The Keepers of Hell Box Set

by Danielle James

  The amulet that she had personally spelled for Ash so long ago was inside. It was a portal of sorts, and she knew exactly how to use it. Laura lifted the rope chain over her head and let the heavy blue stone settle between her breasts. She wrapped her hand around it and chanted the spell that would take her to Earth. Those damned angels were getting her help whether they wanted it or not.

  Chapter Thirteen

  They all materialized in the same meadow that Balthazar had used to create his gateway between Hell and Earth. The portal was now destroyed, and the ground was black from its damage. Ash had grown to hate this particular place.

  “Over there,” Kaia said, nodding her head to the east. Balthazar was having a meeting of sorts with his horsemen and had yet to notice the angels’ arrival.

  “Fuck,” Ash cursed under his breath. They were not expecting the horsemen.

  “What do we do?” Lacy asked.

  “Follow the plan. Nothing changes,” he told them all. “This ends today.”

  “Did you think to control us?” War shouted at Balthazar. “Stupid demon. Your arrogance will be your downfall.”

  “I set you free,” Balthazar countered. “You will serve me.”

  “I serve no one,” Pestilence argued. “I played your game because it was fun at first, but now, you are no longer needed.”

  “I say we kill him now,” Death offered.

  “No,” Famine said. “Let him suffer our wrath.”

  The angels could hear this conversation and set to attack while they were distracted. Ash gave the silent command for them to form a circle around the group, and his Guard followed without discussion.

  As they flew into place, War looked up. “It would appear that we have company.” He grinned, all too ready for a fight.

  Ash looked to Lacy, who nodded and set her power free on the demon and the horsemen. At first, they didn’t know what was happening. Pestilence and Famine seemed confused, but Balthazar and War were angry.

  “You can’t control me, angel,” Balthazar hissed at Lacy before throwing a ball of energy at her. Lacy ducked to the side and the ball narrowly missed her head.

  “Go!” Ash shouted and the angels descended on the group. Jake snapped his fingers and the tip of his first finger lit with a small blue flame. He pointed at Balthazar and the flame jumped off his finger onto the ground. It raced toward the demon, growing in size and intensity as it went. The demon snarled and threw an energy ball at Jake, but Ryver intercepted it. She caught it in her hand and flung it back at him.

  Balthazar howled in pain as his own magic seared his flesh. He regained control and pressed his lips together before saying, “I hope you can do better than that.”

  Jake’s fire surrounded him, cutting him off from the horsemen who stood by watching.

  Lacy turned her attention to the horsemen. “Fear,” she growled.

  Pestilence looked to his left and then his right, and Lacy knew he was feeling the effects of her power. She looked to War, who was unaffected. “Silly girl,” he said to her. “War has no fear.”

  She stared him down and said, “Love.”

  War looked surprised for a moment, and his horse dropped its head and whined.

  Lacy turned to Famine. “Confusion,” she said.

  Famine trotted his horse back and forth, uncertain what to do.

  Then Lacy turned to Death. “Regret,” she said, willing the emotion at him.

  Death didn’t understand the feeling he was having. He wanted to kill, yet it broke his heart to think of doing so. Death didn’t love, did he? Did he even have a heart? He felt an incredible weight of regret wash over him, leaving him paralyzed for just a moment.

  That was all they needed. “Go!” Lacy shouted.

  Lucas ran into the meadow in his wolf form, nipping at the horses’ flanks, forcing the horsemen to struggle for control of their steeds.

  Antonio was being, well, Antonio. He was dressed in full battle gear, chain mail on his chest and a steel helmet over his head, brandishing his enormous sword at any and everything. A dozen or so minion demons had come out of the woods, and he was having entirely too much fun dispatching them one at a time. He laughed and whooped with each minion he took out, but more took their place. They were like cockroaches coming out of the cracks.

  Jamie had taken to helping Antonio for the time being, crushing minion demons with his fists. He wished that he was having as much fun as Antonio was, but he found that he was better at hand-to-hand than using a sword. He was covered in demon goo, but he kept fighting.

  Kaia focused on everyone in her team. She remained high in the sky, feeling guilty about not actually fighting, but she knew that her gift was important to each and every one of the Guard. She pushed her protection forward, doing her best to encircle each angel with it. She paid particular attention to Ash, Ryver and Jake, who were focusing on Balthazar. They had to get close enough to hit him with the potion. The others were doing a bang up job keeping the horsemen occupied.

  Ash growled and let his fury grow. He had a love/hate relationship with his powers. He loved that he could be damn near invincible when the occasion called for it, loved the way it made him feel, loved the utter and complete satisfaction it brought. Ash hated it, too, because he knew all too well how easy it would be to fall prey to his own power and to be lost to the darkness it brought with it.

  He stomped toward Balthazar and let the fire consume him. “It is time,” he growled at the demon. “You’re finished here. This ends now.”

  “Not likely,” Balthazar called over the wall of flames that Jake had surrounded him with. The flames twisted and turned, swirling around him like a vortex. “But I do agree, this ends now.” The demon pushed his power out, snuffing out the flames Jake had created. He walked toward Ash. “I’m ready to put you out of my misery,” he said with a sadistic grin. “I have consumed enough human souls to keep me in power for centuries.”

  Ash cringed at the reminder of why Balthazar literally ate his victims, their souls gave him power. His stomach turned and he held his hands out at the demon. With his mind, Ash pushed his power out. Balthazar stumbled, but kept coming. Ash raised his hands, calling on more magic, more power.

  The sky filled with dark clouds, and lightning streaked across the sky. Balthazar looked up and smiled. “Impressive,” he said. “You gonna make it rain too?”

  Ash called the lightning and a bolt struck down, hitting the demon on the top of his head. The force threw Balthazar back and left a scorch mark on the newly grown grass. Balthazar shook his head, clearing the lightning induced fog and got to his feet. “Is that all you’ve got, angel?” He sneered.

  Ash’s lips broke into a twisted smiled, and he did it again. And again. He used one lightning bolt after another to pummel Balthazar, knowing it took from the demon every time. The clang of swords in the background told him that his Guard had stopped distracting the horsemen and had begun fighting. He couldn’t spare a glance, though, because his focus was solely on the demon responsible.

  ***

  Laura remembered the meadow she found herself in. A memory flashed through her mind, twisting her gut and making her nauseous. The portal that she had helped to open was in fact, opening. A blast of energy seared the land, killing every human that was present. Ash had picked her up and wrapped his wings around her, protecting her from the blast. He saved her because he thought she would be of some use, but never the less, he saved her.

  Today she was going to make him happy he did so.

  She peered out through the trees and saw the angels, locked in battle. The sky was dark, like a raging storm that was about to open at any moment. Lightning flashed every couple of seconds, and Laura ducked. Damn it was close. Fire and smoke were everywhere, making it hard to see what was what. She saw the flash of a sword, and then she saw a demon on a black horse. She didn’t know which horseman was which, but it didn’t matter. She was going to find a way to put them back. Her mate was down there fighting, and she ha
d to help.

  Laura dumped the boxes onto the ground, lining them up. The first box belonged to Pestilence. The second, to War. The third was Famine, and last was Death. With their sides touching, the glittering design that Laura saw before lit up, glowing brightly against the dark golden box. The words were jumbled, in a language she did not know. As she stared at them, wondering how she was going to open them, the words began to move and reform. Each box contained a sentence and now, they were in English.

  Laura read them out loud.

  “The soul of hope … To imprison the damned … Cursed forever … Silenced by the lamb.”

  A high wind blew throughout the meadow, pushing the tops of the remaining trees over and getting the attention of the angels and the horsemen alike. The smoke and fire cleared momentarily, allowing Laura to see. Balthazar was down there too. Her stomach knotted as his face twisted into rage. He knew what was about to happen.

  All four boxes popped open.

  ***

  What the fuck was going on here? Jamie asked himself as the wind grew. The horseman he was fighting, War, reared back and his horse neighed frightfully. Jamie prepared himself to be trampled by the beast, but instead, it was being dragged backward by some unseen force. He looked in the direction of the wind and saw Laura standing just in front of the tree line. What was she doing here? Jamie knew he had to get her out of there and fast. He flashed to her and snatched her up.

  “Put me down!” Laura shouted. “I have to do this.”

  “Do what?” Jamie barked at her. “Get yourself killed?”

  “Listen to me!” she shouted again. “If you are ever going to trust me, then do it now!”

  Jamie was torn. He wanted to get his mate out of there, but as he looked into the meadow, he saw the horsemen being dragged away. Somehow, Laura was doing this. He saw Ash, locked in battle with Balthazar. “Fuck,” Jamie cursed. The other angels were locked in similar battles, fighting for their lives.

  “Go!” Laura told him. “Help them!”

  He looked at his mate, searching her face for answers. He didn’t like any of this. Something told him no matter what happened, this was going to end badly. He heard Lacy scream, and Jamie knew what he had to do. Kissing Laura hard, he gripped her tight. “Be safe,” he warned before leaving her on the outside of the battle to go help his fellow angels.

  Jake had a line of fire, circling Famine, encasing him in flames. The horseman fought against the fire, but it was controlled by the angel. The horse stamped its feet, fighting the pull. Its hooves dug deep trenches into the ground. Jake was free from its hold.

  Lacy and Kaia were both fighting against Pestilence, the horseman having one of them in each hand. “I’m not going alone!” he roared. Jamie flashed to them and put a hand on each female. He flashed, taking them with him. He deposited the females near where Laura stood and went back into the fight.

  Ryver and Lucas were keeping Balthazar busy. Lucas had shifted into his wolf, a dark brown animal that stood nearly four feet tall on all fours. He had the demon in his teeth as Ryver blasted him with one magical shot after another. It wasn’t working, but it was keeping the demon from harming anyone.

  Ash reached for his blade, pulling it from the sheath on his hips. Every time he approached the demon, Balthazar threw an energy ball or something at him, forcing Ash’s retreat.

  Antonio was slicing and dicing minion demons by the dozen. No one knew where they all came from, assuming they were Balthazar’s followers. Jamie knew he had to do something before his team became overwhelmed. He ran to the center of the battle, still unsure of how to proceed. Where to start? The minions were coming faster than Antonio could kill them and soon they would be on the Guards. Jamie roared in frustration, kneeling to the ground. He slammed his fist into the earth, creating a crater in his wake. The ground began to shake violently and then opened up in a wide chasm. Jamie was momentarily shocked by his own display of raw power and then looked into the crack. Red hot flames awaited the minions that fell into it, falling back to Hell where they belonged.

  The wind picked up yet again and the four horsemen were lifted into the air. The wind carried them back to the tree line where their boxes awaited them. They swirled, becoming smaller and smaller, until they were nothing more than the mist surrounding them. Each was sucked into his own box and the lids closed as soon as the horsemen were contained. The boxes glowed with bright light, sealing them once again.

  The quiet that settled over the meadow was deafening. Balthazar roared in frustration and marched his way toward Ash. This was it. This was how it was going to end. Jamie knew better than to interfere, so he watched and prepared to see his new boss take out the demon once and for all. Ash held his sword at the ready in one hand, the Spear of Destiny in the other. The demon came at him full force, and from the look on his face, he intended to rip Ash apart with his hands. From the corner of his eye, Jamie saw Laura. She was running toward Balthazar and shouting at the top of her lungs.

  “Hey! You fucking demon! I’m the one you should be mad at! I put your horsemen back! I did it!”

  What in the actual fuck was she doing? From the look on all the angels’ faces, they were all thinking the same thing. Jamie and the others were stunned by her actions.

  “Stupid human,” the demon growled, turning his attention to her. He held out his meaty fist and curled his fingers tight, gripping her heart in his hand without actually touching her. She stopped running, held in place by Balthazar’s power while he crushed her heart.

  “No!” Jamie shouted and tried to run to her. His feet felt heavy and slow, no matter how hard he tried to get to her, he couldn’t get there fast enough.

  Laura had never felt pain like this before. Not just her chest, but her entire body exploded in it. She saw bright lights in her eyes and she gasped desperately for breath.

  “I should have killed you before. Now I will correct my oversight,” Balthazar told her with an evil grin. “After I kill you, I’m going to kill your precious angels.”

  “Now!” Laura managed to shout.

  Ryver appeared and smashed the vial of potion at Balthazar’s feet. Ash and his crew began to chant the spell that would strip Balthazar of his power, leaving him defenseless.

  “Power and glory Shall be no more,

  Taken from you

  And left you poor.

  To the rightful place

  Where angels sing,

  Death shall follow

  On swift wings.”

  Balthazar's entire body glowed red, and then it faded as quickly as it began. Forgetting about his human prey, he turned from her and snarled at the angels. Unaware that his power no longer held her, he marched to Ash, ready to fight. "I will kill you," he growled. Balthazar raised his hand as if to call on power he no longer had and Ash made his move. Instead of killing the demon, Ash grabbed his fist and twisted it behind his back. Ryver and Jake joined him, each holding one of the demon’s arms and Ash let go. He wrapped his arm around the demon’s neck, rendering him immobile.

  Jamie looked at his mate’s face, pale and yet so brave. How could this have happened? Dark, seething hate filled his veins as he looked at the demon responsible. “You did this to her,” he growled, walking closer to him. The angels held fast, forcing Balthazar to look at Jamie. “You corrupted her. You controlled her. You caused her more pain than any human should have to bear. You hurt her. You hurt my mate and now you will pay.”

  He looked at Ash and the angel nodded. “You’ll need this,” he said, tossing the Spear of Destiny at Jamie with his free hand. Jamie caught it and got right in Balthazar’s face. “Death isn’t good enough for you,” he growled, “but it will have to do.”

  The Spear of Destiny sank into the demon's chest all the way to the hilt. The one blade that could and would kill any source of evil. The blade that had been stained so many centuries ago with the blood of Jesus Christ still held all the power it had been infused with on that fateful day. The demon’s skin sizzled
where the blade touched it, the inky black blood bubbling and boiling from its touch.

  "I’ve never killed a demon before,” Jamie told him, enjoying the gurgling sound the bastard was making. Thick, black blood ran from the wound, soaking the demon and Jamie’s hand. “I hope that where you’re going, there is nothing. Nothing to gain and nothing to come back from.” Then, he forced the blade upward until it met the demon's throat. Jamie pulled the blade out and watched as the angels let go. Balthazar hit the ground and turned into dust. The wind scattered the remains of the evil tyrant until there was nothing left but a bad memory.

  Laura had managed to somehow stay on her feet until the danger was gone, but then her legs could hold her no more.

  “No!” Jamie shouted as he watched his mate’s lifeless body drop to the cold ground. He ran to her, tears streaming down his face. “Laura, no!” He skidded to a stop next to her body and scooped her into his arms. The light in her eyes had gone, leaving them cold and dark, staring into space. His first thought was to change her, make her a vampire whether she wanted it or not. But she was gone and he knew it. There was no way to change someone after the heart stopped. She was gone.

  “No,” Jamie repeated, rocking his mate’s lifeless body in his arms. “Why did you do that?”

  “She saved us,” Kaia said softly. “She saved us all.”

  The angels had gathered around Jamie and Laura, each doing their best to sort out what just happened. The wind had died off and the air became eerily quiet, as if death had come to the entire meadow.

  “I believe we all owe a debt to your mate,” Ash said sadly. “We misjudged her. I, especially, misjudged her.”

  Jamie looked up to Ash. “You didn’t know.”

  “She opened the boxes,” Antonio said. “There is a spell on the front of each box. Look.” He held one out to Ash.

  “This wasn’t here before,” he said.

  “No,” Antonio agreed. “The boxes had to be opened by the lamb, an innocent soul. According to the writing, an innocent soul must let them out and an innocent soul must put them back. Laura was innocent.”