Asmodeus(44)

Damn.



"Brianna, I can smell a lie. I had put my guard down where you were concerned, but I can assure you, I will never again make that mistake. You've been lying to me since we met again at the park. I want to know why."



She stepped back when he got to his feet, the action making her slightly dizzy. Things were quickly going from bad to worse.



"Kelly knew where we were going last night. She was in the kitchen when Naberius made the call to Raum to discuss where we would be meeting. She also has access to your house." He glanced down, running a finger over the ancient spells written on the page. "What is it you are not telling me?"



If she told him about the angels they would undoubtedly arrive en masse to apprehend him, and her. She couldn't risk it. She couldn't lie to him anymore either. Pretending she didn't know what he was talking about wouldn't work. "I can't tell you."



His face grew dark. Sparks of energy split the air around them. "What does Kelly have to do with it?"



"Nothing. She knows nothing."



His eyes grew darker. "I find that hard to believe."



She fumbled for footing. "I—"



"Somehow you became more powerful after the Nephilim attack last night. I could feel it, as could the others. Is that something you were going to try and use against me? Is your motive behind all your lies to send me back to the Abyss?"



Her chest tightened with fear. The emotion in his eyes nearly brought her to her knees. She couldn't lie to him any longer. Somewhere along the way she had gone from fearing him to respecting him.



"Brianna. Explain yourself."



"I…" She put a hand on the desk to steady herself as a wave of nausea hit her. Her vision became hazy. "I'm just coming down with something." Her head felt like it was going to implode.



The stars in her vision multiplied, and she couldn't support herself any longer. She would have slid to the ground if Asmodeus hadn't helped her into the chair. She was having trouble breathing.



This wasn't a cold. It was coming on too strong.



Asmodeus kneeled in front of her, taking her face in his hands. From her haze she briefly wondered if that was concern she saw on his face. "Brianna, did the Nephilim bite you last night?"



She couldn't answer him. Her body went limp, just as it had when the Nephilim had bitten her.



"Brianna?"



Asmodeus lifted her up as she closed her eyes, unable to expend the energy to keep them open.

"Naberius!" Asmodeus ran to his room as Brianna went completely flaccid in his arms. Her head fell against his chest. The powers and energy that surrounded her were fading—powers she could only have attained had she dealt with the Demonic Book of Spells, as he had once thought, or from the bite of a Nephilim. If she had been bitten it would only be a matter of time before the powers left her and the toxins in the Nephilim's saliva killed her.



He kicked the door to the bedroom open, splitting the wood, and laid her on the bed.



Naberius came up behind him. "What happened?"



"I think Brianna was bitten by the Nephilim last night." He placed his hands on her face, which was losing all its color. She was covered in a fine sheen of cold sweat.



Naberius bent over her, examining her neck. "The powers could have come from the toxins mixing with her blood. That's only if she contained any of the powers she claims she doesn't possess."



"What can we do?" She was growing cold to the touch. He had healing powers, but nothing that would touch the toxins from a Nephilim. Not if they were already imbedded in her blood.



"Raum," Naberius yelled. He turned back to look at Brianna. "We can try and combine our powers to heal her, but I don't know if it will work."



Raum ran into the room. "What? Jesus, what happened?"



Kelly barged into the room after Raum. "What are you doing to her?" She tried pushing past Raum, but he held her back.



"She's dying!" Kelly screamed, fighting against Raum's hold.



Asmodeus stood and faced her. He grabbed her from Raum, bringing her face only inches from his own. "She was bit by a Nephilim last night. Do you have a healing spell?"



She glanced down at Brianna. "I-I don't delve in dark magic. That kind of spell would contain dark magic. It's the only form of incantation that would bring back people from certain death."



She was lying. He could feel it. He let go of her and stepped back. He didn't trust himself not to kill her. "Then Brianna will die."



Indecision clouded Kelly's features. She knew about the Demonic Book of Spells. It was obvious. If she was any friend to Brianna, she would perform a spell to heal her.