"I'm sorry for waking you up, but do you know where Naberius and Asmodeus are going tonight? Did you overhear anything?"
"Why would you want to know that?"
"Kelly, I can't explain right now. Do you know?"
Kelly sighed. "I know they're going to the woods in Hickory right after sunset, but I don't know what part. Naberius had called Raum while we were sitting at the kitchen table. That's when Raum popped in. Why?"
"Thanks. I'll explain later. Go back to sleep." Brianna hung up. She threw her phone on her bed and looked at the time. It was just after noon. She had plenty of time to get in the shower, run to her store and come up with something to tell Asmodeus when she accidentally ran into him tonight in the middle of the woods. Hickory Park was nestled on the edge of a wooded area, and they were most likely to park in the parking lot right in front of the play area.
Jogging. She'd go jogging.
Damn, she hated jogging. But this was a great start. She'd go jogging, get accosted by a Nephilim, and Asmodeus would save the day. She'd have to play up how heroic he was, flirt a bit, and voila! Instant infatuation from adoring female.
She jumped in the shower, adrenaline pumping. This had to work. What other option did she have?
None.
After showering and putting on her gray sweats, she decided she had more than enough time to open up her bookstore for a while. She couldn't go to the park until after dark, which would be around nine o'clock. She'd call her cousin, Tracy, and ask her to watch the store for the next week or so.
Or indefinitely, if such was the case.
On the drive to her bookstore, Charmed Books, she hit the drive-through at Arby's. She'd had nothing but coffee since yesterday at lunch. After she had come home with the new spell book she had forgotten to eat dinner, too excited about the strange language she had found.
What a nightmare. Witchcraft had always seemed like a tool that could aid in so many things. It could also destroy, and until last night she thought she had stayed away from the bad.
She parked her car and took a deep breath. Charmed Books was located in a strip mall. She'd taken a chance at renting the space because it had been expensive, but the store had taken off. It took her about a year to catch up on the bills with her revenue, but now she had regular costumers who enjoyed the personal touch she'd given the place.
There was a Krispy Kreme to the left of her store, and a Clair's Styling Salon to her right. Subway, Little Caesar's Pizza and Bill's Furniture Gallery capped off their little strip mall. She picked up her Arby's bag and locked her car.
Phillip, who worked at Little Caesar's Pizza, stood outside smoking a cigarette. He sported a barbed wire tattoo around his neck, tattooed sleeves on both his arms and a lip ring. A lot of people would take one look at him and walk the other way, thinking he was trouble. That just wasn't the case. He was the nicest person working at the strip mall. Always willing to lend her a hand.
"Hey, Brianna, you're a little late."
She smiled in greeting, though she didn't feel like making chitchat. "Life sometimes gets in the way." Understatement of the year. She rummaged through her purse, found the key to her shop and unlocked the door.
Before she could duck inside he called out, "A few boxes are waiting for you out back. Donations."
She nodded at Phillip. "Thanks."
"Do you want me to bring them in for you?"
Damn, she really didn't feel like yakking, but she felt bad for brushing him off. "No, that's all right. I'll get them."
He put his cigarette out in the can. "Call me if you need me."
"I will. Thanks, Phillip."
She opened the door and flipped her sign to open. As she switched on the lights some of her tension drained away. She knew what to do here, knew the layout and the things that needed to get done. Perhaps the repetitive tasks would calm her nerves.
She dropped her keys behind the counter with her purse and paper bag. The familiar scent of books and potpourri filled the air as she walked to the back door. She opened the back door and placed the door wedge under it, securing it so it wouldn't shut on her as she brought in the boxes.
The boxes weren't too large. She opened one to check the contents. A few romance novels peeked out at her. Woodwiss, Holt and Kenyon.
The second box contained mostly recipe books. She hefted the two in, one by one, setting them just inside the back door. Thankfully the books that had been donated were normal, non-threatening books. Getting a donation of spell books or incantations would have sent her over the edge. Then again, most of those donations came from Kelly.
She brushed the thoughts aside only to dig up more unwanted memories. She looked forward to seeing Asmodeus again, which was perplexing to say the least. He was an enigma. Certainly not like any other man she'd been involved with, which held a dark appeal. What would it be like to call someone such as Asmodeus her lover?