Banshee Seduction (Montgomery's Sin Book 1) (30 page)

Her name. He took another step forward. Her name. Another dragging step.

He peered through the crimson flames and the blackened ash to a golden box that floated in midair above a fiery volcano. Matt tilted his head and stared. Pretty. It looked so pretty. It enchanted him with its perfect simplicity and emptied his mind of any further thought until the burn in his lungs forced him to move.

He glanced at the golden key, raised his head, and spotted the keyhole in the box. With no conscious thought, his brain a sludgy mess, he stood and stared. Emptiness surrounded him with no compulsion to do anything. Eternity knew no bounds.

“I told you he couldn’t do it.”

“He’s too weak.”

“He doesn’t love her enough.”

“I said he wasn’t strong.”

“Not a warrior.”

“Never a warrior.”

In slow motion, he turned his head and stared at the two familiar old hags, and fury rushed in to blind and deafen him to everything else.

“Fuck off.”

He stabbed the key into the lock, twisted it, and flung open the lid to the box. Bright white light hit his eyes as a brilliant beam shot heavenward. With not a thought in his head, pure instinct drove him onward.

Heart and mind filled with Ginny, he squinted for a moment before he plunged his hand into the starlight and plucked out his one true love.

“I told you he could do it.”

“I knew he was capable.”

“Strong.”

“A warrior.”

Sick to death of their interference, he whipped around to face them and almost dropped the tiny shrunken black kernel he held in his fingers.

“Whoa.”

“Clumsy.”

“Butterfingers.”

“Don’t drop her.”

The two banshees rushed forward, hands cupped as they stretched their arms out toward him.

“I got her!” he yelled, one hand held up to stop them.

They paused and leaned forward, frowns marring their wrinkled, haggard old faces.

With his free hand, he extended his index finger and pointed at them. “You two do not look good in this light.”

Red gleamed from the eyes of both women, and he gained some satisfaction as they automatically lifted their hands to smooth out their faces. The wrinkles dropped back into place as soon as they removed their fingers.

He cradled his hand to his chest. “Shall we go?”

Head clearer, he raised his eyes heavenward and turned on his heel to march steadily to the gates of Hell, so much closer to the golden box than it had felt. He shook his head. He couldn’t believe the task had been so arduous and his feet so leaden. If his love for Ginny hadn’t been as strong, would he have ever made it to the golden box? Could he have achieved it without the interference of her aunties?

He turned with the thought of thanking them, but the voices had quietened and the women gone. He took another step forward and came face-to-face with the devil himself. Weakly, Matt leaned against the hot metal of the gate. Whatever the next challenge was, he just needed to breathe for a minute before taking it on.

“Her name?” the beast commanded, his voice a guttural roar.

Confident, Matt raised his chin, clasped the tiny nugget to his heart, and spoke with more bravado than he felt. “Easy. My true love, Ginny.”

Disappointment wreathed the black creature’s face; its glowing eyes burned bright, but Matt had no fear of Hell. He’d already been there and back when he thought he’d lost Ginny.

The creature thrashed its tail with fury, but it took a reluctant step beyond the gates to let Matt follow him through.

Matt garnered every last vestige of his strength and courage to stumble beyond the gates, relieved at last to face his waiting dragon. His heart wrenched at the sight of its feet and wings, shackled to keep it from entering the underworld, but the pull of its power encouraged him forward as it breathed fire and roared in frustration. Cool purples and greens glowed to cut through the dim light and guide Matt to the other half of him.

With shaky fingers, Matt raised the ebony nugget and pressed it firmly against his mouth. A heated tingle vibrated against his lips and sent a shot of adrenaline though his veins to kickstart his heart. His back straightened; his knees braced.

The dragon mirrored his movements and raised his head to stretch his neck and blowtorch the darkness, illuminating every crevice to chase away the shadows. As though he were a dog shaking water from his fur, the dragon shuddered while the shackles fell from him. Matt threw back his head and echoed the deafening roar; the certain slide of the dragon empowered him as they meshed together as one.

Murmurs from the other half of him fortified his soul, and as he exhaled his dragon breath, it whispered across the nugget. The vibration turned to a tremor; the tremor to a shake. Matt drew a long, deep breath in and exhaled fire through his nose to bathe the shriveled residue of Ginny’s soul and warm her icy remains with a molten heat from his own depths.

With quiet dignity, the devil bowed his head in farewell.

As he clasped Ginny to his chest, warmth spread through Matt’s palm to give him hope while he sidestepped the creature with the intention of returning to the Earth realm.

Not really surprised when a small man with thin, greasy hair dressed in a long black mac stepped from the devil’s shadow, Matt shook his head as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. The devil’s minion pushed his glasses farther up his nose; his small eyes reflected the red glow of his master’s as he opened his mouth and giggled, high-pitched and nasal. “I was hoping I could claim your soul as well as the young lady’s.”

Matt bared his teeth at the journalist and curled his fingers around his precious treasure. “You got neither today.”

“You may pass.” With a myopic glance at Matt’s closed fist, held tight against his chest, the minion sneered, “I’m sure we’ll meet again.”

“Like hell.”

“I look forward to seeing you there.”

Unperturbed by the demon, Matt pulled his hand away from his body and dropped his gaze to stare at the bright spark that glowed with effervescent vitality in the palm of his hand.

Red eyes blazed from the little demon in front of him, but Matt smiled as the nugget heated. The little fiend knew he’d already lost his battle, he was just trying to provoke him one last time.

Power surged to make the nugget in Matt’s hand shudder, and hope blossomed in his heart. The spark ignited, and a flame shot from his hand. A spray of bright golden fireworks lit the gloom with the brilliance of a thousand stars and burst into a profusion of light to leave Ginny naked in all her glory before him.

Confusion glazed her eyes as she blinked him into focus.

A high-frequency screech blasted him, almost exploding his brain.

“You bastard. You have a fiancée.”

“She’s not my fiancée—hasn’t been for a long time. It was just a trick. An evil trick.” He hoped she’d believe him, but she wasn’t finished with him yet.

“You said I meant nothing to you, and you sent me to Hell—literally.”

Desperate to cover his ears, he chose wisely and kept his hands by his side.

“I brought you back again.”

Aghast, her mouth dropped open, but much to his surprise, the screaming banshees stuttered to a halt as though they might just be listening.

Her tormented eyes centered on him, tightening the band around his chest to make his breath difficult to pull into his lungs.

“You said I meant nothing!”

He’d already crawled through the fires of Hell, but the tears glistening in her eyes made him want to drop to his knees and beg.

He reached for her hand, but she took a step back, closing the gap between herself and the two demons behind her. He halted in case she retreated any more. “That’s not what I said.”

“Yeah, it’s what you said.”

“I never said you meant nothing.”

“Yes…”

“No! I said—” Desperate, he grabbed her shoulders and hauled her in close. “—the shoe, as a trophy of my conquest over you, meant nothing.”

“That’s what I said.”

“No, Ginny. Listen.” He had her. She was there in his hands, and he’d fight Heaven and Hell to keep her, but it might just kill him if he had to fight her too. He drew in a calming breath and prayed for control. He circled his thumbs over the soft skin of her shoulders and kissed the end of her nose.

“The shoe was never a trophy of my conquest of you. First, I have no desire to conquer you, only to be your partner, your mate, your equal.” His throat constricted as she blinked away her tears. “Secondly, it was never a trophy. It was a symbol. A mark of our first meeting, a reminder of the thing I most yearned for.”

He leaned in and brushed his warm lips over her stone-cold ones. His stomach knotted, still unsure whether she would forgive him. He shook his head as he stared at her and raised his hand to touch a gentle fingertip to her delicate ear. He traced the outline, gratified as fine goose bumps dashed down her neck and across her chest to join the dark blush racing across her skin.

“Matt.” The husky word escaped her lips as gilded tears trickled from the corner of her eye to slay him.

He moved his fingers to her lips to stop her from speaking. “Please don’t cry—I never, ever want to make you cry again. Your tears kill me.” He stroked his thumb over her temple to catch the trail of wetness. “Let me explain.” He touched his lips to hers in a soft kiss. “You are my mate, my love, my other half, my soul. The moment you left your shoe in my possession, I knew you were mine. The reason it was in my cabinet was to keep it safe until the time you gave yourself to me. Bonded with me. You entrusted me with its safety; you have never asked for it back.” His gaze roamed her face and came to rest with a burning intensity on her eyes. “I wanted you to do the same thing with your heart.”

She stared at him, her eyes full of disbelief.

“But you have everything you could ever want, Matt. You’re rich. You have your wonderful luxurious house, and I have a tiny apartment. You never invited me into your world. You kept me out. When I watched you on TV, I realized I’d never seen the real you. You’re rich and famous; you rub shoulders with the elite. I bet you never even have to worry about paying a bill, or whether you can afford your next week’s groceries. Your world is so different from mine.”

“That’s not the real me, though.” He thumped his chest with both fists. “This is. My place is perfect because I’m never there. It’s not my home. I just live there. I wouldn’t let journalists into my home, into my privacy, which is why I didn’t want them prying into our relationship. That house is just a front, something the press and fans want to see. But home is where the heart is.” He paused and touched his fingertip to her wet cheek. “Where you are. I’m more myself being with you than I ever am in front of a camera. Being a celebrity doesn’t mean you aren’t human.”

She snorted. “But you’re not human; you’re a dragon shifter.”

“No one else knows that.”

“Except the slimy journalist.”

A quick glance over the top of her head assured him they were not alone. His brow wrinkled. “Yeah. About that.”

She smoothed his forehead with her fingertips and distracted him while she leaned in to peck a light kiss to his lips. Misty-eyed, she gazed up at Matt. The sweetest smile he’d ever seen spread wide across her features, dimpling her soft cheeks and sparkling her eyes until the doubt cleared.

“You came for me.”

Her soft voice bathed over him, and his knees almost buckled with relief. He had her. She was his, and he would take care of her for all eternity.

Matt’s heart hammered. He reached out a tentative hand to stroke the gentle curve of her cheek. “I had no option. I love you with every fiber of my being, every beat of my heart, every drop of my blood.” He cupped her small face in the palms of his hands and gazed into her clear sky-blue eyes. “I would kill for you, die for you.” He brushed his warm lips over her cooler ones, his heart melting at the precious sight of her. “I’d trade my soul for your life.”

The smile dropped from her lips as she sucked in a deep breath, shaking her head in denial. “Matt, you should never offer your soul as a trade. You never know what it might invoke.”

He flicked a quick glance behind her. Her eyes widened, and she turned her head to check what had attracted his attention. Interest gleamed in Lucifer’s narrowed eyes. His sidekick took a hopeful step closer, his scrawny chest puffed out in his skinny body.

Matt drew Ginny to his side in an automatic gesture of protection, wrapped his arm around her, and prepared to release his inner beast.

Bolder, the demon naïvely came nearer. Underestimating the strength of Matt’s dragon, he exposed his sharp, feral teeth. His malicious gaze centered on Ginny. “If you like, we can do a deal for the trade of his soul.” He rubbed his hands together. “I’m still willing to consider taking yours back in exchange.”

Animal instinct took over, and Matt’s dragon shifted so fast he had no control of the creature within. Fury reigned at the threat by the demon to his mate. Matt spread his wings wide and stretched his neck to its full extent, towering high over the scrawny fiend before he released a torrent of fire that burned hotter than Hell itself. Fear and rage poured from him, together with a roar so loud the gates of Hell shuddered. Flames blasted the demon, bathing over him in a steady stream, stripping him of each layer: skin, flesh, blood, and bones, until he was reduced to a cinder.

Silence thickened as dark once more descended.

Heart thundering, Matt lowered his head. Drained of energy, he dragged in great gulps of air. The tender touch of Ginny’s delicate hand on his chest brought his attention back. Even football hadn’t prepared him for the likes of this battle.

Sensing no further threat, the dragon receded. Exhausted, Matt shifted to stand naked at Ginny’s side.

Satan crossed his arms over his chest while all three of them tracked the rise of the crimson spark from the remains of the demon as it floated in leisurely abandon up to Ginny’s face. With a calm sweep of her hand, she smoothed her satin hair behind her ear. The voice of a heavenly choir filled Matt’s ears and caused the devil to cringe.