To Hell and Back (Eternally Blooded) (5 page)

CHAPTER EIGHT

“
A
lright then love, let’s get moving.”

James was trying to pull Valerie forward, but her feet were solidly planted on the ground. They had disembarked the ship without getting run over by the hordes of souls fleeing Charon’s whip. The sight that greeted them was enough to stop Valerie in her tracks.

“This is limbo?” she asked incredulously as she breathed in the sweet smell of grass and stared open mouthed at the rolling hills around her. “Are all the souls staying here?”

“Yes, this is limbo and no they are not staying. They will be compelled to move forward, deeper into other levels until they reach their own final fate. Each is destined for the ring of Hell that suites them best. Now be a dear and let’s get going.”

James was tugging her forward; in the distance she could see small campfires and patches of trees. There was no sun here, but a grey-green light left a soft glow as far as the eye could see. James propelled her forward towards a group of fires. There were people standing all around them. These people were different then the lost souls on Charon’s ferry, they were all clothed and mingling amongst one another. Valerie gasped when they were close enough to the fires to see the faces.

“Children James! Most of these people are children!”

“Yes Valerie. Many children come to limbo, even if it is to stay for just a bit. There are many reasons to come here. For some it is mild punishment, for others it is a place to wait and ask for another life.” James responded.

Valerie dug her feet into the ground, making James stop tugging her along. “Ask for another life? You mean reincarnation?”

“Not exactly what you are thinking, but yes. Some of these souls lost their lives too soon and now they have a chance to bargain with the devil for half a soul, half a heart…” James let the words trail off.

“You mean they want to become immortal, like you?”

“In a
sense. I was born this way, so I had no choice in the matter. Half of me was already owned by the darkness, while the other half walked in the light. That is how it is, one foot always teetering on becoming rogue and giving in to the darkness.”

“Will they all be granted this request?” Valerie asked.

“I can’t say. Their souls are measured and then it will be decided. Don’t look so alarmed, as children if their request is denied they will go on to heaven. Now please we really need to get moving. Time passes different down here; we have probably been gone at least a full day back home.”

“What? A full day but it has only been a few hours.” Valerie gasped as James began pulling her forward again.

Dang woman. Always so curious. James thought to himself with a smile curling the corners of his mouth. He tried to imagine being new to this world and knew he would be full of questions as well. Valerie’s lack of fear amazed him; he knew immortals who would not have accepted a trip to Hell so willingly. Fate had paired them up and perhaps this was the reason why. It wasn’t often that fate picked a mortal as a blood mate. James thought of her full bottom lip, the curve of her hips, and her scent…jasmine and honey. He felt a shiver course through him. He couldn’t wait to be out of this blasted place and back on earth where he could spend hours memorizing every inch of her.

Scanning the campfires up ahead James spotted the flaming red hair amidst the crowds.

“This way love, I need to make a quick stop to see an old friend.”

When they approached the nearest fire the chatter of conversation quieted and everyone stopped and stared. Valerie noted all eyes were fixed on her, not James. She held her head high and made eye contact with each. She refused to feel intimidated, even though she felt like slinking behind James and hiding.

There were people dressed from different
times; she noted recent jeans, old flowing robes, a pretty blond dressed in a Victorian gown made of the palest blue Valerie had ever seen. One of the men, the one with flaming red hair, dressed in Egyptian garb, broke away from the circle and approached them. James let go of her hand and nodded his head before wandering a few feet away.

Valerie watched the two of them, standing with their heads bowed close together speaking in hushed whispers. She noticed the creases in James in forehead, the violent shake of his head; clearly this man was upsetting him. Feeling the strong urge to comfort him, Valerie began walking in their direction.

“Stop. Stay there for just a moment love.” James snapped at her, seeing her movement from the corner of his eye.

This was the first time he had been short with her and Valerie felt enraged. She only wanted to make sure he was okay, and why shouldn’t she know what they were saying. If she was a betting woman she would bet the conversation included her, especially considering the red haired man was sliding her sideways glances with curiosity painted all over his face. Truth be told his eyes were making her feel like a specimen in a jar at a science lab. Planting her feet solidly on the ground she crossed her arms and glared at the two of them. The Egyptian man gave a small chuckle at her defiant stance.

“Looks like you are going to have your hands full James.” He continued to laugh, loud enough for Valerie to hear.

James glanced in her direction and chuckled himself. The man handed James a silver pendant that twinkled in the eerie glow before James quickly pocketed it. Shaking hands and clapping each other on the back the two men parted company. James looked at Valerie and in a flash he was standing in front her, cupping her face in his hands, planting little kisses on her cheeks and forehead. Valerie wasn’t used to his super speed and hadn’t seen too many displays of his immortal power yet. The movement startled her at first, but the feel of his hands and soft kisses quickly quieted her.

“I am sorry for snapping at you my love.” James mumbled between kisses.

“It better not happen again mister.” Valerie tried to sound stern but the feel of his lips on her skin was distracting. She snaked her arms around his neck and leaned into him, tilting her mouth to his. Heat sparked between them and James deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue into her mouth when she moaned. Just the feel of his tongue exploring her mouth made Valerie’s knees grow weak. Grabbing a handful of her hair James growled into her mouth as she pushed against the growing bulge between his legs.

Valerie forgot her surroundings; all she could think about was how badly she wanted to feel James inside her. Her fingers dug into his skin as she grasped his shoulders, trying to pull him closer. She felt one of his hands trail down her back, grasping her butt and lifting her slightly onto him. She knew he could smell the moisture growing between her legs, she was panting into his mouth, grinding herself against him. She felt his fangs slide out and nip at her tongue. The feeling was exquisite.

“Ehem! Would you
two mind getting a room, there are children here for fuck sakes!”

The red haired Egyptian’s voice startled Valerie out of her lust filled haze. Disentangling herself from James she felt the blush creep into her cheeks.

“Don’t be such a prude Marion.” James laughed. “Age means nothing down here and you know it, but yes we should be moving along.”

Valerie was straightening her clothes that had become crooked when a thought occurred to her. “James, with your speed why can’t you just flash us to Styx and then to Satan? Wouldn’t that make it quicker?”

“Quicker yes, safer no. There are demons down here that feed off power. Best not to alert them love. They would take my use of power as rubbing it in their faces that I get to share their abilities, but am not tied to this place. Demons tend to be petty and envious of any immortals. It is a fine thread that holds peace between our species together in truce. They would use any small thing to break that thread, and considering you are mortal I do not relish the thought of getting into a brawl down here.”

The word demon reminded Valerie they were in Limbo and that the rest of the journey would not be so calm and peaceful. The shock of that did wonders to douse her previously lovey mood. James led them back away from the campfires and through the hills. They walked on for what seemed like hours and although James had a gentle grip on her hand, he had not spoken more than two words to Valerie since leaving the campfires.

Valerie knew something was wrong, but wasn’t sure how to approach the subject. James hadn’t told her what Marion said or what the pendant was.

“James, I saw Marion give you something. Does it have to do with me?” Valerie asked quietly.

“With you? Yes. Am I going to discuss it right now? No.” James replied, not even pausing in stride. His answer made Valerie feel like she was prying into something that was none of her business, but clearly if it had to do with her it was her business. Making up her mind she stopped walking and sat down on the ground.

James stopped and sighed. “As much as I find your stubbornness charming, we really don’t have time for this right now.”

“Make time. I am not moving until you tell me. You may be an immortal but I promise you if this is a pissing contest I will win hands down.”

James laughed at her vulgar language. He had to admit hearing a dirty word come out of her mouth was strangely a turn on. “Okay love you win, now stand up before you get all wet. The ground is damp here.”

Valerie stood up, noticing that her pants were indeed wet. “Okay I am all ears. Let this be a lesson to you though, I am a woman, stubborn and capable, not a child. No secrets between us, especially if they directly affect one of us.”

James kissed her lightly on the forehead. “Woman, you will be the death of me, you know that?”

“Only if you lie to me, now spill the beans.” Valerie smirked.

James took a deep breath in resignation. “Marion gave me an extremely old, extremely valuable pendant. It dates back to ancient Egypt and contains powerful magic. Marion has been the keeper of it since he was first granted immortality. As an immortal he could never use the power, it is against our laws, power like this is meant for the gods and the gods alone.”

“What kind of power?” Valerie asked.

“The kind that can raise the dead and give the wearer complete control over the beings it calls forth.”

Valerie was dumbfounded. “If that pendant is so powerful, why would Marion hand it over to you? I mean won’t he get in trouble for that?”

“This is where y
ou come into the picture love. Marion is an old immortal, older than any I know, and his powers have developed over the years. Sometimes he gets glimpses into the future and his last vision was, unfortunately, of you.”

“Why unfortunately?” Valerie asked.
She assumed Marion saw the two of them meeting and didn’t understand why her being James’s blood mate was a bad thing.

“There is something I didn’t mention, and before you get your panties in twist, not that I wouldn’t like to twist your panties, I didn’t mention it because I wasn’t all that concerned. I was just happy to have found you after all these years being alone.” James said as his voice cracked with emotion. “It is highly unusual for a mortal to be the blood mate for an immortal. In fact it has only happened a handful of times that I know of. When it does happen it usually means the mortal is destined for something, the mortal has been blessed or cursed by the gods. This is what Marion saw. According to him you have been blessed, not that I agree with that, but he saw you playing an important role in the survival of our kind.”

Valerie’s head spun as she tried to ingest this latest tidbit of information. James said he didn’t agree with it being a blessing. “Why do you think it is a curse?” She asked warily.

“Because anything that has to do with survival means having to fight for it. I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you, I don’t want you fighting, but I can’t change fate.” James replied as he cradled her in his arms.

“What exactly did Marion see me doing?” Valerie asked, thankful for the strength in the arms that engulfed her.

“He couldn’t tell me, he has the visions but it is forbidden for him to interfere and he knows I would try to change any fate that put you in danger. I only know that when we come to the Goddess Styx I should present her with the pendant so that she will bless us and our union. Now let’s try not to dwell on this information, we are after all in Hell and need to keep our wits about us.”