Grave Decisions (Hellgate Guardians Book 3) Read online

“So, you really are...purple. I’m not hallucinatin’ that you have a gardenia behind your ear?” I ask, my voice soundin’ oddly brittle and dry.

  He nods. “The flower I wear changes, but that might be a confusing place to start. I’m an Ūnus demon, but more specifically, a Farina demon,” he answers, as he runs a hand through his bright yellow hair, the flower tucked snugly in place.

  The flower changes? Is it like a mood ring or somethin’? I chase that thought away and focus on the important facts being shared.

  “I’m also an Ūnus, and I’m a Nacre demon,” Flint provides casually.

  I run my gaze over his marbleized white and gray skin, and truth settles heavy in my stomach.

  I...I don’t think they’re lyin’.

  8

  “You two are...demons.” Now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d say.

  “Yes,” Alder replies evenly.

  I can’t tell yet if I appreciate their bluntness or if I wish they had softened the blow a little. You’d think they’d wanna butter a girl up before they go droppin’ a demon bomb.

  I watch them for a moment, weighin’ all the facts of my entire life as I take in their words while they settle somewhere between my stomach and my soul.

  They look dead serious. No hesitation or smirks cross their faces. And from what I saw last night at the bar…well, I know now that I wasn’t hallucinatin’ or drugged. I’m lookin’ at the evidence of that right smack in front of me. No human looks the way they do.

  After a long moment of my brain workin’ overtime, I swallow hard and give a terse nod. “Okay.”

  Alder’s head rears back in shock. “Okay?”

  “Yeah, okay,” I repeat. “You say you’re demons, and that you have a job opportunity for me. That can’t be good, so I’m gonna need you to explain yourselves quick before my daddy gets back with the shotgun.”

  Flint chuckles.

  “Alright, I’ll explain,” Alder says, takin’ the reins. “We believe that you’re like another young lady we recently met. Her name is Delta. She thought she was human...until she was drawn to a Hellgate too.”

  I pick up my green and blonde hair and start fannin’ the back of my neck. I don’t know if it’s just the swelterin’ Georgia heat, or all this talk of Hell and demons, but I am burnin’ up.

  “Keep goin’,” I say, doin’ a circular motion with my finger.

  Alder hesitates for a moment, like he expected me to ream him with questions. “Well...Delta learned she was a demon.”

  I continue to fan my neck. “Alright. And what the hell do you want with me?”

  Alder cocks his head. “You’re takin’ this a lot better than we thought you would.”

  I squint at him. “How did you think I’d take it?”

  Flint answers. “Maybe you would faint or scream or something?”

  “Do I look like a fainter or a screamer?” I volley back, annoyed.

  Flint’s lips curve up. “Maybe not the fainting part, but one night with me and you’ll be screaming, alright.”

  I walked right through the front door of that one. But damn, that picture he just put in my head makes me squirm, my legs pressin’ together slightly.

  I clear my throat just to make sure it doesn’t go all husky. “Answer my question,” I say sternly, lookin’ back at Alder. “What do you want with me?”

  “To help you,” he answers quickly.

  I tilt my head and scoop up my hair, shovin’ it up in a messy ponytail. “Help me how?”

  “Again, we don’t have all the details, but Delta started being able to see through demon wards—to see us for what we truly look like. Just like you did last night in the bar.”

  “But when I first got there, y’all looked normal,” I point out.

  “Yes, and I’m not sure why. We’ll have to ask the others about that,” Alder concedes. “Something changed from the time you were in my office to when I saw you again in the bar.”

  “Yeah, one minute, y’all are normal lookin’, and the next, you got glass patrons with no mouths and a tree tendin’ your bar,” I tell him.

  “Right. The point is that’s only possible if…” he trails off and runs a frustrated hand through his yellow hair before lettin’ out a puff of air. “Dammit,” he says under his breath.

  “Just tell her,” Flint encourages him.

  Alder’s shoulders straighten as he looks at me again, and my own spine stiffens, waitin’ for the next bomb to drop. “You’re not…”

  “I’m not what?” I press.

  “You’re not a human,” he replies, makin’ blood pound in my ears and my heart screech to a stop. “I couldn’t see it at first. When you were in my office, you were one hundred percent human. No traces of being demon-touched. Not even a Diluted. But when I saw you again in the bar, your energy was completely different. There was no mistaking you. I can tell you with certainty that you’re definitely not human, Medley.”

  Now it’s time for my head to rear back. “Are you tryin’ to tell me that not only are y’all demons, but I’m a damn demon, too?”

  “That’s exactly what we’re saying, darlin’,” Flint answers.

  I shake my head vehemently. “No way in hell. I can’t be a demon,” I scoff. “You two, fine. You look all...demony. But look at me,” I say, gesturin’ down my body.

  “Oh, I’m looking,” Flint says smoothly, and damn if his flirtatiousness doesn’t make my panties damp. This would be so much easier if I didn’t wanna ride them six ways from Sunday.

  “Delta looked human too,” Alder tells me, thankfully givin’ me an excuse to ignore Flint’s remark. The last thing I need is to start blushin’ up a storm in front of these two. I have a feelin’ that they could flirt their way into just about anyone’s bed. Which makes sense, given what they claim to be. Maybe that explains the pull I feel toward them.

  “So...you’re demons. I’m a demon. And you wanna help me?” I ask dubiously.

  “Yes, we want to make sure you don’t get hurt. We’ve had some...unrest in our realm lately. I wouldn’t be surprised if some Outer Ringers picked up on your trace and tried to attack you.”

  Well, that sets off alarm bells. “Attack me? Why?”

  Flint’s slate-gray eyes grow serious. “Some demons are power-hungry pricks who try to take down other demons so they can become more powerful,” he tells me. “And...we think you’re something special.”

  That makes a humorless chuckle crawl right out of my throat. “I’m not,” I assure them. “There’s nothin’ special ’bout me.”

  They don’t seem to share my quick dismissal. “That so?” Flint counters. “What about what happened last night? How do you explain that as nothing special?”

  I swallow hard, my eyes dartin’ between the two of them. “I, uh…”

  Alder’s eyes sweep over my face, and realization dawns. “You don’t remember a thing, do you?”

  I cross my arms in front of my chest, but that just makes sweat gather in the creases of my arms, so I quickly drop them again. “No, I don’t. I never remember my tribulations.”

  “Tribulations?”

  I wave a hand toward the direction of my parents’ trailer. “That’s what my mama always called them. I think because it sounded fancier than psychotic blackout episodes,” I say, tryin’ to joke, though my tone falls flat.

  “I suppose that explains why you didn’t remember the conversation we had about us stopping by today,” Flint says.

  I hate the fact that I can’t remember last night, so I quickly keep the conversation movin’. “So you’re here because you want to help protect me from these other demons who might try to attack me?”

  “Yes,” Alder says carefully, but I can tell by his tone that there’s more.

  “And…?” I press.

  Flint opens his mouth to reply. “And we think you should—”

  Alder cuts him off. “We think you should come work for us at the bar. It’s the least we can do. Our stop made you late with yo
ur delivery and got you fired, after all,” he explains. “Plus, if you’re working at the bar, we can keep an eye on things and make sure no one messes with you.”

  I narrow my eyes because I didn’t miss the fact that he spoke over Flint, but before I can get any more information, my daddy comes walkin’ out sans Todd.

  Both Alder and Flint look over their shoulders at the sound of his approach, their eyes immediately fallin’ to what’s in his hand.

  “I thought you were kidding about the shotgun,” Alder says, amusement evident in his voice.

  I shake my head, not the least bit surprised. Anytime I’ve ever had a boy come by, whether I was thirteen or twenty-eight, my daddy always makes sure to have an excuse to have his shotgun with him so he can make some non-verbal threats of the paternal kind. It’s real sweet.

  “Gentleman,” my daddy says as he makes his way over to us. “I don’t believe we’ve been introduced.” The words may be polite, but his glare is anythin’ but.

  “Daddy, this is Alder and Flint. They’re the owners of the bar I delivered to last night,” I say. “This is my daddy, Teddy Bell.”

  Alder and Flint both shake my daddy’s hand, and then he settles beside me, shotgun poised at his side. “I sure hope there wasn’t anythin’ untoward happenin’ at that bar last night to my baby girl,” he says, and my heart swells a bit. Flint and Alder are incredibly strong and intimidatin’, but that doesn’t stop my daddy from standin’ up to them on my behalf.

  “No, sir,” Flint says. “We stopped by today to introduce ourselves and to let you know that everything was on the up and up.”

  My daddy stares at him hard, takin’ his measure. His eyes shift from one to the other, his mouth in a firm line behind his bushy beard. “Well, alright then,” he says finally.

  “Y’all still out here talkin’ in the heat?” Mama calls from behind the screen door to the trailer. I didn’t even hear her open the door. “You’re gonna melt into a puddle out there!”

  “They’re not comin’ back in,” I call back to her before anyone else can say otherwise.

  I swear I can see Mama poutin’ behind the screen. “Medley, manners!”

  “It’s alright,” Alder says with a cool smile. “We do need to head back. But we just wanted to talk to Medley about taking the job down at the bar. We feel partially responsible for her termination, and we feel that she would be a great addition to our place of business.”

  “Medley, I think you should consider it!” Mama calls, her voice carryin’ across the yard.

  I shoot Alder a glare for tryin’ to get my mama on his side. “Yeah, well, thank you for the offer, but I’m gonna politely decline,” I say.

  “Why?” All four of them ask.

  “Well, aside from the fact that it would be an annoyin’ commute, these two just told me that I’m some kind of demon spawn from Hell,” I deadpan. “So I’m gonna have to pass, but thank y’all for stoppin’ by,” I end with a cheerfully fake smile.

  Flint and Alder gape at me. Silence reigns for a beat. Two beats.

  “What’s that, Heavenly Bell?” Mama calls. “You say somethin’ about demons?”

  Alder and Flint are still too shocked at me blurtin’ out the truth, so they just continue to blink at me. I guess they expected me to hide this from my parents. Probably thought I’d lie about the fact that they’re demons and I may or may not be one too. Well, they’ve just had a rude awakenin’, because while I may try to protect my parents, I wouldn’t keep somethin’ like this from them.

  “Yes, ma’am,” I call back. “They claim to be demons too, so I’m gonna have to decline their terms of employment. I think I’d rather have a job at the corner market instead of Hell,” I snark.

  “Oh...well. Alright then. Come in for lunch. I made gumbo.”

  I don’t know how it’s possible, but Flint and Alder just look even more bewildered at my mama’s response.

  “You want me to shoot ’em, honey girl?” Daddy offers.

  “No, that’s alright, Daddy. I’m not sure buckshot would do much to a demon, but thank you,” I say sweetly.

  He turns his gaze on the gawkers. “Well, you heard her. She says no to the job. You two best head out now.”

  Flint shakes his head in bewilderment, runnin’ a hand through his black hair as he looks over at Alder.

  “That’s it?” Alder asks me with confusion. “We tell you you’re a demon and you just...send us on our way?”

  “Yep,” I reply. I need to process this on my own. “You two drive safe now. I got somewhere to be later.”

  I turn and start walkin’ back to the trailer, Daddy right beside me. I hear Alder curse out a disbelievin’ What the fuck? behind me.

  “That didn’t go the way you said it was gonna go,” Flint mutters to him.

  “Shut up,” the yellow-haired demon mutters.

  My lip twitches as I make my way up the porch, and I’m almost to the screen door when a lavender hand stops me, fingers gently graspin’ my wrist. I gasp and look up, because damn he moved quick, and his touch...it sends tingles all up and down my spine.

  “Here,” Alder says, passin’ me a card. “So you can call us. If you change your mind or have any...problems.”

  My finger skates over the black embossed letters on the card, and I nod. “Okay,” I say, my voice a little breathless at our connection. I like his touch. I find myself wantin’ to lean into him, to egg him on to touch me more, but I manage to hold back. This intense attraction I have to the two of them is disconcertin’.

  Alder hesitates for a moment while I look down at him from my spot on the elevated porch, all too aware of my daddy glarin’ at where he’s still holdin’ onto my wrist. My eyes drop to his purple lips, and I wait with bated breath to see what he’s gonna do next.

  But like he’s just now becomin’ aware that he’s still touchin’ me too, Alder quickly drops his hold and steps back with a resigned nod. “Don’t hesitate to call, Medley.”

  I have to suppress a shiver at the way he says my name—intimate, like he’s savorin’ it. After one more look, his butterscotch gaze searin’ into me, he turns and walks away, and a little disappointment settles in my stomach at his retreatin’ back. Flint gives me a simple wave, the letdown clear on his face as the pair of them head off to that fancy gray SUV.

  The three of us watch as they get in and drive away, and then I turn and look at Mama through the screen door with a brow arched and arms crossed. “You told me I was dropped off at your doorstep by an angel,” I say dryly.

  True to her gumption, Mama just shrugs. “Well, demons are just fallen angels, ain’t they?” she counters.

  Now I’m the one gapin’. “Really, Mama?” I counter. “That’s what you have to say about all this?”

  She shrugs and shoves open the screen door, and Daddy and I both walk inside to the blessed A/C. “You think they’re lyin’?” she asks me.

  I bite my lip in thought, but a resoundin’ no blares through my mind. “It’s crazy, right?” I say instead.

  Mama tilts her head at me, her frizzy red hair held up with both humidity and hairspray. “I told you time and time again how we found you.”

  My eyes bug out. “I thought all that left on the doorstep by an angel talk was just somethin’ you said to me when I was little to make me feel better about bein’ adopted!”

  Mama and Daddy both scoff like that’s ridiculous. “Course not. You know I don’t tell lies. It’s a sin,” Mama says.

  “But they said I was a demon!” I argue.

  Mama lifts a shoulder. “I didn’t know it wasn’t an angel. All I saw were some wings. Purple, I think.”

  Purple wings? What kind of angel has purple wings?

  I stumble more than sit in the chair at the dinin’ room table. “What in the world is my life right now?” I groan as I bury my head in my hands.

  “Your life is just what it should be, honey girl,” Daddy says, and I look up at him with a soft smile, makin’ myself take a deep
breath and calm down.

  I should probably be freakin’ out more right now. Maybe I’m in shock. Or maybe Alder is right. Somewhere deep down, I’ve known that I didn’t fit, not the way I was supposed to, anyway. I had my money on Professor X showing up one day and askin’ me if I’d like to attend his school with the other X-Men, but I guess secretly bein’ a demon works too.

  “Here,” Mama says, settin’ down a steamin’ bowl of gumbo in front of me. “Eat. Everythin’ is always better once you got a full belly to think on.”

  “How the heck are you so calm right now?” I demand. I blame my easygoin’ nature on them.

  “Because it doesn’t change anythin’,” she answers simply.

  I nearly spit out my first bite of gumbo. “Mama, I just got told that I’m a damn demon! Evil Hell spawn! How are you not freaked out, callin’ Pastor David and gettin’ me exorcised?”

  Mama snorts and plops down next to me, glarin’ daggers at Daddy until he moves the shotgun off the table.

  “You don’t need to be exorcised,” Mama tells me. “There’s nothin’ wrong with you. And if you’re a demon, then demons can’t be evil Hell spawn, because you’re as good as they come, baby girl, and that’s that. Ain’t no one gonna tell me otherwise.”

  I stare into my mama’s green eyes and fight back the emotion that crashes through me at her words. I don’t know how I got so lucky at bein’ left on the stoop of such lovin’ and beautiful people. They’re far better than I ever deserve, and I wouldn’t give them up for anythin’.

  Daddy nods and slops some food in his mouth. “Your mama said it. She’s right as butter on a biscuit.”

  He gives me a wink, and I shake my head with a small smile.

  “So your people were demons, who cares?” Daddy says with a shrug. “You’re a Bell now, and that’s all that matters. We’re simple people. I’ll leave all that salvation and damnation to the Bible thumpers, but you, my girl, were a blessin’ from the day you arrived, and if we have Hell to thank for that, then so be it.”

  I toss up my arms around both of their shoulders and wrap them up in a hug that has us all gigglin’ between our sniffles and cheek wipes. “You guys are the best parents ever. If a demon did leave me with you, then they can’t be evil, either, because you two are the best people I know,” I whisper into Mama’s hair while she pats me on the back.