Asmodeus(53)

He started the truck, becoming more pissed off by the second. He'd given the Demonic Book of Spells to Kelly for her benefit as well as his own. Now the ungrateful bitch had taken off on him. Or worse, she could have been apprehended by another demon.



She didn't contain the power to hide from him for long. She was a fake. Fucking tarot card reader. Brianna was the one with the power, which was why he needed Kelly to bond with her. Kelly was easily manipulated, whereas her friend was too strong-willed. His attempt to get the book out of Kelly's hands for a while had failed. He had wanted her to become weak, and she had been getting weaker by the hour. She would have turned on her friend in days.



Then Asmodeus had burst into the picture, ruining everything. He suddenly felt like the captured villains in the Scooby Doo cartoons. If it wasn't for you meddling demons…



He was going to name his next dog Asmodeus. He'd buy a poodle and put a pink ribbon around its neck.

He had no more time to waste. He had to find Brianna and force her to summon Kelly. Kelly was more than likely in a bad condition by now. He doubted he'd have trouble getting her to bond with Brianna.



Killing the two would bring an improvement to his current mood. He put the truck in reverse and smiled at Dog. "Time to find the wicked witch, ToTo."





Asmodeus leaned out of the car to take his shoes off and roll up his slacks. The breeze coming off the water was a welcome change to what he had become accustomed to for the last few centuries.



Brianna had tried to hide the fact she had been watching for the angels during the ride to the beach. Three different times he'd had to turn around because she'd forgotten to tell him what turn to take.



He stood and put his shoes and socks on the driver's seat and shut the door. Brianna stood in front of the car waiting for him. She had worn a little black dress that clung to her every curve.



He walked up to her and took her hand as though he had done it a million times before. It felt natural to walk hand in hand with her. He absently ran his thumb over her silky skin as he thought over the past few days. She'd been less than forthcoming with him, and though it should anger him, it didn't. The sight of her lying prone on the bed, drained of color, left a terrible ache in his being. The last time he had experienced fear like that had been when he had seen her car in the parking lot at Hickory Park.



It was damned confusing. He was falling for her. He could tell by the way he became concerned every time her safety was at stake. Damned if he knew when it had happened. But the truth was there would never be a relationship between them. It was against the laws of nature.



As they reached the edge of the sand he couldn't help but think he didn't deserve this small reprieve. For more than half of his life he'd been punished. He was waiting for something terrible to happen. Something that would take all of this away.



As they silently made their way toward the crashing waves he felt a connection with her. An understanding. Brianna took his company for what it was worth, not for what he could give her. She'd accepted his trust, and in turn gave him her trust as well. It was a liberating feeling to be with someone and not try to hide who and what you were. Quite unlike what he had shared with his wife.



He had to stop contemplating what a wonderful woman Brianna was, and start concentrating on why he had worked to get her alone in the first place. She was still hiding something. He figured what she hid from him had more to do with her safety than it had to do with his. Perhaps that's why she had come back. She was frightened. He wouldn't be surprised if she had had a confrontation with an angel about her summoning him.



She squeezed his hand, taking him from his thoughts. "Wow. The breeze sure does get colder the closer you get to the water."



He let go of her hand and shrugged out of his shirt.



"No, I wasn't hinting for anything. Keep your shirt."



He helped her slip into it, his hands brushing against the softness of her skin. Memories of their intimacy clouded his vision. She was a passionate woman, and also cunning. If he hadn't stopped them the night before, she would have accepted him into her body. The grounding necklace caught the light of the moon, and the sight of it around her neck made him angry. He'd take it from her without her knowing.

Removing the necklace might be a mistake, but it was a mistake he was willing to make at the moment. He dematerialized the necklace without another thought.



"Nonsense." He took her hand again, a feeling of possessiveness overcoming him. A part of him wanted to tell her to run, to get as far away from him as possible. The other part wasn't willing to let her go.



There could never be anything significant between them. He'd learned his lesson. Demons and humans couldn't coexist. Not to mention she would grow old, he wouldn't. His wife had aged with the passing of time and he had remained youthful. It wasn't something he wanted to revisit.