by Donna Grant
She was no one. She was worth nothing and left no one behind. The Chiassons, on the other hand, were the one thing that kept the parish safe. They were needed.
Ivy looked at Christian. Her heart ached for what could’ve been – what should’ve been. She saw him for what he was – the man who would cherish her, love her, protect her. No longer could she deny what had been building since the moment she’d met him.
Love. The one thing she had kept at arm’s length for years.
But it had found her despite her precautions. How sad that she only had a few hours of it. Yet, those few hours had been truly wonderful. To be in the arms of a man who was willing to risk his life for her, a man who always put others before himself.
A man who made love to her with exquisite tenderness and thrilling command. A man who knew the meaning of friendship, family, and love.
Ivy picked up the cell phone. Christian and his brothers began to talk strategy. She took the opportunity offered to her and switched the speaker off.
“Riley?” she whispered into the phone.
Christian’s sister answered immediately. “I’m here.”
“I know what Christian plans to do. I know that the others will stand with him, but I can’t let that happen.”
There was a brief pause before Riley asked, “What do you intend?”
“When Christian first brought me here, I didn’t understand what your family does. During my time here, I discovered the full extent of things. Christian won’t stand down, and neither will your brothers. I can’t have them die for me.”
“Christian won’t let you face them alone,” Kane said.
Ivy watched Christian. His black hair was disheveled, his face set in hard lines. “I don’t have magic to stop him. But Davena does.”
“Oh, God,” Riley said in a strangled voice.
Court said, “You’ll die, Ivy.”
“I’m going to die either way. Why should Christian, Beau, Lincoln, and Vincent join me?”
She knew when no one spoke up that they agreed with her. Now all she needed to do was convince Davena to use magic to stop them.
“I’ll call Davena again.”
Ivy heard the sadness in Riley’s voice. “Thank you. Take care of your brothers, Riley. They regret their actions where you’re concerned, but please understand that everything they did was to protect you because they love you so dearly.”
Riley sniffed. “I know. The big louts are my world.”
“Tell them that, will you?”
Ivy didn’t wait for a response. She turned the speaker back on and set the phone down before she stood. When the time came, she would have to act quickly.
The door to the shed flew open. The sliding door behind her began to rattle before it flew open as if a giant had flung it.
Ivy closed her eyes because she knew the Hell Hounds were there, waiting to take her. She sent up a silent prayer that Davena would hurry and set the spell in place to keep Christian from stepping between her and the Hounds.
“They’re here,” Lincoln said.
Ivy took a deep breath and opened her eyes. Death. That’s what stood just a few feet from her. She might not be able to see it, but it was there.
She was thankful the beasts were invisible, or Christian would’ve already attacked. Not to mention, Ivy couldn’t see the Hounds coming for her. It would happen quickly, of that she was certain.
Vincent’s machete fell from his hand. He blinked a few times as if disoriented. A moment later, Lincoln’s Bowie knives clattered to the floor a heartbeat behind Beau’s shotgun.
Christian turned and looked at her, confusion marring his gorgeous face and clouding his eyes.
“It’s for the best,” Ivy said. “You’re needed.”
“Ivy,” he began as he fought to keep hold of the crossbow.
A tear fell down her face when he lost the battle and the crossbow fell from his lax fingers. He looked from the weapon at his feet to his hands.
“You wanted to save me,” Ivy said. “Well, you did. More than you can imagine. Now it’s my turn to save you.”
She stepped over the line of black dust encircling her and walked to Christian. Ivy cupped his cheek while his blue eyes burned into hers.
“Ivy, please.”
“The only way I can do this is knowing that you’ll still be around.” She forced a smile as her vision swam with tears. “Can’t you see, Christian Chiasson? I fell in love with you.”
“Ivy, I-”
She hurried to talk over him because she knew it wouldn’t take much for him to change her mind. It was time for her to be strong and do the sacrificing. “This is for you and your family.”
Ivy kissed him quickly and walked around him to the door. She looked up and saw Davena, Olivia, and Ava standing on the porch.
“I’m sorry, Ivy. I did the first spell before the one you asked for,” Davena said with her hands on the screen surrounding the porch to keep out the mosquitos.
Ivy was confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Minka found a spell that would allow us to see the Hounds,” Ava said. “To better fight them.”
The night just kept getting better and better. Ivy shrugged. There was no use getting upset over it now. The spell was done, and it had been done to help Christian and his brothers fight.
“I think you’re very brave,” Olivia said as she wiped at her eyes.
Brave? Not hardly. Ivy just couldn’t imagine seeing Christian hurt. That’s the only thing that propelled her. Her mother had sold her soul to get Ivy healthy. Christian was willing to die to try and prevent the Hounds from getting her.
“We’re going to miss you,” Davena said. “You were good for Christian.”
Ivy tried to smile but failed. She stepped out of the shed and onto the grass. After a quick glance back at Christian who was watching her, Ivy turned and started walking to the front yard.
Her goal was to get off Chiasson land, but since she had no idea how much land they had, she opted to get as far from the house as she could.
“I’m yours,” she told the Hell Hounds. “I’m not going to run anymore. I only ask that you allow me to get far from the house. Please.”
She kept walking, her heart pounding in her chest and her body going cold from her blood turning to ice. Every step was a victory, though it took everything she had to remain upright and not collapse where she was.
The tall live oaks stood like silent giants with their thick limbs outstretched as if reaching for her as she passed. The moon was hidden behind the clouds, and the rain was falling lightly now.
It wasn’t exactly a beautiful night to die. But when was it ever? Ivy thought back over her life and regretted so much. Was that how most people felt when they knew their time was near?
How much more could she have done and been had she opened herself up to people more? Yes, there would’ve been heartbreak, but that was part of life. There would also have been joy, happiness, and so many more memories.
Ivy smiled as she thought of Christian. She might regret a lot, but she didn’t regret him or their time together. He hadn’t let her turn away as she had so many other times.
Christian forced her to see herself. It might have been fear that pushed her to give in to the desire she had for him, but it was love that bound her to him.
Love. The one thing she had thought never to know.
How fate must be laughing at her now.
Ivy squared her shoulders as she crossed over the driveway to another field. She had no idea where she was going, only that it was far away from Christian. He would come looking for her, but he didn’t need to find her at the house.
She began to hum to help calm her nerves. The longer it went without the Hell Hounds attacking her, the more frightened she became.
“Mom, I know why you sold your soul now. I wish you hadn’t, but I could see myself doing the same for Christian. Your sacrifice gave me a second chance, and I let the past confine me, preventing
me from living as you’d hoped I would. I’m sorry for so many things. I hope you’re not suffering too much.”
The sound of a growl in front of her stopped Ivy in her tracks. Her eyes might be used to the darkness, but she still couldn’t see the Hound. And she was immensely grateful.
“You’ve let me come as far as you will, huh?” she asked the air in front of her. “I guess I owe you my thanks for that concession.”
It was the red eyes she saw first. Ivy’s mouth fell open when the air shimmered and the Hell Hound became visible. He was huge. His head came to her shoulders, and his body was solid black. He looked like a cross between a Doberman Pinscher and a Rottweiler.
His ears were pointed, and his teeth were huge as his lips pulled back in a snarl. His paws were easily the size of Christian’s hand. The Hound snarled, saliva dripping from his mouth as he continued to growl.
Ivy took a step back and whirled around with a shriek when another Hound snapped his teeth behind her. With her heart in her throat, she counted six Hell Hounds surrounding her.
She lifted her gaze to Christian’s house. The porch light was only a faint glow through the trees. She nodded and held out her hands as she closed her eyes.
“I didn’t sell my soul. It’s not yours to take. It’s mine. You might be able to kill me, but you’ll never have my soul.”
A scream was stopped in Ivy’s throat when a Hell Hound pounced on her.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Christian didn’t take his eyes off the doorway that Ivy had disappeared through. Rage and fear tangled within him until his stomach was in knots.
“Ivy!” he bellowed.
But it did no good. She didn’t return.
He could see his brothers fighting the affects of the spell. Suddenly, three figures filled the doorway. And Christian’s heart plummeted to his feet.
“Davena, release me. Now,” he said through clenched teeth.
Davena walked to Beau and put her hand on his face as Olivia went to Vincent, and Ava stood before Lincoln. “Please don’t be angry.”
“Drop the spell, honey,” Beau said.
The next instant, Christian was able to move. He bent to grab his crossbow as he ran out of the shed shouting Ivy’s name. He raced as fast as he could, his lungs burning as he desperately sought to find her.
Christian didn’t slow until he reached the empty field a half-mile from their house. He stopped and turned in a circle, not letting the darkness deter him. He spent too many nights in the dark hunting evil.
“Ivy!”
His only answer was the sounds of the bayou. Christian bent over to catch his breath. Behind him, he could hear his brothers running his way.
Christian braced his hands on his knees and squeezed his eyes closed. When he opened them, the clouds broke long enough for the sliver of moon to light the area for a fraction of a second.
Just long enough for Christian to see a glint of something in the grass.
He knelt on one knee and held out his hand behind him. “I need a phone,” he said to his brothers as they reached him.
One was quickly placed in his hand. Christian turned on the flashlight app and searched the area.
“What are you looking for?” Vincent asked.
Christian’s throat closed with emotion when he lifted a single gold hoop earring. The same ones Ivy had been wearing. He stood and turned to his brothers, showing them the earring.
“Son of a bitch,” Beau mumbled as he turned away.
Vincent ran a hand down his face and looked at the ground.
“Let’s keep looking,” Lincoln said.
Christian enfolded the earring in his hand. “She’s gone. I don’t hear the Hounds anymore. I lost her, Linc.”
He shouldered through his brothers and walked back to the house. Though he could spend an eternity searching the world over for Ivy, he would never find her. She had popped into his life, and departed just as suddenly.
But she’d left her mark upon his heart.
Christian saw the girls standing on the porch, waiting. They said his name, but he was in no mood to talk or listen to Davena’s reasoning for doing the spell that had kept him from helping Ivy.
He didn’t stop until he was at the doorway of his room. Yet, he couldn’t go in. He had to be alone. Christian turned on his heel and walked back downstairs as his brothers were coming in the front door.
“Christian, we need to talk,” Vincent said.
He ignored them and strode out the back.
Beau, Lincoln, and Vincent stood on the back porch watching Christian.
“He shouldn’t be alone,” Beau said.
Linc sighed loudly. “We could go after him, but he would keep eluding us. He needs to be by himself to deal with his grief.”
“Ivy’s death will kill him from the inside out,” Vin said.
Lincoln nodded as Christian vanished into the bayou. “Without a doubt. I just can’t believe there wasn’t a way to save her.”
“Who says we have to stop looking?” Beau smiled at his brothers. “We all know there are loopholes in all contracts, even the ones set by the Crossroads demons.”
Vincent spun and hurried back inside the house. “Get the books, Beau. Linc, call our cousins. It’s going to take all of us.”
~ ~ ~
Ivy groaned as she rolled onto her side. She ached all over, as if she had been a punching bag for someone. With great effort, she raised herself up on one elbow and opened her eyes.
“What the hell,” she mumbled as she found herself on a cold, black stone floor.
A glance showed all four walls also in black. There were no windows, and no door that she could see. Panic began to set in. She sat up and thought of the last thing she had memory of.
“Christian.”
That’s when she recalled the Hell Hounds. Everything came back in a rush, including the look of the hideous Hounds.
Ivy tried to keep her breathing normal, but the longer she sat there, the more she began to hyperventilate. Was she dead? Was this Hell? Because it certainly couldn’t be Heaven.
She scooted back to the wall and set herself in the corner. Wherever she was, it wasn’t good. If only Christian were with her. He would know what to do.
Despite her wishing for him, she was glad he was still with his family. He was alive to defend the parish as only his family could. She felt good for having ensured his and his brothers’ survival.
Ivy dropped her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. They’d said the Hounds were only supposed to kill her, show her to her mother, and then her soul would go wherever it was supposed to. Ivy would like to think that was Heaven. She might not have gone to church every Sunday, but she hadn’t committed murder, stolen, or anything vile.
Why then hadn’t she seen her mother? More troubling, was how she had gotten to this place? She didn’t remember anything after the Hell Hound pounced on her. It was fathomable that she had already been brought before her mother and killed.
Ivy pinched her arm. She still felt very much alive. Surely, she would know if she were dead? Although if she were, she’d missed the pain of it. Which was a good thing.
“Glad to see you awake.”
Ivy’s head jerked up as the voice startled her. She found the woman standing in the middle of the room. Her long blond hair was a beautiful gold color. Not a hair was out of place as the length was pulled over one shoulder in large, loose curls.
Despite the black floor and walls, Ivy was able to see the woman clearly, as if a light shown on her, illuminating the black leather jacket that conformed to her body and the white lace tank beneath.
The woman’s long legs were encased in black leather pants, and she was wearing black stiletto boots. She was smiling when Ivy’s gaze returned to her face.
Stunning didn’t even begin to describe the woman. She was Charlize Theron beautiful with clear blue eyes, high cheekbones, and perfectly plump lips.
“Like what you see, huh?” the woman
asked with a cocky grin.
Ivy stared at her a moment longer. “Who are you?”
“You couldn’t begin to pronounce my name. Just call me Liv.”
“All right. Liv. Where am I?”
Liv’s lips twisted as she shrugged. “You know exactly where you are, Ivy.”
“Hell.”
Liv nodded.
“Why am I still here?”
Liv raised a blond brow. “That’s a bit more complicated.”
Ivy used the wall to climb to her feet. “Am I dead?”
“Not yet.”
Liv said it with a smile that sent a chill down Ivy’s spine. “You’re obviously ready to mete out that deed. Why am I still alive?”
“The Chiassons. You have information on them that we’d like.”
“Not going to happen.”
“Then you’ll be down here for a while.”
The fear within Ivy was overtaken by anger. “You can’t do that.”
“We can do anything we please,” Liv said with a confident smile.
“There are many who know the Chiassons. Why are you asking me?”
“Because you fell in love with Christian. You made it so easy. That family has been killing us for centuries, and it’s time it stopped.”
Ivy squared her shoulders. “You might stop one of them, but not all of them. There are enough that know what the Chiassons do to pick up where they left off if you do manage to kill them.”
“Kill them?” Liv asked in a strangled voice. She laughed loud and long. “Oh, sweetie. We’re not going to kill them. We’re going to turn them to our side.”
“Never going to happen.”
Liv shrugged as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked Ivy up and down. “Strange things happen when you keep two lovers away from each other. Christian fell hard for you. The longer he goes thinking you’re dead, the easier he’ll be to turn our way. After all, we have the one thing he wants above anything else.”
Ivy covered her mouth with her hand as her stomach revolted. Christian was too strong. He wouldn’t fall for what was planned. Not her Christian.
“No.”
“You can deny it all you want,” Liv said saucily. “We have Christian right where we want him.”