He laid the spell book on the bed and stood, stretching. "You will not be reprimanded for breaking me out. I will take care of this problem."
An enormous steel sword materialized in his hands. His skin began to sizzle, cracking and sparkling as though he'd been dipped in electrified glitter. The muscles in his arm bunched under the weight of his sword as he braced his legs apart and stood before the door to her room.
In a yellow towel, no less.
She slid down the wall and sat on her butt, wrapping her arms around her legs, fully prepared to kiss her own ass goodbye. It was official. The demon was a psychopath, and he was about to get his ass handed to him.
The angels now stood in front of the demon, looking about as pleased as an irate mother with a switch.
"Asmodeus, as leader and commander of the Second Angelic Revolt, which resulted in the birth of the Nephilim and the purifying Flood thereafter, you will accompany us back to the Abyss, wherein you will continue serving a sentence for the aforementioned trespasses."
The demon only raised his sword as he faced the angels filling her hallway.
The angel continued, ignoring the three-foot steel blade presently pointed at his head. "If you decide to disobey the direct order of the archangel in charge of your current apprehending, we will be forced to extend your sentence and impart on you the highest persecution known in the Abyss. Your conduct in regards to your compliance or disobedience in this matter will be noted and recorded for future reference. We understand you were summoned, therefore we will not hold you responsible for your current fall. We will take care of that matter separately."
The demon turned around to look at her. His lips twisted into a smirk as if he found this situation highly entertaining. Had the angels been talking about her part in Asmodeus's summoning? What matter were they going to take care of?
Holy hell.
The demon turned back to the angels and answered them by raising his left hand. Sparks flew down the hall, a roar of glitter-fire that scattered the jean-clad angels like windblown ashes. It was like the Fourth of July at her house, only it was August, and she wasn't waving an American flag. It was just as awe inspiring, however, and she found herself low-crawling toward her door, like she was a soldier in a battle, as the demon calmly walked out of her bedroom and down the hall.
There was no confusion over who was in charge of this situation as the demon Asmodeus attacked again. He cupped his left hand, bringing with it a frigid wind that knocked the pictures off the wall in her hallway, and raised his arm toward the ceiling.
Before the angels could regain their footing from his first attack, Asmodeus brought his hand down. The three angels hit the wall in her living room, crumpling to the beige carpet in a tangled mess of arms and legs.
One of the angels thrust his hand toward Asmodeus. The air snapped to life as heat engulfed the room. For a few seconds she could hardly breathe, and she couldn't help but wonder what Asmodeus was experiencing, as the heat had been concentrated on him. Moving so quickly she barely caught the gesture, he brought both arms up and his sword shot into the air.
He lost his towel in the process.
Damn. His backend was as nice as his front.
Asmodeus uttered words she had never heard spoken before, pulling her out of her hot, hormoneinduced stupor.
One of the angels disappeared, leaving behind a deflated T-shirt and jeans.
The other two materialized behind Asmodeus, only a few feet from where she was hunkered down on all fours. Asmodeus turned and thrust his sword through one angel. She backed away when the tip of the sword emerged from the back of the white T-shirt, now stained black. The angel disappeared.
The last angel stood tall as he faced Asmodeus.
"You have no purpose, Asmodeus. There is nothing for you here in this realm."
Asmodeus's face revealed no emotion. "Freedom from the echelon. That was all I had asked for in the beginning. To receive the same small freedoms the humans were given. If these liberties will not be given unto me, then I shall take them."
The angel clasped his hands behind his back and took a step toward Asmodeus. "Tread carefully, my fallen brother. The choices you make in the near future will not only affect you, they will determine the fates of others. There will come a time when you will beg entrance to that which you have departed, and it will not be given to beings such as yourself."
The angel faded away, leaving her and Asmodeus in the hallway. He scarcely moved his head, but she was distinctly aware the second he turned his attention to her.
She caught sight of the phone that lay only a few feet out of her grasp. She had dropped it when retreating from the angels.