The Redemption Series

by Melynda Price

  “What are you doing, Ashley?” His voice was low and controlled.

  “Something I’ll probably regret,” she replied flippantly. “Of course, you know all about regrets, don’t you?”

  “That’s not fair, Ashley, and that’s not what I said!”

  “Not fair? Not fair! I’ll tell you what’s not fair, Balen. I’ve spent the last three years of my life pining away for someone who never really loved me! That’s not fair!”

  “I never said I didn’t love you! I just won’t have sex with you. Why do you humans always make those two synonymous?”

  “Because they are!” she hissed, trying to jerk her arm free, but he wouldn’t let her go.

  “Not in my world,” he growled.

  “Well, they are in mine! And don’t you dare take that holier-than-thou attitude with me. I was there when you kissed me. And FYI, I’ve never been kissed like that—ever. I know you wanted me. I felt the evidence of it against my leg, so don’t pretend you’re above those petty ‘human’ emotions.” This time when she jerked her arm, it came free. She spun around and made a beeline for the bar. “I’ll have another Mint Mojito and a Beck’s Dark, please.”

  “Ashley—”

  He was right behind her, breathing down her neck, and damn, if that didn’t make the ache come back full-force. “Look, Balen,” she spun around, leveling him with a glare, because it was either that or burst into tears. “It’s bad enough that I have to live with the fact that you regret kissing me, and I get it, we all have regrets. Except, unlike yourself, I never thought of you as one of mine!”

  “Listen,” he growled under his breath. “I get that you’re mad, but this is not the way to get back at me, Ashley. You need to get out of here. I cannot protect you from yourself.”

  What in the hell was that supposed to mean? She glanced back at Mitch and the others, who were watching her and Balen like they were the next best thing since Jerry Springer. She thought she may have seen a hint of amusement sparking in Haden’s pale green eyes as he stood there chalking up his cue. Mitch was standing beside the pool table, holding both of their sticks with a concerned scowl on his face. He looked as if he couldn’t quite decide whether to come to her aid or not. Thankfully, he stayed put, because right now, this was one warrior he did not want to tangle with.

  Ashley wasn’t an idiot. Well, maybe she was, because she knew full well she had no business being out here with Mitch and these guys. But at least she was being a conscientious idiot because, deep down, she did know better. She was just too emotionally spent and intoxicated to give a fuck right now. The pathetic and not-so-sober side of her wanted to make him jealous, make him realize what he was turning away. And right now, the best way she could think of to do that was to get shit-faced and shoot some pool with the guys.

  She wasn’t afraid of them. Even mad as hell, she knew Balen would protect her. After all, that was his job, right? Ashley spun back around and was briefly taken aback by the amethyst glare that darted from the guys back to her.

  “You know, why don’t you take the night off, Balen? Mitch will make sure I get back safely.” Insert knife and twist— Hurts like hell, doesn’t it?

  ***

  Haden chalked his stick as he watched the chica and her guardian argue near the bar. For a runty little thing, she sure had some moxie. The female barely cleared his chest and had to crank her head back to meet his livid glare. Although curvy, it was doubtful she’d hit a hundred and ten pounds soaking wet. But watching her face off toe-to-toe with this warrior, he couldn’t help but grow a little respect for the female. If nothing else, she certainly was entertaining as hell, and easy on the eyes.

  Although they tried to keep their voices low, he easily heard them bantering back and forth. Apparently, she had a thing for her guardian, which wasn’t as surprising as the discovery that those feelings might be reciprocated. Interesting…

  Mitch looked a little concerned about his friend, and Cale and Rhen didn’t even try to hide their amusement. Balen looked furious, not that he blamed the guy. If his ward was cavorting around with demons, he’d have picked that female up and hauled her little ass right out of here. Fuck her free will.

  “I wish I could hear what they were saying,” Mitch complained.

  Cale leaned over and said, “Balen’s angry that Ashley’s here with us. He wants her to leave, but she’s refusing.”

  “You can hear them?” he asked, looking surprised.

  Cale shrugged. “I can read lips.”

  Mitch seemed to be satisfied enough with the lie. “You think he’ll make her leave?”

  “He can’t,” Cale explained. “He can’t violate her free will. He’s telling her that he can’t protect her like this, that she’s putting herself in danger.”

  “Oh, please,” Mitch rolled his eyes dramatically. “She’s perfectly fine. He’s just pissed that he can’t control her.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure that’s it,” Haden drawled. Were all mortals this stupid, or just this one? Oh well, manipulating Mitch was going to be easier than he thought. He’d warned Cale and Rhen to play nice with the humans. He knew from experience that, by nature, they tended to be a trusting lot, craving love and attention. A little nice went a long way with these creatures—show them a little kindness and you’d lull ‘em into complacency pretty damn quick. Then it was all the more sweet when you plunged the knife into their back.

  Haden wondered what it’d take to get Balen’s female to turn “Team Demon.” From what little he’d seen of her, she didn’t look as gullible as her friend. Then again, Mitch had that cocky, male arrogance working against him. It made men do stupid things, like spending the night hanging out with demons and such.

  The female tried to jerk her arm from the angel’s grasp and failed.

  “I’m going over there,” Mitch said, setting the sticks against the table and his beer on the ledge.

  As he started to walk over, Haden caught the blowhard by the arm and said, “Not if you want to live, you won’t. Trust me, you don’t want any of that shit storm.” Mitch hesitated a moment, and when the female broke her warrior’s grip on her second attempt at freedom, he seemed to cool his jets a little.

  Haden bit back a chuckle when Ashley told her guardian to “Take the night off.” Balen growled something he couldn’t quite catch before storming out the door. For a moment, he wondered if the skirt was gonna cry, but then she turned to face the bar.

  Now that the drama was over, Cale muttered something about going to get another drink and sidled through the crowd up to the bar. Rhen and Mitch turned their attention back to the game they were shooting, but Haden continued to watch with mild curiosity as the demon parked his ass right next to the female. If she saw him standing there, she gave no indication of it.

  “You all right?” Cale asked her when she refused to look at him.

  Huh, the bastard actually sounded like he gave a shit. Hell, even he was almost convinced. Looks like Cale took his “be nice” speech to heart.

  “I’m fine.”

  Ha! The Ice Queen herself couldn’t have blown more cold up Cale’s ass. Haden chuckled, taking a sip of his beer. Shit, this was almost as entertaining as watching the human give that warrior a run for his money.

  “What are you drinking?”

  Ashley turned to look at him, disdain oozing from every pore in her body. He was sure she was going to tell him to piss off, but instead said, “Mint Mojitos.”

  The bartender came back over with his hands full of drinks, and Cale said, “I’ll take another one of those,” nodding toward her glass. The guy behind the counter turned back around to go make another one.

  “You don’t have to buy my drinks,” she said coolly when Cale tossed some cash on the bar.

  “I know. It’s just…I think we got off on the wrong foot, you and I, and I’d like to clean the slate.”

  She opened her mouth, but nothing came out, at least nothing Haden could hear. She paused, her scowl tightened, and she
snapped incredulously, “The wrong foot? Cale, you attacked me!”

  He did…? Why in the hell would he attack a human—this human? Typically, demons tried to keep a low profile. It was bad for business if they outted themselves to humans. When did he attack her? Certainly not recently, or he wouldn’t be alive right now.

  “I don’t think a drink is going to patch things up between us.”

  “People make mistakes—”

  “But that’s just it. You’re not people.”

  And that’s why they didn’t out themselves. It wouldn’t look good, having the humans aware of them. They’d become more aware of spiritual warfare, and that was a lose-lose on both ends.

  “Don’t you think, for one minute, that I’ve forgotten what you really are!” Ashley pulled some cash out of her pocket and slammed it down on the counter. Tucking the Beck’s in the crook of her arm, she grabbed the second glass and walked back to them, leaving Cale standing at the bar staring after her. He turned to the bartender and grabbed his beer, grumbling, “Ouch… Careful for that one, she bites.”

  Haden had no doubt the little spit-fire did exactly that.

  “Wow, two-fista sista,” Mitch teased as she walked over to him with a drink in each hand and waited for him to take the beer wedged between her elbow and her boob.

  “Shut up and break,” she snapped, tipping back a glass.

  Mitch laughed. “Jeez, Ash, I hope you’re not an angry drunk.”

  “We’ll see soon enough,” she replied, draining her third glass and slamming it down on the table. She glanced around the room, no doubt looking for her guardian. The brief look of disappointment that crossed her face verified his suspicion. A rebellious glint graced those hazel eyes and she grabbed her fourth glass and started downing that one, too. Give it twenty minutes or so for those drinks to catch up with her and she was gonna be shit-faced. Damn, this female was a disaster waiting to happen. He almost felt sorry for the warrior.

  Three games of pool and several drinks later, Ashley’s aim was definitely off and not even playing slop could help that girl’s game. She was starting to relax a bit, and was looking less and less like she’d just sucked a lemon. It was interesting that, for as much as Mitch professed undying love for Olivia, his gaze so frequently roved over Ashley’s ass. That must chap Balen’s hide like no tomorrow.

  An hour and a half had passed, and no warrior. The female glanced over at the door every few minutes as if she expected, or maybe hoped, her angel would come back for her. He drained his beer and left his empty on the table as he walked up to the bar for another. After the day he’d had, he could use another five or six. Haden was on his way back to the table when Ashley came around the corner, heading toward the bathroom. She tripped over her own feet and stumbled forward.

  Reflexively, he reached out and grabbed her arm. She stiffened beneath his touch. No doubt, her survival instincts were trying to fight their way through the alcohol. When she relaxed in his arms, he knew they had failed her. The female had no idea how much danger she was in here, and because she wasn’t sober enough to be afraid, neither did her guardian.

  Ten minutes ago, a pair of demons had come in through the back entrance. It hadn’t taken them long to notice the blonde beauty. They were Incubus, male demons with insatiable sexual appetites. It wasn’t uncommon for them to attack and violate a female who’d caught their eye.

  They’d both donned their glamour, which meant they were hunting. Women would see two “men,” strong and virile, classically handsome. Haden saw two lanky demons, emaciated and gaunt in the face, which meant they hadn’t fed in a while. They gained their strength through sex, draining their victims of their life force, a little at a time. Once they’d marked them, the Incubus would return to the women in their dreams and, over the course of weeks or months, steal their vitality.

  Their oversized eyes had searched the bar, sweeping back and forth, looking for their prey. They’d locked onto Ashley in seconds, their irises glowing red, tracking her movements as she shot a game of pool and downed another one of those drinks with the green leaves. He had no doubt the only reason they’d kept their distance this long was because she was with other demons.

  “Careful there…” he told Ashley, steadying her. “Maybe you should call it a night before you get hurt, yeah?” Even now, the two watched him with her, probably trying to decide if he had any claim on the female, and if he did, would they be able to take him. Doubtful they could, but even so, he had zero interest in playing guardian to this woman, especially when she had a perfectly good one brooding outside.

  “Ha, you sound like Balen,” she slurred.

  “Maybe he’s right,” Haden said, releasing her arm to let her battle gravity on her own.

  “Maybe you should mind your own business,” she snapped. “I’m fine, and I’m perfectly capable of getting myself to the bathroom, thank you very much.” She turned away and proceeded down the hall, her hand trailing along the wall for balance.

  Shaking his head, he strolled back to the tables, feeling the watchful eyes of the Incubus on his back. He set his beer down and looked back, shooting the two a warning glare to piss off. Only one was at the table. Bloody hell…

  Exhaling a ripe curse, he marched down the hall, his determined steps eating up the hardwood floor. He reached the woman’s bathroom and turned the knob—it wouldn’t move. Haden wrenched it again—nothing. Dammit! The demon had used his power to seal it shut. The only way this door was coming open was off its hinges. Just then, a muffled scream echoed from the bathroom, followed by a bang and a thud.

  Fuck it! Haden slammed his shoulder into the door, tearing it loose from the hinges, and stormed inside. The Incubus had the female pinned against the bathroom stall, a gnarled hand clamped tightly over her mouth, the other tearing at her clothes. His lips were pulled back, revealing a fierce set of fangs he was about to sink into the female’s neck. Once he marked her, tasted her blood, she’d never be able to hide from him.

  Haden didn’t stop to analyze why he gave a shit, other than since Gahn’s betrayal, he had a general loathing for all demons. The beast descended on her neck, and Haden lunged, catching it by the throat just before its fangs grazed her porcelain skin. The beast let out an enraged snarl as he ripped it off her. Truly, the thing must have been starving. The demon was no stronger than a mortal man. Haden snapped its neck with ease and shoved it into a bathroom stall. The shadows would come soon enough and claim the beast to the Abyss.

  When he turned back to Ashley, she was crumpled on the floor, sobbing. Scratches marred her cheek, there was a small nick on her neck, and puncture wounds marked her arm from where the Incubus’ nails had pierced her skin. She let out a startled cry when he scooped her up from the floor.

  “Shh… I’m not going to harm you, Ashley.” It surprised him to realize he actually meant it. The female slipped her arms around his neck and held on for dear life. He turned around to carry her out when her guardian flooded the doorway.

  Amethyst eyes blazed with rage as he took in the dead Incubus, and burned hotter when he saw the female clinging to Haden like a lifeline—her face buried in the side of his neck, her sob-sawing breaths trekking down his throat.

  “Let her go!” Balen snarled.

  Haden scowled. Ungrateful bastard… Storming over to the warrior, he shoved Ashley into his arms. “Take her…” She was still sobbing when he reached up and unwound the female from his neck. “Maybe you should keep this one on a tighter leash,” he growled. “She’s reckless and just about became an Incubus’ mate.”

  Balen snarled something in a language Haden didn’t understand, but his tone promised it had been foul. He turned without so much as a “thank you for saving my ward’s life,” and carried her out the back exit. As Haden headed back to his beer, he noticed the other Incubus was gone.

  “Hey, you seen Ashley?” Mitch asked when Haden plopped down on the chair in a negligent sprawl and tipped back his beer.

  “Yep. Bal
en took her back to her room. Apparently, the girl can’t handle her liquor.”

  ***

  Balen carried Ashley back to the motel. The crisp night air did nothing to simmer his rage, nor did her slurred apology as she curled into his chest and promptly passed out. Haden was right. She was reckless—careless and reckless. The image of Ashley in another male’s arms, clinging to him as she sobbed, kept the fire of his anger burning bright. That bastard was dangerous, evil as the day was long, so why in the hell had he kept that Incubus from marking her?

  Ashley was thoroughly trashed, the alcohol fogging her senses, her emotional responses delayed, dulling his connection to her. When she was intoxicated to this degree, Balen could only feel an echo of her, and it pissed him off to no end that he hadn’t been there for her tonight. That she’d been saved by a… What in the hell was that arrogant bastard, anyway? He wasn’t fallen, the eyes didn’t fit—but he was powerful, and darkness surrounded him the same as any demon.

  Perhaps it was the stress of the last few days, but Ashley’s fit of temper had pushed her beyond rational and into a self-destructive mode. It’d been a long time since he’d seen that side of her. When she was younger, she’d been wild. Balen had blamed all the partying—the drinking, on her lack of parental guidance.

  She’d been acting out then, just as she was now, and he refused to shoulder the blame for her bullshit bad choices. How could she possibly believe he didn’t love her? They’d been through this before. Couldn’t she see this was killing him? Honestly, if she kept acting like this, putting herself in danger every time she became angry with him, he’d have no choice but to change the dynamics of their relationship.

  As he reached her motel room, he commanded her door to unlock. The metal snicked as the door swung open in greeting. Balen carried Ashley inside and laid her on the bed. When her head connected with the pillow, she groaned, wincing as she reached up, touching the back of her curls.