They took the cab back to his car. Since they were still soaked, Lance was mindful enough to turn up the heat in the BMW. The warm air threatened to lull her to sleep, and she closed her eyes. Azrael must have drifted for a while because when she stirred again, they were nearly home.
“How was your nap?” Lance asked.
“I can’t believe I fell asleep. I’m sorry. Don’t know why I would feel so relaxed. You should try it sometime,” she said, hoping her comment would elicit an explanation about why he stopped.
He bit his lip. “You look like a woman who just woke from a long hibernation.”
“Considering it’s been nearly a year since I’ve had a roll in the hay, that’s pretty close to the truth,” she admitted, leaning her head against the headrest.
“A year? That’s all?” he asked, rolling his eyes.
“A year is a long time. I don’t imagine you would understand.”
He didn’t answer, but she saw his knuckles whiten as he gripped the steering wheel.
“Has it been longer than a year for you?” she asked, concerned by the sudden change in his attitude.
“It’s been a while,” he said, quietly.
A sudden thought occurred to her, but she hesitated to ask. Lance was staring out the window, jaws clenched. She let the silence stretch, hoping he would elaborate before her curiosity got the best of her. For once, he didn’t let her down.
“I haven’t touched another woman since she died.”
His words hung in the air like a death bag. Azrael didn’t know what to say. She knew she should say something, should console him, but words failed her. Still, she had to try.
“Lance, I—”
“Please don’t. Like I said, I don’t want your sympathy. Today shouldn’t have happened, but it did because I’m weak and selfish. I don’t want that to tarnish what we did, but it’s unfair to you to let you think otherwise. I’m not good for you, Azrael. Please keep that in mind.”
His mood shifted so fast that it left her speechless. Before she gained control of herself, they pulled up to the house. Lance parked and slammed the car door as he stepped out. She stared in confusion as he marched inside.
~*~
By the time she got in, Lance was nowhere to be seen. She set a much less stinky Smellicious down and hunted for Caleb. He was in the kitchen, baking.
“Hey there. Hope you’re hungry. Lance’s pantry is stocked like a five-star restaurant, so I went crazy making food. We’re going to have salad, baked potatoes, barbecue chicken, and lemon pie for dessert,” Caleb said, as he pulled a pan out of the oven.
“Where’s Lance?”
“I think he’s taking a shower upstairs.” Caleb turned and looked at her, his face falling. “What the hell happened?”
She shook her head, then teared up, biting her lip. There was no way she was going to cry over this. She was emotionally exhausted and confused, but there was a part of her that didn’t want to give into her emotions. “I don’t want to talk about it right now. I think I want to take a hot bath, and afterward, I’ll fill you in, I promise.”
Caleb strolled over to her and pulled her into his arms. “When you’re ready, I’ll be here.”
~*~
After her bath, Azrael felt much calmer. Once dried and clean, she stared at her reflection. Although she felt like a different woman, she didn’t look like one.
She took a deep breath. Today had taken its toll on her. Hell, Lance had taken his toll on her. Still, it wasn’t fair for her to judge him. He’d lost someone he’d loved, and she was the first woman he’d touched in a decade. Of course that would affect him. What she needed to do was to pull her ass together and be supportive.
You can do this, she thought, turning away from the mirror.
She stepped into the kitchen as Caleb was setting the last of the meal on the table. Lance was sitting at the table, pouring himself a large glass of scotch. Azrael mustered a smile on her face.
“Smells good, Caleb.”
Caleb gave her a smile, but she saw masked concern behind his eyes. She and Caleb made their plates, but Lance finished his glass, pouring himself another one before he made his. Azrael struggled not to question him.
He’s a grown man. If he needs to drown his sorrows, so be it.
She had to give Caleb credit. He did his best to keep an upbeat conversation while they ate, even when Lance poured himself a third glass. During the conversation, Lance merely picked at his food, staring out the window. A few times, she caught him staring at her as if she were the first woman he’d ever seen. It was a major change from the playful man at the beach.
Before they finished, Lance stood, catching himself on the table as he swayed. “I’m going on to bed. Thank you for the meal, Caleb.”
He walked away without another word. Caleb waited until he was out of sight before asking, “What the hell is wrong with him?”
“Me,” she said, staring in the direction he went. “I’m what’s wrong.”
~*~
Caleb sat beside her on the bed, his head leaned back against the headboard, eyes closed.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“About everything you’ve told me. What else am I supposed to be thinking about?” He opened his eyes and stared at her. “Remember how obsessed I was over Jonathan when I thought he was cheating on me? Right before his friends nearly killed me?”
“How could I forget?”
“That’s what this reminds me of, Az, and honestly, I’m a little scared. I’ve never seen you act like this. You’ve always been my rock. What I went through…I couldn’t have done it without you. I just don’t know if I can be that kind of rock for you.”
“I don’t need you to be me. I need you to be Caleb, my best friend who shrugs his shoulders when I do something stupid, the one who encourages me to take life by the balls. We balance each other out,” she said, reaching over to squeeze his hand.
Caleb swallowed. After a moment, he shook his head. “Okay then, what do you need me to do?”
“Give me some advice. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
Her best friend curled his fingers around hers, bringing both their hands to his lap. “First, do you think the witch’s prediction will come true? Do you think you are falling for him?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. My emotions are a complete mess.”
“All right, we’ll skip that then and move on to the sex part. It’s obvious he wants you, and you want him. It’s also obvious he’s severely conflicted because of the woman he used to love. If I was making a match online, I’d find someone who had a determined personality, someone who wouldn’t take no for an answer. But you’re not just someone online. You’re my best friend, and you’re in danger. If I encourage you and something happens….”
“You can’t control purpose, Caleb. If something is going to happen, it’ll happen regardless.”
“Then I say, go for it. You only live once. Go slip into his bed.”
Azrael grinned. “You want me to go to his bed, knowing he’s probably passed out drunk, and take advantage of him?”
“Take advantage of him? No, just give him the opportunity to take what he obviously wants. If nothing else, maybe I’ll get a night of peace without you snoring and stealing the covers.”
~*~
It was a little past ten when Azrael, clad only in a tank top and a pair of panties, tiptoed into Lance’s room. Soft lamplight glowed from the bedside, illuminating his chiseled face. He was lying on his side, one arm tucked under his head. Her heart beat frantically.
She looked at the door, then back to the bed. She could walk away, and no one would know better—well, except for Caleb—or she could quit being a big baby and get into that bed. Taking a deep breath, she stepped over to the bed and slipped under the covers. Lance stirred, his eyes opening as she scooted close to him.
“Azrael?” he asked with a slight slur. “Everything okay?”
“Yes. I was just lonely,” she whispered, running her hand over his bare chest.
That seemed to get his attention because he blinked several times, his eyes widening. She stared up at him from under her lashes, heart beating hard as she waited to see if he would throw her out of the bed or not. He ran his tongue across his lips. Azrael pushed the envelope. She pressed her mouth against his. At first, he didn’t respond, but when she nibbled his bottom lip, he let out a groan and thrust his tongue into her mouth.
He wrapped his arm around her, slipping his hands under her and kneading her buttocks. Lance forced his tongue deeper, filling her mouth. Her whole body vibrated with need. Azrael tugged her tank top off, throwing it to the floor, exposing her full breasts. Lance dipped down, his lips grazing her nipples. She tugged his head up, pressing her mouth back against his while she rolled him over and straddled him. The length of him pressed against her. Azrael reached between them and shoved his sweats down.
She hovered over him.
“Don’t,” he argued gruffly, his mouth still against hers.
“I need you inside of me,” she countered, tugging her panties to the side. “I want you so bad.”
“No,” he yelled, pushing her off him and standing up.
“What the hell?” she asked, falling against the headboard, her naked breasts bouncing.
Lance tugged at his pants, covering himself. “I can’t do this, Azrael. I’m sorry.”
She stared at him, eyes narrowing. “Can’t or won’t? Because it damn sure seems to me that you want to.”
He ran his hands through his hair, letting out a long breath. “I won’t do this. Please understand. It’s for your own good.”
“Screw you, Lance. Like you know what’s good for me? You come into my life and now I have a death threat over my head, and you expect me to just understand without explaining? If this is because you feel guilty sleeping with me because of her, I’d get it if you’d tell me that and quit acting so damn hot and cold.” She grabbed her tank top and pulled it on, balling her fists.
“It’s not that. Damn it, I’m just trying to protect you.” Lance shut his eyes and rubbed his temples.
Azrael’s gaze flickered down his exposed chest, following the hard lines running into his sweats. Even with how angry she was, she couldn’t deny her desire for him. Her eyes caught something right above the waistband of his sweats. She edged forward to see it better and gasped. A wave of fear ran through her. It was a tattoo—a figure-eight tattoo. Lance opened his eyes. He followed her gaze and quickly pulled his sweats up to cover it up.
It was like an icy hand reached in and crushed her heart. Azrael backed off the bed, her lips trembling.
“I can explain,” he said, reaching for her.
“You’re a konsumo demon,” she whispered, backing toward the door.
“I won’t hurt you, I promise. Please just sit down, and I can explain.” He came around the bed, approaching her, holding his hands out in front of his chest.
There was a noise from behind, and she turned in time to see Bumpkins and Smellicious smash into the back of her legs. She lost her balance but steadied when she saw Lance charge at her. Azrael turned and ran down the hallway, the pictures on the wall becoming a blur. She could hear his footsteps behind her.
Running into Caleb’s room, she slammed the door and locked it. Caleb sat up, dropping his book on the bed.
“What—?”
“Lance is a konsumo demon. We have to get out of here right now.” She ran to the window and tried to pull it up, but it was stuck.
“Dammit, Azrael, let me in. I’m not going to hurt you,” Lance yelled from the door.
“Come and help me,” she yelled to Caleb, who was still sitting there, eyes opened wide.
“We’re on the second floor, Az. What the hell do you want to do? Jump? I can’t go out there,” he said, shaking his head.
Azrael realized he was right. The banging at the door stopped, and she saw Lance’s shadow disappear from beneath.
“Look for a weapon, anything.” Azrael dug around the room, looking for something sharp. Caleb jumped off the bed and grabbed a vase from the desk. She found a hammer in one of the drawers. It would have to do.
“What happened, Az? Did he try to steal your powers?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head, her heart racing. “I saw his tattoo marking him. I freaked out and ran.”
Azrael’s phone buzzed on the nightstand, making both of them jump. Caleb reached over and picked it up.
“It’s Lance. He sent you a text,” he said, handing it to her, frowning.
With shaky hands, Azrael took the phone and opened the long message.
I’m sorry I lied to you about what I was, but I figured you’d react the way you just did. Please come out so we can sit down and talk about this. No more secrets. I promise to tell you everything.
She handed the phone to Caleb, who read the message and handed it back.
“So, what do you think?” she asked.
“I’ve never heard of a demon wanting to steal your powers or kill you texting an apology. Did he try to hurt you?”
“No, but he lunged at me when I tried to run.”
“You think it’s because he wanted to hurt you or was trying to stop you from running?”
Azrael bit her lip. “Honestly, I don’t know.”
“Why don’t you find out?” he asked, nodding to the phone.
With trembling hands, she texted him back.
How do I know I can trust you? You tried to grab me.
His response was almost instant.
I tried to keep you from falling over those damn animals.
“Well, what’s he saying?” Caleb asked, coming to stand over her shoulder.
“He says he wasn’t trying to grab me. He was just trying to keep me from falling over Smellicious and Bumpkins. They ran into the backs of my legs, and I lost my balance.”
Her phone buzzed with another text from Lance.
I haven’t hurt you this far, Azrael. If it helps persuade you, though, I want more than anything for you to summon Blais. At any point in time, I could have taken your powers and done it myself. Please meet me in the kitchen so we can talk about this.
“What do you think?” she whispered.
“I don’t think we have much of a choice. As it is, even if we leave or escape, Blais is after you. I trust Lance a hell of a lot more than I do him. I think we just have to take our chances.”
Azrael texted okay, allowing her finger to hover over the send button for a moment. Finally, she pressed it and nodded to Caleb. They headed down to the kitchen.