Asmodeus’ aura glowed brighter than it ever had but something else was different as well.
The tattoos on his arms were gone.
Kneeling next to Asmodeus, Kai wiped at the tears that fell down her cheeks. Placing a warm kiss on his forehead, she brushed his stubble-covered jaw with the back of her fingers. She whispered his name and laughed through her tears as his eyes fluttered open and clapped onto hers. Sobbing with relief, Kai rained kisses all over his face as he sat up and pulled her into his arms.
“You did it,” she said in between kisses. Sitting in his lap, she linked her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “And I hate to say I told you so…but I told you so. I was right.”
“What are you talking about?” Asmodeus held her face in his hands and pulled back so he could look her in the eyes. “Right about what?”
“Look.” Kai stood up and pulled Asmodeus to his feet. Holding his hand in hers, she lifted his arm and ran her fingers over the unmarked flesh. “The mark of the Brotherhood…the chains…they’re gone. And you still have an aura. Like I said, baby. Light and love. You haven’t been taking my light, Asmodeus. You’ve been taking my love and that fed your soul.”
“This can’t be possible,” he murmured. Asmodeus stared at his arms and shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t understand. I still have my powers.” He conjured up a fireball briefly before reabsorbing the energy. “I’m still a demon, so how can I possibly have a soul?”
“You were willing to sacrifice your life for mine.” Kai made a wide sweeping gesture with her arms as she spoke. “What could be more loving and soulful than that?”
A clinking sound caught Kai’s attention and she noticed her hand felt markedly lighter.
“Holy shit,” Kai gasped. She pulled her hand in between them and they both stared at her now naked finger. Smiling broadly, Kai murmured, “The ring came off.”
Asmodeus’ smile was short lived, however, as his brow knit with concern and he looked around them. “Where is it?”
Just as the words escaped is lips, a rumbling and cracking sound filled the air. The pall of darkness vanished and in a swirl of light the others were freed from the spell.
A chorus of grumbles, a considerable number of f-bombs and a few explosions of localized fireballs filled the air as the others emerged from their restraints. Kai leaned into Asmodeus’ embrace and rested her head on his shoulder as she watched Lucifer tend cautiously to Zemi. The two of them huddled together and spoke in hushed tones, and Kai could only hope they were on the road to an on-again phase.
They had all witnessed what had happened so there was no need to fill them in but Kai couldn’t help but smile as she watched Isadora snuggle with Zephyr. It was a glimmer of normal behavior in a sea of weirdness.
“Where’s the ring?” Satan asked with his usual impatience. He rolled his shoulders and straightened his back as he stalked over to Asmodeus. “Right before the spell wore off, I heard Kai say that the ring came off. We’ve gotta find that damn thing and take it to the Underworld where it can’t do any more damage. No offense to you two and your weird lovey-dovey-soul-creating-union but I like my darkness, thank you very much, and I don’t need some woman taking it away from me. It keeps my head clear.”
“I second that emotion,” Belphegor murmured. He was doing some kind of yoga stretch but rose to a standing position. “Dealing with the souls of the damned is hard enough without adding a chick into the mix.”
Mammon and the others all started talking at once and voicing their displeasure at the idea of losing their darkness. Kai peered up at Asmodeus who said nothing but simply pulled her into his arms and kissed her as he murmured, “I do love you, Kai Kelly.”
“You’re such a horny fucker, Asmodeus,” Satan muttered. “Can you stop pawing at her for two seconds and answer my damn question.”
“I said no, Lucifer,” Zemi’s angry voice rose above the din, capturing the attention of the group. Lucifer had his hand firmly around Zemi’s wrist but she was struggling to get free. Kai knew she couldn’t go to the Fae dimension without taking him with her but it was curious that Zemi wasn’t using her magic to get free either. “Please, don’t ask me to do this.”
“You see, Zemi,” Lucifer’s eyes burned red as he spoke and he tugged her up against his much larger body. “That’s where you’re mistaken, my love. I’m not asking.”
Zemi’s aura gleamed a blinding shade of white but it was the glow on her hand that caught Kai’s attention. As the rest of them looked on with rapt fascination, Lucifer and Zemi vanished in a plume of smoke and fire.
“Well, put a spell on my ass,” Isadora said in a genuinely awed tone. Turning to the others she jutted her thumb toward to fading cloud of smoke. “Did that son of a bitch just take the Fae Queen to the Underworld?”
“What the fuck is he thinking?” Mammon shouted. “Abducting the Fae Queen and taking her to the Underworld? Why would he do that? I mean, I know he’s still hung up on her, any fool can see that but why would he take her there against her will?”
Kai looked up at Asmodeus through wide eyes before turning to Satan and the rest of the Brotherhood. “Because Zemi is wearing the ring.”
The End
LUCIFER: Demon of Pride (Book 2 Princes of Hell) Coming 2014.
About the Author
Sara Humphreys graduated from Marist College with a degree in English literature and theater. She started her career as an actress, with credits includingGuiding Light, As the World Turns, andRescue Me.She specializes in public speaking, presentation development, and communication skills training. But she has loved romance novels and sci-fi/fantasy worlds for years, be- ginning withStar Trek(she had a huge crush on Captain Kirk). She is now married to her college sweetheart, with whom she has four boys and two “insanely loud” dogs. They live just outside of New York City, a perfect inspiration for where things go bump in the night.
Sara’s fascination with sci-fi/fantasy eventually grew into a love for all things paranormal, including ghosts, shape shifters, and the undead. She considers herself a hopeless romantic and a sucker for happy endings.
Sara’s first manuscript caught the eye of a major national bookseller, who championed her publishing career. Sara utilizes her acting skills during her writing, using sense memory recall and creating backgrounds for her characters so they have a history. Even for shape- shifters, she researches the animals and utilizes their natural traits in her characters that take on their forms.
You can find information about upcoming books on her website: www.sarahumphreys.com
ASMODEUS: Demon of Lust--BUNDLE Parts 1-4 (Princes of Hell) Page 24