Hell in a Handbasket Read online

  The mysterious white angel guy again?

  I creep closer and realize quickly that it’s not him. It’s Elias, stalking across the property, back hunched and muscles stiff. Like someone’s ticked him off.

  Join the club.

  I haven’t seen him in days. I wonder what’s up with him. He can’t be that peeved because of Cassiel, can he? It’s just a cat.

  Knowing I have to be quick to catch up with Elias before he vanishes again, I race down the hall to the back staircase, past the library, and out the door. Since winter is fast approaching, the sun is already starting to slide down, some of the trees in the yard rustling in the breeze. I spot Elias’s dark figure right away, heading for the woods again, as expected. I run over.

  Nostrils flaring, he pauses when he catches my scent, but when his head swings my way and he sees me, he picks up his pace.

  “Elias! Wait!” I call to him, waving like a loon. He definitely saw me, so that means he’s avoiding me for whatever reason. I’m fast, but I’m not hellhound fast. Not to mention how long his human legs are. I’ll never catch up. “Elias!”

  Finally, and to my relief, he slows. I reach his side.

  “Hey,” I say. “Where have you been?”

  He doesn’t respond. Doesn’t even look at me. Just keeps walking through the grass. The earth sinks under my sneakers, damp and cold, and the wind bristles past, making me shiver. Dammit. Skirts and late fall weather don’t go well together. I should have brought a coat or changed into pants first.

  Elias seems unfazed, of course, even though he’s only wearing sweatpants and a tight-fitting tee. I hug myself in an attempt to keep in some warmth, and he glances at me.

  “What are you doing out here?” he grumbles. Whenever the sunlight hits his face, his eyes shine amber, like a wild animal’s.

  “I wanted to make sure you’re okay,” I say, which is the truth.

  He harrumphs at that. “I’m fine.”

  “A bit grumpy, if you ask me.”

  He stops, drawing me to a halt, too. “Go back inside,” he says. “You shouldn’t be out here. Especially alone.”

  “But I’m not alone, am I? You’re here.”

  His jaw clenches, and the muscles pulse at his temples. Wow, something’s really got him mad.

  “Look, if this is about Cassiel…”

  He blinks, seeming surprised by me bringing him up at all. “The lynx?”

  “I thought maybe having him in my bed now may have upset you somehow? Encroaching on your territory or some animal thing like that.”

  Elias continues to stare at me, saying nothing, but I wait him out. After a few minutes, he lets out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t feel threatened by anything I could eat for breakfast.”

  My stomach sours at the thought, and I swallow roughly. Okay, note to self: Don’t leave Cassiel with Elias. Ever. He might become hellhound chow.

  I try to shake it off. “I thought something might be wrong with you since I normally wake up with you there annoying me first thing in the morning, and the past few days, I’ve been alone. Have you figured out how to stop sleepwalking?”

  Elias looks at me with an arched brow, appearing like he might growl any second at my comment. I don’t understand why his sleepwalking is such a touchy subject. “I’ve been… busy.”

  “Busy, huh?” Lie. But I decide to indulge him anyway. “Doing what?”

  “Aren’t you needed somewhere else?” he snaps in annoyance.

  “I was supposed to have work today, but that got tossed to the wayside.”

  He side-eyes me. “I’m sure Cain’s wondering where you’ve run off to.”

  “Fuck him.” I scoff. “He’s the last person I want to see right now. Or last demon, I should say.”

  His expression softens, the anger he’s been holding onto draining away. “Oh really? Well, that makes two of us, then.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Aria

  So that’s what this was all about? Cain?

  Huh. I wonder what he did to Elias to piss him off. Had to be big.

  “Where’s the furball now?” Elias asks, clearly changing the topic. I’ll have to see if I can pry more information on Cain out of him later.

  “Last I saw, he was sneaking into your bedroom,” I tease but keep a straight face and watch his mouth part with surprise.

  “If I find claw marks in any of my clothes, I’ll...” He doesn’t finish but marches past me toward the house.

  I lash out and snatch his arm, grinning. “Stop. I’m only kidding. Geez.”

  He pauses and twists at the waist to glance at me, but instead of an expression of disbelief, he smirks. “You were being funny.”

  “I was trying. But you take everything so seriously.”

  “No, I don’t,” he says, his tone confident, eyes guarded and drifting down my body and back up, pausing on my lips. “I just… have a lot on my mind.”

  “Y-yeah?” The inferno in my gut melts through me and collects between my thighs, my chest heaving up and down with rapid breaths. “We all do, don’t we?”

  He sighs, head turning toward the house. “I suppose you’re right.”

  I quickly take my hand back from his arm. “I think you just need to take a moment and chillax.”

  “Chillax?” His brows pinch.

  “You know… Chill out and relax?” I say. “You should try it sometime.”

  He studies me for a long moment, then his gaze starts to wander. A phantom touch traces down the valley of my breasts, covering me in goosebumps.

  Unexpectedly, his hand hooks around the back of my neck, forcing me toward him. Body to body, we press together, my breasts squashed against his strong chest, while he forces my head back so I’m staring up at him. “You want to know what relaxes me, Aria? A hunt.”

  My throat dries. “A… hunt?”

  He smirks. “I’ll give you to the count of ten. It’s only fair.”

  I choke on my next breath. “W-what are you talking about? Count of ten?” My heart drums loudly in my chest with trepidation.

  There’s a hunger in his eyes from this deranged game he’s playing, the animal within him waiting to pounce, catch, and devour. “And when I catch you, you are mine.”

  I shudder at the seductiveness and fear his words bring. I shove my hand against him, but he doesn’t release me.

  “Are you crazy?”

  His smile spreads into a full, toothy grin. “Maybe.”

  A tremor of anticipation runs through me. God, what is wrong with me? I don’t even know what this mad man will do to me.

  He throws back his head, laughing, the muscles in the arm that holds me flexing. “Okay, one rule only. You can’t run into the house or you forfeit automatically.”

  I blink at him in disbelief. “Where am I supposed to go, then?”

  “You’ll have to figure it out.”

  “No way,” I snap. “I’m not playing this ridiculous game with you.”

  He releases me, and I stumble away. “Ten.”

  Shit. I’m frozen on the spot, my pulse a raging river.

  “I’m not doing this!”

  He licks his lips, and my mind races. Where should I go? What do I do? I don’t want to play this game of his. There’s no way I’ll win.

  “Better start running, little rabbit.” A slow, cruel smile twists his mouth. “Nine.”

  I turn and run. I don’t even know where I’m going, but I’m careening around the massive mansion, my heart beating frantically and my feet shoving into the soft grass.

  I glance over my shoulder. Elias isn’t giving chase yet, but I can hear him counting in the distance.

  “Six.”

  He was just on nine! Of course he’d cheat. I should’ve expected that.

  Instead of swinging toward the house where he’ll most likely expect me, I swing left and plunge into the thick woods that I know lead to the lake Dorian took me to. Water will conceal my scent, then I can keep going and he won’t find me.


  I may not have speed, but I can be smart about this. Show him that two can play this game.

  The ground slides beneath me, but I don’t dare slow down. Already between the trees, the sparkle of the lake catches my eye. A flash of excitement flares over me, and I rush faster.

  What number is he down to now? Three?

  Looking back, there’s no thundering figure charging after me. I suck in each rapid breath before bursting out onto the bank of the lake. The water glistens, still as glass, and the whole area is tranquil.

  For a split second, I reconsider going in. The water has to be bitter cold—it’s nearly frozen in some spots. Do I really have to risk hypothermia to escape him?

  The sound of thundering footsteps and the sight of trees snapping to the side has my adrenaline spiking to one hundred. Elias is driving down the hill like thunder, headed right this way. That notion alone has me dashing into the cold embrace of the lake, fully clothed. It’s icy cold—the kind of cold that steals your breath away—but my racing panic wins over the chill right away. I push myself deeper into the middle of the lake, thankful I’m wearing sneakers and not those stiletto death shoes. There’s no way my ankles would’ve survived this.

  Just before he explodes from the brush, I take in a deep breath and submerge myself into the water. I’m not sure how long I can hold my breath, but it looks like I’m about to find out.

  ELIAS

  I shouldn’t tease myself, shouldn’t pursue something that will only come back and bite me later.

  The thought circles my mind as I race down the embankment toward the river. Except the animal inside me leads the charge, snarling in my chest, and any logical thoughts fade into oblivion.

  The chase consumes me. It’s been so long since I pursued such a worthy target, something I yearn to hunt down and take.

  Her sweet honey and sex smell mingles on the air like a dangled carrot, and I find it with ease and pursue it with frantic desperation.

  My chase brings me to the lake where the sliver of the setting sun heats my shoulders. The surface of the lake ripples outward from a strange spot not too far from the shore. I smile with certainty and kick off my shoes, then wrench off my shirt and pants. Naked, I lunge into the crisp, cold water, the heat from my body cooling.

  Swimming underwater, I rush forward until the movement of water flows against me. Murky water makes it hard to see her right away. She comes into view in a blur at first, remaining underwater, holding her breath.

  Dark hair sways back and forth around her, and for those few seconds, I could easily mistake this beauty for a siren. Pushing through the water to curl behind her, I dig my toes into the muddy ground and push myself directly toward her.

  My arms hook tightly around her middle, and with my momentum, I drive us both up and to the surface. The little thing struggles in my arms, gasping for air, hair sticking to the sides of her face. I love seeing her so surprised—she truly didn’t think I’d catch her in her hiding spot.

  “Found you,” I whisper in her ear, keeping my chest flush to her back and holding her off her feet.

  She twists her head to look at me, her glare dark, and I can’t stop laughing because she knows I’m right.

  “This is a stupid game. Of course you were always going to win.” She shuffles about in my arms and turns to face me. Her hair sits flat against her head, droplets running down her face, over her tempting, full lips. She is stunning in every possible way. She jerks herself out of my grasp and propels herself away from me. “It was hardly fair.”

  “Life is rarely ever fair,” I tease.

  She pauses and stands where the water reaches her neck, eyeing me, then glances over to the shore. “Why are you naked?”

  “Why aren’t you?”

  She narrows her eyes like the very notion is absurd, like what I’m proposing is never going to happen. It shouldn’t excite me, but it does. When I look at her, all I remember is her pressed up against the window in Cain’s clutches, and my heart ignites into a fireball. I can’t get the image of them out of my head. It’s haunting me.

  Gradually, she swims away from me, moving backward to put more distance between us. “Why are you doing this?” she asks, breathing heavily, water sloshing around her jawline with each movement she makes.

  “Because you are not only Cain’s.” It surprises me that I admitted that out loud, but it’s not the first time I’ve said crazy shit. And I have nothing to hide. I’m attracted to Aria. That I can’t deny, even if my head tells me I’m a fool to let myself ever get close to anyone again.

  And now this girl who has secrets of her own puts more distance between us. I recognize the shock on her face from my words. Her features sharpen, and a new confidence slides over those beautiful dark eyes.

  “New game,” she declares. “If I can reach the house before you, I win. I get until the count of ten before you start running.”

  I run her words over and over in my head. I already know there’s no way she can outrun me, but how do I make this game more… interesting?

  Gaze glued to mine, she continues to make jerky movements toward the shore. My muscles tense at a promise of another hunt, and with it, desire stirs.

  What am I going to do when I catch her this time? My mind races with possibilities.

  “Okay,” I say. “I’ll play.”

  Not a second passes before she whips around and swims out of the water. Frantically, she gets out, her skirt and shirt clinging to that stunning little body of hers.

  “Ten, nine… one,” I whisper under my breath and throw myself out of the water after her. She forgot the biggest rule when it comes to making deals with demons—check for loopholes. There were no rules about how fast or slow I could count to ten, after all.

  I charge onto the shore just as she bursts into the woodland.

  What my little rabbit doesn’t know is that I gave her extra time on the first round, but now, all bets are off. She’s mine, and nothing will get in my way.

  I run up the hill, over the grass that covers the land between lofty firs, and catch up to her in no time.

  She glances at me over her shoulder, her breaths racing, eyes flooded with terror. Her gaze scans my naked body, which seems to scare her more. That look alone drives me to want to take her over and over.

  Behind her, she leaves a sweet scent of arousal on the air, along with the freshness of lake water and the earthiness of the soil she kicks up in her race to escape me. My cock twitches, the image of what I’ll do to her already imprinting on my mind. Rip her clothes off, spread her wide.

  No one has ever made me feel such an overwhelming need before.

  I push forward and snatch her by the waist, tugging her to me.

  She cries out and drives an elbow into my gut. “You aren’t winning this time.”

  I groan from the sharpness shooting through my side, but my hold on her tightens. In one swift move, I kick her legs out from under her with a nudge of mine. She falls, and I sweep her into my arms just as she turns to shove me aside. I lose my footing on a dip in the land, and suddenly we’re both falling to the ground, her in my arms, her fury taking over her gaze.

  I take most of the brunt of the fall, cradling her against me as we fall on our sides.

  “Hey gorgeous.” I grip her hip with one hand, finding skin where her skirt has ridden up to her waist. Finding the thin fabric of her underwear, I curl my fingers under it and rip them off her in a savage move.

  Her mouth drops open as I toss her panties somewhere behind me. “Only fair, seeing as I’m naked.”

  “You monster.” She scrunches her nose, then makes a sound not too dissimilar to a war cry. With a shove, she forces me onto my back, and she’s suddenly straddling me. She sits on my cock, rubbing her wet pussy over me, and I hiss from the intensity, from the desire burning through me. Her thighs squeeze my waist, and she reaches down to grab my throat.

  “Are you ready for another game?” Her cheeks flush a pink color, her wet hair wil
d, and she licks her lips, showing me exactly what she wants.

  Fuck, I adore this woman.

  I reach up and grab the neckline of her shirt and tear it, the fabric ripping down her chest, buttons popping, the latch on the front of her bra unfastening in the move. Those beautiful breasts bounce freely, cherry red nipples tight and calling my name. She gasps but doesn’t move to cover herself. While I love my women strong, I take charge.

  Grasping her small waist, I thrust my hips up, and I twist us over so that I’m on top. She breathes heavily, and I love the reaction I have on her. I reach down between us and tug her skirt over her hips.

  She’s tiny compared to me, even if she writhes against me, pushing me against my shoulders. Those small sounds she makes, those heavy breaths, are a song to my ears. She’s exactly where I want her—legs spread and my cock sliding over her entrance.

  Her body tenses while fury burns in her eyes.

  “Ten… Nine… Eight…” I coo, toying with the girl whose hips already rock back and forth over my erection. Elation sweeps through me so hard it takes every fiber of strength to hold back a bit longer. Her arousing scent engulfs me, and I’m dying to sink my tongue into her pussy, to really taste her, but that means giving her a chance to escape. And she’s not going anywhere.

  “Seven… Six...” she continues, her hands gripping my shoulders, holding on, so ready for me despite her words.

  “One.” I growl against her mouth as I push into her. She moans, fingers digging into me with anticipation. I drive into her, widening her, fitting so damn perfectly that it’s like she’s made for me.

  Electricity sizzles between our connection.

  “First lesson when making a deal with a demon—always spell out everything.”

  She lifts her pelvis, drawing me into her. A rumble vibrates in my chest.

  “Bastard.” She cups my face, forcing me down to kiss her.

  I take my time with her, making sure she’s ready for my size, but she urges me to speed up with her hips, using them to meet my every thrust. Delicious waves of pleasure shudder through me the faster I go. Her thighs cling onto me, her ass off the ground.