Someone he wanted in his life, whatever that life may be.
The light turned green and he pressed the accelerator to the floor, turning the wheel all the way to the left until it would go no farther. He heard a terrible grinding as he saw smoke in the rearview mirror, likely coming from the tires as they spun in place. Within seconds he was headed back in the direction of Naberius's.
This could go down in history as the biggest mistake he ever made, but he was willing to take that chance at finding the elusive happiness that had been denied him for so long.
Brianna stalked up to the room she had so recently vacated, excusing herself from the forced pleasantries she'd encountered downstairs with Naberius and Valencia. She didn't have much time left, and she blamed her soon-to-be near-death experience for her new don't-mess-with-me attitude. What the hell could these demons do to her? Nothing compared to what she would soon be facing.
She didn't bother to go over her plan in her head. She didn't have time to think things through. Kelly had been her friend for years, and if the book had a negative impact on her, Brianna was going to be there to pick her friend up and help her.
She opened the door to the bedroom and slammed it shut behind her. She stomped over to the dresser, picked up her cell and used the clip to attach it to her dress. Walking straight to the window, she dismissed the memories the room held for her. Not all of them were pleasant anyway. Hell, most of them weren't pleasant.
She opened the blinds and pushed the window up. She was met with black bars.
What the hell? Those hadn't been there the day before.
She yanked the screen out, tossing it to the hardwood floor. Did those sons of bitches think for one minute a few black iron bars would keep her prisoner in a room? As long as she used nature as a backdrop, she could make her own damned spells.
The grounding necklace.
She reached up, and to her surprise she didn't feel it. When had Asmodeus taken it from her? She couldn't recall when he'd done so. But whatever the time, or whatever the reason it worked to her advantage now.
She wrapped her arms around the offending bars and muttered, "Trees of green, sky of stars, rid me of these prisoner's bars." The bars disappeared, leaving her holding nothing but the cold night air.
"Amateurs."
She climbed out of the window, aware she no longer had the powers she had the last time she was on the roof. She would have to find a safer way down than jumping.
She crawled carefully to where the garbage can lay next to the fence. Unfortunately it was no longer by the house. Figured. They must have moved it.
Had they known she would be performing the same kind of stunt?
She sat, inching her way over to the edge of the roof and the fence below. Something had come over her since her rejection from Asmodeus, and it felt good. She felt liberated. No one was going to hold her down, and the personal doubts she used to carry were long gone.
She had less than six days to live her life. She didn't have the time to live her life half-assed, and she no longer had the patience.
Asmodeus punched the intercom when he arrived at the black iron gates. He waited impatiently, wanting to ram Naberius's damn gates down with the car. Ironically with Naberius's car.
"Hello?"
"Let me in."
"Sure thing," Naberius said, and the gates began to open.
He took his foot off the brake and accelerated up the drive to the house. Admitting he was wrong wouldn't be an issue. It would be gaining her forgiveness, which he wasn't so sure would be forthcoming. He'd noted a change in Brianna tonight. Not defensiveness, but a transformation from wallflower to hellfire. The light in her eyes and the strength in her gait as she had walked in front of the car had been that of a woman with purpose and determination.
He hoped her determination wasn't that of hating him.
He parked the car and headed toward the house. He hadn't felt such dread before a confrontation.
Naberius met him at the door. "What happened? Brianna seemed pissed."
"I'll fill you in later."
Naberius shrugged, allowing him to head up the stairs without further delay. He took the stairs three at a time, anxious to tell Brianna his change of heart.
When he came to the bedroom door he stopped and gathered his composure. Brianna was going to be irate. For once he had to think of something to say, something that would let her know what she meant to him. They hadn't known each other long, but through their harsh and dangerous experiences he had come to rely on her company. He almost expected it, took it for granted.
He cleared his throat and knocked twice.
He didn't hear her moving around, so he knocked again. Leaning in, he couldn't hear the shower running. There was no way she could have gone to sleep already. She would have been too keyed up.