His Soul To Keep (Dark Knights of Heaven Book 1) (24 page)

Chapter Forty-Six

Cassidy wrapped her arms around Rail, guiding him to the ground. His life was slipping away, escaping in each ragged breath that passed his lips. Slowly, he changed back to his human form.

"Rail! Rail! Come back. Don’t you dare leave me alone with that freak." Tears dropped onto his lower eyelids. “You are not going to die. Do you hear me?”

Wiping blood from his lips, Cassidy willed him to live. The connection between them was still palpable, but fading fast. Closing her eyes, she searched for the feeling. In her mind’s eye, she found silver threads running between her and Rail. Grasping hold of the threads, she forced her energy, her life, her love, along their path.

Nothing happened. Could he still feel her? Cassidy trembled, fearing he’d given up. In her soul, she felt their connection fray and separate. Strands unraveled. Her heart stuttered.

"No!" Grasping the mental image of the threads tighter, she turned them into chains and pulled him back to her. Cassidy strained against the tug of war, continuing to force her energy into Rail. Nothing else mattered. She had to keep him alive. Together they could find an escape. The alternative played through her mind like a bad horror movie featuring Lucifer raping and torturing her in front of Rail to break his will. Forcing her to watch and feel Rail die over and over until she lost her mind. A sadistic game to see who gave in first. The idea of Rail dying again and again for the sake of the Devil's pleasure created an inferno in her very soul. Rage she’d never felt before seared through her veins.

The blaze spread through her body, igniting every cell until there was nothing left free of fire. Cassidy inhaled the heat, welcomed the pain. On her exhale, the flames moved to Rail, engulfing them.

Lucifer stood to the side, panting, watching in fascinated disbelief. When Rail had fallen, he crowed with delight, planning to torture the brave little soul-keeper until Rail returned to life.

That was until a glow began to radiate from Cassidy. The light came from deep within her, filling her completely, spreading until it encompassed the fallen Knight as well.

"Impossible," he muttered, shading his eyes as the light filled the cavern. Lucifer had no idea what was happening. A mere human, even a soul-keeper, should not have the ability to call forth the Holy Light—a light held only by the One itself and the highest ranking angels.

After a few moments, the light dimmed, though it never wavered. Stunned, Lucifer found himself kneeling before a creature of legend—a being equally high-level demon and purist angel. Neither male nor female, yet both.

A being of pure iridescent light, radiating all the colors of the spectrum. Enormous black-feathered wings extended from its back, casting a shadow over Lucifer. There were no facial features, but Lucifer knew the creature stared into the deepest parts of him—hunting the remnants of his burnt soul. A wave of power washed over him, and for the first time in over a thousand years, Lucifer trembled in fear.

* * *

Cassidy looked down at her hands and skimmed them over her body. She couldn't find a single injury. They’d mysteriously vanished with her pain and fatigue, leaving her humming with energy. She felt fantastic. More than fantastic—she felt perfect. The bright white light filling the cavern didn’t bother her eyes. Rail lifted himself from her lap and stood, pulling her with him. He appeared to be completely healed as well, glowing with life and power. She leaned into him for a kiss.

"Rail, what happened?”

"I was dying and something pulled me back. I was at the edge of the Void staring into the darkness, then light.” Rail smiled and stroked Cassidy’s hair. "That would have been you, I guess."

She nodded and squeezed his hand.

Rail’s loving gaze turned confused and filled with concern.

"What’s wrong?" Prepared for an attack, Cassidy turned. Rail kept staring at her. Catching her reflection in his eyes, she grasped the reason for his concern. She was semi-transparent.

A flare of panic squeezed her heart, realizing Rail was semi-transparent as well.

The shock passed quickly, and Cassidy found herself overflowing with energy, pulsing with a strange sense of peace and renewed determination. The charge made her feel as if she could take on the world.

Smiling with a wicked gleam in his eye, Rail turned away from her to face Lucifer. Cassidy followed his line of sight and gasped in disbelief. It appeared Lucifer had somehow shrunk. He was back in his human form, but was less rock-god and more heroine junkie. It was as if all the imposing confidence and power had been sucked right out of him.

Emboldened, Cassidy took a step forward, ready to lay a major smack-down on the bastard. Rail held her in place.

"Unless you want to continue this fight," Rail rumbled, "I think you should let us go now."

* * *

Lucifer stared slack-jawed as the being before him spoke. The voice resonated in his head, ringing like a thousand bells and roaring like a thunderclap. Nodding numbly, he waved his hand and spoke a few words under his breath. In a flash, the arcane symbols turned to ash, and the blood ran from the walls. "Go," he mumbled, voice wavering. "The seal is broken."

“This is not over, Lucifer.” Rail pulled Cassidy close to him, unsure how exactly they were going to be deported from Hell. Energy skittered over his skin. Cassidy gasped. The summoning was being reversed. Afraid they would be returned to the compound—possibly creating a permanent portal to their home—Rail concentrated as hard as he could on an alternate location. A little island he’d purchased in the South Pacific to use as a second base. Hopefully, they would return to Earth there and not at home. He couldn’t risk the safety of the others. With a rush of air, Rail felt himself and Cassidy lift from the floor. Everything went dark and on the next breath, they shattered.

Chapter Forty-Seven

Cassidy woke to the warm caress of sunshine on her face and soft sand beneath her hands. Shifting slightly, she gasped, the breath stolen from her. Pain shot across her back. "Rail?" It was barely a whisper, but she knew wherever he was, he’d hear her.

"Right here, sweetheart." Strong arms slid under her shoulders and helped her sit up. "Here, drink this."

Something rough rubbed against her lips. Sweet nectar flowed into her mouth, cooling her dry throat. "What is that?" She coughed.

"Coconut water." Rail set the coconut aside, taking Cassidy in his arms. When she flinched, he let go immediately. "What’s wrong?"

"I hurt everywhere. Especially my back." How long had they been lying there? Carefully, she stretched to work out the stiff muscles. Forcing her eyes open, she inspected her arms and legs. There wasn’t a sign of the injuries she’d suffered. "If we’re healed, why do I hurt?"

Rolling his shoulders, he answered with a grunt of discomfort. "Apparently, there are some lingering reminders."

Blinking a few times against the bright sun, Cassidy gazed up at Rail. Smiling, he brushed a lose strand of hair back from her face. "What happened, anyway? One minute I was sure I was going to lose you and the next, Lucifer lets us go."

"I have no clue. And before you ask, I have no idea what that light was or why we became translucent for a while. Or why we healed."

"I know it sounds strange, but I think the light was coming from us. And it scared Lucifer."

Rail nodded sagely, his brow furrowed in concentration. "I think you may be right. I remember feeling a flood of energy. Feeling you fill me…and then…" He shrugged.

Cassidy smiled shyly. When Rail raised an eyebrow in question, she explained what she had done. "I just refused to let you go. For a moment, I felt you become part of me too."

"Well, whatever happened, I’m eternally grateful."

"Do you think God intervened?" Cassidy shifted in the sand and clasped Rail's hands in hers.

"The One has had plenty of opportunities to intervene in the past and didn’t. If he did so now, I don’t know why. Hell, I still don’t understand how Lucifer pulled us down there. Our barriers are supposed to protect us from dark magic when we’re on the island." With a heavy sigh, Rail gathered her back into his arms. "Are you okay?"

Nodding wearily, Cassidy glanced around. Above her, giant palms swayed in the breeze, making blue shadows against the setting sun, but something was off. It didn’t feel like home. "Where are we?"

"An island I bought about five years ago. I thought we could use it as second base.”

“Why? Your place is huge. All those rooms upstairs—"

“I wanted to be prepared. If we find more Knights, we’ll need the space or we’re liable to splinter off again.” Grumbling as stiff muscles complained, Rail stood and helped Cassidy to her feet. "But since flashing is a team effort, and I wasn’t patient enough to take up sailing, I only finished the first set of living quarters last year. Haven’t been back since."

"What kind of condition is it going to be in?"

"There is an indigenous tribe living on the neighboring island. I hired them for security and to keep the place in good condition."

"What about food?" Cassidy covered her rumbling stomach with her hands. "I’m starving."

"There’s plenty of fruit available for the picking, and I’ll flash to the neighbors to see if anyone has fish to sell. But first things first." Snatching a tattered piece of fabric from the sand, Rail tied it around Cassidy’s breasts in a makeshift top.

Cassidy laughed. Rail bent toward her and she placed a kiss on his lips. She felt so connected to him; there was no telling where she ended and he began.

Without breaking the kiss, Rail scooped her up. Cassidy relaxed in his arms as they walked through the trees to a bungalow set off the beach. "All the comforts of home," Rail whispered against her cheek, carrying her inside.

"It’s beautiful." The caretakers had done a great job. The place smelled so fresh, no one would have known it had been vacant for a year.

The décor was light and airy. Everything shimmered in some shade of sand from pale pink to dark tan, including the walls and the golden wood floors. Even the giant sectional taking up most of the front room was a light cream. But rather than feeling buried in a sandbox, the space was warm and comforting. Splashes of darker color accented the room in the form of artwork, pillows, or bouquets of fresh flowers sitting in colored vases on just about every flat surface.

"The kitchen is over there." Rail nodded to the efficiency-style kitchenette to the left. "And the bedroom is this way." He set her down and led Cassidy past a wall of glass looking out onto the ocean and into a hairpin turn. To the right, a Japanese divider made of polished wood slats and rice paper created a privacy wall. Cassidy’s mouth dropped open. Inside the bedroom sat a bed twice as big as the one they shared at the compound. Only instead of dark silk sheets, this one was covered in fresh white cotton linens and positioned so there was an unobstructed view of the horizon.

Standing in such a bright and welcoming space made Cassidy feel refreshed.

"If there weren’t so many other people at the compound and so little privacy, I’d have done something like this at home."

Cassidy motioned to the rice paper walls. "Maybe we can take down the wall between our two rooms and put in a divider like that. It would keep things light and still give you some privacy when you wanted it."

Rail laughed. "I’m not one to be concerned with privacy, but we’ll add it to the list of remodeling ideas." Leading her to the bathroom, he asked, "Bath or shower?"

"Both?" Cassidy answered hopefully. "I need to wash my hair, but I want to take a long hot soak too."

"Sounds like a plan. It will only take a few minutes to get the water cistern heated." Rail turned a valve wheel on the bathroom wall, and the water heater ignited with a soft puff of gas. Satisfied, he stepped out of his torn jeans. Cassidy giggled as he turned his back to her. "What?"

"You have a bird feather on your back." Cassidy plucked a small black feather from where it stuck to one of Rail's wing tattoos and handed it to him.

"Must have picked it up on the beach," he answered, setting it on the vanity. With a few tugs, he helped Cassidy remove the remnants of her clothing.

Looking at the bloodstaining the scorched bits of fabric, Cassidy was again shocked they had not only survived Hell, but escaped from it. Escaped alive, whole, and healthy—save for some aches and pains.

Stepping into the spray, Cassidy let the memories wash away with the dried blood and filth. Closing her eyes, she sighed in bliss. The sigh built into a moan of pleasure as Rail worked a soapy sponge over her body.

Turning, Cassidy arched into him. Rail took her right nipple into his mouth, sucking hard, teasing her with his tongue. The sponge dropped to the tub floor with a wet plop.

"You are mine," Rail rumbled against her skin.

"Yes." Cassidy sank her fingers into his wet hair. "I’m yours." She gasped, surprised when Rail sunk two, then three, fingers deep inside her, continuing to suckle at her breasts. "More! Don’t stop." She rode his hand, her climax building like a storm. When the storm broke, stars exploded in her eyes. "Oh, God," she murmured falling limply against his hot, wet skin.

"Too much too soon?" Rail asked, his breath frantic pants against her neck.

"No. Just give me a second to catch my breath."

"Take all the time you need." Rail chuckled, using his heel to kick the stopper closed to fill the tub. With one last flick of his thumb against her swollen nub, Rail withdrew his fingers and lifted Cassidy’s chin until her mouth met his. After a deep kiss, he whispered, "We’ll take that soak you wanted." Carefully, he lowered them into the hot water. Water continued to rain down from the shower, caressing them.

Feeling curiously restored, Cassidy twisted and pushed Rail beneath her. Straddling his hips, she planted her hands on his chest. "I’ve never made love in the rain before."

Rail sat up, entering her in one stroke. "I’ll add that to my list." Slowly, his mouth worked along her collarbone, over her shoulder, and back before moving lower to take her left nipple between his lips.

Moaning softly, Cassidy slowly moved her hips. As the pressure in her grew, she increased her speed until another orgasm ripped through them.

Breathing heavily, Cassidy slipped to the side and curled up next to her lover, closing her eyes in blissful fatigue as the hot water washed over them.

* * *

Rail stretched casually and slid from the bed with care not to disturb Cassidy.

As much as he would have liked to hide away forever, as Cassidy had once asked, they needed to let the others know they were safe and find a way home.

He had a job to get back to.

Wrapping a sarong around his waist, Rail retrieved one of the satellite phones from the nightstand. With a glance at Cassidy, he padded quietly out on to the deck running the length of the glass wall overlooking the ocean.

Hacker answered before the first ring registered in Rail's ear.

"Where are you?"

"Safe," Rail answered, watching a flock of sea birds take flight.

"Is Cassidy…" The open-ended question relayed his brother's concern.

"With me and safe, as well. She’s sleeping right now." He looked over his shoulder and smiled at the figure curled around a pillow in the center of his bed. "I’ll tell you everything when we get back."

"I’ll see what I can do, but it may take a while. You’ll need to be ready the second I call you back."

The urgency in Hacker's voice gave Rail an uneasy feeling. "If the others are on patrol, we can wait."

"Dude, are you kidding? I need to get your ass back here as soon as I can find someone free to pick you up!"

"What’s the hurry?" The knot in his stomach turned to ice.

"Last night all hell broke loose—literally."