Demon's Kiss by Devereaux, J. (best sci fi novels of all time .TXT) 📗

have assured him we’re in compliance?”

Templeton’s glance was a warning to Kenyon.

The man’s eyes darted around but he licked his lips andnodded. “Yes, Mr. Templeton. Of course.”

It was clear that he was lying, maintaining the fiction thatTempleton demanded.

“Hmmmm,” Templeton said, eyeing the stranger with distaste.“I’ll take care of this, Mr. Kenyon.”

He waved Kenyon off but his eyes were on the man inspectingthe site.

A cold chill ran over Asmodeus, his veins seemed to fillwith ice water as a sense of foreboding went through him. He knew Templeton’smind by now. This did not bode well.

He thought of Gabriel, waiting. His heart wrenched at thethought of her but there was nothing to be done except to let it play out. Andaccept the consequences.

Templeton turned to him, his black eyes flat.

“Kill him,” he said. “Make it look like a heart attack, makeit look like an accident, I don’t care, but I want him dead.”

Asmodeus took a deep breath but inwardly he was calm. It wasas he had told Gabriel—he would not kill. Not in cold blood. And certainly nota man innocent of anything except trying to do his job, trying to protectothers.

He met that flat black gaze evenly.

There would be hell to pay for this, true hell, but he wouldpay it. Templeton wouldn’t kill him, he hoped. At least, not on purpose.

In the end, it didn’t matter. There was only one answer.

“No.”

It was as if they had all been plunged into an ice-coldlake. Silence seemed to surround them in the midst of that great noisy placewith its foul smells and roaring flame.

All of that faded.

Every eye was on him.

None of that mattered. Asmodeus met Templeton’s gaze withoutflinching.

“I said,” Templeton repeated, his gaze fixed on Asmodeus,“kill him. I want him dead.”

Asmodeus looked at him, saw the madness in his eyes. He knewthe punishment for refusing would be far harsher than it had been for cloakinghimself and Gabriel in smoke.

In his mind’s eye he could see her. She was so beautiful.

He loved her, heart and soul.

She would not love him for giving Templeton what he wanted.Not that Asmodeus intended to do that.

“No,” Asmodeus repeated clearly. “I will not. You can askagain but I will still refuse.”

Color flooded Templeton’s face. His jaw clenched. The colorreceded as the muscles in his face worked.

Asmodeus stood firm.

“You will pay for this,” Templeton said, keeping his voiceeven with clear effort.

Though Templeton’s eyes did not move, Asmodeus was suddenlyand sharply reminded of those around him.

It was bad enough that he had shamed Templeton but he hadalso done it in front of Templeton’s men.

The punishment for that would be severe. His shouldersflinched in reflexive memory.

In the end it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t kill in coldblood—not an innocent man, and certainly not at Templeton’s command.

With his past requests there had always been the chance thatsomeone would discover the changes he’d made, the flaws he’d exploited.

This, though? No.

Demon or man, he would not kill an innocent.

Templeton looked at him and then turned to one of themercenaries.

“You know what to do.” He turned to the others, deliberatelynot looking at Asmodeus. “We’re done here. Get in the car.”

Obediently, they did. All but the one mercenary.

Watching the man trot toward the woods, Asmodeus waiteduntil he stood at the edge of the forest. He gestured.

Templeton had not denied him all magic—he wouldn’t have beenan effective tool—and the life here had much of which to complain.

No one would be surprised that a sinkhole might open. Themercenary would not die. He might break a leg but he wouldn’t die.

Neither would the inspector.

It was a long and very silent ride back.

Chapter Seven

It was clear from the moment Templeton entered the room withhis minions in tow, Asmodeus under guard and a grim look in his eyes, thatthings had not gone well. Templeton was also in a vicious and vile temper. Itpractically radiated off the man, snapping and crackling in the air around him.

Something had gone very wrong.

Gabriel could see the stoic resignation in Asmodeus’ glanceand her heart sank even as her throat tightened.

That did not bode well.

She had seen that look before in both Asmodeus’ andTempleton’s eyes.

Asmodeus, she sent.

He would not answer her. Gabriel’s heart clenched tightly,twisted.

Templeton gestured to his minion to go to the Book.He didn’t open the gateway into the rings. Stunned, horrified, Gabriel couldonly stand on the wrong side with nothing to pound on and watch helplessly.

The man behind the podium chanted as Templeton held out hishand for the cat-o’-nine-tails with its little beads of iron.

“Oh dear god, no,” Gabriel whispered.

Asmodeus wouldn’t meet her gaze. His mouth tightened.

It took everything she had to fight the urge to weep.

She watched as the chanting drove him to his knees eventhough he fought it. He braced himself on one arm. He would not bow before Templeton.

“No,” Gabriel breathed.

“I told you,” Templeton said, his eyes on Asmodeus andAsmodeus alone. His voice was deceptively and coldly calm as he flicked thecat-o’-nine-tails back, shaking it to loosen the tangled ends, “not to defy me.I wanted that man dead.”

Templeton had his fury banked, channeled, so he could enjoythis. She could see it in his eyes, in his face.

Asmodeus’ sorrow, his grief and fury at forcing her towatch, to share this, battered her.

They had been so close to escaping.

Gabriel wanted to scream, rage, cry, but did none of that.

She tried to think of a way to help him.

She couldn’t call the other Daemonae, not while she wasinside, for as she had learned from her studies, she was the locus. It was herethey would come, to be trapped as Asmodeus had been—exactly as he feared. Shewouldn’t help Templeton achieve his goal.

“I will not kill,” Asmodeus said firmly, steadily, grindingthe words out in answer to Templeton’s demand. “Do as you will but I will notkill in cold blood.”

“You will learn to do as I order, demon,” Templeton said,running the lashes of the cat-o’-nine-tails through his fingers, toying withthe iron beads. “Or suffer the consequences.”

Channeling his rage visibly, Templeton narrowed his eyes,raised the whip and brought it down with the full force of his fury onAsmodeus’