The Death Skull: Relic Defender, Book 2 (13 page)

Heat rose from her chest into her cheeks then drained, leaving her cold. She watched him pull away and walk over to Bill, then bend to whisper into his ear. Bill threw back his head, laughed and stared right at Catherine. Any blood she had remaining in her face fell away. Her mother looked over, her eyes narrowed on Catherine.

That was enough. She could not take the humiliation any longer. With a soft sob, she bolted from behind the desk and fled for the exit.

As the door to her mother’s receiving room closed, she heard her mother say, “Sometimes I just don’t know what to do with that girl. If I hadn’t birthed her myself, I would never believe she was mine. Come, Mr. Slay, I’ll find you someone worthy of your attentions.”

Catherine cupped her hand over her mouth and ran upstairs to the sanctity of her room and library. The only places she felt completely safe and comfortable. At peace.

Using the pretense of a summoning by Lucifer, Asher left the cold mansion, left Beliel and the clinging human woman. Outside, in the heat of a Californian summer, Ash still felt the chill of the woman’s predatory nature and barely resisted a shudder. By the black waters of the river Styx, he’d thought Beliel cold. That woman nearly outdid the son of the devil.

As for the other…

Well, Ash regretted how he had behaved with the daughter, but that didn’t mean he’d change what he had done. He couldn’t. Not if he wanted to see his plans to fruition.

“When did you become such a coldhearted bastard, Asher? Or have you always been and I just couldn’t see it?”

As the warm-honey tone rolled over him, Asher closed his eyes.

“Kitty.” He opened his eyes and turned to face the ghost.

What did he say to the woman he helped murder? Every time he looked at her, his chest hurt in the region his heart would be, if he actually had one. When he’d chosen to fall with the rest of his brothers, he’d made another choice. And from that day, anything resembling a heart had turned to stone. It wasn’t until he saw her a few weeks ago he realized he could still feel something. Seeing her in her ghostly form, in Mikos’s home while she berated his friend for his treatment of the new Defender, the past had come flooding back.

Her smiling eyes with the little crinkles at the corners that deepened the harder she laughed and the rich brunette hair that fell over his chest like a silken waterfall as they made love rushed into his mind. And the tenderness and love in her gaze that washed over him each time she saw him. All that, he destroyed with one choice. A choice that even with what had come with it, he could not regret. He’d lost Kat, but others had been saved.

“Not coldhearted.” He sighed as he answered. “Realistic.”

“Realistic, my ass.” She placed her hands on her hips. Dark thunderclouds rolled behind her glare. He half expected lightning to strike him from the force of her displeasure. He’d always loved her anger. “You didn’t use to be such an insensitive jerk.”

His lips twisted. “Oh I was. You just didn’t see it.”

For a moment, uncertainty darkened her eyes further. His gaze wandered over her insubstantial form. Over the last few months, she’d gotten better at being able to keep herself more solid. Sometimes the edges blurred, especially when her emotions were high. As they were now.

She wore the same pair of jeans she’d had on the day she died, including some kind of blousy top with ruffled edges of pale yellow. He remembered thinking how striking the color was against her sun-kissed skin and richly hued hair.

“Maybe you’re right,” she said and dropped her gaze. Her tone had lost its sharp edge, now sounding sad. “Maybe I was in denial.” She looked up. “Or maybe you are as full of shit now as you were back then. Was there anything you ever said that was true? Or was it all a lie?”

He stiffened, feeling his face tighten at the blow. “Truth is a relative term, Kat. You should know that.”

Her eyes widened. “What do you mean by that?”

“If you think hard enough, you’ll figure it out.”

Kat sucked in a deep breath. Had he known? All this time, she’d thought her secret had been a secret even from him. Was still a secret. Her gaze probed his.
Did
he know? Or was he guessing? If he did, why had he waited until now to bring it up? If ghosts could sweat, she had a feeling she’d be dripping in moisture.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

A smile twisted his lips. Lips that she’d once touched. Tasted. Lips that had pressed against every surface of her body. “Keep your secrets, Kat. We all have them.” His gaze narrowed. “Why are you here?”

“I should ask you that question.” She lifted her chin. “I’ve been keeping an eye on Beliel.”

Lines formed between his brows. “That is dangerous, Kat. You may be a ghost but you can be harmed.”

“I know that. He doesn’t know I’m watching.”

“Are you sure about that?”

She opened her mouth to answer then snapped it shut. Her head tilted as she contemplated his warning. “You didn’t know I was around until I showed you myself.”

“True, but then I wasn’t looking for anyone. Beliel is not as trustworthy.”

Unable to resist, she snorted then said, “What would you know of trust?”

Did he just flinch? No, that was impossible. Lucifer’s Slayer didn’t feel hurt or shame.

“I know Beliel. He’s dangerous—much worse than Lucifer. He’s like a cobra. He’ll strike you when you least expect it.”

She shrugged. “I can take care of myself. And I’m a ghost. What more could he do? As you know, I’ve already been killed once.” She couldn’t have stopped the bitterness from leaking into her tone had she wanted to.

“There are worse things.” A shimmer settled over his body, signaling he was about to disappear. Just before he faded, he said, “I’ve missed you, Kitty Kat.”

Mouth open, she stared at the space Asher had occupied, his last words ringing in her ears and twisting around her heart. All her anger fled, swept away by the tender tone. If she’d been alive, she would have fallen to her knees. As it was, she lost her hold on her ability to keep her shape solid and drifted into a misty shadow.

Kat’s shoulders fell forward. She never should have followed Ash here. Had known it was a big mistake the minute she’d sensed his passing through Between with Beliel. Figuring she might be able to let Lexi and Mikos know what the bastard was up to, she’d stayed hidden, observing their interactions with the two women. Then she’d watched him with the younger woman—the daughter. Catherine. Her own name, but with a C.

Kat turned and looked at the window where the other woman rested. She’d seen the interest in Ash’s eyes as he’d talked with her. It had caused something to twist within her. When he hurt Catherine with his words, Kat felt them strike her as if he’d said them to her. Hurt her enough that she’d materialized, giving away her presence.

The curtains stirred and Kat flinched before she remembered the other woman couldn’t see her. Was she looking for Ash? She’d seen the same interest glinting in the woman’s icy-blue eyes when she’d been with him. Could Kat handle seeing him with another? For the first time since she’d accepted her death, she wished she was still human.

You’re a fool, Katherine Ferchaud. You want to be alive just so you can be with Ash again. After what he did to you, you still want him.

“Not foolish, Katherine. Hopeful.” Michael, Prince of Heavens and right hand of God, materialized as he spoke. “The wanting of another is not foolish.”

“Even for a demon?”

“Especially for a demon.”

Kat searched the Archangel’s serene expression looking for…something. She wasn’t sure what. Some sense that Ash could be redeemed? Hope? Or that she could find what she had with him?
Before he killed you.

The Archangel gave nothing away. Despite the fact he could read her mind, so would surely know what she was thinking, he said nothing to give her solace. She pressed her lips together and pulled her shoulders back.

“What is it to me if Ash can be redeemed?” The anger in her voice tightened her nerves but she couldn’t stop the words from spilling from her lips. She swept her hand down her wavering form. “I’m a ghost. I cannot touch anyone. Be with anyone. He would be better served to find redemption somewhere else.”

Even as she spoke, her gaze flicked to the window, her heart twitching as if denying what she’d said.

“Redemption is the Slayer’s choice. Should he want it, he will find it where, and with whom, he must.” Michael’s mouth turned down.

Her brows rose at his new expression. When he didn’t elaborate, she finished his unspoken words. “Even if it is not with me. Right?”

He smiled, the edges tainted with sadness. “Do not lose faith, Katherine. Sunlight can find the way through the thickest cloud cover and redemption can be found in the unlikeliest of places, and through the unlikeliest of souls.”

He touched her shoulder. Kat gasped, the warm, comforting caress sending a pang of loss through her along with the remembrance of what it felt like to be human. He smiled again, this time the curve of his lips was full and genuine. “Be strong.”

With that, he disappeared.

Kat stared at the spot he’d stood for what felt like hours but was, in likelihood, only a few minutes. She blinked then touched her fingertips to the corners of her eyes, as the moisture from her tears coated her skin. Since she’d become a ghost, she’d been unable to be touched by another—human or other. She’d given up hope she’d ever have comfort. Until Michael’s simple caress.

Her arm rose, almost of its own volition, her fingers clasping the spot as she tried to hold in the comfort of his contact. As the heat slowly faded, she wanted to call Michael back. To scream at him until he told her what was going on. Or to hold her until his embrace was imprinted on her flesh.

The door to the mansion opened and the woman, Lillian, came out followed by Beliel. Kat gasped again as his gaze fell upon her. Could he see her? Surely not. She’d been so good at hiding herself. While the other woman prattled in his ears, his gaze remained locked on where Kat stood. Then, to her horror, he smiled.

She shuddered at the malice in his blue gaze. Lost in herself, the woman didn’t notice the red gleaming in his eyes or the beginning hint of sharp teeth peeking from between his lips.

Beliel nodded at Kat. She sucked in a breath and completely lost her hold on her form. As she disappeared, he said, “I will see you again, lovely little spy.”

The promise in his words slithered up her spine. God in Heaven, she’d made a big mistake in following him.

Chapter Nine

“No, I will absolutely not.”

Mari placed her hands on her hips and glared at Jackson. At this moment, she’d have cheerfully watched the human burn to ash without blinking.

“Come on, darlin’. It’s not that big of a deal. Easy in, easy out. Wham, bam, thank you, ma’am.”

Despite his light tone, she caught the exasperation underneath the cheerfulness. They’d been arguing for the last ten minutes, ever since he showed her his plan to get them into the Iraqi’s compound with no notice or record of their arrival.

Once they’d apported into Iraq, Jackson had first sent a man he knew from his contacts to the warlord to see if he could get him to sell the skull. The warlord refused, but hadn’t left it at a simple refusal. He’d cut off Jackson’s contact’s head and placed it outside as a warning. It was only when Mari and Jackson spoke to a worker from the compound that they’d learned a beautiful American soap-opera star had convinced the warlord to let her visit and that she wanted the skull too.

That had to be Beliel’s work. As she’d learned when she tried to apport inside, the compound had some kind of unbreakable protection over the warlord’s place. She could do nothing.

Which meant she had to go in with Jackson as the humans did. As Jackson would say, it chapped her hide that she was being forced to again obey Michael about this issue. This is why she was staring at a tiny helicopter with thin blades and a glass-like bubble for passengers.

“Where’s the badass that stares down a horde of fire-tossing demons without blinking?”

“She’s not getting on that damn crate with wings, is where she is,” Mari snarled.

“It’s the only way in.”

“Why can’t we take a vehicle?”

“They expect infiltration from the ground. He won’t expect it from the air.”

She frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. How do we get from the air into the compound? Land?”

Jackson dropped his gaze, his cheeks pinking. His body language screamed he was hiding something from her. Or reluctant to give her news she wouldn’t like.

“Human, what are you not telling me?”

“Well, I wasn’t fixin’ on landing the bird.”

“Of course, you have to land it. How else are we to…” Her words trailed off and she stared hard at him. “Jackson, please tell me you were not planning on waiting until you got me into the air before telling me I’d have to jump out of the helicopter?”

“Well, when you put it that way,” he drawled, then his gaze swung up to meet hers. “Yes. That’s exactly what I was plannin’.”

She jerked her head back. Her fingers twitched with the need to set something on fire and her gaze narrowed on the infuriating human standing before her.