Ultimate Temptations

by K. Anne

  I crept carefully down the hallway. When I reached the end, there was a single door. I raised my hand to push it open. As soon as my fingers touched the wood, a hand touched my shoulder. Already spooked, I let out a shrill scream.

  “Shut up!” Cain hissed as he clamped a hand over my mouth.

  I whimpered into it.

  “I’m going to let you go. Don’t scream, okay?”

  I nodded, and he released me. I instantly spun around to face him.

  “Where did you go?” I demanded.

  “I had to take the souls to Hell,” he said.

  I blinked. “Excuse me?”

  “Those bright lights you saw? Those were souls. I had to lead them to Hell.”

  “Oh.” I still didn’t understand. “But they disappeared as soon as you did.”

  “Because I let go of you. Once the connection was broken, you couldn’t see what was happening. Souls are only visible to Death, angels, and demons. You’re mortal.”

  “So, you never really left then. I just couldn’t see you.”

  “Bingo.”

  I fought the urge to hit him. To distract myself, I turned back toward the door. “What’s in here?” I stepped closer to the door and raised my hand to open it.

  “Ella.” Cain’s voice was sharp. “Don’t open that door.”

  “Why?” I asked, taken aback by his harsh tone.

  “Because the two souls I took to Hell left behind bodies. They’re in that room.”

  I swallowed. “Oh.”

  “Yeah, and let’s just say their deaths weren’t exactly natural.”

  “Those two people we saw earlier…they were here, weren’t they? They killed the people behind this door.”

  “I think you’ve seen enough. Let’s go.”

  He grabbed my hand. Once again, everything went black, and wind blew past my face. When I opened my eyes, we were back in my room, standing beside my bed.

  I let go of Cain and sat down. He stood in front of me, watching me.

  I finally managed to get out the words, “That was…different.”

  “It was so much better than sitting here, watching you read a book,” Cain said. His whole body seemed to relax once he realized I wasn’t going to freak out.

  “Next time you decide to take me on a field trip, let me know, okay?” I asked.

  “What’s the fun in that?”

  “Cain,” I warned.

  “Fine.” He sighed. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep?”

  “That’s the best idea you’ve had all night,” I grumbled. I stood and pulled the covers back. I ignored Cain as I climbed into bed and shut the light off on my nightstand.

  “Where are you going to sleep?” I asked once I was settled in.

  “I planned on sleeping on the floor, but if you’re game, I’ll join you in bed.”

  “Here’s an idea. Why don’t you go sleep in your bed? It’s like fifteen feet away. I’m sure you can babysit me from there.”

  “No can do, sunshine,” he said cheerfully.

  “Fine. Enjoy the floor.” I rolled away from him, hoping that he’d take the hint and leave me alone.

  It seemed that he did. Cain didn’t say another word as I slowly drifted off to sleep, secretly comforted that he was watching over me.

  That night, my dreams were filled with shadowy figures dressed in black and brilliant white light.

  “Wake up, princess, or you’re going to be late.”

  I groaned as I pulled my covers over my head, hoping that Cain would go away, but I had no such luck. The covers were ripped off of me. I peeled my eyes open to see Cain standing above me, smirking. His hair was wet, and he had changed his clothes. Obviously, he’d felt secure enough to shower and leave me alone.

  “I thought you weren’t going to let me out of your sight,” I pointed out.

  “Don’t worry. Asher watched over you while I made myself pretty. Now, get up. We’re going to be late, and I know you can’t have that.”

  “If I have to wake up to your smiling face every morning from now on, I’ll probably off myself before Death has the chance,” I grumbled as I climbed out of bed.

  “Like I’d let you do that.” He sat down on my bed and watched me pull clothes out of my drawers and closet.

  I grabbed a scarf off the top shelf of my closet to hide the bruises around my neck.

  “I’m going to go shower now. If I catch you in my bathroom, I’ll stab you with my toothbrush,” I said as I walked across the room to the door.

  “Like you’d be able to see me,” he called after me.

  I ignored him as I left the room and headed to the bathroom. I tossed my clothes on the counter and turned on the hot water. After it warmed up, I climbed inside and sighed. I already felt better, and it wasn’t just the water. This was the first moment of peace I’d had since I stormed over to the brothers’ house yesterday.

  I’d spent the last six months alone, spending time with only Amanda. I’d become a loner. Now that I was constantly stuck with Cain or Asher, I realized how little I’d missed human interaction.

  Not that they’re exactly human, but that’s beside the point.

  I seriously hoped that Cain and Asher figured out why Death was so interested in me. The sooner, the better. I wasn’t sure how long I could deal with them constantly hovering over me and annoying me every five seconds.

  Whatever was happening, I knew it was big. I wasn’t a fool. I knew there was no way Hell and Heaven would send an angel and a demon down to watch over one girl if something major weren’t happening. That didn’t bode well for me.

  I took as long as I dared in the shower, fearing both Cain storming in to check on me and ending up late for school, before climbing out. I toweled off and dressed quickly. I dried my hair before pulling it back into a loose braid. I wrapped the scarf around my neck, careful to make sure it covered all the bruises. I didn’t spend a lot of time on my makeup. Instead, I only lined my eyes and put on a little bit of lip gloss. I didn’t have time for anything else.

  When I opened the bathroom door, I jumped back. Cain was standing right outside the door.

  No, it wasn’t Cain. Asher.

  Cain was wearing a black shirt, and the boy in front of me was wearing light blue.

  “I swear, I’m going to get you two name tags, Asher,” I said as I moved past him and back into my room.

  “How did you know it was me?” he asked.

  “Your shirt. Cain always wears black. You tend to gravitate toward lighter-colored clothes.”

  He seemed surprised by my answer. Then, he laughed. “I never noticed that before. You’re very observant, Ella.”

  “I had to figure out a way to tell you two apart. I mean, if Cain speaks, I instantly know it’s him. If he keeps his mouth closed, it takes me a second to figure it out.”

  He shook his head, still grinning. “Are you ready to go?”

  I grabbed my backpack off the floor and turned back to him. “Yep, let’s go.”

  I followed him back to the door. I stopped at my calendar and marked another day off.

  Asher watched me intently. “What’s that for?”

  “It’s a countdown to my freedom. Graduation—that’s when I can escape this place. It makes me happy to mark another day off. It means I’m that much closer to my future.”

  Asher’s hands clenched at his sides, but he didn’t say a word. Instead, he turned and left the room.

  I shook my head as I followed him. Sometimes, Asher made absolutely no sense.

  Asher stuck to me like glue until the first bell rang.

  We’d attracted attention from our fellow classmates as soon as we pulled into the parking lot, but I’d forced myself to ignore their stares. Eventually, they would get used to Cain and Asher hanging around me all the time. Until then, I was sure there would be plenty of rumors about us. It was strange to realize that I hadn’t cared about what they thought since the first time I walked through the front doors after my mother�
�s attack. My life was far too complicated to worry about any of them.

  When the bell did ring, I smugly told Asher good-bye and hurried away. The brothers might be determined to follow me around outside of school, but there was no way they could follow me to classes that we didn’t share. That meant I had two periods to myself. I practically skipped to my locker with that thought bouncing around inside my head.

  I unloaded my backpack and grabbed what I needed for history. I started to walk down the hall when the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I stopped dead, terrified that Death had decided to pay me a visit at school.

  Death at school—that’s about the worst way to go that I can think of.

  I turned around, searching the hallway. My eyes landed on Cain. He was leaning against his locker, watching me. When I realized that he was watching me instead of Death, I relaxed. I flipped him off before hurrying down the hallway in the opposite direction. I was determined to avoid him as much as I could when I had the chance.

  Once I sat down in history class, I pulled my homework out of my notebook. I checked over my answers as my classmates slowly made their way to their seats.

  “Hey, Ella?” a voice said.

  I looked up to see Stacey, the blonde leader of the girls, who sat in front of me.

  “Yeah?” I asked cautiously.

  Even before my fall from grace, Stacey and I had never talked much. Afterward, we didn’t talk at all. Her sudden decision to speak to me had me instantly on guard.

  “I was just wondering how you know the Collins twins.” She smiled sweetly.

  I fought not to groan out loud. Of course, they would be the reason she’d suddenly decided I was worthy of her speaking to me again.

  “They live…close to me.” I’d almost said they were my neighbors, but I’d decided against it. With my luck, girls would randomly show up on their doorstep, and I’d be the one to blame.

  “Oh. I noticed that they seem to hang around you a lot.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I suppose. We’re friends. Kind of.”

  “That’s cool. You know, you’re always welcome to join my friends and me at lunch. I’ve been meaning to invite you for forever, but I kept forgetting. Plus, Jenny seems to have it out for you. I didn’t want to get on her bad side.”

  It took every fiber of my being not to laugh in her face. Of course, she’d suddenly decided I was worthy of her presence.

  “Thanks for the offer, but I wouldn’t want you to tick off Jenny on my account.”

  She laughed. “Jenny isn’t a problem anymore. Your two friends made sure of that. You should sit with me today. Bring them with you.”

  “I’ll think about it,” I said, knowing there was no way I would go anywhere near her table today or any other day.

  “Great!” She smiled as she turned away.

  I rolled my eyes.

  If she or anyone else thought they could get close to Asher and Cain through me, they were out of their minds. If they had any idea what Cain and Asher really were, they’d run away, screaming. The thought of every female in the surrounding area running from Cain, screaming bloody murder, made me smile. He thought he was so good with the ladies. It would be good to see him knocked down a bit.

  “Is this seat taken?”

  My head whipped to the side. Asher stood beside the desk to my left, grinning.

  “How did you—what are you doing here?” I asked.

  “It seems that there was an issue with my schedule. I had to have a few of my classes switched around.”

  I clenched my pencil so tightly that it snapped. Asher chuckled as he sat down beside me.

  “Wonderful,” I muttered.

  “Isn’t it? It’s almost like…fate.”

  I flipped him off just as the teacher walked into the room. She shot me a dirty look, but luckily, she decided not to call me out on it. I slumped down in my seat, defeated.

  Stacey turned and gave Asher a smile so big that I worried her face might actually crack in two. He politely smiled back.

  “Wonderful,” I repeated, mumbling it quietly under my breath.

  My escape from Cain and Asher was officially over. It had lasted a wonderful fifteen minutes.

  The rest of my morning consisted of Asher following me around. Amanda noticed the way he trailed after me, but all she could do was give me a questioning look since Asher was with us.

  At lunchtime, Asher got in line behind us. Amanda’s confused look in math class changed to a tiny grin. Her eyes kept darting back and forth between Asher and me. I knew what she thought—that Asher was with me.

  Even before I’d found out about Death and when the brothers had started sticking to me, she had told me that she thought Asher was into me. With the way he was acting now, I knew there was no way I could deny it without telling her the truth, not that she’d believe me.

  As soon as we sat down at our table, Amanda cursed. “I forgot my milk. I’ll be right back.”

  I waited until she was far enough away that she couldn’t hear us before turning to Asher. “We need to talk.”

  “About what?” he asked.

  “Us. And Amanda. She’s not stupid, Asher. She has already noticed how you’re constantly hanging around me. What am I supposed to tell her?”

  “Anything but the truth,” Asher said seriously. “She can’t know what is really happening.”

  “No shit, Sherlock,” I growled. “I know she can’t know what’s really going on. I just don’t know what to tell her.”

  He tapped his fingers on the table for a moment before speaking, “Tell her we’re together.”

  I nearly choked on my food. “Excuse me?”

  He shrugged. “She already suspects that we are. Plus, it’s the most believable explanation.”

  “How do you know that?” I demanded, worried that he had been listening in on my conversations with her.

  He gave me a look that said he questioned my intelligence. “She isn’t exactly hard to read. Besides, she’s not the only one wondering whether we’re together or not.”

  “Why can’t she say she’s with me? That’d be way more believable,” Cain said as he sat down at the table.

  “Oh, goodie. I’m stuck with both of you at once. Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse,” I said in greeting.

  “Things can always get worse. It’s the way of the world,” Cain said as he picked up a fry.

  “I’m with her more than you are, Cain. It would make more sense if she said she was with me,” Asher said, looking at Cain.

  He shrugged. “Whatever makes you happy, dear brother. But don’t pretend that it’s just for show. That’d be an insult to Ella’s intellect.”

  “What are you talking about?” Asher asked.

  Cain chuckled. “Oh, don’t act so innocent. We both know you’d love to—” He stopped talking as Amanda slid back into her seat.

  “Hey, Cain,” she said, oblivious to the tension around her.

  I looked back and forth between the two brothers, trying to understand what was going on. They were openly glaring at each other. I was surprised that Asher looked even angrier than Cain. They had told me that they planned to work together to protect me. Looking at them now, I had to assume that I would be on my own if Death suddenly decided to join us for lunch since the brothers would be too busy killing each other to notice.

  “So…” Amanda said, finally catching on to the tension surrounding us. “How was your weekend, Ella?”

  “It was kind of boring,” I said, not daring to glance at Cain or Asher. “Just the usual.”

  “Oh, don’t be modest, Ella,” Cain said loudly.

  Amanda looked at him. “What do you mean?”

  “Asher and Ella spent the whole weekend together—alone.” Cain innocently smiled at me, which made me want to reach across the table and smack him.

  “Cain…” Asher warned.

  “Oh, come on, Asher. There’s no need to be shy. The whole world should know that you and Ella
are together.” His voice was loud enough that it carried to the tables around us.

  I glanced around to see several students watching me. Most of the girls had a look of disbelief on their faces.

  “What are you playing at?” I demanded.

  “Nothing.” He was still grinning.

  Around me, I could hear people whispering my name along with Asher’s. By the end of lunch, everyone would be talking about my new relationship with Asher. I wanted to crawl under the table and hide.

  I glanced at Amanda. She was watching me with a frown on her face.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked quietly.

  “We didn’t want anyone to know, Amanda,” Asher said. “This is brand-new, and we wanted to see if it would work out or not before we decided to announce it to anyone.”

  Amanda was hurt. I could tell by the look on her face. I instantly felt guilty even though I had no reason to. Cain was the one who deserved the guilt.

  “You could’ve at least told me. I’m your best friend.” Amanda stood. “I need to go to the library before class. I’ll see you later.”

  I watched as she quickly walked away. She was hurt and angry. I understood why, but there was no way I could tell her the truth about what was really going on. I’d rather her be angry with me than put her in danger.

  “Was it something I said?” Cain asked with a smirk.

  Amanda spent the rest of the day avoiding me. It wasn’t hard to do since the only afternoon class we shared was gym. Still, she went out of her way to stay away from me in the locker room. We played volleyball in gym, and we were placed on opposite teams, giving her the perfect excuse to keep from speaking to me.

  I felt awful. Amanda was the only real friend I had, and she thought I had been keeping things from her. I’d never done that to her before. No, we didn’t speak about my mother, but I’d told her everything else. I knew she saw my silence as a betrayal, but there was nothing I could do to set her straight.

  Cain, on the other hand, would be getting an earful as soon as we were out of school. From the way he was smirking, I had no doubt that he would enjoy it.

  Jerk.

  I had no idea why he had lied, but I was sure it was benefiting him in some way.