Chapter 29 #2
“I think a bird flew into the window.” Eli craned his neck to get a better look.
A small, misty cloud escaped from his lips as he spoke.
He casually strode to the front of the church, looking at the window for damage.
From where I stood it appeared to be okay, but I couldn’t say the same about the bird.
My gaze dropped from the window to the pews. There, sitting alone, was the young woman from the river. I slowly approached and took a seat next to her. “I was hoping I’d find you here.” I gave a tight-lipped smile. “Can you tell me what happened to you?”
The girl turned to me and opened her mouth to speak, but only a wheezing sound came out. They’d taken her voice even in death. My eyes lingered on her throat, and my stomach churned. I reached out my hand, and I hoped she’d take it. She deserved to find peace.
Vengeance wasn’t worth an afterlife of misery.
“I thought I told you not to go into the church without me.” Grey’s voice was a low growl. A shiver raked over my body at hearing his voice.
Emory and Eli’s attention snapped toward the entrance. They might not be able to see the spirit, but they could definitely see the demon stomping down the aisle.
Grey’s fists clenched at his side and his back went ramrod straight.
“What—” Howls in the distance cut me off. “Was that?” I asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
The girl shook uncontrollably as the howls sliced through the night. Without thinking, I reached out with both hands. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you,” I apologized and gripped her arms tightly, trying to will her spirit to pass beyond the veil.
She vanished, taking the unnatural coldness with her. I wasn’t sure if it was my doing or her own. But I prayed she found peace.
“Everyone else can hear that too, right?” Emory’s head whipped around the church. Eli remained seated in his usual spot; legs stretched out in front of him.
“Hellhounds,” Grey said flatly, his voice devoid of emotion. His body tensed, and a low hiss sounded from the collar.
Manic laughter bubbled from my throat, the kind you hear bouncing around the halls of an insane asylum.
“We need to get out of here,” I managed to say, pulling myself together enough to speak.
“No.” Emory shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere with you.” She crossed her arms, taking a defensive stance. “Not until you tell me who the hell that is.”
Eli finally stood, strolling over to Emory’s side. He wore a tight expression but said nothing.
“Grey.” I pointed in his direction. “Eli and Emory. Okay, introductions over. Now let’s go.” But Emory made no effort to move.
“Emory, I swear to god—”
Another howl. But this one was much closer. Terror washed over me, raising the small hairs on my neck.
“You’re going to need this.” Grey shoved something heavy into my sweaty palm. I turned the knife over in my hand. “It’s made of iron. It’s supposed to repel spirits, but it’ll stab through flesh just fine.”
I clutched it tightly to my chest. No one had ever given me something like this. “Thank you,” I whispered, the words barely enough to express the overwhelming gratitude that flooded through me.
“Now, when I tell you to run, you fucking run.”
Glowing red eyes appeared in the doorway, blocking the exit. The black hair at the nape of the hellhound’s neck stood, indicating we were a threat.
“Don’t make any sudden movements,” I whispered over my shoulder to Emory and Eli.
“Did you learn that from a Discovery Channel documentary on hellhounds?” Emory hissed.
The hellhound pounced. Grey only had a split second to decide between knocking me out of the way or attacking.
Strong hands pushed me out of the path of the snarls and razor-sharp teeth.
I connected hard with the wooden floor of the church and looked up in time to see the hellhound tear into Grey’s bicep.
Demon and beast wrestled with one another. A mess of claws, fangs, and teeth mashed together. Blood coated the floor, and I couldn’t tell which one of them it belonged to.
The hellhound crouched low, ready to strike another blow. Blood coated its teeth, dripping to the floor.
Grey’s mangled arm hung limp at his side. Lightening danced over his knuckles, but I didn’t miss the way his face contorted in pain.
My eyes met his.
“Run!” he yelled.
The hellhound charged, and I braced for the savage attack. But instead, it crashed into a wall of darkness. A frustrated snarl shook the church. Eli stepped forward, shadows unfurling like mist across the ground, winding around the beast like ropes, keeping it in place.
The hair on my head stood on end as a tingling sensation started in my fingers and spread to my toes. The air hummed with energy, a crackling charge just waiting to strike.
Grey didn’t miss the opportunity. His gaze locked onto the hellhound, eyes like wells of black, and power surged around him. Sparks danced across the collar, streaking down his arms. A bright light erupted, and a mass of raw energy tore through the beast.
Grey’s legs buckled.
Wood splintered and shattered as the shock sent the hellhound crashing into the pews. I scrunched my nose at the smell of singed fur and burned flesh. I expected the hellhound to be deep-fried, but its right ear twitched. I prayed it was only a residual shock from being electrocuted.
“Grey!” I dropped to my knees, cupping his face between my palms.
“You guys all good?” Eli asked, breathlessly. The shadows retreated around my feet as he approached. I’d never seen Eli use that much power. Blood coated his palms as shadows swirled around him like snakes, ready to attack any threat.
I gave him a thumbs up as Grey grunted, rising on unsteady legs. “Is everyone ready to get the fuck out of here, now?”
“Yes,” we all said in unison.
The walk to the car was painstakingly slow, but after what felt like an eternity, we finally made it.
“Here. Take my car.” I tried to toss Emory the keys to my SUV, but they slipped from my fingers and crashed onto the asphalt of the parking lot.
“Nice toss,” Grey groaned, leaning against his Camaro.
“Maybe if my hands weren’t slick with your blood, they wouldn’t have slipped.”
Eli’s eyes darted back and forth between us. Watching. Assessing. Not missing a single detail of our interaction.
“You got something to say?” Grey dug his own keys from his pocket.
“No.” Eli shook his head.
“I like him.” Grey tried and failed to open the door.
I reached out my hand and motioned for him to fork over the keys. “You’re in no condition to drive.”
Grey winced and begrudgingly settled in the passenger seat, muttering a string of curses as he tried to shut the door. I gave it a little bump with my hip, helping it slam shut.
“Want us to follow you?” Emory offered, hesitating before getting into the SUV.
“No, we’ll be okay.” I pulled her in tightly for a hug. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“I’ll crash with Emory tonight,” Eli said. “Best to let my dad cool off before going home anyway.”
“Tomorrow.” I gave her another quick hug and wrenched the Camaro’s door open. The damn thing was so heavy.
“You can drive a stick, right?” Grey asked, seeing my hesitation in the driver’s seat.
“Probably.” I shrugged like it was the easiest thing to do in the world.
“That was a yes or no question.” Grey reached for the keys, trying to take them back.
“I got this.” I’d driven Eli’s old pickup truck once, and I might have stalled at a red light and cried until Eli switched spots with me, but that was like five years ago.
Well, here goes nothing.
I put the car in neutral and pushed down on the clutch and brake. By some miracle it started. I shifted the car into first gear, and off we went.
Easy peasy.
The engine revved. The car jerked forward and then back.
Jesus, fuck. I eased off the gas and slowly pressed the clutch, shifting to second gear.
I moved my foot off the clutch and onto the gas, and the vehicle lurched forward but didn’t stall.
I guess we’d be going twenty miles an hour the entire way.
“Please, just make it home.”
“I’m really grinding your gears, aren’t I?” He didn’t laugh at my joke, but I did.
We inched home and into Grey’s driveway, moving at a snail’s pace. It honestly might have been faster to walk. But we made it.
I checked the rearview mirror for the hundredth time, making sure no hellhounds were following, and then pried my hands from the steering wheel, flexing my fingers to get the blood flowing.
Grey grunted, dragging himself from the passenger’s seat.
I stumbled around the car, attempting to help him. “That’s a lot of blood.” My eyes widened. “Isn’t it supposed to be healing?”
“It will,” he said through gritted teeth. “It is,” he corrected.
“If you say so.” I helped him up the steps of his front porch. The blood from the wraith’s attack had been overwhelming, but he had healed. The thought was a small comfort, and the tight knot in my stomach slowly began to loosen.
It took me a few tries to get the key into the lock. I wiggled it back and forth, until finally, I heard the click of the deadbolt, and the door opened. We barely stepped foot inside the house before he collapsed onto the dark brown leather couch.
“Okay, let me see it.” I knelt, peeling away the mangled material of Grey’s sweatshirt. My stomach somersaulted at the sight of the shredded flesh of his right arm. I turned my head, trying to keep the contents of my stomach from ending up in Grey’s lap.
Sweat coated his brow.
“We’ve got to clean the wound.” I stood to leave, but he grabbed my wrist, pulling me onto his lap, and kissed me. It started gently but turned desperate and needy. He coaxed my mouth open, his tongue twisting with mine.
“What do you think you’re—” I tried to pull away, but his good hand threaded through my hair, keeping me in place.
“You can’t be serious right now. You’re bleeding all over and only have the use of one arm.”
“I have enough blood to make my dick hard and only need one hand to make you come. I actually think I’ve proven I don’t need any.”
I wiggled from his lap, unzipping his pants just to make sure he wasn’t lying about having enough blood. I wrapped my hands around his hard length, working them up and down, earning a deep groan.
Maybe I was the one who was suffering from blood loss because this was idiotic.
“Lick it.” I clenched my thighs together at the pure command in his tone. I did what he said, starting at the base and dragging my tongue all the way to the tip.
“Take all of it in that pretty little mouth of yours.” I wrapped my lips around him and bobbed my head up and down. He was so big. I had no idea how he fit inside me.
“Fuck,” he murmured, grabbing a fist full of my hair. My eyes watered as he thrust deeper and faster, brutally fucking my mouth.
“Your mouth looks so good around my cock,” he said through labored breaths, and I could feel myself getting wetter at his words. I gagged as he hit the back of my throat and tears stung my eyes, but I forced myself to take all of him.
Saliva coated his dick and dripped down my chin as he pulled free from my mouth.
Grey leaned forward, sliding his good hand down the front of my leggings. “Let’s see how much you liked sucking my dick.” His fingers came away covered in my desire.
“Taste yourself, little witch.” He brought his fingers to my lips. Saltiness with a hint of sweetness filled my mouth as I sucked his fingers clean. “Such a good girl, you are.”
His arm snaked around my waist, hauling me to my feet. “Take them off now.” He motioned toward my leggings. I shimmied out of them, letting them fall to the floor. “Those next.” My hands shook as I pulled my underwear to my ankles and stepped free.
His eyes darkened. “Come here,” he growled. “And tell me what you want.”
“You.” The word came out more as a moan, my body shaking with need as I settled onto his lap.
“Be more specific,” he murmured into the crook of my neck, and I wanted to jump out of my skin.
“I want to feel you inside me,” I whimpered as he shifted, adjusting himself.
He gripped my chin, forcing me to meet his stare. “I want to see those pretty eyes of yours when I fuck you. When you come undone.”
I gasped as he nudged my leg to the side, and I sank further onto him. My body trembled, preparing to be filled completely by him.
“I love the way you fucking feel,” he tugged on my earlobe with his teeth, and my body relaxed at his words.
I shrugged out of my T-shirt and bra, chucking them to the floor. Grey admired my body and brought his mouth to my hardened nipple, nipping at the sensitive flesh, before biting down hard enough to elicit a scream. He flicked his thumb over the other, and I bucked at the sensation.
He quickened his pace, and my legs began to shake. “Are you going to come all over my cock?”
“Yes,” I cried out, rolling my hips.
An arm wrapped around my waist, allowing him to thrust harder and faster.
“Look at me,” he ground out, and my eyes snapped to his. Pools of pure darkness stared into my soul as I shuddered around him. His muscles tightened beneath me and then relaxed as he finished.
It wasn’t until the high wore off that I looked down and noticed we were both covered in blood.
“Oh my god.” Dark spots invaded my vision. From the orgasm or the mangled sight of his arm, I couldn’t be sure. “Shit. Shit, Grey.” I attempted to pull away, to find something to stop the bleeding, but his arm pinned me against him.
“Stay,” he murmured against my chest.
I tried again to stand, but the last little bit of adrenaline drained away. Exhaustion clung to my limbs.
“Let me listen to your heartbeat a little longer,” Grey said as I fell against him, letting his own heartbeat lull me to sleep. Our breathing slowly evened out as we lay tangled together, bloody and satisfied.