Why was she always conflicted when it came to this man?
Something rubbed up against her and she jumped away from it. Turning, she saw the dog the demon had left behind. "Oh shit."
Asmodeus bent down and put his hand out. The dog walked to him, head down as though it were afraid it would get hit. Before the dog made it to Asmodeus, it made itself flush with the floor, afraid to go any farther.
"The poor thing," she whispered.
"Get me something to feed it."
She went into her kitchen and snatched up some lunch meat. She walked around the dog slowly then handed the food to Asmodeus. He held it out to the dog and with one paw the dog crawled toward him. The dog brought another paw forward, and another, until it was directly in front of Asmodeus.
He held the shaved ham out. The dog carefully nipped the edge of the ham and slid it off Asmodeus's hand. Asmodeus waited until the dog had eaten the meat, then reached out to scratch it behind the ears. "Now go lay down."
The dog licked his chops and took off.
Asmodeus took a step toward her. "I wanted to apologize for my actions earlier this evening. I had no right to treat you the way I did. Can you forgive me?"
She closed her eyes, trying to keep the steely resolve that threatened to dissolve at his words. They were too different.
A relationship wasn't something she should even consider. "I don't understand. You confuse me. One minute you act like a gentleman, and the next you act cold and indifferent." She took a deep breath and opened her eyes to look at him. "What do you want from me, Asmodeus?"
The sadness was back in his eyes. A longing. "I want you. Only you."
Unwilling to accept his words, she shook her head and walked to her room, intending to shut him out of her vision. Her life. She didn't have the time to try and figure out his mood swings, or why he couldn't make a decision on if he wanted her or not. Sure, he could say he wanted her now, but the second she accepted that, he would undoubtedly change his mind.
"Brianna."
She shut out the sound of his voice, slamming her bedroom door. The stress and realization of what she faced was becoming a reality. Even if she told him about the angels, and the fact she was facing imprisonment in the Abyss, there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.
Her bedroom door opened and she pivoted to face him, ready to take on the ancient pain in the ass. Asmodeus stood just inside her bedroom. He was so…ethereal. He looked as though he could fix any and every problem, and she wished that were the case. More than anything she wanted to run into his arms. She ached for him to tell her things would turn out for the better, the Abyss would hold no terrors for her future.
But he couldn't do that. He didn't even know of her problems, and she wasn't about to tell him.
His expression was soft, yet stern. "Tell me what is bothering you."
She could never do that. She wasn't sure how he would react, or what the angels would do. Telling half-truths was the only option available to her at this point. "The future isn't clear to me. I don't know what I feel when I look at you. Every time we get close, you don't hesitate to push me away."
Asmodeus sat on the edge of her bed, turning away from her. "I should be doing that very thing now, though it's becoming more and more difficult as time goes by."
She pushed down the hope that statement brought. He was clearly telling her that though he wanted her, he didn't like the emotion. Was fighting it. She didn't know how to respond.
She had no future. She didn't have to stand there and sort through her feelings. In a few days none of this would matter. Sharing her body with him would be a faded, though cherished, memory.
Is that why she thought she cared for him? Was she rushing things because she could see the end of her life draw near? It couldn't be she had fallen for him for any other reason. Just one date wouldn't change things between them. She hadn't known him long enough. But why would he have feelings for her? He had no idea whatsoever of his impending imprisonment.
Tears threatened to fall.
Proving he possessed powers she couldn't even fathom, he responded to her without facing her, seeing her tears without physical proof. "Please do not cry, Brianna. I can take your anger, but I cannot stand strong against your tears."
She smiled weakly. "So I have a secret weapon I didn't even know I possessed? That's good to know."
"Come here, Brianna."
Her heart seized and her tears immediately stopped at the seductive sound of his voice as it curled around her, drawing her closer. Six—no five—days were left to her. What would she do with them? Leave the pleasures of this life, crouching into a corner, afraid to touch the fire? Or would she seize on every opportunity that presented itself?