Elizabeth tried to get up, but realized she wasn’t just tied to the bed; she was chained. Her wrists were crushed in metal handcuffs and heavy, thick chains secured her arms above her head. As she struggled, she realized that her feet were secured as well.
“Leanne,” she whispered. Leanne’s head hung to the side and her hair covered her face. “Leanne,” Elizabeth hissed.
“She is quite the heavy sleeper,” a man’s voice said cheerfully. “I’m sure she will wake soon enough.”
Elizabeth turned her head toward the voice and her breath caught in her throat as she swallowed a scream. The man was not a man at all, but a beast. He was tall and black with a huge horn on his head. A million questions were flying around in her head, but the one that troubled her most was why she wasn’t surprised by this?
“I know, I am nice to look at,” he grinned at her, revealing a row of razor sharp teeth. “But you are not for me,” he continued. “Marcus wants you.”
“Who are you?” she asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” he answered. He sat back in his chair as if he were debating something with himself. “Yep, I think I’ll wake my toy up now,” he declared and then stood. He walked over to Leanne and slapped her face. Hard. The smack echoed through the room. “Wake up, bitch,” he snarled.
Elizabeth watched helplessly as Leanne woke immediately and cried out in pain. “What the fuck?” she snarled at him. Then, Leanne really saw him–and she screamed her freaking head off.
“Ahhhhh,” the demon taunted her in a bad imitation of the scream. “Oh, help, help! The big bad demon is going to get me!”
“Leave her alone!” Elizabeth shouted.
The demon yanked his head around to face Elizabeth. “Don’t you worry,” he said to her, “you’ll get yours.”
“Fuck you,” Elizabeth shouted at him. “Leave her alone!”
The demon laughed and backhanded Leanne. Elizabeth cringed at the sound it made. Leanne’s head jerked to the side. When she raised it back up, there was fire in her eyes and she spat blood from her mouth in the demon’s face.
“Bitch,” it snarled at her, and then he hit her again. Elizabeth didn’t want to watch but she couldn’t look away. She screamed at the demon over and over, but he seemed to enjoy it. “Too bad your brother is too weak to come and save you,” it growled at Leanne.
Leanne raised a brow at the demon. Her expression was a challenge to the demon, and it knew it.
“Why don’t you call for him?” It smacked her again. “Call for you brother. The big, bad, Ash. He won’t hear you, though. He isn’t strong enough to find you.”
Leanne pressed her lips together. She wasn’t going to do anything the demon asked of her.
“Adule,” a sharp voice said, making Elizabeth turn her head. She had since closed her eyes, but now she opened them. “What are you doing?”
“I was just having a bit of fun with the sister,” he replied. “I don’t think she knows about her brother.”
The new man walked over to Leanne. If not for his black eyes, Elizabeth would have thought he was human. “Do you know what your brother has become?” he asked her. Leanne pressed her lips tighter together. She wasn’t going to say anything.
“It doesn’t matter,” the first demon, Adule said. “He doesn’t need to see the action, only the aftermath.”
“What are you talking about?” Elizabeth demanded. She didn’t know where the spark of courage came from, only that it was there. She figured they had been taken as some kind of torture for Ash, but what had he done? And what was he in to? Were they some kind of demon mob? Leanne was obviously not going to help them and Lord help her, she wasn’t going to help the demons either. She knew it right then; she wouldn’t do a thing to help them find Ash, even if it meant her life.
“Ah, my pet,” the human looking demon said to her. “Your mate is weak and we intend to exploit that little matter.” He turned and walked over to her. “But first, I intend to play with you first.”
Mate? What the hell did that even mean? “I’m not his mate,” she growled at him as he came closer.
“Oh, you are,” he said with a grin. “But he didn’t want you, did he? No. He sent you away.”
This guy was about two cards short of a deck. Elizabeth rolled her eyes dramatically.
“Spunky one, aren’t you?” he smiled. “No worries, I can beat that right out of you.” He sat on the edge of her cot and Elizabeth tried to move her body away from his, but she was secured tight and had nowhere to go. He raised his hand and she braced herself for the blow she knew was coming. Instead, he traced the side of her face with his fingertip. It was almost a loving caress, which in turn made her stomach threaten to heave.
“Yes,” he said, turning more fully toward her, “I think I shall play with you before killing you.” He drew his fist back and punched her in the face. His knuckles cracked into her eye socket. Pain exploded behind her eye and she knew that her orbital bone was broken. He hit her with his other hand, matching up her eyes.
Elizabeth wanted to cry out, but she couldn’t. She wouldn’t. She could hear the first demon attacking Leanne, but there was nothing she could do. She was helpless and she hated it. Over and over, the demon struck Elizabeth, but she took it. She swallowed her cries of pain and she shoved the pain way down inside herself.
When he finally stopped, Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief. But he wasn’t finished with her. No, he was just getting started.
He shoved her legs apart and climbed between them. “You won’t be needing these,” he growled as he ripped her scrubs off her legs. Elizabeth knew she was going to have bruises on her legs from the material being yanked off. She also knew exactly what was coming next. She could barely see him through the swollen skin around her eyes, but she heard the unmistakable sound of a zipper going down. She closed her eyes and willed her brain to check out of the current situation. If she was going to survive, she was going to have to go somewhere else in her head.
She was almost calm, breathing in and out slowly, concentrating on keeping it together, when she felt the demon shove himself inside her. She felt the delicate tissue inside her ripping as he raped her. The pain was excruciating, but she would not give him the pleasure of crying out. She fought to keep control of herself, distancing herself from the reality of what was happening to her. She shut out the smell of his foul breath in her face, and she shut out the sound of his grunts. She shut out everything…. and eventually, even the pain. The last thing she thought before she slipped into unconsciousness was Ash, please help me.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Why can’t I see her?” Ash demanded.
“I don’t know,” Antonio answered him. “I can’t work that thing,” he declared with a wave of his hand toward the mirror.
“Isn’t there someone you can ask?” Ash demanded, getting in Antonio’s face.
“Look,” Antonio snarled back at him, “do I look like I have a direct pipeline to the big guy? Do you think we just sit around and have tea, discussing you? Do you think He just calls my cell and tells me everything? No. He does not. He tells me what He thinks I need to know and nothing more. We gotta figure some shit out ourselves. I’m sorry you can’t find your sister, but it ain’t my fault.” He huffed and then poked Ash in the chest with his finger. “Get a grip, will ya? Get laid, or something.”
“She’s in trouble,” Ash announced. “I know it. I have to find her.”
“Well, then let’s find her instead of sitting here arguing,” Antonio suggested rather loudly.
“I’m going to her house,” Ash said.
“Right on your ass,” the angel said.
The pair flashed to Leanne’s home on Earth. The house was empty and the front door was wide open. “What the fuck,” Antonio breathed out. The house was a wreck. There had definitely been a struggle. The couch was tipped over and there was a shattered potted plant on the floor. It looked like it had hit the wall first.
“Somebody got a
plant thrown at their head,” the angel said.
“Lele!” Ash called through the house. “Lele! Where are you?”
“She ain’t here,” Antonio said flatly.
“What the fuck do we do now?” Ash shouted. “Damn it!” He kicked a chair that was already turned over. It flew across the room and smashed into the wall.
“Calm down,” Antonio said.
“Fuck that,” Ash snapped.
“Seriously,” Antonio said. “Look and listen. Who was here? Feel it.”
Ash made the effort to calm himself. He closed his eyes and looked for things he couldn’t see. There was a smell, one that he recognized. It was the distinct scent of sulfur. “Demons,” he muttered under his breath. “Fucking demons.”
“Can you tell which ones?” Antonio asked seriously. Ash shook his head. “Concentrate on your sister. Feel her. Where did she go?”
Ash thought hard about Leanne. Then it was as if someone flipped a switch in his mind. He could see her spirit, for lack of a better word. She had been in the house. Someone came in and took her. He could see pink and lavender swirls, like an aura, where she had been. He followed it out of the house and down the street.
Antonio was right behind him. “That’s it,” he said, “lead us to her.”
Ash spread his wings and flew. He followed his sister’s trail through the city and into the country. He followed it through a forest and over a mountain. Where the hell was she being taken?
Her trail stopped at a small cottage nestled into the trees. He and Antonio dropped silently in front of the small building. “I’m going in,” Ash announced.
“Me too,” Antonio agreed.
They didn’t flash in, nor did they attempt to hide the fact that they were there. Ash raised his foot and kicked in the front door. It splintered and fell from its hinges, crashing into the wall behind it. “Honey, I’m home!” he yelled into the small house.
Immediately, Ash caught sight of movement in the next room and he rushed toward it. A demon, lower level, cowered in the corner of what used to be a kitchen. There were cobwebs along the ceiling and about an inch of dust and grime covering every surface. A forgotten pot still sat on the rusty stove. Ash didn’t waste time. He walked right up to the little demon and grabbed it by the throat.
It was only about three feet tall to begin with, so when Ash raised it up, its feet dangled beneath it. “Where is she?” Ash demanded.
“I’m sorry, Sir,” the little shit stammered. “They made me do it.”
“Who is they?” Ash growled, “And where is Lele?”
The little demon shook its head. Its eyes were solid black and rounded in fear. “I don’t know their names,” it said. “They said to watch them.”
“Watch who?” Ash demanded, tightening his grip on the thing’s throat.
“The humans,” it said.
Ash growled at it. “Why should I let you live?” he demanded.
“Have mercy,” the demon begged.
“Yeah,” Ash agreed. He dropped the demon to the floor and pulled his sword from his hip.
“Please,” it begged, “Mercy!”
“This is me showing mercy,” Ash growled as he brought his blade around. He brought it down in one forceful movement, slicing clean through the demon from the top of its head all the way through its body. When the two halves fell to the floor, Ash turned.
“Ash,” Antonio’s voice called from underneath him. “You better get down here.”
Ash found the stairs leading to the basement and took them three at a time. He was unprepared for what he saw there.
Leanne was shackled to the wall, spread-eagled, wearing her wedding dress. It was ripped and blood- stained, hanging from her shoulders. Her face was bruised and bloodied. “Dear God,” Ash breathed as he ran to his sister. He pushed her hair back from her face and lifted her chin. “Lele,” he said.
“Ash,” she whispered.
“Are you all right?” he asked as he started to figure out a way to get her down. God help the demon who did this to her, because Ash was going to bring all of Hell down on his head for this.
“I’m ok,” she answered in a hoarse voice. “Elizabeth,” she said. Ash looked for the woman in question and found her chained to a cot on the other side of the room. “Help her,” Leanne whispered.
“I got this,” Antonio told him, already going to work on the shackles. “Go check on the doc.”
Ash nodded, satisfied that his sister was safe with the angel, and went over to the cot. “Elizabeth,” he said. He got no response. His stomach turned as he took in her swollen face, her blackened eyes, the bruises on her arms and legs. But what disturbed him the most was that her clothes were torn and she wasn’t wearing any pants. “I’m going to get you out of here,” he told her.
He reached for the chains binding her wrists above her head. His hand brushed against the skin of her wrist and Ash nearly fell back on his ass.
Images, no memories, flooded his mind! He saw her at the hospital, working her ass off to save his life. You will not die… He knew what those words meant to him now. She had pulled him back from the brink of death and an eternity of slavery in Hell. He saw her removing staples from his chest. He saw himself kissing her while he was wearing purple scrubs. He remembered making love to her. He remembered that he loved her. He loved her with everything that he was and he remembered asking God to make them forget.
He had wanted to keep her safe, and look how that worked out. His woman was hurt and it was because of him! His stomach knotted and immediately threatened to return his breakfast. Elizabeth… His Elizabeth… Oh God, what had he done?
***
Elizabeth was fighting just to stay conscious. She couldn’t keep her eyes open. She heard when Leanne’s brother entered the room and she heard him say he was going to help her. Then she felt him touch her wrist.
Everything she hadn’t understood became crystal clear. She remembered. She remembered kissing him. She remembered the story he told her about the demon and Hell. She remembered saving him and she remembered that she loved him. Her heart filled to near bursting with the love she longed for and she ripped her eyes open to see his face above hers. “Ash,” she said through a sheen of tears. “You came for me.”
Ash got a grip on himself. “I’m getting you out of here right now,” he told her and grabbed the chains that bound her. He used his hands to rip them apart. He was only momentarily surprised that he had the strength to do so with his bare hands. He had to get her out of there. When she was free, he gathered her into his arms. “I’m so sorry,” he told her. God was he sorry. He should have been there to protect her. He should have been there to love her.
“I love you,” she whispered. Her head lolled to the side and her eyes closed.
“No!” he demanded. “No way. Don’t you do that. Don’t you dare say goodbye,” Ash said as he pulled her face back to him. “Stay with me.”
“So tired,” she mumbled.
“Come on, talk to me,” Ash told her. “Tell me what happened.”
He got no response and he looked at Antonio for guidance. The angel was looking back at him with an expression he had never seen on the man’s face before. It was empathy. As if he knew firsthand the pain and helplessness Ash was feeling.
“Come on, Baby, talk to me. What happened?” he asked Elizabeth. She opened her mouth slightly and then closed it again. She was too weak to tell him. Ash gritted his teeth and cradled her head to his chest. “Don’t you dare die on me,” he told her as he rocked them both. “Stay with me,” he pleaded. “I’ve only just found you. Stay with me, please.”
Ash looked down into her eyes. He didn’t know where it came from, but he could see what happened. He saw what was done to her, and he could see who did it. His body began to shudder all over as white-hot rage filled his veins. How dare they touch what was his? How dare they hurt her?
“Give her to me,” Antonio said from right beside him.
“No,” Ash gr
owled, gripping Elizabeth’s body closer to him.
“I know a guy,” Antonio said. “It’s her only chance.”
Elizabeth was dying in his arms. Ash shook his head no. His heart wanted to keep her with him, even though his head knew he should allow Antonio to take her.
“If you don’t,” Antonio said softly, “she will surely die. Let me try to help her.”
Ash looked up at the angel. He searched his face for any signs of a lie. All he found was compassion and determination. He had grown to trust Antonio, even if he was an irritating shit. And really, he was Elizabeth’s only option. “I can keep them safe,” Antonio said. “Both of them.”
Antonio watched as Ash fought with himself. The man was vibrating from his anger and he feared that if Ash let it go, the women would be hurt further. He held out a hand and Ash finally took it. He stood with his precious cargo and kissed her lips once. “I have to let Antonio take you now,” Ash told her. “He’s an angel and he will keep you safe.”
Elizabeth clung to him tighter, and in an almost imperceptive movement, shook her head no. “It’s the only way,” Ash said softly, “I will see you soon,” he promised. Then, Ash handed Elizabeth over to Antonio. He took her into his arms and held her gently.
“I have to go,” Ash said through gritted teeth. Antonio nodded. “Take them somewhere safe,” he said as he stepped away from them and spread his black as night wings. He threw his head back and roared into the night. The ground shook with the force of Ash’s pain and anger. Black flames erupted from his entire body, and when he looked back at Antonio his eyes were glowing red. Antonio nodded at him once and then Ash disappeared.
Antonio flashed himself and both women to the only place he knew would be safe….his old home where his family lived.
Salvation (The Keepers of Hell Book 2) Page 9