Perdition guide Damian is supposed to escort sexy Amanda to Hell. But he’d much rather keep her.
Damian Noire is a Perdition Guide. He escorts people who die to their rightful spot in Hell. Business always seems to pick up around the Holidays and this Christmas is no exception. Damian’s assignment is to bring a beautiful young woman to Hell to stand before the judgment assembly, and then take her to her assigned circle of Hell. It sounds simple. But it’s about to become the hardest assignment he’s ever performed.
Amanda Wright might have been unjustly judged. She might not belong in Hell at all. Problem is, Damian really kind of likes her. He especially likes enjoying her lush, willing body under the mistletoe. If he gets her the judgment she truly deserves, he’s probably going to lose her forever. But if he doesn’t help her, an innocent may spend eternity in Hell. It appears to be a lose/lose situation on all fronts. Proving once again that holidays truly are hell!
~~*~~
Worm emerged from the
assembly vault a few moments later. Fear shot through Damian at the speed with
which the judges had decided. The ugly little man gave Damian a sneer. The
girl’s presence is needed in the chamber.”
Damian stood.
“Not you. You’ve been
dismissed.”
Rage flared and Damian
took a step toward the smaller man, his fists clenched. “What the hell kind of
trick is this?”
Worm shrugged, his ugly,
round face smug. “No trick. In fact, I think I’m being very clear. You’ve been
judged to be too close to the… erm… situation to be objective, and you’re no
longer on the case.”
Amanda clutched his arm,
her face paling. “What’s going on, Damian? What are they going to do with me?”
Damian drew her behind
him. “You’re not taking her in there without me.”
Worm’s smile widened,
and something mean sparked in his eyes. He inclined his head slightly, just
enough to give Damian a warning, but not enough of one. Hard hands clasped his
arms, dragging him backward, away from Amanda.
She screamed his name
and tried to follow but Worm grabbed her, holding her in place as tears
streamed down her cheeks and she sobbed his name. Damian fought with everything
he had, but the judgment demons who had hold of his arms were massive, eight
feet tall, with tree-trunk-sized arms and hands that could hold his entire head
like a football. The enormous black and white demons dragged him away from her,
his feet scrabbling for purchase on the stone floor as he pummeled them.
“Get your fucking paws
off her, Worm. I’ll kill you with my bare hands.” Heat flared over Damian,
fire. He embraced the pain, nurtured the flame, until the demons holding him
tensed. “Amanda!” Even to himself he sounded pathetic. He was desperate,
terrified for her, but he couldn’t get to her. “Amanda, run!”
But she didn’t run.
Couldn’t run. Worm dragged her backward, toward the chamber door. Damian was
relieved to see that she’d stopped crying, but he was concerned that she looked
pissed. If she mouthed off to the judges…
He fought harder to get
away.
They reached the end of
the hall, and Damian heard the door to the outside opening. In another second
he’d be locked outside, and Amanda would be lost to him forever. He
concentrated hard, bringing his inner fire forward. He burst into flame and the
creatures holding him screamed, loosening their grip. It was enough, barely
enough, but Damian was desperate. He wrenched himself free and turned, kicking
out with enough power to take the legs out from under one of the demons. He
didn’t spare the toppling giant a glance as he leapt off the ground and swung
his leg toward the second demon, catching it in the midsection. The monster
doubled over but didn’t go down. Damian took off running. Behind him,
thunderous footfalls told him at least one of the demons was after him.
He didn’t care. He had
only one thought. Get to Amanda.
He came through the
chamber door just as Worm pushed Amanda to her knees before the judges. They
were about to proclaim her sentence. “No!”
Amanda’s head whipped
around. “Damian!”
“No, she’s an innocent!
I’ll go to the angels myself and tell them.”
Rock-like hands wrapped
around his arms and yanked him backward. He roared his rage, flailing out, but
a fist the size of a boulder hit him on the side of the head and the world
spun, darkened.
The last thing he heard
as the world folded away was Amanda’s screams. He hit the rock floor, dazed and
bleeding. His fingers clutched convulsively on the gritty floor. Amanda. He had to get to her. She was
yelling something… pleading with them. She was in danger. If he didn’t save her
he’d never see her again. Damian lifted his head. “Amanda…” His voice was
muffled, feeble -- he doubted she even heard him. The boulder smashed into his
head again, and everything went black.
