Ultimate Temptations

by K. Anne

  Asher stuck close to me, but we didn’t speak. He seemed just as angry with his brother’s lie as I was. Maybe that was Cain’s plan all along. It seemed he did things just to drive Asher mad. It definitely seemed to be working this time.

  I couldn’t understand why Cain pushed Asher the way he did. Obviously, they had a messy history. I had known that before Asher told me just how far back their divide went. Still, they were brothers. If I had a sibling, I would try everything to ensure that we remained at least civil toward each other. I thought Asher would have, too, if it wasn’t for Cain constantly trying to get under his skin. Cain seemed to relish in Asher’s anger though.

  Cain and I ignored each other in our afternoon class together, except for when the bell rang. He grabbed my arm to keep me from leaving my seat.

  “What?” My tone was nasty.

  If he noticed, he didn’t let on.

  “Tell Asher to bring you to our house this afternoon when you get home. Wear something comfortable.”

  “Why?” I demanded.

  “You’ll see.” With that, he released me and stood.

  I watched as he slowly strolled out of the room, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

  I grumbled as I followed him out of the room and down the hallway to our lockers. He glanced back a couple of times, probably to make sure Death wasn’t creeping down the hallway behind us, intent on grabbing me and shoving me into a janitor’s closet to kill me.

  Asher was waiting next to my locker when I rounded the corner. Cain walked by him without even a glance in his direction. Asher managed to peel his eyes away from me long enough to shoot Cain a glare. I stopped next to Asher and opened my locker to grab my book for the last class of the day. He stood next to me, remaining silent. I would bet my savings that if he wasn’t on guard duty, he would be as far away from me as possible.

  Wonderful, I thought to myself as we made our way to my last class.

  Cain was the jerk who had started all of this, yet Asher and Amanda were both giving me the silent treatment.

  As expected, Asher followed me inside. He’d had his schedule changed since neither brother had been with me in this class. He sat down next to me without a word. All through class, I kept glancing at him, but he never once looked my way. Annoyed, I shot out of my seat as soon as the bell rang, not caring if he could manage to keep up with me or not. I stopped by my locker for my books and bag, ignoring Asher when he stopped next to me.

  “Do you need a ride home?” he asked.

  “The way you’re acting, I think I’ll be better off walking.” I slammed my locker shut.

  “Ella—”

  “What?” I stopped and turned to him.

  “Look, I’m sorry.” He glanced around the hallway. “Can we talk in my car? Please?”

  A begging angel—that was a sight to behold.

  “Sure, we can talk. But that requires you actually speaking to me. I just want to make sure you realized that.” I didn’t try to keep the sarcasm out of my tone.

  “I’m aware.” He rested his hand on my lower back and guided me down the hall to the stairs.

  People watched us as we passed by, but I ignored them, too preoccupied with my anger.

  When we reached Asher’s car, he held the door open, and I climbed in. He shut it behind me before walking around the front and climbing in himself.

  Instead of starting the car, he just sat there.

  “Are we leaving or not?” I asked after a minute or two.

  “We need to talk first,” Asher said.

  I raised an eyebrow. “Then, by all means, start talking.”

  He sighed. “I’m sorry for what Cain did this afternoon, Ella.”

  “Why are you apologizing for him?” I asked.

  “Because we both know that he won’t. Plus, he never would’ve said anything if I hadn’t suggested that we pretend.”

  “It’s not your fault that he’s an ass. But I still don’t understand why you’ve been giving me the silent treatment.”

  He turned to look at me. “I thought you were angry with me, too.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You didn’t do anything, Asher—well, besides giving me the silent treatment. I thought you were mad at me for some reason.”

  “I could never be angry with you, Ella.” He sighed again. “As usual, Cain has a way of screwing up everything.”

  “Hey”—I reached over and took his hand—“don’t worry about it, okay? I’m not mad at you, and you’re not mad at me. Let’s focus all our energy on being angry at Cain.”

  He chuckled. “That, I can do.”

  “I still don’t get why he decided to announce it like that,” I said.

  Asher started his car and backed out of his parking spot. “He was trying to get to me,” he said quietly.

  “But why?” I asked.

  “It doesn’t matter.” He shook his head. “Anyway, do you have plans for this evening?”

  “No…yes. Cain said to tell you to bring me to your house when we get home. I have no idea why, but I’m supposed to wear something comfortable. I’m betting he wants me to go running with him again or something.” I snorted. “Like that’s going to happen.”

  “You should go,” Asher said, surprising me.

  “What? Why? I thought we were mad at him.”

  He grinned. “We are, but it’ll be good for you.”

  “Spending a few hours with Cain will be anything but good for me.”

  “If anyone can handle Cain, it’s you. Just don’t let him get to you. Show him who’s boss.”

  “Maybe I can accidentally trip him or something.” I wasn’t even ashamed at how much joy that thought brought me.

  “If you do, make sure to get it on video. Please.”

  “Is it even possible to trip you guys?” I asked seriously. “Aren’t angels supposed to be full of grace? I’m sure demons are like cats, always landing on their feet.”

  Asher looked at me like I was nuts.

  “What? I was trying to make a funny.”

  “I’ve never really thought about it, but I suppose we could trip. I mean, when we’re visible on Earth, we can eat and sleep, so I’m sure we can trip, too.”

  “So, you don’t eat or sleep in Heaven or Hell?”

  He shook his head. “Nope. There’s no need.”

  “I suppose not,” I said thoughtfully.

  I knew what Cain and Asher were, but there were so many things that I didn’t know. If I let myself dwell on it, I knew I would go mad.

  “One more question,” I said.

  Asher pulled into his driveway. “What?”

  “Okay, so people obviously don’t always die right in the prime of their lives, right? I mean, most people live to be very old. When they die and you take them to Heaven, do they look like they did when they died or what?”

  “In Heaven, most keep the form of their soul. We can choose to take on our human form if we want to though. The soldiers do when we go into battle. We can decide to be any age, but most of the time, we look like we did when we were in our early twenties—you know, the prime of our lives.”

  “What about…” I swallowed, hating the words that were about to come out of my mouth. “What about kids who died?”

  “Their souls, just like all others, are ageless, so when they pass to Heaven or Hell, they’re fully matured. If they choose to take on a human form, they can pick any age, just like everyone else.”

  “That’s so weird,” I mumbled.

  He laughed. “Of all the things you’ve learned, that’s what you think is weird?”

  “I’m just trying to picture it—souls walking around like big light bulbs with normal-looking people next to them. It’s just strange.”

  “The rules of this realm don’t apply to Heaven and Hell.” He paused. “How do you know what a soul looks like?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “You said you pictured the souls walking around like big light bulbs. How do you know
that’s what they look like?”

  “Oh,” I said, realizing my mistake. “I just guessed?” My lie sounded feeble, even to my own ears.

  “Ella,” he warned.

  “All right, fine. Cain took me out on a job. I saw a soul.”

  Asher stared at me with his mouth hanging open. “He did what?”

  “It was no big deal. Honest.”

  He shook his head. “He shouldn’t have shown you that, Ella.”

  “Why not?” I demanded.

  “Because! You’re not a part of our world. He had no right.”

  “So, it’s okay for Death to stalk me and for you and Cain to follow me around every moment of every day, but it’s not okay for me to see a soul? That makes no sense!”

  “I just want you to have a normal life for as long as you can. That’s all!”

  “Well, guess what? My life hasn’t been normal for six months. I don’t think it’ll go back to normal anytime soon either.”

  I climbed out of the car before he could say another word. I slammed the door, letting my anger get the best of me. I stormed across his yard to mine and walked up to my front door. I unlocked it and slipped inside before locking it behind me. I knew that it wouldn’t keep Asher out, but hopefully, he’d get the message and leave me alone.

  I needed me time. Even if it was for only a few minutes, I needed it.

  For once, luck was with me. Asher didn’t come for me.

  “Are you going to sit up here all night and pout?” Cain asked as he appeared in the middle of my room.

  I didn’t even startle. I was starting to get used to the way they could both appear out of thin air.

  “Actually, I’m not pouting. I’m pretending that neither of you exist. I find that I’m much happier that way,” I shot back.

  He walked over to my computer desk where I was trying to work on my homework.

  “You don’t really mean that. Your life is so much more interesting now that we’re in it.”

  “Go away, Cain. I’ve been up here by myself for over an hour, and Death hasn’t tried to kill me. Take the night off. Find a pretty hooker. Drag a few souls to Hell. Just do something far away from me.”

  “Oh, you’re funny when you’re grumpy. I’ll have to remember that.”

  I ignored him as I continued with my homework.

  “So…I guess you’re angry at me for today, and you’re angry at Asher because he’s mad at me for taking you out with me to collect souls. That isn’t confusing at all. One would think you’d agree with him since you’re angry with me.”

  “That doesn’t even make sense,” I growled.

  “It does to me.”

  “Why did you do it?”

  “Do what?” His tone was far too innocent.

  “Embarrass me today by telling everyone that I’m with Asher. You embarrassed him, too, I think. Plus, you made Amanda hate me.”

  He shrugged. “The mortal will get over it. You and Asher will, too.”

  I glared at him. “You do anything and everything you can to tick off your brother. Did you ever think that you two might actually get along if you weren’t such a—”

  He cut me off, “Uh, language, Ella. And even if I weren’t…me, I would still manage to fight with Asher. It’s just the way things are between us.”

  “It doesn’t have to be,” I told him. “If you both tried, I think you might actually get along.”

  “Doubtful. We couldn’t get along when we were alive. Why start now?”

  I sighed. “You’re impossible.”

  “Did you ever think that maybe I wasn’t trying to embarrass both of you today?”

  I looked up at him. “Then, what were you trying to do?”

  Cain leaned down so that our faces were inches apart. “Maybe I was trying to help him.”

  “Help him how?”

  He chuckled as he pulled away. “It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you blew me off this afternoon. No one blows me off and gets away with it. Get changed. We’re going to my house.”

  “You seriously think I’m going anywhere with you?” I asked.

  “Oh, I know you are. If you don’t, I’ll drag you out of here myself. Now, go.”

  “You wouldn’t.”

  Even I knew that was a lie. Cain was enough of a pain to do just that.

  “I think we both know I would. Hurry up before I decide I’m tired of waiting.”

  I glared at him as I stood. “I’m only going along with this because I know you won’t leave me alone.”

  I ignored his grin as I walked to my dresser and pulled out a loose-fitting shirt and sweatpants. I made my way to the bathroom and changed quickly. After tossing my clothes in the hamper, I opened the door. Cain was standing in the hallway, waiting for me.

  “Took you long enough,” he said as he started walking.

  I sighed as I followed him down the stairs and out the front door. When we walked into his house, I looked around for Asher.

  “He’s not here,” Cain said without turning to look at me. “He left once he finished lecturing me.”

  “He’s all about the lectures these days,” I said as I followed him into the kitchen.

  I looked around, curious, since I’d never seen their kitchen before. It was as simple as the living room. There were no decorations of any kind. A stove was off to my right with a microwave above it. To my left was the refrigerator. The light-colored wood cabinets were paired with cream countertops.

  “Besides the refrigerator, we don’t use this room much,” Cain said as he opened a door. “We’re both too lazy to cook. Plus, neither of us knows how. Ordering takeout is much easier.”

  Not sure what to say to that, I kept silent. Cain motioned for me to follow him as he started walking down a set of steps. Curious, I followed. The stairs were dimly lit with barely enough light for me to see the steps below my feet. I held on to the rail to keep from falling to my death. When I reached the bottom, Cain was nowhere in sight, swallowed by the darkness.

  Feeling uneasy, I felt along the wall for a light switch. I couldn’t find one. “Cain?”

  I blinked when an overhead light came on. Cain was standing underneath it.

  “Yes?”

  I shook my head. “Nothing.”

  I looked around the basement, wondering why he had brought me here. It was empty, except for a locked chest in the far corner.

  “Why are we down here?” I asked.

  “Because,” Cain said as he walked over to the chest, “I want to show you something.”

  I walked over to him as he opened the chest, curious about what was inside.

  “A sword?” I asked, surprised when I saw what it was.

  “Two swords actually.” He pulled both of them out of the chest.

  “Uh…cool?” I said, completely lost.

  “I’m glad you think so. Here, take one.”

  He held out one of the swords, but I took a step back.

  “I think I’ll pass. Something tells me I would end up skewered if I tried to use that thing.”

  “Don’t be a baby. Here.” He shoved the sword into my hand.

  The tip instantly hit the ground.

  “This thing is heavy,” I grumbled.

  “It’s a sword, not a feather. Now, hold it up,” Cain said.

  I grumbled under my breath as I held the sword up in front of me. “Happy?”

  “Ecstatic. Now, I’m going to teach you how to use it. We’ll start with blocking first.”

  I gaped at him. “Seriously? Why would I ever need to know how to use a sword?”

  “We don’t exactly have fighter jets and machine guns in Heaven and Hell. We fight with swords.”

  “I still don’t understand how that has anything to do with me.”

  “You’re being stalked by Death,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

  “And?”

  He sighed. “You know, for someone so intelligent, you can be a bit dim-witted at times. D
eath isn’t from this realm, Ella. The only thing you can use against him are weapons from the other realms. Since you’re not an angel or demon, you have nothing to protect yourself with, except for these.”

  “The swords?” I asked.

  “The swords,” he agreed. “They’re not from this realm, so that means they’ll work against Death. Obviously, you can’t kill him, but you can fend him off until Asher or I can get to you.”

  I looked down at the sword in my hand. It looked completely ordinary to me. The blade itself was wicked sharp. The hilt was made of polished wood.

  “This sword came from Hell?”

  “Yep. I brought both of them with me. You can never be too careful.”

  “I expected…more,” I said. “Maybe some rubies on the handle, flames shooting out of it…something.”

  He laughed. It was genuine, not his usual cold laughter. “Sorry to disappoint, but Hell isn’t much for dazzling mortals. I use these swords in battle. I don’t showcase them.”

  “Oh,” I said, feeling silly.

  “Anyway, let’s get started.” Cain held up his own sword. “Like I said, I want to teach you how to block first.”

  “But Death doesn’t have a sword,” I pointed out.

  “Just think of Death as one big sword. Block him with yours, and give yourself time to get away.” He smirked. “Or time for us to come save you.”

  “What are you doing?” a voice demanded from behind me.

  I spun around to see Asher standing at the bottom of the stairs, glaring at both of us.

  “Asher, so glad you could join us,” Cain said.

  “I asked, what are you doing?” Asher stalked across the room to us.

  Cain’s smile never faltered. “I’m teaching Ella how to stay alive. Is that a problem?”

  “You have no right, Cain! None at all. You keep pulling her deeper and deeper into all of this before it’s time!” Asher shouted, surprising me.

  “Time for what?” I asked.

  Asher froze. He swallowed roughly as he looked anywhere but at me.

  “Time for what?” I repeated.

  “Oh dear, brother. I think you’ve put your foot in your mouth,” Cain mused.

  I ignored him as I stepped closer to Asher.

  His gaze fell to the sword in my hand, and he automatically took a step back. “Keep that away from me.”