Tripping over a garden hose that hadn't been put away sent her tumbling into a tomato plant.
She managed to regain her balance, terrified to look behind her and find Asmodeus hot on her heels.
How the hell did you run from a demon?
She didn't have the answer to that, and she sure as hell didn't have the time to contemplate it. She practically vaulted over the first fence she came to, not bothering to whistle, knowing good and well she'd rather face a slobbering rottweiler than a demon.
She bolted through the backyard and flew over another fence. A sharp pain shot through her thigh. She fell the five feet to the ground on the other side of the fence. It took her too long to regain her breath, and every second that went by she imagined Asmodeus flying over the fence to apprehend her.
She tried to get up and winced as a fresh wave of pain raked her body. She glanced down to where the pain was coming from.
"Sonofabitch." She'd scraped the whole left side of her leg on the fence.
She attempted to survey the damage before getting back to her feet. She couldn't see very well in the dark, so she gave up on her leg and pushed herself up. Through the sting of the cuts she started jogging again, her teeth clenched against the pain.
Only one house away from the next street, and she tasted sweet freedom. She was nearly home. All she had to do was get to her house and slap up a protection spell to keep him out.
Had he stayed in the car? If he had, then most likely he would be waiting for her on that street. If not, wouldn't he have caught her by now?
She skidded to a stop and decided to go in the opposite direction. She doubted he would think of that. Unfortunately she would be running away from where she wanted to be, but she had no choice. The change in direction might throw him off. She had no idea if he could locate her with his powers or not.
When she made it over another fence she had her answer.
Asmodeus stood in the middle of the goddamned yard looking smug and clearly in better shape than she was currently in.
Out of breath and unmistakably defeated, she put her hands on her thighs, careful not to hurt her injured leg, and bent over in attempt to catch her breath. Nearing late August the air was still considerably warm, and a fine sheen of sweat covered her body.
So much for her grand escape.
"Not a bad first try." He walked over to her and snatched the dagger out of her shirt.
She jumped when his hand lightly brushed her breast. He didn't yell at her or physically harm her, and for some odd reason she had known he wouldn't. He merely took her by the arm and led her through the gate and to her car that sat in the middle of the road.
She felt quite calm considering the circumstances. "Didn't know…you could drive," she said between breaths.
"I have too much invested in your current task to let you go. I'm depending on your powers. Please keep that in mind the next time you attempt to leave. I will not be so lenient in the future."
He opened the passenger door for her, and she fell into the seat. He shut the door. She eyed him as he walked in front of the car to the other side, the headlights illuminating him. As she looked at his physique, which the brown robe couldn't conceal, she wondered at why she had thought she could escape him. Add his powers to his physique and she had been a goner from the beginning.
She carefully ran a hand down her thigh as he opened his door and sat down. The wood from the fence had left a jagged cut on her upper left thigh. It wasn't bleeding much, but it did hurt like hell.
He shut his door and turned to her. He moved her hand and replaced it with his own. "What happened?"
She brushed his hand away, embarrassed. "Nothing."
He ignored her, replacing his hand on her thigh. "Hold still."
He looked down at her leg with an intense expression on his face. She flinched when a terrible stinging sensation ricocheted through her leg. It was as though she had dropped a hot curling iron on her thigh.
"Ouch!" She tried shoving him off her, the burn causing her eyes to tear up. As she pushed against him, the pain melted away. When he removed his hand her leg was smooth, completely healed.
"How did you do that?"
"I healed your wound," he said as he put the car in drive. He didn't speak as he drove out of the neighborhood.
Attempting to control her breathing, she focused on the street. She'd heard some beings had healing powers, but what shocked her was he had healed her at all after the trouble she had given him. Then again, she was integral to summoning Michael, so of course he would want her in tiptop shape.
She turned and studied his profile in the dim light of the car. The handsome ridges of his face were lined with exhaustion. Asmodeus came to the place where she had ditched him, and she started feeling guilty she had run off.