Damn. “Exactly what I said. Truth be known, I brought her here fully intending to take her back.” Madeleine turned an incredulous look on him, but he ignored it.
Metos’s yellow gaze dropped to Madeleine. “Then what is she doing here now?”
This hadn’t really gone in the direction Ash had planned.
“I’m here because I want to be,” Madeleine said quietly. Ash closed his eyes, biting down on a curse. He tightened his grip on her in warning, though it wouldn’t do any good. “I’m here because I love him.”
Every demon in the room recoiled. Even the earth itself seemed to react, trembling under their feet, just as the first time she’d said it outside the keep.
“No.” Metos was shaking head, quivering in outrage. His gaze whipped back to Ash, quick like the flickers of flame around them. “What have you done? You
fool
.”
Thou shalt purge the abomination, banish the afflicted, for it is an offense Hell cannot deign to hold.
Suddenly, the words Ash had read in Metos’s study, which had puzzled him at the time, leaped into his head and rocked him to the core. They made perfect sense now. Here, an abomination Hell couldn’t hold was the opposite of everything it stood for. It was…love.
And Metos had been studying the rule. It had even been wedged into Madeleine’s book.
What had he done, indeed?
“You threaten our very foundations bringing her here like this! Is that what you want, Ashemnon?”
“I only want her. However I can have her.”
“I knew of
your
idiotic infatuation, but Hell cannot suffer a soul capable of loving the unlovable.”
“I’m here by my own agreement. Even my own wishes,” Madeleine said.
Metos ignored her. “I should kill you for this,” he snarled at Ash.
“You’re always saying you should kill me for one reason or another,” Ash said. “Isn’t it about time you quit talking and got on with it?”
Metos glowered a moment longer and then lifted his arm. Ash considered the fact he should have kept his mouth shut. In his master’s hand, a flaming orange sword formed, glowing bright and deadly and making the room seem even darker. Madeleine pushed against his side, but he nudged her away, assuming his own battle stance and facing his once-friend and superior.
“So we’ve let it come to this?” Ash asked, pulling his own fiery weapon of choice from the superheated atmosphere: an executioner’s axe. It felt good in his hand, heavy and lethal. He hefted it in both hands, preparing to block Metos’s first blows with the sturdy handle.
“
You’ve
let it come to this,” Metos said as they slowly circled each other. “I wish I had time to do the job properly, to make you suffer…but I grow weary of your games. I’ll kill you quick, and she’ll become excellent entertainment for my hall.”
“You’ll die for those words alone.”
“And once I’m dead? Look around you. You haven’t the strength to fight every demon in this room, minion. If I fall, there will be many to replace me.”
“As if I expect them to stand idly even before I kill you. No, you wouldn’t have honor enough to fight fairly.”
“Have you forgotten where you are?” With that, Metos rushed. Their weapons clashed, sparks flying as they traded one blow after another. They were well matched, a little too well. Madeleine shrieked and gasped from the side of their battle, more distracting than anything else. He could only hope none of the others grabbed her, or he would absolutely lose his mind. And most likely this fight.
Metos lunged straight for Ash’s chest with the tip of his blade. Ash parried, swinging low as he did so and sweeping Metos’s legs from under him. The other demon fell hard, immediately rolling away as Ash brought down his axe. The blow glanced harmlessly off the floor. Dammit, he wasn’t going to defeat anyone if he couldn’t do better than that. He leaped to avoid Metos’s answering sword thrust, and the other demon took the opportunity to kick him in the knee as he came down. He went to the floor, ignoring the agony and attacking his master with his bare hands.
They rolled, snarling and slashing, tearing bloody strips from each other’s flesh. It was no use; hand to hand, Metos was far stronger. But when Ash heard Madeleine yelp and saw that one of the others had his filthy claws on her, he found the strength to get his legs under Metos’s body and shove upward with all his might. Metos flew off him, falling to the side and rolling. Ash leaped up and rushed at the demon pawing at Madeleine. He threw her down with a growl and braced himself for the attack. Ash slammed into him, taking them both to the ground.
Madeleine screamed his name. The ground rumbled beneath them, the tremor far stronger than the two before it had been.
Metos was right; Ash couldn’t take them all. Despair settled on him as heavily as the weakness beginning to lap at his limbs. Fury was a mighty motivator, but it would take one only so far. Before long, he would begin to burn out, and now Metos was getting a breather. It would go that way until Ash was exhausted.
It didn’t matter. He would fight until he couldn’t move anymore, but maybe it was time to switch strategies and employ the best weapon he’d always had: his mouth.
Struggling his way out from under the other demon, he scrambled to his feet and gave him a hard kick for good measure. Metos was advancing on him again. Ash sidestepped him and walked backward, forcing his master to stalk him.
“Did you feel that?” Ash asked. “Every time she opens her mouth, she brings potential catastrophe. Because of her love for me.”
“I’m going to test a theory. It’s only when you’re together that you’re a danger to us here. Without you to direct her pathetic love
to
, she won’t be a problem.”
“But what if she is? What if you’re wrong? What if by killing me, you’ll unleash such anguish in her that she—one seemingly inconsequential soul—will bring all of Hell to its knees?” He grinned. He was sure it was a bloody one. “She certainly brought me to mine, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.”
“You’re useless.”
“Am I? Shall I ask her right now to tell me she loves me again? And again and again? What will be left of your precious hall then? I’ll tell you. A pile of rubble.”
“You aren’t going to make me honestly think she can—”
“But you don’t know. Do you? I saw the little rule in your study. I didn’t know what it meant at the time. You’re to ‘purge’ us. Why is that, Metos? If we weren’t such a threat, why couldn’t we stay? It’s as you said…we’re a catastrophe waiting to happen. You know it.”
Metos stopped advancing on him. His flaming sword dissipated as if it had never been. For a long moment, he stared at Ash, who didn’t dare to relax for fear of some unforeseen attack. Finally, Metos opened his mouth, pausing for a moment before speaking as if choosing his words carefully. “You…are not even worthy of death.”
“There’s a new one.”
“Get out of my sight. Ashemnon, you are banished forthwith from the kingdom of the Dark Lord. Go live with your concubine and see how well her world accepts you.” He gave a dismissive wave of his hand and turned his back, trudging back to his throne. “See how long before you’re begging me to come back home.”
Ash was afraid to move, afraid to hope. From her place on the floor where she’d landed, Madeleine turned round eyes on him, aghast. He must not have been hearing things, then—she’d heard it too. “We can go?” she mouthed to him.
“Go!” Metos all but roared. “Remove her before she destroys us all!”
He didn’t have to say it again. Ash grabbed Madeleine’s hand, yanked her up and got her the hell out of there, hiding a grin the whole way. His little angel, whether she wanted to be or not.
It felt good, so good, to be normal again. She’d said she would stay there with Ash, and she’d meant it…but damn, she was glad she didn’t have to. Waking up here had been like resurfacing from one of her nightmares, so profoundly glad to be awake and alive it was almost painful.
Riam looked as eager as a kid on Christmas as she opened her eyes, and Ash hung his head in relief. His very
human
-looking head, thank goodness. Both of them held her hands, and Ash’s other hand was on her chest. Bringing her back to life, again.
“Well?” Riam asked.
“Apparently, I nearly destroyed Hell,” Madeleine told him.
Ash laughed and Riam rolled his eyes heavenward. “Dear God, if only we could be so lucky.”
“I was banished,” Ash said. “All around, it was a most productive trip.”
“Banished? Interesting. Hell doesn’t want you and Heaven won’t have you. What will you do?”
“Stay here, I suppose.” He looked down into Madeleine’s eyes. She saw the weariness in his and thought maybe she’d like to add to it, but in a far more pleasurable way than they had just experienced. Later. For now, she smiled and squeezed his hand. “Be loved, surely,” he finished.
“That much is for certain,” she said.
“You know,” Riam said, looking thoughtful, “Celeste can help you get everything you need to exist among the mortals. If you’re truly no longer one of Hell’s minions, I don’t see what harm it will do for us to assist you.”
“Really?” Madeleine asked. She struggled to sit up, but the two of them had to help her. Even so, overall she felt much better than she had the last time Ash had brought her back. “We need to figure this out. You’re banished, but you’re not human. You’re still immortal…right?”
“It would appear so,” Ash said. “I still had the ability to bring you back, so I haven’t been stripped of my power or anything.”
“Am I really going to have to get old and gray while you still look like…
this
? Not that I’m complaining,” she amended quickly when Ash turned an incredulous look toward her. “It’ll just…cause problems, you know?”
“Not when I can appear any age I want.” He grinned at her. “I just prefer this one. But if you need me to look like a wrinkled old man someday, I can do that. For you.”
“Thanks…I guess.” She giggled, until another thought cast a shadow across her jubilation. “But what about…after I’m gone?”
“Well, let’s not dwell on that now,” Riam said with determined optimism. “Go and have a long and happy life together—it’s more than most people get. We’ll figure that out when the time comes. I’ll still be around, of course.” He gave Madeleine a wink, the gesture so out of place on him that she lifted a brow at him.
A long and happy life. She liked the sound of that. It sounded much better than a dark and miserable eternity.
Epilogue
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Ash asked.
“No. But it’s something I need to do. Thanks for coming with me.” She knocked for the third time on the door they were standing in front of. Maybe he wasn’t home. Maybe he didn’t answer the door for strangers. Maybe they’d come all this way for nothing.
“Of course. He’s not going to be happy to see me, though.” Ash turned and faced the quiet street behind them, muttering to himself. “Probably have a heart attack.”
Maybe he didn’t open the door for demons who’d enticed him to trade his daughter’s soul almost thirty years ago. Yeah, that could be it.
“Well, for that matter, he might not be happy to see
me
.”
“I can go sit in the car, if you think it would help.”
“No.” She reached over and took his gloved hand with her own. It was brutally cold out and snow dusted the carefully tended yards and their tacky Christmas embellishments. Her dad’s yard boasted Santa waving from his sleigh, while the simple but cute frame house was liberally draped with twinkling colored lights. “I want you here.”
Ash looked over at her and smiled. She took a moment, as she often did, to appreciate how beautiful he was, his dark hair glistening with tiny ice crystals. The past couple of years with him had been the happiest of her entire life, and that happiness didn’t appear to be letting up anytime soon.
This was a crazy scheme if ever there was one. But if what Ash said was true, and her father had turned his life around after making the deal with him all those years ago, then he must carry tremendous guilt. Ash had described what kind of person he’d been. He also knew what kind of person he’d become—one who’d kicked the drugs, helped out in his community, and counseled runaways and other troubled youth. Even Riam had been a source of information. Heaven had been keeping its watchful eye on Maxwell Gatlin. But something else Riam had told her was that her dad was sick now and wasn’t long for this world.
Yes, it was a terrible thing he’d done. But she wanted to give him what peace she could before he left. She wanted him to know she was okay, that he’d inadvertently done her a wonderful favor.
Of course, it had to be jarring, knowing a family member was happily in love with a creature of darkness. If you cared at all, anyway.
It was another thing she had to consider, that he wouldn’t give a rat’s ass if she was dead or alive or burning in Hell by now. She simply couldn’t bring herself to believe he’d feel that way, however.
Fueled by urgency at the thought, she pounded on the door again, harder than she had before. She had to know. She didn’t know why it was so important, but it was. It kept her up at night, talking to Ash deep into the wee hours. He was the one who’d told her maybe it would be good for her to face him. She’d always entertained the thought, but it hadn’t seemed plausible, or something she would
really
consider doing, until he suggested it.
Suddenly, the door swung open while she was mid-knock. Maddie froze, lowering her arm. Ash turned around. An older woman with tidy graying hair stood framed by the doorway, head cocked to the side as she appraised them with shrewd eyes. “Yes?”
“Um, hello,” Maddie said. “Does Maxwell Gatlin live here?”
“He does. May I say who’s calling?”
“My name is Madeleine Dean. He may not know me, but…” She took a deep breath. “I’m his daughter.”
The woman looked her up and down, pulling her green cardigan closer against the cold rushing into the house. Madeleine wanted to huddle closer to the heat pouring out. “You’re Madeleine?”
“You…know my name?”
“Honey, he’s talked about having a daughter named Madeleine for as long as I’ve known him—that would be twenty-five years, now. But he never knew your last name, or how to reach you at all. I always wondered if you really existed.”