Chapter 20

Chapter

Twenty

DASH

“Mmmm, yeah, baby. Harder!” I followed the sound of Keir’s voice to our bedroom to find Thane Nyxon fucking my husband—who was enjoying it. His lips were skimming Nyxon’s throat as he moaned and groaned at what the son of a bitch was doing to him in our bed.

“I can take care of you, Keir. I’m all you’ll ever need.” Thane looked at me with glowing eyes and a cocky smirk.

“You motherfucker!” I ran toward him, my hands wrapping around his throat. His fingernails scratched at my hands as I continued to squeeze the fucking life out of him.

“D-Dash! Stop! Wake up.” I opened my eyes to see my hands around Keir’s throat nearly crushing his windpipe.

I quickly ripped them away, and he staggered back from where I’d been napping on the couch in the hospitality room. I’d sat down to watch a basketball game and had obviously fallen asleep.

I jumped up and put my hands under Keir’s shoulders, holding him up as he tried to catch his breath. “Keir, I’m so sorry. I was having a nightmare, and I was choking someone in the dream.”

He glanced up to look into my eyes. “You never call me Keir. Don’t do it now. I don’t like it. We can’t let this shit change who we are and who we are to each other.”

Wrapping him in my arms, I kissed his forehead. “You’re right, Dearly. Where were you?”

I’d been cutting the grass when I’d seen Jonas ride up on his bike, but I didn’t stop, hoping to get the yard work done before the forecasted March rains came in. Had Jonas said something to upset Keir?

“Jonas came by to see if I knew where Nyx and Thane were hiding. I sort of yelled at him because shouldn’t they fucking know where Nyx is? How many places are there that she could remain inconspicuous?” Yeah, that would upset him.

Based on the nightmare—daymare?—I’d just experienced, I wanted to find this bastard and get it over with soon. That fucker had threatened me more than enough for me to be fed up with his bullshit. It was time to act.

“Look, I need to talk to Beelzebub, so I’m going to have Lilith take me back to Limbo. I forgot to tell you he got Jay put on administrative leave, so I’m guessing he went back downstairs. This bullshit needs to come to a head, so I’m going to see if I can push a few buttons. I’m going to call Adon and have him stay here with you. I’m hoping I’ll only be gone for a couple of hours, but I’m not sure how much help I’ll get by ordering a prince of Hell to give me the time of day.”

Keir was about to argue, so I held up my hand. “We have an appointment at the fertility clinic on Wednesday when they’re harvesting Amelie’s eggs. I’ll definitely be back for that.”

“Do you think it’ll take you that long?” His eyebrows were raised, and his expression wasn’t one of happiness.

“I don’t know how time is measured in the underworld. I’ll find Scotty and Jay and beg them to help me. I’ll be okay. Please don’t worry.” Of course he was going to worry.

I took his hand in mine and led him down the hall to our room. “First, there’s something we’re going to do so I can erase that fucking nightmare. Nobody gets your ass but me.”

“What?”

I laughed and began stripping him. In nearly record time, I had Keir opened and ready, my dick slathered with lube. I had him on his back, and I was slotted between his legs with my elbows next to his ears.

“I love you. You are mine. If anyone is listening, let that be a lesson to you.”

Without waiting, I slowly slid inside him, watching his face for any indication of pain. There was none.

“Who do you belong to?” I was hoping to erase the images of Nyxon fucking my husband, but I needed Keir’s help.

“I belong to you, and you belong to me. Forever.” Keir pulled me down to kiss my lips, and I passionately made love to him, trying my best to make it good for him.

Circling my hips and scraping my cock over his prostate so I could get him where he needed to be right along with me. Imagining someone else in such an intimate position with my husband made my heart race.

I pushed up to rest on my palms and pulled my legs closer, moving Keir’s ass up my thighs as I watched my steel-hard dick own his hole. “Fuck, you feel good.”

In my life, I’d found nothing that compared to the feeling of being inside Keir. When we were connected so intimately, I treasured every time Keir gave himself to me because it was truly a gift.

I didn’t want to spoil the moment by breaking the reverent silence in our bedroom, so I let my thoughts speak for me in a way I only shared with Keir. “You’ll always be the most important thing to me in this life or another. Our children, how many we’re blessed with, will be loved more than imaginable, but without you, I’d be wandering in the desert alone. You’re my home.”

Keir smiled. “You silver-tongued devil.”

We both laughed at his double-entendre. “Take us to heaven.” Those were words I needed to hear.

My body was on a mission to sate us both so my head could be in the game for my next mission. Slow and sensual. Eyes connected. I showed him the depth of my feelings through my actions, and when the two of us climaxed, him first and then me, there was no doubt in my mind my husband would never love or desire anyone the way he desired me.

I wentto Clegg Cycles and upstairs to Quinn and Lilith’s apartment, pounding on the door. It was eleven o’clock at night, and there was nothing like adding to a sense of drama by doing something at midnight.

When I’d dressed and left the apartment, Keir was tucked in bed, sound asleep with a smile. I hoped to be next to him before he woke in the morning, but that remained to be seen. Fingers crossed I wasn’t gone much longer than that.

When Quinn finally opened the door, I could see a light sheen of sweat over his bare chest. “I’m sorry to interrupt.”

“Dude, it’s eleven at night. Is something wrong?” I ignored the skimpy bathmat he was holding over his front.

“I said I’m sorry. I need to speak to your lady. If she can help me, I’ll be out of your way and you can get back to business. I swear.”

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ve got this. Catch up to where I am on our show, and when I get back, we’ll watch the rest of the series together. Again, I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you, but I had to see how the judge got his son out of a hit-and-run.” Lilith was dressed in a leather catsuit with black biker boots. Her hair was braided down her back. Watching television my ass.

Lilith kissed Quinn passionately, before turning to me and grabbing two motorcycle helmets from a shelf beside the door. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

I followed her downstairs and to the shed where the Honda was parked. Turning toward her, I laughed. “We’re not both going to ride this thing, are we?”

Lilith smirked. “No, we’re going to ride this.” She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she smiled and pointed behind me.

I turned to see an exact replica of the Viking’s Knucklehead parked where the Honda had been. If I were going to Hell, it would be the perfect ride.

Lilith hopped onto the bitch seat, and I swung my leg over the tank and sat in front of her. I kickstarted it, listening to that beautiful engine roar before I pushed it off the kickstand and took off.

Not knowing the outcome of our mission, I decided the helmet had to go. It was late enough that nobody would see us, especially in the blur of the speed I was planning to use, so I stopped and took the helmet off. Lilith did the same, tying a red bandanna around her forehead before dropping the helmets into the saddlebags.

“Okay, let’s go!”

I revved the motor and took off. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Lilith was tapping my shoulder and pointing to the turnoff for the Gates to Limbo. I parked the bike by a copse of trees and hopped off. Lilith did the same and we stared at each other for a moment.

“Stay with me. Scotty and Jay are meeting us at Club Limbo. Once we know what they’ve found, we can figure out the next steps. Thankfully, Jay can come and go to Hades to find Beelzebub for us. Maybe we can get this done in one trip.”

God, I hoped so. We went to the gate and Lilith rang the bell. A small, winged creature approached. It stared at her for a moment before bowing. “Welcome.”

It opened the gate, and we entered. “Key.” It bowed, which was a surprise. I returned the bow.

Lilith giggled. “That’s unnecessary, but I’m sure Arad appreciates the gesture.”

I was guessing the little being’s name was Arad, but there wasn’t time to dwell. Once we were through, Arad closed the gate and disappeared. Lilith started walking away immediately.

“What the hell was that?” I’d never seen anything like that small being. “I’m guessing it was a demon, right?” I was trying not to be a prick about it, but it was something unfamiliar to me. Though demons of any kind, vampires, princes of Hell, and angels were unfamiliar to me, so I needed to work on being more accepting of everyone unfamiliar, didn’t I?

“A gargoyle. Everyone thinks they’re mythical creatures, but they’re real—well, they don’t leave the underworld, but those little statues on fancy libraries and skyscrapers up top had to be inspired from somewhere. Come on.”

I followed Lilith toward Club Limbo, which was really crowded. “You know, when Scotty and Jay were negotiating their partnership, the Celestial Council and Beelzebub met here to discuss the terms. It’s always been one of my favorite places—I mean, before I met Quinn. I haven’t been here in a while.”

A perky being met us near the entrance. “Welcome to Club Limbo, Mistress. How many in your party?”

Lilith actually smiled. “Thea, how are you? Is Cato treating you well?”

The woman, who seemed pleasant, glanced over her shoulder and waved to a giant half-man, half-horse who raised a hand and waved in return. “He is. He doesn’t get angry with me, and he’s a good boss. He’s very mean when the place gets wrecked, but that has nothing to do with me.”

“There are two of us now, but we’re meeting Prince Jameson and his partner, Custos Albus. If there’s a discrete corner in the back, that would be perfect.” The young woman nodded and went to investigate.

My head was on a swivel as I took in the sights of the place. I’d never seen so many different auras in one place. It was nearly overwhelming.

“Close your right eye to the auras so you don’t have a panic attack. This is neutral territory. We won’t be harmed here.” I sighed in relief at her words. I’d been so fucking worked up about that damn nightmare that I hadn’t thought to ask Lilith about the risk of going to Limbo.

We were finally settled in a quiet corner of the massive club. The only way it made sense in my mind was that it kept creating space as the place continued to fill up. “How big is this place?”

“As big as it needs to be at any given moment. The underworld is infinite in size, which isn’t anything I’d suspect you can comprehend. It’s not a flaw, Key. It’s just that a human mind isn’t made to grasp such things as infinity.”

Lilith wasn’t condescending in her statement, but it took me a minute to understand. She was right. Infinity wasn’t a concept I could begin to understand, so I let it go.

“How long do you think until they get here? I’m getting some pretty unfavorable attention.” I’d noticed a lot of spirits were standing a few yards away staring at me, likely not because of my rugged good looks.

“Oh, they can see your aura, too. It fluctuates from black to white. It’s noticeable down here. Don’t worry.”

“Hey, look who’s here to party!”

Lilith and I both turned to see Jay and Scotty standing next to our booth, Jay smiling like a deranged idiot while Scotty’s face flashed concern. “Dash, what are you doing here?”

I stood and hugged both of them, so damn happy to see them I couldn’t hold back. “We’re looking for you.”

“Lilith. How they hangin’?” Jay laughed at his own joke, the asshole. It was good to see some things hadn’t changed.

“Still bigger than yours, Prince Jameson. Shall we sit?”

We took a seat in the booth, and Thea brought us drinks. Jay winked at her. “I’ll owe you a favor.”

Thea grinned and skipped away. “What was that about?”

“Down here, you pay with favors. No money changes hands because it’s worth nothing. It’s how the balance is kept in check. Now, Nyx wants to change that, and we can’t let it happen. We owe it to the Human Realm, to our friends and families, to keep this war from breaking out in the first place.”

I turned to stare at Jay, hoping he had an idea. He simply shrugged.

Lilith turned to me. “Ask him.”

“Here’s what we need. We need the mouth of Droh to be unsealed so if we can banish Nyx back to Hell, she has somewhere to go. We’re hoping Keir can get close enough to touch her and send her back there, but I’ve got to be sure he comes to no harm. Any ideas on how I do that?”

Jay stared at Scotty for a moment. “I’ll be there to protect Keir. If we can get him close enough to touch her, I won’t let harm come to him.”

I was quiet for a moment, mulling over his response. “Isn’t that my job? As the Key to the Gatekeeper, my job is to protect him.”

Lilith squeezed my thigh. “I don’t think Scotty was trying to say you couldn’t protect your husband. I think he meant he’d be there as backup, didn’t you, Custos Albus?”

Scotty flinched. “Of course. That’s all I meant. I have a lot of other responsibilities on the horizon after we find Nyx and eliminate her as a threat. I still feel protective of Keir. I didn’t mean to insinuate you couldn’t keep him safe.”

My sensitive ego soothed, we finished our drinks, and Lilith ordered another round by spinning her finger in the air. I was pretty tense, so I excused myself to use the restroom. When I returned, I heard Keir’s voice in the air, which had my head on a swivel.

“Amelie, I’ll be right down.”

I kept turning my head to find Keir and Amelie. When they weren’t around, I hurried back to the table and found an unhappy Jay.

“What’s going on?”

Lilith sighed. “Every evening, they broadcast a conversation taking place in the Human Realm where one of the participants is a supernatural being. Now, it’s Keir.”

“I’ve been taking these shots. Where the hell is Dash?” It was definitely Amelie.

“She sounds a little upset.” I turned to Jay and smirked.

“She’s taking hormone shots to be able to donate her eggs to us so we can have kids of our own. I need to be back by Wednesday because we have an appointment at the fertility clinic.” I glanced between the three of them to see Scotty and Lilith smiling.

My husband responded. “He’s working at the shop, Amelie. What can I do to help you? Why don’t you sit down and talk to me?”

“I’m so sorry, Keir. I’m just upset all the time. Trent has been working late at the store because Lilith is taking a few days off. Do we know if anything is going on? Trent’s been as jumpy as a cat on a hot tin roof.”

I smiled. Amelie was a fan of old movies, especially anything with Elizabeth Taylor, so it struck me as funny.

“I’m sorry Trent’s upset. Is there anything I can do? Can I go to The Mystic Palm and talk to him? Maybe take him out to lunch?”

Tears welled in my eyes. My Keir was so damn compassionate, and I knew it was killing him that she was uncomfortable because of the shots. “He’s such a great man.” I turned to Scotty. “Protect him at all costs. If I have to die to keep him safe, let it happen.”

Scotty put his beefy hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “We’ll both make sure nothing happens to him.”

I put my hand over his and squeezed. It seemed as if we had an agreement. “We need Beelzebub and Jay to go to Lucifer and ask him to open the mouth of Dohr. Tell me what I can give to convince him.”