"What do you want? If you could have anything," he took another step, "anything in the world, what would you choose? Cold steel or," he closed the space between them, "a lifetime of having your every wish granted?" He lifted his hand, and Caly sidestepped to avoid his touch.
"The weapon." She didn't hesitate.
"Caly." Ruman's voice made the image of Azazel waver.
Azazel's gaze sharpened. A wry smile crossed his lips, a touch of pain and a bit of derision. "An angel. Not many visitors bring one of their kind along." The pretenses were dropped, every trace of seduction was replaced by determination. "We don't have much time. Even with the help of your guardian, the chances of survival are almost non-existent."
Darkness crowded closer and she fought to remain. She needed answers. "Why offer to help me?"
He smiled sadly. "You don't understand yet, but you will. For the love of a woman, I gave up everything. And because of a betrayal, I'll spend eternity here."
Caly narrowed her eyes. "A sentence that could end with the start of a war."
"Not like this. Humans and demons have managed to do this one all on their own."
"Tell me." Only his face remained visible. She could feel Ruman's hands on her, a murmur of his voice calling her to him. Urgency ratcheted through her.
She couldn't leave without answers.
"You have to survive or the demons will gain a foothold in the war. The dagger you admired so much will come to you. It will protect you as it did those who came before you." The light dissipated until only his voice spoke out of the inky blackness.
"Why me?" She couldn't prevent herself from asking. "Why help me?"
A gentle breeze touched her face like a caress. "You remind me of someone I use to know a long time ago. Be brave. Be daring. And may you have the courage to grab and keep what you hold most dear."
The sadness in his voice filled her eyes with a rush of tears. The loss, the loneliness drowned her, and her breath hiccupped in her chest.
His voice emerged gruff. "You must protect yourself. Without you, and others like you, there to fight, the war will be lost. You're faster, stronger than most of the others. Use it to protect them."
"Caly!" Ruman's voice boomed in her head. "You need to wake up."
She bolted upright only to have the seatbelt yank her back. Pain radiated along her cheek. When she looked up, she saw Ruman's arm raised to deliver another blow. "Wha … at? What's going on?" Her eyes refused to focus, and she fumbled with the buckle.
"Sandstorm. The car is too small, the wind's too strong. We have to make a run for it until the storm works itself out." Even as he spoke, the car rocked from side to side like a tilt o whirl.
The noise outside drowned out every sound but the pounding sand and the howl of the vengeful wind. Groggy, feeling drugged, Caly squinted out the window and couldn't make sense of what she saw. The arid desert appeared like a wall of sand. Through the shifting grains, a shape of a ruin appeared less than twenty feet from the car.
"Come." Ruman opened the door and struggled to slip on her pack. The door caught the wind, yanking the handle from his grip. Metal twisted and he swore. "Crawl across, there's no way we'll be able to open your side. Hurry." He crouched low, using the car as a shield.
Caly did as told, slamming her knee against the console in her rush. "Damn." The instant she left the shelter of the car, the grains of sand bit into her skin like needles piercing her flesh. Her legs shook, and she staggered. The wind ripped the air from her lungs, and Ruman stepped in front of her, taking the brunt of the force.
It didn't matter. The sand hit her clothes with enough force to shred them, her leather protecting her only to some extent. The exposed skin felt sunburned, tight and itchy.
She resisted the urge to spit and clear her mouth, knowing she'd only get a mouthful of sand in return. Tears leaked from her eyes, the grit making them swollen. She snagged the back of Ruman's jacket then reluctantly closed her eyes, trusting him not to get them killed.
When her boot skidded on stone, she risked a glance upward, and saw the old stone ruins. Two more steps and she was inside. She staggered from the lack of wind. It was all she could do to remain upright.
The calm inside felt unnatural, like an omen of worse things to come. Sand trickled from her hair and clothing with every move. She licked her lips, but found only sand. She leaned against the wall with a grunt, her legs folding under her as slid to the floor.
Ruman watched Caly, disturbed that she'd allowed him guide her without a fight. Something was seriously wrong.
She was so strong, seeing her weak reminded him that she was still part human and fragile. He clenched his fists. Nothing could happen to her.
His failure meant her life.
It hadn't mattered with the others.
Now it was too damn important.
"Caly?" He couched then tilted her head back to study her face.
"Tired." She shoved feebly at his hands, the timbre of her voice rough, her skin a shade paler than normal. Shadows under her eyes darkened like bruises. The lack of fight tightened his chest. He'd seen symptoms like this before. "Did you dream?"
A shrug was all he received in answer. His foreboding deepened into dread. "Caly-"
"Yes. Now leave me alone." She yawned, shifted and closed her eyes.
The strength in his legs vanished. He cupped her head, his thumb brushing her cheek. "Look at me."
Dull green eyes met his.
When she didn't pull away, swallowing became difficult. He kept his voice soft, and hoped like hell he sounded coaxing and not royally pissed. "Tell me about your dream."
Caly gazed blankly at him, and it was all he could do not to demand she answer. Why the hell had they taken his ability to read people when he needed it the most?
"I was in some museum, only it wasn't." A frown wrinkled between her brows. "Weapons decorated the walls, old, ancient pieces from all over the world."
A deep, blistering anger took hold with every word she spoke, locking his muscles with rage. Though he wanted to be gentle, his voice dropped low and deadly. "Did a man appear?"
Caly's stare sharpened, distrust coloring her beautiful eyes to a wintry green. "What do you know that you're not telling me?" The threat was back in her voice.
"The rotten bastard." He wanted to punch something. "Somehow Azazel knew we were here." Wrath gathered inside him like an unstoppable storm, energy pouring off him in waves. Thankfully, the bastard had returned her. He would've ripped apart the very walls to get her back.
Caly didn't even flinch at his anger. Instead, she raised her chin and met him glare for glare. "I knew it. You were going to leave me behind." She knocked away his arms, and struggled to stand, her anger draining away her lethargy.
"Did he touch you? Threaten you in any way?" He stalked after her. He didn't like the look she cast at him from beneath her lashes. "Why are you looking at me that way?"
"It was real." Caly licked her lips.
The nervous gesture heated his body, redirecting his thoughts to their kiss. Ruman resisted the urge to touch her. The answers were too important to allow his emotions to interfere. He had to know what the bastard did to her. "Azazel. Did he touch you?"
Caly shook her head. "He appeared more concerned about me than anything else."
Ruman settled his hands on her shoulders, battling the urge to search her for injuries. "Tell me exactly what he said. If he hurt you, I swear I'll track him down and-"
"Stop it." She knocked away his hands. "What the hell's gotten into you? You're acting like a lunatic. You're just pissed you were cut out of the deal."
The look of disgust she gave him didn't deter him at all. "Deal?" The way he said the word must have warned her of his mood. She stepped back but then quickly halted her retreat.
"He said without protection, I would die. That he didn't start the war and it was up to us to stop the demons." She hesitated, obviously reluctant to share more with him. "He promised me a dagger."
Ruman sucked in a sharp breath. "What?"
"He said I reminded him of someone. He mentioned that others like me were out there, warriors who need to fight if we want to survive." Caly rubbed her brow, her face growing increasingly pale under the strain to remember and he relented.
"Sit, rest." That she sat and didn't protest unnerved him. He wanted to hold her to make sure she didn't disappear on him again. She looked so aloof, he wondered if their kiss meant anything to her, if it changed anything between them. He felt her distancing herself from him, and he didn't know how to stop it.
"Are you just going to stand there and watch? I won't be able to rest with you looming over me." The snark in her voice let him know his Caly had returned. When he crossed his arms and stared, she relented. "I swear if he appears again, you'll be the first to know."