Asmodeus(49)

She shifted in the chaise. "I disappeared. It's going to be quite obvious where the book went."



"That wasn't very smart of you."



She hated when he talked down to her. In the beginning of their relationship he had brought her gifts, made her feel like she was the only woman in the world. Now he belittled her every time he came over. He scolded her when she performed spells, and they had quit having sex. It was like he wasn't interested in being intimate with her anymore.

"Don't you think he'll be over here to retrieve it?"



She shrugged. "Probably."



He didn't like her answer. The air around her snapped to life, more violently than a few moments before. Other than that he hadn't moved. He never moved. He was merely there. The man was so much more than his outward appearance. He contained powers she could only dream of.



"I told you the book would overwhelm you. You've proven it in your inadequacy to keep it to yourself. It should have never ended up in Asmodeus's hands. You are careless."



Her temper snapped. "You told me to get it out of the house, to let it go for a while. I took it to Brianna's house because you asked me to. This is your fault, not mine. I would have kept it here—"



"Silence!" He leaned forward and flicked his cigarette onto her lawn. "Do not raise your voice to me. If it were not for me you wouldn't have the damned book in the first place."



When his voice took on that tone it was time to back off. Lev scared her when he got like this.



"That book can give you everything you've ever wanted in life. Power. Success. Love. But you aren't using it as I instructed you. You only perform petty spells, which only serve to drain you."



Lev had informed her she could siphon another's life force, to counteract the drain of her powers. It was something she refused to do. She didn't need to siphon. She wasn't in this to become powerful, though the power was indeed addicting. She kept the book to help her at her craft. "I am feeling drained, but I can't siphon from another witch."



He didn't say anything. This was as cold as she'd ever seen him. The façade he had made for her benefit was diminishing.



"What is it you want with me?" she asked quietly.



He smiled. "Have we come to this turn in our relationship already?"



His words confirmed her fear. He had never been interested in her. She was a means to an end. She should have known.



"What do you want?" she repeated.



"Siphon the power from Asmodeus and his demons and bring it back to me. Siphon from the witch as well. If you do not do this I will take the book back and you will die."



She gasped. "Are you threatening me? What can you do with anyone's life force? You're immortal."



"From your first spell you have started to die. That's why the spells are taking so much of you. They feed from the power of your life force, not the energy of the earth, as your pathetic spells do. That is what enables you to wield dark power. To keep your life force flowing you must siphon from another being with powers. Or you can siphon from a normal human, though they usually die in the process. I want the immortals' life force because with it come their powers."



What more powers could he possibly want? She tossed the book to the ground in front of him, though it took every ounce of her willpower to do so. "Then I quit. I didn't become addicted as you had once warned me."



He smiled. "Nothing in life is what it seems. It's no longer about addiction. It's about survival. Whether or not you ever perform another dark spell you still need to siphon. You've let your life source seep out, and that's not something you can merely close up. That's why you've been so tired. Why the spells are taking so much out of you. You need to siphon from another source to stay alive."



The day Asmodeus had released her and Brianna, she had come home and slept the day away, which was why she had forgotten about the necklace until late that night. The truth of his words cut deep.

No. This was bullshit. She was human. She couldn't siphon off another living thing. "It is physically impossible for me to siphon from another."



He laughed, rising from the chair to tower over her. "You contain the power to do so now. It will come naturally to humans in your position. It's called bonding."



"Bonding?"



"It's in the book," he said, picking it up off the ground and tossing it into her lap. "And if you choose not to take from another it's your death. Choose not to bring these powers to me, it's your soul."



She felt cold as he walked away. She had never imagined her involvement with the book or with the demon would go this far. Things were getting out of hand, and Lev had no intention of helping her. "What do I do about Asmodeus?"