by Opal Carew
A split second later, the lights vanished and a wood floor materialized suddenly beneath their feet. Kai’s hands remained firmly locked on Asmodeus’ biceps as he held her adrenaline-fueled body against his rock hard form. His eyes flickered back to blue but he didn’t loosen his hold on her.
“Looks like the potion worked,” Asmodeus murmured, flicking a glance at Kai’s mouth. His fingers pressed deeper into the small of her back. “You’re safe for the moment.”
Kai nodded as he stared down at her and her cheeks heated when her body immediately responded to his. However, as memories of his rejection came rushing back to the forefront, her lust cooled. Safe was a relative term lately. She might have been momentarily free from bodily harm but her heart was still in danger of getting another lashing from Asmodeus.
Safe? Yeah, right.
“No thanks to your brothers.” Looking away, Kai broke the spell and extricated herself from his embrace. As she stepped away from him, she took in their surroundings in search of the one item she’d wanted to find. “It has to be here.”
“Would you mind telling me where exactly here is?” Asmodeus asked as he squared his shoulders.
“I’m not exactly sure,” Kai said quietly, glancing around the unfamiliar space. “If there was some light, maybe I could actually see it.”
The words were barely out of her mouth when four lanterns flickered to life around the room, casting a dim glow. Kai let out a sound of awe and laughed nervously while looking from one lantern to the next.
“Cool,” Kai whispered. “Ask and ye shall receive.”
“So it seems,” Asmodeus murmured.
“Sacks full of money,” Kai shouted playfully to no one in particular. She looked around expectantly but when nothing happened she pursed her lips and elbowed him playfully. “Oh well, it was worth a try.”
They stood at the center of a dusty room that immediately brought to mind the attic of the old farmhouse but this place was far more interesting. It looked like a small studio apartment, minus the kitchen.
“Not to sound like an ingrate but what do you mean, that you aren’t entirely sure where we are?” He asked. “You were the one who brought us here. Are you telling me you didn’t know where you were taking us?”
“I had something specific in mind.” She shrugged. “What’s the big deal? We got out of there, didn’t we?”
To the far left of the room, there was a railing and what looked like an opening to a flight of stairs that led God knows where. On the opposite side sat a queen size bed adorned with bright, colorful pillows and a patchwork quilt. Years of dust and cobwebs loomed above the intricately carved headboard of the bed and there was a tiny nightstand with a pile of books.
To the right there was a sitting area, complete with a couch, armchair and coffee table. There were no windows and the ceiling was angled, giving the distinct impression of an attic. But when Kai saw what was behind Asmodeus, she let out a sound of awe.
“Look. It did work. “ Wide eyed, Kai tapped Asmodeus on the shoulder and pointed behind him as a smile cracked her face. “When I drank the transporter potion I said I wanted to be taken to my grandmother’s Book of Spells.”
Chapter Twelve
Asmodeus had never experienced real fear before finding Kai and it was not a feeling he wanted to become better acquainted with. His chest was tight with anxiety and tension settled in his back as he looked at the impossibly infuriating woman who, in only two short days, had managed to turn his entire universe on its ear.
He watched intently as Kai surveyed the space and his hands curled into fists at his side and fought the urge to touch her again. The warmth of her body was noticeably absent and he didn’t like it one damn bit.
His jaw set as he realized what a fucking mess he was in. Asmodeus was royally screwed because for the first time in his existence he cared more about someone other than himself. The weight of that realization was unsettling, off-putting, and more than a little aggravating. His existence was far simpler when he only had to worry about ushering the damned to Hell.
When Lucifer’s lightning cloud appeared, nothing mattered to Asmodeus other than making sure Kai was safe. Not his brothers. Not what they’d think of him for sheltering her. Nothing. All that mattered to Asmodeus was assuring Kai’s safety. In that moment, with lightning striking all around them, he knew he would do anything to protect her---even go to war with the Brotherhood.
Wrapped up in his own thoughts, he didn’t register what Kai had said until she brushed past him. He turned to find her standing in front of what looked like an altar. It was a table of polished mahogany wood, which had a scrolled design carved into the edges, and the surface was littered with similar objects to the ones Isadora had.
Bundles of herbs, feathers and bottles of various potions ran along the back edge from end to end. Taller than a regular table, it was more like the height of a bar and sitting at the center of it, perched on an easel, was an enormous, well-worn book with a familiar symbol on the cover. It was about four inches thick and had an iron lock, which seemed to be firmly set in place.
Asmodeus recognized the symbol immediately but it was not what he was expecting to see. He thought that Kai’s grandmother’s spell book would be the same as Isadora’s but it wasn’t. This book was embossed with the same exact symbol that was on the Ring of Solomon and tattooed on the back of every member of the Brotherhood.
However, there was one difference. Written in gold letters around the symbol were the words…Custodians of the Light.
Kai ran her fingers gently over the worn brown leather cover and brushed the lock with her fingertip. However, instead of picking the book up like he expected her to, Kai settled her hands on the surface of the table and rubbed absently at the film of dust. Asmodeus stilled but kept his sights on Kai because while he had many questions, he was certain that she had more.
“The symbols are the same,” Kai said quietly.
“Yes. The symbols on the ring and the spell book match.” Asmodeus wanted to touch her, to pull her into his arms and comfort her but he refrained because he didn’t think he could stop himself from taking it further. “Don’t you want to open it and see what’s inside? This is what we’ve been looking for. All of the answers are in there, Kai.”
“No.” Kai shook her head and looked up at him, her brown eyes edged with sadness. She titled her head, her blonde hair falling across her forehead, as she whispered, “Not all of them. Turn around.”
Asmodeus’ brow furrowed as Kai’s delicate hands settled on his arms urging him to turn and even though his gut instinct was to resist—he didn’t. His muscles stiffened as Kai stood behind him and slipped her hands beneath the edge of this shirt. He grit his teeth against the seductive feel of her fingertips as they skimmed up his ribcage, pushing the fabric up and exposing his back.
Knowing what she wanted to see, Asmodeus reached behind his head, tugged his shirt off and tossed it carelessly to the ground. Hands at his side, he fought the surge of desire that fired through him as her soft flesh brushed over his. He closed his eyes as Kai traced the design of his tattoo with her fingertips, the heat of her body wafting over him seductively. Asmodeus once again found himself wrestling for control.
He wanted Kai but not just for her body. Asmodeus wanted to possess her, touch her, and claim her in every way possible. The all-consuming need to devour her body and soul was scraping at him from the inside out and threatening his weakening resolve. There was no stopping it because he knew that even now, with the few gentle strokes of her fingers he was taking her light. He didn’t have to see it to know it was happening and quite frankly, he didn’t want to.
It would only remind him of the monster he truly was—A Dark One stealing the light of an innocent.
“Stop,” Asmodeus said, without turning around. “Kai…”
“Your tattoo,” she murmured. Kai inched closer, the fabric of her blouse brushed against his back. His eyes burned red as need and carnal lust
fired through him. “I thought it was similar but the one on the ring is so small, it was hard to tell….but it is. It’s the same symbol as what’s on the ring and on the book.”
“It makes sense, doesn’t it?” Asmodeus bit out. “The Custodians of the Light have the power to control the Brotherhood.”
“I suppose,” Kai whispered, her voice drifting over him seductively. He stilled when her hands fluttered up his arms and traced the interlocking circles of the tattoo. “This design, the one that leads up your arms to the larger one at the center of your back, it’s a chain. There are seven links. Do these represent the seven of you in the Brotherhood?”
Asmodeus nodded curtly but said nothing. Need fired through him and every inch of him hardened while Kai continued her exploration. No woman had ever inspected him this way, or taken an interest in him beyond the immediate pleasures of the flesh. It was intensely intimate and erotic to have Kai looking at him this closely, to surrender himself and allow her the freedom to discover all that he was.
She was examining the design emblazoned over his back but it was more than that. She was revealing him, exposing him, peeling back the layers of his responsibility. The woman was cracking open the shell that he had dwelled in since time began.
Asmodeus flinched, almost imperceptibly, as Kai’s delicate fingertips trailed around the larger circle between his shoulder blades, the one that matched the ring and the spell book.
“Is that all you believe that you are?” Kai asked quietly. “Just a link in the chain and bound to your duty. With no end and no beginning.”
“It is what it is, Kai.” Asmodeus turned slowly, her hands falling away from his back. “I am bound, for all eternity, to the Brotherhood, and the damned souls that dwell in the Underworld. It’s why I was created. That is my purpose and nothing more.” Without taking his gaze from hers he nodded toward the book. “Speaking of which, you should be getting back to yours.”
The expression on Kai’s face went from sweet and gentle to cold and detached in a split second. Her mouth set in a tight line and she stepped back, increasing the distance between them.
“Fine.” Kai spun toward around and picked up the spell book before slicing an annoyed glance his way. “You can put your shirt back on. I saw everything that I needed to see.”
“Agreed.” Asmodeus tilted his head in deference as she took the book over to the small sitting area. Avoiding his gaze, Kai sat on the couch and inspected the lock. He picked up his shirt and dragged it back on. “It looks like you’ll need a key.”
“I think I’ve already got it,” Kai said quietly as she squinted and inspected the circular indentation on the square lock face. “The ring is the key.”
Asmodeus moved closer and braced himself for whatever came next. For all he knew, the minute she opened that book he could be toast.
“Here goes nothing.” Kai glanced at him and then at the ring as she curled her right hand into a fist. “Maybe you should stand back or something?”
“Concerned for my safety?” He arched an eyebrow at her. “How touching.”
“Do you try to be a jerk or does it just come naturally?”
“Well, I am a demon, you know,” he said playfully.
“Whatever.” Kai tried to suppress a smile but the glimmer of one lingered. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She let out a slow breath and whispered, “Here we go.”
Kai held the thick binding of the book with her left hand and as her face twisted into a mask of concentration, making a fist, she pressed the ring into the lock and turned it to the right. The distinct sound of a lock opening echoed through the dark space, and a smile cracked Kai’s face as the square iron panel fell open.
“Holy shit,” Kai breathed. “It worked.”
With great care, Kai lifted the cover of the book and a crackling sound filled the room as the binding of the book groaned in protest. Asmodeus, fairly certain he wasn’t going to erupt into flames, moved closer as curiosity got the better of him.
“May I?” Asmodeus asked, gesturing toward the book.
“Sure.” Kai shrugged and dropped her hands into her lap. “Go ahead.”
Asmodeus sat next to Kai on the couch. He moved to pick up the book but as his fingers grazed the binding, the cover snapped shut and the lock clicked firmly back into place.
“Ha!” Kai sat up and pointed at him. “Looks like you’re not allowed to touch it.” She unlocked it again, flipped to the first page and held it open with both hands. “Let’s see what this dusty old book can tell us.”
“I would love nothing more than to find my existence is tied to you instead of the souls of the damned,” he murmured and at first didn’t realize that he’d said those words out loud. But as Kai’s smiling brown eyes latched onto his, it was clear he had. “Kai…what does it say?”
“Right,” Kai sighed looked back at the book. “But don’t go anywhere and leave me here alone, okay?”
“Never,” he whispered.
She nodded and turned her attention back to the book. He resisted the urge to brush her hair over her ear and slide his fingers along the nape of her neck. Keeping his hands to himself, Asmodeus realized that dwelling in the Underworld was a walk in the park compared to this torment.
“It’s hard to make out,” Kai said. “It’s so faded and the pages are so old, I’m afraid it might fall apart.”
She ran one finger over the first page and squinted as she leaned closer, trying to decipher what was written. He leaned in, wanting to feel the weight of her body against his, even if it was only for a moment.
Seven Custodians will complete the circle.
She who wears the ring holds the light for the dark.
“That’s weird.” She nibbled on her lower lip and inched closer to the book. “It says for the dark not from the dark.”
Keeping her voice even, she continued reading.
When the circles of seven are dark no more, the prophecy will be fulfilled and keepers of the damned will roam the earth.
Kai let out a sound of frustration.
“So, let me get this straight. I’m a Custodian of the Light, right? But it says she who wears the ring and my grandmother never wore the ring but she was a Custodian too, wasn’t she? But according to this prophecy, if you guys get light from the Custodians, then you’re free to walk earth. So would that mean there would be Hell on Earth?”
“It would seem so,” Asmodeus said quietly. “When you put on the ring, it must have set this prophecy in motion.”
“Awesome.” Kai let out a sharp laugh. “So I’m all that’s standing between Hell and Earth? Well, not just me. It says there are seven custodians but who knows where the other six are.” Her brow furrowed. “But wait a minute. Why is it a big deal for you to walk the Earth? You’re here now and you’ve been to Earth before.”
“Yes, but with limited abilities and for a finite amount of time and not all seven of us at once.” Asmodeus’ mind raced as he tried to calculate what all of it meant. “The Brotherhood has always been tied to Hell and to the souls of the damned. Our visits to Earth are brief and we must always return to the Underworld. I’ve never heard of any prophecy that would allow us to come here freely.
“What if you don’t return to the Underworld?” Kai looked at him with curiosity. “You said that you get three month passes here once every hundred years, so what if you stayed longer than that?”
“I would cease to exist.”
“So, what? You’d just vanish?”
“Yes.”
“That sucks. Then if all seven of you get filled up with light from the Custodians, then the Brotherhood could roam the Earth with no restrictions?” Kai asked. “Does that mean that the damned would come with you?”
“Possibly. But none of this happens without taking your light,” Asmodeus murmured. The fearful way she looked at him filled him a looming sense of dread. He looked at his arm as it brushed along hers and noted the faint glow that crept over his flesh. “Even now, I’
m taking your light from you.”
“I’m fine,” she insisted.
“But if I take it all, you won’t be.” His voice dropped to barely audible tones as the weight of the truth settled over them both. “If I take all of your light then you will die.”
Asmodeus went to stand up, to increase the distance between them, but Kai grabbed him and pulled him back down next to her.
“Just hang on a second. I feel fine so I must have a lot of light or whatever.” Kai slowly let go of his arm. “You’re not hurting me when you touch me and I think we established how much you weren’t hurting me when we were back in that bedchamber.” The smile faded from her eyes. “Well, not with your touch. Your words, however, they hurt like hell.”
“It is for the best.” He straightened his back and kept his voice cold. He didn’t miss the pained expression that flickered over her face as he abruptly changed the subject. “Let’s see what else it says, but be quick. We have less than six hours until that spell wears off and we can be detected again.”
Kai’s mouth set in a tight line and she nodded as she turned back to the book. He knew she was upset and hurt by his rejection, but he kept telling himself it was what had to be done. Careful not to allow his body to brush hers any further, he looked back at the book. Asmodeus’ attention was immediately captured by a list of names at the bottom. All seven members of the Brotherhood were listed and next to each of their names was a number.
Asmodeus was number one.
“There has to be a spell in here that can take off the ring so I can give it to you.” Kai said as she ran her finger down the page. “I mean…” She stopped abruptly and her finger halted at his name. “Asmodeus. Lucifer. Satan. Mammon…this is the Brotherhood. Wait. There are numbers next to the names. Maybe it’s like an index or something, or a chapter listing.”
A knot formed in Asmodeus’ stomach as Kai flipped to the next page and he saw his name emblazoned across the top in jagged lettering and beneath it was the Roman numeral one.
