“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?”

“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.”

“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 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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”