Desiring A Demon (Archangels) (10 page)

When he came up for air she pushed him away gently. “Go get some answers.”

“Yes ma’am.”

He kissed her again quickly before leaving the room.

The minutes passed slowly
,
and she imagined him in the sky heading to Cam’s house. One thing she hadn’t had the courage to do was ask him to take her flying. Maybe they could do that later, if whatever he learned wasn’t too horrible. For all she knew, he’d return with his brothers to lock her in a cage.

She rolled off the bed and wandered into the living room to watch TV, but a knock on the front door stopped her in her tracks. She wasn’t expecting anyone, and Rafe would’ve told her if one of his brothers was coming over. She walked to the door slowly as the sound of something scraping against the wood met her ears.

Then she heard muffled voices and a man said, “Okay, get back.”

She froze in indecision
.
A boom echoed through the house and the front door flew straight at her.

“Shit!”

She couldn’t move away fast enough
,
and the thick wood knocked her flat on her face. The air pushed out of her lungs
,
and she gasped as the broken door was pulled off her. She rolled onto her back to find three large human men with large muscled arms staring down at her. They all wore badass biker bargain basement gear, and mean scowls not quite hidden by their scraggly beards.

“Who…the fuck…are you?” She panted as she slowly regained the power to breathe.

“We’re your ride, honey,” one of them said before pulling his fist back.

She tried to pull away, but the other two grabbed her and held her as the lead man swung an unexpectedly quick fist. Stars filled her vision as pain raced through her jaw. A bag was jammed over her head and everything went black.

“You motherfuckers!”

…

Rafe was halfway to Cam’s house when his wards shrieked in alarm. The front door ward burst from a surge of power that hit him like a sledgehammer. He grabbed his head and nearly fell from the sky, but caught himself before clearing the cloud cover.

“Asta,” he gasped. “What the hell?”

Fear for her froze him, and then anger took over. It fueled the burst of sp
eed that took him home, where he found his front door lying inside the house and debris from an explosion littering the entryway. His human neighbors stood in the street
,
staring
.

“Heard a boom and called the cops,” one of them hollered as he walked back into his house.

Soon the sound of sirens filled the air.

Mike landed silently and unseen in his backyard, quickly followed by Cam, Sel
,
and Uri. Rafe walked through the house to meet them. No one spoke, probably because they sensed the emotions rolling through him. He had to get a handle on his anger before it took too deep a hold. Archangels were too strong and inherently good to be controlled by such a dark emotion, but it sometimes proved to be a battle. But without the anger he’d be paralyzed in fear. Neither would help Asta now.

He released a long, slow breath and faced his brothers. “Something blew up my front door to get to her and the police have been called. We need to deal with the humans first.”

“Let’s go inside,” Mike said.

They gathered in his living room and Rafe paced in front of the fireplace, much as Asta had when she first met his brothers. He remembered how nervous and afraid she’d been of all of them, even him. But that night
,
she’d let him hold her as she wept over the truth of her parentage. Her trust had seemed to grow since then. Slowly
,
sure, but grow all the same. And once they’d made love… Well, he couldn’t let her go without a fight
.

“I sensed your pain when the wards blew,” Mike said. “And I kept an eye to the ground on my way here but saw nothing out of the ordinary. We should probably assume she’s been taken through a portal.”

“Do you think Forge took her into hell?” Cam asked.

They all looked to Rafe for that answer. He crossed his arms and leaned against the mantle as he faced Mike’s questioning gaze. “That would be my best guess, though I don’t know why or what he wants from her. But she’s…changing. I think her demon side is trying to take over.”

“The hell you say,” Cam said.

“Explain,” Mike added
.

“She told you about her headaches, but not about the
episodes
. Today there was a really bad one. It seemed to come out of nowhere and caused her a lot of pain. Her skin heated up to where I could barely touch her. Smoke poured from her mouth and the scent of sulfur surrounded her.” He ran his hands over his face at the memory of her pain. “Her nails blackened and formed small pointed claws. But most important, the crimson birthmark on her shoulder has spread to cover almost her entire body.”

Complete silence met his announcement. Then Uri cleared his throat. “So, you’re saying she’s…red? Like her skin is completely red?”

“Yeah. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“Well that won’t attract attention,” Sel muttered.

“Her face and hands aren’t affected yet,” Rafe replied. “But it’s probably only a matter of time.”

“Jesus, is she going to grow horns
,
too?” Cam asked.

Rafe scowled. “I don’t know
,
but I pray she doesn’t.”

“And you didn’t mention this before because…”

Rafe faced Mike and held his disapproving gaze. “I sensed no evil from her. Despite her outward appearance, I don’t think she’s giving in to the demonic tendencies.”

“Unfortunately
,
your opinion is biased where she’s concerned.” He stood and looked at the others. “We need to find her and bring her back so we can figure out what’s happening to her.” He looked at Rafe. “Where were you when she left?”

“Heading to Cam’s to research her condition.”

Mike nodded as if that’s what he had expected. It probably was, as he always seemed to be one step ahead of his brothers. “Good. After you’re done with the police
,
go to Cam’s and do your research while we look for her.”

“Mike—”

He silenced Rafe with a look. “Your first mistake was getting close to a demon, even if only half. Your second mistake was allowing her changes to go unmentioned. I’m not going to let you make another mistake by finding her and not allowing us to figure out what’s going on. You won’t be searching for her this time.”

The others remained silent. Mike’s word was law
,
but this was Asta, and he didn’t think he could leave her to her fate while he searched through dusty books.

“Cam would be better at the research since he knows his library best.”

It was a weak argument
,
and the look on Mike’s face told of his growing anger.

Sel stepped between them and put his hand on Rafe’s shoulder. “You’ll be with us every step of the way and will know the moment we find her.”

Uri stepped forward and rested his hand on Rafe’s other shoulder. “We won’t hurt her, brother. We’re just as concerned for her safety as you are.”

That was debatable
,
but his brothers were doing what they could to reassure him. He was a heartbeat away from going against Mike’s demand
,
and they all knew it.

Cam stepped forward
,
too
,
and blocked Rafe’s view of Mike. “It’s best if you deal with the police since this is your house. Let us handle the rest for now.”

The concern in all their voices broke through his anxiety and Rafe nodded his agreement. “Fine. Thank you.”

They relaxed and stepped away.

Rafe watched them head out the back door as a car pulled up to the curb
.
He rubbed his hands over his face and looked at the mess in his front foyer. Forge was obviously willing to do whatever he needed to get to Asta, but why? And why had he let her go the first time he’d had her? None of it made sense, but demon activities often didn’t. Every one of them was self-serving, so whatever Forge’s motivation was it couldn’t be good.

After he finished talking to the police, he did his best to block the entrance to his house. Then he flew to Huntsville to search through Cam’s books and scrolls, praying the whole way he’d find something useful.

What he found, after three hours of searching, filled him with dread and anger. Asta was in very real danger of becoming a full-fledged demon, and her powers could very well surpass her father’s. He had to find her before she fully turned and gave in to a demon’s natural hunger for blood and violence. Guilt ate at him as he reread the barely legible passage in an ancient tome smuggled out of the Vatican’s vaults over a century ago. The gist of the Latin phrases told of a species of inhuman beings born of demon and human couplings.

The babies were always marked by a vivid blood-red mark somewhere on their bodies that remained the same until adulthood. Once it began to change
,
so did the bearer of the mark. The pain and inexplicable episodes drove most insane. But those that didn’t turned into monsters who feasted on flesh and blood. More than one had run rampant through their village and killed before they were stopped. They were beheaded and burned, the ashes scattered to prevent resurrection. Often the family was also put to death out of fear that they
,
too
,
would turn demonic.

The writing was part superstition and part fiction, but the coincidences were too close to ignore. Asta was one of the strongest women he’d ever met, but would she be able to fight demonic tendencies? He wasn’t so sure of that, or if he could even help her. But he’d try everything within his power to stop her from becoming a full-fledged demon.

He carefully rolled up the scroll and slid it into its protective case. Showing it to Mike might not help his opinion of Asta
,
but Rafe couldn’t keep something so important from his brothers again. He was cleaning up the mess when suddenly a debilitating pain hit him. He doubled over and gasped for breath as his vision blurred. This was worse than his broken wards. Worse than anything in his vast experience. He gritted his teeth as he tried to remain upright, but lost that battle and gave into unconsciousness.

Chapter Nine

Asta struggled in Forge’s grip but he just laughed at her. They trudged through a long, dark hallway in an abandoned motel somewhere along the highway. She’d gotten a glimpse of the boarded-up windows outside before being dragged into the condemned building.

“Let me go, asshole,” she said through gritted teeth.

Forge’s grip on her arm tightened. “Patience, patience. Someone I know wants to see you.”

The human men who’d kidnapped her followed behind them and laughed at her
,
too.

“Who wants to see me? He could’ve stopped by the house without all this drama.”

Forge chuckled. “Not exactly. We have to set up the right meeting place, spill the right amount of blood, yada, yada, yada. You’ll soon see what I mean.”

And she did. No matter how hard she tried to unsee the dead animals ringing a room that had once been a large boardroom. She tried to ignore the stench of blood as the copper scent burned her nostrils. She tried to pretend there wasn’t a portal to hell marked out on the faded carpet, but Forge dragged her to stand right by it. Fear gripped her but she fought to keep him from seeing any concern on her face. Sarcasm had always been her weapon of choice, so she turned to it now.

“You know, I’m on a vegan diet—”

“Shut up already,” Forge said. Then he threw her to the ground.

She landed hard but stifled her yelp of pain. He remained too close for her to escape
,
so she sat and watched. It didn’t take long, and in the end seemed way too easy for her liking. Soon Forge had a raging fire going in the center of the summoning circle
,
and her father stood in its midst.

With a gasp she reared back, her pulse beating a hundred miles a minute. Cold sweat broke out all over her body
,
and she tried to suppress her shivers so he wouldn’t see how he affected her.

“Ahh, you have succeeded,” Armoros hissed.

“I told you not to doubt me,” Forge said, arrogance dripping off every word.

Asta had a moment of hope that her father would kill him right then and there, but the demon merely shrugged. “Perhaps.”

Armoros turned the full force of his gaze on her
,
and she cringed. She would have scooted back farther but Forge’s boots blocked her way.

“My child, you have been ignoring me.”

She lifted her chin. “I didn’t realize you’d called. Maybe you have the wrong number.”

“Are you enjoying my gifts? Soon you’ll finally look like you should, like me.”

“No. I never want to be that fucking ugly.”

Both Forge and the demon laughed.

“Ugly perhaps,” Armoros said, “but with the taint comes power. You’ll learn to control it soon enough, or it will control you. In the meantime, my servant will keep you safe from those righteous
angels
.”

“I don’t need to be kept from them.”

He frowned and a tremor of fear shot through her.

“You will stay with Forge.” He looked at the man in question. “Soon.”

Then he was gone. The fire winked out as if it had never been, leaving only the foul scent of brimstone behind.

Forge dug his large hand into the back of her hair and yanked her to her feet. She gripped his fist in both hands but remained silent as he dragged her to a room and threw her on the bed. Adrenaline surged and she readied to fight him off, but he simply walked out of the room and locked it behind him.

“Damn.”

She yanked on the door
,
but it wouldn’t budge. Forge’s evil chuckle sounded clearly through the wood.

“Just take a nap or something, sweetheart. You’re going to be cooling your heels here for a while.”

“Fuck you. Let me out.”

“Now is that any way to talk to your host? Daddy wants me to keep an eye on you
,
but I have preparations to make so you can be presented to him in style. Be a good girl and sit tight. Don’t worry, I won’t leave you alone too long.”

He chuckled again and the sound of his footfalls echoed down the corridor.

She searched for a way out, but there was no window
,
and the vent was screwed on too tight. After trying to escape for well over an hour, she lay down and fell asleep.

A flurry of indecipherable images moved at a blinding pace, faster and faster through Asta’s mind. She tried to make sense of them but it was like speeding through a tunnel of photos at warp speed. The pain in her head intensified and her limbs grew heavy. Finally she seemed to hit the end of the tunnel and float into complete darkness.

…

When consciousness returned she was still alone in the hotel room
.
She rolled onto her back and stared at the cracked ceiling
.
Slowly, she sat up, cringing at the pain still shooting through her head. Warmth on her face had her wiping her hand over her lips. Her nose was bleeding, and she found her ears had bled at some point
,
too.

“Ugh.”

She went into the bathroom and cleaned up the blood as best she could without towels or even toilet paper. Then she sat on the bed and closed her eyes
,
trying to focus. Images played through her mind at a much slower pace than before. She tried to make sense of what she was seeing.

Forge had filled her mind with scenes from his life. Every milestone he’d hit as a human
,
that had caused his demon side to emerge
,
had been planted in her memory. Her stomach churned at the scenes of violence and hate she’d witnessed. He was more monster than anything else. The man, or whatever he was, had no conscience. She shook her head at the thought and gingerly got to her feet.

Pins and needles shot through her legs as she tried to stomp the blood back through them. She stretched and was trying to decide what to do next when someone crashed through the door. She threw her arms over her head and dropped to the floor in a crouch
.

“Asta?”

When she lowered her arms to look, she found Mike looking her over warily. A glance around showed Cam, Uri
,
and Sel standing in the hallway, but Rafe was absent.

“Astaroth, what the fuck is going on?” Mike growled.

Her speeding pulse seemed to freeze. “Forge kidnapped me. Where’s Rafe?”

Mike didn’t say another word, just waved a hand at her
,
and Cam stepped forward to grab her arms. She went along willingly as they strode out of the hotel
.
There wasn’t a hint of anyone else as they made their way out the front door to the empty parking lot. As one
,
the angels leaped into the air, Cam holding her in front of him. Her stomach hit her feet as the ground dropped farther and farther away. She shut her eyes at the sight. The very real fear that Cam might simply let go of her permeated her thoughts.
Where is Rafe?

They landed in Mike’s backyard
,
and Cam led her inside. She all but ran to keep up, but he didn’t seem to notice. The looks on their faces told her she’d be lucky to get out of this alive. Did they think she’d met with Forge on purpose? Was that what this was all about? She looked down at herself and realized she’d left her jacket behind. Her blood-red arms were fully visible, as were her small black claws.

She sorted through Forge’s memories on how he learned to camouflage his true nature. But before she could make sense of what she saw
,
they reached the living room
,
and Cam pushed her onto the sofa.

“What the hell?” she asked in annoyance
.
“Where’s Rafe?”

The brothers stood shoulder to shoulder facing her. A frightening united front of angelic power and pure male muscle. They were shirtless from flying. Anger emanated from them.

“What’s going on? What do you think I did?” she asked Mike
.

“We don’t know what you’ve done. But Rafe won’t wake up and you were missing. Then we find you looking like this.” He waved a hand up and down to indicate her physical changes. He looked away from her as if he could barely control his anger, clenching his hands into fists over and over.

One thing kept playing through her mind. “Rafe? He’s…hurt?”

Mike growled again and spoke through clenched teeth. “He’s unconscious
,
and we can’t reach him. Do you know anything about that?”

She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times as her thoughts churned. Tears burned her eyes and she didn’t bother fighting them. Confusion and fear warred with the urge to jump up and run through the house searching for Rafe. She didn’t know what to say. For all she knew
,
she had caused whatever had happened to him
.
Her stomach cramped at the possibilities. She gasped and doubled over in remembered pain.

“Oh fuck.”

“What is it?” Uri asked.

“She’s faking it,” Sel said.

“What the fuck, Asta?” Cam asked.

She sat back up with tears streaming down her face and looked at Mike. “I don’t know what happened. Forge had some men kidnap me
,
and then he opened a portal to talk to Armoros. But I had nothing to do with that. I swear it. Where’s Rafe? Let me see him…please.”

Confused looks covered all their faces and Mike scowled. “No. Not while we don’t know what the hell is going on. Why would Forge want to talk to Armoros?”

“I don’t know
.
Armoros said something about his gifts to me, about my changes
,
and me staying with Forge…his servant.”

Mike grabbed her by the arms and lifted her from the sofa, holding her at eye level at least a foot off the ground. “Did either of them say anything at all about Rafe? About any of us?”

“Just…just that you were righteous and Forge would protect me from you.”

He glared and shook her lightly as if he simply couldn’t help himself. “Forge would protect you from us?”

She nodded as her body trembled.

“Why would you need protection from us, Asta?”

“I don’t know. I don’t. That’s what the demon said.”

He spun away from her and she dropped onto the sofa in a miserable heap. What was going on? She desperately wanted to see Rafe.

It took a moment for her to realize the angels were arguing.

“How do we know she’s even telling the truth when we can’t read her thoughts?”

“She has no reason to hurt Rafe, or any of us.”

“If she’d wanted to hurt him she could’ve done a lot worse by now. His guard is completely down with her.”

“I still don’t understand why you haven’t killed her yet.”

That last was from Nathaniel
,
and it silenced all other voices as everyone stared at him.

“What?” he asked. “She may be only half demon but she was spawned from one of the worst we’ve ever battled. And now she’s starting to look more demon than human. So, tell me again why she lives?”

To her shock
,
Mike stepped forward. “Because she has never given us reason to doubt her. My brother trusted her implicitly, in his home, in his bed. That’s more than enough reason for me.”

Then he turned to face her. “Asta, do you know how to let us into your thoughts?”

“Rafe was trying to teach me, but it never worked.”

“That’s what I was afraid of. I need you to relax and try to keep your mind open. Just close your eyes and think of the vast ocean.”

She did as he said, blocking out her fears and concerns, thinking of nothing but the ocean until she could actually hear the waves hitting the shore. An odd sensation drifted into her head. Not exactly pain, but it wasn’t pleasant. She grimaced as she fought to remain calm and relaxed.

“Shit.”

Her eyes flew open as Cam cursed and grabbed his head. All of the angels were staring at her with varied expressions of anger on their faces.

“What? What did you see?”

Mike blew out a breath. “He hypnotized you. That bastard Forge somehow used you to get into Rafe’s head. The two of you are bonded like he’s already your
fallen
.
”

“Those pains you’ve been feeling
.
Zerach told me Rafe had a headache the other day,” Sel said. “We don’t get headaches.”

Mike nodded. “That’s why Forge let you go so easily the first time. Why he left you for us to find in Galveston. He knew he could get to one of us through you.”

“Oh, God.” Pain shot through her head at the G word as usual, but she ignored it. She looked at Mike. “Where’s Rafe? Please, please, let me see him. Please.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea
.
For all we know Forge still has some kind of influence over you. It’s probably best if you stay away from him for now.”

The conviction in his voice had her sobbing in pain and fear. What had she done? Nothing was worth Rafe being hurt.

The angels moved away from her and began speaking furiously to each other in lowered voices. She didn’t recognize the language and tuned it out. What should she do now? It was doubtful they’d let her out of their sight, but maybe she should be as far away from Rafe as she could get. Was it too late? Why hadn’t Rafe told her about their bond? Had he known?

More questions assailed her but there were no ready answers. She knew better than to try asking the angels while they were still arguing. She was lucky they hadn’t decided to kill her…yet. Right now, however, only Rafe mattered and she didn’t give a damn what happened to her in the process of making him better.

The front door opening brought her head up but none of the angels seemed to notice. Zerach entered the room. He made a beeline for her and crouched down to her eye level. “Where’s Forge?”

“I don’t know.”

He grabbed her by the shoulders until she was looking him in the eyes. “Think, Asta. Where could he be?”

“I’d take you right to him if I could. He knocked me unconscious again and disappeared. I don’t know where he is.”

“How did you find him the first time?”

“I asked around. I used my senses. I—”

She closed her eyes and tried to search for the evil and hate that marked Forge’s essence. A pull tugged at her gut
,
and she knocked Zerach’s hand away as she stood. She opened her eyes to find him standing also and watching her closely. She pointed toward the back wall. “That way. But I don’t know how far.”