Asmodeus(60)

He opened the door and a cold breeze hit him.



Across the room the window was open and the screen was lying on the floor.



Brianna was gone.





Chapter Fifteen





Brianna had taken her heels off in the taxi, unwilling to subject her feet to any more torture. Of course it was a silly gesture considering her future place of rest, but she figured she'd make herself as comfortable as she could before then.



She had a general idea of the direction she was headed in, but didn't know Raum's address. She told the cabbie the neighborhood she wanted to go to, and when the cabbie pulled onto the street she eyed the houses in search of Raum's.



When she finally found Raum's house she had the cabbie drop her off farther down the street. The cab driver turned around, expecting payment. She didn't have her purse with her. She accidentally left it at home. All she had was her cell she'd picked up before leaving Naberius's.



Feeling like a terrible thief, she leaned forward and looked into his eyes, whispering, "Oceans apart, rivers divine, never have we met, your face or mine." She glanced at his I.D. on the dashboard of the cab and took note of his name. Before she got sent to the Abyss she'd mail him the cab fare.



She opened the door and climbed out, surprised at her growing confidence in her powers and abilities. The cab driver drove away without another thought to a woman he had never met.



Feeling stronger, she set her shoes on the concrete and slipped back into them. Between Kelly and herself they would overcome the darkness that had taken over Kelly's actions. They had to. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what would happen to her friend if they didn't succeed.



Sighing, she crossed the street and started making her way to Raum's. The sound of the ocean reminded her of the feelings that had taken over at the water's edge with Asmodeus. For a short time she had witnessed his sense of humor, his carefree side. She could see herself falling in love with him. She could imagine waking in his arms, feeling the security he would provide.



She shook the feelings away as she came to Raum's house. Asmodeus did not want a relationship with her. He had made that perfectly clear, which was just as well. Neither of them had a future.



Looking behind the house she noted there was a back door with a staircase leading in from the beach. That would be her only chance to gain entry without being seen, especially if the vampires were still there. Hopefully that staircase didn't lead to Raum's room.



She wasn't sure if the fanged sluts were still here. They, along with the demons, would undoubtedly feel her presence. Wouldn't they? She wasn't sure, and she had no time to contemplate it further.



As she walked over to the door she could swear someone was watching her. She stopped by the side of the house and looked around. She started to shiver from the wind coming off the water. Her teeth began chattering.



Someone was watching her. She could feel it.



She turned full circle, seeing no one. She didn't feel like the person watching her was Asmodeus or Raum. She felt suffocated.



It could be one of the fanged sluts, but even they wouldn't raise the hair on the back of her neck. Not like this.



With no other option left to her, she walked to the side of the house in an attempt to find anything out of place before she broke in. Just as she came to the driveway a voice rose above the sound of the ocean.



"You led me right to her. Thank you."



She spun around to where she had been standing, and there above, on the roof, was a man. He sat on the edge, his booted feet dangling, watching her with glowing red eyes.



A demon.

He didn't move. He only crooked a finger in her direction, and before she realized what he was doing, pressure built inside her chest, levitating her. There was nothing to grab a hold of as she floated through the air. She tried thinking of a spell, but terror had a way of keeping any rational thoughts from taking hold.



When he wrapped his hands around her, sliding her onto his lap, a light hit the driveway. A car had pulled in.



The man put a hand over her mouth, and her throat constricted. She couldn't make a sound.



It was Asmodeus. She was certain. There was no way she beat him here, unless he had gone somewhere after dropping her off, but she knew without seeing him that he was the one getting out of the car.



She tried to move, to alert Asmodeus to where she was, but the man held her tight, cutting off her air supply in the process. When she tried to take in a breath the suction of the demon's palm wouldn't allow it.



She heard Asmodeus run up the stairs to the front door as stars danced in her line of vision. When the man finally let her breathe dizziness washed over her from the air she took in.



"Say goodbye to your sweetheart."