by Lisa Olsen
It was Remiel’s turn to shrug. “I offered them a fair price. You know how it is. A man can’t go givin’ away freebies, people will think he’s soft, take advantage of him. Besides, it didn’t do you no harm, you look fit as a fiddle.”
“Twenty G’s is a fair price? You know Sam can’t get his hands on that kind of cash without me around,” Adam scoffed, further cementing my belief that he definitely had the money to spare.
“I offered to take it out in trade, but your girl wasn’t interested.”
“Damn right I wasn’t,” I muttered, expecting Adam to take issue to the offer, but he seemed amused over it.
“What can I say, I ruined her for all other men,” he smirked. “Of course, I expect a discounted price when you give it to me.”
“Discounts, is it? Well then, let’s get down to it,” Remiel rubbed his hands together, his eyes alight with avarice. “You know my previously stated price, what are you offerin’?”
“I’ll give you five thousand, cash up front.”
“I’ll take an hour with your girl instead.”
“No deal!” I interjected, not sure if I should be insulted or complimented by his counteroffer.
“She’s not part of this negotiation, brother. I’ll raise my offer to seven, and that’s being more than generous.”
“Everything’s up for negotiation,” Remiel grinned. “How about two G’s, and you and I share her for a couple of hours? That way everybody wins.”
“Eewh, except for me,” I recoiled, ready to let Adam have it if he so much as looked like he was considering it. Luckily for his sake, he didn’t bat an eye and ponied up more cash.
“Ten thousand and that’s my final offer.”
“Cash up front?”
“Five now and five after we return,” Adam countered.
“No dice. You never make it back and I’m out five large. What you in such a lather to get back into Midian for anyways? You just got out.”
“We’re going to bind Azazael.” Adam’s eyes glittered with glee.
“Damn, you’re buckin’ for Azazael?” His brows shot up a notch. “How’d you get your hands on him?”
“He’s trapped inside a friend’s body. We’re trying to keep him from coming after me. You know, to be reborn?” He stared at me blankly, without a clue as to what I was talking about. “You really aren’t up on current events, are you?” Everybody else in the angelic community seemed to know far too much about my business, it was weird to come across someone who had such little care for the supernatural world around him.
“And the skirts got no problem with you bindin’ their boy?” he asked, his voice rife with skepticism.
“Like I give a damn what Nathanael and his goons want,” Adam muttered. “Are you gonna help us or not?”
“It’s not as simple as all that. It’s not just tellin’ ya where the portal is. If it was that easy I’d send you on your way and wish you well.”
“So what is it then? If it’s not a where?” I frowned, not sure I followed him.
“We got some witches to magic us up a portal so we could see each other whenever we wanted. It ain’t tied to a place, it’s tied to an object.” Remiel poured himself another drink, staring into its amber depths before he continued. “Lysha’s ring.”
Lysha, who was now dead. Were we spending all that time on a wild goose chase? “And you still have that ring?”
“I got it,” he gave a slow nod. “It’s all I got left of her, you expect me to give that up for nothing?”
“Ten thousand is hardly nothing,” Adam scoffed, and I shot him a look, feeling like the only reason Remiel kept asking for such outrageous prices for the ring was because he didn’t want to part with it at all.
“I’ll bring it back to you, I promise,” I met his gaze squarely.
“And what if you don’t make it back, like she didn’t? What then, huh, kitten? What good’s a promise when you ain’t alive to see it through?” I saw the pain behind his eyes, shining bright behind the swagger and bravado.
“Because I’m here to make sure she does,” Adam replied gravely. “I’ll have the ten for you as soon as the banks open.”
Remiel reached into his shirt, grabbing hold of a chain around his neck and tugging until it snapped, the woman’s ring dangling from it swinging wildly as he thrust it into my hands. “Take it and go. You can owe me one.”
“You already owe me a fortune, I’ll just scratch off one of yours,” Adam grinned.
“No. She,” Remiel nodded to me, “your girl can owe me one for this. I ain’t doin’ it for you, Adamiel.”
“I’d rather pay you the ten grand,” Adam frowned.
“It’s fine, Adam. I’ll bring the ring back to you, I promise. And I’ll owe you a favor, of a non-sexual nature to be redeemed sometime in the future. Deal?” I offered him a faint smile.
“You drive a hard bargain.” Remy offered his hand and I took it, more affected than I wanted to be by his dazzling smile. “Damn girl, but you do shine. You ever consider throwing over that skirt chaser and looking for a real man, you give me a holler, y’hear?
“I will strongly consider that,” I nodded, suppressing another smile. You had to give a guy points for trying. Adam cleared his throat, and I snatched my hand away guiltily, looking down at the ring. It was delicately cast in silver with a light green stone set into a hinged lid, like an old fashioned poison ring. “So, how do we make this thing work? Is there an incantation or something?”
“Naw, it’s simpler than that. For the ring to work, you gotta stand under the light of the moon, and ask the Goddess Hecate to open the portal for you.”
“Hecate’s mixed up in this?” Adam’s brow furrowed. “I guess that makes sense.”
“Goddess? So… you’re saying there’s more than one God then?” My mouth fell open in surprise, but Adam shook his head.
“That’s a can of worms best left unopened.”
“Oh, and you need a drop of virgin’s blood in this here doohickey,” Remiel took the ring from my hands and popped open the chamber, revealing a tiny recess under the stone. “I’m guessing that don’t apply to you, does it, gorgeous?”
Still reeling over the idea that there were other pantheons of deities out there at our beck and call, I was slow to react to Remiel’s question. “Um, not exactly. Why virgin’s blood?”
“Magic don’t come without a cost, sweetheart. You want it or not?” he held the ring up as if to slip it onto my finger.
Darting a quick look to Adam, I raised my hand, letting him slide it on as though we were engaged. Maybe it was my imagination, but I felt a tingle of power from the ring, or maybe it was just the cool metal. Either way, it made me a little nervous, but I covered it with a smile. “Thank you. Where will the portal open up, on the Midian side, I mean?”
“In the lower decks by the slave pens.”
I looked to Adam and he gave a slow nod, apparently he knew where that was. “And when we come back?”
“You can leave from anywhere, and it’ll take you to the same place you went in.”
“Alright then, I think we’re good,” I nodded, my mind already racing ahead to try and figure out how quickly we could arrange to leave for Midian.
“You ain’t got to rush off right away, do you?” Remiel side stepped to block the doorway. “We’re almost out of moonlight and you can’t go on to Midian yet. Stay a spell and have a drink. We can catch up on old times,” he sent an appealing grin to Adam.
I was all set to beg off, when I caught sight of Adam’s face, giving me a pleading, pouty look. “Why don’t you boys stay and catch up? I’ll take the car and head back, it’s been a long day.”
For a long moment I thought Adam would agree, but instead he finished his drink and wrapped an arm around me. “No, I’d better get you home. It was good seeing you again, Remy. We’ll catch up when this business is over,” he promised.
“Yeah, alright,” Remiel sighed, running his hands through his hair. �
��You’d better keep a tight hold on your girl. Raum sees her, you’re gonna have a fight on your hands to keep her.”
“Been there, done that, got the t-shirt,” Adam smirked as they shook hands. “Take care, man.”
“Always do, brother. Always do.”
Chapter Thirteen
I fell asleep again on the way home, only vaguely waking when Adam picked me up to carry me up to my apartment. I probably could have walked, but feeling him sweep me off my feet… who wouldn’t love that? Instead I wrapped my arms around his neck, eyes closed against the early morning light as he climbed the stairs to my floor, breathing in the scent of him that always made me smile. Adam didn’t stop until he hit the bedroom, laying me down gently, and slowly taking off my shoes. I let him undress me like a five year old, more than a little amused by the thoughtful look on his face.
“I can take care of myself you know.”
“I don’t mind taking care of you. In fact, I kind of like it. As long as you reciprocate of course,” he grinned.
I could definitely get used to that… “Where are we gonna get virgin’s blood?” I remembered suddenly. Not that virgins are all that scarce, but I personally didn’t know any, and it seemed like an awkward way to begin a conversation with a total stranger.
“I can get it.”
“Where?” His keeping me in the dark over the details was starting to really bother me. With our track record, he wasn’t likely to always be around, no matter what he promised. What if I needed to find my own source of virgin blood for the future?
“Don’t worry…”
“Don’t you dare tell me not to worry my pretty little head about it,” I cut him off, rising up on my elbows. “Damn it, Adam, you can’t treat me like I’m a child. I’m in this up to my eyeballs.”
“I’m sorry, you’re just so cute when you get mad,” he grinned. I closed my eyes and counted to ten before I exploded and showed him exactly what it looked like when I got really mad. I swear to God, I was so close to losing it… “I’d rather not have you deal with all the sordid details. I’ll get it. That’s all that matters.”
It wasn’t all that mattered, but I could see I was getting nowhere and I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of watching me fume over it. “How long will it take for you to get it?”
“Not long, a couple of hours. I’ll pick it up today when I’m out running errands. I can be ready to go by tonight.”
His not needing to sleep came in handy and I admit I was a little jealous of that ability. You’d think with three kinds of Grace running around inside of me I’d have inherited that ability to go farther on less sleep, but if anything I’d been more tired lately. Still, I’d slept some in the car, and with a couple of hours I’d be ready to go. “Alright, I’ll take a little nap and then go see Daphne later; I should really talk to her about Sam in person. But I’ll be ready by tonight too.”
“Wait, what do you mean you’ll be ready? You’re not going.”
“Yes, I am.”
“Uh, no… you’re not.”
Was he messing with me to watch me blow my stack again? Or did he really not intend to bring me along? Either way didn’t make me very happy and I decided to reacquaint him with a few facts, sitting up on the edge of the bed. “I’m the one who has the ring, so I think I’ll be the one opening the portal.”
“I’d rather cut the ring off with your finger still in it than let you come with me.”
“I’d like to see you try,” my eyes narrowed dangerously. Was Adam actually trying to threaten me?
“Fine, screw the ring, I’ll go through the main gate,” Adam tugged his jacket back on again after removing it two minutes ago.
“Then enjoy your chat with Naberios, because I’m taking the portal. With or without you.” The hand with the ring on it clenched into a fist, throbbing dully where the metal cut into my skin. He wanted to be stubborn? Oh, I could show him stubborn.
Adam leaned close, his face inches away from mine. “Get it through your head, I’m not taking you back into Midian.” Refusing to be cowed, I pushed back at his shoulder, forcing some space between us.
“Get it through your head, I’m not asking you to take me anywhere. I’m leading this operation, because I’m the one who has the most at risk here, and I need to make sure Ben gets out in one piece if something goes wrong.” His feelings towards Ben were murky at best, he made no secret of the fact that he didn’t like him.
“If you think I’m going to let you set foot back on Raum’s territory, you’ve got a screw loose,” he pushed back. “After everything I’ve done to protect you…”
“I don’t need your protection, Adam. I can take care of myself.” He started to laugh, and I just lost it. Shoving him backwards, I pushed him against the wall. Hard. “You think this is funny?” I yelled when he giggled all that much harder at the show of force.
“Actually, I kinda do. It’s cute how you think you can run with the big boys.”
I wanted to break every bone in his body. Instead, my voice dropped, shaking with the effort to control my temper. “I’m deadly serious about this. One way or another, I’m going to Midian to get Ben out. I’m not the delicate flower you think I am.” Hadn’t he been listening to me about my tangles with Azazael and demons? I had lived to tell the tale.
“Show me.”
“What?” I blinked.
“Hit me. Go on, take your best shot.”
That was too much, he actually gave me permission to hit him? Without stopping to think about it, my arm cocked back, but instead of going for his smug jaw, my hand came out aimed at his solar plexus. Palm up, I delivered a burst of Grace with the blow, sending him crashing against the wall again, hard enough to crack the drywall.
That time, instead of laughing, his head came up with a groan, brows drawn together in a wince of pain. “Again.”
Without hesitation, I followed up with a knee to the stomach, (lucky for him I wasn’t feeling too vindictive, or I would have aimed lower). Grabbing a hold of his head by the hair, I slammed him against the wall again, the bottles on my dresser rattling and falling over as we smacked into it.
Adam countered with a knee between my legs, using the momentum to flip me around so that he pressed me up against the wall. Before I could react, he slanted his mouth over mine in a passionate kiss, but I wasn’t in the mood. Wrenching my lips from his, I hit him with my Grace again, in the head that time, pressing my advantage when he stumbled backwards to tumble him onto his back on the bed.
“I win,” I breathed triumphantly, straddling his waist to hold him down by the shoulders.
“Is that what you think?” With a playful flash of the eyes, he rolled me onto my back, pinning me to the bed with his body. “I have to say, you’re kinda hot like this.”
“And you’re kind of a jerk,” I squirmed under his grasp. I was strong, much stronger than I’d realized, but he was stronger.
“Aw, I just want to keep you safe, baby. Is that so wrong?”
Calling forth my sword, I held it to his neck. “I still win,” I smiled. We both knew he’d never retaliate with his sword, just like I’d never really use mine to hurt him.
“Fine,” Adam sighed, “you win this round.” His hand let go of my shoulder to brush the hair away from the corner of my mouth. “Go ahead and cut me if you want to, but I’m still gonna kiss you.”
“You think so?” I raised my brows at him playfully, the anger gone as quickly as it had come on, now that he’d capitulated. Opening my hand, the sword winked out of existence, and I took advantage of the distraction to leverage myself back on top. “If there’s any kissing to be done, I’ll be the one doing it.”
“Whatever you say, boss,” Adam grinned, his hands coming to rest on my hips.
“I kinda like the sound of that.”
“Don’t get too used to it. I’m all for playtime, but let’s keep things in perspective.”
God help me, but I still loved him, obnoxious behavior and al
l. “Shut up and kiss me before I have to hit you again,” I growled, covering his lips with mine.
*
It was much later in the day when I woke up again. Adam was gone, off on his errands I supposed, and it was nice to have the place to myself. Well, myself and Mimsy, who had curled up on the inside of my leg under the covers. I assumed Nelo napped in the hall closet. Briefly, I thought about waking him up to let him know we’d be going back to Midian that night, but in the end I decided it was better to let him rest up.
As I puttered around the apartment, I started to wonder what it would be like to move out. I’d lived there for a few years, long enough for it to feel more like home than any of the cramped apartments I’d grown up in. I had no doubt Adam’s place was nice, wherever it was, but did I really want to completely uproot myself just yet?
I couldn’t help but think that maybe it would be better to take things a little slower. Take that date Adam offered, see how we got along day to day first. If that morning was any indication, things could get volatile between us pretty quickly.
My temper is legendary among my circle of friends, but it had never exploded into out and out violence as it had earlier. I’d never wanted to actually smash anyone’s face in before, especially not someone I claimed to love. Was I slipping more and more out of control with each bout of Grace I absorbed?
A tiny part of me doubted whether or not Adam really accepted I could hold my own against a demon, but I felt confident I’d made my point. I didn’t worry about him sneaking off to get into Midian without me. Not too much anyway.
*hungry?* I sent a text to Daphne, thinking I might bring over some lunch.
starved. tacos or deli?
I mulled that over. Knowing what I was headed into that night, I decided to steer clear of tacos and hit the deli instead. I’ll get Kovacs, see you in twenty
Kovacs was this cute little deli about halfway between my place and Daphne’s that featured great peppered meats. Peppered turkey, peppered salami, peppered pastrami… if there was a spicy rendition of meat or cheese, they had it on a regular basis. It was also more expensive, but I was in the mood to splurge. I was either moving in with Adam and wouldn’t have to pay rent soon, or I’d be stuck in a demon realm. Either way, my bank account should be able to withstand a sizeable hit.
