Sweet Revenge (Dueling with the Devil) (21 page)

“
Behemoth
!”
Leviathan drew closer to the barrier
.“
I know you’re ther
e,
brother
.
”

Another roar bounced off the multi-colored stone.

“
We’ve come to release you. Your children are in troubl
e
,
”
Xavier’s father yelled.

A deep voice answered above the crackling fir
e,
“
What’s happened to my children
?
”

“
Back up. We have a potion to douse the flames. I don’t want you nea
r,
in case  something goes wrong
.
”

“
Do it now
.
”

Leviathan threw the vial into the blaze. An explosion flashed a vivid blue light in the darkened cave. The fire danced highe
r,
almost touching the towering ceiling. Maybe it didn’t work. The answer exposed itsel
f,
as the fire died down to a charcoal black line on the ground.

In front of the
m,
Behemoth crouched in his natural form
.“
Where are my children
?
”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Leviathan tossed Behemoth some clothes Jacque pulled out his rucksack
.“
Put those on and let’s get out of here. Luc will be coming for us
.
”

Behemoth stalked back and fort
h,
as if hunting prey.

“
Come no
w,
Behemot
h
,
”
Leviathan said
.“
We have no time for this. Your son may be dead and your daughter is spiraling into a catatonic state from guilt. We must go
.
”

Recognition glinted in the deep blue eyes of the beast. He sat on his haunche
s,
contemplating Leviathan’s words. Behemoth transformed before the
m,
the man almost as intimidating as the creature he replaced. He snatched up the jeans and shirt at his side. Xavier wasn’t sure the length of the jean would fi
t,
once Bell’s father stretched to his full height. He put Xavier’s six
-
five frame to shame. Behemoth had to stand at least seven feet tall.

The group filled Behemoth in on the recent happenings during the journey back to the entrance of the cave. His jaw locked and fury seethed from his expression. The huge demon rushed Xavie
r,
slamming him into the scorching wall of the passageway. The searing rock against his arm
s,
and the impact of the force in which he hit i
t,
rattled his whole body.

The others pried the two apart.

“
You brought this on my children
.”
Behemoth’s boulder-size fist connected with Xavier’s chin. His jaw cracked on impact. A thumping pain radiated across the side of his face.

“
Stop
!”
Leviathan bellowe
d,
as another blow pounded
a
g
a
i
n
s
t
X
a
v
i
e
r
’
s
t
e
m
p
l
e
.
Black spot
s,
highlighted with dazzling spark
s,
impeded Xavier’s vision. Behemoth let out a guttural cr
y,
his anguish
d
i
s
t
o
r
t
ing
the sound. Jacque and Damon attempted to shove the beast away from Xavier. With a final blow to the side of Xavier’s hea
d,
Behemoth stomped out of the cave.

Xavier’s father caught him under one arm and lowered him to the ground
.“
Are you okay
?
”

He shook his hea
d,
regretting the mov
e,
as sharp pangs of agony bounced around his head.

“
Why the hell didn’t you fight back
?”
His brother asked.

“
He’s right
.
”

“
What do you mean
?
”

“
We’re her
e,
Laurent might be dea
d,
and Bell is damn near comatose because of the choices I’ve made. Even if I didn’t purposefully bring this trouble to u
s,
it’s here because of how I’ve lived my life
.
”

“
We’ve all made bad decisions. And we’re all here because of them. You’re not alone in the blame
.”
His father extended a hand to help him up
.“
Enough of the self-pity. Regardless of blam
e,
we need to fix this problem and deal with the larger issue of Lucifer
.
”

Regardless of what his father and brother sai
d,
Behemoth’s words stuck with Xavier. He had to fix his mistakes. Make things right with the Fates. Perhaps he could convenience them to change his destiny. Prove he was worthy of redemption. He would start with reviving Bell from the depths of her dark abyss. Xavier understood guilt and regret. He specialized in blocking them out. No one could kill as many as he ha
d,
without separating themselves from the cruelty of the job.

Outsid
e,
Leviathan sprinkled the white power Marie provided to create a circle around the group. No one spoke as Jacque read the spell to jump start their portal home. Xavier recovered from the blur of the magic just in time to avoid the banister in Etienne’s foyer. The females came from the kitchen to greet them.

Isis glided to her husband’s side
.“
Good to see you agai
n,
B
e
h
e
m
o
t
h
.
”

Bell’s father bowed his hea
d,
acknowledging her
.“
Where is my daughter
?”
he asked.

Marie stepped forward
.“
She is upstairs
.
”

“
She’s still in bed
?”
Xavier frowne
d,
concerned.

The women hesitated before answering. Angel touched Xavier’s arm
.“
She’s gotten worse. She refuses to eat and hasn’t spoken at all. I even tried to provoke he
r,
hoping she could get angry enough to snap out of it. But she just turned her back on m
e,
facing the wall
.
”

Xavier left the room before anyone else spoke. Behemoth followed close behind. The door was ajar. When Xavier pushed it ope
n,
Behemoth stormed through in front of him. Tiny beads of sweat darted Xavier’s brow. His tongue lay dry in his mouth like a ball of cotton. Bell’s father stood at the side of the bed. Xavier couldn’t make himself move any closer.

She huddled in the middle of the be
d,
much like a frail child. The pallor of her skin and dulled hue of her eyes frightened Xavier. Bell’s father perched on the edge of the mattres
s,
brushing her hair away from her face. He whispered an old lullaby in her ear. A song Xavier vaguely remembere
d,
from where he couldn’t recall. He should leav
e,
but his feet remained rooted to the spot near the door. His heart ache
d,
seeing Bell in this condition. Knowing he had a hand in her turmoil broke him completely.

Behemoth glared over at Xavier. He opened his mouth to spea
k,
then changed his mind. He kissed his daughter on the forehead and stood
.“
Stay with her until I return
.
”

Once Behemoth lef
t,
Xavier took his place on the edge of the bed. Bell shivere
d,
scrunching further into her fetal position. Xavier kicked off his boots and stretched out behind her trembling body. Coiled an arm around he
r,
he reveled in the intimacy of being with Bell. She tucked her head into his shoulder and hugged his arm. Her hair smelled of sweat and her clammy face stuck to his arm. Sporadic breaths escaped in short gasps.

He brushed a kiss behind her ear
.“
Come back to m
e,
bab
y
,
”
Xavier whispered.

Her body stilled. Her breathing relaxed.

Xavier clung to her as she slep
t,
swaying gentl
y,
as the rhythmic sounds of her breathing lured him down the same path.

Sa
d,
blue eyes shaded by thick lashes peered at him when he woke. Xavier stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. Her lids lowere
d,
shielding him from the silent horror reflected
in
her stare. She burrowed into his chest with a soft sigh. He nuzzled the soft mass of her tousled blonde hair. He would save her. In this momen
t,
he had faith in himsel
f,
not the brute confidence he displayed with his gift of killin
g,
but a quiet determination to bring someone he cherished back to life.

The door cracked open. Jacque poked his head in
.“
He
y,
man. They sent food up for her. Want to see if she’ll eat for you
.
”

“
Bring it in
.”
Xavier shifted Bell in his arms and propped himself on the headboard.

“
How is she
?
”

“
Still not great. I think she slept some though
.
”

“
She’s blocked out her emotions for so long. I can’t imagine the impact of breaking the dam with the guilt of killing your own brother
.
”

“
I guess that’s something you have some experience with
.”
Xavier chuckled at the mortified expression on his brother’s face
.“
Don’t worry. I won’t hold it against you
.
”

“
Ma
n,
you know that’s not how I wanted it to play out. It’s never what I wanted our relationship to be
.
”

Xavier knew it was the truth
.“
I had a few issues to resolve. Wish I would’ve worked it out in group counseling or some shit. Taking a contract to kill your brother doesn’t help build a bond
.
”

“
I always looked up to you when we were younger. You had a strength I admire
d,
wanted to imitate
.”
Jacque set the tray on
t
h
e
n
i
g
h
t
s
t
a
n
d.

“
We have another chance to make things right. I promise I’ll make it right for everyone
.”
Xavier gazed at Bel
l,
quiet in his arm
s,
and swept his thumb over her brow.

“
You really care about he
r,
don’t you
?
”

“
Yeah. I guess so. Not sure how or whe
n,
but she caught me up
.
”

“
That’s usually how it goes. Try to get her to eat
.”
Jacque headed out the door.

“
Thank
s,
man
.
”

“
Anytime
.
”

The room sunk back into silence. Xavier stacked the pillows hig
h,
positioning Bell in a sitting position. Her eyes stared blankly at the wall across the room. After testing the heat of the soup to make sure it didn’t bur
n,
he brought the broth to her lips. Not a muscle in her face moved. He pushed the spoon closer to her mout
h,
trying to leverage it open with the edge. It was as if she were petrified. He set the bowl on the tray and faced her directly.

He cupped her face in his hands. His lips touched hers. He placed slow kisses on her forehead and cheeks. Backing awa
y,
he searched her pale blue gazes for some hint of recognitio
n,
but found none. Xavier gingerly cradled her body. Tears trailed down his face. For the first time his lif
e,
he begged a
reprieve
from Death instead of delivering a gift at his door.