Lead Me From Temptation (Divine Darkness Book 1) Read online

  “I’m happy to be here. I don’t want you to worry, Lewis. I’m going to do everything humanly possible to make you as comfortable as I can while you go through this.”

  “Can’t you do anything that’s non-humanly possible?” he asked as he mustered a smile. Lewis Thornbury was a charming man, even when he was dying.

  “Well, I’m only human.”

  “I highly doubt that,” he said as he stood.

  I pursed my lips and shook my head. “I’m just like everyone else—doing the best I can with what I have.”

  “Indriel Luce.” He said my name and it rolled so beautifully off his tongue. “You know, I knew an Indriel.” He looked to the ceiling as if he was searching his mind for an image. “But that was a lifetime ago.”

  I nodded. “It’s past midnight. You need to sleep.”

  “You’re making the assumption that I do.”

  I stopped in my tracks and narrowed my gaze. “Dr. Beaman didn’t say anything about sleeping medication, but I can certainly bring it up with him tomorrow if you think it would help.”

  “No. I’m not much of a sleeper. Besides, I like the night. I like to get things done when everyone else is sleeping. They slumber unknowingly, I work through the night—one step ahead, Indie. Always one step ahead.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He pulled his suit coat back onto his huge frame and walked out of my office. I took a deep breath. Being around him either zapped me of all my energy or charged me up beyond any caffeine buzz I’d ever known.

  I called downstairs for my car to be brought around. I was exhausted and I wanted my own bed. I wasn’t ready to stay in the new place. There would be plenty of nights ahead of me when I would long for my old room. I decided to take advantage of it while I could.

  Grabbing my belongings, I walked to the door and turned out the lights.

  In my hand I held my note from George. All night I’d gone over and over in my mind if he’d ever said anything to me about the library during our conversations. Nothing was ringing a bell.

  Once outside, my car was waiting at the curb and I was surprised to find Six standing next to it. “Six, do you ever leave this place?”

  “Miss Indie, much like you I am on call for Mr. Thornbury.”

  “That’s kinda rough, isn’t it?”

  “No, ma’am. I live here in the building. It’s easier to keep up with him. Besides,” he said as he moved in close to me. “Someone needs to stay on his heels.”

  “I understand.” I smiled and touched Six on the shoulder to thank him for taking care of me too and felt a flash of energy. I gave him a funny look and he smiled. Suddenly I was compelled to ask him the question that had been bothering me all day.

  “Six.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “What does above library mean? Architecturally, is there something above a library that has a specific name?”

  A puzzled look crossed his face. “I beg your pardon?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m a little crazy today. I just didn’t know if there was something about libraries that I didn’t know.”

  “Which library are you speaking of?”

  I cocked my head to the side unsure of my answer. “I guess the one in Barlow.”

  “I’m a great lover of history and if I’m not mistaken, the Barlow library was once a home. It was converted into the library in the twenties, I believe. It may have been one of the few homes that made it through Sherman’s march, but don’t quote me on that one.”

  “Really? I just always thought it was a beautiful old building. I never knew.”

  “Miss Indie, sometimes knowing just makes you want to know more, now doesn’t it?”

  “Thank you, Six. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Godspeed, Miss Indie.”

  He shut the door as soon as I climbed in and gave me the two usual pats on the roof. I looked at the glowing clock on my dashboard. It was one fifteen in the morning and I knew I had to be back in the office at seven.

  I sped home to Barlow in my new car. My usual hour and thirty-minute trip was a mere twenty minutes without traffic and all green lights. When I arrived, downtown Barlow was just as I suspected—dead in the night.

  The library was a cornerstone of the west end of town and as I rolled past the old antebellum building, the huge columns cast a shadow from the moon onto the pavement below. I parked across the street and looked up to the building, searching for any indication that something was indeed above.

  I got out my car and walked around the library in a complete circle. As I came upon the south end of the old building I saw a light flickering in the tiny window at the highest part of the roofline. My heart skipped a beat and my breath became ragged. I needed to get back to my car. It was too much. Who was up there and why did George want me to know?

  I quickly turned on my heels, trying my best to leave undetected. Glancing over my shoulder for only a moment, I turned around to rush back to my car. I ran without watching where I was going and suddenly, it felt as if I’d hit a brick wall.

  Staggering backwards, I tried to catch my balance just as I was about to fall. I closed my eyes, bracing for impact and felt something unexpectedly catch me in midair. Just as my body lurched forward I found my way back to my feet. Opening my eyes, I blinked hard. Standing in front of me was Mike.

  I gasped and threw my hand over my mouth, trying to contain my scream. The last thing I needed was to be found in the middle of town at two in the morning shrieking in front of the library—by myself.

  “Come with me.” He picked me up off the ground and cradled me in his arms. I closed my eyes tightly. He was real—again. I could feel the warmth of his body around mine. I could hear him breathing.

  Lost in his embrace, I felt us climbing stairs and I only opened my eyes when he sat me down. “Where are we?”

  It was dark and the room was lit only by two small kerosene lamps. I watched the fumes burn off as shadows danced around the room. It was the room I remembered from before. But how did I not know it was right in the middle of Barlow—and in the library?

  “How did I get here?” I asked as I nervously sat on my hands and rocked back and forth.

  “I told you to come to me. So you did.”

  I felt like I was in a dream. I couldn’t tell what was real and what was only inside the walls of my imagination. “When? You mean under the tree when the sirens were going off and the groundskeeper thought I was talking to myself? Why am I the only one who sees you? Tell me now.”

  “Indie, I’m not the only one you see.”

  “Are you Spirit? Are you trying to tell me you’re here because I’m dying?”

  “No.”

  “Then please tell me what you’re doing. Because I feel like I’m going crazy.” I stood and walked to him, placing my hands around his face and pulling him to me. He didn’t resist, burying his head in my chest.

  “Why are you doing this to me? Why do you torture me like this? Did I do something wrong? Am I being punished?”

  He pulled away and took my face in his hands. “No.”

  “You gave me a necklace in my dream, or was it even a dream?” I said as I pulled the golden hand from inside my dress. “I can’t take it off.”

  “It’s not for you to remove.”

  “It’s the only thing I have that tells me you’re real, Mike. And Dr. Nabi tried to tell me I’d put it around my own neck. Why are you doing this to me?”

  He turned his back to me and paced the room. “You tell me why, Indie.”

  “Why what? You’re the one who keeps coming and going. Why are you here? I don’t know if you’re real or if I’m losing my mind.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “What?” I asked.

  “This.” He pointed to my outfit and gestured up and down.

  “Working?”

  “Why Lewis Thornbury?”

  “Because.”

  “Because he’s dying?”

  “How did you
know that?”

  “You don’t know what you’re dealing with.”

  “Mike, he’s dying. That’s my job. I help the dying. I keep them comfortable and alive as long as I can.”

  “And who’s keeping you alive?”

  “What?”

  “Who—is—keeping you—alive?”

  I shook my head and sat down. “I’m so confused. My head hurts and my heart hurts. I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t even know how I got here.”

  “You’re here because I told you to come.”

  “I’m here because George scribbled above library in Korean on a piece of paper he left me with what I now know is a Bible verse.”

  He repeated the question as he moved closer to me. “Who is keeping you alive?”

  I stood, toe to toe with his massive body. His muscular arms gleamed with a hint of sweat and his breath had become as ragged as mine. I looked into his blue eyes gleaming by the candlelight. “I don’t know who is keeping me alive. I only know what I feel.”

  “And what do you feel?” He moved closer to my body. Inches apart without touching, the heat and energy of his soul was palpable.

  “I feel love. When I’m with you that’s all I feel—powerful, soul-touching, life-giving, all-encompassing love.”

  Slowly he dropped his forehead to mine. Our lips a breath apart, I waited. Staring into his eyes, I saw fire and then he closed his eyes and with a whisper of one word, “Indriel,” he kissed me.

  Pressing his body into mine, I could feel the hardness of his tight frame as he parted my lips and stroked my mouth sending a shockwave of pleasure through my core. I gasped and pulled away, taking his face in my hands. I needed to know it was real. I needed to know I wasn’t going crazy.

  “Mike.” My voice trembled as I backed up. I was on the verge of tears or ecstasy and I didn’t know which.

  “Your charms are more powerful than all the stars above.” His soft voice echoed in the old space that surrounded us.

  I kept backing up until I fell on the bed. He walked toward me as an animal stalking his prey. “You hold a king prisoner with your beauty.” He stared at me as he took me by the hand and had me stand.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  Wrapping his arms around my body he nuzzled my neck, softly kissing from my ear to my collarbone.

  Feeling behind my back, I unzipped my dress and let it fall to the floor. Wearing only my plain cotton bra and panties, I stepped out of my dress and heels.

  He turned around as if he was embarrassed by my nakedness. “Mike?” I folded my body around his massive torso and kissed the deepness of his back between his shoulder blades, breathing him in over and over. His intoxicating warmth and smell made me dizzy.

  He turned around and stared only into my eyes as I unhooked my bra and let it slide from my shoulders. I wanted him like I’d never wanted anything in my life.

  “You are as majestic as the morning sky—glorious as the moon—blinding as the sun,” he whispered.

  I kissed him again, my tongue finding his as I held on to him like he was my last gasp of air before going under.

  I pulled away, surprisingly completely comfortable with my nakedness and took his hand, beckoning him to lay with me—to be with me.

  Mike stood over me as he pulled the t-shirt over his head by the back collar. His body was perfect and his tattoos seemed as if they were animated—the images shifting as he moved. I lay back on the bed, throwing my arms above my head in surrender. Covering my body with his, the warm hard muscles of his chest pressed against my aching breasts. Pushing my hands between our bodies, I fumbled with the button and zipper but managed to undo his fatigues before pushing them over his tight and muscular bottom.

  I caressed his backside and heard him moan in my ear as he kissed his way down my body to my beige cotton panties. I wasn’t the kind of girl who prepared for this type of situation, and it showed in my generic selection of lingerie.

  The hard pulse of his arousal throbbed against my leg as he kissed my inner thigh. I gasped and said one word, “Yes.” My breath was shallow and fast as I arched my back in pleasure and begged him with my body to take me.

  He looked to me, his eyes veiled in sadness and the smile of pleasure was quickly wiped from my face. “What is it?” I asked as I ran my hands through his short blond hair.

  “I am drunk with love.”

  “So am I.”

  He pulled himself from my body abruptly, pulling up his pants and covering himself. And as quickly as I’d been led to feel the most natural and comfortable in my own body, I felt naked. I felt ashamed.

  Pulling the blanket from the foot of the bed up to cover up, I wrapped myself and sat on the edge of the mattress. I was dizzy—nauseous.

  I couldn’t bring myself to look at Mike, but I could see him pacing the tiny room. I wanted to pick my dress up off the floor and find my way out. But I couldn’t tell where or how in the darkness of the dimly lit room.

  I hung my head feeling shameful and not knowing exactly why. As I wiped a tear from my cheek I felt the warm nuzzle of a cold nose against my hand. Sitting in front of me was Frank. He licked my knuckles and placed his head on my knees trying to console me. I cried harder.

  As the first teardrop hit the floor of the old room, a bolt of lightning flashed in the sky. “I want to go home,” I sobbed. “I don’t know what you’re doing to me or why you’re doing it, but I can’t take it.”

  Pulling his shirt back over his head Mike knelt in front of me, giving Frank a loving pat before sending him away. “Indie, you have no idea what you’re doing.”

  I looked to him, his image blurry through my teary eyes. “Explain it to me.”

  He lovingly took both of my hands into his, running his thumbs across my skin and sending shock waves through my body.

  “I want you.” I choked the words out through my tears.

  “I’m not here to fall in love with you, Indie. I’m here to protect you.”

  “I feel like you’re my destiny. Like I’m supposed to be with you—wherever that might be. Am I wrong?”

  “My destiny is to help you find yours,” Mike whispered.

  I looked from our hands still intertwined and into his face. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’ve said too much already. I’ve crossed the line and…”

  “And what?” I asked.

  “I’m here to watch over you. I can’t stop you from making decisions on your own. I can only guide you.”

  “I don’t understand,” I said as I scanned the room for my dress. I wanted out. I wanted to go home. Finding the pink heap next to the bed, I stood and grabbed it while adjusting the blanket to completely cover my body. Rushing into the bathroom, I slammed the door and felt for the switch on the side of the wall. The harsh lighting allowed me to take a glance at myself in the mirror and I didn’t like what I saw. The rosy-cheeked girl I’d seen just a couple of hours ago was gone. I was dark and haggard.

  Brushing the tears from my face, I zipped up the dress and worked up the courage to walk back into the room.

  “Indie.” Just the sound of his voice called to something inside of me I couldn’t explain. I decided it was how an addict felt when faced with their drug of choice. I needed to get out.

  He reached for my hand. “Mike. Don’t. I don’t know what you’re doing. But please, leave me alone.” I pulled away like a frightened child. With one shoe in my hand I searched frantically across the floor for the other.

  “Forget it,” I said as I walked to a door and opened it, only to find it was a closet. I looked to Mike and walked to the next door. It too was filled with boxes and paper.

  Frantic, I turned in a circle, barefoot and riddled with anxiety. “Where is the fucking door?” I shouted.

  “Indie.” He held one hand out to me, beckoning me to come to him. I was drawn like a moth to a flame.

  “Why are you doing this to me? What are you? Are you Spirit?”

  “No.”


  “Then what? Is this me going insane?”

  Suddenly I felt his arms around me and I calmed immediately. “Take a deep breath. Shhhhh…” He stroked my hair down my back and quieted me.

  As I began to fall into his light and love I shoved him away. “Leave me alone.”

  “Indriel. I need you to stay in the light.”

  “What are you saying?” He was talking in circles. I wanted to be away from him and yet at the same time I couldn’t leave his side.

  “Guard yourself, Indie.”

  “Why?” I spun around to look him in the eye. I needed answers not rhetoric.

  “Because when you start talking to angels you end up dealing with demons.”

  “Leave me alone,” I shouted. “I never want to see you again!”

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Turning my head I smelled the freshness of clean sheets and heard a constant beat in my head.

  Opening my eyes, darkness surrounded me as I squinted at a small light in the corner. Again, the beat in my head. It wasn’t my heart but a sound around me. I blinked hard and sat up. I was in my bed. In my room. In my house. The light from the bathroom shone through the crack of the door and I jumped to my feet with a gasp.

  My body shook from the adrenaline coursing through my veins. The beat continued and I realized it was a drip. Slowly walking to the bathroom I pushed open the door.

  The overhead light cast a glint in the room that caused me to wince as I held my hand up to shield my eyes. I blinked and then saw it. With each plink plink plink of the water to the pool that filled the tub to the brim I said one word. “No. No. No.”

  EIGHTEEN

  I watched it storm from my uncomfortable seat in the lobby of Dr. Nabi’s office. With each clap of thunder and flash of the sky I found myself jumping. I was beyond anxious.

  “Indie.” Dr. Nabi waited at the door between the reception area and the hallway of offices behind him. I stood and glanced at my phone for the time. It was 2:55 and Dr. Nabi and I were both early. I walked past him and through the door as he held it for me. It was the same drill each time—silently walk down the hallway and into his office. Sit on the couch and wait for him to shut the door and settle in.