Demon's Kiss (3 page)

She felt hands on her, pulling her, loud words that did not make sense. Her cheeks were slowly becoming wet with tears of pain. She moaned a bit more but then noticed a pair of light baby blue eyes that seemed to pierce her soul and break through the sounds that reverberated within her skull. His words were finally becoming clear and her breathing settled as the cacophony slowly died. She focused on him, getting lost in his eyes as her breathing remained slightly ragged but for entirely different reasons. After a moment or two, she cleared her throat lightly. “Am. Okay. I think. He has the hidden part of the stone. You were right. I have failed.”

Azamel lifted her chin, a feeling of awkwardness surround them. “Xon found it. he won the battle but not the war. Look at me! He still needs the other part. That means he will be coming to find you. He will be exposed and we will get it back. When he surfaces, he will die.” Mel used his thumbs to gently wipe the tears off her cheek.

“How do you know so much about the stone? Only a small few know it is in more than one piece.” Her wet lashes caressed her cheeks as she blinked, her breath caught with his tenderness. Again she got lost in those baby blues.

Azamel mentally cursed himself for letting that slip. His mind scrambled as he tried to think of a suitable reply that would placate her and repair the fragile trust they had between them. Thinking that this was probably the stupidest thing he had ever done in his endlessly long life, he leaned forward and took her mouth in a hard kiss. The intention was to distract her from her train of thought. However, the moment their lips met, everything changed. Her soft sigh as he pressed his tongue against hers jolted his body and mind. Keeping his hands in her hair, he deepened the kiss feasting on her soft mouth with a hunger that burned through his entire being.

He tasted as divine as she had tried so desperately to not imagine. His scent lifted her to the heights of intoxication. She found herself breathless in milliseconds from his passionate hunger. It seemed to call out to her with as much desire as hers wanted to respond to. She could feel all her womanly parts tingle in response to his closeness as she was lost in the moment. She did not care if he was using her or not to gain the stone for himself. Right now, she wanted this point in time to last, although she knew it was impossible and yet he held her so tight she could not break free, even if she wanted to.

Clarissa’s response fueled Mel’s desire and heated his blood. However, it also shocked him to his very core. With a deep growl, the executioner pulled his lips away from hers and stood up, moving quickly a few feet away. His breathing was harsh as he shoved his shaking hands through his hair. Mel flashed his glasses back on and made a show of picking up the backpack. “I,” he cleared his throat trying to regain some semblance of control. “I think we need to head back.”

Her voice was still tight with desire as she talked. “Head back?”
Why can I not think? Concentrate. What did he say?
“I have to find Xon. I have to get the stone back.” The guardian climbed shakily to her feet and readjusted the backpack on her shoulders after taking it from him. She wanted to bring the dagger out and try to get a reading. In truth, she could not contemplate the energy she needed to activate her visions with the pangs of pain and passion that so recently coursed through her body. Turning, Clarissa retraced her steps back down the path, silent, thinking, trying to understand what she was feeling and how it fit into her duties as the gems custodian.

He whirled on her and grabbed her arms, shaking her slightly as fury coated his baritone voice. “Where will you look for him? Are you going to try and trace him? Then what? You knock yourself out from the effort? You know he will come for it. Rather than chase him, let Xon come to us. We can lure him out. We can set the scene as we want it. You need to fight him in familiar territory, which gives you the upper hand. Come on.” Mel gently pulled her along. “You need to rest. You will be of no use to yourself or anyone else if you are worn out.”

Clarissa followed along meekly, her free hand going slightly to her lips when he was not looking. She still felt the ghost pressure against her skin, felt his mouth as it took possession, his tongue against hers, his taste still invaded her senses. Snarling slightly to herself, she dropped her fingers away from her lips angrily.
‘Yeah! This is just what I need to do! I should waste time on a fantasy of being with this arrogant man? I have a duty to perform not play at schoolgirl crushes.’
She wanted to pull her fingers away from his but she knew that would only make him aware of how he affected her and she was not about to do that.
‘Stone. Stone. I have a duty. I have a responsibility to the Gem of Power. Think of only that. That is my only obligation. Concentrate!’

She finally spoke, her words were harsher than she meant for them to be. “Mind telling me how we do this? What familiar territory?” She managed to finally pull her hand from his grasp, though more for her own sanity than anything else. The custodian for the gem folded her arms to hide their slight shaking. She stood with her legs askew to maintain her own weak balance. “I would prefer going to him and getting the upper hand in a surprise attack.”

Mel snarled. “If you think for one minute that Xon will not expect you to come for him immediately, you are deluding yourself. He will draw you in and arrange it so you will not only relinquish the other part but will probably lose your life in the process. I am not about to let that happen. He cannot be allowed access to the powers that the gem offers and I will not permit him to take your life. If we set up the scene and let him know we have it and where, subtly of course, he will come to us. We will wait, gain the upper advantage because he will be eager, anxious and that will cause him to make stupid mistakes.”

Clarissa sighed as she bit her lower lip and cast her eyes downward. “In truth I am not sure what to do. I am not a strategist. I had hoped to gain the hidden portion of the gem before he reached it.” She looked up, her eyes softer as they gazed at him.

Azamel gave her a wicked smile. “I am an excellent tactician and at this point you will be safest with me until we are ready to confront him. He cannot touch me nor enter my home as it is in a realm he does not have access to. I suggest we go there where we will be off the grid to him. The frustration will drive Xon to expose himself.”

The guardian could not help but start to tease him just a little. “Oh? Come over to your place?” Clarissa raised an eyebrow and scowled. She surprised herself with the harshness of the words that followed. “Really? What kind of a girl do you think I am? Wanna try and get me drunk too?” She had to wonder if she pissed him off even more than she had since she met him.
‘Damn it! Why did I have to say that? Why am I so caustic with him.’
Then realization dawned upon her. She knew instantly why she was so astringent toward Azamel. He scared her. The emotions he raised within her made her nervous because she did not want to get involved with anyone, much less someone who would not and could not be a part of her life. It was just another person the custodian would lose and she had lost so many so much already. She turned away from him so he would not see the truth behind her feelings.

Mel squeezed his eyes shut to control the anger that boiled within him as a result of her words. He sensed the warring emotions inside her. Now was not the time, however, to delve into the internal turmoil that she felt. It was also not the time to explore the protectiveness and frustrations that she stirred in him. Her fighting spirit and the deeply buried hurt inside her awakened affectionate warmth inside his cold, dead heart. It scared him to his very core. This
girl
affected him like no other and he absolutely detested that fact. He felt like he hated her for it. He wanted to lash out and hurt her, punish her for making him care about another, to be concerned if another lived or died. He had never attached himself to anyone for he was meant to walk alone for eternity. He was required to rid the earth from those who set out to hurt it and its inhabitants. He glared at her. His eyes the color of blood, visible even through the glasses he wore as the demon part of him threatened to rise up from within.

Clarissa took a deep breath to calm her shaking nerves. “I am sorry. I should not have said that. You are, of course correct. I am sure you are a wonderful strategist and I bow to your expertise as well as thank you for your offer of assistance.”

Her apology helped to calm Mel’s inner beast and send the creature back to a forced slumber within him. Once the demon was settled, the executioner held his fingers out to her. “I need you to take my hand. We don’t have much time before Xon will catch your essence and come here. We are not prepared for him and must retreat until such time as we can successfully engage him.”

Clarissa turned to him with a stoicism she barely felt registering on her face. She looked at his outstretched hand. After hesitating slightly, she placed her fingers softly against his. She trusted him and that was very hard for her to do. This woman had trusted no one since her family had been slaughtered in front of her. But Clarissa was desperate to get the stone back and she realized she could not do it alone.

Azamel wanted to help her, whether for his own selfish needs of trying to obtain the Gem of Power with the gifts it offered for himself or because he really was devoted to containing the demons that were under his jurisdiction. Either way, she knew he was an extremely old creature and they said with age came wisdom. Maybe she would learn some knowledge from him and be able to protect the stone better. Everything else, this receptivity he brought out in her, feelings of desire and concern for him were something she was going to have to ignore in order to do her duty. Her life was all about obligation and she handled the responsibility as efficiently as possible, regardless of the sacrifices she had to make in the process. Clasping her hand lightly to his, she nodded firmly once.

Mel looked down at their joined hands and lightly rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. Her face showed raw determination as the executioner teleported them both to his home. A fire already crackled in the hearth and a pleasant warmth embraced them. He let go of her hand after giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“Welcome to my abode, little one.” He gestured to the couch in front of the fire. “Please, make yourself at home. If you would excuse me, I will be but a moment.” Azamel inclined his head towards her before he willed himself to his private chambers, leaving her alone momentarily.

Grateful to be in the privacy of his room, Mel flashed his clothes away and padded to the bathroom. He welcomed the warmth of the spray as he stepped into the shower. His mind reeled as he leaned his head back and let the water hit his face before the beads cascaded down his body and over his taut muscles. Refreshed and feeling more in control, he rubbed himself dry, the friction ridding him of all vestiges of the battle they fought as well as helped him to regain some semblance of control over his wayward and conflicted emotions.

As soon as he disappeared, Clarissa let out a breath she had not realized she was holding. She took a moment to look around. The room seemed to be pretty isolated with no windows and one door. There was a long wooden table with eight lavish red and gold chairs. In front of the fireplace, there were two wing-backed blue chairs and a matching blue couch on the opposite side. What disturbed her the most however, were the winged gargoyle skeletons that flanked either side of the fireplace mantle holding scones that provided the light for the area.

Since Mel seemed intent on leaving her alone for the moment, she allowed the remnants of the pain in her head followed by his kiss which had left her off-guard, unsure, to be investigated more thoroughly. She did not particularly care for those feelings brought about by his closeness.

Taking a cleansing breath, the guardian was uncertain if she was being watched or not. If she was, Clarissa was unaware of who might be spying on her. However, she had to take the chance and see whatever the dagger would show her, if anything. The guardian needed guidance and she knew the gem only had one motive, keeping the rest of the stone safe. Pulling her backpack off, she laid it by her feet and sat on the couch. Looking around again, feeling a bit safe, she brought forth the power’s receptacle to focus on where the demon named Xon was and what he might be up to.

As Clarissa clutched the dagger and concentrated, Mel’s abode melted away. It blended into a solid darkness, which then started to become dim outlines of a lush jungle. Dense green, the smell of the wooded pines and oaks permeated her nose. She heard the sounds of pounding feet rustling through the leaves and brush. Muttering soon came into focus as did the demon himself. Xon could not understand why the stone did not work. He wanted to make a camp and examine his prize, try to figure it out.

The vision then turned to Azamel and her in the jungle as they searched for Xon. She saw him holding her as he tried to get her to focus while she knelt in pain. The past events rolled by as if on a movie screen within her mind. She watched as she surprised him with her question and he looked like he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He leaned forward to kiss her. She still remembered what that felt like. However, now she saw it with dispassionate eyes, saw him using that kiss like a ploy, to distract her and it worked. Her vision cleared.

‘Gods I am gullible! How he must be laughing at me even now.’

She put the dagger away as she berated herself for being so stupid, so simplistic. After everything she had been though, knowing she should not trust anyone, she let one kiss from some hot, stubborn man spin her world around so she saw nothing other than him. Mel was using her. He knew all about the stone and he was manipulating her to get it. She had been foolish enough to let him, blinded by her own stupid feelings
. ‘Some guardian I made!’
She starred into the fire, trying to decide what to do.