Wild Flame (5 page)

“I’m going to help you with this problem,” he said.

Ivy turned her head, a slight smile pulling at her lips. “I believe you’re going to try. I did my own research this morning on Hell Hounds. There is no helping me.”

The sunlight bathed her in a red-orange light that turned her hair auburn. For an instant, she looked otherworldly, as if she didn’t belong on Earth.

Then she ducked her head before returning her gaze to the bayou. The sun continued its ascent, and the moment was lost.

But Christian would forever hold the memory.

He swallowed and remembered why he was out there with her. “Demons aren’t just vicious and cruel. They’re also cunning and crafty. They’re calculating, and if they see an opportunity, they’ll do whatever they need to in order to get what they want.”

“You think I was tricked?”

“It’s a possibility. I need details, Ivy.”

“About my life?”

He couldn’t take his eyes from her. Christian leaned a shoulder against one of the porch’s columns and crossed his arms over his chest. “Yes.”

“There’s not much to tell.” She faced him then. “My father and brother died in an accident out in the bayou when I was three. It was just my mother and me until last year. She had a heart attack.”

“I’m sorry.” Life certainly hadn’t been kind to her, but then again, fate had a way of knowing who could handle such things. Ivy was a strong person. It was evident in everything about her.

Ivy shrugged. “It happens.”

“Yes, it does. My parents were killed when I was just a boy. They died on the same night.”

Their eyes locked. Her gaze wasn’t filled with pity. It was filled with understanding, as only someone who had experienced such things could have.

“It’s been just us five for a long time,” Christian continued.

“At least y’all had each other.”

“Yeah. My brothers are a pain in the ass, but I wouldn’t have survived that night without them. We needed to be strong for Riley, too. She was so young. She didn’t really comprehend it all at first.”

“She’s very lucky to have you.”

Christian wasn’t so sure his sister felt that way, not after the latest fiasco. How could they have been so wrapped up in things that they hadn’t realized she had graduated from the University of Texas?
 

“She came home recently. We had just defeated Delphine for a second time, and we never wanted Riley involved with the family business.” Christian ran a hand down his face. What was it about Ivy that made him want to spill his guts? “We didn’t exactly give her a warm welcome. In fact, I’m pretty sure Vin told her to return to Austin immediately.”

Ivy’s forehead furrowed. “Is that where she’s at?”

“We don’t know where she is anymore. She called and told us she was fine, but she’s still angry.”

“As she should be. What were y’all thinking?” Ivy admonished. “You’re her family.”

If Christian didn’t think he could feel any lower, all he had to do was hear Ivy use that disappointed voice and he was proven wrong. “She won’t answer my calls.”

“Give her time. She’ll come around.”

“Delphine is dangerous, Ivy. We have each other here, but we don’t know where Riley is. If she’s alone, she could be targeted.”

Ivy raised her brows. “Then you better start leaving some heartfelt messages to get her to call you back.”

“Probably.” His mind was already past Riley and centered squarely on Ivy. “You’ve been alone for a year?”

She nodded, her gaze lowering to the porch for a moment. “I have. There are times it’s bad, but the days are getting better. I work from home as a medical transcriptionist, so I can make my own schedule.”

“Interesting.”

She laughed, her eyes twinkling. “Now you’re making fun of me.”

“Never,” he vowed, his smile growing.

Silence stretched as they stared at each other again. Christian was thankful he was so far away from her on the porch because if he had been closer, he would’ve kissed her.

“So, no one new in your life?” he asked after he cleared his throat.

She looked pointedly at him. “Just you and your family. Before that, no one.”

“You’re not seeing someone?” It was a valid question, though he wanted to know the answer for himself, not for the investigation.

“No.”

One simple word, but with it, Christian wanted to rejoice. Then he reminded himself that he didn’t care. He didn’t want a relationship.

Of any kind.

“Do you want to know my favorite color, as well?” she asked with a grin.

Christian laughed as he dropped his arms and pushed away from the column. “I’m sorry I’m prying into your life.”

“It’s all right. I’ll tell you anything you want to know. I don’t want to die.”

That wiped his smile away instantly. He didn’t want her to die either. “Did anything significant happen ten years ago?”

“That’s right. The ten-year deal thing.” Her face scrunched up as she considered his words. “I left the hospital for the last time and got better.”

Christian knew of her illness, but hearing her say it was like a punch in the gut. “You were sick?”

“Yes, but no one could diagnose what was wrong with me. I was sick for years. In and out of the hospital all the time. I missed so much school that my mother decided to homeschool me.”

“You look healthy.”

She glanced down at herself. “Now. Back then, I could barely lift my hand from the bed. My mother had to feed me. My mind worked great, but my body...well, didn’t. No one could get near me because a simple cold could kill me.”

“My God.” Christian didn’t know what else to say.
 

Ivy tucked a curl behind her ear and put her hands in the back pockets of her jeans as she glanced at the bayou once more. “All the poking and prodding by the doctors, and the numerous medications I was on eventually worked. Though I fear that whatever it was will return one day.”

To be miraculously healed like that wasn’t something that happened often. Usually, it meant that magic or a demon was involved.

“Did anyone visit you in the hospital and ask what you would do if you weren’t sick anymore?”
 

Ivy’s head cocked to the side. “I thought of that last night, but besides my doctors and the nurses, my mother was the only one who visited.”

“The demon could’ve been a nurse or doctor.”

She was shaking her head before he finished. “None of them ever asked me such a thing.”

“Then I’m out of ideas,” Christian said in frustration.
 

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he thought of her mother. She would have wanted Ivy to get better more than anything. The same thought must have crossed Ivy’s mind because her face crumpled.

“Ivy,” he said and took a step toward her.

She raised a hand to stop him and stepped back. “My mother was devout in her beliefs. She wouldn’t have traded my soul in such a way.”

“She couldn’t.” Christian rubbed the back of his neck, feeling like the biggest ass for having to say his next words. “Ivy, the only soul a person can bargain with is their own.”

“You think she sold her soul?”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“Then why are the Hell Hounds after me?”

It was a good question. “Your mother died last year, right?”

“In her sleep. The autopsy showed it was a heart attack.”

“If that’s the case, then the Hell Hounds should be satisfied. They got their soul, even if they didn’t have to come to get it.”

Ivy gave a little shake of her head. “That still doesn’t explain why the Hounds are after me.”

“It’s time we found out.”
 

Christian strode back into the house with Ivy on his heels. They walked into the office. He went to the desk and sat, once more pulling out the journal.

He glanced up and pointed to one of the laptops sitting on the coffee table. “Do you mind looking up your scenario?”

“Not at all.” Ivy sat, pulling the laptop to her and opening it.

Christian thumbed through the journal until he came to the part about the Hell Hounds while he heard Ivy punching the keyboard.
 

“What’s going on?” Vincent asked as he walked in.

Christian didn’t look up from his perusal of the passages. “We think Ivy’s mom might have made the deal, but she died last year of a heart attack.”

“That shouldn’t matter then,” Vin said. “The Hounds got their soul.”

“Exactly.” Christian glanced up at his eldest brother. “Then why are they after Ivy?”

Vincent let out a whistle that sounded throughout the house. In a matter of moments, everyone would be in the room.

Vin walked to the bookshelf and drew out two books. “Looks like we need to alter our research.”

Christian slid his gaze to Ivy to find her watching him. He gave her a nod, and her answering grin did funny things to his insides.

He decided to chalk it up to the four waffles he’d eaten.

CHAPTER SIX

Ivy was about ready to call it a day after eight hours of research when Beau let out an expletive.
 

“What?” Christian asked.

She still couldn’t believe how hard he was working to help her. Yet, she couldn’t figure out why. He didn’t know her. Sure, his family helped the innocent, but for him to go to such extremes just seemed...odd.

At least, she had never encountered anyone who would do such a thing. Granted, her experience with people was limited, but she’d watched enough TV to know it was unusual.

Beau’s gaze landed on her. Ivy straightened, wondering what she had done.

“I found something,” Beau said as he rose from his chair and walked to her. He handed her the book, his finger next to the third paragraph on the page. “Read that out loud, please.”

Ivy took the book as she set the laptop next to her. She took a deep breath and started reading. “Hell Hounds, by all accounts, are simply animals doing the bidding of the Demon of Souls. They’re not just beasts, however. Special care should be taken when trying to dodge them.”

She paused, not liking what she was reading so far. “Once a person makes a deal with one of the many Crossroads demons and sells their soul, it’s owned by the Demon of Souls.”

“We know all of this,” Lincoln said.

Beau motioned for Ivy to keep going. “Finish the passage.”

Ivy shrugged and returned her gaze to the book. “A soul can’t be bought back. Once sold, it is lost forever. A person normally has ten years before the Hell Hounds are sent to retrieve their soul – and take the person to Hell. For the few who trade their souls to help another, the same rules apply.”

She stopped reading because the implication that her mother had sold her soul to help her made her chest feel as if it were caving in from the weight of it all.

Suddenly, Christian was sitting beside her. He met her gaze briefly before he leaned over and finished for her. “There is one known instance where a person who sold their soul to help another died before their ten years came due. The Hell Hounds were then sent to the one who was saved to retrieve their soul.
 

“After a lengthy investigation, it was discovered the original deal-maker killed themselves to prevent having to face the Hell Hounds.”

Ivy shoved the book off her and stood. She paced before the fireplace. “No. My mother didn’t kill herself. There was an autopsy. They would’ve found it.”

“No one said your mother committed suicide,” Christian said.

But everyone was thinking it. Including Ivy. She stopped and tried to draw in a calming breath. “What this tells me is that despite not having made the deal, the Hell Hounds are still coming for my soul.”

“Actually, no,” Christian said as he finished reading something in the book. “They can’t.”

Beau nodded. “He’s right. You didn’t sell your soul.”

“Then why come after me?” Ivy was getting more confused by the minute.

Christian set the open book on the coffee table before him. “They’ll kill you, taking you to Hell to show the person who did sell their soul.”

“Oh. Well, that makes everything better then,” she said sarcastically. Ivy put her hand on her forehead. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”

Ava rose and came to stand beside her. “It’s very much called for.”

Ivy was dipping back into feeling sorry for herself like she had done as a kid in the hospital. Things were out of her control then, and it was happening all over again.
 

“I think that’s enough research for the night,” Lincoln said as he closed the book he’d been reading. He replaced it on the bookshelf and clicked on the CD player.

Music came over the speakers. Ivy recognized a song by Hozier as one she really liked. As if it were some sort of cue, everyone put away his or her books and computers.

Ivy could only stare in confusion as the three couples came together. Lincoln and Ava began to slow dance next to her while Olivia sat on Vincent’s lap behind the desk and began kissing him. Beau was smiling as Davena danced to him. His arms snaked out and caught her, pulling her against him as they began to kiss, as well.