Asmodeus(81)

"Fucking right, I'm serious."



Raum bent over with his hands on his thighs, falling apart in a fit of…giggles. The demon was giggling.



Asmodeus stood with his arms folded across his chest and waited until Raum was finished. He'd never seen the demon giggle before, and frankly, it was disturbing. Especially since it was at his expense.



"I'm sorry," Raum said, wiping the tears off his face. "I need a moment."



"You've had nearly five."



Raum's laughter erupted again. After a few more moments he tugged his black robe together and ran a hand through his hair. He cleared his throat. "So, she said this to you?"



"I heard her speaking to the angels representing Destruction, Punishment, Vengeance and Death. Apparently they had struck a bargain between them. She agreed to kill me."



Raum's eyebrows came together as he realized the seriousness of the situation. "Why? Did they threaten her?"



Asmodeus went ramrod stiff. He hadn't thought of the why of it, he'd only focused on the fact that she had agreed to kill him. "I…I don't know why she agreed to do it."



"Sounds like they set her up. There's no way in hell, even with you sleeping, she could kill you."



Fear clutched Asmodeus's heart. He had said the very same thing to her last night. Truth was, she couldn't take him. Ever. "I heard it from her own mouth."

Raum's lips curled. "Asmoday, she could have killed you ten times over by now, or tried to, anyway. Haven't you been sleeping with her?"



He swallowed. Why was Raum making sense? No. No, Brianna was out to hurt him, to hand him over to those who would take him back to the Abyss. He wasn't going back to that torture. There was no way in hell… She couldn't have… "She lied to me. She told them she was gaining my trust by sleeping with me. She sounded convincing."



"Wouldn't you be if you were facing the angels of death?"



When Asmodeus began to say something, Raum held up his hand, cutting him off. "Listen, I'm not defending her, because I have no idea what the hell is going on. All I know is Brianna isn't like that. She's a little witch, pun intended, but she's not a whore and she's not a bad person. Certainly you can see that. I think there's more to this than you have allowed yourself to see." He paused, looking toward the guestroom. "What did she do when you confronted her?"



The vision had been burned into his memory forever. Her black hair lifted in the wind, her head lowered. "She fell to her knees as though she were offering herself as a sacrifice."



"That sounds more like Brianna to me, does it not to you?"



Asmodeus pivoted on his heel and stalked to the kitchen. The thought of going back to the Abyss took his breath away. The thought of Brianna sending him back to the Abyss took his soul away.



Could she be in trouble with the angels for summoning him? Why would they strike up a bargain with a twenty-four-year-old female who knew nothing about fighting or killing? There was something more here, but he couldn't pinpoint what it could be.



He yanked the coffeepot off the coffee maker and held it under the sink. As he filled it with water he turned over the events of the past forty-eight hours. She had come back to Naberius's after the Neph attack. She had tried to seduce him. She had recognized the angels in Tony's.



That all fit the bill that she had tried to gain his trust.



But the way she came apart in his arms. The trust she gave him as he made love to her. Had that been part of the seduction? When she arched her back and dug her nails into him, calling out his name, had she been playing a role?



She'd had plenty of opportunity to try and kill him.



He recalled when she had run a delicate finger over his sword back at Naberius's. The way his hair had stood on end and trepidation had hung in the air. Had she planned to use his own weapon on him? What about when he found her outside of Naberius's? She had talked of an insurance policy. She had clearly been up to something.



No. She had done her job, and had done it well. She had gained his trust.



Another thought occurred to him as he measured out the coffee. The angels knew he had overheard their conversation with her. One had looked directly at him. Why? They had intended him to hear it. They wouldn't have allowed it otherwise. They expected her to gain his trust, yet there he stood as the angels permitted him to witness her treachery.



He flipped the coffeepot on and walked to the window, running a hand through his hair. Something wasn't right with this situation.



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.