Where There's Smoke

by Karen Kelley

  Would the demons come looking for their wayward trainee? Or was she insignificant enough they would forget she even existed? No, luck was never on her side. They would find her, no matter where she hid.

  It felt as if a knife had suddenly been plunged inside her heart. What was she thinking? Being a demon was the life she wanted. She was almost dead when Vetis whispered his offer in her ear. The demon had made the pain stop. Vetis became her protector. He freed her.

  Tears suddenly filled her eyes. Problem was, she never felt less free. They had her working at the sorting station. Telling the poor saps that came through they would love their new life—they only had to sign on the dotted line.

  Yeah, right, as if she knew anything about what that life was like. Nope, she was just a salesperson, nothing more. A working stiff—in the true sense.

  Some signed, some didn’t. It wasn’t always easy convincing people to give up their souls. There were newbies who thought the price was too high. But who wouldn’t want immortality and a life they only dreamed about? It would be like winning a lottery. They were idiots if they didn’t sign.

  Or were they?

  Maybe she misjudged everything, and maybe Hell wasn’t the answer. She certainly wasn’t living the life Vetis had promised.

  She drew in a deep breath. The alternative was unacceptable. The pain was unbearable. For her, there was no other choice.

  A chill swept over her. She still needed one more soul. Without it, she was doomed. Determination filled her. She would have it! Things would be different then. Chance was her ticket to freedom, to the life she always dreamed about.

  Chance leaned to the right as he went around a sharp corner. Destiny closed her eyes and tightened her hold a little more.

  If he didn’t die first.

  She frowned. No, she wouldn’t let that happen. And she had plenty of time to convince Chance that Hell was the place to be, so as the wind whipped past, Destiny decided she would enjoy the moment.

  It was too late to change her mind about being a demon, so why worry? She had a job to do. Being in hell wouldn’t be nearly so bad with Chance at her side. Damn, they would have an eternity of fun—and lots of sex.

  She frowned. They would both have sex, not just one of them.

  A sudden thought made the blood run cold through her veins. Oh no, what if there was something physically wrong with him? He could be horribly deformed. What if he had a teeny-tiny penis?

  But he was so tall! And he had big feet—or was that only a myth started by guys with really large feet and small dicks?

  She swallowed past the lump in her throat. It might be even worse than she could imagine. What if he didn’t have a penis at all?

  Her heart pounded inside her chest.

  No, fate couldn’t be that cruel!

  Chance gave great head, and she’d swear his fingers were magic, but she wanted him buried deep inside her, really deep. She wanted him to fill her up. Everything had been almost perfect. It couldn’t turn sour now.

  There was one way to find out. She inched her hands downward. Before she could get lower than the top button on his jeans, he made another sharp turn, then revved the engine. The bike shot forward.

  Oh shit, they were going to die! Okay, maybe not her, but definitely him!

  Destiny tightened her grip on his waist and closed her eyes tight as fear shot through her. She might already be dead but she could still feel pain, and she really didn’t want to crash and feel a whole lot of hurt all at once.

  When he slowed, she breathed a sigh of relief. But then he turned down a dirt road with so many deep potholes she was afraid he would drive into one and make a quicker trip to Hell than she planned. As it was, her teeth felt as though they were being jarred loose.

  The potholes got bigger, and she no longer worried about driving to Hell on a motorcycle. Not the way Chance swerved around the obstacle course of potholes. She worried more about staying on the back of the bike as heavy dust swirled around her. She clung to his middle and tried not to cough up her lungs.

  They didn’t drive to Hell, and Chance finally pulled into an unpaved parking space beside a deep green pickup. She breathed a sigh of relief when he turned the key, killing the engine. Except there was still a loud humming inside her ears and a god-awful smell assaulting her senses.

  He swung his leg over the bike. “We’re here. Did you enjoy the ride?”

  His words sounded as if they were coming from a long way off. Rather than answer, she climbed off, but her world tilted. She grabbed his shirt to keep from toppling over. He wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace.

  Destiny looked him straight in the eye.

  He smiled down at her as if he just gave her a five carat diamond.

  She punched him on the arm and stepped away. “You scared the hell out of me! My hearing is permanently damaged! And I’ve swallowed half of that blasted dirt road. What the fuck do you think?”

  He looked startled for a brief moment, then his gaze slowly moved over her. She planted her hands on her hips and glared at him, but he didn’t get in any hurry as he inspected her for possible damage.

  “You don’t look too bad to me. Not bad at all, in fact.” His words were soft, husky, and filled with passion.

  And Destiny thought it was hard to breathe going down the dusty road! He made her forget everything around her except him. She couldn’t even remember the road being that bad.

  “It wasn’t horrible, I guess, but the dirt road was full of potholes and—”

  Chance moved closer and leaned down, his lips brushing across hers, his tongue darting out, lightly caressing her bottom lip. He pulled her against him as he deepened the kiss. She closed her eyes and melted into him.

  The blood running through her veins began to heat, but before they could explore each other further he stepped back, holding her arm so she didn’t lose her balance.

  “Am I forgiven?” he asked.

  Her senses slowly returned. Damn it! How did he make her forget everything? She studied him but had no answer except that the guy could kiss. And he was sexy hot.

  “Maybe I’ll forgive you, I’m not sure yet,” she said as she glanced around. “Where the hell are we?”

  Before he could answer, a white double-cab pickup with dark tinted windows pulled on the other side of Chance’s motorcycle. ANGEL RANCH was stenciled on the door along with a pair of angel wings. The driver killed the engine. When the door opened, the most beautiful woman Destiny ever laid eyes on stepped out.

  The woman wore a white cowboy hat and a sky blue shirt tucked into form-fitting jeans, and she had enough curves to strike out a baseball team. She shut the door on the pickup, her long, blond hair catching the breeze. She casually flipped it back over her shoulder, then looked straight at Chance.

  “Hey Chance, you riding today?” Her voice was soft and sweet.

  “Maybe.” He smiled.

  Destiny looked at Chance, then at the woman. Destiny hated her. She hated that she had delicate features packed into a hot body. She hated that Chance knew her.

  Then the bitch turned her attention toward Destiny. “Hi, I’m Nevaeh. Chance’s… cousin.”

  All the tension building inside her evaporated. Cousin, huh? “I’m Destiny.”

  “Glad to meet you, Destiny. Keep this cowboy in line. He can be quite a handful.” She winked as she went past them.

  As soon as the other woman was out of hearing range, Destiny looked at Chance. “Cousin?”

  “On our fathers’ sides. Were you jealous?”

  She raised her chin. “Not at all.”

  He laughed, then grabbed her hand and began tugging her in the direction Nevaeh walked.

  “Where are we?” she asked.

  “Rodeo,” he said.

  “Rodeo,” she repeated as her gaze scanned the sea of pickups and trailers. Her nose wrinkled as an all-too-familiar scent of cattle and horses hit her. At least she knew where the smell came from. As long as she had lived in Tex
as, she’d managed to stay away from rodeos. The only things she liked to ride were cowboys. As for the rest of it, no thanks. Bulls scared the hell out of her.

  “I thought you might enjoy it. Ever been to one?”

  She shook her head. Once she rode a horse, and it wasn’t so bad, but she’d never been to anything like this. Her life was filled with fun times, nothing as innocent as a rodeo. She was the party girl, the wild child. The bar owners didn’t look too closely at her ID back then.

  Oh yeah, no one partied harder than her. It didn’t matter there was only one reason the guys looked at her like they did. It didn’t matter at all. She used them as much as they used her. At least, that was what she always told herself.

  But Chance made her feel different. As though she was someone special, someone different than who she’d been. Someone who was worth something.

  But a rodeo? This was a first and she wasn’t so sure about it.

  “Come on,” Chance urged.

  What she would like was to have sex with him—real sex.

  His face was devoid of expression as he held out his hand, but he didn’t look as though he would change his mind.

  Okay, fine. Since sex wasn’t going to happen she might as well go with him. It shouldn’t take that much time. They could have sex before the day was over.

  If he had a dick.

  Chance grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. “We won’t stay very long, will we?” she asked. The warmth of his hand holding hers was already sending tingles of excitement over her.

  “Not long.”

  He grinned and butterflies were released inside her belly. They fluttered around like crazy. What kind of spell did he cast over her that she wanted him so much? The man really had charm.

  Destiny barely noticed the cowboys they passed. She was too busy eyeballing Chance. The man was built. He had some serious muscles going on. What’d he do, wrestle bulls all day long?

  His clothes fit different, too. The low-riding black jeans hugged his ass, and every woman they passed turned and looked one more time. He’d rolled up the sleeves of a white button-up shirt and tucked the hem into his pants with a this feels comfortable confidence that few men achieved. The clothes could’ve been the first ones he grabbed out of the closet, but it didn’t matter because he wore them with a devil-may-care confidence women couldn’t resist, herself included.

  She sighed.

  No, Chance had to have a dick. Life was cruel. It wouldn’t be fair if death was cheating her, too.

  “What do you think?” he asked as they made their way up the metal stands and took a seat, one that she thought might be a little too close to the arena.

  On the opposite side of them were pens holding snorting, pissed off bulls. Right under the announcer’s booth were the chutes where bulls and bucking broncs would be released. A shiver ran down her spine. Why anyone would want to climb on top of a big, burly bull was beyond her. It took a special kind of lunatic to ride a bull.

  The gates opened at the far end, and horses carrying riders from various ranches loped into the arena single file on each side. Some of the riders carried flags so the crowd knew who they represented. Nevaeh carried a blue flag that popped in the breeze. Destiny could almost reach out and touch the white fringe as she rode by.

  The lead horses on both sides met at the other end, then passed as they circled back so there were two lines passing each other. When all the riders lined the edge of the arena, they stopped, leaving the center open.

  The stands were filled with people all decked out in their best western shirts and jeans. Their boots were polished to a high sheen. They all came to their feet, hats off, including her and Chance, when two riders galloped their horses into the center of the arena. One rider held the Texas flag, the other the flag of the United States. The crowd whooped and hollered as the riders came to a stop in front of the stands. Then all went silent as a strong voice began to sing the National Anthem, followed by the state song, “Texas, Our Texas.”

  Destiny stood beside Chance, barely able to take a breath as her throat clogged. What the hell was she doing? She was never sentimental.

  Chance squeezed her hand. She raised her chin. She got a little dirt in her eye, that was all. No wonder, with all the clods the horses stirred up.

  The songs ended, the crowd cheered, and the horses, with their riders, galloped out of the arena.

  “So?” Chance asked.

  “It’s okay.” When he didn’t say anything, she looked at him. The man was exasperating! “Yes, I’m having a good time.”

  He smiled. “I knew you would.”

  A few hours at a stupid rodeo wouldn’t make that much difference. How many years had she been cooped up at the sorting station?

  It was a beautiful day. Clouds shielded them from the overpowering heat of the August sun. There was even a light breeze. Had Chance asked the gods for cooler temperatures and, because he was favored, they had granted his wish? What was she thinking? Chance was a mortal, but he did seem like a lot more at times.

  Destiny rubbed a hand across her eyes. She’d like nothing more than to forget she desperately needed his soul to make her quota. It would be just the two of them and a life she always dreamed about having. She wouldn’t remember all the bad stuff.

  Her heart skipped a beat.

  No, she wouldn’t let her past intrude.

  Not today.

  Chapter 8

  Destiny laughed as a clown danced in front of a bull. The bull was actually a costume with one person wearing the head and another the tail, except they kept coming apart in the middle. When the clown waved at the crowd and then dropped his handkerchief, the fake bull butted him. The clown came to his feet rubbing his backside before he dug his oversized shoe into the dirt as if he was about to charge the bull.

  Destiny held Chance’s arm and laughed. The bull and clown bowed before leaving the arena. She was still smiling when she met Chance’s gaze. A current passed between them. Something she never felt before. She could almost believe they were destined to spend their lives together.

  He jumped to his feet before she could dwell on what ifs, and pulled her along with him. “Where are we going?” she laughed.

  “I’m hungry, and I want to buy you something.”

  They started down the steps as his words sank into her brain. Chance wanted to buy her something? She thought back and couldn’t remember a time when someone spent money on her. Presents were a luxury, her mother had told her, and Destiny figured she was probably right.

  “What?” Chance asked when he turned to look at her.

  She smiled and shook her head. “Nothing.”

  “Then come on,” he urged. He smiled, and she knew he could ask her for just about anything and she would probably give in.

  There were vendors on the other side of the stands. Chance pulled her along until she thought her arm would be yanked out of its socket. He finally stopped in front of a covered booth that displayed every color hat imaginable.

  “Here, try this one on,” he said as he picked up a deep red hat. “It matches your boots.”

  Destiny hesitated. She really liked the hat, but she never wore a cowboy hat. When she saw the price tag of $122, she balked. How much could a cowboy make? The hat would be way too expensive.

  “Don’t worry about the cost,” he said, as though he’d read her mind. “I can afford it. Besides, you’re worth every penny.”

  “Okay,” she said with a frown as she let him place the hat on her head. It felt odd. Maybe he only wanted to make fun of her. If he laughed, she’d cut his balls off.

  She frowned.

  If he had balls.

  “I like it,” he told her.

  “You don’t think I look silly?” She glanced in the mirror that had been propped on one shelf. The hat didn’t look too out of place on her head. She glanced at Chance to make sure.

  Fire shone in his eyes and she knew exactly what he was thinking. She was pretty sure it wasn’t
the hat perched on her head. Breathing took on a whole new meaning as sexy images filled her head.

  “I think you look pretty tempting,” he drawled as he stepped closer.

  She leaned forward, ready for anything he wanted to give and imagining what she would do in return, but she was stopped short when a group of laughing children ran past.

  Reality swiftly returned. Who did she think she was? This was all make-believe. “But the hat’s not for me,” Destiny said. Chance created a fantasy and, for a moment, she bought into it.

  “Why not you?” Chance asked.

  She shrugged. “Maybe I’m not the cowgirl type.” She reached up to remove the hat.

  “Today you can be anything you want. This is a day for magic.” He skimmed his fingers down the side of her face.

  His touch left a trail of heat in its wake, along with a hell of a lot of promise.

  One touch and Chance made her forget what she needed to do. First, he brought her to a rodeo. Next, he wanted her to pretend to be someone she wasn’t. He seemed to be asking a lot from her lately. But his words were so tempting. How she’d longed for days when she could imagine she was someone else. Days when nothing evil would intrude into her world.

  After her mother left her in the store, Destiny had dreamed about being like other little girls. Girls with parents who loved them. She’d wanted it so badly. As if that would ever happen! Her foster parents cared about the check that came in every month, nothing else.

  “You can do this,” Chance told her and squeezed her arm.

  Startled, she flinched, then realized where she was. There were no more foster homes, no more being envious of someone else. And maybe playing make-believe was coming a little too late, but Chance was right, she deserved this day to be perfect. She deserved it all. No one would ever take away her dreams again!

  She squared her chin. “Okay, I’ll do it. I’ll wear the hat because I want to wear it.”