just one problem with that. You see, after he killed Lucifer, he was hell bent on revenge against my family. We killed him, but before he was sucked into hell, my niece scrambled his brains. So even if we did know where to find him and asked him, who could be sure that anything he said was true?”

  “That’s how you got your job here,” Ash said, finally understanding. “You told me you helped with a little something, but you never said what. Now we know. You should have told us before.”

  “Told you what? That Stephan’s soul was rotting in the deepest, darkest depths of hell and that he was probably a vegetable? How would that be helpful?”

  “I still want to try,” Ryver said. “He may talk to me.”

  “And he might not,” Lucas said, taking her hand and squeezing it. “But it’s worth a try and I will be right there beside you just in case.”

  Ryver turned her face to her mate and smiled. “I can handle my brother,” she said.

  Lucas shrugged, “Maybe so, but you don’t have to. That’s the beauty of being mated to a wolf. I know you can fight your own battles, but you are mine, and I will always fight for you.”

  “Gag,” Antonio said, emphasizing the remark with coughing and gagging noises. “You two need a room? ‘Cuz the sap in here is so thick I barely breathe.”

  “Shut it, vampire,” Lucas growled at him playfully. “I bet no one could stand to be within a mile of you and your mate when you first met.”

  “It didn’t quite go down like that, actually,” Antonio said quietly. “Our relationship wasn’t all hearts and flowers at the beginning.”

  Kaia watched the exchange as Antonio briefly told the story of how he and Macy found each other. It hurt her heart to know that this amazing angel and his incredible mate had to die to find each other. She guessed it was a happy ending of sorts, as happy as they could be, but she wished for them to have had a normal courtship—dating, laughing, and going places together. She wanted for them the relationship that she had with Jensen.

  She had been a newbie at the Secret Service the first time she saw him. He walked into the same coffee shop where she had been going for years, wearing a worn-out denim jacket and blue jeans that hugged his ass in all the right places. Kaia sat at her table, sipping her espresso, watching as he ordered a regular black coffee. His hair just brushed his collar, and his shoulders barely fit within the confines of
his jacket. He was wearing beat up shit kicker boots that thumped with every step he took. He didn’t fit the profile of the kind of man that she would normally date or even find attractive, but then, he turned around. Kaia found herself staring into a pair of deep blue eyes that seemed to look right into her soul. She looked long enough to notice that even though he was young, about her own age, he had little laugh lines at the corners of his eyes. Her body reacted to him immediately and she had to cross her legs under the table to quell the immediate, intense ache that had formed.

  He started moving, and Kaia was sure he would walk out of the coffee shop, never to be seen again. Instead, he walked to her table and sat down across from her and introduced himself.

  “Hello?” Lacy said, waving her hand in front of Kaia’s face. “Anyone home?”

  Kaia shook her head to clear it, pushing those happy memories to the back for now. “I’m sorry, I guess I zoned out for a minute,” she said sheepishly.

  “Hmm,” Lacy hummed. “I would love to know what you spaced out on, because your face is flushed, and I am pretty sure it was juicy.”

  The blood rushed even faster to her face.

  “Yep, your face is just about the same color as your wings,” Lucas laughed.

  “Now, leave my wife alone,” Jensen said, taking her by the waist and pulling her to his body. “She can’t help it if I make her all hot and bothered just by being in the same room.” He accented it with a sharp slap to her ass.

  “Jensen!” Kaia squealed, smacking him on his chest. Jensen just shrugged and smiled in that way that made her want to melt all over again.

  “Okay, it’s time for you to get back to work,” Ash told Jensen. “We have our own work to do.”

  Jensen nodded and kissed Kaia quickly on her lips. “I’ll see you in a little while.”

  "Me too," Antonio said, "I'm going to see how Macy is doing upstairs."

  ***

  Ash led the way down to the deepest realm of the prisons in Hell. The air was thick with the smell of sulfur, hot enough to burn a human’s lungs, and so damned humid that one might drown on the liquid in the air. The caverns were dark, the pathway lit with only a few scattered torches on the wall.