Damned and Desirable (Eternally Yours Book 2) (12 page)

Pretend it’s a bathing suit top, Ash.

“Where are we?” I asked, as I awkwardly covered my chest with my arms. Then I froze when I heard gruff voices inside the cavern.

“My den,” he answered, his eyes bulging as he caught sight of my tit missiles. He quickly looked away, folding his wings back.

I arched a brow as I flapped my wings, trying to get them to cooperate and fold into place, but since I sucked at origami and folding socks, the wing thing wasn’t working out so well, either. Finally, I gave up and groaned as I blew a wayward frizzy lock out of my eyes. “Your den?”

He circled me and pushed my wings back. Again, every time he touched a sensitive spot, I felt my lust-o-meter start to rise. So not good. Somehow, I got the feeling this demon would be hot in the sack, although sleeping with him would have been wrong, very wrong, no matter how right it would have felt.

“I share a den with a dozen other demons. We are part of a pack, and I am their Alpha,” he said.

That was probably a good thing, right? That meant if any of them wanted to eat me, they had to obey him when he said to back off. The gruff voices were louder, and I was pretty sure I heard grunts and slams, as if they were involved in a brawl.

“Are they nice?”

He spun me around, searching my eyes with a force that made my knees weaken. “They’re demons. Most of them were criminals back on Earth. If you want to survive, you will have to go along with my plan.” He averted his gaze for just a moment, and I thought his pink cheeks colored even brighter.

I swallowed. Somehow I got the feeling I wouldn’t like his plan one bit. “Which is?”

This time, he did flush a bright shade of red. “You’re my bi—”

“What you got there?”

I spun around at the sibilant voice behind me, so creepy, it was like a thousand tiny spiders burrowing into my skin. The green lizard man assessing me between two eye slits nearly made me wet my pants.

Callum pushed me behind him and puffed up his chest. “Back off!”

I felt the heat radiating off his body as the smell of smoke filled the air. I was tempted to step back, but I didn’t want some other demon to catch me.

“What’s this?” A low growl snaked across my senses. “Dragon’s got himself a bitch?”

Callum’s massive back shielded me from the other demons. I had nothing to stare at except the ridge going down his spine and well-formed muscles beneath glistening scales.

“That’s right,” Callum grumbled, “and if any of you cusses touch her, you’re toast.”

Wait a minute? I’m his bitch, now?

This was his plan? To pass me off as his woman? Correction. His bitch? If I had to be someone’s bitch, I guess I’d rather belong to Aedan’s twin than any of them.

He reached back and wrapped a protective hand around my wrist. Instinctively, I struggled to break free, but he squeezed so tight, I thought he’d snap me in two.

“Ouch!” I screamed. “Let me go!”

Before I could stop him, he spun me in his arms and growled into my ear. “Play along.”

Then he threw me over his shoulder, slamming my gut onto his hard scales, causing me to gasp in pain.

“This bitch is mine,” he roared, and then smacked me on the ass. Hard.

I howled, and the other demons laughed.

“Hey, asshole!” I punched his armored back, which stung like hell. It was like hitting granite. I howled again, calling him every swear word in the book and then some.

“Feisty,” the lizard demon hissed behind me. “When you’re finished with her, I’d like a go.”

I froze when I heard a chorus of ominous chuckles. Just how many freaking demons were there? Too bad I was draped over a massive back and couldn’t see shit other than a really nice set of tight, rounded dragon buns.

Bad, bad, Ash!

What was I doing, thinking about dragon ass when I already had a perfectly nice Grim Reaper ass waiting for me in Purgatory?

I felt his chest expand beneath me and then massive heat along my backside. I screamed when I heard the roar of flames, especially since my legs felt the burn. Thank goodness for rugged denim. Too bad he’d probably singed holes through my jeans.

“Anyone else want a go?” He stomped forward, rattling my brain with each step.

I heard a lot of shuffling of feet but not another word. As we descended into the cave, I caught a glimpse of the lizard demon, or what was left of him, a blackened and petrified carcass whose frozen features seemed to blend with the dark cave walls.

Nice.

Remind me to never cross a dragon.

Aedan

By the time the elevator dinged, we were already in demon form, and I understood why our portal needed to be so big. Jack had morphed into a black two-headed beast twice the size of a buffalo. His shoulders came just above my head and his massive jowls dripped saliva in a puddle beside me as both of his tongues lolled to one side. I was almost afraid to look up at him as I clutched my scythe in one hand, but when I saw a familiar spark behind those big brown eyes, I breathed a sigh of relief. At least he was the same Jack on the inside, Ash’s loveable and loyal dog. I was glad to have a companion like him along for the journey. He’d come in handy when we were being attacked by hordes of demons.

Sarge had grown, too. He was a hulk of a man with bulging arms and two horns growing out of his skull. There was a spiky ridge down his spine, the points looking sharp enough to do some serious damage. Gone was his prosthetic leg, and in its place was a clawed foot with long talons. He gawked at Jack and me, a frightened look in his eyes, as if we were more horrific than he was.

I already knew what I looked like. I’d seen my image reflected back at me enough times in the shiny elevator door. I was the Grim Reaper from childhood nightmares, tall and skeletal with large, glowing eyes concealed beneath a heavy cloak. I was meant to instill terror in those damned souls before they were delivered to Hell. If they only knew how frightened I’d been during those rare occasions when they’d clung to me, trying to drag me with them through the elevator past the point of no return. Though I didn’t want to, in those instances I had to use my scythe and either maim them or chop off their heads. Yeah, I had a hazardous occupation. I’d thought working for the ghosting squad would be safer. Oh, how wrong I’d been.

Cerberus was waiting for us as soon as we got off, puffing up his massive chest and growling at us to move along. He was the ugliest dog I’d ever seen, the size of an elephant with three misshapen heads, matted grey fur, and large, yellowing fangs that oozed sizzling venom onto the crusted lava beneath him. He brought rabies to a whole new level.

Sarge’s jaw dropped as he pointed up at the beast. “What the fuck is that?”

I warily gazed at his three heads while whistling for Jack. “Move, before he casts us down another level.”

“He can do that?” Sarge asked.

“One snap of his jaws, and it’s all over.” I clutched my scythe as I hurried past the snarling canine.

Jack moved along more slowly than I would have preferred, stopping a few times to growl back at Cerberus. I didn’t want Ash’s dog getting killed out the gate. Ash would never forgive me.

“Come on, buddy,” I called, patting my leg. “Ash needs you.”

That seemed to do the trick. He whimpered as he fell in beside me, swiveling one head back at Cerberus. I was surprised they didn’t break into a dog fight. The hairs on their spines were standing on end, and their fanged jowls dripped slime.

“Guess we won’t be taking this way out,” Sarge said as he thumbed toward Cerberus.

“This is the only way out,” I grumbled.

Which was why I never got off the elevator when I delivered souls to Hell. I usually bumped them off with my scythe, and if that didn’t work, I applied a swift kick of my boot.

Rule number one when Grims delivered souls to hell: never, ever get off the elevator. Sure, I’d fallen off a few times, but luckily, I’d jumped back onto the platform before Cerberus sank his teeth into me. This time would be different. I’d have two extra passengers and a dog. I had no idea how we were all going to get past him, but I decided to worry about the escape later. First, I had to find my woman, one captive soul among millions who weren’t too amenable toward Grims.

This trip would be interesting.

We navigated through the bottom of the pit, caught in a sweltering maze of flaming pyres. I’d heard a tale of a ghoster who’d survived a brief trip to Hell, that the key was to move quickly toward the top, where the air was cooler and less stifling.

“Hey, everyone. It’s a Grim! A Grim’s in Hell!”

I spun around at the sound of the snarling demon. He was a little grey thing with a bald, flattened head and one eyeball, and that one eyeball was centered on me. I was certain if he had any venom, he was about to use it.

Jack snarled down at the creature, but the demon was oblivious to my guard as he jumped up and down and pointed. “A Grim! A Grim!”

I saw other shadows in the distance, slinking toward us with claws raised.

“What do we do now?” Sarge asked.

I clasped my scythe tightly as I leveled him with a somber expression. “We run.”

Ash

Callum brought me into a smaller cave and deposited me on a lumpy platform covered in strange furs. I rubbed my sore backside and glared up at him. “You dick!”

He chuckled. “Didn’t think my brother was into mouthy girls.”

“Guess you were wrong.” I pouted when I thought of the real reason Aedan was with me. Maybe Callum was right. Maybe Aedan wasn’t into bad girls, but I happened to look like Mar, so he’d made an exception.

I wondered what Aedan would think if he saw me sitting on his brother’s bed wearing nothing but my grandma’s bra and jeans. I was certain Mar would have been mortified had she been caught in her corset, but I had worn bathing suits that covered less. Besides, Callum appeared to have already gotten over the shock of seeing my girlies, so I forced myself to put it out of my mind. I had bigger problems.

Callum grabbed a jug off a weathered, wooden table, tilted his head back, and took several gulps. Somehow, I got the feeling he wasn’t drinking Gatorade.

I licked my parched lips as I watched him. He didn’t even offer me a sip, but I wasn’t interested in whatever was in that dirty jug. After flying across the flaming embers of Hell and choking on lots and lots of smoke, I wanted water. I scowled at my surroundings, hoping to spy an Evian bottle somewhere, or at the very least, a sink with some decent tap. But this place looked like a throwback to the Stone Age. I’d be lucky to find a well. The stone floor was covered in grime, the walls were blackened with soot, and the only light source was a low flame from a fireplace at the back of the cave. The thing I sat on was some sort of bed covered in the hides of an orange and black striped creature. In short, the place was a dump. Okay, so I wasn’t expecting the Ritz Carlton in Hell, but I thought dragon lairs were supposed to have caches of rubies and gold, not smelly furs and cobwebs. I had to get out of here. If I didn’t get eaten by something, I’d end up with e-coli.

Then I saw it, the small stream of water running down the side wall and into a crack in the floor. It was like Callum had his own mini waterfall. I jumped from my seat, grabbed a wooden goblet off the table, and held it under the stream.

Just as I was about to tip the refreshing liquid into my mouth, Callum held out a hand. “You don’t want to drink it.”

I hesitated. Damn. I was so thirsty. “Why not? Is it poisoned?”

Shrugging, he averted his gaze. “Not exactly.”

“What’s wrong with the water?” Didn’t he realize getting kidnapped by a shadowy demon and flying through Hell worked up a thirst?

He pinched his fingers together and grimaced. “Just a little. It changes hormones.”

“Seriously? Like, will I grow a moustache or start my period early?” I looked down at the swirling liquid. Could it have been something other than water? I hadn’t realized until that moment how parched I was, but the inside of my mouth was so dry, it felt like a dustbowl. I hesitantly took a sip. It was surprisingly cool and refreshing.

I took a few more sips before he snatched the goblet from me. “That’s enough.”