Shadowed 3 I’ll Be Damned (6 page)

She just needed to help him stay on the straight and narrow regarding pleasures of the flesh. It was going to be tough. Every time she was around him she wanted to make love. Not only was he gorgeous, but the man knew exactly what she wanted in bed. Still, she couldn’t risk an angel’s soul because she was horny.

After their last conversation, she didn’t see Cinder again for three days. Still she felt that he was nearby, watching over her, and she liked it. She wished he’d show himself, but it was probably better that he didn’t. They might be tempted to make love and she was determined not to assist in his downfall.

On the fourth night, she was about to head home for dinner when Cinder appeared in the passenger seat of her car. His delicious scent filled the air and she instantly tingled in places she didn’t want to think about.

“Good evening, Jayden. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too, but remember what we talked about. You have to behave.”

“Cross my heart.” He smiled and drew an X on his chest with his fingertip.

She grinned and shook her head. “For an angel you’re a bad boy, you know that?”

“I know. I’m flawed. And I’m also hungry. Join me for dinner?”

“Sounds good. Should I change my clothes or go as I am?”

He knitted his eyebrows and waved a hand over her. When she glanced down, her shirt and jeans had changed into a slinky red dress with matching shoes.

“Like it?” he asked.

“Should you be using your powers for that?”

“It’s not a sin.”

“Then yeah. I like it.”

A short time later, they sat at an intimate table for two in a dim corner of an expensive restaurant.

“So, Cinder, do guardian angels work, other than watching over people? Do you need a job here on Earth to afford places like this? And where do you live?”

“No. I don’t have a job here on Earth, other than guarding you.”

“And your address?”

“I can’t say. It’s a celestial secret.”

She looked skeptical.

“I shouldn’t really talk about myself,” he said.

“I guess I can understand that.”

The waiter arrived with their food. While they enjoyed it, they talked. Jayden learned that while Cinder had studied Earth from afar, all his experiences here were brand new.

“What do you like most so far?” she asked.

“Sex,” he replied so quickly that she nearly laughed.

“You like trouble, don’t you?” she said.

“It seems to like me, that’s for sure.”

After dinner, they went to a movie then drove to Jayden’s place. Cinder walked her to her apartment.

“I’m not sure I should ask you in,” she said.

“I’ll be good.”

She smiled and raised her eyes to heaven, but unlocked the door and stepped in. Cinder followed.

“Maybe you should change my clothes back?” Jayden suggested.

“Or I could make them disappear?”

“You promised.”

Cinder waved his hand and she was back in her shoes, jeans and shirt.

“Maybe I should go,” he said.

Jayden approached. “Goodnight, Cinder. I had a nice time.”

“So did I.” He kissed her cheek and slid an arm around her for a quick squeeze.

Jayden hugged him back and he kissed her mouth.

It felt so good that she didn’t push him away but closed her eyes and opened her lips to his tongue. Hers met it with wet, lingering strokes.

Moaning softly, Jayden leaned against him. Cinder’s large, warm hands caressed her back. He cupped the back of her head and rolled his tongue against hers.

The sensation of his hard chest pressed to her breasts was almost too good. Even better was the feel of his stiffening cock pushing against her.

She broke the kiss and tried to push him away, but he was too strong.

“Cinder, no. We can’t.”

“I’ve missed you, Jayden,” he said in a husky voice and nuzzled her neck. “I want you so badly.”

“You have to resist. We both do. I know it’s not too late for you.”

“I told you. It doesn’t matter what I do now.”

Her gaze locked with his. “It matters to me.”

With a sigh he released her and walked to the door. He paused before stepping out, his broad back to her. He looked almost defeated and she longed to call him back and take him to bed where he could make love to her until they fell into a deep, refreshing sleep. Or did angels sleep? She wasn’t sure.

“Call if you need me,” he said and left before she could reply.

The following weeks passed far too quickly for Jayden. Each day she knew brought them closer to Cinder’s departure.

Though she reminded herself daily not to fall in love with him, it was impossible to control her feelings. Cinder appeared to her almost every day. Knowing he didn’t have much time, they agreed that they wanted to be together as often as possible.

They enjoyed each other’s company, whether it was sharing meals, working on cases or simply talking. While she learned much about his personality and his likes and dislikes, he revealed nothing of his past or his life as an angel. Still the detective in her kept prying.

Cinder had given her the means to summon him and she felt safe knowing he’d be around to back her up. Still she had no intention of relying on him. She’d always depended on herself, not to mention when the month was up she’d be on her own again.

As Cinder’s time on Earth drew to a close, Jayden felt as if she was about to lose her best friend. It was funny how she had gotten so close to Cinder after a relatively brief time together. Why, when she finally met a man she could fall in love with, did he turn out to be a celestial spirit destined to leave after a brief time on Earth?

One afternoon she sat on surveillance outside a hotel, thinking about how she wanted to prepare a special dinner for Cinder tonight. In three days he’d be gone and that realization was almost too painful. She’d said goodbye to too many people in her life far too soon. Her parents. Her grandmother. Her partner on the police force who had been killed on duty. Now she had to say goodbye again.

At least Cinder had given her the comfort of knowing there was life beyond this world.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed three men clad in black, their faces covered, walking into the hotel. They carried semi-automatic weapons.

“Shit,” Jayden murmured and quickly called the police.

She realized her best course of action was to stay out of the way, but when she heard commotion from inside and saw several windows shatter, she realized she needed to do something.

“Sin in smoke,” she said.

Almost instantly, Cinder appeared beside her. “What’s wrong?”

“There. Three armed men in the --”

She didn’t finish speaking before Cinder disappeared in a cloud of smoke. She saw him enter the hotel through a broken window.

* * *

When Jayden pointed to the hotel and mentioned three armed men, Sinister knew right away that she didn’t see the two red demons with scaly wings standing in the hotel lobby.

When he entered the hotel, several humans lay wounded on the floor while others cowered. The three men Jayden had mentioned held them at gunpoint while the red demons stood, sneering.

It wasn’t uncommon for demons to incite or revel in the evil of men. Only the presence of angels kept them from completely overtaking the Earth. Sinister’s mentors had told him that angels, particularly shadowing angels, usually thwarted demonic activity. Sinister was surprised he hadn’t seen any in the area. Cities like this usually had at least one angel on duty.

Sinister knew he had to do something or else more humans would be injured or killed, but if he revealed himself in front of these demons, he’d be forced to fight them. They would either drag him back to hell, or if he banished them there, they would report it and his superiors would come for him before his time was up. Either way, if he interfered, he’d be returned to hell early where, as Jodi so often warned him, he would be tortured and cast into oblivion.

Jayden had called him to help. But he’d specified she was to call if she personally needed help, not if…

One of the gunmen shouted and fired. People screamed and dove for cover.

Sinister didn’t hesitate before attacking. In his smoke form, he quickly disarmed all three mortals and rendered them unconscious.

The red demons stared at him in shock, but they quickly recovered from their surprise and attacked him. Their clawed hands tore through his smoky skin, and their savage teeth bit deeply. Sinister fought back, filling their eyes, ears and mouths with smoke. The red winged demons were powerful, but they didn’t have the strength of a creature like Sinister, spat up from the deepest fire of hell. He clung to their necks and snapped them. The demons disappeared in a haze of red ash.

Just before Cinder disappeared, the police entered the building.

Across the street, Jayden stood outside her car, staring toward the hotel, her face etched with concern.

“Jayden,” Sinister said, appearing in the passenger seat of her car. The wounds he’d received from the demons were weakening him and he needed to get back to his apartment fast. No doubt his superiors would be coming for him. There was no point in running. No matter where he went, they’d track him down.

Before they took him, he needed to say goodbye to Jayden.

“Cinder!” She jumped into the car and reached for him. “You’re hurt.”

“I’ll be fine. I have to go. My time here has been cut short.”

“What do you mean?”

He took her hand and kissed her palm. “I won’t be back.”

“Cinder, you can’t --”

“I love you,” he said before changing to smoke and flying home while he still had the strength.

Sinister flew through his bedroom window and fell to his knees where he changed back to human form.

He took a moment to catch his breath before he pushed himself to his feet. Catching sight of himself in the mirror, he understood why Jayden had been concerned for him. Blood leaked from dozens of teeth and claw marks inflicted by the red winged demons. While he recovered almost instantly from earthly injuries, any wounds inflicted by other demons took time to heal. Not that it mattered now.

Jodi bellowed from inside his cage. Ignoring him, Sinister left the bedroom and shouted for John.

“My goodness, Cinder, what happened?” John asked, worry on his wrinkled face. He approached and slid an arm around Cinder to help him to the couch.

“Forget about me. I’m fine,” Cinder said.

“Still telling lies, are you?”

“I don’t have time to banter with you. John, I want you to get out of here. Right now.”

“I can’t leave you like this --”

“Get out!” Sinister roared, shoving him away. The last thing he wanted was for John to be around when his superiors showed up. They’d kill the old man just for fun. “It’s not safe here, do you understand me? The ones who did this to me are coming here. If you don’t leave right now, you’re a dead man. Understand?”

John nodded, holding Sinister’s gaze. He turned and left.

Sinister sighed and leaned back on the couch. Soon it would be over. He hoped they didn’t torture him long. He didn’t fear oblivion. At the moment he looked forward to it. He was a failure as a demon and he didn’t care. He’d tasted mortal life and love with Jayden, and if he couldn’t have that, he didn’t want any other kind of life.

He wasn’t sure how long he lay there before the door opened. Truly he was surprised his superiors had used the door. He’d expected a more booming entrance.

“Come and get me,” he muttered.

He felt a soft, warm hand on his cheek and his eyes flew open.

Jayden stared at him. “What happened in there, Cinder?” she asked. “Why aren’t you healing?”

“There were demons,” he said. “If I’m hurt by demons I heal slower and you need to go. Right now. Jayden, how did you even know where I live?”

She curled her lip. “Are you kidding me? I asked for your ID the first time we met, remember?”

He hadn’t thought about that. Couldn’t he do
anything
right? Was he a total failure at
everything
, even keeping the woman he loved safe?

“Jayden, listen to me. I want you to leave right now. Before it’s too late.”

The building shook and a huge, dark hole opened in the wall across the room.

Jayden gasped and reached for her gun.

Sinister gently covered her hand with his. “It won’t do you any good. Get out now. You might still have time.”

“Time for what?” growled a deep, menacing voice that Sinister would never forget.

Flames shot through the hole in the wall and the keeper of the hottest fire of hell stepped through it. He was tall and covered in mottled red skin. His single eye glistened like onyx in his elongated face. Black fangs gleamed against his thin lips and wings made of flames opened behind his broad back.

“Time to die, mortal wench. Time to suffer exquisite torture before being cast into oblivion, Sinister, you pathetic excuse for a demon.”

“Demon?” Jayden glanced at Sinister.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I never meant for you to be hurt.”

The keeper of hell’s hottest fire threw back his head and laughed. “We’ll start your torture by having you watch while we burn her alive!”

Sinister leapt off the couch, turning to smoke. He wrapped himself around the demon’s neck and squeezed with all his strength. After a brief struggle, he managed to bring the fiery bastard to his knees.

The fire keeper finally tore Sinister from his neck and hurled him into the dark hole. Sinister flew back out, but his master caught him in an unbreakable hold.

“Release him!”

Sinister strained to glance over his shoulder. Old John had returned. He stood less than a foot from the keeper of hell’s hottest fire.

The demon laughed again. His clawed hand lashed out at the old man’s face.

John blocked the blow and in a flash of blinding light changed from the small, elderly gentleman into a tall, powerfully-muscled angel with enormous white wings and long auburn hair.

The demon recoiled, but said, “You have no claim on him, angel.”

The living room window shattered and a powerful ebony-skinned angel clad in golden armor flew in. “I do.”