Bittersweet Seraphim by Debra Anastasia Read Free Book Online

saw there made him turn and gag. Their punishment would never be forgotten. They were still alive, but not a single one of them wanted to be.
    It took much, much longer than Nero had hoped to get Sin, Ransom, and Velvet to talk again. They risked so very much to get him to his daughter. In the end, it wasn’t any sort of compassion that brought them around, but Ransom’s threat to turn them in if he didn’t get his turn on the soil.
    They made a plan, but Nero felt great trepidation about it. He had serious doubts that Sin and Velvet could hold Brut by themselves. Ransom promised he would hog-tie the minion to make it easier for the females, but still it was risky.
    By the time Nero began the return trip to his daughter, he knew it had been a while. But he hoped he hadn’t lost too much time. If he got to the surface and found that Kate no longer lived, Nero decided he would not come back to Hell. Instead he would see just what happened when a demon denies his compulsions.

    Each day, Kate allowed herself a moment to wonder when her father would return. She could probably be considered a recluse by now. Aunt Bess was still alive, but her mind didn’t retain things anymore, and the duffle bag of money had provided long-term care for her nearby. Kate figured her outings to the facility prevented her from being fully withdrawn from society, but they were hardly fun-filled adventures. Still, she was able to blog online and had a virtual store where she sold her knitting. Ironically, Bess had yet to lose her desire to knit socks, so Kate kept her supplied with pretty yarn. The two would knit together now, because talking got them nowhere.
    The cabin seemed to lose her mother much more slowly than the rest of the world. Kate swore she could smell her mother’s perfume every once in a while in certain rooms. And just when she felt she’d discovered everything, another memory-laden item from her mother’s past would surface. She wished the things she found would soothe the ache in her chest, but they almost always made it worse. And sometimes she hugged her Hell-made puppy. She petted it like a real dog and told it secrets, which probably qualified her as crazy.
    It had been three years since Nero’s last visit when Kate watched as a light came on in the shed.
    “Oh, crap.” She ran to get her rifle and returned to watch some more. She prayed her father would not drag a busload of evil with him.
    Two males exited. She listened through her kitchen window, and it seemed the taller one kept shouting, “Boobs, Boobs, Boobs!” over and over. The other one just shook his head. Nero was back.
    In the harsh glow of the security light, Kate watched as her father took great guzzling gulps of water. She met him at the door, opening it before he could break it down.
    “Kate.” He stepped in and smiled as he shut the door behind him. There was pain in his eyes.
    Kate knew it well. The building didn’t have Jenny anymore, and that took the home right out of the house.
    “Father.” She set her rifle against the door. It had been years, but his large presence in the room made it seem like they’d just parted.
    He held out a pitch-black daisy, etched gorgeously. There were even what appeared to be tiny drops of water on the petals.
    She nodded and took the flower. “Thanks.”
    “How have you been? How long has it been? Can we drink tea?” He shuffled farther into the room, glancing out the window toward the shed before turning his attention back to her.
    She wanted to hug him. She wanted to hear that he loved her again. She wanted him to clean up and take her for ice cream, to intimidate a suitor who came knocking on the door. She knew she’d have to settle for turning on the teakettle.
    “It’s been three years. I’m fine, and let’s go to the kitchen.” She took the silver teapot from its resting place on the stove and filled it with fresh water. She glanced at Nero, who stood watching the free-flowing water while