Asmodeus(7)

Who was she kidding? Who could she call? This demon had just defeated three archangels singlehandedly. Kelly couldn't help her now, and what kind of friend would she be to drag Kelly into this disaster?



She was up the proverbial creek without a paddle. Hell, she wasn't even in a rowboat at this point.



"What do you have for food, witch?"



She slowly pulled herself up off the floor, balancing her hands against the wall for support. The demon didn't seem rattled by what had just happened in her living room. She, on the other hand, had difficulty standing. "You're hungry?"



He was still naked. She kept her eyes glued to his face, but peripheral vision was a bitch. Though she wasn't looking at any part of his body other than his face, she saw more than enough. She'd thought him perfect earlier. Perfect didn't properly describe him. Delectable. Irresistible. Demonic.



"Ravenous is more apropos." He waved his hand over his torso and a brown robe materialized on his body. "Prepare the food for travel."



"Where are you going?" She fought down the panic threatening to take over. His presence was her responsibility. She had to figure out how to keep him from leaving and corrupting…whatever it was he would corrupt. She couldn't let a demon loose on the populace. She was sure there was some form of unwritten rule about that.



His sword disappeared. "More appropriately, where are we going? First I will locate a brother of mine. You will travel with me. Then you will summon Michael for me, allowing me access to kill the bastard."



Who the hell was Michael? "I can't summon people. I don't even know how I summoned you. In retrospect I wouldn't have—" She stopped herself there, figuring telling him she wished she hadn't summoned him from his torment might not be a great idea. "I'm not a witch." Not a good one, anyway.



"Witch or not, you contain the power to summon beings. Get the food, woman. We must leave this place."



His presence made her living room seem tiny. His close proximity unnerved her. It made her realize that though he was a demon, he was also a man.



A man who held power of which she could only imagine.



He turned slightly, letting his dark gaze travel around her home. "Do you own an automobile?"



"I own a car, yes."



"Good. If you will, get the food and let us be on our way. I can feel Naberius close by."



She had to stop this before it went any further. She wasn't going anywhere, and she needed to keep him here as well. "I'm not a witch. I mess up half the spells I try to cast." She pulled her hands inside the sleeves of her pajamas and bunched the material into her fists. "I also don't know who this Michael is, and even if I did I don't think I can help you locate him."



He quit assessing her house and focused his attention on her again. "Michael the archangel. During my prior visit to this realm most humans knew of his existence."



Was he serious? He looked serious. "You want to kill the archangel Michael?" she asked in disbelief.



"I'm going to kill him," he corrected her.

She pushed past him and began pacing her living room. "Well, good luck with that, but I'm not going to help you. That's just ridiculous. You think you're in trouble now, go try to kill Michael and see what happens." Talk about the point of no return. There was no way in hell she was summoning one of the greatest angels in all of history so a demented demon could attempt to eradicate him. "If you want to leave, by all means, go right ahead. I can't stop you. But I can't help you with Michael. I won't."



She quit her pacing to gauge his reaction, surprised at her own outburst. His eyes were changing color to a light green, yellow mix. His pupils were not round like a human's, or even vertical like a cat's. They were horizontal. He leveled those disturbing eyes on her.



"What will you do when the angels come for you?" He folded his arms across his chest as he waited for an answer.



"Come for me?"



"You commanded my presence from the Abyss, shortening the sentence they had given to me. There will be repercussions. If you like, you can face such sentencing alone, or you can come with me for the time being and avoid all such scenarios. Unless you believe you contain the strength to defeat them."



What a damned choice he was giving her. Go with a demon who offered protection from the inevitable, or stay and accept the sentencing from angels who represented the fury and authority of the highest.



The thought of angels coming after her with punishment in mind didn't leave her with a comfortable feeling. "You still hungry? I'll pack the food."



"Wise choice."