Salvation (The Keepers of Hell Book 2)

by James, Danielle

  Ash considered ignoring them, but… since he was in such a lovely mood; he decided to reply to them. All of them. He went through and clicked each and every one of the emails from humans. Sickos, he thought. Then he selected “reply all” and went to work typing.

  Dear pathetic pieces of shit,

  In case you didn’t know, Lucifer is dead. I am the King of the palace and I have some new rules.

  Number one: Stop killing animals that you are not going to eat. I don’t do blood sacrifices.

  Number two: Stop worshiping me. Get a bible. Read it.

  Number three: Never email me again with your childish and irrelevant requests. I will not grant you eternal life and I will not grant you riches. You will only land in Hell by being a sick fuck, and not in a way that you would enjoy.

  Just for your information, I am twice as shitty as Lucifer was and twice as vindictive. Change your ways or come to me for your sins. Get a life.

  Yours truly,

  The King of Fucking Hell.

  “Isn’t that a bit over the top?” Antonio’s voice asked from behind Ash.

  “Fucking hell,” Ash grumbled. “How long have you been standing there?”

  “Long enough to read your email,” the angel chuckled. “Busy day?”

  Ash growled at him.

  “Hey, I’m just asking. What are we gonna do today?” Antonio took a seat across from Ash. “We gonna fry some demons? Or would you rather fry chicken? When is the last time you ate something?”

  It was then that Ash noticed the angel had a bag of chocolate chip cookies in his hand. “Is that all you think about? Food?” Ash grumbled. “We have bigger things to worry about than what’s for supper. Here I am trying to learn a whole fucking underworld, find my elite guard, and run this joint, and you want to know what’s for supper?”

  “Oh, someone got a pea under his mattress,” Antonio said. “What’s going on?”

  Ash could feel his frustration growing. It was a living, breathing thing inside him. “I’m just fucking fed up, ok?” And sexually frustrated, but he wasn’t going to add that.

  “I know what we should do,” Antonio said, leaping to his feet. “Let’s go see some babies.”

  Ash turned his back on him. “I know that I am evil, but come on. We are not cooking babies.”

  Antonio laughed. “I am so glad to know you think so highly of me,” he barked, “but no. I was suggesting we go hang out with some actual babies. They always make me feel better.”

  “I don’t think babies would be safe around me right now,” Ash told him. He was looking around; surely, there was something alcoholic in this office.

  “I think you would be surprised,” Antonio said. “And we had the liquor cabinet refilled the other day. To your left.”

  Ash looked and sure enough, there was a cabinet built into the wall. Ash opened it and found that every kind of liquor imaginable was stocked. He grabbed a scotch and opened it, put the bottle to his lips and drank from it. Then he coughed up a lung.

  “You know I am going to kill you one day,” Ash said between coughs.

  “Yeah, but not today. Come on. Have I ever steered you wrong?”

  Ash knew there was no way he was going to talk Antonio out of it. If he had learned anything from his time with the irritating SOB, it was that when he got an idea in his head, there was no turning back. “Fine,” Ash agreed with a loud sigh. “But remember to keep your personal space out of my personal space.”

  “Yay!” Antonio said, clapping his hands.

  What a dork.

  ***

  Antonio knew it was getting bad. Ash was growling and pacing like a wolf. A hungry wolf. He needed to get him and Elizabeth together and get this whole touchy feely thing done and over with. Antonio knew Elizabeth was at work by then. He had been watching Ash for hours at his computer. The man needed a break. And a taco. And sex. Not necessarily in that order.

  They flashed to Earth and flew in silence until they were over the hospital. Antonio pointed at the helipad on the roof and Ash nodded. The pair landed and went inside the hospital before making themselves visible.

  “I don’t understand why we need to visit the nursery,” Ash complained, even though as soon as his feet touched the building he knew he was supposed to be there. It was just like the park. There was something or someone there he was supposed to see. It was like an invisible thread pulling him where he needed to go. It was stronger this time, though.

  “Babies always make me feel better,” Antonio told him as they marched through the halls. “Whenever I am feeling out of sorts, I go visit my family. Well, I used to, before all the babies were grown. Now I have to visit the hospital nursery to get my baby fix. You’ll see,” he promised.

  Ash didn’t know about all that, but he was supposed to be here, and that was what mattered.

  ***

  Elizabeth was running late. In her entire career, she had never been late to work. She parked her car in the parking garage, jumped out, and ran for the elevator. Then she stopped and turned around. Shit, she had forgotten her stuff!

  She ran back to her car and clicked the unlock button on her remote. She yanked open the passenger side door and reached in to get her bag and her name badge. She backed out of the car and slammed the door, except she hadn’t moved back far enough and slammed the door into the side of her head.

  “Ow,” she cried out, bringing a hand to her head. She rubbed her skin and when she felt wetness, she looked at her hand. Yep. She was bleeding. “Damn it,” she cursed, putting her hand back over the wound. She shook the stars from her vision and headed back toward the elevator. Instead of going straight to her locker, she went down to the ER.

  “Hey,” Dr. Tucker greeted as she arrived. “What brings you down here?” he asked.

  Elizabeth moved her hand and showed him her reason for the visit.

  “Ouch,” he said. “Want me to have a look?”

  “Aren’t you doing somebody’s surgery?” she asked.

  “Nah,” he said. “I was called down here for a possible emergency appendectomy, but turns out I wasn’t needed. But I think that needs stitches,” he said, pointing at Elizabeth’s head. “How about I fix you up?”

  Elizabeth nodded. Dr. Tucker was not only a coworker, but also a friend. He was marrying Leanne in a few weeks. Elizabeth had gotten close to both of them over the last year. He walked her to an empty exam room.

  “Yeah, that needs a stitch or two,” he mumbled. He brushed Elizabeth’s hair from her face and got to work cleaning the wound. “What happened?”

  “Would you believe I shut my face in the car door?” she asked with a smile.

  “Actually, I would,” he said. He soaked some cotton in betadine solution and gently patted it onto the cut. “I did it once myself. Hurt like a bitch.”

  “Mmm,” Elizabeth agreed.

  “Ok let’s get you stitched up,” he said. He took his needle and tweezers and set to work repairing the damage she caused. Three stitches later, he was finished. He applied a thin layer of Neosporin and declared her fit for duty.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  “Now, get to work,” he laughed as she grabbed her stuff and headed upstairs. The OB unit was quiet for a change. No one was in dire need of her, and no babies were pushing their way into the world right that moment. It was just as well, seeing as how she was late and arriving with stitches.

  She briefly explained her tardiness to the nurses and then told them that if they needed her to page her. Elizabeth then took herself for a walk around the floor. She passed the nursery and stopped for a look at the babies she delivered the day before.

  ***

  Ash hated to admit it, but Antonio had been right. Babies were very calming. Antonio was making goofy faces at one newborn boy and the child was watching him intently. “I thought no one could see us,” Ash said.

  Antonio turned to look at him. “Normally they can’t, but babies always can. Don’t really know the whys of it, they j
ust can.”

  Ash looked at the baby next to him. She was in her little crib, sleeping away. Her mouth twitched every now and again and he wondered what a newborn would dream about. The whole place smelled like Johnson’s baby bath and powder, combined with the scent of what he could only describe as baby. Why did babies smell so good? He leaned down and breathed in near the little girl. She smelled wonderful….like flowers, sunshine, and happiness. Yeah, happiness. That was what babies smelled like.

  Ash thought one day he would want a baby, but then immediately decided against it. He wanted a son, but who would be the mother? He didn’t want a family in the life that he led now. There was no room for that. He wouldn’t be able to give them the attention they would deserve.

  Then he felt it. That string that pulled him yanked on him hard. He looked behind him and saw her. Elizabeth. She was walking outside of the nursery, just on the other side of the glass. His brain brought up images of her lying on her bed the night before.

  “Let’s go,” Antonio said, taking Ash by the arm. “We need to get out of the nursery.”

  “Why?” Ash asked.

  “Because you have a nasty habit of getting visible at bad times,” Antonio answered him. “Just outside there.”

  The pair left the nursery and got visible before walking back toward Elizabeth. Antonio’s heart jumped in anticipation. Maybe now the SOB would touch her. As they approached, Antonio could hear a low growl emanating from Ash’s chest.

  “Dude,” Antonio said, “What’s with the angry dog impression?”

  “What?” Ash barked at him. “You’re fucking nuts.”

  “No,” Antonio differed, “you are growling. Stop it. And why?”

  Ash looked at Elizabeth who just then turned to face the men. There was a cut on her head that had recently been stitched.

  “Oh, I see,” Antonio said. “Hey, you go find out what happened and I will just stand here and look at the babies.”

  Ash barely heard him as he stomped over to her. “Who did this?” he demanded. Ok, that was really smooth. Ash was pissed though. Someone had hurt her.

  “Hello to you, too,” she smiled.

  “Who hurt you?” he asked her.

  “Oh this,” she said, raising a hand to her wound. “That would be me. I slammed my face in the car door this morning.”

  “Then I shall rip the car to pieces. Mangle it beyond recognition. I will slay the beast that has caused you pain,” he said with a smile. What the fuck? He had been hanging around Antonio for too long.

  Elizabeth laughed. “That is what I like about you guys,” she said. “You’re just so funny.”

  “Seriously, though,” Ash said, “are you ok?”

  “Yeah,” she told him. “Just a flesh wound. Your sister’s fiancé stitched me up.”

  Ash nodded his approval.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “Baby watching,” Ash told her. “Antonio says it’s good for the soul.”

  “I think it is too,” she admitted. “That’s why I’m here. They always make me feel better; like I am at peace when I am surrounded by so much new life.”

  “Oh, come on already,” Antonio grumbled.

  “What was that?” Ash asked over his shoulder.

  “Nothing,” Antonio replied with his head leaning on the glass.

  Ash looked at the wound. It really wasn’t bad. That led to looking into her eyes and then down at her lips. He wanted to kiss her, he realized. He raised his hand up from his side, toward her face. He could already feel the skin of her cheek in his palm. She leaned her head as if to accept the touch he was about to deliver. He wanted to touch her. He needed to touch her. Just another inch…

  What the fuck was he doing, he thought as he put his hand back down and shoved it in his pocket. First, he was watching her, now he was thinking about touching her. What had gotten into him? He had no right to touch her and really, he had no right even talking to her.

  “Well, we should go,” Ash said quietly. A loud thump came from behind him and Antonio groaned.

  “Ok, see you around,” she replied.

  Ash walked past Antonio, who had a red mark on his forehead, and left the hospital, posthaste. He was pretty sure that he heard Antonio grumbling something about an idiot as he went.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Leanne was admiring her wedding dress as it hung in her closet. She didn’t dare take the bag off it for fear that it would somehow get dirty. When her doorbell rang, she went to answer it immediately. On the other side of the door was Elizabeth.

  “I’m so glad you came!” Leanne said, pulling Elizabeth into her home. “I have to show you!”

  “Ok, ok,” Elizabeth laughed as Leanne pulled her by the hand. She led her into the bedroom where the closet door was wide open. Hanging on the rod was a white garment bag.

  “It’s finally finished!” Leanne squealed.

  “Well, let’s see it,” Elizabeth said.

  Leanne carefully unzipped the bag and pulled it away from the dress. It was a full-length gown with a mermaid bodice. Tiny little sequins were sewn into the bodice and the skirting was full, billowing out from the rest of it.

  Elizabeth admired the dress. “Put it on,” she said with a sly grin.

  “Help me?” Leanne asked.

  The pair worked their way through the dress until it was on Leanne’s body. “I hope you have plenty of people to help you get this on for the big day,” Elizabeth laughed as she tried to straighten the skirts. There was just so much of it!

  “I know right!” Leanne laughed.

  Leanne was beautiful in her gown. After Elizabeth managed to get the zipper up and all the little buttons on the back fastened, Leanne twirled in a circle, giggling like a schoolgirl. Elizabeth squashed the tiny seed of jealousy she felt. Her friend was happy and she was happy for her. Now was not the time to dwell on all the things missing from her own life.

  “I’m so happy for you,” she told her friend.

  “Thank you,” Leanne beamed.

  Elizabeth immediately thought of Ash and how he looked at her earlier that day in the nursery. She had thought for certain he was going to kiss her. He had even raised his hand to touch her, but then turned away at the last second. She wanted him to touch her.

  “What is it?” Leanne asked, taking a seat on the bed. She brushed the skirts of her dress down in an attempt to wrangle them into submission.

  “Nothing, why?” Elizabeth answered.

  “Don’t give me that,” Leanne rebuked. “Come, sit. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

  Elizabeth sat next to her and let out a sigh. “Can I ask you something?” she finally said.

  “Of course,” Leanne smiled.

  “Is your brother gay?” Elizabeth just blurted out.

  Leanne choked on her own spit. “I’m sorry, did I hear you right? Did you just ask me if Ash was gay?”

  Elizabeth looked down. “I know it’s none of my business, I was just wondering.”

  Leanne laughed. “No, honey, he’s not gay. What on earth would make you ask that?”

  Elizabeth shrugged. “I saw him and his friend at the park yesterday,” she began. “I don’t know what I was thinking, but I touched his chest and he moved back away from me. Then I got to thinking, he is always with Antonio. I apologized, and even though Ash told me he was not gay, I saw them. When I was in my car, I looked back and they were nose to nose. Antonio was holding his face as if he was going to kiss him or something. I just looked away and drove off.”

  Leanne laughed harder. “Oh man! I bet that went over well. No, he is straight. He isn’t much on relationships, but I have seen him with a girl a time or two.”

  Elizabeth nodded. So it was her.

  “Oh, I get it,” Leanne said with a grin, “You like him. You want my big brother!”

  “No,” Elizabeth started to defend herself but Leanne would have none of it.

  “Yes you do! Oh, my God!” she yelled.

 
“Ok, maybe I think he is attractive,” Elizabeth admitted.

  “Pfft,” Leanne said. “I have eyes. Even though he’s my brother, I can see what other women see. That man is gorgeous.”

  “Yeah,” Elizabeth grinned, “in a “let me crawl up your body and have my way with you” kind of way.”

  “Ew, but I get it,” Leanne nodded.

  “Sorry,” Elizabeth said. “I just find myself thinking about him a lot lately.”

  “Can’t say I blame you,” Leanne told her. “He’s a great guy if you can get past the macho tough man act. He is probably the most selfless man I know.”

  “Well, he made it pretty clear that he isn’t interested in me,” Elizabeth sighed.

  “Not necessarily,” Leanne said, putting her hand on Elizabeth’s knee. “You just gotta try harder. He may be great, but he is also pretty dense. You might try hitting him over the head or something.”

  Elizabeth laughed. It had been too long since she had laughed with another female. This girl talk thing was therapeutic.

  “Well, this is convenient,” a man’s voice interrupted their conversation. Elizabeth and Leanne both looked at the source at the same time. “I thought I would only find one of you here, but look, there you both are! Saved me some trouble.”

  The man was tall with dark hair and blacker than black eyes. “Let’s go ahead and get the pleasantries out of the way. You’re coming with me.”

  “The hell we are,” Leanne said, standing along with Elizabeth. Each woman did her best to push the other behind her. “You can leave. I’m calling the police.”

  The man laughed. “The police will do you no good,” he assured them. He moved toward them too fast for their eyes to track him. Then, he had a hand on each of their throats. “You ladies are going to do just fine,” he growled.

  Elizabeth couldn’t draw in enough breath to respond, but Leanne could, and she used it to scream.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Elizabeth woke in what she could only imagine was the basement of an abandoned house. The air was thick and musty and it smelled of mold and decay. She opened her eyes a small slit and looked around. She was tied to a small cot in the corner of the room. There wasn’t a window that she could see. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she saw that she was not alone in the room. Leanne was chained to the wall adjacent to her.