He put his hand against the wall of the shower and dipped his head, letting the water run down his back. "The year?"
The muscles in his arms flexed as he moved. He seemed to be gaining control, his mind working, his body rebuilding strength. She cleared her throat. "Two thousand nine."
He gave a curt nod. "I now know how to work the equipment. You may leave."
She gave him a once-over, surprised at his dismissal, then quickly turned to do as he ordered. She was quite sure he could have told her to jump up and down on one leg and she would have complied.
"Or you can join me, if that is your preference."
She paused mid-stride, not sure if she had heard him correctly. "I-I beg your pardon?"
"You may join me in the water."
She almost snorted. Almost. Talk about too hot to handle. "I think I'm going to pass."
The sight of his magnificent body flashed through her mind. Firm, rippling muscle covered his entire length. Lord, when was the last time she'd had an offer like this? She paused in the bathroom, her hand on the doorknob.
What was she thinking? Was she insane? The man was a demon. He was practically on fire.
She shook her head and left the bathroom. She had to start thinking of a way to send him back.
Demon or not, could she, with a clear conscience, send him back to such torment? Was it for her to decide?
Would an angel come for him and take him back?
Her mind went in a thousand different directions. She couldn't do this by herself. She needed reinforcements.
Scurrying to the phone in her bedroom, she yanked it off the receiver. She dialed her friend Kelly's number. Kelly Pendleton, psychic to the stars, famous tarot reader and witch extraordinaire. Kelly would know what to do. Kelly was the one with the inherited power, the extensive knowledge of witchcraft she had honed over twenty years.
She had gone to Kelly to get a reading, which was how they'd met. Kelly had seemed surprised by Brianna's reading, telling Brianna she had powers inside of her that remained untapped. She still didn't know why she felt compelled to be a witch, other than the tarot reading which foretold of great power.
Great power. Ha! Before this, the only spell she'd performed right had been to locate someone's missing dog.
"Hello?"
"Kelly, it's Brianna. I've got a slight problem." She paced in her bedroom, listening to the shower run in the other room. She tried to get the image of him standing naked in the shower out of her mind. Focusing on his perfect form wasn't going to help the situation.
"Something your Oops Spell can't fix?"
This was so beyond an Oops Spell it wasn't even funny. Brianna stopped pacing and closed her eyes. "Have you ever summoned a demon before?"
Kelly had the gall to laugh.
"It's not funny. I'm serious."
The line fell silent. Kelly cleared her throat. "You really summoned a demon?"
"Yes." Brianna recognized the hint of disbelief in Kelly's voice. It was hard not to display a sense of misplaced pride in her accomplishment.
"Wow. Well, actually I have summoned a demon once before. But sending him back depends on the demon you summoned, what type of demon they are and how badly they want to stay in this realm. Who did you summon? Do you know his name?"
Knowing his name would give her power over him, but because of the chaos involving his appearance she hadn't thought to ask. "No, I don't know his name. The only thing I know about him is that he has black eyes and he came from the Abyss."
"Get out of your house. Now."
Kelly's demand brought her pacing to a quick stop. Brianna took Kelly's reaction as a bad sign. "Why?"
"First of all, if he has black eyes he's not a demon. He's an angel, and those are beings you never want to mess with. Demons' eyes are a light green and yellow mix, though when they are in a highly emotional state their eyes turn red, not black. Archangels, Warrior Angels, Virtues—their eyes turn black when highly emotional. The black color shows they have more power. Those with red eyes have less supremacy. Does he have any color to his eyes at all? Perhaps his eyes are just dark green. It's a rare color for a demon, though not unheard of."
Brianna shook her head, even though Kelly couldn't see her. How did Kelly know so much about demons? "No. All black."
"Then he's an angel."
"But he said I took him from the Abyss."
"Hmmm. Perhaps you took one of the angels who are in charge of torturing the Fallen Ones, which would explain why his eyes are black. Brianna, if his eyes are black then he's an angel."
When the shower turned off, Brianna looked out the open door of her bedroom. She whispered