Grave Destinations (22 page)

“Got it.” Dmitri’s breath sawed in and out, his hair soaked with sweat. Eyes closed, he stayed frozen in place for the longest time, until his breathing gradually returned to normal and his muscles stopped quivering.

“Talk to me, Dmitri. Are you okay?”

His eyes blinked open, and even the whites were blacker than charcoal.

“I am . . . fine. All things considered.” His Adam’s apple moved up and down when he swallowed. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. In through the nose, out through the mouth. He repeated the exercise about a half dozen times until the blackness began to clear from his eyes and they returned to their normal deep blue. “Do not worry. It’s all part of the process.”

She sensed the demon’s essence within Dmitri’s body, locked inside that special place typically reserved for souls awaiting guidance to the afterlife. This time the space served as a prison, holding the demon captive. Samuel—or perhaps even Fate herself—was probably anxious to interrogate the creature to determine its true intentions. Was the demon merely acting on animal instinct, or was it sent by darker forces with a much more sinister agenda?

Dmitri released his grip on Ruby and sank back onto his haunches. Lifting his arm, he touched a hand to the wound along the side of his neck and flinched.

Jack’s face filled her vision. His hands brushed her face, through her hair. Gentle as a feather, as if he feared she might shatter. “How do you feel?”

“Like I just went through a wood chipper.”

She accepted the hand he offered, felt a rush of disorientation when he pulled her to standing. Knees weak, she leaned her back against the wall. Only then did she notice the tremor in her hands, the foul taste coating the back of her throat. A queasy feeling churned her insides, worse than any hangover she’d ever experienced.

She turned her gaze in Jack’s direction, and the concern on his face nearly did her in. “Would you mind if I used your shower?”

He shook his head. “No, go right ahead.”

“Thanks.” Shutting the door behind her, she stripped off her bloodstained clothes and stepped into the shower. Her ribs still throbbed from the demon’s kick, and one side of her face felt a little puffy. She cranked the water to near boiling and stood under the spray with her eyes closed. Heat cascaded over her aching body, warming the chill that had settled into her bones. When the shaking finally stopped, she grabbed for the soap and scrubbed her skin, her hair, even under her nails, from head to toes and back again, not stopping until she’d washed away all physical reminders of the demon’s invasion.

But on the inside, she still felt unclean.

Jack stared at the closed bathroom door. “How long do you think she’ll be in there?”

“She takes long showers under normal conditions. After this?” Dmitri lifted a shoulder and grimaced. “It’s probably going to be a while.”

The fact Dmitri knew how long Ruby showered raised Jack’s hackles. Pushing the thought from his mind, he surveyed the damage to his suite. All things considered, it wasn’t too bad. He picked the picture off the floor and hung it back in its usual spot. With luck, nobody would notice the crack along the corner. The body, on the other hand, was going to pose a problem.

“What are we going to do with him?” He nodded toward the demon’s remains.

“Over the rail.” Dmitri crouched by the demon’s head and hooked his hands under its armpits. “Grab the feet.”

“Wait. What about the security cameras?”

A ghost of a smile crossed Dmitri’s face. “Disabled.”

Figures.

Jack gripped the demon’s feet, its skin cool to the touch. Considering its size, the creature was surprisingly heavy. Together, they hauled the remains through the sliding glass door and onto the balcony. The fireworks had ended a few minutes before, leaving the starless sky darker than pitch. With a grunt of exertion, they hoisted the body up and over the rail. Jack watched as it dropped into the ocean. A splash, and the body disappeared beneath the choppy waves.

“Relax.” Dmitri leaned an elbow against the rail, looking oddly amused. “No one saw it go over. Even if they did, there’s no way to trace it back to your room.”

Cocky bastard. “Sorry, I’m not experienced in the fine art of corpse disposal.”

If Dmitri noticed the sarcasm in Jack’s voice, he didn’t let it show. The smile vanished from his face when he touched a hand to his neck and winced. “You did well tonight. Thank you for your help.”

Well, that was something he hadn’t been expecting. Actually, he half expected the big Russian to try to toss him in after the demon. “You’re welcome.”

“If you want, we could remove your demon as well.”

A few days ago, he would have jumped at the offer. Good thing Jolie had warned him about the consequences. “Thanks, but no thanks. At this point, the bond between me and Gilrov can’t be broken without killing us both.”

The prospect didn’t seem to bother Dmitri. “If you change your mind, let me know.” He fell silent for nearly a minute, his dark eyes staring out at the water. “We need to talk. About Ruby.”

Jack’s muscles tensed. “What about her?”

Dmitri’s fingers probed the wound on his neck as if assessing the damage. “I’ve worked with Ruby for many years. She’s a force of nature. A pain in the ass.” The corners of his mouth twitched. “I’ve come to care for her deeply.”

Oh boy. Here we go. Just in case Dmitri got any bright ideas, Jack stepped away from the rail and into the suite. As predicted, the water in the shower was still running. “And how does this have anything to do with me?”

“Strong women like her do not fall easily. It’s simply not in her nature. To be honest, I’ve never seen it happen in all the years I have known her.” He followed Jack inside, leaving the balcony door open. “But something about you seems to have gotten under her skin and made her vulnerable. I hope you’re taking this as seriously as she is.”

It took Jack a few beats to figure out which way the conversation was heading. “Is this your fucked-up way of asking about my intentions with Ruby?” The idea struck him as so ludicrous he almost laughed out loud. She was a grown woman, one who’d been around the block enough times to take care of herself. The last thing she needed was this asshole playing gatekeeper.

Apparently, Dmitri felt he had every right to watch over her like an overprotective father on prom night. “That is exactly what I’m asking.”

“I don’t think that’s any of your damn business.”

“Wrong.” Dmitri squared his shoulders, his muscles straining against the confines of his blood-soaked shirt. His accent thickened, reminding Jack of his Slavic roots. “As her boss, it’s my business to protect my subordinate. As her friend, it’s my business to ensure she does not get hurt.”

Well, at least he didn’t harbor any romantic inclinations toward his woman. That came as a relief. “And?”

“For reasons that defy all logic, Ruby has developed an attachment to you. A first, to my knowledge. Do you share this affection?”

Jack nodded. “I do.” There was no point in denying his feelings. Every time he got within fifty feet of the woman his body lit up while his brain shut down.

“Good. Treat her well, and we’ll have no quarrel. But if you should harm her in any way, shape, or form . . .” Dmitri’s expression hardened, his eyes so dark and cold it was like staring down a bottomless pit. His voice held no trace of emotion, just the matter-of-fact tone of a man who never made idle threats. “I know many ways to inflict pain. Treat her badly, and I will show you in great detail. I’ll tear you apart, and then I’ll take her away.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“You do that.” Dmitri glanced down at the carpet where a pool of blood marked the demon’s place of death. “Good thing the carpet’s dark. Soak the stain with soapy water, and then blot it with a clean, dry towel. That should get enough of the blood out so it won’t be noticeable to the untrained eye.”

He said it so casually, as if cleaning crime scenes were an everyday occurrence. For him, it probably was. It served as a powerful reminder that he was fully capable of carrying out his threats.

Dmitri crossed the room, retrieved his jacket from the closet. He paused at the door, his gaze turning back in Jack’s direction. “Tell Ruby I’m going to meet Samuel,” he said as he shrugged the jacket on. He flipped the collar to conceal the wound on his neck. “If she needs anything she can give me a call.”

F
inished, Ruby got out of the shower and toweled her body dry. She could already feel the prickly sensation that signaled the start of the healing process. Bones. Organs. Muscles and skin. Her body would repair the worst of her injuries first before moving on to the rest. By tomorrow morning, she’d look and feel as good as new.

Bending over, she picked the ruined dress off the floor and gave it a cursory inspection. No way was she getting those stains out without ruining the delicate fabric. And even if she could, the material along the right side near the shoulder was torn beyond repair. With a huff of disgust at the waste of eighty dollars, she dumped the dress in the trash.

She was about to wrap her body in a towel when she noticed a navy blue robe hanging from a hook on the door. Oh yes, much better. She grabbed the robe and slipped it on, sighing at the feel of soft cotton against her skin. The fabric hung clear to her ankles, covering most of the bruises that marred her body.

Since she didn’t have another to choose from, she scrubbed the black studded choker in the sink before fastening it back around her neck. She didn’t need to wipe the fog from the mirror to know she looked utterly ridiculous, but at the moment she didn’t give a damn about appearances. In her book, looking silly beat leaving her neck exposed. After brushing her hair and gargling some of Jack’s mouthwash, she stepped out of the bathroom.

Wow, the boys had been busy while she showered. The demon’s body was out of sight and everything was set back in its proper place. Even the picture had been returned to its spot on the wall, the crack in the glass not noticeable unless you looked closely. If they could figure out a way to clean the bloodstains from the carpet, the place would appear as if nothing ever happened.

Jack stood by the open balcony door, rubbing the side of his neck. The ocean breeze ruffled his short brown hair as he stared out at the darkness. He hadn’t bothered to change his clothes, hadn’t treated the cuts on his face and arms. The beginnings of a bruise darkened the skin along his lower jaw, close to where he’d been punched by the purse thief a few short days before.

“Hey.”

He blinked as he turned toward the sound of her voice, his face a mask of worry and fatigue. “Feeling any better?”

“A little.” On the outside. On the inside, she felt like she’d been dragged through broken glass. “The curse. Does it . . . does it make you feel uncomfortable in your own skin?”

Jack nodded, compassion softening his features. “Sometimes.”

“Well, in that case, I think I understand how you feel.” Although she couldn’t quite comprehend how he endured it on a regular basis. She glanced down at her body. “My dress was trashed, so I borrowed your robe. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. It looks good on you.” A faint smile warmed the corners of his mouth, and she couldn’t help but smile in return.

“Where’s Dmitri?”

“Back at your cabin.” Jack closed the balcony door, muffling the sounds of the ocean. “He said he had to contact some guy named Samuel.”

Ah, yes. The big boss would want to assume immediate custody of the demon’s soul. She had no idea what the process entailed since Dmitri never bothered to share the details. But if it felt anything close to what she’d experience earlier, Dmitri had her deepest sympathies.

“He also said to call him if you need anything.”

She considered calling for a change of clothes and a new choker. But if she called he’d come back and would probably insist she return with him to her cabin. And since she didn’t want to be anywhere in the immediate vicinity when Samuel made his appearance, she’d just stay put for the time being.

Jack leaned against the sliding glass door, the lines of his face etched deep with exhaustion. Eyes closed, he scrubbed a hand across his face, smearing blood from the cut on his forehead.

“A shower might put the spring back into your step,” Ruby suggested. “At the very least, it’ll get the demon goop out of your hair.”

His eyes cracked open. “I look that bad, huh?”

“Let’s just say you’re not looking your usual sexy self.” She sank down on one of the chairs, stretched her long legs out in front of her. Fatigue swept over the length of her body, and she covered her mouth to stifle a yawn.

Jack snorted. “All right, you win.” His voice softened, and the tenderness in his eyes touched a part of her she rarely acknowledged. “I’ll be out in a couple. In the meantime, why don’t you order drinks from room service?”

“Sounds good to me. Would you mind if I also ordered something to eat? I’m starving.” Plus, the additional calories would accelerate her body’s recovery process.

“After what we just went though, you can order any damn thing you want.” He gave her a smile, the one that made her extra tingly inside, and then disappeared behind the bathroom door.

A couple minutes turned into ten before Ruby heard the water in the shower cut off. Two more minutes and Jack emerged from the bathroom, hair wet and a towel draped around his hips. The sight of all that toned, tanned flesh came close to making her mouth water.

“Sorry, I forgot to bring a change of clothes in with me.” He opened a drawer and pulled out a pair of gray boxer briefs.

“Nothing for you to be sorry about. I’m enjoying the view.” When his gaze cut in her direction, she flashed him an impudent grin. “Why don’t you drop that towel and do a little dance for me?”

Jack rolled his eyes. Another drawer, and he had fresh jeans and a T-shirt. “What did you order?”

“Chivas on the rocks for you, a tequila sunrise for me, fried mozzarella sticks, and a double order of chili cheese nachos. Oh, and two slices of key lime pie.” She checked the clock on the nightstand. “It should be here any time now.”

He stopped what he was doing and stared at her. “That’s a lot of food, Beulah.”

“I’m hungry.” Her stomach gurgled in agreement. “My body burns a lot of calories when it’s repairing damage. If I don’t eat soon, I’ll probably start gnawing on my fingers.”

Like clockwork, someone knocked on the door.

“Don’t get up,” he said. “I’ll get it.”

“But you’re not presentable.”

“Which will stop room service from trying to come inside.” He pointed to the dark stain on the carpet. “If they see that, they might start asking questions.”

He strode to the door before she could voice any further objections. A short time later, he wheeled a small food cart into the room and closed the door behind him. Pushing the cart next to Ruby’s chair, he removed the dome covering the first plate. The smell of deep-fried mozzarella filled the air, making her stomach audibly growl. Another plate, and the scent of chili cheese nachos had her close to drooling.

“Dig in,” Jack said as he turned back toward the door.

“Wait, where are you going?”

He glanced down at the towel around his waist. “To get dressed. I’ll be right back.”

He dropped the towel on his way to the bathroom, treating her to a glimpse of his cute little backside before disappearing behind the bathroom door.

 

Jack emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, fully dressed and feeling a lot closer to human. A dull ache stretched across his rib cage, a persistent reminder of their earlier encounter with the demon.

The memory of Glen striking Ruby still made his temper flare. As much as he hated to admit it, Gilrov had given him the burst of strength and energy needed to hold his own against the demon. He’d felt Gilrov’s rage as strongly as his own, just as he’d felt Gilrov’s distress when the demon tried to take control of Ruby’s body. Together, they’d worked in concert to protect what Jack considered his.

He caught sight of her sitting by the room service cart. She’d already polished off the mozzarella sticks and was putting a sizable dent in the chili cheese nachos. Her drink was half empty, the slice of orange still wedged against the rim.

“Boy, you weren’t kidding about being hungry.”

She swallowed a bite and licked her fingers before answering. “I left you some nachos. If you want, you can have my slice of pie.”

“No, that’s okay. I’m really not hungry.” He took the seat beside hers, their knees touching when he grabbed a nacho from the basket. He scooped up a glob of chili and popped it all in his mouth. “Mm. Those are pretty good.” Maybe he was a little hungry after all.

“A good scrap always sparks my appetite.” She picked up her glass and sipped her drink. With her free hand, she stroked the collar circling her neck.

“Why did you put the choker back on?” He’d been dying to ask ever since she came out of the bathroom wearing it. After everything they’d just been though, maybe she’d actually give him a straight answer. “It doesn’t exactly go with the outfit.”

Instead, she disappointed him with a shrug. “I don’t know. I guess I’ve been wearing them for so long I kind of feel naked without one.”

“Something tells me there’s more to it than that. Am I right?”

She matched his gaze over the space of a few heartbeats, her expression marked with indecision. For once, her emotions were brutally transparent. Pain. Fear. Anxiety. Would she finally trust him with the truth?

Silence stretched tight between them. After what seemed like forever she let out a weary sigh and said, “My kind bear the scars from the actions that claimed our mortality. If the marks are someplace visible, we have to find ways to make them less noticeable to avoid unwanted attention.”

She swirled the ice in her glass before taking another sip. When she set the glass back on the cart, it was almost empty.

“I never told you what happened to the animals who brutalized my sister.” Her eyes turned dark and distant as she leaned back against her chair. When she spoke again, her accent had thickened. “Growing up, I heard a lot of stories about the McAllister brothers. Their daddy was the town sheriff, and he always turned a blind eye to the trouble they caused. Sometimes it was petty stuff like stealing pop from the corner grocery or tipping Mr. Branford’s cows, but other times . . .” Her voice trailed off. “Sheriff McAllister refused to arrest them for what they did to Suzie. He said it was a case of boys being boys.”

Ruby looked up and met Jack’s gaze, her face filled with pain and anger. “She was only fourteen years old,” she said through gritted teeth. “I should have warned her to stay away from those boys. If I had, she never would have accepted a ride home from them.”

“What happened to her wasn’t your fault, you know.”

“Oh, I know. Ultimately, the blame lands squarely on Jed and Darrell McAllister. But she was
my
little sister, and it was
my
responsibility to watch out for her.” The tremor in her voice broke his heart. She swallowed hard, the choker bobbing up and down with the movement. “I failed to protect her, but I refused to stand by and let them get away with what they’d done.”

The full weight of her words registered in Jack’s mind. “You killed them.”

She gave a curt nod. “I followed them into the woods when they went camping the next weekend and hunted them down like dogs. Shot one at close range with my daddy’s rifle. The other one I hit about thirty yards out. I had to use a second shot to finish him off. Then I left their bodies in the woods to rot.” Back and forth, back and forth, her fingers traced a line across her throat. “If Mr. Akins hadn’t seen me leaving the campgrounds, I might have gotten away with it.”

She took a deep breath and let it out with a shudder. “I lost my mortality because of what I did to the McAllister brothers. It’s also the grounds for my damnation.” The muscles along her jaw flexed. Her hands shook as she reached behind her neck, unfastened the clasp holding the choker in place. After a moment’s hesitation, she drew the material away.

From ear to ear, the ugly ridge of scar tissue stretched across her throat.

“Every time I look at it, it reminds me of who I was and what I lost.” Her lips twisted into something too bitter to count as a smile. “Pretty repulsive, isn’t it?”

Jack shook his head. “No. I don’t think it’s repulsive at all.” He reached out and traced the line with the tips of his fingers, the scar tissue raised against the skin along her neck.

Ruby’s brow creased with confusion. “How can you say that?”

“Because I view your scar in a different light.” His hand skimmed past her neck, cupped the side of her face. “The way I see it, that line across your neck symbolizes the chain of events that brought you to this place and time. To me.”

“And you’d welcome that, after what I just told you?” She looked at him as if he’d lost his marbles. “I’m an unrepentant murderer.”

“Yes, you are. There’s no point in denying the fact. But the truth of the matter is some people deserve to die. That’s just unconscious knowledge.” He could only imagine what he would have done if placed in a similar situation. Just the thought of someone violating his sisters made his vision flash red. In all likelihood, he would have committed a much more gruesome variation of the exact same act.

“But I—”

He interrupted her sentence with a gentle kiss to her lips. “No buts. From what you told me before, you wouldn’t have been brought back as a reaper if your soul hadn’t been judged redeemable. Am I right?”

She nodded, her bottom lip trembling.

“Well, then. It sounds like someone, somewhere, carried the same low opinion of the McAllister brothers. Who knows how many other women you spared from the same fate or worse?” A tear tracked down her cheek, and he wiped it away with his thumb. “You broke the rules, Beulah, but you broke them for a damn good reason.”

She sniffed, blinked back tears. “Why are you doing all this?”

“Doing what?”

“Being so . . . nice to me.” Unspoken emotion swam in her eyes.

“You should be enjoying your cruise instead of dealing with all this.”