Grabbing the last piece of bacon from my plate, I force myself to savor it, the salty grease sliding across my tongue. This may be my new favorite food. “So, what are we doing today?” I ask around bites.
Ryce looks away, glancing at the empty living room, while Levi looks down at the table. Both of them wear blank faces.
“We are doing nothing. You’re staying here, out of trouble, while we figure out a solution to this portal problem.” Aries sits back and stretches his arms above his head.
Great, after yesterday’s battle royale, I’ll never be let out of this place again. Sulking, I toss the last bit of bacon on the plate. It doesn’t taste as good when you feel defeated.
“We’re going shopping,” Ryce states as he stands from the table. “Be ready in five.”
I look over to Aries, but he doesn’t meet my gaze. Since he didn’t protest or demand I be chained to the couch, I jump up from the table to hurry and clean up the kitchen before we leave.
“We got it. Just go” Is all Lex says before I run to the bedroom to check my hair and grab my shoes.
When Ryce says we’re going shopping, he means it. We enter the tenth store this morning, now afternoon. I’m carrying three bags filled with clothes for me to wear, and he’s carrying another five. My feet are sore as I shuffle into the store behind him.
“Seriously, I have enough stuff. I never thought I’d say this, but can we head back to the apartment now?” I see a chair against a wall near the fitting rooms, and I beeline straight for it and plop down before anyone else can. My back groans in protest, probably from standing and walking too long in these heels.
I glance down at my boots that I’ve been wearing for centuries. Never once have I had foot pain from wearing them. “Why does everything hurt? It’s like Earth is torture for the devil herself.” I rotate my ankles to try and get some circulation flowing.
“That’s what we’re doing here, getting you a pair of real shoes.” Ryce searches the shoe rack and picks up a pair of pink tennis shoes. “What size are you? A six?”
“How’d you know?” I grab the shoes from him to try them on.
“Lucky guess.”
I toss my boot to the side and slip the shoe onto my foot. Immediate relief hits me as my foot sits on a cloud of air. “These are perfect.”
“Just put them on. I’ll go pay.” He picks up my boots and tosses them in the box before heading to the counter.
Standing up, I wait for the throbbing to start, but instead I relax with relief. I’m never taking these off.
I didn’t realize how many clothes he bought me today. If it fit, he tossed it on the counter for me. “What do I need with all of these?” I ask as I’m sorting through them all on the kitchen table back at the apartment.
“It’s fall up here—you can’t be running around in a corset. And it looks like we will be stuck here for a little bit. You might enjoy a change of clothes,” Ryce says as he puts the last bag onto the table.
“And a shower,” Lex teases as he picks up a sweatshirt that has devil horns over the chest.
I glance at the stack, picking out what I want to wear first. Picking up a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, I grab the scissors to cut the tags off. As I go to cut the last tag off, I sneeze, causing my hand to shift and stab the end of the scissors directly into my palm. I freeze as the scissors dangle from my skin, a drop of blood trickling down my wrist.
“Um, I don’t think that’s supposed to happen.”
Levi appears at my side, wrapping his hand around mine, steadying the scissors embedded in my skin. “This is going to hurt, but you’ll heal quickly once it’s out.”
Lex grabs the scissors and pulls them slowly out, while trying to cease the flow of blood with pressure. Biting my lip, I whimper as they remove them, my skin stinging as the air hits the open cut.
“It should be healing,” Levi says as he inspects my hand. The blood drips onto the paper towel someone laid beneath it.
We all watch as the blood continues to drip and the wound stays open. “Um, it doesn’t look like it’s going to heal. So, what should we do?”
I watch the bright red leave trails of rivers across my skin, the color a vibrant contrast to the pale complexion.
“We need to apply pressure, then we can wrap it in a bandage.” Aries comes into the room with a first aid kit. I watch all four guys work in unison as they clean the wound and wrap it for me.
I glance at the mess when they’re done. The paper towel is soaked with blood, but at least my hand stopped bleeding. “I thought I could heal up here if it wasn’t a fatal blow.” Wiggling my fingers, I try to determine if the pain is gone or not. A sharp shooting sensation travels through my thumb and into my palm. Nope, still there.
“You should be healing,” Lex says as he searches on his computer for something.
“Do you think it has to do with the portal closing?” Levi holds my bandaged hand, tracing the edge of my thumb with his.
Ryce paces the room, his fingers typing furiously into his phone.
“With everything that’s been happening, I think there’s more to the portal closing than we originally thought.” Aries leans over Lex’s shoulder, reading something on the computer.
“What happens if the portal is closed and she dies up here?” Ryce stops dead in his tracks, his hard eyes staring at me. “If the portal’s closed, she most likely can’t get back to Hell to reincarnate.”
All four sets of eyes land on me, varying degrees of dismal worry etched on each face.
“Well then, before we figure this out, let’s make sure I don’t die in the meantime.” I try to smile as I hand the scissors to Levi. “First step, no sharp objects for me.”
He takes them, but his worry doesn’t diminish. “We have to get the portal open.”
“Where do we start? At the portal itself?” I look to each of them. “I’m willing to help, because honestly dying sucks as it is, but if I can’t heal after, I don’t really want to know where I’ll be stuck. Or if I even exist anymore.” They all go silent, none of us willing to admit this might be a possibility.
Aries shakes his head. “Not at the portal. We need to start with research first. Lex and I will search the old books online. See if anything is referenced. Ryce, you keep in touch with your contacts, see if anything has been heard in the back channels. Levi, you and Lucia watch the news and search any local news stories. See if you can find a pattern of climate changes or severe weather patterns. We’ll all discuss anything we find immediately with each other.” His gaze lands on mine with his final words.
I’m finally included. Hopefully I don’t die before they all start to like me as much as I’m starting to enjoy their company.
14
Watching the news is not what I would call adequate research. It seems like every day there’s something catastrophic happening. Apparently though, none of it is abnormal for humans.
“I’m bored,” I whine like a petulant three-year-old. I read out loud the latest news article scrolling across the TV screen that has caught my attention. “Man pushed neighbor into a large pit he dug in his backyard. The pit was filled with over thirty snakes. Authorities have not released the name of the victim at this time.”
“That’s nothing too crazy. Although it gives me an idea for a new way to torture people when we get home.” Levi shrugs while scrolling through another laptop. We’ve been looking between current news and scrolling through the old news articles on the computer for hours.
My eyes are burning from staring at the computer screen too long. Combing through weeks’ worth of news has made me want to claw my eyeballs out. I bet I lost a few brain cells too after reading about the things I did. I’m curious why more people aren’t heading to Hell every day, but I guess Dad keeps his word about repentance and shit. Personally, I think each person should be tortured for a while when they do the horrible things they do. Then, maybe, they can go back upstairs.
I push the laptop away and rub my
eyes. “This is torture. I haven’t found a single item that would cause the portal to be broken.”
Levi runs his hands through his hair, leaving a few stray blonde hairs sticking up at the top. “I don’t get it. There has to be something. It wouldn’t just lock by itself.”
“Maybe when we all went through it at once, it just got jammed? Like a doorknob if you don’t shut it correctly?” I shrug.
Tilting his head, he stares at me. “That’s not too bad of an idea. Maybe we missed shutting it all the way, or when it shut it didn’t reset correctly.” He pushes up from the table and holds out his hand to me, like it’s the most natural thing to do.
I slide my hand into his, the warmth radiating up my arm. With a quick tug, he pulls me up out of the chair to stand next to him. He doesn’t let go. Glancing down at our entwined fingers, I feel warmth pool in different places this time. His thumb rubs back and forth along my skin, leaving a path of electricity with each stroke. My cheeks flame as I imagine him stroking other parts of my body with his hands.
He slides a finger under my chin and pulls my gaze to his. The tortured look pulling at his features causes my heart to miss a beat. Reaching up, I cup my hand around his cheek. I need to make the pain go away. It’s killing me inside seeing him struggle.
His eyes close as he leans into the palm of my hand. “That thing with Ryce…” Letting out a deep breath, he opens his eyes again. This time, there’s a flame lit in them. They’re burning a light orange. “I didn’t realize how much you…we scared everyone. It made me rethink everything I thought I knew.”
My eyebrows crease as my head tilts slightly to the side. “We went to the library. I don’t think it deserved an all-out boxing match over it.”
His lip turns up at the side. “How can you be the devil and be so clueless at the same time?”
Clenching my jaw, my hand tightens into a fist. “I’m not clueless. Why do you all act like I can’t understand anything? You all assume it’s best to just keep me out of the loop on everything and then act like Neanderthals when I do something you don’t approve of.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Shaking his head, he backs up a step. “Even when I try to explain, it comes out tangled. This feeling shit is horrible—no wonder mortals can’t control themselves. I’m fucking part demon and part angel, and I can’t even explain my feelings for you.” He curses as he splays his fingers across his closed eyes.
“Man, you just keep fucking up.” Ryce’s chuckle breaks through his tirade. “And you’re acting like a drama queen. Stop confusing her with your internal struggle.”
Ryce moves to my side, his eyes narrowed as he steps toward Levi. Better shut this shit down and fast. Stepping between them, I place a hand on his chest. “Hey, give him a break. Didn’t you just beat the shit out of each other?”
Glancing between the two, I cross my arms against my chest. “I don’t know what’s going on here between you all, but we have more important things to figure out. Like the portal and hello—” I point to myself. “—me not dying while trapped on Earth. You know, the big problem no one can figure out.”
They both look away from each other, Levi sulking and Ryce fuming mad. “Oh for Hell’s sake, grow up. When we get back home, you two can torture each other through eternity for all I care. Let’s get home first.”
Lex steps into the room followed by Aries. “She has a point, and we think we may have a lead.” Lex pulls out his computer and looks up a map. A big red circle highlights a random area. “This is where an influx of electric currents have been flowing through in the last week. A power outage was reported two nights ago after a large surge calculating at 30,000 volts of electricity.”
“Normal words, please, for the love of Hell,” Levi grumbles.
Lex rolls his eyes as he sets the computer down. “It means something is causing way too much electricity in one area, and it’s steady. It hasn’t faltered yet. That is not normal, at all.”
Clapping my hands, I move toward the door. “Let’s go, then! We need to figure this out before any of you kill each other too. Can you all get home if you die up here? Or are you going to be trapped in limbo?” With my hand on the doorknob, I stare back at them. From the panicked looks on their faces, apparently none of them thought about that fact. They can’t die, because they’re half immortal, being part angel and all, but demons can die. So, they’d be trapped in limbo with no way out, if that portal isn’t open. Shit, I think their fate might be worse than mine.
“Hold up, we can’t just go storming in without a plan,” Lex interjects.
“Or supplies,” Aries confirms.
“Well, which one can I do? Plan or supplies?” Please say supplies—I obviously don’t have the ability to make solid plans. Hence being killed twice already.
“Supplies,” all four say in unison. I guess they had the same thought as me.
“All right then, who’s going with me and what do we need?”
“I’ll take you. I’ll get us a list together. You may want to change your clothes into something a little less…eye-catching,” Ryce grumbles as he walks past into the other room.
Glancing down, I stare at my outfit. After the scissor fiasco, I put on the first thing I grabbed. Apparently, a pair of sweatpants that say “Juicy” across the butt are not supply-gathering appropriate. Noted. “I’ll change, then meet you here in five.” Clapping my hands together, I take off into the other room like a bat out of hell, ready to get out of this place again.
Ryce reappears into the room ten minutes after I change. I glance at the pickle Levi brought me in a bowl for me to finally try. I figure since Ryce took forever getting ready, I can at least enjoy the one food I’ve been thinking about for ages. Lifting up the shriveled pickle, I put it to my lips and lick a little of the juice off it. The tart and sour taste hits me immediately. My lips pucker and eyes squint with the drastic shock to my taste buds. But it’s delicious. Opening my mouth, I pop the end of it between my lips and suck a little more juice out of it. When it releases from my mouth with a pop, a giggle slips past my lips. This was worth the wait. Glancing up, I notice all four guys are frozen in their spots, watching me with odd expressions.
My tongue shoots out and licks the remaining salt off my lips while I watch the guys. Why are they so strange? “What? It’s really good. Like I mean, this is my new favorite food. It even beats out bacon.” I pop it back into my mouth and take a large bite out of it, the crunch so satisfying against my teeth. The juices squirt onto my tongue, causing me to moan with the delicious flavor.
“Holy fuck,” Levi mutters.
Looking back up at the guys, I see looks of excitement and fear in their eyes. Levi’s hand is covering the front of his pants, Ryce’s eyes are slightly aflame, and Lex watches me with his eyebrows curved in but his lips between his teeth. And Aries stands there with a clenched jaw, his hand in a fist at his side but his eyes lingering on my lips. Okay then—apparently pickle eating cannot be done around these four.
Ryce clears his throat as he pulls his gaze away and starts putting a knife into his ankle holster next to a gun. Under his leather jacket, I catch a glimpse of a holder with another gun and a few more sharp objects. The others break out of their trance and start moving in motion too.
“Are we going to battle?” I watch in amusement as the others strap themselves with more weapons than they’d even have time to use. “And if so, where’s my weapon?”
Ryce grunts, “We’re not sure what we’re walking into. Better to be safe than sorry.” He tucks the last weapon away somewhere under his jacket, and I can’t help but wonder how he’s hiding everything against his hard body and tight clothes. Shaking my head, I pull myself out of daydream land.
“And you’re not getting a weapon. You shouldn’t be alone long enough to need one,” Aries states, matter-of-fact, as he pulls a black jacket over his holster-ridden body also. His abs shift as he moves the covering into position. I kind of want to run my fingers over him an
d frisk him, just to see how many weapons he has on him.
Pinching my leg, I pull myself back to the present. Until I see Lex fastening a belt along his waist. His shirt lifts just enough that I can see a trail of hair just under his belly button. With wide eyes, I avert my gaze, feeling like I saw something I shouldn’t have, even though I really wanted to. I look to Levi and about have a heart attack. He’s pulling off his T-shirt and changing into a long-sleeved shirt. His muscles ripple with each movement, but the tattoos lining his back and chest stare back at me. My fingers twitch as I fight the urge to trace the outlines of each line. A snake stenciled in black and colored in with vibrant oranges and reds wrap around his back and tricep. Its head stops just above the right side of his chest, but the weirdest and most mesmerizing part are its eyes. They glimmer and if you move even the slightest, it looks as if it’s following you with its gaze.
A throat clears, pulling my attention away from all of them. My cheeks flame as I pick nonexistent lint off my pants. “Well, then. Let’s get this thing moving. Short on time and all. Never know when one of us will die.” I jump up, rambling with each breath. Great, now I not only look like a pervert, I sound like an idiot too.
15
When they said supplies, I figured snacks and maybe some flashlights or something practical to help us navigate a potential electrical field. Instead, we’re in some back alleyway meeting with people whose eyes turn black the minute they see me. The large warehouse containers behind them are stacked full of ammunition. I walk along a row, picking up a large and extremely heavy metal cylinder-looking contraption. I can barely move it above my waist. Who the hell wants to carry this sucker around? And where would you hide it? I peer through the scope and look around the area.
For Hell's Sake (Queen of the Underworld Series Book 1) Page 8