Pure Hell (Seventh Level Book 1) (13 page)

“Excuse me? You can’t let me do this?”

He huffed. “You know what I mean,” he said sounding desperate.

His concern wormed its way beneath her false veneer of bravery. Eyeing the large man standing inches away and waiting patiently for her entry, she decided a contingency plan wasn’t a bad idea. “If I’m not back in fifteen minutes then storm the building.” Before he could argue further, she pulled out of his hold and slipped past Justice who turned his head, keeping her in his line of sight as she went. He inhaled deeply as their skin brushed. “Delicious.”

Without looking back, she knew Justice was back to filling the doorway with his large frame by the way Mark growled. She didn’t doubt Mark would push his way inside if she didn’t make it out in exactly fourteen minutes and fifty-nine seconds.

An ominous low beat strummed from invisible speakers and multi-colored lights flashed so quickly, she worried she might have a seizure. Wearing black had been a good decision, she decided right away. Even though she was still not dressed to fit in, the dark coloration matched the goth style of everyone else in the club. Justice appeared at her side and for a moment, she would’ve sworn he materialized out of thin air. She started to ask who was watching the door but decided she didn’t care. If Justice was with her then it would be much easier for Mark to burst in.

Clasping her elbow, he steered her through the crowd and her steps faltered. “Mr. Desdemona has a table waiting for you,” he explained. A half smile touched his lips and she realized she was staring. She quickly glanced away.

“I’m sorry. I feel as if we’ve met somewhere before.”

“Hmm, who knows? It’s a small world,” he said as he muscled his way through the writhing bodies on the dance floor until they reached a dark table located in the corner of the club. With old world manners, he helped her into her chair before standing with his back to her the same as he had done at the door.

“Are you guarding me?” she asked, incredulous.

He didn’t say a word only kept his eyes straight ahead and intimidated the crowd with his size. A hush seemed to fall over the room as a lone blond man made his way in her direction. His black tailor-made business suit and red tie made everyone else in the building seem underdressed but in an odd way. The suit didn’t do him justice. He was too powerful to be contained to any certain style. A path cleared in front of his every step as if no one dared to get too near. She knew without having to be told that this was Kieran Desdemona. This was a man not to be trifled with. The type of man you went to if you had a problem. The lights shimmered off the gold strands in his hair and his blue eyes held hers as he crossed the room. Although his expression never changed, she could feel his satisfaction over her being there. Almost as spider would a fly that landed in its web.

She was so captivated by the sight of him that when her guard bowed before leaving them alone, she only found it to be passably odd. He chose a chair, placing his back toward the wall and facing the crowd. She wondered if he expected an attack. She kept her gaze locked on his, half in fear he would strike as a snake would if she did not. Up close, she realized the reason she’d been able to tell the color of eyes even from across the room. They were luminescent, not in a way it was immediately apparent, but there wasn’t a doubt in her mind he was not human.

“Since you’re here, I’m going to assume Jade called you.”

He didn’t smile but she had a sneaking suspicion he found her words amusing in some way. “I am aware of your problem, if that is what you are asking?”

She nodded. “I tried speaking with Madame Curion to find out what she told me sister before she died, but she threw agrimony at me while ranting about the devil.”

He did laugh then. It was a low, deep, almost deadly sound, which caused chill bumps to form on her skin. “Agrimony is not going to save her. She merely treated her hardwood flooring to a much needed shine.”

“Do you know what she told Kylie about the demon tormenting her?”

He tilted his chin slightly as he answered. “I do.”

Excitement caused Anne to sit forward in her seat. “Could you tell me? I think whatever she said to my sister set her on the path to her death.”

His eyes searched her face as if accessing her determination. After a moment, he sighed. “It was all drivel.”

“None the less,” she said urging him on.

“Very well,” he said sounding resigned as he leaned forward, bracing his elbows on the table. “She told Kylie she was one of the cursed seven. A female born for the sole purpose of becoming part of the seventh ruler of hell’s harem.”

Anne’s brows drew together in a frown. “And how did she come to this conclusion?”

“It was a combination of Kylie’s description of the demon that was tormenting her and the theory of the sevens. On Kylie’s seventh birthday, both parents were slaughtered. Their sacrificial blood opened a doorway between the worlds allowing Kylie to see the parallel universe housing the souls of the dead. At seventeen, the one obstacle standing in the way of Kylie coming here, where the mouth of hell resides, was removed by the death of her aunt. Madame Curion went on to predict, by following the line of this theory, Kylie would have the final hurdle removed standing between her and her intended at the age of twenty-seven—her life.”

“Did Madame Curion tell her how she could prevent this from happening?”

Kieran gave her another short nod. “She was to have a gold cross blessed by a priest and then wear it around her neck for protection. However, as I said, it’s all drivel. Demons are not known for their patience. I assure you, had Septem wanted your sister he would not have waited twenty years to act.”

Pulling the cross out from inside her shirt collar, she showed it to him. “It was my mother’s necklace,” she explained. “Kylie must have worn it to keep her safe.”

His eyes flickered over the charm and his mouth turned up in one corner in a sardonic smile. “Miss Trace, you cannot walk two feet without tripping over a cross in this town. It’s certainly not going to stop someone as powerful as the seventh ruler of hell. Not that it matters, since it was all a lie.”

“I don’t understand,” Anne said, sounding lost even to her own ears. “Our parents did die when Kylie was seven and that’s when her claims of speaking to the dead began. Our aunt did die when Kylie was seventeen and Kylie did die at twenty-seven. According to her journal, Kylie was being terrorized by Septem. All the things Madame Curion told Kylie added up to the truth.”

“All coincidences,” Kieran said without hesitation. “Liars lie, Miss Trace. It’s what they do and they are good at it. Madame Curion gets paid to sound as if she knows exactly what she’s talking about. She listens, then preys upon people’s memories and fears.”

“So, that sweet old bus driver really did kill Kylie? Why would he do such a thing?”

Kieran relaxed in his chair and eyed her carefully. “I did not say as much.”

Anne rubbed her temples between her hands. It was all so confusing. They were talking in circles. “Jade sent me here because she said you would tell me the truth of what happened to my sister, but I haven’t learned anything other than finding out Madame Curion is a liar. Do you even know who really killed her?”

“Yes,” he answered without hesitation and sounding matter of fact.

“Then who?” Anne asked a bit desperately.

Kieran leaned forward holding her stare. His luminescent blue eyes seemed to swirl with an unnatural light. “What is it worth to you to find your sister’s killer?”

“Everything,” she answered immediately.

The legs of his chair screeched across the floor as he stood. His wide frame caused Anne to feel small and alone. Tucking his tie back in his jacket, he smoothed his lapels. “I’ll be here when you mean those words, Miss Trace.”

Anne started to argue she did mean it but the words lodged in her throat as he lifted his eyes to her once more and the irises no longer swirled blue but red. Her lungs ceased to work and she stared transfixed at the sight of him until he simply disappeared. One moment he was holding her gaze steadily and the next he was gone.

Justice materialized at her side startling her and she wondered if anyone in the room with her was human.

“I’ll see you to the door, Miss Trace. Trust me when I say you have no desire to remain here alone.”

* * * * *

Kylie stood in the center of the hundreds of lit candles wondering what she’d agreed to do. For some reason, she’d almost been expecting to be dancing naked under the moon while tossing wild berries in the air or something similar. Surrounded by candles, chanting and ointment as she was, she felt very exposed and alone. Liam and Delphine had taken up spots which she explained best helped call to the dark moon or something similarly odd. Delphine had already fussed at her several times about her lack of focus but she felt stupid.

“Concentrate, Kylie,” Liam whispered and she made a concerted effort since he was the one to ask. She didn’t want to let him down. This had been her idea, after all. It was just out of her element. She was used to séances not hoodoo Voodoo magic. She was trying so hard to concentrate, her thoughts ended up being louder than anything else in the room. It took her a minute to realize one of the voices she was hearing was not her own, but another familiar voice instead. It was the young Goth girl she’d worked with at Madame Curion’s. Once she acknowledged hearing it, the young girl’s face became clearer as well.

“There’s this man. I do some work for him on the side and he owes me. Tell him I’m calling in a favor. Be sure to tell him everything you told Madame Curion. He can help you.” Kylie nodded at Jade’s words as relief rushed over her. Finally, someone was listening to her.

The scene changed and Kylie was sitting at a tiny wooden table with a cup of coffee resting at her elbow. She found the bright sun and foot traffic outside the window ridiculously interesting as she attempted to avoid the gaze of man sitting across from her. In spite of the fact he was wearing a tailor-made business suit, she was even more frightened of him than she’d ever been of Septem.

“I’m being harassed.”

“Then you should call the police. I do believe that is typically what humans do under those circumstances,” he answered. Humor tinted his words and Kylie didn’t miss the insinuation he did not fall under the human classification.

“I’m being harassed by a demon,” she clarified. “I don’t think the police can protect my soul from getting dragged into hell.”

“Your soul cannot be stolen from you, Miss Trace. It’s the only thing in the world, which truly belongs to you. You can lose it through your actions or use it to barter a deal but it cannot be stripped from you.”

Despite her fear, a shot of annoyance ran through her. “That doesn’t really help me solve anything. Don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely relieved to learn Septem can’t simply steal away with me, but still… The knowledge doesn’t keep him from spending the rest of my life tormenting me. I don’t think I can withstand that.”

He ran the pad of his thumb over his bottom lip as if lost in thought. His eyes met hers and Kylie’s skirted away again. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to hold his stare.

“There’s only one thing strong enough to get rid of a demon once it has its sights set on you,” he said after a moment. Kylie felt her heart drop at his ominous news. If she was going to have to go on some crazy quest to retrieve some long lost artifact as they did in the movies then she was screwed, because she was too broke to go anywhere and wasn’t a lover of nature in general. She almost laughed as the picture of her hacking her way through the brush with a machete flashed across her mind.

“But the price is very high.” Dang, with every word he spoke he confirmed all her worst fears. “Luckily for you, I am indebted to Jade for finding something very rare for me.”

“How is it lucky for me?” Kylie asked feeling lost.

His mouth turned up in one corner as he answered, “Because Miss Trace, the only thing more powerful than a demon is me.”

Her surroundings changed again and she was standing at the bus stop. She recognized the clothes she was wearing as the ones she’d died in and she knew she was seeing the night she was murdered.

Nothing else had happened since Kieran had taken care of her little problem, but now that her life was back to normal—as normal as life got for her—she just felt empty. She was still alone and the more time she spent with Cindy the less she cared for her. Everything sucked. Another failed date hadn’t improved her mood and now she was standing on the corner waiting for the bus, alone as usual. Why did her life have to be so damn hard? She was tired. That was what it all boiled down to in the end. She was so fucking worn down by life. A shadow moved, parting from the wall and catching her attention as it traveled in her direction. A dark menacing feeling overcame her and her feet froze to the pavement in fear. She wanted to call out for help, but her tongue was glued to the roof of her mouth. The stranger kept his pace slow and it seemed as if smoke billowed around his feet with each step. In truth, it was probably only fog but her brain had gone into a level of fear where it saw everything as sinister.

When he finally passed into the light, relief washed over her and released her tongue, even though the ominous feeling didn’t leave.

Kieran Desdemona was the most polished and scariest person she’d ever met in her life. His six-foot-five frame was all sinewy muscle and it towered over her measly five-foot-two making her feel insignificant.

“Kieran, you scared me to death.” She chuckled at her own words. It was more in nervousness than finding her statement humorous. He didn’t say a word. He merely watched her in a way in which caused her body to go cold.

Only when he stood close enough and she was forced to tilt her head back to look him in the face, did he deign to speak. “Miss Trace, I find you are in possession of something which stands in my way.”

“Your way?” she repeated stupidly.

“You realize, I cannot allow such a thing to stand.”

She licked her lips nervously in an attempt to buy some time. “What do I have that could possibly be standing in your way?”