The man’s mouth fell wide open in disbelief. His two companions chuckled as they attempted to down their drinks.
“Did you think I didn’t know you’re a pervert?” she asked, taking his half empty glass from him. “Out. Now.”
“Hey, I paid for that! Give it back.”
“Have your money back,” she said, throwing his change back at him. “Out.”
“I don’t think so. Where’s Keith?”
“You heard the lady,” Azazel said, standing up and settling an unnerving stare on the balding man. “Out. Now.”
The man stood up, puffing his chest out like a peacock strutting its stuff. “Make me.”
Kyla smirked. “Don’t tempt him.”
The man looked at Kyla, his eyes filling with amusement as his pot belly jiggled with his laughter. “Look at him. He thinks coz he’s all young and muscled that he’s top dog. People like him need teaching a lesson or two.”
One of his companions cleared his throat and tried intervening but was immediately shut down by the stout little man. “Come on then,” he said, opening his arms and beckoning Azazel with his fingers. “Make me.”
Azazel grinned, a streak of darkness glinting through his eyes. “With pleasure.”
In the blink of an eye, he grabbed the man around the throat and dragged him outside. Shoving him up against the rough brick wall, his feet dangled off the floor by a good six inches or more. His eyes bulged as he choked for breath under the demon’s vice-like grip.
“Now,” Azazel said, tightening his grip even more. His eyes lightened to a deep emerald green as he reached his energy out towards the man with vine-like tendrils. “You’re going to go home to your wife and forget that this happened. Not only that, but you’re going to stop perving over my woman. Got it?”
The man nodded, falling limp as Azazel’s compulsion trickled through his soul, submitting him to his new orders. Letting him down, Azazel smirked to himself as he watched the man stumble his way home.
“I’m your woman now, am I?” Kyla stood with her arms folded over her chest, her eyes gleaming with cheekiness.
Azazel faltered, his cheeks bursting with heat for the first time in hundreds of years. “Sorry,” he said, looking down at the floor with a sheepish look on his handsome features. “I just…”
“It’s fine. I appreciate the gesture, thank you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, why not? We’re starting again aren’t we?”
He burst into a wide grin, his eyes dancing with joy as he fought the urge to scoop her into his arms.
Kyla dropped her arms to her sides as she sighed. “Thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful.”
His grin only widened as he walked her back inside the pub, thanking Balthazar mentally for his advice.
He, on the other hand, was currently sitting in the cover of the bushes across the road, his own heart shattering as he watched Kyla accepting Azazel into her life.
CHAPTER XXII
As Kyla finished her shift for the evening, giving the gleaming mahogany bar a final wipe, Azazel cleared his throat, his nerves returning to the surface with what he was about to ask.
“The answer is yes,” Kyla said, a knowing smile playing on her face.
“How did you…?”
“You’ve been quiet for the past half an hour since I kicked everyone out. The normal Azazel would have tried pinning me up against a wall and ravishing me until daylight.”
He chuckled, nodding in agreement. “Are you free tomorrow?”
“Yes,” she said, her heart growing with hope at his sudden switch in temperament. She was still puzzled over Keith’s sudden announcement that she could have tomorrow off, although she suspected she knew the cause of it.
“I’ll pick you up at one?”
“It’s a date.”
“Do you want me to walk you home?”
“You know I’ve driven here.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Worth a try.”
“See you tomorrow, Azazel.” She ushered him out as she grabbed the keys and locked up.
Azazel was silent as he walked her across the road to her car. It was impossible for her to ignore the fuzzy feeling dancing about in her stomach. He reached for the car door, opening it for her as she unlocked it. A smile spread across her face as she turned to thank him.
“Goodnight,” she said, sliding into the driver’s seat.
Azazel desperately wanted to crush his lips against hers, to run his hands over her body and cause her waves of pleasure she had still yet to experience. Instead, he bid her goodnight and whistled his way home.
***
“Where are we going?” Kyla asked.
Azazel had picked her up at one o’clock on the dot and revealed nothing about where he was taking her.
He smiled as he drove them deep into the countryside. “You’ll see.”
Kyla grinned, watching the green fields and ancient houses roll past as they continued to drive into the middle of nowhere.
A few minutes later, he swung the car onto a beaten track that led into the overgrown woods. Just as Kyla began to worry how deep they were going into the mass of trees, he pulled up in front of a beautiful little log cabin. A plume of smoke rose from the chimney, giving a sense of welcoming and cosiness.
“Is this yours?” As soon as the question left her mouth, she realised how daft it sounded. “Sorry. I keep forgetting you’re not a normal guy.”
A playful smirk edged his lips as he exited the car and rounded to her door, opening it and taking her hand to help her out.
She raised an eyebrow at him, ignoring how close their bodies were now that she was out of the car. “I knew there was a gentleman in there somewhere.”
Azazel grinned and placed a hand on her lower back, directing her towards the three wooden steps leading up to the picturesque cabin. He opened the door and hid his victory smile as she stepped inside.
“Wow.”
She gazed around at the solid, dark wooden walls lined with old hunting pictures, perfect iron candle holders complete with chunky cream candles, and flickering shadows cast from the dancing flames. An open fire roared away with a spectacular red rug splayed across the floor in front of it. Two red velvet chairs were positioned either side of the fireplace, inviting their next occupants in. A small kitchen sat to her right, and to the left lay a fair sized wooden table set with two places. Two doors at the back led to the bathroom and the bedroom.
“This is incredible.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Azazel said, closing the door behind them. “Dinner is cooking. It should be ready soon.”
“Dinner? You can cook?”
“I’m a being of many talents, Kyla,” he replied, giving her a cheeky wink.
She sat down in one of the fireside chairs. Leaning back into the soft fabric, she closed her eyes and revelled in her thoughts of how much she had underestimated Azazel.
It wasn’t long before he was calling her to the table, displaying his expertly cooked beef joint with mouth-watering roast potatoes and piles of delicious vegetables.
“I don’t eat meat,” Kyla said, crossing her arms over her chest with a smirk.
“And I’m a human,” Azazel replied, not even bothering to look at her as he dished the food out across both plates.
She giggled as she took her seat. “You must have been once?”
“That was a long time ago.” He smiled, settling in his own seat opposite her.
Looking past his shoulder and out of the window, her eyes drank in the fine sights of the peaceful woods. “How long ago?” She cut a piece of beef and couldn’t help the gratified noise which escaped her throat as the sublime juices flooded her taste buds. The meat was so tender it fell apart in her mouth. “This is fantastic. You’re a really good cook.”
He grinned. “I know.”
Her eyes danced over his face with mischief. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“It was a long time
ago.” His own impish look faded as he realised she wasn’t going to let this drop. The atmosphere began to load with unspoken confessions and heavy feelings.
“Yeah, you said. How long ago? How did you become like this?”
“What is this?” His green eyes flared with a dark warning as his jaw set in a hard line. “The Spanish Inquisition?”
Kyla’s smile fell from her face in an instant. She put her cutlery down with slow, deliberate precision before she stood up. “I can see you’ve not changed one bit. And to think I actually fell for this whole charade.” She shook her head as she headed for the door. “I’m such a dumb-ass.”
He jumped to his feet, bolting to the door and blocking her access to her exit. “Don’t go,” he said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. It’s just a touchy subject.”
She raised her eyebrows, glaring at him with a murderous stare. “And you don’t think my whole situation with Tony is a touchy subject? You got to see every inch of my life,” she said, poking her finger at his solid chest. “I think it’s only fair I ask some questions about yours.”
“You’re right,” he said, his lips pulling into a thin line. “I’m sorry. Please finish your food. I’ll answer whatever you want to know.”
Kyla scanned his gorgeous face for a minute or two, the thought of the exquisite food tempting her back to the table. They sat back down in silence for a good couple of minutes before she cleared her throat and repeated her question.
Azazel grimaced as he answered. “I was born in 50AD. Balthazar in 54AD.”
Kyla’s mouth fell open. “Are you joking?”
He shook his head, forking more beef past his luscious red lips.
“What happened? How did you end up…well, as you?”
With a flick of his wrist, he produced two glasses of red wine. He downed his in one gulp, straining the silence that had fallen over them. “I killed over a dozen of my own people, including my own wife and son.” He paused as he refilled his wine glass and threw back another full glass. “And then I killed myself.”
CHAPTER XXIII
Kyla gasped at his nonchalant delivery of the truth behind his history. “You what?”
He sighed as he ran a hand over his forehead. “It’s complicated.”
“Will you tell me?”
He closed his eyes, exhaling slowly before meeting her enquiring gaze. “I’ll show you.”
She smiled at the thought of magickal TV once again but was soon made to feel nervous.
“Not with Balthazar’s little trick. With my own trick.”
He reached up into the air, tracing strange triangles, odd symbols, and ancient words with his fingers. After a couple of minutes, he seemed to part the air with his hands, an eerie green glow protruding through the hole he’d just created in the air.
He motioned for Kyla to give him her hand, giving her a reassuring squeeze as he led them both through into his past. Stepping into the man-sized hole, she felt nothing but a cool breeze glance over her skin. As if she’d just walked through a pair of curtains, the gap in time and space closed behind them, immersing them in the current times. She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth in shock as the startling realisation struck her of where she was now standing.
“Pompeii?” She turned to look at Azazel whose features had glazed over with a sorrowful gaze. His vibrant green eyes had dulled down with pain and anguish as he guided her around the dusty, cobbled streets.
The air was warm yet fresh as the ancient Roman people hurried around the streets on their day to day business. Magnificent shops with a wide array of merchandise from pottery and cloth, to stunning paintings passed by her as he led them through a rabbit warren of streets before stopping in front of an impressive piece of history.
He presented her with an exquisite villa, the sound of cheery voices and clattering pots coming from inside. As Azazel dissolved them through the wall and into the lavish luxury spread across the insides of the ancient home, her eyes welled with tears when she saw Azazel as a human.
With crisp white robes settled against his bronzed skin, his muscled arms flexed as he wrapped his arms around a brunette beauty. She giggled as she laid her arms around his neck, connecting their rosy lips with a loving kiss. Her own white dress clung to her slim figure, held in place by beautiful brooches decorated with gleaming gems.
Azazel sighed next to Kyla, a forlorn look taking over his features. “Cassia.”
A young boy ran through from the inner courtyard, his eyes gleaming with joy as he tugged on Cassia’s robes, telling her in an excited voice that his vegetables were growing.
Azazel closed his eyes. Kyla watched the beautiful pair share a parting kiss before he swung a superb red robe around his shoulders and left his luxurious home, his smiling wife departing from the kitchen and out into the enclosed garden.
“I was Lucius Maximus Valens. It was this day that changed my life forever.”
He reached for Kyla’s hand, finding her touch a comfort as his cinematic memories flooded him with unwanted emotion.
“What did you do?”
“I was a political figure at that moment but before that I was an army general. I worked for Pacquius Proculus. Balthazar worked alongside me. He was Octavio Maximus Valens. He lived in the villa next door.”
Azazel led them through to Balthazar’s former home. Kyla was in awe at the incredible fountain in the centre of the courtyard, the ancient paintings of gods and goddesses hung on the walls in his dining room, and the emptiness of the place. Bewitching patterns in the expensive mosaic flooring caught her eye as they walked through the spacious dwelling.
As he took her on a tour of the vibrant home with its colourful motifs upon the walls and its intriguing carved stone work, Kyla couldn’t help but notice a distinct presence missing from the bedroom.
“He was alone?”
Azazel nodded. “He desperately wanted to take a wife, but he was always too picky, finding something wrong with even the most beautiful of women.” He closed his eyes as he ran his shaking hands over his face. “I only wish I had realised why.” He led them back outside as dusk began to settle, his hands working magick as he moved time along.
The scenery changed from the hustling bustling noise of an ancient town, to peace and quiet as twilight settled in the sky. The dusky setting highlighted the future tourist attractions in their architectural splendour with a glorious pink, misty haze.
A swishing sound caught Kyla’s ears. She turned to see Cassia walking with purpose across the sandy coloured street into Octavio’s house. She was carrying something in her hands, trying her best to get back indoors before night fell and the streets became a place where no person, let alone a fine woman, would wander alone.
“She knew he hated his slave’s cooking,” Azazel said. “So she would ensure we had leftovers for him if he didn’t come around to eat with us.”
Kyla’s heart rate began to climb as Azazel dissolved them back through the walls of the house. They stood inside Octavio’s dining room as Cassia laid his meal out for him on his splendid wooden table. He looked sad as he sat alone in the warm yet somehow cold stone room.
“You’re so kind to me, Cassia,” Octavio said. “I cannot understand why.”
She smiled, her warmness exuded by her big brown eyes. “You are my husband’s brother, Octavio. I will always care for you.” She bent down, planting a delicate kiss on his cheek before she turned to leave him in peace.
Azazel turned away with ragged breathing. “I can’t watch this again.”
Kyla glanced at him but her racing heart and curiosity forced her to look back.
Octavio grabbed Cassia’s wrist as she walked away. He stood up, and moved his hands to her face, caressing her cheek with an aching tenderness. “Will you ever feel anything for me, Cassia? Anything more than just care and goodwill?”
“Octavio,” she replied, her face paling to a sheet of whiteness. “I am married to Lucius. I love him. We have a child together. I wil
l always love you Octavio but only as my brother-in-law. Please stop this.”
Kyla turned to Azazel, her mouth wide open in shock. “He hassled her more than once didn’t he?”
Azazel nodded, too numb to speak.
She turned back as Octavio’s handsome face clouded with hurt and rejection. He lunged towards Cassia only for her to jump back against the wall, pleading with him to stop.
In disbelief, Kyla watched as he grabbed Cassia’s small face, pinning her still with one of his hands, whilst his other large hand stopped her flailing arms. Vomit rose up Kyla’s throat as a cry of shock escaped her.
Octavio released Cassia’s face and fiddled with her dress, exposing her to him as he ripped his own robes from his body. Without a second’s hesitation, ignoring Cassia’s cries, he took her for his own, ravishing her with forceful thrusts, which she begged for him to stop.
Several minutes later, the horrific scene was over as Octavio, disgusted with himself, threw her dress back at her and scuttled off across his courtyard to his bedroom, leaving the broken woman sobbing to herself.
Kyla felt her knees go weak. She collapsed onto the stone floor, hot tears spilling down her cheeks as she realised what a monster Balthazar truly was. How could she have ever gotten it so wrong about him?
Azazel picked her up in his strong arms, his own grief too great for him to utter a single word. The surroundings skipped forwards several weeks in a blur of hot days and nights mingling with green gardens and sandy streets. A new scene appeared of Lucius coming home after a long trip, wrapping his arms around his nervous wife.
“Lucius,” she cried, burying herself in his neck. “Lucius, I love you.”
Sensing something wrong with his wife, Lucius pulled back from their embrace, his eyes scanning over her upset features. “What’s wrong, my love? Don’t cry. I’m home now.”
Sex, Lies & Demon Ties (Dark Desires #1) Page 11