Adriel's Reckoning (Demons in New York Book 3) Read online

  “You’re a demon. How can I entrust my future to you?” Charlotte asked.

  Adriel shrugged. “I’d rather live ten minutes with you by my side than one hundred years alone. But I’m afraid to be human again. I need time to think about it.”

  Charlotte nodded and pressed her lips against Adriel’s as he pulled her onto his lap. She needed a distraction for the uncertainty of her life. She rocked back and forth and moaned when Adriel tugged at her hair, pulled up in a loose ponytail. Then, she paused and took a deep breath.

  “Why did you hurt those people? Why did you kill the children you mentioned?” she asked suddenly.

  “Maybe I can tell you after I peel your clothes off and we have a little fun?”

  “Adriel,” Charlotte warned as she pulled herself off Adriel and smoothed her clothes.

  Adriel signed and rubbed his temples. “Okay, okay. Well, I grew up really poor. And not like no-Christmas-presents poor, more like I am going to die if I don’t eat poor.”

  Charlotte nodded and encouraged him to continue.

  “I decided to rob a bank because I wasn’t the only person I knew who was starving. I wanted to help them, and I wanted to help my family. I had good intentions in the beginning, but once I let my greed and lust for money take over, it felt as though I was no longer in control of my destiny. I killed the sheriff and ran off. I escaped to Lockport and set my sights on stealing a stake in the building of the Erie Canal. I wanted money to satiate my deepest desires. I let my soul disappear in exchange for the potential to be wealthy. I murdered women and children who stood in my path to achieving this goal. It was these chain of events which led Lucifer to my bedside. He sensed the loss of humanity within me and wanted to capitalize on my emptiness.”

  “Wow. I never knew this about you,” Charlotte trailed off. “But wait! Before, you told me you were in Heaven once and didn’t want to play God’s puppet any longer.”

  Adriel shrugged. “I lied. I wanted you to believe at one time I was good enough to go to Heaven. Instead, I had a one-way ticket to Hell.”

  “But you’re not all bad. I don’t understand.” Charlotte furrowed her brow.

  “Like I said, life is complicated.”

  Charlotte nodded sorrowfully.

  “Do you still love me? Can you live what the truth of what I’ve done?”

  Charlotte bit her lip and traveled deeply within her own mind. Could she spend the rest of her life with Adriel knowing what he’d done? Not only did he need to decide if he’d return to his human form, but she needed to decide if she could forgive him for his past transgressions.

  “It takes a lot for a person to admit their past mistakes. And I do understand you’re not the same person you were back then. I think as long as you promise to be better and do better, I could forgive you.”

  “I love you, Charlotte!” He pulled her back into his lap and finally made good on his promise to take off her clothes and have a little fun.

  12

  A knock on the motel door pierced the silence in the room as Charlotte and Adriel sat up and looked from each other at the door and back again.

  “Do you tell anyone else I was here?” she hissed.

  “No!”

  “Open up in there! Put some clothes on!”

  Cyndy! Charlotte thought.

  “Coming!” Charlotte called out. She shot out of bed and retrieved her clothes she tossed on the floor the night before. She dressed quickly and raced to the door as someone, presumably Cyndy, pounded on the door for dear life.

  “Hey!” Charlotte said breathlessly.

  How does everyone know where I am? Charlotte thought.

  “Hey, yourself. Let us in!” Cyndy pushed past Charlotte, and Mary Elizabeth excused herself as she slipped into the room.

  “Smells like sex in here,” Cyndy said.

  “Mornin’ to you, too,” Adriel grumbled and rubbed his eyes.

  “We have a problem,” Mary Elizabeth interrupted.

  “What do you mean? What’s going on?” Charlotte asked earnestly.

  “Liam’s army,” Cyndy said. “It’s growing.”

  “Growing?” Adriel asked as he stood and dressed.

  Mary Elizabeth averted her eyes, and her cheeks turned a rich shade of puce. Charlotte caught her embarrassment and smiled. If anyone had the body to make an angel blush, it was Adriel.

  “It gets worse,” Cyndy said and snapped her gum.

  “Do I even want to know?” Charlotte asked.

  “Some of them followed us here,” Cyndy replied, her voice uneasy.

  “What?” Charlotte and Adriel called out in unison.

  “We didn’t know we were being tailed. I’m sorry, but we’ve gotta get out of here. They could be here any minute.”

  “Can’t you just suck us out of here with your vortex?” Charlotte asked.

  Adriel whipped his head toward Charlotte with a sour expression. He could still feel his insides reeling at the mere idea of the vortex.

  Mary Elizabeth blushed and lowered her gaze to her feet, clad in silk white ballet flats. “I don’t have enough power right now. Bringing Adriel to you weakened me.”

  A distinct howl and pound at the door sent the gang jumping with fright. There was no time left to run; the demons had arrived.

  “Looks like that minute is now,” Adriel said with a scowl.

  “What are we going to do?” Charlotte asked, her voice a high squeak.

  “What about the bathroom window?” Cyndy suggested.

  “It has bars across it.” Charlotte shrugged.

  Cyndy rolled her eyes as the furious pounding against the door grew louder and more threatening.

  “Let us in, or we’ll burn your house down, little piggies!”

  Adriel, Charlotte, Mary Elizabeth and Cyndy looked to each other fretfully.

  “We need a plan, Addy,” Cyndy said.

  “I’m trying to think.” He bit his lip.

  “Think a little harder!” Cyndy said.

  Then, a rock blasted through the front window as shards of glass showered Charlotte and her crew. A demon with jet black hair and yellow teeth stuck his head through the glass, despite cutting his throat along the way.

  “Hey, kiddos! Ready to have some fun?”

  Mary Elizabeth and Adriel looked to each other defiantly.

  “You ready for this?” Adriel asked the angel.

  “As I’ll ever be.”

  “We’re going to distract them; you and Cyndy run as fast as you can and get to the car. Drive away and don’t stop. We’ll find you!”

  “No! We can help!” Charlotte cried, her hands shaking.

  “I can’t risk you getting hurt,” Adriel said.

  “How will you find us? Adriel, I don’t think this is a good idea,” Cyndy asked.

  The door rattled off its hinges, and it wouldn’t be long now before the demons broke through.

  “It’s the only idea we’ve got. Now, on my count, I’m going to open the door, let the demons in, and once they’re all in, you’re going to run out.”

  “You’re going to let them in?” Charlotte’s lip quivered.

  “Yup. Ready, everyone?”

  Jeers and shouts grew louder outside the motel room. It was now or never.

  “One, two, three!”

  Charlotte and Cyndy stood behind Adriel as he opened the door. Mary Elizabeth stood next to them and glowed brilliantly against the drab interior of the room. The herd of demons stumbled in, not expecting to be invited into the room. Once they regained their footing, about ten of them, Mary Elizabeth produced a blinding orb from the palm of her delicate hand and threw it toward the demons. They slammed against the wall, and Adriel pushed Charlotte and Cyndy out of the room.

  “Go!” he urged.

  Cyndy and Charlotte dove out of the motel room and sprinted toward Charlotte’s car. She fumbled with her keys as Cyndy kept watch, then unlocked the car and jumped into the driver’s seat. Cyndy got in through the backseat and climb
ed into the passenger side. Charlotte started the ignition, but not before looking back at the motel room.

  Fire unleashed from the blown-out windows and sparks like lightning and penetrated the air. Howls of pain and fury echoed, and nausea swept over Charlotte like a wave against a swimmer in the ocean at high tide.

  Would Adriel and Mary Elizabeth survive the ambush? How could they take on so many demons just by themselves?

  “We gotta go, Char. Hit the gas already!”

  Charlotte shook herself out of the mist clouding her mind and pulled out of the motel lot, leaving dirt and dust in their wake. The girls entered the highway, and Charlotte sped past the other drivers with ease.

  “What do you think is happening?” Charlotte asked.

  “I don’t know, but they can handle themselves.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Charlotte said. “Hey, how did you and Mary Elizabeth find us in the first place?”

  “You know the angel’s got that magic compass in her brain, right? She told me we had to go find you two lovebirds, and look what we get for trying to come to warn you?”

  “I’m sorry you’re wrapped up in all of this mess,” Charlotte said.

  Cyndy nodded but didn’t respond.

  They drove for what felt like hours, and then a distinct pain struck Charlotte right in her chest, right by her heart. She involuntarily swerved into another lane, causing cars to honk and beep furiously.

  “Damn it, Charlotte!”

  “Sorry, uh, I think something’s wrong.” Charlotte clutched at her heart and knew deep down, Adriel was hurt.

  13

  Liam paced through the depths of Hell and took a whip to Lucifer, brutally slashing his back. Lucifer cringed but refused to give Liam the satisfaction of showing any weakness.

  “You’re going to regret this,” he growled.

  “I highly doubt that.” Liam’s lips curled into an unforgiving smile.

  “You will pay for what you’ve done to my people and me. You’re no honorable demon,” Lucifer said. Blood poured from the deep cuts on his back and soaked the waistband of his jeans.

  “Are you listening to yourself, old man? ‘Honorable’ and ‘demon’ do not remotely go together.”

  “We still have a code! One you’ve never respected or abided by. Choosing you was a mistake,” Lucifer said, putting his head in his hands.

  “Aw, are you missing poor little Adriel?” Liam spat. “He’s weak. Just like you.”

  All around them, new and confused demons lingered about. Liam had nearly doubled the population six feet underground, and it didn’t take long for overcrowding to become an issue. The newer demons sulked, while the older demons from before Liam followed his beck and call, but didn’t do so willingly. They all saw Liam’s power and knew if they chose him over Lucifer, they would pay the ultimate price.

  “You think you can take over Hell? You don’t know two things about leading the Underworld. The ring is not enough, you fool.”

  “It’s not like I need a handbook for this sort of thing. Seems fairly easy. I show how powerful I am. and the others fall in line.” Liam clapped his hands up and down like brushing away soot after cleaning.

  “No one feels an alliance to you. They are only afraid,” Lucifer said.

  “Extracting fear is power, dear friend. Whether they want to follow me or not, they are doing so already.”

  A blonde demon milling about in a crowd a few paces away caught Liam’s eye. Liam charged into the crowd. which parted ways with ease, letting him through without a hiccup. He pointed to the blonde and beckoned her closer. “You! Come.”

  Two words. That’s all it took, and the woman approached him, eyes as red as blood, but with a slight trepidation to her gait.

  “Yes, Master?”

  “You’re new, yes?”

  She nodded, and Liam looked her up and down, slowly and thoroughly. Her voluptuous curves warmed Liam to his core. Her lips, juicy and welcoming, glistened under the flames.

  “Are you happy down here?” Liam asked.

  “Uh, yes. Of course,” she stuttered.

  “Wonderful. Then you will join me.”

  “Join you, Master?”

  The blonde’s flowing locks reached past her elbows, and her freckles stood out like flecks of glitter in the night.

  “I’m in the mood to have a little fun.”

  “With me?”

  “Yes, m’dear. Now come here. Closer.”

  The she-demon did as she was told and stumbled toward Liam. He grasped her hand, pulling her into his embrace, then wrapped his long fingers around her waist and squeezed firmly. A malicious grin escaped his him as she closed her eyes tightly.

  “What’s your name, love?”

  “Bri,” she said.

  “Well, Bri. What do you say about being my lover for tonight?”

  “I’d be honored,” she squeaked.

  “Splendid!”

  Liam took her hand and escorted her to his lair. Well, Lucifer’s former lair. Now, he was left to dine and dorm with the rest of the demons. When Liam decided to unchain him.

  Liam pulled Bri into the Devil’s dungeon and threw her onto the bed. A girlish smile spread across her mouth, and she ran her manicured fingers through her hair.

  “You’re so lucky right now,” Liam said.

  Bri nodded and bit her lip. Her shyness melted away as Liam climbed onto the bed and untucked his fitted t-shirt.

  “Take off your clothes,” he demanded.

  “Slowly? Or right away?”

  “Slowly, I think. Give me a show, my love.”

  Bri stood on her knees, an arm’s length away from Liam, and carefully peeled her tank top off her body. She tossed it aside and revealed her succulent breasts peeking through a royal blue lace brassiere.

  “Go on,” Liam urged. “Let’s see the rest of it, shall we?”

  Bri stood from the bed and unzipped her jeans. She pulled them down inch by inch until she stepped out of the tight denim and kicked them aside. Matching panties hugged her every curve.

  Liam twirled his finger, signaling for Bri to follow suit. She twirled like a ballerina until Liam called for her to stop and return to the bed.

  “Come to me.”

  She snaked into the sheets, and Liam did the same. Heat radiated off their already warm bodies under the covers. Liam pressed his lips against Bri’s, and she moaned loudly under his touch. His fingers explored her body until he found exactly where she wanted to be touched. He nibbled her ears, down to her neck. Yet, all the while, he imagined Charlotte lay underneath him. As much as he wanted to try a new body for taste, Charlotte would always feel like home to him. Even though she hated him with every ounce of her being, he still loved her. He wished she’d toss away the “innocent” act and come to her senses. She was not free of guilt, either. She’d killed men. She carried sin, too. If only she were to let him turn her into a demon, then they could rule the Underworld together.

  As smart as Liam was, though, he knew the truth. He knew Charlotte would never be with him again. So, he had to imagine the naked blonde underneath him was his former fiancée instead. But he needed to make sure he didn’t slip and call her the wrong name. And, if after he had her, she didn’t live up to his standards, he could toss her away and find another she-demon to butt horns with. Any woman in Hell would be lucky to be taken to his bed.

  “How’s that?” he whispered into her ear.

  “Heavenly,” she moaned. They both smiled devilishly.

  Liam forced himself into her even deeper, and she called out in ecstasy.

  “Say my name,” he requested.

  “Liam, oh, Liam!”

  “Louder!”

  Just as she opened her mouth to acquiesce, they both released and collapsed onto each other.

  “We make a good team,” Liam said, heaving and out of breath.

  “Wanna go again?” Bri asked.

  Liam smiled and turned her over with glee.

  14 />
  Charlotte pulled the car over, barely managing to avoid a Subaru in the next lane over.

  “Everything is going to be okay!” Cyndy promised. But Charlotte knew better. She’d learned that nothing is ever fine, especially when you think it should be.

  “We have to do something!” Charlotte exclaimed with exasperation once she put the car in park on the shoulder of the road.

  “They’ll find us, Charlotte. Addy and Mary Elizabeth have those weird mystical compasses, remember?”

  “We need to focus on finding someplace safe to hide out, so when they are ready to come to us, we can all be safe. Okay?”

  Charlotte’s hands trembled as she clutched the steering wheel, her knuckles white as snow. “Yeah, right. Of course that’s what we should do.”

  “I think I should drive,” Cyndy said carefully.

  Charlotte snapped out of the fog to look down at herself, and her cheeks flushed. “That might be a good idea. I-I can’t think right now.”

  The women hopped out of the car and exchanged places. Cyndy, with a girlish smirk across her face, put the car into drive and sped off the shoulder and back onto the highway.

  “Whoa!” Charlotte clung to the middle console.

  “Sorry,” Cyndy said sheepishly. “I haven’t driven a car in quite some time. The bar life doesn’t exactly pay for a new car.”

  Charlotte nodded and stared out of the window at the lush foliage blurring by. She had no idea where they were right now. She didn’t recognize any of the signs. Would Adriel still be able to find them? Was he well enough to even try?

  After a half hour of silence, Cyndy pulled off the highway and cruised down a slower-paced street until they came upon several suburban housing developments. Most were still being built and had gaudy signs out front advertising an open house the following month after construction was completed.

  “Why don’t we hide out in one of these?”

  “Hmmm?” Charlotte asked in a daze.