Pandora's Box (31 page)

Chapter Forty-Nine

There was a smart way to bust into Hell?

Madison doubted it. After a month, the question tormented her. They were planning a coup that would never make the history books, except for maybe a handbook of the scariest creatures. The enemies they would gain would spread further than the paranormal world. If they succeeded—and survived—no guessing how many Sherlocks would hunt their asses. No telling how many already hunted them.

Madison parked her Land Rover and took in the Circle D Ranch. Well-tended lawn spread as far as her eye could see, a gentle roll to the landscape. She climbed out of the driver’s seat and pocketed her keys. Horses nickered from the stable yard and workers milled around, seeming busy while sending surreptitious glances their way.

A wary sheep dog watched them. A cowboy tipped his wide-brimmed hat in greeting, his chaps creaking as he walked past her. “Afternoon, ma’am.”

Madison smiled a greeting. She wondered what type of impression they made, as she guessed it wasn’t every day someone with Alabama license plates drove to this isolated location in Oregon. They weren’t horsemen, either.

“Can I help you?” a feminine voice with a Northern accent asked, maybe holding a bit of a Canadian twinge as well.

Madison spun on her heels and greeted the black-haired woman. “We’re looking for Alessa D’Angelo.”

The woman glanced between the four of them, her eyes lingering on Petra before moving on to Zen and staring the longest at him. Physically, he wasn’t imposing, but his heavy presence intimidated folks.

“I’m Alessandra,” she said, a guarded lilt marring her voice. Madison thought her green gaze too perceptive to miss anything. “I only know of two people who call me Alessa. One is dead. The other….”

“Phoenix Birmingham talked about you.” She held her hand out and displayed the ring Nix always wore. Because it remained in her possession, she protected him from every demon. Only Micah and the other Kings could torment him. Whatever Micah’s purpose with him, she hoped torture was not on the menu. “The dead man would be your husband, killed by a werewolf. Phoenix saved you from becoming the werewolf’s next victim.”

Madison stared at the woman Nix held feelings for, the way his eyes warmed and glazed over when he talked about Alessa told her the depth of his emotions. Meeting the woman, she understood Nix’s fondness. Very attractive, with black hair, green eyes, and a curvy figure. Alessa possessed a sultry sexiness no blonde like herself could pull off.

“Where’d you get this?” Alessa indicated the ring.

“From Nix.” She slid the ring back on her thumb.

“Is Nix okay? “

“He’s dead,” Madison said bluntly, feeling no need to sugarcoat anything. Alessa sucked in a harsh rasp at her abruptness, and tears glimmered in her eyes. Her job to save Nix wouldn’t allow for pussyfooting around about his predicament. “He made a blood covenant with a King of Hell to save Gage and Zoe.” She dragged in a long breath. “And me.” She cleared away the sudden knot in her throat. It failed to eliminate the gruff hint of emotion from her voice. “I have a plan to get him out.”

Alessa laughed, a nervous sound, drawing curious looks from the workers. Madison took in the suede chaps Alessa wore over her jeans, a plain white T-shirt, which brought out the fabulous color of her tanned skin, and steel-toed work boots. No debutante like Madison in her former life, Alessa held all the qualities of a hardworking gal. Just the kind of woman Nix needed in his life, someone strong and tough, nothing like herself. With any luck, Nix would be free soon and able to pursue this woman.

“You’re serious?” Alessa asked, when none of them laughed with her. The horsewoman recovered well. The glint of moisture on her eyelashes the only evidence she’d shed a tear for Nix.

“Dead serious,” Zen said.

Madison would probably be dead when all ended.

“Let me introduce myself. I’m Madison Wescott. Nix helped me—”

“You’re Mads.” Surprised by Alessa’s knowledge, Madison nodded. The woman smiled at her and explained, “I talked to Nix off and on over the past six years. He visited on occasion.” Her smile turned sultry, and Madison easily guessed she and Nix were lovers. “He mentioned you more than once, came by about two months ago and told me if I needed anything to call you. Said he doubted Gage, Zoe, Georgie, or James would be up to helping me for a while. He gave me your number, said you had a son named Amos, and for me to keep an open mind when meeting you both.” She nodded at Amos. “Is he your son?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought Nix was acting out of sorts; he refused to stay the night. Unusual for him.”

Madison flinched, glanced away. The frankness of what the other woman meant hurt worse than a smoldering coal placed against her tender abdomen. She knew Nix was a randy soul; his indiscretions shouldn’t bother her, and she’d been able to overlook them before. She couldn’t deny something shifted inside her after the hotel room.

Alessa talked on as if she failed to notice Madison’s discomfort, but Madison sensed the woman missed none of her reaction. “He swore everything was fine. He seemed distracted, kind of lost. I guess he was already bound to this deal by then?”

Madison nodded. She couldn’t meet the other woman’s eyes, knowing she’d made love to Nix. She settled for watching a ranch hand lead a horse by the reins. She knew nothing about horses, but this one looked like a pricey breed. “He’s been in Hell a month now.” She kicked at a rock with the toe of her sandal; she couldn’t think about the things Micah might’ve already done to Nix. She shut down any speculation about what Micah wanted from Nix. Whatever he wanted wouldn’t be for mankind’s benefit. If she allowed herself to go there, she’d go crazy, desperate to get him out, and most likely do something foolish.

“You love Nix.”

Madison’s attention snapped to Alessa. “Of course,” she said, surprised by the statement. “He is my best friend.” She wouldn’t say ‘was’ because she would save him from Micah’s sadistic clutches. She slapped a mental hand over the voice in her head whispering he meant much more to her than a mere friend. “He tried to help me when no one else could. That alone garners my devotion.”

“Yeah.” Alessa stared unblinking, a lopsided grin hitting her mouth.

They stared at one another for a long time. In those tense minutes, Amos giggled and the dog yipped, probably trying to coax her dog whisperer child into playing. Zen said nothing, just observed everything like always, his awareness as tangible as the humid days of summer. Petra smacked her gum, popping intermittent bubbles. Stable hands chatted and laughed, other sounds she couldn’t identify flitted around. A horse fly buzzed around her head, but she didn’t swat it away.

“You here for a reason?”

“Yeah.” Madison ran her palm across the back of her neck. “Nix’s lucky charm.”

Alessa laughed, a soft peal of genuine amusement. “We should talk privately.” The horsewoman glanced at Zen and Amos, who was throwing a stick for the sheep dog to fetch. “Why don’t your friends go inside, cool off, and get something to drink.”

“Can I play with the dog?” Amos asked.

She nodded. “Her name’s Lasso.”

Lasso trotted back with the stick and growled as she and Amos played tug of war with the twig.

“I’m good right here,” Petra said. Madison knew there would be no separating the demon from Amos. She took it as her personal responsibility to protect him.

“I’ll meditate,” Zen said, crossed his arms, leaned against the hood of the Land Rover, and closed his eyes.

“He going to do the meditating there? It’s cooler inside.” Alessa arched an incredulous eyebrow.

“He can meditate anywhere.” She knew the truth. Zen wouldn’t let her out of his sight. Protecting the balance of power was no longer his only interest. Protecting her and controlling the Pandora power came higher on his priority list. “The heat doesn’t bother him, anyway.”

“Whatever licks his wounds.” Alessa led the way across the yard to a wooden bench.

Nix’s old flame motioned for her to sit, but she shook her head. “I’d rather stand if you don’t mind.”

Tapping her thigh with her crop, Alessa shrugged and sat, her back ramrod straight. Madison guessed her position formed the perfect riding stance, not that she knew for sure.

“You know I don’t believe the bullshit you said back there, right?”

Madison knew exactly what “bullshit” Alessa didn’t believe. What Alessa believed mattered little to her as long as she understood her position. She stared the horsewoman in the eyes and said, “I don’t care what you believe or don’t believe. I’ll try to be—”

“You sleep with him?” Alessa interrupted.

“What?” She frowned. What’d that have to do with anything? “Not that it’s any of your business, no. Our relationship didn’t stray to the….” Madison shook her head, breaking off before she uttered a complete lie. “Our relationship obviously wasn’t like yours. Ours stayed more platonic.”
Mostly
.

“You keep telling yourself that lie, and maybe you’ll eventually believe it because I’m not buying it.”

Madison gaped openmouthed at the other woman. Obviously, Alessa and Nix held more in common than just sexual attraction. She might be as outspoken as Nix, too. No sense trying to convince her. She let the comment slide.

“Your relationship with Nix might have been platonic, but it wasn’t monogamous, Mads.”

Madison didn’t remember giving the woman permission to call her by Nix’s nickname. Neither did she follow her line of reasoning. “We are friends, Alessa, nothing more.”

“Nix talked about you a lot.” She hoped not in bed or during the aftermath of sex. Alessa spoke over Madison’s thought. “Your relationship might not have been physical, but in his heart there wasn’t anything chaste about it.”

Stumped by her statement, Madison could think of nothing to say.

“Lasting relationships aren’t built on just sex. That’s shaky ground. There’s got to be more. Respect and a genuine like always helps. Nix felt that way toward you.”

“He feels the same way about you,” Madison said.

“Nix and I are great in bed.” The way Alessa rolled the word “great” on her tongue, like a seductive growl, embarrassed Madison. She studied the landscape, wishing the other woman would just drop it. “Out of bed, we’re oil and water, both too headstrong, both too forthright. We mix because we don’t expect anything more than sex and friendship from each other.” Someone should tell her Southerners discussed mundane stuff, and the intimate details of one’s life were totally off-limits. “The best relationship I ever had was built on a platonic beginning.”

Good for her
. “Whatever,” Madison said, glancing over her shoulder to check on Amos. She couldn’t hear what he said. It sounded like he was teaching the dog tricks. His uncanny ability with animals would have the sheep dog doing flips before they left.

She turned back to Nix’s flame.

“Yeah, whatever is right,” Alessa said. “You’re not hiding anything from me, Mads.”

Good thing she never intended to make a living playing poker because she couldn’t hide anything from Zen, either. At least he kept his opinions to himself…sometimes.

“I didn’t come here to talk about emotions or be psychoanalyzed, Alessa. I already have a Zennyo Ryuo acting as my personal shrink.”
Whether I want it or not
. Alessa opened her mouth, and Madison cut her off, “Don’t ask, a Zennyo Ryuo isn’t important at the moment, and I don’t have time for sappy bullshit when Nix’s soul is at stake. Realistically, I know the chances of me coming out of Hell are slim, so anything you think I might feel for Nix other than friendship won’t matter in the end.”

“Do you want to explain that?” Alessa brushed her long black hair over her shoulder and used the tip of the riding crop to swat at a horse fly.

“Nix accepted an alliance with my husband.” The riding crop froze midair. “My husband is one of the Four Kings of Hell. Not a demon a mortal man can defeat.”

“A King of Hell is your husband?” She lowered the riding crop to her lap.

“Yes. He’s Amos’s father. And I’m half-demon as well. Succubus, to be precise.”

Alessa whistled through her teeth. “Wow. Follow Nix’s sage advice and keep an open mind, Alessandra.”

With the other woman finally silenced, Madison went on, “If I come out of Hell, it’ll be a miracle, nothing short of pie in the sky aspirations.”

“You want my help with this?”

“No. Like I said, I came for something of Nix’s. His lucky charm. I need it with me when I go into Hell to get Nix out.”

“I’m Nix’s lucky charm,” Alessa said, straight-faced. Stunned, Madison stared at the woman. “Half the time he called me ‘Lucky’. It was our private joke. He called me his lucky charm, because when he escaped here, nothing bad ever happened.”

Dear God
. Madison walked a few steps away and pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes. According to Amos, she needed Nix’s ‘lucky charm’ in order to get him out of Hell. Without it or rather the woman her mission would fail. All of them had thought it an object; no one guessed it might be a person.

“So, what do you need from me?”

“Nothing.” Madison shook her head and turned to face Nix’s lover. A month wasted locating Nix’s lucky charm, and now they needed to regroup and figure out another way.

“You obviously need me, or you wouldn’t have come all this way. In case you missed the state sign, you’re not in Alabama any longer.”

Great, a smartass, just like Nix. The female version of Nix. “He wouldn’t want you involved.”

“Nix wouldn’t want you involved either, especially not after making this pact to save you, along with Gage and Zoe.” She wedged the riding crop inside her boot and rubbed it back and forth. “You don’t get the privilege of coming here, telling me I’m instrumental in saving Nix from Hell, and then refuse my aid when I don’t meet your requirements.” Madison opened her mouth to argue, but Alessa talked over her. “I owe him more than you know. Ranching gets old, and I need some excitement in my life right now. Besides, it’s unfair for you to have all the glory, when I’m his girl, too.”