Wild Flame Read online

  “I see.” He looked around, a frown forming when the dogs started barking again. “Two flats so soon? You run over glass or something?”

  “No. It’s just been the week from hell. Everything is going wrong.”

  “I’m Christian, by the way.”

  She smiled, unable to stop herself. “I’m Ivy.”

  “Well, Ivy, you’re in a jam. Why don’t I call a tow truck for you?”

  “No,” she said hastily. Too hastily, if his confused look was any indication. She licked her lips. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Out here by yourself?”

  “I’ve got a friend coming to help,” she lied.

  He nodded, looking off in the distance when the barking began again – closer this time. “That’s good. When are they coming?”

  “In a bit.”

  “That’s not going to be soon enough, Ivy.”

  His response shocked her and she took another step away from him. She heard a dog snarl behind her, but when she turned around, nothing was there.

  Suddenly, she was yanked against a wall of muscle and turned so that she was pinned between Christian and her car. She could hear the growls and barking of the dogs, but she still couldn’t see them.

  Christian threw something that looked like dirt in the air, and the night went deathly quiet.

  “Okay, Ivy, here’s the deal. We’re going to run to my truck. It’s the gray one parked three away from yours. Get in on the driver’s side and scoot over. We’re not going to have a lot of time.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I’ll explain later,” he said in a rush. “Now, run!”

  Ivy secured her purse on her shoulder then scooted away and turned to run. She cut the corner of her car too quickly and jammed her knee into the bumper. Her foot slipped, but she managed to catch herself before she fell.

  She heard Christian behind her, as well as the jingle of keys. The lights of a dark gray truck flickered as he unlocked the vehicle. She ran as fast as she could to the door and jerked it open.

  “Get in!” Christian bellowed as she struggled to climb in and get into the passenger seat.

  She fell forward, slamming her face into the passenger door when Christian jumped into the truck and shut them inside. Ivy sat up, trying to calm her breathing and her heart.

  Something rammed into her side of the truck. She jerked her head to the window and saw something so close its breath was fogging up the glass, but she could only see the fog, not what was causing it.

  Christian fired up the engine and quickly drove away. Ivy’s hands were shaking as she attempted to put on her seatbelt. It took her several tries before she was finally able to get it buckled.

  She stared straight ahead, her heart hammering in her chest so hard she expected it to burst at any moment.

  “Are you all right?” Christian asked as he sped down the roads. “Are you bit? Scratched?”

  “N...no,” she stammered.

  “I didn’t figure you for one to make a deal.”

  She blinked and slowly turned her head to him. “Excuse me?”

  “A deal. With a Crossroads demon.”

  “What are you talking about? What the hell’s a Crossroads demon?”

  Christian glanced at her, his blank expression illuminated by the faint glow from the truck’s dashboard lights. “You don’t have to lie to me. I’m a Chiasson.”

  “And I’m a Pierce. What has that got to do with anything?”

  The night was turning more and more confusing by the minute. Ivy just wanted to be in her favorite PJs, sitting on the couch, catching up on episodes of Game of Thrones.

  “I want to go home. Pull over, please.”

  Christian shook his head as he sped up. “I can’t do that. As soon as I pull over, those Hell Hounds will be back. I doubt you’ll get away a second time.”

  Hell Hounds? Crossroads demons? Was this some kind of sick joke?

  Ivy quietly unzipped her purse and wrapped her hand around the butt of her gun. “Pull over.”

  “There’s only one place that’s safe for you. As soon as we get there, I’ll explain everything.”

  “You’ll stop now.” To make him see that she was serious, Ivy drew her weapon.

  Christian glanced at her, then did a double-take when he saw the gun. His lips flattened into a line as he began to slow the truck.

  Ivy knew the times she’d gone to the gun range would pay off. In the cruel, vicious world, it was inevitable that someone, somewhere would try to take advantage of her. But she was prepared.

  Tires squealed as Christian jerked the wheel, turning it to the right and tossing her against the center console. She screamed in outrage – and surprise.

  Then she heard the dogs barking again.

  Christian drove like a bat out of hell down the dirt road. The night was too dark to see anything other than what the headlights showed, which was nothing but grass on either side of them.

  “Hold on. This isn’t going to be pretty or smooth,” Christian said tightly as he jerked the wheel once more.

  The first bump jarred Ivy so much that she nearly lost her hold on the gun. She quickly shoved the weapon back in her purse and grabbed hold of anything she could to keep from hitting the top of the truck as they bounced along.

  “You left the road!” she hollered.

  Christian was entirely focused on the path in front of them. “Had to,” was all he said.

  Ivy opened her mouth to warn him of the huge hole, right before the passenger side tire went in. Her teeth clashed and her jaw slammed shut with the force of the hit. The truck lurched, causing her head to ram up against the window.

  “Oww,” she mumbled.

  There was no more barking, but Christian didn’t slow. He drove like he was on a racetrack and their lives depended upon winning the race.

  All Ivy knew was that she felt a measure of relief now that the barking had stopped. She spotted a row of crepe myrtles lining a lane as Christian swerved into the driveway.

  When a large, white plantation house came into view, Ivy assumed he would slow. Instead, he sped up. Words lodged in her throat when she saw the front door of the house open and a man and woman step out.

  Christian slammed on the brakes, jerking the wheel once more so that the passenger side of the truck slid toward the porch.

  “Get out!” Christian ordered.

  The truck door was thrown open by a man who grabbed her arm and yanked her out. She was unceremoniously tossed onto the porch where a woman with beautiful, long blond hair helped steady her.

  “Are you all right?” the woman asked.

  Before Ivy could answer, the barking started again.

  “Shit,” Christian said as he jumped from the truck onto the porch.

  The man looked from Christian to Ivy. “What the hell is going on?”

  “She claims to know nothing,” Christian told the man.

  Ivy had had enough. She stepped away from the three of them and reached her hand into her purse again. “I don’t know what is wrong with all of y’all, but I’m done being scared. I’m through with being tossed about like a bag of potatoes. I’m leaving.”

  “If you do, you die,” Christian said calmly. He faced her and held up his hands. “We can help, Ivy.”

  The man glowered at Christian. “The hell we can. She knew what she was getting into.”

  “I don’t think she did.”

  The porch light came on, and Ivy got her first good look at the other man. He looked so similar to Christian that it was obvious they were brothers. They had the same coal black hair, the same build, and the same angry looks that they were throwing at each other.

  “Hold up, Beau,” the blond woman said. “Listen to Christian first.” She turned to Ivy. “My name is Davena.”

  The front door opened again, followed by the screen door. A woman with long, black hair poked her head out. She looked at each of them and walked out onto the porch.

  Christian turn
ed to talk to his brother. “If she knew, wouldn’t she have run?”

  “That’s what they all do,” Beau said.

  “She didn’t,” Christian said and threw a thumb over his shoulder toward Ivy. “She had no idea what they were.”

  Ivy felt as if her life were unraveling. “She is right here, and has no idea what y’all are talking about. Look, I’m not asking for anyone’s help.”

  “But I think you need it,” Davena said.

  Christian glanced at her. “I believe her, Beau.”

  “There’s only one way the Hell Hounds would come for her,” Beau said. “She made a deal, and now it’s time to pay up. With her soul.”

  Ivy choked. Soul. Did he just say soul? First Crossroads demons, then Hell Hounds, and now payment with her soul. Had she stepped into the Twilight Zone?

  Christian walked to her and gently grabbed her shoulders. He looked down at her with eyes so bright, so vivid a blue she became lost in them. “Ivy, did you make a deal for your soul with a Crossroads demon for wealth, health, or...anything? A contract where you got what you asked for for a certain amount of time with the knowledge that you would pay with your soul when the time came?”

  “A Cross... A deal...” She couldn’t even finish the sentence. “No, never.”

  Christian’s smile was soft, his gaze intense. “Your choice then. You can leave, or you can stay here and let me help you.”

  As if Ivy had a choice.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Christian glanced out at the darkness before he turned Ivy toward the house. “Let’s get you inside so we can explain.”

  He had never been so happy to have Davena and Olivia there. If the women hadn’t shown up, Christian was sure Ivy would’ve refused his offer.

  Beau stopped Christian before he could follow the women inside. “Are you sure about this? Tangling with Hell Hounds isn’t something I’m crazy about on a good day, but we’ve got our women here now.”

  “And Ivy isn’t important?” Christian wasn’t sure why anger filled him so rapidly, but once there, he couldn’t shove it aside. “I thought it was our job to protect the innocent.”

  “It is. If they are innocent.”

  “Ivy is.”

  “You just met her,” Beau argued.

  Christian crossed his arms over his chest. “Need I remind you of how you met Davena? Or how about how Lincoln and Ava met? Better yet, what about Vincent and Olivia?”

  “I get your point,” Beau said tightly.

  “No, you don’t. I get that you have someone to protect now, but we’ve always had someone to protect. We had each other, and we had the innocents of this parish.”

  Beau ran a hand through his black hair. “It’s different with a woman you love, Christian. I’d die for Davena.”

  “We could argue this point all night, but I’m not going to. I’m going to get to the bottom of this thing with Ivy.”

  “And if she’s lying? What if she did make a deal? Will you really shove her off this porch and let the Hounds have her?”

  That wasn’t something Christian was ready to think about yet. “We protect the innocent. If she made the deal without knowing it, she’s still an innocent.”

  “There’s no getting away from a Hell Hound,” Beau stated. “This house may be warded, but they’ll find their way in eventually.”

  “I brought Ivy here. I’ll be the one to protect her.”

  Beau turned and walked into the house without another word.

  Christian blew out a deep breath. He looked into the darkness again. The Hell Hounds were out there, waiting. They weren’t regular dogs. They were invisible to humans and very intelligent. And they had one mission – to take the soul of whoever signed the deal with the demon.

  Christian turned on his heel and strode into the house. As he figured, the girls had taken Ivy into Vincent’s office. He stopped at the doorway and stood next to Beau. Olivia sat in a chair, while Davana took one side of the sofa. Ivy sat on the edge of the couch on the left side. She kept one hand in her purse.

  Christian bit back a smile, as he knew her hand was wrapped around her gun. The woman had gumption. He applauded her for that. It was too bad the weapon couldn’t help her against the Hell Hounds.

  But it could do major damage to the people in this room.

  He cleared his throat to get Ivy’s attention. As soon as he did, the idle chitchat between Olivia and Davena ended. All eyes turned to him.

  Christian walked farther into the office to rest one hip on Vincent’s desk. “I’m sure you’ve got questions, and we’ll be happy to answer them.”

  “But you’ve got questions for me first, right?” Ivy said in a remarkably calm voice.

  That surprised Christian since he knew she was anything but composed by her rapid breathing and the way she kept fisting her left hand.

  Her gaze met his straight on, and he was taken aback by the shade of her eyes – a beautiful mix of green and gold. Christian had never taken much interest in a woman’s eye color before.

  Until that moment.

  Ivy shrugged but didn’t remove her right hand from her purse. “Fine. Ask your questions. I’m pretty sure I answered them outside, but I’ll be happy to repeat my answer – no.”

  Christian couldn’t hide his smile. “You’ve got courage and a tough spirit. That just might get you through this.”

  Davena snorted. “Might? Christian, really. It will get her through this.”

  “Davena’s right,” Olivia told Ivy.

  Ivy glanced at both women before turning her gaze back to Christian. “Where am I?”

  Christian frowned. He had been so caught up in getting her to the house, and then inside, that he hadn’t stopped to fill her in. “As I told you, I’m Christian Chiasson. This is my brother, Beau. The spirited one on the couch is his woman, Davena.” Christian winked at Davena before he shot Olivia a grin. “The sassy one over there is Olivia, and she’s engaged to my eldest brother, Vincent. As to where you are, you’re at our family home.”

  “That’s apparently someplace the things after me can’t get into?” Ivy asked saucily.

  Davena laughed. “Oh, I like you. You’re going to fit right in. These Chiasson boys have a habit of thinking they can make all the decisions.”

  “Now, Davena,” Beau started.

  Davena held up a hand and shook her head. “Stay over there, because if you get close, you’ll kiss me, and then we won’t be able to stop.”

  “What’s wrong with that?” Beau asked with a cocky grin.

  Christian watched Ivy as she observed their exchange, looking as if she were confused by it. Finally. He wasn’t the only one who didn’t understand this thing his brothers had with their women.

  “I think I should start off by telling you that the things that go bump in the night are real,” Christian said to get the topic back on track.

  Ivy swallowed hard. “Meaning?”

  “There are ghosts, vampires, werewolves, demons, and Hell Hounds. Among other creatures. Other monsters.”

  Her gaze held his for a long moment. “You’re not joking.”

  Christian shook his head. “You heard the Hounds tonight. You knew they were there, even if you couldn’t see them. There’s your proof.”

  “How do all of you,” Ivy said, motioning to everyone with her hand, “know all of this?”

  It was Beau who said, “Because we hunt them.”

  “Hunt?” Ivy repeated slowly. Her gaze moved from Beau to Christian. “You can kill ghosts and such?”

  Christian nodded. “Just about every creature has a weakness, a way to be killed.” He wasn’t ready to tell her the Hell Hounds were the exception.

  Ivy pulled her hand out of her purse and dropped her face into her palms. “This has to be a nightmare.”

  “I wish it was,” Olivia said in a soft voice. “The sooner you face the reality of it, the sooner we can all figure out what’s going on.”

  Davena tucked her legs to her side. “Wo
uld it help to tell you I’m a witch?”

  Ivy’s head snapped up to look at Davena. “A witch? Um...I’m not sure if that helps or not.”

  “Try to remember that we’re here to help,” Davena said.

  Christian was going to have to remember to pull both Davena and Olivia aside to thank them later.

  Beau leaned against the doorway and folded his arms across his chest. “Our family came to Lyons Point generations ago to battle the supernatural that are drawn to this area. My brothers and I carry on that tradition.”

  “All right,” Ivy said with a nod. “I can’t deny the sound I heard, or the fact that I couldn’t see what was attacking the truck, even if it was obvious something was. If you do battle the supernatural, then tell me what a Crossroads demon is.”

  Christian shifted so that he leaned back against the desk with his hands on either side of his hips. “There are demons who can be summoned at a crossroads to make a deal, an exchange of something a person wants for their soul.”

  “I didn’t do that,” Ivy said confidently.

  “Occasionally, a Crossroads demon will pick a place and set up at a bar for a week or two, looking for those who are willing to trade their souls for advancements in their careers, money, or to save someone else.”

  Ivy lifted her chin. “Not me either.”

  “It wouldn’t have been recently,” Beau pointed out.

  Christian studied Ivy. “Normally, the amount of time given by the demon before they claim your soul is ten years. There have been instances where the demon does five or less, but the norm is ten.”

  “Still not me,” Ivy said with a grin. “Ten years ago I was fourteen and more focused on other things. I wouldn’t have even thought of trading my soul.”

  Beau pushed away from the doorway, dropping his hands as he walked into the room to stand before the fireplace. “Ivy, the only way a Hell Hound knows where to go is because a person is marked when they sell their soul. The Hell Hounds don’t make mistakes.”

  “Well, they did this time,” she stated. “My soul is mine.”

  Christian exchanged a look with Beau. “If she’s telling the truth, then there has to be another reason the Hounds are after her.”