Demonic and Deserted (Eternally Yours Book 4) (6 page)

The dragon’s head appeared again, his long tongue grasping onto the Taurus’s ankle and dragging the bellowing beast outside. The remaining two Tauruses managed to shut the doors and latch it shut. They grabbed their spears, and the spear of their fallen comrade, and marched back to their positions near the wall.

Okay, so another note to self: don’t go outside, because the dragon isn’t interested in making friends.

At least I knew how to kill a Taurus. I briefly wondered if the beast tasted like steak, although I was certain the dragon wasn’t picky. 

I gawked at Satan, who was smiling sadistically and rubbing his hands together. Guess he didn’t care about losing his guard. And I’d thought my Purgatory boss was an asshole.

“What was that thing?” Aedan asked.

I cringed at Aedan’s harsh tone. I certainly didn’t want my husband-to-be becoming a shish-kabob.

The Devil coolly eyed Aedan. “A flame eater. You’ve seen the soul-eating dragon, Dahaka, have you not?”

“Yes,” Aedan said with a growl as he stiffened beside me.

“My flame eaters are much the same,” the Devil said with an air of eerie perkiness, as if he was talking about the weather in Florida, “except instead of your soul being trapped in a void of emptiness and despair, you are trapped in a burning vortex of pain.” 

I clenched my churning gut. “Ouch.”

I shrank back when the Devil looked at me with a maniacal gleam in his eyes. “Ouch, indeed. Your charm amuses me, Ashley MacLeod. Witty and beautiful—what a rare gem you are.”

Aedan pulled me tight against him.

Shadows fell across the Devil’s features, his intense gaze so powerful, it was nearly hypnotic. “Your fiancé is a very possessive man. I don’t think he realizes that in my realm, all things belong to me.” 

Thank goodness for my possessive fiancé holding me up, because the Devil’s sinister glare made my legs wobble.

“Hitler, show them to their chambers.” Our host waved us away with an indifferent flick of the wrist. “They can freshen up and join us for supper.”

Monkey Hitler waved us onward as the crowd backed up several more steps, giving us a wide berth. I felt like I was walking on a cloud as I followed the little dictator, and not an effervescent first-kiss cloud, but the kind that smelled like a nuclear Nephilim fart and left me on the verge of puking up my breakfast, plus yesterday’s happy-hour tacos and frozen margaritas.

Note to self: never eat Mexican food before visiting Hell. 

A
s we followed the monkey up two flights of stairs, I tried to take note of my surroundings, in case there was the very slim chance Aedan and I found a means of escape. The hotel looked like a fancy five-star resort from ancient Greece. The stairs were shiny marble, and the ivory bannister had intricate carvings of demons doing nasty sexual things to each other, things Aedan and I hadn’t even tried yet, and I doubted we ever would in all of eternity. No way could I twist my body into that position, and even if I could, I was pretty sure the demon’s pecker was the size of a football.

We walked through a wide hallway with elaborate paintings on the walls, depicting more images of kinky, fucking demons and gold-inlaid crown molding that framed a high ceiling. The slick tile floors had pentagram designs that crisscrossed the floors. Wow. This guy had a star obsession.

Monkey Hitler dropped me off at a room without a number. Instead, there was a carving of a naked woman with impossibly huge tits, bent over in a really awkward position. Jeez. The Devil needed to seek help for his porn addiction.

The tiny Nazi held up a brass ring with several keys and inserted one into the lock on the door. “You go inside!” he said with a commanding squeal as the door creaked open. “Valet come to you.”

They had valets on sub-level thirteen? Why did I get the feeling Hell’s valets wouldn’t be making me strawberry margaritas and giving me complimentary foot massages?

Frowning, I stood my ground. “I don’t need a valet.”

“No like in heaven.” The creepy creature’s eyes lit up as he rubbed his hands together. “This valet a siren.”

A siren? Weren’t they those merciless mermaids who lured sailors to their deaths? Oh, lovely. Just what I needed, to be tortured by a giant evil fish. Bride of Chucky meets Shamu wasn’t exactly my ideal valet.

“No, thanks,” I said, pasting on a forced smile. “I can manage without a valet.”

I gasped when the monkey shoved me over the threshold so hard, I nearly tripped over my own feet.

“Keep your filthy hands off me!” I snarled.  Only one man was allowed to push me around in the bedroom, preferably after he tied my wrists to the bedpost, but Aedan and I didn’t have time for kinky foreplay in Hell.

Aedan tried to follow me into the room, but the monkey got between us with a growl.

“Hang on!” My voice rattled like a cymbal as I stomped my foot. I hated that I sounded like a frightened mouse. He was just a monkey, after all. “He’s with me.”

When little Hitler turned to me with a hiss that made him sound like a ghoulish cat with a raging case of demonic rabies, I reminded myself he was more than a monkey—he was a sadistic, horny Nazi with rows of piranha teeth and nails that probably cut like butcher knives.

“You’re not separating us,” Aedan commanded as he lifted his boot. “Don’t make me kick you again.” 

The psycho primate screeched at Aedan and jutted a finger toward the door across the hall. “You go there!”

Aedan jerked back when Hitler snapped at him, herding him toward the other door.

“As soon as he leaves, I’ll come to you,” Aedan mouthed to me right before the monkey kicked my door shut with a sinister laugh.

Evil damn monkey. 

* * *

Sergeant Santiago Sanchez

T
he priestesses helped us slip out of our protective suits while the heavy doors rattled with the intensity of an earthquake. I knew it wouldn’t be long before the spiders broke through, then what? The only other possible escape was the gleaming elevator at the end of the grand hall, but the priestesses had been damned to Hell. The last time we’d tried to ascend to Purgatory with Katherine, Aedan O’Connor’s damned ex-wife, the elevator refused to move until she got off the platform.

I was in a state of shock when Melanie came to me, her thick red hair pulled back in an austere braid, her priestess robe hanging off her shoulders like a sack. I stood as still as a statue when she began removing my gear, wishing the two of us could have been anywhere but here.

“Are you hurt?” Melanie asked as she pulled off my gloves, her large amber eyes dazzling even in the low light. 

My breath hitched when she held my calloused hands in hers, turning them over before examining my arms. She’d never touched me before, and I welcomed the feel of her soft skin on mine. Then a soul-shattering crack from the doors brought me back to reality. I swallowed hard as the center of a massive door splintered. 

“I’m fine.” I reluctantly pulled away. “Don’t worry about me.” I grabbed her shoulders, desperately searching her eyes, knowing this might be the last time I’d ever get to speak to her. “How are you holding up?”

Her lower lip trembled as she averted her gaze. “The priestesses are scared.”

“And you, Melanie?” I cupped her chin, forcing her to meet my eyes. “Are you scared?”

Her gaze flickered to mine before trailing to the door as it began to shed shards of wood. “Whatever fate God has in store for me, I’m sure will be just.”

“Don’t say that,” I breathed, unable to accept that her eternal fate had to be one of torture. 

“Santiago.” She paused, biting her lip before fixing me with an unwavering gaze. “I wanted to thank you for your kindness these past months, for staying here and helping us when you could have ascended.”

“It was nothing.” Heat flamed my face when I saw that hopeless look in her eyes. She was trying to tell me goodbye. 

“If the spiders get in here, I know the Archangel will summon an elevator to Heaven.” She squeezed my hand hard. “You must go with him.”

I squeezed back, steeling my resolve and squaring my shoulders. “I’m not leaving you.”

She jerked her hand free as if she’d been scalded. Then she wrapped her arms around herself. “I’m a murderer, Santiago.”

My racing heart came to a halt with a booming thud. “What?”

“I killed my baby boy.” Her gaze dropped to the floor as a lone tear slipped down her cheek. “I deserve to be punished.”

Panic robbed my brain of reason. “I don’t believe it.” This sweet soul couldn’t have killed her child.

I jerked when the tall, wooden door splintered again, and I watched with horror as it bowed inward.  

“Santiago, the doors won’t hold,” Melanie cried. “You need to go.”

Determination stiffened my spine. “No.” Despite her horrible confession, I wasn’t going to leave her. Her child’s death had to have been an accident. I refused to believe otherwise. 

A fire lit within her eyes as she pushed me back. “I won’t have your fate on my conscience, too.”   

“Everyone onto the elevator!” Cam hollered, pointing to the gleaming metal doors at the end of the hall.

The priestesses were the only human inhabitants left in the pyramid, other than Cam, O’Connor, and me. Today was supposed to be the wedding celebration for our friends, Ash and Aedan, but Inés, Mar, and Boner had already gone up to warn the couple and their guests to stay in Purgatory. They were also going to ascend to Heaven, in hopes of bringing back reinforcements. 

I latched onto Melanie’s elbow, pulling her along as we followed the others. 

Cam and O’Connor helped the priestesses onto the elevator, yet Melanie dug her heels in, refusing to get on.

“Melanie,” I pleaded, “you must go.”

She warily eyed the elevator before shooting the other priestesses an accusatory look. “It won’t let the priestesses ascend, and you will all be doomed.”

Shattered wood particles fell to the floor with the intensity of an avalanche, and much to my horror, millions of spiders began racing into the cavern, blackening the walls like a plague.

I didn’t argue with her. With one swift movement, I yanked her toward me and slung her over my shoulder, ignoring her protests as I raced to the elevator.

We slipped in with only moments to spare. My heart hammered like a drum as the doors shut with a hiss.  Melanie clawed at me like a rabid cat. I swiftly set her down, shocked by the tears that streamed down her face as she glared at me.

“We can’t be saved, and now you are all doomed,” she cried, burying her face in her hands.

“She’s right. We haven’t been forgiven.” Katherine O’Connor, Aedan O’Connor’s former wife and reformed sinner, sobbed into another priestess’s shoulder. “God won’t let us go up.”

“Good thing we’re not going up,” Cam grumbled, hitting the button to sub-level five.

I held Melanie as she wept against my chest. Though I’d been waiting for this moment for months, this was not how I envisioned our first embrace. Not to mention, there was that nagging voice in my subconscious, warning me not to become attached to a child killer.

I cleared my throat, which had somehow become drier than sandpaper. “Why are we going to five?” I asked Cam, and then braced myself for his answer. 

He looked at me with an intensity in his eyes that could have made the very Devil quake in his boots. “To destroy their mother.” 

Ash MacLeod

I
stood in the entrance to my hotel room, staring at the door for at least five minutes, still in a state of shock. I’d already tried to open it, rattling the knob so hard, I’d pulled a muscle in my shoulder, but it was locked from the outside, leaving me trapped alone in a strange hotel room at the bottom of Hell. My breaths came in shallow gasps, and the act of sucking in air made it feel as if my chest was being struck by a mallet. Actually, just about every muscle in my body was screaming in pain, my nerves were so wound up from stress.

Holy shit. This had to be the suckiest wedding day in the history of history. And now it looked as if Aedan and I would never marry, much less survive our ordeal in Hell. A sob escaped my throat as I covered my face with my hands and sank to my knees on the plush rug.

I cried for what felt like an eternity, shudders wracking me so hard, I felt as if I’d pass out if I didn’t get hold of myself, but every time I gave myself that toughen-up pep talk, the thought of being stuck in Hell for an eternity sent me spiraling into another pity fest.

What an idiot I’d been, stressing over forever being stuck with Aedan. Why’d I listen to my stupid boss? An eternity of raised toilet seats and coffee grounds was paradise compared to my current situation. Besides, I loved him. Really loved him. And if he wasn’t careful, Satan was going to throw him outside. The thought of my fiancé burning in a lake of fire made my eyes water like a busted pipe, just when I’d thought I couldn’t cry any more tears.

“Why are you so sad, my darling?”

I jerked up at the sound of the woman’s voice, and what I saw nearly took my breath away. She was so beautiful, with long ebony hair, ivory skin, and pale blue eyes. A soft, sheer gown clung to her curves, with slits going up both sides, revealing a flat stomach, round breasts and long, lean legs. How had she gotten into my room? And damn, why did looking at her darkened nipples through that sheer dress make me want to reach up and grab her tits?

“Who are you?” I asked.

She flashed a dazzling smile and held out a hand. “I’m your valet, but you may call me Thelix. Come, let me take care of you.”

I shrank back. “No thanks, Thelix.” Hot or not, I didn’t trust this vixen to “take care” of me. She worked for the Devil, after all.

Her full bottom lip turned down in a pout. Even her frown was sexy. “You’re a mess. I have drawn you a warm bath. Let me bathe you.”

“That’s okay. I just showered.” I shrugged, feigning disinterest as I resisted the urge to sniff my armpits. Truthfully, I hadn’t showered since that morning, and I’d been looking forward to taking a bath in the Nephilim’s healing water before I said my vows.

“But you are so tense. The water will soothe you.” Thelix knelt beside me, resting a damp hand on my back.