Asmodeus(21)

She kept taking in her surroundings, trying to focus on anything other than the man she was speaking with. "I remember reading about Nephilim in the Book of Enoch. They are the offspring created when a demon mates with a human."



He walked by her and picked up a book off the desk. "You study the ancient texts?"



She set her coffee on a coaster, glancing at the object he held in his hands. "Yes, I'm a bore. I thought the text mentioned the Flood had killed them all off."



He flipped the book open and leaned against the desk. "It did."



"Well then…oh." The flood had destroyed all of the Nephilim, but apparently he and his friends had created more. Perhaps that was why he was damned to the Abyss. "What happened? Did you and those who fell with you make more?"



Once again his normal visage melted away, leaving something profoundly disturbing in its place. He looked at her with eyes that seemed brighter than the morning sun. His pupils went from being round and normal, to horizontal slits. His skin held a dark illumination. "I made no more of those children."



She refused to allow his ethereal stunt to frighten her. "Children? The way the Book of Enoch describes them they seemed more beast than cherub."



He pushed from the desk with a rage that seemed barely contained, though his actions were slow and calculated. His strange pupils melted into black pools, engulfing the color of his eyes. "I will forgive you that, for you were not there. The book does not describe what they were like as young beings."



Okay. She'd hit a sore spot with that one. What exactly was he trying to convince her of? "So, if you didn't create any more, why are you responsible for terminating the remainder of the Nephilim?"



"I'm not. The other rebels are. I have no responsibility in this realm. No purpose."



She had witnessed a sadness lurking in Asmodeus's eyes the day before, and she read the same emotion now. She had yet to master control with her psychic abilities, though sometimes her powers came through with such clarity other's emotions left a mark on her soul. Just as Asmodeus's emptiness was now doing. She felt desolate and alone, as though her enemies had spared nothing in their vengeance, leaving her cold and helpless. Were these Asmodeus's emotions?



Looking at him one would never use the word vulnerable, but that's what he felt right here and now. Hopeless and alone.



"When do you think the angels will come after you again?" she asked quietly.



He turned his attention back to the book. "Soon."



"Are you willing to live a life like that? Always waiting for another angel to come and take you—"



"Quit asking me your endless questions. I am here. I am breathing. There is nothing more I need at the moment."

Again, a feeling of hopelessness settled itself into her core. She feigned interest in the books lining the wall, picking one off a bookshelf and flipping through it. Nowhere had she read that demons were good or righteous. He did bad things in his past, and now he suffered from the guilt. Why should she let his emotions wreak havoc on her?



Then again, she had never thought demons would feel guilt. Did that make him more human in her eyes?



Before she could contemplate that thought she began feeling weak and dizzy. The assault came on suddenly, with a ferociousness that caused her heart to race. The bookshelf in front of her tilted, the books lining the oak shelves blurring.



Within seconds the dizziness brought her to her knees. She laid her hands flat on the floor, putting her forehead on top of them. She fought the wave of vertigo. Taking deep breaths, she realized the library had lost the musky, leather scent. The air smelled like nothing. It was cold and invigorating, still as death.



A white mist replaced the hardwood floor, and though she didn't fall she felt nothing beneath her. She called out for Asmodeus as she tried to find something with which to balance herself. Nothing but air surrounded her.



She waited to feel strong arms steady her, though none were forthcoming. Finally the dizziness faded away, and she was able to right herself when she felt a hard surface underneath her. She sat back on her heels. All she could see was fog beneath her.



Instead of facing a line of bookshelves, four angels now stood before her, though they didn't resemble the three who had been in her house the night before. Only the black pools of their eyes incited recognition.



They were bigger. Much bigger. Battle gear covered their massive forms, and each wore helmets resembling what the Romans wore in ancient times. An angel standing in the middle held a flaming dagger, and she could feel its heat from where she kneeled.



The other angels stood with their hands behind their backs, only their torsos visible through the mist. She slowly stood to face them. Asmodeus had told her he would protect her from the angels' wrath. He had been sorely mistaken.