Was he experiencing “feelings” of his own? Which ones? Longing? Jealousy?
Pondering this was an exercise in futility, however. Such freedom was not an option for him. There was no escaping his fate, and he had long since given up hoping otherwise. There was only so much disappointment a mind could take before it lost its will to live.
The smart thing to do would be to return to Paimon’s lair now and report the location of Asmodeus and his so-called brothers. It was too late to admit to his lie about the true fate of Eligos, but he could still save himself from repeating his mistakes.
Mist rose to his full height and stretched his wings. He crouched and then sprang, pumping them hard to gain altitude until he was among the low-hanging clouds. There, he dissolved his physical form until his essence mingled freely with the mist.
He reformed again above Evangeline Gregory’s apartment, folded his wings against his body, and shot like an arrow straight through the hole in her window.
Landing neatly, he surveyed the wreckage of the flat, once again questioning his motives. He couldn’t for the life of him explain why he had returned or why he wasstillhesitating. But he couldn’t make himself leave either.
The sight of an upturned plant caught his eye. The soil spilled upon the hardwood was mildly disturbing to his somewhat compulsive nature, and he decided he would right it. It was he who had upended it in the first place, after all.
But when he stepped forward to complete the task, he hit an invisible wall of pure, concentrated energy, the antithesis to everything he was. White light flared, blinding him, and he was thrown backward to land in a heap.
Shock coursing through him, he climbed to his feet. It was only then that he noticed the design inscribed upon the floor around him.
He was, in fact, standing in the middle of a powerful binding sigil.
20
Bonus Chapter
Ignorance Isn’t Bliss
When Eva stepped inside, she was greeted by the sight of Belial leaning against the wall in all his looming intensity. His arms were crossed, and his jaw was set. She got the sense his patience was running thin, and she really didn’t want to find out what happened when it finally ran out.
Then again, she could guess. The sight of him bursting into flames was probably going to give her nightmares for a while.
“You’re ready to go, then?” he said. “The hellgate’s ready.”
“I just need to grab my stuff,” Eva replied quickly. “And put my cat in his carrier.” She shot a look at Raum, who was still seated at the dining table beside Meph, Thelonious in his lap. “Just give me five minutes.”
“Fine,” he growled. “Just hurry up.”
She nodded and scurried away, eager to escape his intensity.
“Chill out,” she heard Ash say to Bel before she slipped back into his room. She paused in the doorway to listen. “Don’t scare her.”
Eva bristled slightly. It was true she was a little nervous, but she didn’t need Ash fighting her battles, and she didn’t want him making her look weak to his brothers. The last thing she wanted was for Belial to know she was afraid of him.
“I’m not,” Bel said defensively. “I’ve been perfectly nice.”
“You wouldn’t knowniceif it hit you in the face with a shovel.”
“Funny, because hitting you in the face with a shovel is exactly what I’m going to do if you don’t get your shit together in the next five fucking minutes so we can leave.”
Ash mumbled a parting insult, and then she heard him stalking down the hall toward her. She hurried into the room, looking for something to do with her hands so it wasn’t obvious she’d been eavesdropping.
She settled on making the bed, which took all of ten seconds. When she straightened again and spun around, Ash was standing behind her. He’d closed the door, and for some reason, that made her heart race.
Which was stupid. They’d been alone on the balcony two minutes ago. She’d had sex with the man multiple times. He’d kissed and touched and licked every inch of her body.
She did not need to be thinking about that right now.
They stared at each other, a beat of silence passing.
He broke the connection first, stalking over to the dresser and setting the headphones he’d been using atop it. The speaker she’d lent him was beside them. He suddenly tugged his tank top over his head, giving her a view of his muscled back, long hair spilling over it. Her mouth went dry.
