Wild Flame (3 page)

“If you do, you die,” Christian said calmly. He faced her and held up his hands. “We can help, Ivy.”

The man glowered at Christian. “The hell we can. She knew what she was getting into.”

“I don’t think she did.”

The porch light came on, and Ivy got her first good look at the other man. He looked so similar to Christian that it was obvious they were brothers. They had the same coal black hair, the same build, and the same angry looks that they were throwing at each other.

“Hold up, Beau,” the blond woman said. “Listen to Christian first.” She turned to Ivy. “My name is Davena.”

The front door opened again, followed by the screen door. A woman with long, black hair poked her head out. She looked at each of them and walked out onto the porch.

Christian turned to talk to his brother. “If she knew, wouldn’t she have run?”

“That’s what they all do,” Beau said.

“She didn’t,” Christian said and threw a thumb over his shoulder toward Ivy. “She had no idea what they were.”

Ivy felt as if her life were unraveling. “She is right here, and has no idea what y’all are talking about. Look, I’m not asking for anyone’s help.”

“But I think you need it,” Davena said.

Christian glanced at her. “I believe her, Beau.”

“There’s only one way the Hell Hounds would come for her,” Beau said. “She made a deal, and now it’s time to pay up. With her soul.”

Ivy choked. Soul. Did he just say soul? First Crossroads demons, then Hell Hounds, and now payment with her soul. Had she stepped into the Twilight Zone?

Christian walked to her and gently grabbed her shoulders. He looked down at her with eyes so bright, so vivid a blue she became lost in them. “Ivy, did you make a deal for your soul with a Crossroads demon for wealth, health, or...anything? A contract where you got what you asked for for a certain amount of time with the knowledge that you would pay with your soul when the time came?”

“A Cross... A deal...” She couldn’t even finish the sentence. “No, never.”

Christian’s smile was soft, his gaze intense. “Your choice then. You can leave, or you can stay here and let me help you.”

As if Ivy had a choice.

CHAPTER THREE

Christian glanced out at the darkness before he turned Ivy toward the house. “Let’s get you inside so we can explain.”

He had never been so happy to have Davena and Olivia there. If the women hadn’t shown up, Christian was sure Ivy would’ve refused his offer.

Beau stopped Christian before he could follow the women inside. “Are you sure about this? Tangling with Hell Hounds isn’t something I’m crazy about on a good day, but we’ve got our women here now.”

“And Ivy isn’t important?” Christian wasn’t sure why anger filled him so rapidly, but once there, he couldn’t shove it aside. “I thought it was our job to protect the innocent.”

“It is. If they are innocent.”

“Ivy is.”

“You just met her,” Beau argued.

Christian crossed his arms over his chest. “Need I remind you of how you met Davena? Or how about how Lincoln and Ava met? Better yet, what about Vincent and Olivia?”

“I get your point,” Beau said tightly.

“No, you don’t. I get that you have someone to protect now, but we’ve always had someone to protect. We had each other, and we had the innocents of this parish.”

Beau ran a hand through his black hair. “It’s different with a woman you love, Christian. I’d die for Davena.”

“We could argue this point all night, but I’m not going to. I’m going to get to the bottom of this thing with Ivy.”

“And if she’s lying? What if she did make a deal? Will you really shove her off this porch and let the Hounds have her?”

That wasn’t something Christian was ready to think about yet. “We protect the innocent. If she made the deal without knowing it, she’s still an innocent.”

“There’s no getting away from a Hell Hound,” Beau stated. “This house may be warded, but they’ll find their way in eventually.”

“I brought Ivy here. I’ll be the one to protect her.”

Beau turned and walked into the house without another word.

Christian blew out a deep breath. He looked into the darkness again. The Hell Hounds were out there, waiting. They weren’t regular dogs. They were invisible to humans and very intelligent. And they had one mission – to take the soul of whoever signed the deal with the demon.

Christian turned on his heel and strode into the house. As he figured, the girls had taken Ivy into Vincent’s office. He stopped at the doorway and stood next to Beau. Olivia sat in a chair, while Davana took one side of the sofa. Ivy sat on the edge of the couch on the left side. She kept one hand in her purse.

Christian bit back a smile, as he knew her hand was wrapped around her gun. The woman had gumption. He applauded her for that. It was too bad the weapon couldn’t help her against the Hell Hounds.

But it could do major damage to the people in this room.

He cleared his throat to get Ivy’s attention. As soon as he did, the idle chitchat between Olivia and Davena ended. All eyes turned to him.

Christian walked farther into the office to rest one hip on Vincent’s desk. “I’m sure you’ve got questions, and we’ll be happy to answer them.”

“But you’ve got questions for me first, right?” Ivy said in a remarkably calm voice.

That surprised Christian since he knew she was anything but composed by her rapid breathing and the way she kept fisting her left hand.

Her gaze met his straight on, and he was taken aback by the shade of her eyes – a beautiful mix of green and gold. Christian had never taken much interest in a woman’s eye color before.
 

Until that moment.

Ivy shrugged but didn’t remove her right hand from her purse. “Fine. Ask your questions. I’m pretty sure I answered them outside, but I’ll be happy to repeat my answer – no.”

Christian couldn’t hide his smile. “You’ve got courage and a tough spirit. That just might get you through this.”

Davena snorted. “Might? Christian, really. It will get her through this.”

“Davena’s right,” Olivia told Ivy.
 

Ivy glanced at both women before turning her gaze back to Christian. “Where am I?”

Christian frowned. He had been so caught up in getting her to the house, and then inside, that he hadn’t stopped to fill her in. “As I told you, I’m Christian Chiasson. This is my brother, Beau. The spirited one on the couch is his woman, Davena.” Christian winked at Davena before he shot Olivia a grin. “The sassy one over there is Olivia, and she’s engaged to my eldest brother, Vincent. As to where you are, you’re at our family home.”

“That’s apparently someplace the things after me can’t get into?” Ivy asked saucily.
 

Davena laughed. “Oh, I like you. You’re going to fit right in. These Chiasson boys have a habit of thinking they can make all the decisions.”

“Now, Davena,” Beau started.

Davena held up a hand and shook her head. “Stay over there, because if you get close, you’ll kiss me, and then we won’t be able to stop.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Beau asked with a cocky grin.

Christian watched Ivy as she observed their exchange, looking as if she were confused by it. Finally. He wasn’t the only one who didn’t understand this thing his brothers had with their women.

“I think I should start off by telling you that the things that go bump in the night are real,” Christian said to get the topic back on track.
 

Ivy swallowed hard. “Meaning?”

“There are ghosts, vampires, werewolves, demons, and Hell Hounds. Among other creatures. Other monsters.”

Her gaze held his for a long moment. “You’re not joking.”

Christian shook his head. “You heard the Hounds tonight. You knew they were there, even if you couldn’t see them. There’s your proof.”

“How do all of you,” Ivy said, motioning to everyone with her hand, “know all of this?”

It was Beau who said, “Because we hunt them.”

“Hunt?” Ivy repeated slowly. Her gaze moved from Beau to Christian. “You can kill ghosts and such?”

Christian nodded. “Just about every creature has a weakness, a way to be killed.” He wasn’t ready to tell her the Hell Hounds were the exception.

Ivy pulled her hand out of her purse and dropped her face into her palms. “This has to be a nightmare.”

“I wish it was,” Olivia said in a soft voice. “The sooner you face the reality of it, the sooner we can all figure out what’s going on.”

Davena tucked her legs to her side. “Would it help to tell you I’m a witch?”

Ivy’s head snapped up to look at Davena. “A witch? Um...I’m not sure if that helps or not.”

“Try to remember that we’re here to help,” Davena said.

Christian was going to have to remember to pull both Davena and Olivia aside to thank them later.
 

Beau leaned against the doorway and folded his arms across his chest. “Our family came to Lyons Point generations ago to battle the supernatural that are drawn to this area. My brothers and I carry on that tradition.”
 

“All right,” Ivy said with a nod. “I can’t deny the sound I heard, or the fact that I couldn’t see what was attacking the truck, even if it was obvious something was. If you do battle the supernatural, then tell me what a Crossroads demon is.”

Christian shifted so that he leaned back against the desk with his hands on either side of his hips. “There are demons who can be summoned at a crossroads to make a deal, an exchange of something a person wants for their soul.”

“I didn’t do that,” Ivy said confidently.

“Occasionally, a Crossroads demon will pick a place and set up at a bar for a week or two, looking for those who are willing to trade their souls for advancements in their careers, money, or to save someone else.”

Ivy lifted her chin. “Not me either.”

“It wouldn’t have been recently,” Beau pointed out.

Christian studied Ivy. “Normally, the amount of time given by the demon before they claim your soul is ten years. There have been instances where the demon does five or less, but the norm is ten.”

“Still not me,” Ivy said with a grin. “Ten years ago I was fourteen and more focused on other things. I wouldn’t have even thought of trading my soul.”

Beau pushed away from the doorway, dropping his hands as he walked into the room to stand before the fireplace. “Ivy, the only way a Hell Hound knows where to go is because a person is marked when they sell their soul. The Hell Hounds don’t make mistakes.”

“Well, they did this time,” she stated. “My soul is mine.”

Christian exchanged a look with Beau. “If she’s telling the truth, then there has to be another reason the Hounds are after her.”

“I’ve never read anything in Dad’s journal about such an instance,” Beau said.
 

Christian looked at the clock as he realized Vincent, Lincoln, and Ava weren’t there. “Where are the others?”

“Lincoln and Ava took the west,” Davena said.

Olivia pushed her hair back from her face. “Vincent went north. He said he’d be back around two or three.”

That meant Beau had taken the south, which was easy to search quickly and return to the house. It could be hours before Lincoln and Ava returned. Christian wanted to talk to everyone before he said more to Ivy.

“It’s been a long night,” Christian said. “Why don’t we all get some rest? We can talk more in the morning.”

To his surprise, Ivy didn’t argue. She rose with Davena and Olivia. As she followed the women out, her gaze met his.

Christian had the uncontrollable urge to touch her, to let her know that everything was going to be all right. He hated when innocents were caught in the middle of the madness involving the monsters they hunted.

That’s all it was. He was angry that Ivy had been targeted. It had nothing to do with the raw, primal desire that burned through him, demanding that he learn her taste and every inch of her skin.

Once the women were gone, Christian walked around the desk. He sat in the chair and opened a lower drawer to pull out the journal their family had begun keeping from the very beginning. It was a large book that had been re-bound many times with new entries and pictures.

“If there’s an explanation, it’ll be in there,” Beau said as he came to stand next to Christian.

“I know. My worry is if there’s nothing.”

“Then that means Ivy is lying.”

Christian slammed his hand on the desk. “What if she’s not? Why do you have to be so goddamn quick to condemn her?”

“Why are you defending her so strongly?” Beau asked, his gaze narrowed.

Christian shook his head and went back to looking at the journal. “I already explained that.”

“Right. She’s an innocent. You believe her.”

“And you don’t,” Christian answered.
 

The back door opened as footsteps sounded through the house. Christian looked up as Lincoln and Ava slid to a stop in the foyer when they saw them in the office. A few steps behind the couple was Vincent.