Dealing
with Devils
The
Road to Salvation Series
Book
2
Pembroke
Sinclair
Genre: Young Adult Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Booktrope
Date of Publication: January 16, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-62015-730-5
ASIN:
Number of pages: 170
Cover Artist: Greg Simanson
Book Description:
Dating a demon has its
advantages, like helping deliver souls to Hell. Wait...what?
Katie’s world has been turned
upside down. She's fallen for Josh—despite the fact that he’s a demon from
Hell. Wes is finally out of her system and her life.
Convinced she can change Josh,
she sets out to make him a better person, only to find out things aren’t as
simple as she’d originally thought. For one thing, Josh has Katie help him
deliver souls to Hell, and she kind of likes it. And to top it off, other more
powerful demons are battling for her soul, and revelations from the past could
change the course of her life forever.
CHAPTER
1
KATIE LEANED
AGAINST the railing, staring into the night. A warm breeze touched her face,
bringing with it the scent of salt and fish. Every so often, droplets of water
touched her skin as the waves lapped against the side of the boat. The bass
from the music that played behind her vibrated through her feet and into her
chest. Lights flashed at her back, throwing her shadow onto the waves below in
spastic fashion. She took a deep breath and squinted her eyes. On the far
horizon, just to her right, she could barely make out the lights of Liberty
Island. She sighed again and leaned forward farther, resting her elbows on the
railing.
She had always
wanted to see New York. She and Deb had tentatively planned a trip for the
summer after graduation, before going to college. Katie thought maybe it would
be a trip to orient herself with the city—attending college in the city was
high on her list of things she wanted to do—but she hadn’t decided where to go
yet. In fact, it was the last thing on her mind at the moment. She needed to
get her life back first before deciding what she was going to do with it. As
usual, when Josh had showed up in her room earlier tonight and asked her to
come with him, she couldn’t bring herself to say no. She knew the possibility
existed that she would be involved in something unpleasant such as witnessing
Josh taking a soul, but she told herself she was going to stop it this time.
She wouldn’t stand idly by.
Arms wrapped
around her waist, and the heat from a body penetrated into her back. She leaned
into the familiarity and placed her hands over his. This was also why she
hadn’t refused his request. She enjoyed the safety she felt in his arms. The
way the world melted away and only the two of them existed.
“What are you
doing out here?” Josh whispered in her ear.
She shrugged. “I
needed some air. It was hot in there.”
Why was it so comfortable
in his arms? Why did it feel safe? It shouldn’t. His nearness should have made
her skin crawl and nausea creep into her gut. He was a demon, an unholy
creature that thrived on human misery. Yet, that wasn’t how he acted. He cared
about her, protected her, kept his promises to her, actually wanted to be with
her. He had completely turned the few notions she had of good and evil upside
down and instilled curiosity in her. She wanted to know about his world. And
that should have been distressing to her. Despite the comfort and safety Josh
offered her, she knew he was dangerous. Katie had experienced first-hand how
demonic he could be. He had used her to get to Wes. But more distressingly,
he’d threatened to kill her mom. How could she stay with him? A part of the
reason she did was to keep her mom safe. How had her life gotten so messed up?
“It’s a nice
night.” He nuzzled against her neck. “But I really need you to help me inside.”
She nodded.
“Sure.”
She took a deep
breath and stiffened. This was her moment. She had to stay strong in her
resolve to stop the soul gathering from happening.
He loosened his
grip on her waist, and she turned to go inside with him. When she faced him, he
placed his arms around her shoulders and softly kissed the tip of her nose.
“On second
thought, we have a few minutes. Let’s enjoy it.”
She relaxed
slightly. A few minutes would be nice. Katie smiled and placed her hands on his
hips. She hooked her middle fingers around his belt loops, and he pulled her
into his body. His heart beat against her. His arms tightened around her
shoulders. Once again, the net of safety dropped around her. Once again, the
world melted away. Nothing mattered but being in his arms. She closed her eyes
and inhaled the spicy scent of his cologne.
Her pocket
vibrated, pulling her out of her reverie. She released Josh and moved to get
the phone out. He stepped back to give her space. It was late, who would be
texting her right now? Crap! What if it was her mom? Katie didn’t think her
mother had a habit of peeking in on her in the middle of the night, but she
wasn’t entirely sure either. No, it couldn’t be her mom. If she discovered
Katie missing she wouldn’t text, she would call. She stared at the screen and
frowned.
“It’s a text
from Deb.”
Deb and Katie
often talked into the night, but this was late, even for her. It must have been
important.
Josh positioned
himself against the rail and stared at the distant lights of the city. “What
does Deb have to say?” His tone was indifferent, disinterested.
Katie opened the
message and read it. She inhaled a sharp breath. Shock settled into her stomach
like a rock. She took a few steps backward until she felt the support of the
rail against her back. Josh turned and slid closer to her, cocking his head to
the side to get a better view of the screen.
“What does it
say?”
“Paul’s dead.”
The words barely
came out of her mouth. She couldn’t believe she was actually saying them. She
hadn’t known the guy well, but the news affected her deeply. Her mind went back
to the last time she saw him—at the reservoir. The look on his face as Josh
took his soul was clear in her mind. Dizziness swept over her.
“Huh. Well, it’s
to be expected.” Josh turned back around and stared into darkness.
Katie turned to
him, her mouth agape. She studied the side of his face, trying to read his
expression. Was he really that cold and heartless? His gaze finally met hers.
“You can’t live
without a soul, Katie.” The words were matter-of-fact.
Her breath
caught in her throat. “You did this to him?”
She reminded
herself that he was a demon. He was that evil.
He shrugged. “In
a manner of speaking. I just gave him an option. It was up to him if he wanted
to take it. He could have made different choices.”
Katie’s head
spun faster. She shouldn’t have been surprised at Josh’s reaction. He was a
creature from Hell and acting accordingly. But at the same time, it seemed so
out of character from the way he acted with her. He showed compassion with her,
caring. More often than not, he acted human. This callous side shouldn’t have
surprised her, but it did. Why? And what about her? Why hadn’t she done
anything? She was there, she could have intervened, told Paul to run, but she
didn’t. She had just stood there like an idiot and watched the whole thing
happen. In her defense, she didn’t know he would die. Would she have acted
differently if she had known? Yes, she would have. Still, did that excuse her
inaction?
“What about the
guy at the club?” The words croaked out of her mouth. She was fairly certain
she already knew the answer to the question.
“Same outcome.
Again, Katie, you can’t live without a soul. We all die. Some just choose to go
a little sooner than others.”
Her chest felt
tight. Breathing became difficult. Guilt coursed through her body. She should
have done something. She should have tried harder. She shouldn’t have let them
give away their souls.
“Hey, it’s all
right.” Josh’s voice was low, comforting. He gently rubbed her arm. “There was
nothing you could have done to save them. I would have gotten what I wanted no
matter what.”
Katie opened her
mouth to speak, but the words never came out. A door to her left slid open,
blaring music poured into the air. A boy and a girl not much older than Katie
stumbled onto the deck.
“Jossssh!” the
girl called. “There you are.”
She wore a
powder blue bikini that barely covered her. Katie’s eyes drifted up and down
the girl’s body. She was well muscled and well endowed—Katie had no doubts she
was an athlete. As tall as she was, she could have been a basketball player.
She obviously spent a lot of time in the sun. Her skin glowed golden brown. Her
blue eyes seemed hazy, but Katie imagined they normally glowed. She was pretty.
Katie glanced down at herself briefly. She definitely wasn’t as tan as the
other girl. Katie wasn’t in bad shape—she worked out for volleyball and in the
off season—but she didn’t think her muscles were as well defined. She crossed
her hands over her chest and shrank back slightly.
The guy wasn’t
bad, but definitely not Katie’s type. He was a bit thin. His swim trunks hung
from his bony hips. She thought one wrong move would send them to the floor.
His ribs were visible, and his cheeks seemed sunken in. He brown hair was
slicked back on his head, and his eyes were glassy, like the girl’s.
As the girl
stepped toward them, she lurched to the left and almost fell over. The only
thing that saved her from hitting the deck was the guy holding her arm. Katie
was amazed nothing popped out of the scant material on her body. Her drink splashed
out of her cup, and the tang of alcohol hit Katie’s nose. The pair stepped up
to them, with the girl sliding along the rail until she was pressed against
Katie’s body, which made her even more uncomfortable and afraid to move. She
was probably the only reason the girl was upright. What in the world were these
two doing? Were they just two drunk kids that wandered onto the deck and had no
respect for other people’s boundaries? It didn’t matter. Katie had other things
to worry about. She was analyzing what she could have done differently with
Paul. Josh stepped closer, sandwiching her between bodies.
“Meg, Scott. We
were just on our way back in.” Josh smiled and leaned closer to Katie. “This is
Katie, guys.”
Meg turned her
glassy red eyes to Katie and pushed herself upright. She held out her hand,
which Katie took. It felt like she was gripping a dead fish.
“It’s nice to
meet you,” Meg slurred. “Josh told us a lot about you. Didn’t he, Scott?” She
turned to the boy behind her and giggled.
He laughed and
averted his gaze to the deck. “He did.”
Katie smiled
nervously and glanced from the pair to Josh. Her stomach tingled with
anticipation. It was slowly dawning on her that she was expected to help Josh
steal another soul. Maybe even two. She shook herself mentally. She needed to
focus. She couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t be responsible for another
death.
Meg grabbed
Katie’s arm and pulled her away from the railing. The action was abrupt, and
Meg had more strength than Katie thought possible. Where were they going?
Should she say something now? But what? Nothing came readily to mind. She
allowed herself to be pulled slowly across the deck and back inside.
“C’mon,” Meg
said. “You have to check out the sauna.”
Katie glanced
over her shoulder at Josh and pushed her eyebrows together. “Sauna? Isn’t it
hot enough out here for you?”
Josh smiled and
raised his eyebrows. “It’s never hot enough here.”
Meg giggled.
“Plus, it’s private.”
Katie returned
her gaze forward, following the path in which she was being led. They pushed
their way through the crowd that was writhing and gyrating to the pulsating
music. Sweaty limbs rubbed against Katie’s exposed skin, chests and backs
squeezed her as she turned sideways to get by. Lights reflected off tanned skin
in a haze of red, blue, and yellow, with the flashing strobe making everyone
appear to be moving in slow motion. Or were they actually moving in slow
motion? Had Josh slowed time down? Katie wasn’t sure. It didn’t matter. She had
to stay focused on her task.
Katie
contemplated slipping out of Meg’s grasp and disappearing into the crowd, but
where would she go? It wasn’t like she had a lot of options on a ship, and she
needed Josh to get her home. She couldn’t risk upsetting him and getting
trapped so far away. How would she explain that to her mom? Oh, God! Mom! Would
Josh threaten her life again if Katie messed up his plans to take these souls?
She felt sick to her stomach. What was she going to do?
The crowd
thinned, and they stepped into a dimly lit hallway. Meg continued to pull Katie
along, while Scott and Josh trailed behind. Scott stared at the two girls
through hooded eyelids and licked his lips. Katie could only imagine what ideas
were running through his alcohol-soaked brain. The thought didn’t comfort her.
Meg opened a door and skipped into the middle of the dark room. A rectangle of
light from the doorway barely illuminated her. She threw her arms into the air.
“Ta da!” she
yelled, obviously feeling proud of herself.
Katie couldn’t
tell what there was to be excited about; the room was dark. When the door
closed behind her, it was cloaked in complete blackness. Katie wrapped her arms
around her chest. Someone touched the small of her back as they walked by,
causing her to stiffen. A light clicked on and bathed the room in soft orange.
It was an impressive bedroom with a king-sized bed to her left flanked with
nightstands on either side. Large windows looked out onto the black ocean, and
drawers and shelves lined every wall, except the one to her right, which had a
door. Katie assumed that probably led to the sauna. Everything was accented in
gold. Had Katie been in there for a different reason, she would have taken the
time to appreciate the rich beauty, but as it was, she didn’t let her gaze wander
too far from the people in the room.
Scott walked
over to Meg and wrapped his arms around her waist. She tossed her arms around
his neck and plastered her lips against his. Their tongues darted in and out of
each other’s mouths and filled the room with moist sucking sounds. Katie
tightened her arms around her body. After several uncomfortable minutes, the
pair broke the kiss and turned toward Katie. Josh stepped up behind her and
placed his arm around her shoulders. Meg held her hand out to them.
“Come over here
and join us.” Her tone was low and seductive.
Katie’s body
tensed once again. She didn’t want to join them. This wasn’t her thing. Her
legs itched to run out of the room, but Josh’s arm kept her in place.
“Gladly.” Josh
smiled. “But I believe you said you would give me something in return for
bringing Katie in here.” Josh gently squeezed Katie’s shoulder.
Now! Katie’s
brain screamed. Now is your chance to stop this. Say something! But the words
were stuck in her throat. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She
looked at Josh in desperation. Was he doing this to her? Why couldn’t she
speak?
Meg started
giggling, which caused Scott to laugh.
“Right,” Scott
said after taking a breath. “Our souls.” He gestured with his hand for Josh to
approach. “So come get them.” He and Meg started laughing again.
Josh stepped
forward, a smile of evil satisfaction on his face. Ice entered Katie’s veins as
he approached with his arms outstretched.
“No,” she said
under her breath, finally finding her voice. “I can’t take part in this.”
Unfortunately, it wasn’t loud enough to deter Josh or warn the two teens.
She had to get
away. Perhaps a drastic action would be enough to stop the gathering from
happening. Mustering all the strength she could, she turned and ran out of the
room. Hopefully it was enough. She heard Josh call her name, but she didn’t
stop until she ran into a rail. Glancing down, she saw the dark water gently
lapping the side of the boat. She inhaled ragged breaths. Her stomach ached,
her knees went weak. Slowly, she sunk to the deck. Why couldn’t she speak? She
wanted so desperately to stop him, and she couldn’t. She failed. She allowed
two more people to have their souls taken because of inaction. Or did she?
Maybe she freaked them out and they changed their minds. She could only hope.
But what about Josh? What was he going to say? Was he going to be upset? Was he
going to do something drastic? She should go back, but she couldn’t make her
body comply with the command to stand up.
She closed her
eyes and rested her forehead against the rail. A groan escaped her lips. She
felt like a horrible person. Why did she allow this to keep happening? Why
didn’t she have the strength to fight it? Footsteps sounded on the deck, and
Katie looked up. Josh approached and sat down next to her. Katie wanted to
apologize for running away, ask him not to be mad at her, but the words
wouldn’t come out of her mouth. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her
close. She laid her head on his shoulder.
“It was a lot to
take in at the moment,” he said softly. “Too many emotions to process at one
time.” He placed his hand under her chin and lifted her head. “But you still
did a great job.”
The words did
little to comfort Katie. She was still worried about what would happen down the
road.
His lips found
hers, and Katie lost herself in the kiss. His mouth opened slightly, so Katie
opened hers. His tongue found hers, and Katie pulled herself closer to his
body. That helped relieve some of her concerns. Maybe he wasn’t angry with her.
That would be such a relief. Something clanked against her teeth. Confused, she
tried to pull away, but Josh held her tight. Whatever was in her mouth found
its way down her throat. Panic tightened her chest. What was going on? She
tried harder to pull away, digging her nails into his arms and nearly choking
on whatever was making its way toward her stomach. Her arms sagged as she was
engulfed by warmth, followed by a tingling sensation that started in her
stomach and spread out to her extremities. A feeling of peace washed over her.
Josh released
her from the kiss but continued to hold her close. Katie was thankful. Her body
felt light, airy, like it would float away. A sensation of giddiness passed
through her, followed by excitement. It reminded her of feelings she’d felt as
a child when she rushed to the tree on Christmas morning to see what Santa had
brought her. A sense of hope surged through her. She turned to Josh. His
features seemed clearer, his skin glowed with a golden hue. The blue of his
eyes seemed brighter, his touch warmer and softer. She gently touched his face,
and his lips curled into a smile. The tingling in her body grew more intense.
Josh’s gaze and embrace held the promise of eternity. She didn’t want him to
let go. She wanted the feeling to last forever, and she wanted to continuously
feel it with him.
“What did you
give me?” Her voice came out as a whisper.
“A soul.” He
leaned forward and kissed her again.
About
the Author:
In 2009, eTreasures Publishing
published my first novel, a sci fi adventure story. Since then, they have published my two YA
zombie novels, my religious zombie novella, two children’s picture books, and
two novellas with romantic elements. I
have an urban fantasy novel about dragons and a vampire novelette that was
published by MuseItUp Publishing. Musa
Publishing has published my novelette with romantic elements and a collection
of short stories. I have a middle grade
urban fantasy novel that was published by Little Devil Books. My nonfiction book about slasher films was
published by Scarecrow Press.
Writing is my passion. I enjoy creating fantastic worlds and
memorable characters. I’m an active
promoter of my works and love to talk to readers at book signings and readings. Doing giveaways on Goodreads has been an
exciting experience, and having contests for readers has been fun. I actively promote various authors on my blog
and participate in blog tours to promote my own work.
I write under several different
pen names. For my children’s titles, I
write under J.D. Pooker, and for my YA and adult novels, I write under Pembroke
Sinclair. My nonfiction work is done
under my real name.
I am a member of the Rocky
Mountain Fiction Writers and am on a committee to create membership criteria
for iPAL, which is a sister group to the Published Authors Liaison group and
focuses on independent and self-published authors. I am also a member of the ALA and really
enjoy doing library visits.
Interview
Where are you from?
Wyoming
Tell us your latest news?
Dealing with Devils, the second book in The Road to
Salvation series, was released by Booktrope on January 16, 2015. The first book is The Appeal of Evil.
When and why did you begin writing?
I started writing in high school. I was in a contest with a few other swimmers
to see who could write the best story.
I’ve never stopped since.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Hmmm. Some
days I’m not sure I still do. J
What inspired you to write your first book?
The contest.
I’d always had the idea in my head, but no desire to put it on paper. The idea that others would read it really
helped give me the motivation to write it.
I never actually finished the story in high school. It took me 10 years to complete it. Still, it got done.
Do you have a specific writing style?
Not really.
With such limited time, I write when I can write, and that may involve a
computer or notebook and pen.
How did you come up with the title?
Ugh! Titles
are the bane of my existence! I hate
coming up with titles. I always try to
pick a short phrase that describes what happens in the book, and that is
sometimes very hard.
Is there a message in your novel that you want
readers to grasp?
With The Road to Salvation series, I explore how a
teenage girl is supposed to have a relationship with no experience. Things don’t exactly turn out the way she
expects them to.
How much of the book is realistic?
Well, teenage girls have relationships.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events
in your own life?
Yes and no. I
was once a teenage girl and trying to figure out the world of relationships,
but I never went through what Katie went through. My stories are my imagination going to the worst-case
scenario and my characters have to figure out how to deal with it.
What books have most influenced your life most?
Alice in Wonderland, the Chronicles of Narnia,
Milton’s Paradise Lost, anything by Christopher Pike, Star Wars novels, and
Alien novels—to name but a few.
If you had to choose, which writer would you
consider a mentor?
Christopher Pike.
I read all of his novels as a teen, and I think they really helped shape
how I write young adult now.
What book are you reading now?
Alien River of Pain by Christopher Golden.
What are your current projects?
Currently, I’m finishing the third book in The Road
to Salvation series. It doesn’t have a
title yet. J
What would you like my readers to know?
I appreciate each and every one of you. You encourage and motivate me to write. Thank you!
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/Pembroke
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PembrokeSinclai
Giveways:
Three print copies of Dealing with Devils:
Thank you so much for having me on your blog!
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