by Opal Carew
Regardless of the answer, Ben Flaherty was going to prove to be a pain in the ass. At the very least, his presence put a wrinkle in Asmodeus’ plans but it was more than that.
Asmodeus kept a close eye on Ben through the evening and was less than pleased when Ben put his arm around Kai. He didn’t like it one damn bit. Not because he thought Kai was interested in Ben, she clearly wasn’t but... well, he didn’t have a good reason... it just bugged the shit out of him to see another man attempting to lay some kind of claim on her.
There were two options. Either Ben had no idea who Asmodeus was, or he did and the son of a bitch was biding his time. He was sure about one thing. Ben was Fae and was after that ring as much as Asmodeus was. Given the moves he was putting on Kai, Ben was probably hoping to woo it out from under her too.
Fat fucking chance.
Heat flared up Asmodeus’ back and he revved the engine of the Harley, as a flock of birds swooped low and into a nearby tree. There was no way he was going to let that damned, fairy bastard get close to Kai or the ring. Given the appearance of Ben, Asmodeus knew he was going to have to pick up the pace or risk losing the ring.
If he’d been here in his non-mortal form, Ben would have spotted him immediately and that could have created a shit storm of epic proportions. A fucking fairy free for all. Instead of having dinner with Kai, he would have ended up dodging skin-searing rays of light for the evening.
The Power of the Light was a fairy’s strongest weapon and, if wielded properly, it could turn man or demon to dust. Their power was fueled by innocence and rooted in purity. Some say they are an extension of the Hand of God and, based on what he’d seen, he wouldn’t doubt it.
If there was any chance Asmodeus was going to have to tangle with the Fae, his powers better come back or Lucifer better give them back. Last night, at the motel, he’d tried to utilize his telekinesis and some basic heat manipulation and neither worked. He was tempted to reach out to Lucifer but given that he still didn’t have the ring, he decided to hold off.
Asmodeus smirked as he pulled the bike up by the faded, red barn. Fairies in human stories were cute little sprites with wings and magic wands, but Asmodeus knew first hand that they could be as lethal as any demon.
There was nothing more dangerous than a pissed off fairy.
“You’re late, Mr. Miles.” Kai shouted from the porch.
Case in point.
Asmodeus chuckled as he dismounted the bike and tucked the key into the front pocket of his jeans. Kai was leaning against the porch railing and those dark eyes were peering at him over the rim of a cup of coffee. Wearing cut off jean shorts, a bright pink tank top and a pair of Converse sneakers, she looked like a homegrown, farm girl. Her long blond hair was swept back in a ponytail and as he strode closer, he saw her face was free of makeup. Kai was naturally beautiful, although she seemed completely unaware of it. But perhaps that was one of the reasons he found her so attractive.
“Morning.” He stopped at the foot of the porch steps, grinning.
“You’re late,” she repeated with a smile.
“How do you figure?” Asmodeus asked as he removed his sunglasses and hooked them into the collar of his t-shirt. He casually surveyed the property as he climbed the steps to meet her. “It’s just about nine now. Give or take. It’s close anyway.”
“Close only counts in horseshoes and grenades,” Kai said before taking another sip of coffee.
“I see,” he said moving closer so there was only a foot or so between them. Asmodeus dropped his voice low and kept his eyes on hers. “Throw a lot of grenades, do you?”
“No,” Kai laughed and held his stare. “It was something my dad used to say. Sorry. It’s silly.” Kai rubbed her thumb along the edge of her coffee mug and he noticed the ring was still on her hand. “I don’t know why I’m giving you a hard time. You’re not really that late.”
“Certainly not as late as your friend was last night.”
“True,” Kai said with a small smile as her eyes met his. “But this is business and that was—”
“Pleasure?” Asmodeus arched one eyebrow.
Kai stilled and her dark eyes remained firmly fixed with his. She was beautiful and had a purity that he’d only seen once before. In all his three thousand years only one woman had entranced him and tempted him to relinquish his position in the Brotherhood.
However, when he’d told her who and what he was... Vivian had rejected him. Shunned him and cut him out of her life. Asmodeus’ brow furrowed as the uncomfortable memories flooded his mind. After that fiasco, he vowed never to expose himself to that kind of ass-kicking again. Not that any of that mattered. He was here to seduce Kai and get the ring. That’s it.
A cat let out a loud meow from the doorway, bringing him from his thoughts.
“Be nice,” Kai said with a narrow-eyed look toward the Siamese cat. She flicked her gaze to Asmodeus and shrugged. “She’s not great with—”
Before Kai could finish her sentence, the cat was rubbing up against Asmodeus’ leg and purring like an engine. He leaned down and scooped up the cat, which was more than pleased by the extra attention. Scratching her behind the ears as he cradled her to his chest, Asmodeus locked eyes with Kai, who was visibly stunned.
“I can’t believe it.” Kai shook her head and looked from Asmodeus to the satisfied feline. “Zephyr doesn’t like anyone—especially men—and she never lets anyone pick her up. Not even me sometimes... Looks like all kinds of women have a fondness for you, Mr. Miles. You charm waitresses and cats alike.”
“Dogs tend to like me best but every now and then I meet a cat who’ll warm up to me.” Asmodeus glanced at the purring feline and could only imagine what his Hellhounds would have to say about this particular incident. “Zephyr, huh?” Asmodeus said. “That’s derived from the name Zephyrus, the Greek God of Wind. Isn’t it?”
“I guess,” Kai laughed. “My dad used to read me Babar the Elephant stories when I was little and Zephyr was the name of his monkey.”
Asmodeus gave her a skeptical look. “An elephant with a pet monkey?”
“Yes.” Kai leaned over and scratched Zephyr. “You know about Greek gods but not Babar? What kind of childhood did you have?”
“It was almost non-existent,” he murmured.
Kai smiled at him as she spoke but, quickly dropped her hand when her fingertips grazed his amid the feline’s fur. Her face reddened and she looked away from him.
“We should probably get started. I’ll show you the barn.”
Asmodeus placed Zephyr on the ground and smiled as the cat gave him an annoyed look.
“Your father was right, by the way,” Asmodeus said as he turned his eyes to hers.
“About what, Mr. Miles?”
“Being close only counts in horseshoes and grenades... but I hope you won’t start throwing any at me.” A smile spread across Asmodeus’ face as he watched Kai’s cheeks redden further. “I’ll be on time tomorrow, honest.” He held his hand over his heart and winked. “Ms. Kelly.”
“You are too much,” Kai said with a chuckle as she rolled her eyes. She pushed herself away from the railing, walked a wide path around him and trotted down the steps toward the barn. “I’m not as easy as the cat. Follow me, Rico Suave,” she called over her shoulder.
The woman literally laughed in his face.
Asmodeus, too stunned to say a word, turned around and followed her toward the barn. He shook his head and ran a hand over his hair as though he might be able to soothe his wounded ego. No woman, ever in all his three thousand years, had been unaffected by his flirtations—ever.
It looked like seducing Kai wasn’t going to be as easy as he thought. Damn. He could not remember a time when he ever had to actually try to seduce a woman. As the Demon of Lust... he simply did it.
He watched her as she moved ahead of him and into the barn and a smile cracked his face. Nope. Seducing Kai wasn’t going to be easy, but he bet it would be a hell of a lot more fun. If
there was one thing Asmodeus enjoyed, it was a challenge and Kai Kelly had just thrown down the proverbial gauntlet.
“So this place is a hot mess,” Kai said on a sigh as she walked around the clutter-filled barn. “There are eight stalls and he obviously had horses here at one point or another. Too bad there aren’t any here now. I used to love to ride when I was little.” A wistful smile played at her lips as she tugged at an old bridle hanging on the wall. “My mom loved horses and taught me how to ride when I was barely three years old.”
Asmodeus studied her carefully and noticed that every time Kai spoke of her parents, her light grew brighter. There may be no love lost for her grandfather, but the woman clearly loved her parents and missed them. Kai swiped at her eyes, emotions running just under the surface were bubbling over. She turned her back on him obviously not wanting him to see her getting upset.
“What I’d like you to do today is go through all of this and see if there’s anything salvageable. Stuff that I could sell, okay? I have a Dumpster being delivered today, in fact I’m surprised it’s not here yet.”
“You don’t want to keep the good stuff?” Asmodeus asked as he opened and closed one of the stall doors. He squatted down and had a look at the hinges, which were in surprisingly good shape. Rising to his feet, he pounded on the beams with his fist. “With a little elbow grease, this place could easily house horses again and be a functioning barn.”
“I’m not sure if I’m staying here,” Kai said as she picked through a pile of debris. “I’m cleaning this place out so I can sell it... if I want to.”
Asmodeus sensed anger and resentment beneath the surface. Not wanting to upset her further, he simply nodded his understanding and perused the rest of the barn. A door along the left side caught his attention. “Where does this lead?” He asked pulling on the handle, only to find it wouldn’t open. “It’s locked.”
“I have no idea,” Kai muttered. “More junk, I’m sure. It’s probably a storage closet.”
“I don’t think so.” Asmodeus gestured toward the ceiling. “Did you notice that this barn has a flat ceiling and not a vaulted one? There’s a second floor.”
“Huh?” Kai stopped what she was doing and made a face as she stepped over a box and came over to the door. Standing next to him, she tugged on it but it still didn’t open. “You’re right. I have a key ring in the house with a bunch of skeleton keys. A couple of them were unmarked, so maybe one of them will work. But I wouldn’t get too excited about it because, based on the rest of the stuff I’ve found, it’s probably more junk.”
Asmodeus leaned against the wall and studied her profile. High cheekbones, a small button nose and full pink lips came together to form a gorgeous face. She reminded him of goddess statues from ancient Greece.
Flawlessly beautiful.
“Not everything was junk,” he said quietly.
Kai turned to look at him and her eyes widened when he took her fingers in his and lifted her hand. Her skin was warm and silky soft and her slender hand fit in his with exquisite perfection. Asmodeus ran his thumb over the top of her fingers, careful to avoid touching the ring. He wasn’t sure what would happen to him or how it would affect Kai if he did, and now certainly wasn’t the time to find out.
“You found this,” he murmured with a nod toward the ring. “It’s most definitely not junk.”
Kai’s body quivered as he held her hand, but she didn’t pull away. Her eyes searched his as he pulled her closer still. Warmth radiated from her small form and her tongue darted out, moistening her lip in a disarmingly seductive way.
“It—it may not even be worth anything,” Kai said.
“It’s worth something to you, so that’s all that matters.” He lifted her fingers to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. “That makes it priceless.”
Silence stretched out between them with only the beat of his own heart thundering in his ears. He stared into her large brown eyes and wanted nothing more than to kiss her, to cover those plump limps with his and dive deep.
But the rumbling sound of an approaching truck quickly put a damper on their stolen moment.
“Th—that’s probably the company delivering the Dumpster,” Kai said as she tugged her hand from his grip. She jutted a thumb over her shoulder and started walking backward. “I should get out there and tell them how I want it—I mean where I want the Dumpster.”
Asmodeus suppressed a grin as Kai stumbled over a rake briefly before regaining her balance. She huffed a strand of hair off her face and leaned the rake against the wall.
“Okay, so I’ll let you get started in here.” Kai stopped by the open doors of the barn and looked back at Asmodeus. She paused for a moment as though deciding on something. “Lunch is at noon. The kitchen is to the left and if you need the bathroom it’s on the first floor, behind the staircase.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He winked.
Kai rolled her eyes but he didn’t miss the smile as she walked outside. Asmodeus snagged a pair of old work gloves from one of the cluttered shelves and tugged them on. Kai’s beautiful face lingered in his mind and as he started pulling apart various piles, he entertained himself with images of what she would look like spread naked beneath him.
Asmodeus, I’m assuming I don’t have to tell you that you are in close proximity to the ring. Lucifer’s irritated voice shot suddenly into Asmodeus’ mind and set his teeth on edge. There were several disturbances in the energy field of your location, but I am still unable to see exactly where it is. In fact, there are times when I’m having difficulty pinpointing your location as well and I suspect it’s when you’re closest to the ring.
I’m not surprised. Asmodeus chucked a broken wooden wheelbarrow into the Dumpster that had been deposited in the driveway. Stalking back into the barn, he picked up another old, broken piece of gardening equipment. I’m well aware of its location and I’d bet the reason you can’t pinpoint it is because it’s in the possession of a Fae.
The Fae have the ring? Lucifer sounded almost panicked and Asmodeus didn’t blame him one bit. The Fae Clans would love nothing more than to gain possession of the ring and enslave the Brotherhood.
No. Asmodeus said evenly. Not The Fae... a fae. Kai is a fae-human hybrid, to be specific.
While that is more than a mild annoyance, it’s something of a relief. I take it she is not affiliated with any of the Fae Clans?
I don’t think she is even aware of her bloodline.
Be that as it may, getting the ring could prove to be more difficult than we anticipated. Even Fae hybrids have a considerable amount of magic.
Yes. Asmodeus’ mind drifted to Kai and a smile played at his lips.
If I’m not mistaken, Kai is a woman. Correct? Lucifer sounded bored and annoyed. I’m sure you’ve bedded her ten times over, so why don’t you have the ring?
Asmodeus didn’t respond but growled in frustration as he tossed the mangled piece of metal into the Dumpster.
Well, well, well. Lucifer’s gritty laughter filled his head, which only served to enrage Asmodeus further. Is it possible that the Demon of Lust, the one being who rules over all lustful souls, has been unable to seduce a half-breed fairy? Now, this is a first. Wait until the rest of the Brotherhood hears about this. I think Mammon will take the most joy in your difficulties.
It’s not that simple. Asmodeus snapped, as he dragged more crap to the Dumpster. Sweat covered his skin and dripped into his eyes, which stung like hell. He swore and swiped at them with the back of his hand. There’s another Fae in the area and I believe he’s after the ring too.
I suggest you get it before he does.
Really? Asmodeus’ tone dripped with sarcasm. Do you think I want that fairy man getting ahold of the ring? Shit. Being enslaved by the Fae is not my idea of a fun way to spend eternity. Listen, I’ll get the fucking ring. Kai doesn’t have any clue about what’s going on and as far as she’s concerned the ring is a family heirloom and nothing more.
Do you thi
nk either of them suspects who you are?
No. Asmodeus paused inside the doorway of the barn and closed his eyes as a cool breeze blew past. I think she can see auras because she called me a Dark One right before she fainted. At least that’s what I suspect because, as you well know, I don’t have an aura.
A Dark One? Lucifer mused. I haven’t heard that expression before. Fae don’t typically see auras.
Yeah, well that’s what she said—Dark One. Asmodeus confirmed. I’m not sure what the fairy-man suspects, but since he didn’t show up at my no-tell motel last night, I’m assuming he thinks I’m just a human. I hope so, because the last thing that I want is a fuckin’ flock of fairies swarming me.
I have summoned the rest of the Brotherhood back to the Underworld but perhaps I should send them to help you instead.
No. Asmodeus responded more sharply than he intended. I can handle Kai.
Silence filled Asmodeus’ mind and for a moment. He thought the connection had been severed but a few moments later Lucifer’s voice, laced with suspicion, floated back in. Do I detect a hint of concern for the girl?
Don’t be ridiculous. Asmodeus straightened his back and fought to keep the defensive tone from his voice.
I should hope not. Lucifer made a sound of disgust. You remember what happened last time, do you not? You were a real bastard to be around after that Vivian woman refused you.
Enough. Asmodeus shot back in anger. He was aggravated enough without reopening old wounds. I’m gaining Kai’s trust and I’ll have the ring before the week is out. I don’t need any help.
You have two days.
This is bullshit.
Two days. Lucifer bit back. With the Fae sniffing around, we cannot risk taking any longer than that. Can you imagine what would happen to us if the Fae were to get hold of that ring? Lucifer made a sound of disgust. We’d be at their beck and call for eternity. Spending the rest of my existence as a slave for the Fae is not appealing in the least—especially the Fae Queen. The woman is infuriating.