Salvation (The Keepers of Hell Book 2) Read online

  “Down here?” Elizabeth squeaked. “As in Hell down here?” Ash nodded. “You took me to Hell?” Demon attack. Vampire. Angels. Hell. What was next?

  “Just my part of it,” he answered.

  His part, she thought. The love of my life has his own little part of Hell. It wasn’t like when people said it’s a little slice of heaven. No, this was hell. Who wanted their own little slice of Hell? Now that she remembered that she loved him and all they went through together, she couldn’t believe she had ever forgotten him in the first place. “Why didn’t I remember you before?” Elizabeth asked.

  Ash knew he was going to have to come clean about that eventually, but had hoped she wouldn’t ask. “That was my fault,” he told her. “I asked God to make us forget each other so you would be safe.”

  Elizabeth stood and put her hands on her hips. “Yeah, and how did that work out for ya?” she asked in a sarcastic tone. She hated to admit that his answer annoyed her quite a bit. She pursed her lips together and breathed deep to calm herself. She would not freak out. Not now.

  Ash smiled at her. “Not very well, I’m afraid. Can you ever forgive me?”

  Elizabeth started pacing. Sorting through this information overload. She had saved his life, and then he saved her. He had asked to forget her. Forget her! Which ended up with her being attacked by demons, only she didn’t know why, because she couldn’t remember that she was in love with Ash and he with her. She had been beaten. Tortured. Then, because of all that, she apparently gave consent to be changed into a vampire!

  She had known they lived out in the open, but there really weren’t many who didn’t mind if the world knew what they were. It wouldn’t have been her first choice. “Why didn’t you take me to a hospital?” she demanded. “They could have given me blood. They could have operated.”

  Antonio raised his hand. “There wasn’t time, Doc. You were dying faster than I could fly. You wouldn’t even stay conscious for more than a minute at a time.”

  “And just where the hell were you when I was changing into an immortal?” she demanded of Ash.

  He looked her right in the eyes. “I was finding and killing the ones who hurt you,” he said.

  Elizabeth pursed her lips and nodded slightly. “Well, that’s acceptable,” she said after considering it. He was the leader of Hell after all. He should bring down hellfire and damnation on those who commit wrongs.

  Ash laughed. “I should hope so,” he told her. “I will never let anything happen to you again.”

  Elizabeth didn’t know about all that, but she had no doubt that he would never ask to forget her again. “I can forgive you, but only because I love you. You did it because you love me. But that was damned stupid and you better not do it again!”

  Ash stood and took her into his arms. “I won’t,” he promised her. “I will never let you out of my sight again.”

  “So, am I really going to live forever?” she asked against his shoulder.

  “For a very long time,” he breathed.

  “I am pretty sure I was dreaming about a giant smurf with fangs,” Elizabeth said more to herself than anyone else.

  Antonio snorted.

  “What?” she asked him.

  “Nothing.” He turned away to hide his grin. His brother the smurf! Classic!

  Ash held Elizabeth closer to him and breathed in the scent of her hair. He had come too close to losing her. He had thought keeping her away would be safer for her, but now he knew that she needed him. He needed her. He was stronger with her and because of her. She was his other half, the part that had been missing for so long.

  “And this is where I bid you goodbye,” Antonio said, shaking out his wings.

  “Wait,” Elizabeth said. “I don’t know how to use these,” she pointed at her teeth.

  Antonio grinned at her. “Your body knows what to do and Ash isn’t gonna break. I have faith in you.”

  “Hey,” Ash said to Antonio. “I, uh, I… Well, I’m pretty glad I didn’t kill you after all,” he finally stammered out.

  “Yeah, I kinda like you too,” Antonio said with a grin. Then, he disappeared, leaving the couple alone in Ash’s bedroom.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Ash pulled Elizabeth tighter into the circle of his arms. “I have been so lost without you,” he admitted.

  “Never again,” she pledged. Ash nodded and lowered his head. He kissed her lips gently, exploring them with a tenderness he had no idea he possessed. He kissed her with promise. He put the emotions and things he couldn’t put into words into the kiss. He would never leave her, would love her always, and he would protect her. He told her with his lips how he felt for her deep down in his soul.

  She opened for him and he slid his tongue inside. He tasted her like a fine wine, savoring every nuance of her flavor. He had saved her, but she had saved him too. They were two parts of one whole and he knew that things were never going to be the same. They were going to be better. She had walked into his life and literally saved it, but it was so much more than that. She was more than his savior; she was his personal salvation. She was the reason he had been born. The reason he lived. The reason he breathed. And she would remain the reason for everything he did for the rest of his now very long life.

  He finally released her mouth, but kept his lips on her skin. Elizabeth let her head fall back as Ash peppered her jaw and neck with soft kisses. He licked and nipped at her skin and too soon, the sweet, gentle pace was becoming more urgent.

  Her nails dug into his back as he sucked at her collarbone, and Ash growled his approval. He explored every inch of her exposed skin, recommitting it to his memory. Her hands dug under his shirt, and when her skin touched the skin of his back, little jolts of electricity sparked over his skin. He broke from her only long enough to rip his shirt over his head.

  Her hands went immediately to the small scar that traveled down the center of his chest. She traced it with her fingertip, and then leaned in to kiss it softly. She kissed his chest and made her way up to his neck. She darted her tongue out and licked up the side of his throat. Ash could only hold her head to him, unwilling to stop her exploration.

  She pushed her head back against his hand and Ash looked down into her face. Her eyes were damn near glowing and her mouth was open as if she were in pain. Her fangs were longer now, fully extended, if he were to guess. “I…” she started, “I think…”

  “Do it,” Ash told her. She needed to feed. That’s what vampires did, right?

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” she said painfully.

  “You’re in pain,” he told her. “Do it. Take from me what you need.”

  “What if….” but Ash cut her off.

  “No what ifs. I will be the one you feed from now and always. Do it.”

  Elizabeth was terrified. She had no idea what she was doing, but the pain was excruciating. Her teeth ached and her stomach felt like it had collapsed on itself. Ash pulled her head gently to his throat. Her lips touched his skin and she could hear the pounding of his heart. It called to her, begged her to take from him. She opened her mouth wide and aimed for his carotid. Her teeth slipped into his skin like a knife through butter, and warm, delicious liquid filled her mouth. Ash’s body jerked slightly but then he remained still.

  She had thought drinking blood would be gross, but it wasn’t. From Ash, it was sweet like a dessert wine, thick and flavorful, and tasted like nothing she could ever hope to describe. As she swallowed, he held her tight to his throat and growled deep in his chest. She could feel his erection pressing into her stomach and that made her wrap her arms around him tighter. Her body was alive with passion, tingling everywhere, but especially in her core.

  Ash prepared himself for pain. He knew many people allowed vampires to drink from them, but still, she was going to put those tiny razors in his throat. But when she bit him… Dear God. He was unprepared for the sudden and complete onslaught of lust that filled his body. He wanted her to bite him and take from him. He
wanted it more than his next breath.

  Without disturbing her feeding, Ash picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He walked carefully until her back was against the wall, holding her butt in place while he ground his cock into her core. He could feel her heat through their clothes and it made him crazy. As he held her to his throat, every pull from her mouth made his cock jerk in his jeans. He held her there, feeding her and dry humping her like a boy.

  Then, she moaned around his neck–and that was his undoing.

  Ash threw his head back and roared as the biggest orgasm of his life crashed into him. He kept grinding his hips into her; he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t stop himself nor did he want to. This is what life was about. Being everything for his woman and the feeling was extraordinary.

  When she had taken her fill, Elizabeth pulled her teeth from Ash’s throat. She instinctively licked every last drop from his skin, and when she looked to see what kind of damage she had done, she was relieved to see there was none. His arms made a steel cage around her and when she looked up into his eyes, they were glowing red. She had only seen it once before and he was pissed then. She knew that the red of his eyes had nothing to do with being pissed off now though. His wings were slightly opened behind him, twitching and moving of their own accord. He rested his forehead on hers and said, “Damn, woman.”

  Elizabeth giggled. He loved the sound of her laughter. He was going to see to it that she did it more often. First, even though he had just come in his pants like a teenage boy with his first trip to second base, he was still as hard as stone. He carried her over to his bed and sat down with her legs still wrapped around him. He moved his hands from her backside up to her face and brought her lips back to his own.

  Moving his hands over her back and then up to the hem of her shirt by her neck, he grabbed the material and ripped it down the middle before pulling it off her arms. Then, he flipped their position so that he was on top of her, legs still around his hips and their mouths still fused together.

  Ash finally let her up for air only long enough to rip her panties off her body and toss them aside. He shucked his own pants and then crawled back over her. “Mine,” he growled into her ear before running his tongue over the shell. “Mine, mine, mine.”

  “Yes,” Elizabeth cried out when he bit the cord of her neck. “More!” So he did. He licked, nipped, and sucked at her neck. When she demanded that he suck harder, he obliged. He knew she was going to have one hell of a mark when it was said and done, but it would be his mark.

  He kissed down her chest to her breast, massaging them with his hands, and then took one pert nipple into his mouth. Her cry of pleasure spurred him on. He bit gently with his teeth and her back bowed off the bed. Her hips rose forcefully off the mattress, grinding against his stomach. He could feel her wetness as she bumped against him with her core.

  He paid homage to the other nipple as well. Then, he shifted his weight off her and to the side so that his hands could have free reign of her body. He traced her stomach and her hip, and then dipped his hand between her thighs. She was hot to the touch and soaking wet. Ash bent his head and sucked her nipple into his mouth again, this time while exploring her sex with his fingers.

  “Ash,” she moaned, “please. More.”

  He slipped two fingers inside her. She was a snug fit and he knew exactly what she needed from him. He flexed his fingers inside her in a come here motion, while sucking hard at her nipple. The heel of his palm kept pressure on her clit while she writhed under his attention.

  “Yes!” she cried out as her body began to shake. Her sex clamped down like a vise on his fingers, and Ash watched the beauty of his mate’s orgasm at his hand.

  He stroked her gently while she floated back to her body. “That was nice,” she said with a wicked smile.

  “Nice?” he asked, pretending to be taken aback. “I’ll show you nice.” He climbed over her and she locked her ankles behind his butt.

  “Better show me fast,” she suggested. “I forget easily.”

  “You are never forgetting anything about me again,” he promised as he positioned himself at her center. Then he pushed inside. He wanted to draw it out, but as before, he couldn’t. He pushed his hips forward, shoving his cock deeper and deeper inside her. She grabbed his ass and pulled him into her as well. Faster and faster he thrust, and when he could hold out no more, he reached between them, took her clit between his fingers, and squeezed.

  “Oh, fuck yes!” she screamed as she orgasmed again.

  Ash was pounding into her, grunting his mantra with every thrust. “Mine, mine, mine.” Then, he jumped off that cliff with her.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Ash sat at his desk with Elizabeth at his side. She was returning a few work emails and putting in for her vacation time. She had not disclosed her new vampire status yet. Even though she knew most of her coworkers wouldn’t mind the change, she feared some would. She thought some would even fear her, which was just silly in her book.

  He admired the dark lines that wrapped around the back of her neck, resembling angel wings. It was her mating mark. It appeared one morning after a long night of lovemaking, and an identical mark appeared on his neck as well. She was his, and he was hers.

  “How you holding up, Love?” he asked her, taking her hand.

  She turned and looked at him with a quirked brow. “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “You know, after everything? Are you ok?” he asked. His woman had been through a ton of shit, and even though she smiled at him a lot, he worried.

  She graced him with that lovely smile. “I’m good, I think,” she answered. “It’s been crazy, but as long as I have you, I’m ok. As long as we’re together, I can handle anything.”

  He loved that woman.

  He had already checked his own emails. Only one thing stood out to him, and that was a response to his reply to a satanic cult. Apparently, they didn’t care for his “Dear Pathetic Fucks,” response. He wasn’t concerned, though. He didn’t believe that the threats made in the email could actually be followed through on. Not without the help of someone actually in Hell, and Ash had made damn sure no one would dare stand against him for a long time.

  Antonio strolled into his office, unannounced as usual, and Ash actually met him with a smile. “So, I was thinking,” Antonio began talking, but Ash didn’t really hear what he was saying. That angel could talk! How many times did Ash consider killing him? Once? Twice? Six hundred and forty three? He was glad he didn’t now. If it hadn’t been for Antonio, he would never have gotten Elizabeth back. However, he could sure be a pain in the ass.

  Ash was grateful that God had put that little loophole in his request. Ash thought that being with him would put Elizabeth in danger, but being away from him had made it worse for her.

  She didn’t really talk about what she had been through, but she didn’t have to. Ash had seen it all in her head. He figured out that they could communicate with their minds, much like Antonio could with his mate. Still, he worried. He knew that Marcus had left scars on his woman that no one would ever see, but were there nonetheless. Scars he couldn’t heal. Pain he couldn’t conquer. He thanked God that she was so much stronger than he was. She was his strength. It took him a while to figure it out, but now that he knew it, he never planned to let her go.

  She was everything to him, and without her, he had nothing.

  Ash watched as Antonio paced his office, talking. He pushed his hair over his shoulder and Ash thought once again that the man needed a haircut. A slow smile spread across Ash’s lips. With a tiny flick of his wrist, he sent the smallest bit of his power in Antonio’s direction.

  Elizabeth snorted and then covered it with a cough.

  “You okay?” Antonio asked her.

  Elizabeth pressed her lips together hard and nodded. She wanted to laugh so badly, but she managed to hold it in.

  “What?” Antonio asked. He looked at Ash, who was wearing an identical expre
ssion. Their lips were closed tight, but their eyes were bright with unleashed laughter. “What is so damn funny?”

  Ash snickered and then cleared his throat. “Nothing, man, go on.”

  Antonio shook his head and kept talking. He paced until he walked in front of the mirror. Then, he stopped dead in his tracks. Backed up slowly. Studied his reflection. “What the fuck?” he shouted. He turned on his heel and glared at Ash. “Fix it now.”

  Ash burst out laughing. He couldn’t hold it anymore. Antonio, the big bad warrior angel, was standing in front of him with a bald head. But that wasn’t where it stopped. His wings were no longer the huge, white, majestic angel wings, but gossamer fairy wings that glittered with every color of the rainbow. They shimmered and flapped furiously behind him. The chain mail was gone, replaced with a pretty pink tutu.

  “I think it’s an improvement,” Ash choked out between laughs.

  Elizabeth couldn’t speak. She was leaning over sideways in her chair, laughing so hard that tears were running down her cheeks.

  “What the fuck did you do to me?” Antonio demanded, putting his hands on his hips. The image was so less menacing with the tutu.

  Elizabeth thought she was going to die. “I’m gonna pee my pants!” she wailed.

  Ash grabbed her and hugged her close while laughing his ass off. “That,” he said, pointing at Antonio, “is for all the shit you gave me.”

  Antonio glared at him.

  “What?” Ash wailed, “No snarky comeback? No crazy butt-dance?” he leaned back and drew in a deep, wheezing breath. “Big bad warrior has nothing to say?”

  Antonio was pissed. Almost. But being the prankster that he was, he could appreciate the merits of a good prank, and Ash had gotten him good. He kept his hands on his hips and leapt into the air like a dysfunctional swan. Then he bent at the knee for a little bow. He raised his head and grinned at Ash before joining them in their laughter.