Hell Transporter (Between) Page 6

  Dad looked surprised. “Really? When did he say that?”

  I froze in place, my hand suspended in mid-air, reaching towards the pots and pans. I realized he’d barely said two words to me before he left last night. Dad had been standing there the whole time. I grabbed a pot and hoped Dad didn’t notice my mental stutter.

  “Um… when you called on the cell phone, I told him you were coming and he said he’d stop by to meet you, but that he’d take off for a day so we could be alone.” I prayed my explanation didn’t sound too suspicious, but he bought it and went into the living room to build the fire back up. I let out the breath I’d been holding, thanking God for getting me through yet another close call.

  Dinner was a pretty quiet affair, but afterward we played Scrabble and I beat him soundly two games in a row. He joked that at least he was getting his money’s worth out of my college education. It was getting late and I should have been tired after spending all day in the sun on the lake, but I was twitching like I’d been knocking back shots of espresso. Dad, on the other hand, was fading fast. He took a final sip of his hot cocoa and called it a night.

  After he went upstairs, I paced the floor in my pink flannel nightgown and slippers, trying to decide what to do. I thought about talking to Aiden, but he hadn’t reached out to me all day.

  You can go one day without him, Lindsey, I told myself. I scanned the bookshelf and pulled out one of my mom’s paperbacks, then settled onto the couch to read. The cover of the book was torn off and I got a good fifty pages into the book before I realized that it was a bodice ripper.

  “I brought you some refreshments.” Laurabelle held out the tray of lemonade and cookies, her southern drawl coming out strong.

  Dax glanced up from the car motor he was working on and put one hand over his brow, squinting. The sun streamed in from behind her, lighting her long, strawberry blonde hair like a halo. He could see the outline of her naked body through her thin cotton dress.

  “Delicious,” he murmured as she turned away from him and set down the tray, the light showing off her shapely legs. He came up behind her and put his arms around her waist, and she could feel his desire pressing against her. She twisted in his embrace and he leaned her against the body of the car, pulling her dress up and wedging himself between her legs. Moaning, she reached for his zipper…

  “Holy crap!” I dropped the book in my lap, my heart racing. Even though I knew I was alone, I glanced guilty around the room as if someone might have seen my blush. I flipped it over and read the back cover, which would have clued me in that it was a bosom buster, if I’d thought to read that first. I tossed it back on the bookshelf, feeling shocked and disconcertedly turned on.

  Standing in front of the fire, my limbs tingling, I tried not to think about Aiden. I could hear the sounds of the forest coming alive outside, the frogs croaking and crickets chirping, and decided I needed some fresh air to help clear my head.

  I padded out onto the deck in my jammies, taking deep breaths of the cool night air. The stars filled the sky with their twinkling brilliance and I gazed up at them in awe. Aiden was out there in the woods somewhere, I knew, and my eyes scanned the trees looking for any sign of him. Moonlight pooled on the lake with a blue liquid glow and I ventured down the hill toward the water, drawn like a magnet to its beauty. My head swept from side to side as I walked, but I saw nothing but a screen of trees all around. A frog’s throaty call erupted loudly next to me on the trail and I jumped, letting off a high-pitched squeak. I glanced up nervously at the cabin where Dad was sleeping, but there was no movement in the window.

  “Oh, to hell with it,” I said to the frog, and tramped off into the bushes along the lake, trying in earnest now to find any trace of Aiden. Visions of him filled my head and my pulse quickened at the thought of being alone with him in the woods. Hiking up and down the hill, I strained to catch a glimpse of him, but with only the silver light of the stars filtering down through the trees, I couldn’t see a thing.

  I didn’t want to call to him in my mind, since he’d specifically told me he wouldn’t see me until tomorrow. But dammit, I wanted to see him. Frustrated, I kicked a pinecone and it skidded down the hill, bumping into trees as it rolled.

  “Aiden, where are you?” I muttered dejectedly to myself. Finally, I started back toward home, my slippers caked with dirt.

  Here.

  I caught movement behind me just before a hand came over my mouth, cutting off my scream.

  “You make more noise than a wounded stag in the brush. You shouldn’t be wandering the woods by yourself at night.” His voice was playful in my ear, but the warning tone was clear.

  I turned in his arms with a teasing smirk, my heart racing from the thrill of being with him again. “Oh yeah? Why not? Because I could get accosted by a wild, roving Scot?”

  He chuckled and held me tight. “Aye, that you could, indeed. But not tonight. You’re safe for now, at least.”

  I reached up on my tiptoes to kiss his neck. “What if I don’t want to be safe? What if I want to be taken advantage of by a crazy Highlander out here in the woods?”

  He pushed me back slightly and settled me on my feet. “Nae, love. I’ll not lie with you while your Da is sleeping soundly in his bed in yon cabin. Or have you forgotten so soon the look he gave you when he thought I’d dishonored you?”

  The shame in his face sobered me and I let my gaze fall to the ground.

  “He told me at the lake today that he likes you and that he’s glad you make me happy.” I turned hopeful eyes to him.

  He touched my face, nodding. “He’s a good man, your Da. While we were out fishing, I asked for his blessing to make you my wife.”

  “You did?” The words came out in a croak. After the fiasco with the skunk and the toothbrush, I could hardly believe that Aiden had had the courage to bring it up.

  “What did he say?”

  Aiden’s face was serious and I got nervous for a moment that Dad might have said no.

  “He said that if I ever hurt you, he’d find me and kill me. I told him that if I ever hurt you, I’d want him to. Then he was quiet for a long time.” Aiden grew quiet then, too, remembering. “Then he nodded and said ‘Take care of her. She’s all I have.’ He doesn’t know you’re all I have as well.” He brushed a hand through my hair and bent his face to mine. His lips were warm and soft, and my bones turned to liquid as he kissed me. I ran one hand up the back of his neck, pulling him closer. I wasn’t sure whether it was the smutty book or because I’d missed him so much over the last two days, but his touch sent fire racing through my blood and all I could think about was getting his clothes off. I reached down toward his kilt, but he stopped me, his hold tight on my wrist.

  “No, lass. Not tonight. I promised your Da that I would treat you with honor and respect, and I will not lie with you while he is here. In fact,” his brows drew together, “I think perhaps I shouldn’t make love to you again until we’re married proper.”

  “What?!” I flung myself backward out of his arms, screeching.

  He glared at me, his lips set in a white line of disapproval.

  Keep your voice down, lass.

  But his comment had gotten my hackles up and I narrowed my eyes at him, staring him down, my hands clenched at my sides.

  Don’t you ‘lass’ me, Aiden MacRae. Let’s get one thing straight right now. I am your wife and I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks about it, not even my dad. I will not let any warped sense of honor or duty come between us and if I want to have sex with you in the woods, I will! Got it?

  Aiden’s eyebrows jerked up and I knew I had crossed a line, but I was beyond caring. The last two days of worrying about him and being separated from him had taken their toll, and I was beyond trying to be diplomatic about it. His face hardened into moonlit granite. I could see him trying to control his breathing as the anger built within him. He shook his head slowly at me, his eyes never leaving mine.

  You will not speak to me in suc
h a way, Lindsey. I will not have it. The steel in his voice chilled me.

  I thought we were already married. But maybe I’ve been fooling myself.

  He sucked in his breath like he’d been punched in the stomach. His eyes flashed angrily and I knew that I’d hurt him. Frustrated, I turned to walk away.

  He grabbed my wrist and whipped me back around to face him, his chest heaving with a barely restrained outburst.

  Where are you going? His voice was low and cold, but shook with an intensity that belied his true feelings.

  I yanked my wrist out of his grasp and thrust my chin out with a lot more courage than I felt.

  Home. You obviously don’t want me.

  He jerked back, eyes wide with disbelief.

  Don’t want you? Don’t want you?! God in heaven! An angry growl of frustration erupted from him and he strode away, swinging a vicious punch into the trunk of the nearest tree. Pinecones rained down at his feet and a bird flew off, flapping its wings irritably. He turned to stare at me, wild-eyed and beside himself with fury. His knuckles were scratched and bloody from the blow, but he paid them no mind as his eyes bore into mine.

  How can you even think such a thing? My God, woman, you’re all I think about day and night! His voice was incredulous and enraged, hot with passion, and he clutched my shoulders in his hands, shaking me.

  I didn’t back down but matched his temper, feeling the emotion and fire consume me as I challenged him. You say you want me but then you’re so worried about what other people will think that you’re ready to just cut me off altogether. Well, I don’t give a shit what anyone says! If you really want me, then prove it! Prove it, damn you!

  My eyes flickered to the boulder behind his shoulder and I visualized a graphic scene of him proving his passion forcefully, and wished he could see how I truly felt.

  He let out a strangled gasp of shock.

  How did ye do that? A mixture of fear and fascination swam across his features.

  I frowned at him in confusion, my heart still racing from our confrontation.

  Do what?

  You sent me your thought but it wasn’t just words. It was… I mean… I saw…

  No. Could he have seen it?

  What did you see?

  Color flushed into his cheeks like a shadow in the moonlight. His mouth twisted with amusement as he gestured to the rock with his head.

  I saw you bent over that boulder and me behind you with one hand twisted in your hair and the other on the small of your back.

  Now it was my turn to blush, as that was exactly the image I’d had in mind, but hearing him say it was something else altogether. He pulled me into his arms with a devious grin.

  Were ye really thinking that, love? Lord above, you’ve a nasty mind on you! You never stop surprising me, do ye? He kissed me forcefully, his fist gripping my hair as he pulled me to him. We broke away, panting and his eyes gleamed with excitement. But how did you do it? You’ve never sent me a picture thought before. I didn’t even know it was possible.

  But you did it first. When you were drinking whisky with my dad, you were thinking about licking my chest and I saw it.

  His jaw fell open and he promptly shut it again.

  You saw that?

  I grinned at his reaction and nodded. He sank to the ground and I snuggled up next to him, grateful for the chance to finally tell him what happened that night.

  It wasn’t just the image, though. When I connected with you in my mind, I felt drunk like I was the one drinking the whisky, just like I felt the poke on my finger at the rose bush.

  He leaned back and stared at me like the answer was somehow hidden in my eyes.

  But you didn’t feel it the second time I did it, aye?

  I shook my head and chewed on my lip, thinking. I tossed out a theory. Maybe it’s because the second time, you knew it was coming. Or maybe it’s because we weren’t connected in our minds when you poked your finger on purpose.

  He nodded slowly and played with my fingers while he tried to make sense of it.

  But I didn’t mean to send you that vision when I was drinking. I didn’t even know that I did. Why would that be? Do you see all my thoughts, then?

  I assured him that I didn’t and he looked relieved, but still confused. I ventured another guess.

  Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it lowered your defenses or something and let thoughts slip out that you didn’t necessarily mean to send me.

  Something connected in his eyes and he smiled triumphantly. You said that you felt the effects of the whisky. But when you saw the image of me kissing you there… He glanced down briefly at my chest and his eyes danced in the moonlight. Did you feel anything else?

  I remembered the rush of sexual excitement that gripped me with such intensity I’d had to grab the edge of the sink to keep my legs from buckling underneath me.

  Ah, you did. I can see it on your face.

  He leaned forward until his breath became mine and mine, his.

  So how could you ever think that I don’t want ye, ma chèrie?

  He kissed me hard and lust broke over me in waves, starting in my mind and flooding my senses until I shook with the need to have him. Now.

  Instantly, a menacing voice filled my head, hissing out a single word that brought the world to a screeching halt.

  Transporter…

  The venomous exhalation crawled like fire ants under my skin. Aiden jumped to his feet, his blade instantly in his hand, just as an overwhelming stench punched me in the gut.

  This was no skunk; this carried the smell of death, like a rotted corpse that had been sitting in the sun for days, covered in flies.

  I scrambled to my feet, covering my nose and mouth to block out the putrid scent. Acid burned my throat as my stomach heaved with nausea. An unearthly howl pierced the air, like an animal being torn limb from limb. The trees erupted all around me as hundreds of birds took flight at once.

  Aiden grabbed my wrist and we raced back to the cabin, desperate to get away from whatever was out there. As we ran, he kept his body turned slightly so he could cover my back.

  Mine… The voice hissed again, sending terror shooting through me. My foot caught on a tree root jutting out of the ground and I went down, face first. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. Aiden yanked me into a vertical position and we kept moving. Adrenaline carried me the rest of the way up the hill. Spitting blood and pine needles, I vaulted onto the porch and wrenched open the back door.

  I whipped around, expecting Aiden to follow me in, but he wasn’t there.

  Aiden! I screamed in my mind.

  Stay inside, Lindsey. Don’t come out, no matter what ye hear.

  I shut the door and leaned against it, my breath coming in huge gulps. Fear for Aiden consumed me so completely that I couldn’t even function. Blood dribbled down my chin, so I stumbled into the kitchen to grab a wet towel, praying feverishly for Aiden’s safety.

  The squeak of the rafters above reminded me that Dad was still upstairs asleep. A sense of purpose burned away the haze of panic clouding my mind.

  I can keep Dad safe at least.

  After grabbing the fireplace poker, I ran to the front door and locked it, then checked to make sure all the windows were secure as well. Holding the iron tool like a weapon, I paced back and forth.

  “Think, Lindsey! Think!” I whispered to the empty room, pounding my fist to my forehead. “Okay, the voice said ‘Transporter.’ But no one even knows that word but me and Aiden.” I scoured my mind to try and remember if I’d ever mentioned it to anyone else. I drew a blank.

  “Even if I had said it,” I argued with the empty room, “that doesn’t explain how he heard the voice. He was on his feet in a second. He heard it. He had to have!” My fingernails bit into my palm and I growled in frustration.

  “What the hell was that?” At the word ‘hell,’ my frozen brain finally clicked on.

  A cold sweat broke out all over my body.

  “Oh my God
.”

  My knees gave out and I crumpled into a ball on the floor. My mind flashed back to that day in between when I’d asked him what it was like transporting souls to heaven for all those years. And then I’d asked him that question, the one I couldn’t even say out loud: Did you take people to hell, too?

  He didn’t answer for a long time, but finally shook his head, his face unreadable.

  “No, I didn’t, though I have seen one who does.”

  When I’d pressed him, he’d described the hell transporter as a swirling black mass with an unholy stench.

  “When it touched the ground, it formed into this…” he’d struggled to find the words to describe it, his lips pulled down in a sneer, “… thing. I don’t even know what to call it. It was small and thin like a woman, but hunched over like a wolf, with sharp claws at the tips of its fingers. It had black, snarly hair and dry, crackling skin. Its tongue stuck out over its fangs with a wicked grin of violent, lusty excitement. I met its eyes for just a second and they flashed blood red at me, then I cast us out of there immediately.”

  The memory drenched me with a sick foreboding. Had a hell transporter followed him here? Why? What could it possibly want with Aiden? To take him back? To take him to…

  I couldn’t even finish the thought.

  As the shock began to wear off, huge sobs burst forth from deep in my gut. Burying my face in my knees so as to not wake my dad, I cried and cried, since there was nothing else I could do. Aiden was out there—alone—facing the demon that takes people to hell, with only a little dagger as a weapon.

  God, please save him. You’re the only one who can.

  After what felt like a lifetime, I fell asleep with the fireplace poker gripped in my hands.

  Chapter 9

  “Hey, pumpkin.” Dad’s voice woke me. Bleary-eyed, I blinked up at him from the middle of the living room floor. “What are you doing down here? And with this?” He pried the fireplace poker from my stiff fingers. Pain radiated down my neck and shoulder from the way I’d been sleeping, but all I could think about was Aiden.