Chapter 4
CHAPTER
FOUR
When we checked out early the next morning, Kate the receptionist was back on the front desk.
She took in Uko’s arm around my shoulders and the post-sex glow on my face, and grinned like the Cheshire Cat.
“I see you enjoyed your stay,” she said politely, but her eyes were practically dancing with delight.
Uko gave her a blinding grin. “Indeed. I found the water pit to be excellent,” he told her, then leaned down to nuzzle my neck. I was no longer against PDAs. Hell, I was pretty sure Uko could lay me down on the lobby floor and fuck me senseless, and I’d love every second of it.
“The hot tub,” I corrected, smiling softly at Kate. “I really appreciate your help.”
She waved away the compliment as she completed the check-out process. When she handed back my credit card, I could tell she wanted to high-five me again but resisted. “I hope you have a wonderful journey. Thank you for staying with us.”
Uko waved and grabbed my hand, walking us out of the lobby and back up the street. Beale Street was bustling with businessmen and tourists at this time of the morning, and I felt a pang of guilt. “You would have enjoyed Beale Street. I feel a little guilty that I kept you in last night.”
He leaned down and kissed my temple. “I had the best night of my immortal life last night. I do not regret a momentary second.” He paused. “Actually, I am still a bit annoyed about the room service interrupting the hot tub time.” He winked. “But it all worked out in the end.”
We rode the elevator up to the correct level of the parking garage, making out like horny teenagers the whole way up.
We were just in sight of my car when Uko froze like a deer.
Leaning against the hood of my car were two huge, golden men.
Between them was a beautiful redhead, but something about her seemed off.
One of the golden guys saw us first and punched the other in the shoulder. “Ha! Told you this was his scent, Rom.”
The pretty redhead laughed, hip-checking the one who was gloating. The grumpier-looking huge guy rolled his eyes and glared at us. “Ukobach. It is time to return to Hell.”
I wanted to cry as I looked between them and Uko. He looked sad but resigned, and when his eyes flashed to me, pain burned in their depths. All the marks in his body slowly turned a dull, dark green. Was that their color for sadness?
He leaned down and kissed me. “Thank you for summoning me,” he whispered against my lips.
I hugged him back. “Thank you for not being your brother,” I hiccuped out, making him laugh.
He walked toward the three demon hunters, and I could see the woman looking at me sadly.
“Wait! It’s too soon. You weren’t meant to be here for another day or two.
We were meant to have more time. Please,” I begged her.
She looked up at the big one, and when he shook his head, she looked at the other one. “Rouen…”
“Aw, come on, Rella. You know we’ll have to stay here until we take him back.
I had plans.” He waggled his eyebrows. It didn’t take a genius to know those plans involved no clothes.
She smiled at him softly, her eyes hooded.
Yep, they were definitely a couple. When she pouted—honest-to-goodness pouted—he leaned forward and bit her bottom lip softly. “Fine.”
Then they both looked at the big guy, Rom. He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. “No. I want to go home to our Pack. Charlie and Naz are waiting for us.”
The redhead, Rella, stood up on her tiptoes and whispered something in his ear. He rumbled low in his chest, the sound raising all the hair on my arms, but he had a tiny smile on his lips.
“Fine. But you only have until midnight. Then Ukobach over there will turn back into a pumpkin.”
The other hunter whipped his head around. “Did Romanus just make a Cinderella reference? That’s it. The end is here, people! It’s the Apocalypse.”
Romanus slapped him in the back of the head, then looked at Uko, who’d drifted back to my side. “Go, fornicate like monkeys or whatever you want to do. But do not run. You will not like the results if you make us chase you.”
I swallowed down the emotion that was threatening to crush my chest and gave Rella a watery smile. “Thank you.” I paused and looked up at Uko. “Actually, we’re going to the State Fair of Texas if, you know, you want to come too.” I didn’t want them to think we were running when we left the state.
Both the demons and Uko looked at me like I was insane, but the Rella clapped her hands together. “Yes! I’ve always wanted to go. I didn’t think I’d ever get to, now that I’m in Hell, you know?”
Both the big guys winced, and I had a feeling she’d just gotten her own way. Romanus nodded. “Whatever,” he huffed out.
The other one, Rouen, grinned along. “I’m down. We’ll stay out of your way.”
I nodded thankfully. “This is my car here. Do you need a ride down there? Dallas is about six hours away.”
Rouen grinned. “Don’t worry. We have a quicker way.”
Then they turned into mother-flipping dragons, and I passed out.
When I woke, I was wrapped in Uko’s arms and we were landing just outside of Dallas on an abandoned stretch of road. Uko sprang from the back of the dragon, which turned back into a man.
You know what, maybe I had died in my apartment. Getting banged by a hot demon was within the realms of reality, but freaking dragons?
The redhead touched my shoulder. “You okay?” When I nodded, she began walking up the side of the highway. “There’s a gas station up ahead. We’ll get an Uber to the Fair.”
On the walk, I found out that the big guys were really gargoyles, Hell’s best demon hunters. They also kept joking about the redhead being a Princess of Hell.
The Uber driver didn’t even blink about picking us up at a gas station in the middle of nowhere, with no car in sight. The Fair was still an hour away, and I pressed myself to Uko’s side, just breathing him in. His fingers played on the inside of my knee, but we were both silent.
When we pulled up at the gates of the State Fair, it was already busy, even though it was a weekday and still reasonably early. Romanus looked over at us. “We will meet you back here at midnight, Ukobach. Remember, do not make us chase you.”
Uko and I both nodded fervently and watched as the weird trio disappeared into the crowd. Reaching down, I twined my fingers with his. “This is it. Let’s go have fun, okay?” He leaned down and kissed me with so much tongue that a mother tsked us as she walked past, making Uko grin against my lips.
I grabbed our tickets and stepped through the gates. Men, women and children stared at the beauty of Uko, but he just gazed down at me like he didn’t see anyone else. How was I ever going to date again, when I’d compare every man against Uko?
Do you know those absolutely perfect days that are forever etched in your memory?
Today would be one of those days for me.
We ate deep-fried everything, from gumballs to butter to literal deep-fried hamburgers.
We rode the rides until I threatened to throw up, going on all the scary ones that I would have skipped if Uko hadn’t been there holding my hand.
We ate and drank, and then at nine p.m., we watched the fireworks from a secluded piece of lawn in a restricted part of the park.
I mean, what’s a little rule-breaking after sleeping with a demon and riding a freaking gargoyle?
I documented it all on my camera. Once Uko was gone, I would have these memories of his face, the way he looked, the way he stared at me.
Uko added a little oomph to the fireworks, taking them from pretty to transcendent.
I lay back on the grass, my head pillowed by his bicep, and watched the colors burst in vivid patterns, chasing each other around the sky and generally going against the laws of nature.
I laughed and cried a little as he made one of the big skyflower ones look like a love heart.
Then he rolled me onto my back and made love to me until I saw fireworks behind my eyelids.
By the time eleven-thirty rolled around, I was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. He had me wrapped in his arms as we talked about the day, the things we’d seen, and about life in general. I was desperately trying not to remember that in a few hours, I would be on the way back to my old life.
A life without sexy demons and spontaneous trips and fireworks. Without Uko.
As the minutes counted down, there was no more talking. I just sat in his arms, looking at his melancholy green squiggles and trying not to cry.
“You know, when you summoned me, all drunk and not wearing pants, without even a summoning circle, I could not believe my luck. I thought I would just walk out the door and live for the few hours before the hunters came and returned me home.” He gave me a sad smile.
“But you were so adorable, talking about my dick and looking at me all wide-eyed, like you could not decide if you wanted to run away screaming or fuck me into oblivion. I found I wanted to stick around and find out.” I laughed, but it was more of a sob, and he tilted my chin up so he could see my face.
“You are so beautiful, Elsie. Your imp-shit of an ex was wrong. You are so perfect, funny, smart, brave, and one day, a human who is not an excrement stain will see that. I hope that you get everything your heart desires. This has been the greatest forty-eight hours of my existence.”
I pushed against his chest, then drew him closer. “Stop, or I’m going to cry.”
He cupped my face, his thumb running along my cheekbone. “You are already crying.” He kissed the remaining tears from my cheeks. Eventually, he stood, pulling me up behind him. “Come on. It is time to go. I do not want to get on the bad side of the hunters.”
We walked slowly, each step seeming more and more dreadful.
It felt like walking Uko to death row, and it was killing something inside me.
We saw the three hunters, smiling and cuddling, and I realized that all three were lovers.
They looked so freaking happy. Both the guys looked down at Rella with such love in their hearts, that it made my own ache even harder.
As if they scented their prey, both gargoyles turned toward us. The big one, Romanus, nodded. “It is time to go.”
Ukobach nodded, leaning down and kissing me softly. “Live big, Elsie. Don’t forget me.” He stepped forward, and the gargoyles grabbed one wrist each.
Then he was gone. Forever.
I sobbed and collapsed onto the gutter. Maybe I could go home and convince myself this was all a dream. I didn’t think it would help, but maybe I could get on with my life that way.
I didn’t realize that Rella was still there until she rested a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll make this right. Leave it with me. I’ve got some sway with the Big Guy.” Then she disappeared as well.
I sat there and cried into my hands until security came along and called me an Uber to the bus station. It was time to get on with it, but it felt like I had a huge hole in my chest that might never be filled.