What concerned her was what would happen should they both fail.
If she could only get rid of him before any of that took place.
Kelly sighed. "Three demons?"
"Well, four at the moment. Asmodeus, the one you just met, and his friends—Raum, Naberius and Valencia."
"Great."
"Do you know any spells that will send him back?"
Kelly walked over to the couch. "His power is greater than ours. He would merely counteract it."
"Yes, but he said he couldn't use the energy the earth provided, so how could he counteract that type of force? Not only that, if we sent him back we could make sure he wasn't aware his departure was imminent. The book I used to summon him should contain a retraction spell." Brianna refused to think her only plan was doomed to fail.
"Sorry, doesn't work that way. Besides, I didn't bring any spells with me. Not to mention this damned necklace. I'm not sure you contain enough power to work one of those spells anyway."
That stung. "Well, I got him here, didn't I?"
Brianna sat next to Kelly. She looked down at the grounding necklace that sat against Kelly's collarbone. Was it hateful to be somewhat smug that Kelly had no powers at the moment? Asmodeus had become aware of Kelly's powers before Kelly had even stepped into the house.
And it was painfully obvious he didn't find her powers a threat because he hadn't placed a grounding necklace on her.
"I didn't mean any offense by what I said. I've told you before, I wouldn't let you be my apprentice if I didn't think you had the power and talent for it."
Kelly felt sorry for her. That was the reason she was Kelly's understudy. "There has to be a way to send him back." She refused to believe otherwise. "Didn't you say you had summoned a demon? How did you send him back?"
Kelly became interested in the seam on the armrest. "I didn't. Brianna, some things don't have an explanation. They just happen for a reason. Maybe he was meant to be here."
Brianna saw a shadow of a man on the hallway wall, just beyond the stairs. It disappeared quickly. She lowered her voice. "I think he can hear us."
"Oh, I know he can." Kelly turned her attention back to her. "Here's the thing, Brianna. You brought him here, but you can't force him to leave. Not unless he allows it. And from what I've gathered, that's not likely to happen."
Chapter Five
"Coffee?" Asmodeus asked.
Brianna stumbled into the kitchen, eyes half open. She had caught a whiff of freshly brewed coffee as it wafted into the family room. The aroma was too much for her to pass up. Demons be damned, she'd brave Satan himself to get some caffeine in the morning.
She nodded at Asmodeus as he rose from the table. "Yes, please." He pulled out a chair for her and she thanked him as she sat, still in a sleepy haze. He wore jeans and a blue collared shirt. Both were too tight on him, but she was quickly learning he looked good in anything he wore.
Naberius and Valencia sat across from her. Valencia's dark, auburn hair was perfect and shiny, her face clear, her disposition cheerful. Brianna tried smoothing her hair, raking her fingers through the long tresses in a pathetic attempt to look civilized.
"You take your coffee black?" Asmodeus stood posed with the coffeepot over a red porcelain cup. She was being thrown off her game with this domesticated scene.
Hell, who was she kidding? She didn't have game.
"Yes, black. I can't stand the taste of sugar and cream in my coffee. Makes it taste like syrup."
Asmodeus poured the coffee and brought her the steaming mug. She wrapped her hands around the warm designer mug and took a small sip of the dark liquid. Looking across the table she noticed Valencia's cup was frothy.
Valencia smiled sweetly. "I made a cappuccino. I like the taste of sugar in the morning."
Brianna resisted the urge to sneer at the demonic Barbie doll. What a disheveled mess she must look like sitting across from Valencia. Jealousy had never been a trait of hers, but she felt the claws of the green monster nonetheless.
"Would you like me to make you something for breakfast?"
Oh, so she was gorgeous, sweet and she could cook. Bitch. "No thanks."
Brianna heard footsteps padding into the kitchen. She glanced over her shoulder as Kelly walked into the room.
Kelly looked rough. At the age of thirty-eight, Kelly could pass for a woman in her late twenties. She was a health food fanatic, and she exercised daily, so it surprised her when Kelly went straight for the coffeepot. She waved a dismissive hand when Asmodeus stood up from the kitchen table. Asmodeus sat back down when it became obvious Kelly didn't want his assistance.