Only after I was convinced I was alone did I slide the dagger back into my bag and slump against the wall. The burns on my arm were throbbing and my limbs were trembling. I couldn’t wait to climb into Sam’s truck, blast the heater and take a deep breath of the air that still smelled like him. With that, my eyes filled with tears. I failed. Again.
Not liking the direction my thoughts were going, I straightened and dashed the tears away. So I didn’t have a plan to get Sam back. So what? I’d go with my back-up plan and just go down there and do what I had to do to break him out. If he had to be the one to get the Lucent Marble, then he had to be the one. Now, if only I could figure out when the next bus to hell was…
The ferry whistle blew, signaling it was ready to leave the dock. As we pulled away, I looked back at the island and the lights glowing in the cobblestone streets. It didn’t seem near as beautiful as when I arrived. I didn’t so much hear something but felt it and my body tensed anew. My eyes scanned the area, but there wasn’t anything there. I heard a low thud and I jumped up, still searching the shadows for something, someone.
I stood for what seemed like forever, waiting for an attack, but none came. Just as I was about to sit back down, there was a flash of something at the railing. The dagger appeared in my hand before I even thought about grabbing it. There was another thud followed by something slowly rising over the railing. At first, I thought it was a demon, but the hands that gripped the sides were much too human-looking, as was the leg that came over the side next.
Before I knew it, there was a wet slap onto the floor of the boat and a man stood up from his crouch. He was dripping wet with dark hair hanging in his eyes. His black T-shirt was soaked and sticking to every one of his chest muscles. His cut-off jean shorts were soggy with ocean water.
He hadn’t looked at me once, but he had to be aware of my presence.
I knew he was.
Because even in the dark, I could see that he had no aura.
I stopped breathing when he looked up. His eyes were as dark as his hair and I hadn’t known until this moment that people were capable of having such dark eyes. Something cold slithered up my spine.
He silently stared at me for a long moment before completely disregarding me and shaking like a wet dog. Cold droplets of water sprayed my bare arms. When he was done, he looked up. His hair was no longer in his eyes but standing out wildly around his head.
He took a step forward.
I raised the dagger.
He laughed and the bottom of my stomach fell out. This was the first person (demon, creature, alien?) who had ever laughed when threatened with a sharp weapon.
“Why don’t you put that thing away before you hurt yourself?”
“You just want me to put it away so I don’t hurt you.” I said, not lowering the blade.
He flashed a grin again, still not appearing threatened. I thought about stabbing him just to wipe that smirk off his face. But then he said something that got my attention. “You’re more bold than I remembered.”
“You know me?” I asked, suspicious. He just wanted me to forget he was threatening me.
“You don’t know me?” As he spoke, he came forward and grabbed the dagger out of my hand. I made a motion to grab it back, but he clucked his tongue and slid it into the back pocket of his jeans.
Well, crap. It worked. Anger flared through me and I threw myself at him, trying to reach around and grab what was mine. He actually chuckled and grabbed my arms by each wrist.
I glared at him, my breathing heavy and annoyed. The front of me was wet from when I threw myself at him. The sea air was blowing and I felt the first hint of a chill. “Give it back.”
“You can have it back after we talk.”
I had an uneasy feeling, but it never even occurred to me to be afraid. I was alone, in the dark, and in the middle of the ocean with someone with no aura who just disarmed me and was clearly ten times stronger than I would ever be. Still, I wasn’t afraid. I squinted up at him through the night, trying to figure out why.
He laughed again and released my wrists. “That’s better.” He seemed satisfied somehow that I was done attacking him. I wasn’t yet sure if what he had decided was right. I was still pissed that he took my dagger, Sam’s dagger.
“I want that back.”
“You’ll get it back,” he responded mildly and moved away, actually putting his back to me before sitting where I had been moments before.
“I’ve killed demons, you know.” I felt the need to point out I wasn’t as harmless as he seemed to think.
Under the light of the nearby lamp, I could see much more of his face. When he looked up at me, I was taken aback by how beautiful he was. His olive-toned skin was flawless, his lips were full and dark, and those eyes… those dark, dark eyes were accentuated by a slash of thick, dark brows that knew no order. But there was something about him that wasn’t beautiful… He was… dangerous.
He was dangerously beautiful.
“You’re a tough girl, I know.”
“How do you know?” I was suspicious instantly. He implied he knew me, but I was certain I’d never laid eyes upon him before. I would never have forgotten such dark beauty. At least, I don’t think I would’ve forgotten.
He smiled, making his eyes crinkle at the corners. “I saw what you did to those fishermen back there.”
“You were watching?”
“I was on the boat.”
“You’re a fisherman?”
“I was.”
“But you’re not now?”
“I have a feeling tonight was my last night.” My stomach flipped at his lowered voice.
“Who are you?” I squinted through the dark and rubbed my arms against the cold air.
“You really don’t recognize me?”
I shook my head slowly.
“The power of that guy still amazes me,” he said almost to himself.
“Who?” I asked, suspicious.
“Sam.”
“You know Sam?” I took a step closer, almost desperate for another link that would bring me closer to the man I loved.
He shook his head like he was sad, then stood. I looked at him warily, all my muscles tensing. His mouth tilted upward, noticing my discomfort, but he didn’t back away.
He stepped closer.
Then he held out an enormous palm. “Name’s Riley Stone.”
“Riley,” I murmured and slid my hand into his. His skin was warm and sent chills up my arm. I snatched my hand back and folded my arms across my chest as his name clicked into place. “I know you.” I had come here for him.
He smirked. “That’s right, sweetheart. Me and your precious Sam used to be roommates.”
Chapter Four
Heven
“You’re a hellhound,” I said.
“Clever observation,” he said sarcastically and returned to the bench. He was casual and nonchalant, but I was shaking like a leaf. It was windy out here on the water, and I was cold. That’s all it was. Well, that and the fact some guy just swam out to the ferry, hoisted himself over the railing, and disarmed me while I stood there blithering like a total ass.
“You’re one of the guys who attacked me back home?”
“If I had attacked you, you’d be dead,” he said without any emotion in his tone.
Okay, maybe they didn’t, but they wanted to. And who knows what he would’ve done if Sam hadn’t intercepted them. I’d been walking toward a trashcan to discard our empty Bubble Maineia cups when two men grabbed me from the sides and began talking and jostling me. It didn’t go any further because Sam intervened and I got in the truck. I watched in horror as they exchanged heated words until Sam threw a punch.
“Sam decked you.”
He shook his head, bewildered. “No, that was Casey.”
“Oh.” I looked around, expecting this Casey to come out of the shadows.
“He isn’t here.”
“Where is he?”
“Gone.”
“I don’t have friends. But we knew each other.”
Ah, yes. I finally understood that note Sam found telling him where they would be. They were connected in a way that no one else would understand. They were hellhounds, part of an elite group.
“Why don’t you tell me why you came looking for me?”
“Who said I was looking for you?” I asked, rubbing my arms. Yes, I had been looking for him and I was slightly embarrassed that I didn’t even know it was him when I saw him. While I wasn’t really afraid of him—I just didn’t trust him, not yet, anyway.
Abruptly, he stood and my body went rigid, expecting an attack. He rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to hurt you.” He motioned to the bench. “Sit down.”
I don’t know why, but I listened. Once I was sitting, he moved directly in front of me. The bench seat was still warm from his body heat and I realized he was blocking the wind from reaching me. A little bit of fight went out of me. Okay, a lot of fight went out of me.
“I need your help,” I said.
He lifted a brow. “Go on.”
“Sam is trapped in hell. I need another hellhound to get him out.”
I was expecting some disbelief, maybe some denial. He stared at me without blinking and then he nodded. “I figured it must be bad.”
I tried to look as unaffected by his words as he was by mine. “How?”
“Because he never would have let you come all this way alone.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the dagger, handing it to me handle first. “And he never would have allowed you to carry this thing.”
I rolled my eyes. “Sam doesn’t allow me to do anything. I do what I want.” I grabbed the dagger and wrapped both my palms around it, hugging it to my chest. Then in a lower voice I said, “You believe me?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“You don’t even know me.”
“I know enough.” He smiled a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. I got a feeling Riley Stone knew a lot more than he let on.
I lifted a brow and tucked the dagger back into my bag.
“Sam risked a lot to be with you. He risked the wrath of that bitch and then he ordered me and Casey away. He wouldn’t have done that unless he thought you were worth it.”
Now I knew why I didn’t remember Riley. The two times I saw him, Sam was with me. As gorgeous as Riley was, he paled in comparison to Sam.
“You liked him,” I said.
He shrugged. “I knew him.” He didn’t want to admit that Sam got to him, maybe not as much as he did me, but he still got to him. That was fine. He didn’t have to admit to liking Sam to help me.
“Will you help me?” The whistle blew, signaling the ferry had docked and we could disembark. Riley glanced over his shoulder toward the distant lights of Peaks Island. When he turned back, his eyes were guarded.
“Why don’t you tell me what kind of trouble you guys are in.”
My heart sank. He was going to refuse. Could I blame him? I stood rigidly and moved around toward the exit. I had wasted enough time on this. I had to move on to a new plan. But first, I needed to figure out what the new plan was.
“I didn’t say no.”
But he would. As soon as he heard what we were up against. I stopped and turned back. “We are up against people that have power… more power than you could possibly dream of.”
He stepped up close. He was tall, towering over me. “I’ll help you get Sam back.”
“Really? I haven’t told you what’s going on yet…”
“I like a challenge.” He shrugged. “I was getting bored on that island anyway.”
I threw my arms around him and squeezed. “Thank you!”
He smelled a lot like Sam. Deep and slightly spicy. His body temperature was exactly like Sam’s too, warm and welcoming. I think I hugged him a little longer than I should have. When I stepped back, I cleared my throat and avoided his unflinching gaze.
“Why don’t you tell me about what I just agreed to get involved in.
I led the way to Sam’s truck and climbed into the driver’s seat. For the first time since Riley climbed over that railing, I was afraid. “It’s almost unbelievable.”
From the darkened passenger side, his voice came out of the night. “I’m pretty good at unbelievable.”
I started up the truck and put it in drive. “That’s good because I’ve got quite the story for you.”
*
Sam’s little efficiency apartment was hot. On day two of him being gone, I came over and turned off the small air unit. I walked over and turned back it on, then switched on the overhead light.
“I can find my own place to stay,” Riley said, hovering in the doorway.
“Shut the door. I just turned the air on.”
He did, but he didn’t move away from the door. “So this is Sam’s place?”
I turned from fluffing the pillows on the couch. “Yeah.” I couldn’t tell what he thought about the place but, really, it didn’t matter.
“He deserved better than he had.” He nodded like he approved.
“I know.” And this still wasn’t as good as he deserved, but it was a start.
“It smells like you in here,” Riley said, finally pushing away from the door and coming into the room.
“The bathroom’s right there.” I motioned with my thumb. “The kitchen’s there and the couch is here.” I pointed in front of me, although it was completely obvious.
“The bedroom’s there.” He said, mimicking my movements, making me feel like a stewardess. (The exits are here and there and the beverage cart is here.)
“That’s Sam’s bed.” I didn’t mean for it to sound so territorial, but there it was.
He smirked. “Hands off?”
“I’m sorry. Of course you can sleep there.” It was a small price to pay for what he was doing for us. After I told him the entire story about hell, the Treasure Map and Beelzebub, he still agreed to help. In fact, I think the impossibility of the situation appealed to him. He didn’t even seem that shocked. I guess being a hellhound would make most anything plausible.
“No, it’s all right. I get it.”
I didn’t think he did, but I didn’t voice that opinion. “I’ll go to the store tomorrow and get you some food.”
“I can take care of myself.”
I shut the fridge door and looked at him.
“It’s enough that you’re letting me stay here.”
“Letting you stay here is nothing compared to what you’re doing.”
“I haven’t done anything yet.”
He came closer and my pulse quickened. “Your clothes are wet.” I moved around him and went to Sam’s dresser and pulled out a clean pair of shorts and a T-shirt. “Here. There isn’t a washer or dryer here, but I can do your clothes for you at my Gran’s house.”
“I can take care of myself.” He growled. He looked like an animal standing in a tiny cage.
I nodded and put the clothes on the back of the couch. “It’s late. I’ll go.”
He watched me go to the door. Before I turned the handle to leave, I couldn’t help but turn back. “I’ll see you in the morning?” Part of me didn’t want to let him out of my sight. He was the best shot I had at getting Sam out of hell. What if he disappeared?
He moved fast, coming to stand directly in front of me, and I stiffened. “I gave you my word,” he said low, emotionless, and leaned down to stare into my eyes.
I gasped.
His eyes narrowed. “What?”
“Your eyes are blue.”
He didn’t move at my declaration. “So?”
“I thought they were black.” They were such a dark navy they appeared black unless he was right up on you. They reminded me of the midnight sky above the ocean.
He smirked. “Don’t go falling in love.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll… uh… pick you up tomorrow morning, then?”
“I’ll come to
you.”
“But you don’t know where I live.”
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