Asmodeus(25)

Long-term goal—kill Asmodeus. Short-term goal—earn his trust so she could kill him.



Killing wasn't exactly something she had done before, and she wasn't sure she could go through with it. Could she effectively carry out her mission? How did the angels expect her, an aspiring witch, to kill an ancient demon?



Then again, if she didn't complete her mission, burning for all eternity didn't sound so appealing.



Killing it was.



The first thing she needed to do was get Kelly out of the house, go home and regroup.



One step at a time, she told herself as she went down the stairs. Once she secured Kelly she would come up with a reason to come back to Naberius's house. She had to be around Asmodeus to gain his trust.

But the question remained, how would she gain access to him once she left?



Before she reached the kitchen she heard raised voices. One of those voices was none other than Kelly's.



"Then you would be up there, or he would be down here. Drop the subject, Raum. You're bad, Gabriel's good. End of story."



Brianna peeked around the kitchen door. A tall blond man stood in front of Kelly, who was backed against the kitchen counter, entrapped by the man's arms. Both of his hands were resting on the counter behind Kelly, their faces only inches apart. Brianna recognized him as the man she had met last night. Raum.



"You speak of Gabriel yet you know nothing about him. He fell in the sixth century, much for the same reason I did. Even the Catholics stripped him of his divine status, and more than one rumor traveled through our circles about him. They were saying he was either gay or a woman, for someone saw him being intimate with a man. Do you know why he fell?"



Kelly sucked in her cheeks and pursed her lips. "Doesn't matter, does it? He's back in Heaven where he belongs, and you're stuck here, where you belong. I'd say that speaks for itself."



"Woman, did you hear nothing I just said to you? I want to be here. I've no interest in going back to Heaven."



Kelly snorted. "Like I believe that for a second."



"Kelly?" Brianna wouldn't look at Raum. He wasn't as scary as Naberius, but there was something uncontrollable in his character, and she didn't trust him. "Um, it's time to go."



It took a moment for Kelly to comprehend what she had said. "As in free to go? We can leave?"



Brianna quickly nodded. "You ready?"



Kelly smacked at one of Raum's arms. "Move." Kelly ducked under Raum's arms when it became apparent she couldn't budge him. "Let's get the hell out of here."



Brianna waited for Kelly, and she blanched when Kelly turned back to Raum. Christ, why couldn't Kelly just leave well enough alone?



"I'm curious. Why did Gabriel fall? Because of the intimate act?"



Raum settled his light green, luminous eyes on Kelly. "Because he killed a know-it-all, annoying blonde woman."



Kelly hissed at him. Actually hissed like a cat. Brianna grabbed Kelly's arm and pulled her in the direction of the front door. She picked up her keys and cell from the table by the door, balancing the dagger under her arm.



"What happened?" Kelly asked as they walked out of the house.



Everything looked so normal outside. The sky was a bright blue, the birds were chirping. Peaceful was the word that came to mind. It was hard to believe in just a week's time she could be burning in eternal hellfire.



She didn't want to tell Kelly she had been threatened by the Powers That Be, or whatever they had called themselves. She'd been so damned scared she had forgotten who they said they were.



Brianna looked around for Kelly's car. "Where did you park? Down the road?"



"I walked. Nice way to avoid the question, though."



Brianna slipped Kelly a look. "You walked five miles in the dark?"



"Jogged is more like it."

Brianna hit the unlock button for her car. "Why were you fighting with Raum? Are you suicidal?"



They slid into the car and buckled. Brianna put the dagger in her glove box, then started the car and put it in reverse. Just go through the motions. If she thought too hard about what had transpired she'd lose what was left of her mind.



When she turned to look over her shoulder the black gate began to open.



Kelly growled.



Brianna thought about getting a rabies shot.



Kelly smacked her in the arm. "Do you know what he said to me?"



She resisted the urge to rub the sting out of her arm. "No idea."



"He told me they were the good guys, they were just misunderstood. Can you believe that?"



Brianna turned down the main road, her mind trying to focus on what she was going to say to Asmodeus when she arrived back on his doorstep. "Nope. Can't believe it."