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  Devil’s Tavern V: Gathering

  Crymsyn Hart

  Published by Purple Sword Publications, LLC

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation.

  DEVIL’S TAVERN V: GATHERING

  Copyright © 2012 CRYMSYN HART

  ISBN 978-1-61292-055-9

  Cover Art Designed By Anastasia Rabiyah

  Chapter One

  Emera & Keenan

  Emera studied the calendar. No appointments were scheduled for the day. She drew in a deep breath, marveling at the clean smell of the office. The stench of sulfur no longer permeated the space. Her spirit was settled for the first time in centuries. The heaviness once weighing her down, trying to push her into the fires of hell, had dissipated. Ever since Sebastian had been wiped from the face of the earth her soul was lighter. Business at The Denizen had slowed considerably. The phone hadn’t rung for the past couple of days. In some ways, it was nice to have nothing to do. No people to whip, none to punish, no one to become someone else for. It was nice to be herself. The only thing she found unsettling about the wondrous change was that Cindy was missing.

  At first, Emera didn’t think much of it. After a couple of days, Keenan and Emera tried to contact her. When she didn’t answer any of their calls, it was time for them to begin to worry. Cindy, a.k.a. Vangelis, Van, was their angelic handler. Emera had never suspected he was posing as the receptionist at The Denizen and really being an undercover agent gaining intel on her and Sebastian. She was shocked to learn the truth.

  “Any luck?” Keenan kissed her creamy skin and nuzzled her neck.

  She giggled from the rush of sensation winding along her nerves. Every time Keenan held her, she had a sense of heaven. The light infusing her soul got so bright she could see it glowing around her skin. It was astonishing how finding her love again had healed a part of her soul. Having him in her life was a miracle, and she would do anything to keep heaven happy.

  “Nothing yet, love. I’m worried about Van.” She glanced into his green eyes and saw how deep his feelings ran for her. He had held on to that love for centuries. Initially she had thought he was dead, but he had chosen to hang on to life and fight for her soul. Knowing that he had saved her was the ultimate form of devotion. She brushed a piece of his blond hair away from his face.

  “It’s funny to hear you call Van a her. He’s always been a man to me. Of course, he was always eccentric. It would only make sense for him to completely change his appearance and become Cindy to go undercover. I’ve gotten used to his behavior over the years since becoming a Demon Catcher. Then again, I remember you as being peculiar too. Always enjoying a little bit of pain mixed in with your pleasure. The only good that ever came of Sebastian conditioning you is that you learned so much about blending the lines. Last night was wonderful, love.” He slipped his hand under her skirt and pinched her ass.

  She jumped at the daring move. Emera’s cheeks seared from the sudden display. I’m surprised he even said something good about Sebastian. But I do owe him that part of my tutelage. Not that all of my lessons were good. Every day I’m learning more and more about Keenan. The centuries have hardened him into the warrior he is, but he has never given up hope on me. His other hand slid over the front of her panties. He pressed his thumb against her buried bud. She clutched the counter and wiggled her ass against his hardening erection. Keenan began to rub her clit slowly. Small jolts of electricity began to writhe through her veins.

  “What are you doing?”

  “What does it feel like?” His hot breath blasted against her neck.

  “We shouldn’t be doing this here. Someone could walk in. What would they say?” She swallowed back a moan when he bit her on the neck. Even though she didn’t wish for a customer or one of her employees to walk in, deep down she wanted to be on display. That was part of the demon influence still inside of her. Emera squirmed when he parted her nether lips with his fingers and pushed one deep inside of her pussy. Ever since Keenan’s return, she found it hard to believe how much she loved him. Her heart swelled with that love. He was the only reason she never regretted falling from heaven. He was the hope which kept her going throughout the years she spent under Sebastian’s yolk.

  “I don’t think anyone’s coming. I intend to have you all to myself tonight. Is that such a bad thing?” He moved his fingers further inside of her. Each digit pressed on her insides, stimulating her pleasure centers. His other hand hiked up her skirt.

  “You’re so bad. How you don’t have a hint of demon in you I just don’t know. You are such a devil.”

  “I know. Heaven wouldn’t tolerate that. But I am familiar with all of the demonic wiles. They teach us everything we need to know. Before I started this assignment, I asked for all of the information, all of the experiences each of the other Demon Catchers had with incubi. All their pleasurable and painful information. It downloaded into my brain. I have so much more that I can show you and teach you.” He tugged on her panties.

  After a moment, she heard them rip. The coolness of the air caressed her wet pussy. His cock pushed against her bottom through his jeans. Emera wiggled her ass a little bit more and spread her legs. Keenan stepped away, leaving her depths empty. She groaned at not feeling fulfilled. It was interesting to hear that he had a lot of information so that he could understand The Denizen better and be able to pleasure her more.

  “Shake that thang.” Keenan gripped both her ass cheeks and squeezed. His light caresses traveled over her round mounds and along the slit of her ass. He brushed her braids out of the way and kissed her nape. He pumped his fingers inside of her and rubbed her clit faster and faster. Emera couldn’t contain the cries coming from her lips. He was the only thing holding her to the ground. Keenan licked the line of her throat. It only made her want him buried inside of her. She was never satisfied with him. He could make love to her time and time again, but it was always a new experience. It was always a mind-blowing sensation. Her lover worked her clit, bringing her to the brink of ecstasy. Before she could come, he withdrew her fingers. And then something cold was inserted deep inside her depths.

  “Fuck. What is that?” she asked, groaning. Her hips bucked forward as Keenan thrust the cold rod deeper. Emera closed her eyes and shivered. Her insides were trying to warm what was in her.

  “Do you enjoy it?”

  She moved her hips in time with Keenan’s rhythm. She bit her lip. Even though she had pledged herself to goodness, her powers were still entrancing and could suck Keenan in. If she lost control, he could lose himself in her power. Emera hadn’t immersed herself completely in the pleasure of their lovemaking. She didn’t want to hurt him. He slowed his movements and kneaded one of her breasts. He teased the nipple until he pinched it, and she cried out.

  “You didn’t answer me. Do you like it?”

  “If you can’t tell, then we don’t need to be doing this. Now what the hell is it?”

  He laughed and kissed the side of her neck. “Well, I never did get to use the glass cock I bought for you. So…” He plunged the dildo all the way inside her and hit her G-spot. At the sudden thrust, her eyes squeezed shut from the ecstasy throbbing along her nerves. Her legs wobbled. Her hands hurt from clutching the counter so hard. Keenan held her around the waist with one hand and continued to fuck her with the glass penis.
Each time he sunk into her, he also pushed his hips against her buttocks so she could feel his hard dick. It was too much for her to endure. Tiny starbursts appeared before her eyes. She felt herself leaving her body and soaring upward. The Denizen fell away, and Emera was on the outskirts of a beautiful garden. The aroma of the flowers assailed her senses. The brightness of her surroundings filled her with hope and serenity. The peace she experienced in the garden was something she had missed. For centuries she had been denied that feeling, but now she was on the way to healing; it filled her entire being. She spied someone among the flowers walking toward her.

  I have a message for you, the other angel whispered. Her azure gaze pierced Emera's.

  What message? Emera asked.

  You must beware. The time of his rising is coming. Do whatever you must to prevent it.

  Who’s rising?

  No time. I shouldn’t even be telling you this. The other angel plucked a flower from the nearest bush and placed it in her hand.

  I don’t understand. Before Emera could get a response, the brilliance of the garden faded. She crushed the flower in her palm. Questions flowed across her mind that she wanted to ask her sister angel, but immediately she fell. The jolt of settling back into her flesh overwhelmed her. Keenan’s weight on her back helped her to adjust to her flesh again. His weight rested heavily against her back. It took Emera an instant before she roused herself enough to turn around.

  “I hate it when you go away.”

  “I know. I can’t help it.” His arms surrounded her in a hard hug. She sighed and finally turned in his arms. She unfurled her fingers. In her palm was a crushed lavender rose. She brought it to her nose and inhaled. The aroma stirred her memories. She ran her fingers over the silky petals and felt tears stream down her cheeks. “I can’t believe it. This has never happened before.”

  “Did that come fro—?”

  She nodded and set it on the counter. Emera wanted to marvel at it a little longer, but the message from the other angel rolled through her mind. She snapped her fingers, was clean, and dressed again from their pleasure-filled jaunt. “We have to find Vangelis. I have to tell him how som—”

  At that moment, the door frame jingled. They both glanced over and saw Van stumble in. Emera assumed the female persona of her angelic handler would come back, but instead he was just a man. He was dressed in what used to be a white suit. Now it was torn and stained. The pants were shredded. His left eye was blackened and swollen shut. Three long scratches marred his cheek, and large gashes adorned his arms and went across his chest. Large fingerprint bruises decorated his neck. His lips were cracked and bleeding. She’d never seen an angel in this state before. Normally angels healed almost instantly when they were attacked. She and Keenan exchanged concerned looks and led the angel over to a chair.

  “What happened?” Emera asked.

  Keenan handed Van a glass of water, which the angel gratefully took and swallowed. “I was ambushed.”

  Emera snapped her fingers. A cloth and a bowl of water appeared. She began dabbing at his wounds with the damp cloth. What in the world could have done this to him? How could he have been overpowered? He’s an angel. Even the lowest angel is able to banish a demon, no matter how powerful it is. It might not last long, but it allows the angel to get away. Unless the angel agrees to be in the presence of the demon. What is going on? “By what, a hellhound?”

  “It’s nothing. I’ll be fine.”

  “It’s not nothing. What happened to you?” Keenan inquired. Emera saw a flash of worry cross her lover’s face.

  Van tried to get up, but was unable to. Angels weren’t this vulnerable. It took a lot to hurt them this bad. “We don’t have time to question what’s wrong with me. We have to go.”

  “Go where? You’re in no condition to go anywhere,” Emera argued.

  Vangelis reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a manila card with red script on it. Emera grabbed it. It was identical to the ones she had been getting in the mail when Sebastian was still alive. Her gaze skimmed the address written on the invitation:

  Devil’s Tavern

  369 Two Forks Rd., Tumbleweed, NV

  “Why is this place so important? This is the second one I’ve seen with this address.” When she flipped it over, lines appeared and formed into a map.

  “It’s your first assignment. Gather your things,” the angel instructed.

  Keenan smiled and got up. “Oh yeah! It’s about time. I was getting antsy.”

  Emera ran her hand through her hair and worried her lip. Her gut warned that they shouldn’t be jumping into this so fast. The message she had from the other angel echoed in her mind. “Van, are you sure about this?”

  He gave her a stern face. “What did I tell you about not placing one feather out of line or I’d send your ass back to hell? Question me again and you’ll be dealing with Lucifer. You’ll be in the pits burning along with the rest of the other demons.”

  “Sorry,” she muttered, and got up. What the hell has gotten into him?

  “Forgive me, Em. I didn’t mean to snap. I’m not in the best of moods for obvious reasons. Gather your things. We must catch the others before they get to the tavern.”

  Keenan headed toward her office to gather his sword. He tugged Emera after him. Van’s statement caught her off guard.

  “What others?”

  Chapter Two

  Nathan & Josephine

  Nathan silently counted the stones in the cemetery. Many of the slate markers were worn down with age. The majority of them had become victims to adolescent pranks and were toppled in the high grass. He sat atop one of the flat crypts and peered at the shadows, seeking any phantasms who might decide to appear before him. Sadly, the oldest graveyard in the county was devoid of ghostly activity. He scrutinized the darkest parts of the boneyard and wondered if anything else was lurking. Nothing unusual came to his mind. I know better now than to underestimate the supernatural. Demons at least. I’m still on the fence about ghosts and other things.

  The power of the night played over his skin, giving him strength. Ever since he learned that his ghost-hunting friends were dead, his mind hadn’t been able to rest. His fingers curled around the ends of the slate top. The images of his friends’ faces flashed in his mind. Before he knew it, a piece of the tomb’s cover crumbled to dust in his hand. I will avenge you. The demon will not get away with this. The cell phone in his pocket vibrated again. He didn’t have to look at the number to know it was Marsha. She was a powerful psychic and the leader of their ghost-hunting group. He figured she was calling him again to ask if he was going to face the creature that had killed their friends. He hadn’t answered any of her calls or voicemails. Whenever he thought about it, the rage he experienced blurred his vision and he could barely function. Since the night he discovered all of this, Josephine had been his only comfort.

  “What’s the matter, Nathan?”

  He turned toward the voice and saw his eternal beauty. She was the reason he was still sane. The demon who antagonized him was the same one who had possessed Josephine the first time he had met her. She was originally a photographer on their ghost-hunting team. Marsha had asked her to film the exorcism of a little girl Nathan was involved in. The first time he saw Josephine he fell in love. Marsha had assumed his presence would drive the demon from the child. However, it didn’t drive it back to hell. It had jumped from the child into Josephine. Her possession lasted only a few hours and they rid her of the demon, but it had scarred her psyche. After that night, they had begun talking and going ghost hunting together. He confided in her his secret about being a vampire, and to his surprise she accepted it. For two and a half years, they harbored feelings for one another, but never confessed them. Then her stalker hacked into her computer and discovered his secret. In the end, she was killed. Nathan had no choice but to turn her into a vampire or lose her forever.

  “Nothing, Jo. Just thinking.”

  She draped her arm over his shou
lders and laid her head upon one. She wound her fingers through his sandy hair. The gentle caresses would lull him into a stupor if he wasn’t careful. It had in the past. He closed his eyes for a second and inhaled. The lavender mixed with the apple scent of the shampoo and body wash she used carried him away. He loved the fragrance of her tresses. Underneath those perfumes was the stale scent all vampires had.

  “Don’t think too hard. Steam will come out of your ears. I’ve seen it happen before. Lately your mind has been elsewhere, Nathan. Isn’t there anything I can do to make you forget about the demon?”

  He chuckled and brought a strand of her ink-black hair to his lips. Nathan ran the silky strands over his mouth and then kissed her cheek. The smile that tugged at his lips wouldn’t come. The happiness he craved could not push through the grim mindset he was in. His insides turned over. The beauty of the night and the one beside him paled compared to the troubles on his mind. A wrenching had begun inside of him. It had started a couple of nights ago and was getting stronger. He had been putting it off and wondered what would happen if they ventured to the tavern. If I don’t go, what will happen to me? If I don’t go, what will happen to Josephine? I can’t take her with me. The demon might go after her again, and I won’t have that. He sighed. She wasn’t going to go without him. Jo had made that quite clear the times he had suggested that it would be safer if she stayed behind. He had tried to get her to see reason, but she wasn’t hearing any of it. They were in it together.

  “I don’t think my brain gets hot enough for steam. Maybe some kind of vapor. Of course, we can try to turn to mist again if you want. Last time you did manage to get semitransparent. I think you might have more of a knack for it than me.” He wound his fingers through hers. Their bond had grown night after night since he had turned her. Through the connection he felt her hunger stabbing his brain. She needed blood even though she was ignoring the thirst. “We need to get you someone to drink from.” He began to get up when she squeezed his hand.