He knew.
Naberius let the curtain fall from his hand. "Well, hell. Why didn't you just come in the front door?"
Asmodeus shrugged.
"Where's Raum?"
Asmodeus raked her with a glare before he answered Naberius. "He's back at his house. He said he will call you in the morning."
Naberius nodded. "All right. See you in the morning." He looked at her sheepishly. "Sorry about that, Brianna."
She was sure she mumbled something, but she was too busy eyeing Asmodeus to pay much attention to what came out of her mouth.
She was so screwed, and not in a good way.
When Naberius shut the door Asmodeus calmly walked back into the bathroom. She heard the faucet turn on.
Maybe she should just hightail it the hell out of there. Save her own ass.
Then again, that's why she was here in the first place.
Her surroundings grew dim as her psychic abilities sprang to life. Unable to control when they came to her, she could only sit back and watch the vision unfold in her mind.
A tall silhouette of a man spoke of the Abyss. She caught words here and there, her vision slurred and broken. "The decision is up to…goes willingly to…imprisonment….millennia in the Abyss."
Another voice came from far away. She couldn't place it. "I accept."
Then the silhouette dipped his head in acquiesce. "It is done."
A terrible pain slammed inside her chest as someone screamed "No!" over and over again. The pain in the voice made her blood run cold. She had the distinct impression it was Asmodeus.
Had she accepted her fate so willingly? Was the Abyss her destiny? That couldn't be Asmodeus screaming on her behalf. For one, he wasn't the type. And two, he didn't give a rat's ass about her.
Before she could be certain of anything, the vision was gone.
She tensed when Asmodeus turned off the bathroom light, emerged from the bathroom and leaned against the doorframe. He wore black silk pajama bottoms and nothing else. She'd forgotten how perfect he was. His chest was as impressive as the glare he was now giving her. Now wasn't exactly the right time to be noticing how delicious he looked with his shirt off. Especially after such a dark vision.
Was she the person the man in her vision had been speaking of? What was done?
Asmodeus ran his tongue across his teeth. "They have made great advances in toothpaste since I was here last."
She was sure she should say something witty and explanatory, but nothing came to mind. "I like mint myself."
"Hmm."
She felt like bringing the sheets up to her nose and disappearing. He was obviously waiting for her to say something. What could she say? "Did you want me to turn The Golden Girls back on? I'm sure they'll be playing reruns all—"
"What were you doing?"
There it was. There was no way out of this predicament. Her entire plan was ruined. Of course her vision would soon become reality. They always did, with or without her new special powers. It was the sole reason she had wanted to explore whatever powers she had. Could she change her fate with a spell, or, like most times, would she only create disaster? "What do you mean?"
He didn't look amused.
"Oh, you mean what was I doing outside?" Playing dumb was only going to get her so far. From the look on his face it would get her as far as six feet under.
"Brianna."
She held out a hand. "Okay. So I wanted to know where you went." Which was absolutely true.
He didn't look convinced. "Why not ask me?"
She sat up a little, adjusting the pillows. He had yet to throw her out of the house. That was a good sign. She tried changing the subject. "So, where did you go with Raum?"
"What were you doing?"
Apparently he wasn't ready to let her little excursion go. She bit her lower lip. She might as well tell him the truth. She'd just have to spin it a little. "I was doing a locating spell in the backyard."
"Why?"
"I didn't want to be alone."
"Naberius was right next door. I left you my number and you had your cell phone."
She took heart in the fact that he wasn't yelling at her—yet. "I was scared." This was the perfect time to initiate a little dependence on him and his strength. Men loved that. "I wanted you."
His expression softened a bit. Score!
"What did you mean when you said you were here for an insurance policy?"
Flag on the play. Jesus, he had heard her conversation with Kelly. Her mouth went dry as she looked at him. She swallowed. "Kelly wanted to know why I was back here. I told her about the attack, and how you saved my life." And it's good!