The Demon Trappers: Foretold (35 page)

‘I don’t want to go home tonight,’ she said, her voice quavering. ‘I want to stay here . . . with you.’

Beck tipped her chin up. ‘You mean . . . you want us to . . . ’

‘Yes. I’m so scared, Den. The only place I feel safe is with you.’

Their foreheads touched. ‘Same with me,’ he murmured. ‘But if we . . . It would change everythin’ between us. There would be no goin’ back.’

She leaned away until she could see his eyes again. ‘I don’t ever want to go back to the way it was. I love you.’
I trust you.

He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, his gaze remarkably tender. ‘I want nothin’ more than to scoop you up in my arms, and carry you to my bed.’

‘And then . . .’ she whispered, her heart beating faster now. What would it be like to feel his skin against hers?

‘Then I’d show you what it means to be loved by a Southern boy.’ His face filled with a sultry grin. ‘It wouldn’t be quick. No, it’d probably take all
night.’

For a second, Riley forgot how to breathe.

‘So if yer sayin’ that’s what you want—’ he began.

She cut off his final words with a kiss, one nearly as possessive and needy as the one she’d given him at the bus station. He wrapped his arms round her and pulled her tight against him.
Riley could feel his pulse quicken. When they broke apart, his eyes shone with unbridled desire.

Beck swept her up in his arms. When she protested she could walk to the bedroom, he refused to put her down.

‘Why do you think I lift weights?’ he laughed, carrying her down the hall.

He laid her on the bed, then stood to strip off his shirt. His muscles moved in unison as the garment hit the floor, revealing a patchwork of healing bug bites. Then he remembered his boots and
parked himself on the edge of the bed to unlace them, grumbling under his breath at the delay.

‘I thought you had a lot of practice at this,’ Riley jested, trying to cope with her sudden case of nerves.

‘I do. Just not with you.’ The boots landed on the floor with pronounced thumps as she toed off her tennis shoes.

Beck rolled over on the bed, caging her in his arms. The first kiss was hesitant. The second grew more bold and uninhibited. When she didn’t respond as he’d expected, he pulled back.
‘What’s wrong?’

Lost in the heady rush of emotions, Riley had forgotten something important.

‘Ah, we can’t do this. I don’t have any . . . ah, protection.’

‘Already taken care of,’ he replied. ‘There’s box of rubbers in the nightstand.’

She frowned up at him. ‘I thought you didn’t bring girls here.’

‘I never have, until tonight.’ He gave her his best bad boy smile. ‘I always knew you’d come after me eventually.’

‘You arrogant little—’ His kiss cut her off.

Beck wasn’t feeling arrogant. He was way nervous. He’d been with a lot of women, but none of them was Riley. It wasn’t that she didn’t know about the
loving, what happened between a guy and a gal, but this was her first time with him and he wanted nothing less than to erase her memory of that night with the angel. He wanted Riley to be his,
alone.

As she ran her hand though his hair, he leaned close, inhaling the scent of her light perfume. This was his woman, the one who possessed a heart of steel. She loved him unconditionally.

He began with light kisses on her forehead and cheeks, savouring the ability to touch her so freely. He’d wanted to for so long, often sneaking glances at her when she wasn’t
watching, thinking of what it would be like. This would be more than a meeting of the flesh; they were forging together their very souls.

When the last pieces of clothing were removed, Riley’s nerves flared to life. Beck had been with so many girls. What would he think of her? Would he find her too fat or
too thin or . . .

As if he knew her worries, Beck placed a delicate kiss in the centre of her forehead. ‘You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,’ he said.

‘Really?’

‘Without a doubt,’ he replied.

At his urging, she shyly began to explore his body, running her hands down his back, encountering the scars his life had left behind. Her guy wasn’t perfect, not like the angel, but each
wound told the story of his journey to her and that made her love him even more.

In return, he seemed to know exactly where to touch her, as if they’d been lovers before. Kiss by kiss, caress by caress, he stoked the fire within her. She had never felt so true to
herself as in this moment. This was the man she’d been searching for all her life, and she’d found him.

As Beck leaned over to the nightstand, Riley closed her eyes. No matter what befell them after this night, they’d always be together, their hearts as entwined as their bodies soon would
be.

When he turned back towards her, he kissed her deeply. ‘Don’t ever doubt that I love you,’ he said, cupping her chin in his strong hands. ‘That will never
change.’

Beck’s taut body covered hers, alive and vital, charged with desire.

And then they became one.

Riley lay with her head against Beck’s bare chest, listening to his heart. Their joining had been full of joyous discovery, heady and passionate, the way it was supposed
to be between lovers.

A few of his chest hairs tickled her nose, so she smoothed them down with a hand. That earned her a pleased hum from Beck.

‘You’ll stay all night, right?’ he asked.

Riley nodded, snuggling closer to him. Nothing in this world was going to pull her away, except maybe the angel. That possibility she didn’t want to consider.

If she wasn’t moving from Beck’s bed, she’d better call Stewart. When she said as much, Beck pulled on a pair of sweatpants and headed down the hall. A short time later he
returned with her phone. As she dialled, he retreated to the bathroom.

Coward.
Not that the Scotsman would be upset by this change in their relationship, but still . . .

‘Master Stewart. Atlanta Guild,’ the master’s tired voice announced.

There was no point in shading the truth as he’d see right through any white lie. ‘Hi, ah, it’s Riley. I don’t want you to worry about me, but I’m staying at
Beck’s tonight.’

‘Lots of homework, huh?’ he said mischievously.

‘Ah, yeah.’

He chuckled into the phone. ‘I’ll not be worried if yer with him. Just be adult about it and take the proper precautions. Ya don’t need a wee bairn this soon.’

Riley’s cheeks burned in embarrassment. ‘Got it.’

‘Good night ta ya, then.’

As she set the phone on the nightstand, Beck returned, settling on the edge of the bed. When Riley relayed the public service message, trying hard to imitate the Scotsman’s broad accent,
he laughed at her pitiful attempt.

‘I didn’t think Stewart would be upset. He knew we were in love a lot sooner that we did.’

In Beck’s hand was a flat white box of about two inches square. When she gave him a quizzical look, he opened it, removed something, and then set the box aside. Resting in his palm was a
silver band, interlaced with ivy leaves.

Riley’s breath caught.

Beck shifted the ring to between his thumb and index finger, admiring it.

‘It’s too soon to ask you . . . to . . . ah . . .’ He groaned and shook his head. ‘I’m not doin’ this right.’ The hand holding the ring was trembling
now. ‘This is my grandmamma’s wedding ring. She and my granddaddy were married for over forty-five years.’

‘That’s a long time, Den.’

‘Yeah, and they never stopped lovin’ each other. I miss them so much.’ Beck took a slow, deep breath. ‘A few days before my gran passed over, she gave this ring to me.
She said that the ivy means faithfulness, and that when I found the right woman I should give it to her. I want you to know that this isn’t a one-night thing for me. I’m in this for the
long haul.’

‘Same here,’ she murmured.

He reached for Riley’s right hand and then hesitated as if there was one last hurdle to overcome. He took a very deep breath and let it out slowly. ‘Will you wear my ring so all the
world knows yer mine?’

Beck wasn’t asking for her hand in marriage, but it was so close he might as well be. Riley was deeply touched; she struggled to find the right words.

‘Yes,’ she began. ‘I’d be proud to.’

With a pleased smile, Beck slid the circlet on to her right ring finger. It fitted pretty well. The band wasn’t shiny and new, but that didn’t trouble her. This symbol of love had
endured for over four decades. That Beck would want her to have it revealed the depth of his commitment.

‘Looks good on you,’ he said, smiling wider now. ‘I know it’s not fancy, but maybe someday you’ll do me the honour of . . . well, movin’ it to the other
hand.’

Yet again, he’d captured her heart.

‘That could happen,’ she said, touching his face fondly.

He grasped her hand. ‘I’ve never given this ring to any other girl before.’

Wow.
‘You’ve blown me away, Den.’

‘That was the whole idea.’ He gently laid her back on the bed, threading his fingers in hers. ‘I don’t know how long we have together, but I want to make every day
count.’

Tears bloomed. ‘You’re an awesome man, you know?’

‘Only when I’m with you.’

To Beck’s profound relief, the angel had not summoned Riley during their first evening together. He knew that respite wouldn’t last and he wasn’t sure how to
handle the problem. Actually, he did. He wanted to tear the angel’s wings off and bury his steel pipe deep in Ori’s chest. Despite that desire, he had to know what was really going
on.

When Riley came to his house the next night, he invited her to his bed, then laid down the law.

‘I’ll watch over you tonight,’ he said firmly. ‘I won’t let him take you from me.’

‘You won’t be able to stop him.’

‘Then I’ll go with you. Fight by yer side. I am not gonna let him get you killed.’

They’d said no more after that, knowing they were wasting their breath. Everything felt more urgent now, as if every hour might be their last. After they made love, they rested. Then Riley
dressed and crawled back in bed with him, a sobering admission that her life was not her own. Beck dressed as well, then held her close, her against his body as she drifted into an uneasy
sleep.

When his neck began to cramp, he rolled over on to his back. Unwilling to break contact, his hand sought hers. She murmured his name in her sleep and that pleased him.

The angel may own your soul, but he doesn’t own your heart. I will not let him hurt you ever again. I will kill him first or I’ll die tryin’.

Even with his best efforts to remain on guard, Beck finally fell asleep with his lover by his side. When he roused a couple hours later, he rolled over towards Riley, seeking her comforting
warmth. She was gone. He jolted out of bed and called her name, but there was no reply. A quick search of the house proved the angel had stolen her away.

With a cry of anguish, Beck retreated to his bedroom to await her return.

Riley had expected a return trip to some alley in Demon Central, but nothing looked familiar. In fact, this wasn’t like any place she’d ever seen. In the distance
was a wall of flames, undulating crimson and yellow and a smell hung in the air, sharply caustic.
Sulphur.

This was Hell.

‘Why are we here?’ she demanded. She wasn’t dead, or at least she didn’t think she was. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep next to Beck.

‘We have been summoned before my master,’ was Ori’s chilly reply.

‘But—’

‘Keep up,’ he ordered, moving forward at a pace that made it difficult to comply. ‘You fall behind, you’ll remain here.’

When Riley sprinted to catch up with him, they quickly reached the wall of flames. Too quickly for the distance involved. Time and space were different here.

The wall wasn’t actually composed of fire: each flame was caught within a tiny shard of glass and millions of them billowed upward in a solid curtain.

‘What are those things?’

‘The souls of the damned,’ Ori replied. He stood beside her now in his full angelic glory. ‘How many are there?’ he said, as if she’d posed the question.
‘Even the Prince has lost count.’

‘I can’t go through that. It’ll cut me to pieces.’

‘You are under my protection. You will not be harmed.’

‘What if Lucifer decides otherwise?’

He frowned, but offered his hand nonetheless. Riley took it and jammed her eyes shut as they traversed the sheet of faming souls. She waited for the shards to fay her flesh, to strip her to the
bone, but the pain never came.

‘If nothing more, you should know you can trust me,’ the angel said reproachfully. ‘Yet you trust that trapper. I do not understand.’

‘I love him.’

‘You once loved me, did you not?’

‘Yes, but that was different,’ Riley replied. ‘We both know why that didn’t last.’

‘If you think I took pleasure in what I had to do, you would be wrong. It was the only way to keep you safe.’

‘If I’m safe, then why am I in Hell?’ she asked.

Ori’s shoulders tightened. ‘Because I refused to give up your soul. Now we both must pay the price for that defiance.’