by Opal Carew
“That’s not the kind of innocence we’re talking about,” Isadora said. “The point is that your soul is pure. You aren’t corrupted by evil so the Brotherhood can’t harm you.”
“No, we’re not supposed to be able to,” Asmodeus said quietly without taking his eyes off Kai. “But the minions can get to her and so can the Fae.”
“What the fuck is a minion?” Kai asked in a barely audible whisper.
“Humans who can be forced to do a demon’s dirty work,” Isadora said. She made a sound of derision and shuffled toward the stove. “Worst of the worst.”
“And we now have only twenty-four hours left before Lucifer sends the rest of the Brotherhood, with the help of their minions, to retrieve the ring. I talked him into giving me some time to get it on my own, but he’s notoriously impatient and the son of a bitch may not even wait. The only thing that might buy us more time is that the power of the ring is somehow masking our location. Lucifer was complaining about it yesterday but if I know my brothers, they’ll find us eventually.” He strode to the table, leaned both hands on the scarred wood surface and brought his face even with Kai’s. Her sweet scent, a mixture of lilacs and soap, filled his head and threatened his composure. “Both the Brotherhood and the Fae will take this ring with or without your cooperation. Dead or alive. Now do you understand?”
“You never answered my question.” Kai kept her eyes on him, meeting his challenge. “Why are the Fae and the Brotherhood so interested in the ring?”
Asmodeus’ jaw clenched as he wrestled with how much to tell her. What would she do if she knew the true power it held? Would she use it against him and the rest of the Brotherhood? Before he could make the choice, Isadora made it for him.
“According to legend, the Ring of Solomon has the power to control the Underworld,” Isadora said in a quiet, almost reverent tone. “Isn’t that right, Asmodeus? Or, more to the point, that ring has the power to control the entire Brotherhood. Combine that with the fact that you are more than likely a Custodian... Kai Kelly, you can quite literally, command Hell.”
Kai’s complexion paled as her dark eyes filled with fear and something in Asmodeus’ chest squeezed as he watched her wrestle with all that was being thrown at her. He pushed himself away from the table, needing to put some distance between them.
“That’s why Ben wanted it?” Kai’s voice wavered as she looked away and wrapped her hands around the teacup. “He wants it so he can control all of you and command Hell?”
“Yes. The Fae would love nothing more than to have the Brotherhood as their slaves.”
Kai sat up in her chair as she looked between the two of them. “Why haven’t Ben and the other Fae come after us?”
“The ring may be masking your presence from them as well as from the Brotherhood, and Isadora’s cloaking spell is also hiding us. Limiting the use of my powers will also help keep us off the radar, so to speak.”
“The girl’s right,” Isadora murmured. “Fae can find others of their kind easily. Especially one like Kai, one that isn’t trained to control her power or contain it. You may be hidden here in my home but it’s surprising the Fae didn’t find you before you arrived.”
“Control Hell?” Kai said in a rush as she stared at the ring. “I can’t control anything. Until I put on this damned ring and Asmodeus came riding into my life, I never shot freaking light beams out of my hands. Control? This is the most out of control I’ve felt in my life and that’s saying something.” She sucked in a deep breath. “I wish my mother was here.”
“So do I.” Isadora patted Kai’s hand reassuringly. “It’s a damn shame your grandmother died before she could teach your mama.”
“My mother knew about the ones with no light.” Kai wiped her tears away. Her chin tilted and her voice was edged with an icy chill. “She warned me about the Dark Ones like Asmodeus. No aura. She said they would take my powers and leave me a shell of myself.”
“That’s interesting,” Isadora said quietly. “I wonder how she would know about them if no one taught her?”
“She was right.” Asmodeus swore and turned his back on her, unable and unwilling to subject himself to that accusing look in her eye. “I have no soul and if you stay with me much longer, neither will you. We will find a way to get that ring off your finger, I will take it back to the Underworld and both of us will go back to our lives.”
“Hold your horses, mister.” Isadora’s exasperated tone drifted over his shoulder. “This ring is more connected to Kai than it has been to anyone else. It has to be. Think about it for a minute. Asmodeus, you said that Solomon had no trouble removing the ring and handing it over. Right?”
“Correct,” Asmodeus replied.
“That’s not the case for Kai, is it? The ring seems to have bonded with her— as though it’s a part of who she is.”
Asmodeus nodded but kept his back to them.
“You’re not going to get that damned thing off her hand until you find out more about her kin and the Custodians of the Light. We have to find out who trained your grandmother.”
“My family is all dead and gone, Isadora.” Kai’s voice, weary and edged with sadness tugged at Asmodeus, making him feel like an even bigger shithead than he already did. “All I have is that big old house in Idaho.”
“Yes, I know.” Isadora nodded as she shuffled toward her bedroom. “Be right back.”
The door shut with a soft click leaving Kai and Asmodeus alone. Absolute quiet filled the room but he could feel Kai’s eyes on him, studying him. He glanced over his shoulder and to his surprise Kai was standing behind him.
“I’m not giving up the ring, Asmodeus. Not yet.”
He turned so that they were facing one another. His initial instinct was to tell her again what a bad decision that was but he refrained. It might have been because of the determined look on her face or the intelligent glint in her eyes, but he found himself unable or unwilling to argue with her. When he said nothing, she continued.
“I have a proposition for you.” Kai inched closer, the thin fabric of the white nightie doing little to conceal her womanly curves. She was just inches from him but her warm energy wafted over him in subtle, erotic pulses. “If you’re interested?”
“I’m listening.” Asmodeus kept his hands at his sides, his fingers twitched, eager to grab the nightgown and strip her body bare but he resisted. He fleetingly realized that while he wanted Kai more than any woman he’d met, she was the first woman he refrained from sleeping with. Talk about a fucking ironic turn of events.
“Help me find out who my family really was. Who I am.” Her large dark eyes were locked with his as she inched closer, just a breath away. “I thought I was alone. This ring could be the key to finding out who I am—or who I’m supposed to be— please don’t rob me of that.”
Surprise filled him as Kai’s soft, warm fingers grasped his and her thumb ran over his knuckles in gentle, reassuring strokes. A touch he suspected was meant to reassure but all it did was inflame his desire for her. Between the pleading tone of her voice and the achingly tender brush of her flesh against his, he was lost.
“I have no desire to control you or the Underworld.” Kai’s gentle tone tugged at him. “Please. Help me get some answers. Maybe once I have more information and know about this whole Custodian thing, the ring will come off.”
The feel of her soft fingers in his nourished and enticed him, but with each second Asmodeus knew he was doing her more harm than good. He looked down at their joined hands, her delicate fingers tangled with his much larger ones, and saw that she was right—her aura flickered over his skin. The tattoos on his arms tingled with energy—her energy—and even though he wanted to pull her into his arms and breathe her in, he yanked his hand from hers.
With each touch, he was taking a little bit more from her. How long before it started to harm her? How many times could he touch her before he took it all?
“Fine.” Asmodeus nodded his agreement but didn’t miss the wo
unded look on her face when he recoiled from her touch. He folded his arms over his chest and stepped back, increasing the distance between them, even though he wanted nothing more than to cradle her in his arms. “We’ve got twenty-four hours to get you your answers. Then I get the ring and take it back to the Underworld.”
She opened her mouth to respond but the bedroom door opened, causing Kai to jump. Asmodeus spun around, instinctively shielding Kai’s body with his and though several ideas of who or what would be standing there flickered through his mind, the sight before him wasn’t one of them.
“Holy shit,” Kai breathed. “Isadora?”
“In the flesh, child.” Isadora was no longer old or wrinkled but the young beautiful witch Asmodeus had bedded so many years ago. Long waves of raven hair fell to her waist and her hourglass figure was swathed in a black dress reminiscent of days gone by. The only feature that remained the same was those glittering green eyes.
“How did—what the heck?” Kai stepped out from behind Asmodeus and stared with amazement. A huge smile covered her face. “You’re gorgeous... and young.”
“Yes, but it’s only temporary. I typically use this spell when I’m feeling frisky. As you can imagine, it’s far easier to get laid when I look like this.” Isadora winked and moved to the stove. She grabbed two bottles from the shelf and made quick work of filling them with potion from one of the pots. “If you think I’m going to take the two of you to the Witches Council looking like an old hag, well you’ve got another thing coming.”
“What are you talking about?” Asmodeus’ patience was running thin. The only race who disliked demons almost as much as the Fae were the witches. The Brotherhood had Satan to thank for that one. “Why the Witches Council?”
“Here take this.” Isadora handed Kai one of the bottles but slipped the other in the pocket of her dress. “This is one of those just-in-case potions. When you drink it, you simply picture where you want to go and there you’ll be. Always good to have an emergency transporter potion in times like this—it’s also untraceable for about six hours. So whoever or whatever is after you won’t know where you’ve gone and it’ll give you a head start.”
“I thought you were working on potions to remove the ring?” Asmodeus asked with mild irritation. “Shouldn’t we try that before resorting to a visit to the Witches Council?”
“One of ’em was for the ring but based on the Custodian factor, it won’t do a lick of good. I made the transporter potion too. You two are on the run, after all. Aren’t you?”
Isadora pushed Kai toward the bedroom. ”I left you some clothes on the bed. Go change and then we’ll get going.”
Kai didn’t move but kept staring at Isadora, fascinated by the dramatic transformation.
“Answer me, Isadora,” Asmodeus pressed. “Why do you insist on taking her to the Witches?”
“Kai’s got witch’s blood in her along with the Fae. Since going to the Fae for help would probably end badly, it makes sense that we start with my people. If anyone is going to know more about the Custodians, it’s the Witches Council. Those bitches are even older than me. We’ll start there and, as long as you behave yourself, I’m sure the High Priestesses will keep their spells to themselves.”
“What the hell?” Kai said with a shrug as she headed to the bedroom. She cast one last glance at Asmodeus. “I’ve got nothing else to lose.”
As the door closed behind her, he couldn’t stop thinking about how wrong she was.
Chapter Eight
Standing in Isadora’s kitchen, wearing an outfit that could only be described as gypsy attire, Kai fiddled with the potion bottle in the folds of her skirt. The white, off the shoulder, peasant blouse had a delicate embroidered design along the edges and tied perfectly at the waist. The navy skirt with silver charms stitched around the hips fell almost to the floor and jingled when Kai walked.
She hoped that she wouldn’t have to sneak up on anyone because it would be impossible in this get-up. Even the sandals she wore had silver charms around the ankle.
While it wasn’t an ensemble Kai normally wore, Asmodeus must have liked it because he had barely taken his eyes off her since she came out of the bedroom.
Asmodeus didn’t look so bad himself.
Isadora had given him a fresh pair of jeans and a black t-shirt that fit his well-sculpted torso like a second skin. The tattoos snaked over the thick muscles of his arms and disappeared beneath the edge of the sleeve seductively. She couldn’t help but wonder where the rest of it went. Kai had to force herself not to stare at him like the sex-starved woman she was.
She’d never thought about sex this much in her entire life and chalked it up to the fact that he was the Demon of Lust. Too bad he was doing his best to avoid touching her or looking at her. Nothing will kill a girl’s ego like rejection, and to be turned down by the Demon of Lust had to be some kind of landmark moment. Wonderful.
“Take my hands,” Isadora said as she stepped between them. “Close your eyes and keep your breathing even. No matter what happens don’t let go of me until I tell you to.”
Asmodeus flicked his gaze to Kai as she closed her eyes. With Isadora’s smooth hand in hers, Kai fought to keep herself calm. As silence filled the room, she started to wonder if anything was going to happen... and then Isadora began to chant.
Goddesses of Wind, hear my call.
Take the faithful to the Witches Hall.
Fly us to the sacred spot beneath.
Where no children cry and no women weep.
Along the secret path no mortal can trace.
An oasis hidden under the mountain’s face.
Isadora’s voice, low and soft, whisked around them like a summer breeze and as she spoke, the ring burned against Kai’s flesh. Isadora repeated the chant three times and as she completed the third cycle, a snap of electricity flickered over Kai’s skin and in a flash the world was spinning as the floor vanished beneath her feet.
Kai felt like she was flying in a cool tunnel of darkness but the journey ended as quickly as it began. With a teeth-rattling jolt, the floor was solid beneath her again and a cool, damp wind blew her skirt around her legs. Shuddering and sweating, feeling like she’d just been tossed around in a tornado, Kai kept her eyes squeezed shut and for a moment she thought she might be dead.
Seconds later, she felt someone grab her by the shoulders and shake her, calling her name but the voice sounded so far away. A large hand cradled her face as hot flesh seared against her cheek and her body burned from the inside out. Everything felt heavy, as though she was being sucked into quicksand. Kai wanted to dig her way out, to fight the thick, suffocating air but her arms seemed as though they were made of lead.
A man kept calling her name. Asmodeus?
She wanted to shout back to him, to tell him that she was right here, but it was an effort in futility. As his voice drifted further and further away, Kai tried to scream but no sound came as she tumbled into the abyss.
***
Kai felt like she was floating on a cloud. She smiled as she snuggled deeper into the ridiculously soft blankets and pillows. The soothing scent of lavender filled her head and she let out a satisfied sigh as memories of her childhood home in Vermont flickered through her mind. She was home. This bed felt just like home. Kai hugged the body pillow and kicked off the covers so she could wrap her leg around the pile of blankets.
The sudden sound of a deep, baritone voice ripped Kai out of her reverie and back to her twisted reality.
“I’m not going anywhere and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll back off.”
“Are you threatening me, demon?” Replied an unfamiliar female voice.
“I certainly hope so.”
“Asmodeus?” Kai murmured.
Her eyes flew open as she shot up in the bed and looked wildly around the unfamiliar bedroom. The cavernous space looked like the set for a historical drama. Kai was sitting in a massive four-poster bed with a white, gauzy canopy overhead. The b
edding was sage green and white silk and there were enough goose down pillows to suffocate a small army.
Tall, ornate windows framed with panels of velvet were to the right. The windows lined gray stonewalls and directly across from the bed was a floor to ceiling fireplace with a roaring fire. Kai got the distinct impression she was in a castle.
Asmodeus was standing in front of the flickering flames, eyes glowing and arms folded over his chest, looking every bit the demon he was. All he was missing was a set of horns. Isadora and two women Kai had never seen before were standing in front of him looking less than pleased. They all turned to look at Kai when she spoke up but Asmodeus remained where he was.
“She’s finally awake,” said the tall blond woman. She was rail thin and probably close to six feet tall. Wearing a Renaissance era gown made of red velvet trimmed in gold roping, she stared at Kai with cold, blue eyes. “You’ve seen that she’s fine. Now be on your way, demon. Isadora should know better than to bring one of your kind here. Willow will be less than amused and you might find yourself at the wrong end of one of her spells.”
“The name is Asmodeus,” he said with a growl. “And Willow can complain all she wants but I’m not going anywhere without Kai.” He locked eyes with Kai and quickly added, “And the ring.”
Kai’s heart squeezed in her chest as he swiftly corrected himself. Just the ring. That’s all he wanted. Once he got the ring, he’d be gone and she’d be alone. Again.
“Don’t be such a bitch, Rosalyn, and Asmodeus, keep your boxers on. Rosalyn is full of as much piss and wind as you are.” Isadora, still looking young and beautiful, pushed past the two women and came to Kai’s side. “How are you feeling, Kai?”