He walked up to her, stopping only when he could feel her heat. "When we get in your vehicle I will sense which way we need to go."
He could tell the witch wanted to back away, though she kept her ground. Instead of putting space between them she brought a gray contraption out of her back pocket and held it in front of her.
"What's this guy's name again?"
What was the witch angling for? Names carried power, especially when it came to demons. Giving away his brother's name could be a mistake, but she would learn his name in time anyway. "Why?"
She flipped the gray object open. "If you give me his name I can probably locate him a hell of a lot faster than you can. So, what's his name?"
He had no idea what she was holding in her hand. He didn't sense it was a weapon, but he wouldn't put it past her. "What is that?"
"It's a cell phone. You can call and talk to people on it."
He'd run into this problem in the nineteen fifties when Naberius had broken him out of the Abyss. There had been advances in the human realm that bordered on the powers the angels held. Vehicles had been new to him, along with electricity and many other devices that made life much more complicated. Could this help them locate Naberius faster? "His name is Naberius."
She tapped the cell phone with her thumb. "Last name?"
"He doesn't have a last name that I am aware of."
She put the phone against her ear. "Is he in the general area?"
He could feel Naberius's proximity. "Within twenty miles, give or take."
She looked unconvinced. "Are you sure?"
"Unlike you I do not doubt my powers."
The witch said nothing, turning away from him. "Los Angeles, California. Yes, can I have a listing for Naberius? Residential, please. No. No last name."
He waited, wondering what it was she was attempting to do. Could she locate Naberius with just one call, a question posed to an available source? He'd been aware of phones in the nineteen fifties, but none such as this. It had no grounding, no cord attached to it.
"Okay. It's ringing."
She handed him the phone. He turned it around in his hands, looking at the lights on it and hearing a distant ringing.
She took the phone from his hands and put it against his ear as she rolled her eyes. Their proximity no longer seemed to bother her as her breasts brushed against his chest. Now he was the one to grow uncomfortable with their closeness. To feel another's touch after so many years in the Abyss, it was difficult not to pull her into his arms.
The top of her head nearly came to his shoulders. She was tilting her head back as she looked directly into his eyes. Of course his eyes would make her curious, as they were not like her own. A soft scent wafted up to him that he couldn't place. It reminded him of the flowers that had once grown wild around his home. Sweet and potent.
Her obvious assessment of his eyes and her earlier appreciation of his body told him she was the worst kind of enticement. What would it feel like to bury himself between her—?
"Hello?"
The voice ripped him from his thoughts. Asmodeus put his hand over the witch's, steadying the phone as an annoyed female voice barked in his ear.
"Hello?" he said.
He heard a sigh. "It's past midnight. Talk fast." The sharp sting of the female's voice grated on his nerves.
"Is Naberius available?"
"Just a sec."
It couldn't be that easy to locate Naberius. The witch smiled and stepped away, her hand falling from his. She seemed more than pleased she had proven him wrong.
"What is it?"
Asmodeus couldn't help but smile as a voice he hadn't heard in years came through the device.
"Naberius, how are you faring, brother?"
There was a silence. Asmodeus could hear the woman in the background asking who was on the phone.
"Asmoday? Holy shit! Where the hell are you? You served your sentence?"
Asmodeus doubted if he would ever be finished serving his sentence. During his imprisonment the subject of release never came up. "I did not."
"Oh shit. So you broke out?"
"In a manner of speaking, but not literally. Do you have time to see me tonight? I have access to a vehicle and we are in the area."
"We?"
He looked down at the witch. "I'm bringing a witch with me."
She straightened her back. "My name is Brianna, and I'm not—"
"Brianna the Witch." He watched as the witch threw her hands up in the air and turned away, muttering something under her breath. "Speaking of others, who answered your phone?"