Dark Calling

“I’m taking you out.” He winks at her. “I have to. It’s been written in the stars.”

“Asmoday is the flower that bloomed despite the spoiled soil he emerged from. You tried to make him like you, but he is too much like his mother. Even your influence cannot change his heart.”

“I thought there was supposed to be signs or something,” Keely says. “Little clues that point you in the right direction?”He smirks at her. “You have to be looking.”

“I’m going to take your shirt off. All right?”He laughs, his eyes locking with hers. “I have been waiting for a year to hear you say those words, Kiem. It’s not nearly as satisfying as I had imagined.”

“So, what’s it like to be an Angel?” Bryon’s voice fills the uncomfortable silence.The Angels bark with laughter. “It’s wonderful,” Elijah sings.”

“She hit me. Hard,” Micah says rubbing his cheek with a bemused expression. “It kind of hurt.”

“Someday I hope you will be able to understand how deeply my devotion runs. I cannot wait until the day it no longer surprises you. The day when you know without a second thought that I would lay my life down for you. When you accept it as a fact as true as people need air. I love you. I. Love. You.”

“Why would you do that? I was scared to death. Why wouldn’t you just answer her questions?”“I kept us together.”Keely stares at him in shock. “You really are an idiot. What if they would have sent you to one of the other Academies to imprison you there?”“A chance I had to take.”“Asmoday, you put yourself in jail just to be able to see me. I can’t believe you did that.”

“Asmoday.” She brushes her lips against his forehead. “You stupid, stupid idiot.” Kisses each of his cheeks. “Why did you do that, you big dummy?”He smiles at her. “I am not an expert, but I am fairly certain those are not correct terms of endearment.”

“I pledged my allegiance to Apophis, but I am only allied with Keely. Whatever she needs of me, I will offer her.”

“I made my own choice and I would do it again. I will always do what is best for Keely,” he says and his voice is almost scary.”

“I have never given my heart to anybody. I didn’t know I had one. But I gave it to you. That makes me vulnerable. I am at your mercy.”

“You do not realize the power you have over me,” Asmoday says quietly. He brushes the hair from her shoulders.Keely’s body goes rigid. “What do you mean?” She doesn’t want power over anybody.“You could so easily destroy me,” he says matter-of-factly.”

“I want to kiss you.” His fingers continue onto her shoulders. “I want to kiss you more than I have ever wanted anything else in my life.”

“I need you. I do not know who I would be without you.”

“I am sorry I was not there sooner. Please believe me. I will always do whatever it takes to protect you. I cannot live without you. Without you, there is no life for me.”

“And if you kill each other in the process, well, that will just work out perfectly.”“You don’t have a chance. Not even then,” Nick says wryly.“It does not mean I am not going to try.”

“At least I understand her. At least I am willing to give her what she needs.”“You’re willing to give her what she wants. That’s not the same thing. I’m not afraid to push her where she needs to be.”“Perhaps you push too hard.”“Did she say that?”Asmoday flashes a white smile. “She does not have to.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to, Keel. Because I do. I really do. It’s just, I can’t do it like this. You have too much already going on. You just told me you can’t choose between Nick and the Demon. I don’t want to be another option for you to choose from. And I can’t just be a distraction. I could say screw it and enjoy this moment, but we would both regret it. Nick’s my friend, and the way I want to be with you, it’s sort of in a long term way. I’m smart enough to know that if I kissed you now, it would end up being a bitter memory for both of us. I can’t share you. And I can’t lose you.”

“I want to forewarn you,” Bryon says seriously. “It’s very possible that I may start talking with a southern accent.”“That’s all right as long as I can do my British accent.”He squints and shakes his head. “No. That’s stupid. Those don’t even match. Can you do a country backwoods toothless mumble? Because that’ll work.”

“His hand rests against the warm skin over her heart. “This is all I ask to be mine. When you are ready.”

“When I say I am yours, I mean my heart belongs to you. I will never love another the way I love you. I will never lie to you. I will never hurt you. I will never leave you. I will always be here when you need me. And I will do anything for your happiness.”

“Because they want to know whose side you’re on.”“I am on whatever side you are on,” Asmoday says.”

“I’m really sorry, Lila.”“I know you are Bryon. That’s what makes you such a good guy.”“Well, that’s the general consensus among women.” He smiles at her.“I hope you can start working on your confidence soon. It makes me sad to see you so down on yourself.” “Mmm. True story. I don’t tell myself how incredibly handsome, smart, and funny I am nearly enough.”“You are smart, but I don’t know about the incredibly handsome part.”“And funny. Don’t forget the funny.”“Funny looking.”

“I think you’ve been inserting the Q-tips too far,” Lila says with a smirk.“I push them in until my brain tickles.” “You’re a clown, Bry.”“That hurts. My ego is seriously wounded.”

“I want to be a cowboy.”“You what?” She laughs and turns to look at him.He runs his hand across the dash board. “This could be my steel horse. And look at me? I could rock a cowboy hat.”“This song’s not about an actual cowboy. It’s about touring with the band.”“It’s open to interpretation.”

“You have got me so messed up. You piss me off and make me want to kiss you at the same time. What the hell are you doing to me?”

“May I sleep with you?”Keely goes very still. Feels as if she is made of stone. Her stomach dips like she took the plunge on a roller coaster. That came out of nowhere. “Ugh, what?”“May I sleep here tonight? I slept so well this morning and I believe you will sleep better with me here as well.” He glances at her and smiles devilishly. “You thought I was asking to have sex.” He laughs. It’s such a wonderful noise to Keely’s ears. “I thought we were not allowed to do that?”

“I just want to know where I stand. I hate feeling like I don’t belong anywhere.”“You belong with me.” He says this as if he were talking about the sky being blue. As if it is a widely known and accepted fact.”

“Oh, crap,” Keely breathes. “You were supposed to stay in my room.”Asmoday shrugs. “You needed me.”“I—I did not.”“Why was he in your room?” Nick grumbles.“Why is he in our house?” Kimberly seethes.“Who is he? Who are you?” Kevin redirects his question.”

“Now that I understand love, it is very easy to recognize. You have love for me. I think you also have lust, which I thought was love for a long time, but now know is very different, although often comes together.”

“Are you lying by omission? Because by not telling me something I should know you are lying to me still. Or allowing me to believe something that isn’t true is just like lying. Are you doing either of those things right now?”After a moment’s thought, Asmoday simply says, “Yes.”“Are you going to elaborate?”“No.”

“You think you’re a pretty funny guy, don’t you?”“Well, I don’t want to brag…”“You know what’s really funny?” Geryon asks, taking another step toward the cell.“Your face?”

“You are not afraid of me at all, are you?”Keely swallows. She is, but at this point, what does she have to lose? “No, I’m not. Irritated, infuriated, disgusted, yes. But afraid? No.”He leans forward again. “Those are passionate feelings.”She sighs. “Those are bad feelings.”

“Deep down, we are all monsters. You just need to know how to bring the darkness to the surface.”

“When this is over, let’s just do it.”“Do what?” Lila gazes up at him. Adjusts his thick black frames as they slip down his nose.“Get married.”She smiles. “Married, huh. Are you proposing?”“Not officially. After, when this job is done, I am going to go buy you the biggest ring I can afford—which won’t be very big at all, but I will buy it with love. Then I will get down on one knee and that’s when I will propose.”“I might say yes.”“God willing.”

“Sometimes the right decision isn’t always the easiest one,” she says as she pulls the towel from the shower curtain rod, wraps it around herself and secures it.“Sometimes what’s right isn’t so easy to see,” he responds.”

“I would run until the end of time for you, Keely. I would run until my feet couldn’t carry me any longer and then I would crawl.”

“Asmoday slides a finger down Keely’s spine, exposed from the backless nightgown. “I did not do this.”Keely shivers at his unexpected touch. His fingers are like ice and feel good against the painful gashes. “No, you didn’t. This is courtesy of our brother.”“I am not a fan of his art, though he did have a beautiful canvas.”

“Where is he?”“Through the rabbit hole, Alice,” Asmoday instructs, gesturing with a sweep of his hand in the direction of the door.“Off to see the Mad Hatter, I suppose.”“Indeed.”“So,” Keely asks as she brushes past her brother, hand on the door knob. “What’s that make you? Twiddle Dee or Twiddle Dum?”

“Nick, I have to-” “NO YOU DON’T! I am risking everything for you and you are going to let him kill you, Keely! Please. Please don’t do this. I can protect you. We can go. We can get in the car and just drive away. We can hide.” He takes her hands in his, grips them firmly. “We can go anywhere you want. Just please stay with me.”

“Everybody has a type. I’m not trying to be mean. I’m sure you have a preference. What kind of guys do you like?” He meant to ask the question to get the focus off of him, but as she taps her fingers on the table, clearly in thought, Nick becomes absolutely intrigued with the answer. -Nick to Keely”