Dark Calling (50 page)

“I knew we wer
e to marry.  I should have guessed
that was the reason for the bond
ed feelings
.”

“He said the bond will seal and we will be like one person.  He said it would happen soon.”

“I see.”

“Don’t you care?”
Keely asks incredulous.

“No.”

“What if I care?”

He lifts her chin.  Examines her face.  “You don’t.”

“Yes I do.  I mean, I’m confused about it.  Part of me doesn’t want to break the cord because I don’t
want to feel the pain of it, a
nd there’s a piece of me that likes this, whatever this is with us.  But there is still a big part of me that wants my life back.  I want to be with Nick.  I want to kiss him and you not be involved.  I want to know what I’m feeling is really coming from me.”

“Keely, you must come to terms with this.  You cannot be with Nick.  You are betrothed to me.”

“I’m not marrying you.  We’re going to war.  I don’t have to do what he says.  And even if
we weren’t going to war, I still wouldn’t marry you.  You’re my brother.”

“Yes, about that,” he begins.  He runs a hand through his hair nervously.
 
“
Do you recall when you asked me if I was lying
,
by omission, I believe you called it?”

Keely swallows.  “Yes.”

“
You said allowing you to believe something that wasn’t true was equal to lying.”

She nods.  Those weren’t her exact words, but they’re close enough.

“My mother is human.  She was imprisoned in Purgatory for hundreds of years
, where her body was suspended between life and death
.  She
owed a debt of punishment because in her human life she committed suicide.  She suffered for hundreds of years alone.  The only contact she had with anyone was my fathe
r.  She was beautiful I am told
and he could not control himself when
he was near her.  He also could not
stay away from her.  My father tortured her daily.  Raping her repeatedly.  Eventually she became pregnant with me.  From the story I have been told, as I grew inside of her and she began to feel me move, I healed her soul.

“She gave birth to me.  Looked at my face for only a moment before she was exiled from Purgatory and
her soul
admitted into Heaven.” 

“
That’s so sad, Asmoday.  I’m sorry.”  She bites her lip as she thinks.  “
So, you’re not really a Demon?”

He shakes his head.  “I am a Demon, Keely.
  My true father was an Original Demon.  One of the offspring of the first Watcher’
s who fe
ll.  His father was
your father’s second in command
and returned with the other Watcher’s to Heaven.  They were friends until that day
, your father and my grandfather
.  When my true father died the final death, I was an infant.  Your father was disappointed in his children.
  He knew he needed a daughte
r for the prophecy
and had finally discovered a way with modern technology.
  Because of my age, he decided he would raise me as his own child.  Groom me to be worthy of wedding his daughter that would fulfill the prophecy of damnation.  He would have vengeance tenfold.  Your father felt betrayed that my grandfather returned to God’s graces. 
To raise me in his
image, to wed me to his daughter
that will destroy the worlds, it was to be the sweetest revenge.

“What I am trying to explain,
is
,
I am
a
Prince because your father gave me the title.  Not because I am from his blood.  I am not your brother, Princess.  I am simply yours.”

“You’re not my brother?”

“No.  So your reservations about marrying me can be dismissed.”

“You think it’s that easy?”
  Keely feels like a shattered mirror.  There are pieces of her everywhere. 

“I do not understand,
”
Asmoday says.  His eyebrows crinkle with confusion.

Keely closes her eyes.  Tries to think this through.  She fights against his feelings, willing her own to come through.  “I’m glad I’m not quite as sick as I thought I was.  I mean, at least now I’
m not attracted
to my brother.”

“You are attracted to me?  I suspected, but it is nice to have it confirmed.”  He smiles at her and she feels herself blush.

“Not the point I’m
trying to make.  What I mean is
that’s the plus side.  The not plus side is you’re not my brother.”

“I was under the impression that was on the plus side.”

“Not when it
comes to t
he Hierarchy.  Or my mom.  Or Nick.  I love Nick, Asmoday.  I still want to be with him.”

“You may want Nick for now, but that will change.  I can wait.”

“You mean
the cord?  For the bond to seal?  That’s not fair.  I won’t choose you because I want you over Nick.  It would
be fake.  Like I was being f
orced.”

“
I don
’t believe that.  I think you
will
choose me because you will understand me.  The real me. 
You will see how much you
changed
me
.  I told you before, you taught me how to love, how to put someone before myself.
  You did this to me.  If Apophis hadn’t killed your sisters, and I had this connection with any other, the prophecy would already have been fulfilled.  I wouldn’t have cared.
It’s because of you, your love and
kindness that I am who I am today. 
Because of how I feel about
you
. 
You will come to see this.
 
You’ll know me like no other knows me.  And I will know you like no other could ever know you.  What we will have will run deeper than anything you could have with Nick.  And I will never judge you.  I will always let you be you because I will understand everything you say.  Everything you do.”

“I can’t think right now.  This is too much.  Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“At first, I didn’t tell you because I found your discomfort humorous.  After I connected with you
,
I didn’t tell
yo
u because I didn’t know how t
he Hierarchy would react to it.  I was not c
onvinced they would be willing to give you the aid you need if they knew the truth about me
.”

Her brows merge.  “You still should have told me.”

“I would have preferred
you to know.  Maybe if I had, you would be mine by now.”

“I don’
t belong to anyone, Asmoday.  I want to be my own.”

He nods slowly.  “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.”

“Oh,” Keely manages to stutter the one syllable.  There are too many thoughts and emotions battling each other inside of her.  He has her all twisted up.
 

Asmoday reaches for Keely.  Cups her face and caresses his thumb over her cheek.  The sensation of touching her like this is incredible. 
He doesn’t use a
ny of his charms on her
and s
he isn’t stopping him.  She isn’t cringing away from him.  With his other hand, he touches his finger tips to her lips.
 
Keely closes her eyes.  He continues o
ver
her chin.  Down her neck.  S
tops at the indentation
between her collar bones.
  His hand rests
against the
warm skin over her heart.  “This is all I ask to be mine.  When you are ready.”

Keely opens her eyes and Asmoday is gone.

Keely is alone.  Really alone.  Just her and her thoughts.  There was a time when she preferred things this way.  Back when she didn’t have much to think about.  It seems so long ago.  So much has happened.  So much has changed.  She’s changed.  Maybe this is all a dream.  A very long, very elaborate dream.  She will wake up soon and find everything the same as it was before.  Her biggest worry will be
her senior year of high
school.

Only, this doesn’t make her feel better.

She heard somewhere that God only gives you what He knows you can handle.  Or something along that same line.  But how strong does He think she is?  And why does
He have to give it all at once?

Though, she supposes
,
she could ha
ve it worse.  How terrible is it
for he
r to be torn between two guys that care about her?
  Or three.
 

Of course, that’s not her only problem which is really the point.  Right?

Then why can she only think of
Bryon,
Nick
,
and Asmoday?

“Ugh!”  Asmoday said if she needed out again he would take her, but where is he now?  She knows the answer already.  Knows he isn’t here because she needs to be alone.  She needs to think.  But she really wants out of this room.  Really, really doesn’t
want
to think.
  Maybe if she puts it off long enough it will work itself out all on its own.

Not likely.

If she ignores i
t, she could wind up losing all
of them.  Then she’d truly be alone.

A light knock sounds at her door. 
“Keel, it’s Bryon.”

Keely opens the door happy for the distraction
, but nervo
us to see him after the confusing feelings
she’s been having.  “You have good
timing.”

“One of my many
wonderful
attributes.  I also come bearing gifts.”
  He holds out a shopping bag.

“What is it?”  She takes it from his han
d and peeks inside.  “Oh, thank
you!”  She pulls out the box housing her new cell phone.  “You are awesome!  This is a way better phone than my last one.”

Bryon smiles at her.  “Just try not to lose this one.”

“You got me a phone case too?”  She runs her fingers over the smooth black and pink zebra stripes. 

“It came with it.”

Keely scrunches her b
rows.  “You went to buy a phone
and the salesper
son gave you a pink
case?”

Bryon takes the box from her and starts opening her phone.  “I had to pick it, but it was free.  Are you a detective now?”

“It just seemed weird.  I’m so glad I have a phone again.  It’s like walking around without pants.”

Bryon grins. 
“I feel naked without mine too.  Thus the reason I took the time to go pick this up for you.  Plus, you shouldn’t be without one
,
being who you are.”

“You mean a Doyenne?  Or a Demon Princess?  Or the girl that can end the world?”

“
I mean
the girl who has bad
guys
after her
.”

“Oh, yeah.  That too.  Forgot that one.”

Bryon plugs the charger into the wall and connects it to the phone.  He plops down on Keely’s bed and lies back.  Puts an arm behind his head and starts reading the manual for her new phone. 

There is something so comforting in this for Keely.  It’s like old times.  It’s exactly what she needs.  “T.V. or music?”

Bryon looks over the top of the mini book in his hand.  “I’m cool with either one.”

Keely flips the television on and begins channel surfing.  “So how’s Lila?”

“She’s how you would expect her to be.  In denial about how she feels.  Covering her feelings up with being really pissed off
a
nd feeling guilty about it all.”

Keely rests the remote on her leg. 
She knows that feeling.  
“She shouldn’t feel guilty.  She didn’t do anything wrong.”

Bryon throws the phone manual on Keely’s night stand.  “I know that.  You know that.  Hell, Lila probably knows it too.  But people can’t hel
p how they feel.”  He stares
at
her
and sighs.  “You want to get out of here for a little bit?”

Keely smiles.  “Yes,” she says stretching out the word.  “Where we going?”

“I wanna go buy a cowboy hat.”

“O.k.”  She opens her mouth.  Wants to say more, but it’s Bryon, so she doesn’t.  Just shakes her head.