Asmodeus(80)

He barely made it to the edge of the deck. Holding onto the railing, he vomited, his muscles tightening painfully. His eyes swam, his head ached.



God, Brianna…



Yes, death was preferable.





Chapter Nineteen





Brianna had spent the night staring at the ceiling. She vaguely recalled coming in the house after Asmodeus had gone. Showering. Drinking Smirnoff. Lots of Smirnoff.



And lying in her bed. Thinking of nothing. Of everything. The sadness she had witnessed on Asmodeus's face, right before he replaced it with hate, had broken her. She didn't give a shit where she went tonight, or what happened to her. She just wished she could spare him the pain of what was coming. She'd already inflicted him with enough.



She got up, used the bathroom and brushed her teeth. The normalcy of what she was doing hit her suddenly, causing her to erupt in a fit of laughter. What, was she worried about cavities? Her next checkup?



She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and the shock of her reflection made her quit laughing. Jesus, she looked deranged. Her hair was straggly, she had dark circles under her eyes, and her skin was…yuck.



She jumped in the shower, feeling numb and dull. She thought about going to Naberius's, but Asmodeus had said he'd kill her if she came anywhere close to him. Dying by the hands of the man she loved had to be a downer, so she wasn't going there.



After she got out and towel dried the phone rang. Thinking it had to be her cousin Tracy, she picked it up. "Hello?"



"Brianna?"



Dear God, it was Kelly. Still, she had to ask, "Kelly?"



She was met with silence. Was this some cruel joke? "Kelly? Are you there?"



"I…I'm sorry about what I did, Brianna. I don't remember it, but Raum told me what happened. I'm so sorry."



Brianna sighed and sat on her bed. What could she say? How could Kelly form words? She had been an animal the last time Brianna had seen her. Past death's door. Had their blood done this much good? "Um…are you going to be all right?"



"I don't know."



Without confirmation, she knew Kelly was leaving something out. There was more to the situation, and Kelly wasn't about to tell her about it. Had things changed so drastically between them?



Yes, it had. She doubted she could trust Kelly again after she had lied to her about the spell book. The attack she could forgive, because that hadn't been her friend. "Well, I hope everything works out for you." God, had she just said goodbye?



"You too, Brianna."



Brianna heard a click. Kelly had hung up.



Brianna pressed end on the phone and lay back on her bed, tears forming. She'd been short with Kelly because she was saying goodbye. She was tying up loose ends. Looking over at her alarm clock, she read the blurry red numbers. Ten in the morning. She didn't have long now.





Asmodeus came awake as a sharp pain shot up his right side. He opened his eyes, squinting when he was met with bright light. Where the hell was he?



He sat up, glancing around. He heard the ocean before he saw it. Felt the cushioned beach chair he had curled up in. He was on Raum's back deck.

Raum walked into his line of vision. "Hey, brother, what are you doing? Why did you crash out here?"



Asmodeus wiped his eyes and pushed himself off the chair. Damn his back hurt. It was as though someone had nailed him in the side with a bat. Had Raum kicked him awake? He eyed his brother. "Must have fallen asleep."



Raum crossed his ankles as he leaned his back against the deck railing. His black silk robe flapped against his legs in the wind. "Oh. Well, you want some breakfast?"



No. He wanted a shower and a toothbrush. "How's Kelly?"



Raum's face remained impassive. "She seems to be doing pretty good, actually."



Surprise, surprise. He wasn't going to push him. Let the bastard do what he wanted with Kelly. It was his powers she would be taking, and it was no one's business if he wanted to allow a human to drain him of those powers every day. "I'll take some coffee."



"Where's Brianna?"



Asmodeus tried to keep the emotion off his face, but by the look Raum was giving him, he had failed. He turned away from him and opened the back door to the house.



He didn't mince words. Who the hell cared? What happened had happened. It was over. "She had been planning on killing me in my sleep."



He braced himself, figuring he would receive pity. Sorrow. Surprise. None of which he got.



Raum laughed.



Asmodeus stopped in the hallway and faced Raum. He felt like ripping the bastard's head off. "What the fuck is so funny about that?"



Raum's face lost its humor. His green eyes narrowed. "You're serious?"