Sitting on the edge of the bed, she flipped through the back half of the book and stilled when she came to the very last page. There was a folded piece of paper wedged into the binding. Kai pulled it gently from its resting place, careful not to tear it, and held it between shaking fingers.
“Holy shit,” Kai whispered.
“What is it?” He turned toward her but Kai was already up and headed to the altar with the book and the mysterious paper. “What did you find?”
“There’s a note,” Kai said quietly as she laid the book on the altar.
“From your grandmother?”
“I’m not sure.” With shaking fingers, Kai carefully opened the yellowed paper. She read the message that was scrawled across the page and looked at Asmodeus through wide eyes. “It’s not from my grandmother. It’s from my grandfather… Jacob.”
Asmodeus stood at her side as they read the letter together.
Kristine,
I know your stay with me is almost over and soon it will be time for you to leave. As promised, I will take good care of our darling Katherine and I will be sure that she seeks you out when she comes of age, so that she can learn the magic of the Fae. She carries your light and though it still remains to be seen if she’s one of the Chosen Ones, it’s clear to me that she’s as special as you are. I’m still not sure why you picked me but I will always be grateful that you did. You’ve given me a beautiful daughter and a world filled with magic. I will love you forever.
--Jacob
“He knew,” Kai whispered. A gust of wind whisked through the large open window, making the paper flutter in her hand. She shook her head in disbelief as she looked at Asmodeus who seemed equally surprised. “Jacob knew that my grandmother was Fae?”
“She must have been a pureblood,” Asmodeus said evenly. The muscles in his jaw flickered as tension radiated off him. “Your grandmother didn’t die. She left. By the sound of it, she went back to the Fae dimension.”
“But why? Why would she leave them and why didn’t my mother go find her?” Kai ran her fingertip over the yellow, aged paper as spoke. Memories of her mother came roaring to life. “She ran away when she was eighteen and married my father. Why didn’t Jacob tell her about the Fae?”
“Perhaps he did tell her, Kai,” Asmodeus said gently. “Maybe it wasn’t your grandfather that she was running from all these years.”
“She was running from herself, wasn’t she?” Kai murmured. She lifted one shoulder and looked into Asmodeus’ piercing blue eyes. “I don’t suppose I could blame her. I’ve had the urge to run ever since this crazy shit show started.”
“It makes sense. You said your mother knew about the light and but she didn’t like using it because was worried about attracting the Dark Ones.” Asmodeus’ voice was edged with sadness. “Perhaps he did tell her but for whatever reason it frightened her. That is probably why Jacob left you this place. Maybe he wanted you to have a chance to find out who you really are?”
“Damn it. I feel like for every step forward, we take ten steps back and I end up with a hundred more questions.” Kai folded the paper back up and slipped it into the spell book before locking it up again. She put her head in her hands and let out a weary sigh. “You know what this means, don’t you? Now we have to go to the Fae.”
Asmodeus started to argue with her but the loud, rumbling engine of a truck captured their attention. His eyes flickered to red as he ran to the window but the tension eased almost as quickly as it came.
“It’s the company coming to retrieve your Dumpster.” He leaned against the wall and folded his arms over his chest as he speared a look in Kai’s direction. “This conversation isn’t over, by the way.”
“Nope.” Kai winked and smiled sweetly. “But I’m not going to change my mind, so there’s really no point in arguing with me.”
She spun on her heels and trotted down the steps leaving Asmodeus grumbling by the window. She couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction but when she pushed the door open, her smile fell. Looking at the giant, burnt hole in the barn door, she wondered how on earth she would explain that to the guy driving the truck.
Kai squinted against the morning sunlight as she approached the loud, smelly truck that had already hooked up to the Dumpster. She waved at the guy as he climbed out of the cab. His aura was gray and musty, which told Kai he wasn’t exactly the kind of person she’d want to hang around with. He was a big, burly beast of a man with dark hair that covered his arms and crept out the neck of his t-shirt. It seemed to sprout from everywhere except his head.
“Hi.” Kai waved and shouted over the engine as she backed toward the house. She flicked her gaze toward the barn but Asmodeus hadn’t come out yet. “I’ll grab my check book and be right out.”
“Right.” The man nodded as he hitched up his dirty jeans and spit onto the ground as he watched her go. “Two fifty,” he yelled.
Kai ran into the house and scoured the first floor for her purse. Standing in the kitchen, she stopped for a minute, trying to remember the last time she’d even seen the damn bag. She heard the front door slam as she went into the mudroom off the kitchen.
“Hey, Asmodeus?” Kai shouted. “Have you seen my purse?” She pushed the hair off her face as she came back into the kitchen annoyed and empty-handed. “I can’t—“
Kai stopped dead in her tracks as the cold hand of fear gripped her by the throat because it wasn’t Asmodeus who’d come into the house. It was the guy who’d been driving the truck but he looked…different.
He had a slack-jawed expression on his face and his eyes were completely white, as though they’d rolled back in his head. His hands were balled into fists and his enormous sweaty, hairy frame filled the doorway, blocking her exit. Trying not to panic, Kai inched her way along the edge of the counter, trying to the table between them because for the life of her she couldn’t remember either of those stupid charms.
Awesome.
“Why are you in here?” Kai asked in a shaking voice. Her mind raced as she tried to remember what Isadora told her to do. A second later, prickling heat began to gather in her chest. “I told you that I’d bring the check out to you.”
“The ring,” he gurgled. The man took two lurching steps forward into the kitchen as a string of drool dangled from his plump lower lip. “Give us the ring, Kai.”
The voice that boomed out of this man was not natural and it wasn’t one voice. It sounded like several voices speaking at once and Kai knew it was the Brotherhood.
“So,” Kai murmured, while inching toward the doorway but she froze when he lurched closer. “This is one of your minions.”
“Hand over the ring, Custodian,” he shouted.
The screeching chorus of voices pierced the air as the man’s mouth opened wide and he let out a howling wail. At the same time the engine of the truck seemed to roar even louder outside and she doubted Asmodeus would hear what was happening.
Kai slammed her hands over her ears, attempting to drown out the deafening sound of the frightening shriek. It felt like a swarm of bees were buzzing inside her head and scraping at her skull from the inside out. She wanted to use one of the charms she memorized but the sound was making it impossible to concentrate.
She shook her head, trying to get away from the sickening sensation and horrid sounds but it was inescapable. The minion lunged toward Kai, knocking over chairs and though his fingers scraped her arm, she managed to elude his grasp and keep the table between them. He let out another ferocious scream, grabbed the kitchen table with both hands and tossed it into the windows as Kai screamed Asmodeus’ name.
Glass shattered around her and as the tortured creature stumbled across the kitchen and grabbed Kai by the throat, the power in her chest coiled and burned. It was the same, flickering rush of power she’d felt in the barn and in the field—and Kai knew what she had to do. Picturing the rope of energy, like Isadora told her, Kai focused on it as she placed both hands on the man’s plump chest.
She gasped for air as he tightened his grip on her throat and Kai tried to fight the self-defeating effects of panic. As she pictured the tentacle of light shooting through her, a prickling rush of energy shot down her arms and sent the man flying across the kitchen and into the stove.
Stunned and with smoldering singe marks on his chest, he screamed in rage as he tried to regain his footing, which gave Kai enough time to run. Calling Asmodeus’ name she burst through the front door and to her relief he was already on his way, running toward her.
“What’s happening?” Eyes glowing he held her in his arms and cradled her against his chest but the respite only lasted a moment. “Minion,” he whispered as he tightened his hold on her. “Bastards shielded their presence from me.”
The engine of the truck shut off abruptly and Kai jumped at the sound of the screen door slamming shattered the momentary silence. Shaking, Kai turned to see the truck driver shuffling toward them. He reminded her of a marionette and she realized that’s really what the pathetic man was. The Brotherhood was using his body and he was merely a puppet on a string.
His belly, which hung over his pants, was now partially exposed as his shirt retreated up the swollen mound of flesh. His arms hung at his sides loosely and that same vacant expression covered his face as he took one lurching step after the other.
“Give her to us, Asmodeus,” said the terrifying chorus of voices. “Or she will be our undoing.”
“Kai is a Custodian and the ring has bonded with her. It can not be removed.” Asmodeus pushed Kai behind him as he spoke. “She poses no threat to the Brotherhood.”
“She wears the Ring of Solomon.” The minion’s face reddened but his eyes remained white as they stared vacantly back at Kai. “You can not hide her from us. We are everywhere.” The tortured creature opened his mouth in a silent scream and his body shuddered violently before speaking again. “We will not stop until we have the ring safely in the Underworld. You must not protect her.”
“He doesn’t have to,” Kai bit out. She was furious with herself for hiding behind Asmodeus like some helpless female. She was tired of feeling out of control and sick to death of being a victim of her circumstances. She stepped out from behind Asmodeus and as the now familiar tentacle of energy writhed beneath her flesh, she focused her rage and extended her arms toward the minion. “I can protect myself,” she whispered. “I am a Custodian of the Light.”
As the ring glowed red, Kai pictured the light firing through her body and as the power gathered in her chest, she threw the energy as hard as she could toward the staggering man. Kai shook as rippling waves of white light flew from her hands and slammed into the minion, sending him flying through the air. He landed on the porch with a deafening crash as the boards cracked beneath the weight of his rotund body.
Shaking and lightheaded, Kai let out a sound of relief as Asmodeus wrapped one arm around her waist. She hated to admit it, but it was the only thing that was keeping her from crumpling to the ground in a weak-kneed pile. He kissed the top of her head and cradled her shivering form against his resolute one.
“Don’t fuck with the fairy,” Kai said in a shuddering voice. Squeezing her eyes shut she let out a laugh that sounded a little crazy as she hugged Asmodeus as tight as possible. Burying her face against his chest she muttered, “Or the fairy-witch or whatever.”
“Perhaps my brothers will think twice before sending more minions after you,” Asmodeus murmured before kissing the top of Kai’s head. His hands ran down her back and settled on her hips. “Who knows they may even—“
Asmodeus stopped speaking and his body went completely rigid. Kai’s brow furrowed as she pulled back to look him in the eye but he was staring over her head at something to his left. The expression on his face made her stomach twist into knots because it was nothing short of fury.
“What is it?” Kai turned to the left and squinted against the sun to see what had captured his attention so swiftly. In the distance, with the mountains looming behind them, Kai saw six individuals walking toward them. Ripples of heat radiated around them in the sun and as the dark figures moved closer, it was glaringly obvious who they were.
The Brotherhood had come to Bliss.
Chapter Fifteen
“What do we do now?” Kai whispered as her fingers clutched the fabric of his t-shirt. She kept her voice low and did her best not to sound completely terrified but failed miserably. “Do we try to make a run for it?”
“Where?” Asmodeus kept his intense sights on the men as they strode closer in slow, unhurried strides. The slow pace with which they moved reminded Kai of Jason or Michael Meyers, as though there was no point in running because their victims could never escape. “Now that they’ve found you, there’s no way to hide from them. Our only hope is that they’ll listen to reason and give us more time.”
“This a pretty ballsy move if they think I can control them with this ring.”
“True. But given the fact that you haven’t tried to control me, Lucifer is taking a gamble and testing the waters, so to speak. Perhaps he’ll be willing to listen.” Asmodeus’ deep voice resonated through his chest as she remained in his embrace. “But…stay alert and don’t let your guard down for a second.”
Kai leaned deeper into Asmodeus’ embrace as his brothers strode casually across the field. They were all rather tall and muscular, except for the one furthest to the right. He was shorter but with a stocky, muscular build and he glared at Asmodeus with nothing short of contempt. They were all dressed in black t-shirts and fatigues and clearly ready for combat. Kai didn’t see any weapons but given the extent of their powers, they probably didn’t need them.
Like Asmodeus was when Kai first met him, all six of them were without light—Dark Ones.
“Who’s the guy on the end,” Kai whispered. She didn’t take her eyes off them. “The shorter one. He’s looking at you like he hates you.”
“That’s Levi.” Asmodeus smirked and flicked his gaze to her briefly. “Leviathan the Demon of Envy. Levi is always bitching about getting screwed on one level or another.”
“Leviathan?” She shuddered and tried not to look as terrified as she felt. “Great.”
When the six of them were about fifty feet away, Asmodeus raised his hand and shouted, “That’s close enough.”
They didn’t stop moving until the tall blonde one in the center stopped and held up both hands, signaling the others to follow his lead.
“You must be Lucifer,” Kai said in a surprisingly calm voice. “I’d say it’s nice to meet you but—it’s not.”
“Lucifer Demon of Pride and leader of the Brotherhood. Charmed to meet you Kai Kelly.” Lucifer flashed a toothy white grin and bowed his platinum blonde head. He was strikingly handsome. They all were but there was a cold, cruelty in Lucifer’s pale green eyes that sent a chill up Kai’s back. “No wonder you’ve become infatuated with her, Asmodeus. She’s feisty and you know how much I adore feisty women.”
“You better behave yourselves,” Kai said all too sweetly. “Or you’re going to see just how feisty I can be.”
“I thought you might try to use that ring against us, so a witch friend of mine cast a little spell for us. It’s temporary but will last long enough to accomplish what we need to here.” Lucifer jutted a thumb toward Satan. “He may have messed up our relationship with Willow and the Witches Council but there a few witches out there who still enjoy our charms.”
Kai tried not to look surprised but failed miserably and she didn’t miss the look of triumph on Lucifer’s face.
“She’s not going with you to the Underworld and, charmed protection or not, I would advise against trying to press the issue.” Asmodeus nodded toward the broken body of the minion. “As you can see it didn’t work out too well for him.”
“That guy’s soul has been tagged as mine for years.” The redhead winked at Kai and jutted both thumbs at his chest. “Beelzebub Demon of Gluttony but you can call me Zeb. In fact, that greedy bastard’s soul is
down there right now with the rest of today’s damned who are waiting to be processed.”
“You mean…I killed him?” Kai said in a barely audible voice as she flicked a glance at the body on the porch.
“Not really,” Zeb laughed. “He was gonna die of a heart attack today anyway so it’s kind of a wash.”
“Can we get this fucking show on the road?” Satan, a brunette with dark, almost black eyes, pounded his fist into his palm and glared at Kai. “I’m tired of all the talking because as usual, it’s not getting us anywhere. Give us the girl, Asmodeus.”
“Kai, I’d like you to meet Satan the Demon of Wrath.” Asmodeus let out weary sigh. “He’s never one to mince words and usually lets his fists do the talking.”
“Right,” Kai pursed her lips and nodded. “You’re the guy who jilted Willow.”
“Is that what she told you?” Satan’s face carved into a mask of fury. “That I jilted her? Really? Next time you see her, why don’t you ask her about that little spell she cast on me?”
Kai’s eyebrows flew up in surprise and if she didn’t know better, she’d swear that hurt flickered across his features. Perhaps there was more to that story than Willow had let on, but Kai knew better than anyone that there are three sides to every story.
His side. Her side. And the truth.
“Sucker.” The one on the left, with long, sandy blonde hair and an easy going smile laughed slowly. He reminded Kai of the stoners she knew in high school. “She’s still so pissed at you.”
“Fuck you, Belphegor.” Satan’s eyes blazed red and his hands balled into fists at his side. He, on the other hand, reminded Kai of the football jocks who stuck the nerds in the garbage cans. “Shut up.”
“Whatever, man.” Belphegor pushed his long hair off his forehead and closed his eyes as he turned his face toward the sun. “I say we chill out and see what happens next.”
“The Demon of Sloth wants to avoid a conflict? What a shocker.” Satan punched Belphegor on the arm. “You’ll never change, you lazy shit.”
ASMODEUS: Demon of Lust--BUNDLE Parts 1-4 (Princes of Hell) Page 17