Ultimate Temptations

by K. Anne

  “I’ll just sit down somewhere and watch you two work,” Cain said.

  “Why don’t you take the rest of the night off?” Asher asked. “You’ve been with Ella nonstop for an entire week. I’m sure you could use some time to yourself.”

  Cain chuckled. “You forget that I know you better than myself, Asher. I think I’ll stick around for a while.”

  “No, it’s okay, really. You could use some alone time,” I said. “I know you hate following me around, and you had to do it for a week straight. Go enjoy yourself for a while.”

  Cain frowned. “You both want to get rid of me that badly?”

  “I didn’t say I wanted to get rid of you,” I told him. “I just know you. You’re probably dying to get away from me.”

  “It’s settled then. We’ll see you later, Cain,” Asher spoke up before Cain could.

  Cain rolled his eyes. “I guess I could go watch cable porn for a bit. That’ll be more entertaining than watching you two I suppose.” He looked at Asher. “I take it, we’ll be talking later?”

  Asher glanced at me before nodding. “Yeah. I’ll find you.”

  “You won’t have to look far. I’ll be in my bedroom, enjoying my break.” His tone was full of sarcasm. He flipped us off before disappearing.

  “Typical Cain,” I muttered.

  Asher laughed. “Would you have him any other way?”

  I shook my head. “No. Not that I’d ever admit this to him, but he’s starting to grow on me a bit.” I winced. “I probably should have given him time to actually leave in case he decided to go all invisible instead of leaving.”

  Asher grinned. “Don’t worry. He’s really gone, so your secret is safe with me.”

  “Good.” I smiled up at him. “I really am glad that you’re back. I didn’t realize how accustomed I’ve become to having you around.”

  “I’m starting to grow on you, too, huh?” he teased.

  “Maybe just a little,” I said. “I suppose we should get started on cleaning before someone comes in to check on me and realizes I’ve done absolutely nothing.”

  I started to turn and walk back down the stairs to where my cart waited for me, but Asher reached out and grabbed my arm to stop me.

  “Ella, wait.” He stepped down so that we were on the same level. “I…I did a lot of thinking while I was away.” His tone turned serious, instantly putting me on guard.

  “About what?”

  “You.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Me? What about me?”

  He raised his hand so that it cupped my cheek. His thumb moved back and forth across my skin, leaving tingles as it went. “I’ve always been the one to follow the rules without question. I’ve never let my emotions get in the way of my goal—until you. While I was up there, I kept thinking, what if the next time I leave, I never see you again? I would always regret…”

  “Regret what?” I asked after a moment of silence.

  “I would always regret not doing this.” He leaned forward.

  Before I could utter a word, his lips pressed against mine. I was so surprised that all I could do was stand there for a moment. Finally, my brain started working again. My lips moved against Asher’s, timidly at first. Then, I lost all inhibitions and kissed him properly. Our lips melded together over and over again as Asher wrapped his arms around me and tightly pulled me against him. Lost in the moment, I threw my arms around his neck and clung to him.

  A part of me, a very tiny part, told me that this was wrong. It was Asher. He was my friend. He was also Cain’s brother and an angel. Guilt started to worm its way into my perfect moment, and I forced myself to pull away. I gasped the moment we broke contact, suddenly ashamed of what I was doing.

  “I had to do that just once, Ella. I hope you’ll forgive me,” Asher said quietly. His cheeks were tinged pink, almost as if he were embarrassed over what he’d just done.

  “Asher…” I started, but I couldn’t think of the right thing to say. My mind was too filled with not only guilt, but with happiness as well. I realized that I’d wished for Asher to kiss me for a long time. I just couldn’t bring myself to admit it.

  “Don’t say anything, please. Just let it go,” Asher said quietly. “I’m sorry that I made you do that.”

  That caught my attention. “Made me? You didn’t make me do anything, Asher. I kissed you back freely.”

  “You’re ashamed now. I can sense it.” His voice was defeated.

  “I’m not ashamed of kissing you, you idiot. I’m ashamed that I’ve kissed both you and your brother. That…that alone makes me a horrible person. Add in the fact that one of you is a demon and the other an angel and…well, yeah, no words.”

  Asher gaped at me. “That’s all?”

  “All?” I practically shouted. “You’re brothers, Asher! Brothers.”

  He laughed as if I’d just said the funniest thing he’d ever heard. “Oh, Ella. You don’t need to feel guilty over Cain. He doesn’t…how do I put this, so I don’t insult you? Cain has never taken women seriously. Never. When he kissed you, he didn’t mean anything by it. More than likely, he did it just to mess with your head. Kissing Cain doesn’t even count as kissing.”

  “That makes no sense,” I said.

  “But it does. If you feel like you’re betraying both of us, you shouldn’t. I promise you that Cain wouldn’t feel betrayed if he knew that you just kissed me. I certainly don’t feel that way.”

  “When I admitted that I kissed him the day that you finally told me what you were, you looked upset,” I said, not fully believing him.

  “I was, but only because I was worried you would see it as more and side with him.”

  I sat down on the step as I tried to collect my thoughts. “So, Cain did it just to tease me.”

  “More than likely, yes,” Asher answered.

  I thought back to the day that Cain had kissed me.

  “What are you doing to me?” He released me and stepped away.

  “What was that supposed to mean? I didn’t do anything! You kissed me,” I said.

  “Yeah, I know. Damn it, Ella. I didn’t plan that. Nothing has gone according to plan since I got here, and it’s all because of you.”

  His words made me think that Asher was wrong. Cain had been bothered by the fact that he’d kissed me. If he were only doing it to tease me or draw me in closer, he wouldn’t have reacted like that. Or would he have? Cain seemed to be a professional at manipulating me.

  Since I’d discovered the truth about the brothers, Cain hadn’t made a move at all. Maybe he was worried that I would reject him because of what he was, or maybe Asher was telling the truth. Either way, the whole situation was messed up.

  “Let’s get this place cleaned,” Asher said as he reached down and gripped my upper arm, pulling me to my feet. “We can talk about everything else later.”

  I just nodded, too lost inside my own head to even speak.

  It seemed that things were growing more and more complicated when it came to the Collins brothers and me.

  Asher didn’t mention my kiss with either of them for the rest of the night. Instead, he talked about anything else that seemed to pop into his head. By the time my shift ended and we were driving home, I had started to tune him out.

  When we pulled into my driveway, I realized that he was no longer speaking. I glanced over at him as he climbed out of the car. I couldn’t help but wonder what I was going to do with them. Somehow, over the last few weeks, I’d come to realize that I cared for both of them. After Asher’s kiss, I now knew that I felt more than just friendship for him. Even with Cain and all the uncertainty surrounding him, I knew I cared for him too much as well.

  “They’re going to be the death of me,” I mumbled as I climbed out of the car.

  “What?” Asher asked.

  I shook my head as we started walking up to my house. “Nothing. I was just thinking out loud.”

  When we walked inside, I kicked off my shoes and headed upstairs. I st
opped and checked on Uncle Jack to make sure he was sleeping before heading to my room. Asher followed me every step of the way.

  Inside my room, I dropped my purse onto my desk and walked to my dresser. Asher sat down on my computer chair and watched me as I searched for a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt to sleep in.

  “I’m going to go change in the bathroom. No need to follow me over there,” I told him as I walked across the room, my pajamas clutched tightly in my hand.

  I was slightly disappointed when he didn’t come off with some sarcastic remark about helping me. I had to remind myself that it was Asher in my room now, not Cain. After a week of dealing with Cain and his antics, it would take a bit to get used to quiet Asher.

  Across the hall, I changed quickly, washed my face, and tied my hair back into a loose ponytail. Satisfied, I headed back into my room.

  Asher was still sitting in the chair. I wasn’t even sure if he had moved.

  “Can you stop being so…still? All the way home, you kept talking. Now, it’s like you’re a statue.”

  “I was trying to lessen the tension all evening. That’s why I kept talking. When I realized you weren’t even listening, I gave up,” Asher said. “And sorry about being so…me. After a week in Heaven, it’s hard to remember to act like a mortal.”

  “You weren’t like this when we first met. Besides staring at me a lot, you acted fine.”

  He glanced away. “Uh…well, we were around you a bit before then.”

  I froze. “Wait, what?”

  “Before we showed ourselves to you, we were ordered to watch you for anything unusual.”

  “So, basically, the two of you had orders to stalk me,” I said. “You did your invisible trick, right?”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  “You weren’t, like…in my room and stuff, were you?” When he didn’t answer, I growled, “You can’t be serious!”

  “I’m sorry, Ella. We had our orders. Don’t worry though. We didn’t do anything to invade your privacy.”

  I laughed humorlessly. “Like watch me in private? Of course not. My room has all kinds of visitors.”

  “Like follow you to the shower,” he said.

  “You guys are unbelievable,” I muttered. It creeped me out to think of them standing in my room, silently watching my every move.

  “We had—”

  “Yeah, yeah. Orders, I know,” I said, cutting him off. “I think I’d like to go to bed now, Asher. Good night.”

  Angry and determined not to talk to him anymore, I flipped off my overhead light and climbed into bed. Without another word, I closed my eyes and shut Asher out. For several minutes, I forced myself to keep my breathing even while I listened for any kind of movement from Asher. Just when I was about to give up and really go to sleep, the computer chair he was sitting in squeaked.

  “Ella?” Asher whispered. When I didn’t answer, he sighed. “If you’re awake, I’ll be back soon. I need to talk to Cain.”

  For several moments after that, I listened intently for any sound at all. When I heard nothing, I slowly peeled my eyes open and looked around.

  I was alone.

  Without a second thought, I threw my covers off and stood. I needed to know what Asher was going to tell Cain. He wasn’t allowed to tell me, but if I accidentally heard, surely, he wouldn’t end up in trouble again.

  Faster than I thought possible, I made it downstairs and out the front door. I didn’t even stop to put shoes on, something I instantly regretted as I stepped out onto the frost-covered lawn. Too worried that I’d miss the conversation, I ran across the lawn to the front of Cain and Asher’s house.

  Carefully, I turned the handle, and the front door swung open without a sound. I held my breath as I walked to the stairs and tiptoed to the top of them. Amazed at my luck so far, I inched down the hallway to Cain’s room.

  The door was open with light spilling through. I stopped a foot or so away to avoid being spotted. I could hear Cain and Asher talking inside, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. I crept a bit closer until I was inches away from the door.

  I held my breath and listened.

  “So, what was so important that you needed to talk to me about it? Doesn’t Heaven like to guard its secrets?” Cain’s voice floated out into the hallway.

  “Stop playing around, Cain. You can toss insults at me when I’m finished.” Asher’s voice was strained.

  Cain sighed. “Fine. What’s going on?”

  “We’re out of time.”

  “What do you mean?” Cain’s voice had turned serious.

  “What I said. We’re out of time, Cain—both of us.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “A prophecy. That’s why Heaven called me back. They wanted me to know.”

  “Why didn’t Hell call me back, too, then?” Cain asked.

  “I don’t know. Maybe they were afraid to leave her alone with Death constantly hovering so close.”

  “How long?”

  There was a pause before Asher spoke, “Three Earth days.”

  The room filled with silence. I stood completely still, terrified that they’d heard me and were going to catch me.

  “I thought we had more time!” Cain finally said. “At least another month or two.”

  “I did, too, but something has changed. I wish I knew what,” Asher said. “We can’t tell her, Cain. I hope you know that. It would devastate her, and she’s already been through enough. Let her enjoy what little time she has.”

  What little time I have? What’s that supposed to mean?

  “I’m not a fool, Asher. I won’t tell Ella about her own death. Even I’m not that much of a dick.”

  Time froze. The air seemed to disappear from the hallway.

  “Three Earth days.”

  “I won’t tell Ella about her own death.”

  Surely, they weren’t standing in Cain’s room, talking about how long I had to live. Anger blazed through my body.

  Had they known all along that I was supposed to die?

  They had mentioned that they thought they had more time. That must mean that they had to have known. All those times I’d talked about the future with either of them, they’d known all along that I wouldn’t even have one. From what they were saying now, I wouldn’t even graduate, let alone leave this town behind.

  Not caring about what happened next, I stepped into the light spilling from Cain’s room. The brothers looked up as soon as I appeared.

  Asher looked devastated. Even Cain wasn’t smiling.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.

  “Ella,” Cain said as he started to walk across the room to where I was standing.

  I shook my head. “No, no more lies or half-truths. You two have known all along that I was going to die. Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you pretend to protect me from Death?”

  “We didn’t pretend to protect you, Ella. We have been keeping him away from you.” Asher said.

  “Why? So, I can die at the right moment?” My voice was eerily calm—so much so, that I was starting to freak myself out.

  “Death taking an interest in you was never part of the prophecy. We have no idea why he keeps trying to get to you ahead of schedule. We’re still trying to figure it out.”

  “Why are you two really here? I want the truth this time,” I said.

  “We’re here to watch over you,” Asher said.

  “Stop lying!” I shouted, finally losing my temper. “All either of you have done is lie to me since I met you!”

  Cain took another step forward but stopped dead. His eyes were wide with surprise. It took me a moment to realize why.

  The room had suddenly gone cold.

  Death.

  Asher started moving toward me, but he stopped a few feet away. A look of disbelief crossed his face. I watched as he tried to move forward, only to be blocked by some invisible barrier. He raised his hands and pushed at the force holding him back. Asher looked like a mime tryin
g to escape his box. When he pushed, it was as if he was pushing on clear glass.

  I would’ve laughed if it wasn’t for the fact that Death was near.

  “Ella, come here!” Cain shouted.

  I tore my eyes away from Asher and ran to where they stood. When I tried to push through the barrier, I couldn’t. It was like trying to walk through a brick wall.

  “I can’t!” I cried as I looked back and forth between the brothers.

  As one, their gazes turned to something behind me. Asher went white and started struggling even harder against the barrier. Cain moved over to where I was standing and raised his hand so that it touched the barrier in the same spot as my hand.

  “I’m so sorry, Ella,” he said. He sounded defeated, which was even more terrifying than knowing the Death was standing behind me.

  I tried to smile at him, but I failed. “It’s all right. I’m sorry I was so angry with both of you. I just wanted to understand.”

  “I know,” he said simply.

  Taking a deep breath, I slowly turned around.

  Death stood in the doorway, his cloak moving in time with an invisible breeze only he could feel.

  “Ella, come to me.” His voice filled the room, but only I seemed to hear it.

  Determined to be brave, I walked across the room. I stopped a foot away from him and looked up. His face was hidden in the shadows of his cloak, but without a doubt, I knew that he was looking down at me.

  “Death,” I greeted him.

  I jumped when he reached out toward me. My fear was so strong that my entire body started to shake. His arm was covered by his cloak, and his hand was sheathed in a black leather glove. Without a word, he rested his hand on my arm. Instantly, we were transported out of Cain’s room and into my own.

  He released me, and I instinctively took a step back. I wrapped my arms around my torso to fight off the bitter cold that always accompanied him, not that it did me any good.

  “Why me?” I asked suddenly. “Why so much interest in me? I’m nothing.”

  Instead of speaking, he raised his hands and carefully peeled off one of his gloves. I swallowed roughly when I saw his hand. It looked humanish, but it was far too pale. The skin was almost translucent in its paleness. His fingers were thin, bony even.