Мишель Роуэн - Something Wicked

“Thank you.”

He scrunched his nose. “I mean good in the worst way possible. What have you been eating?”

Darrak glanced over at Theo, who watched their conversation carefully. “Donuts mostly. Chocolate ones.”

“Not food. I mean from your power source.” He sniffed Eden then. Darrak knew for a fact she smelled like lavender. It was from her body wash. She only wore perfume on special occasions. “I sense black witch, but there’s something else there, too. Can’t quite put my finger on it.”

“Uh. . she’s actually a nephilim,” Theo offered. “Didn’t I mention that before? I could have sworn I did.”

Asmo’s eyebrows went up, and he took a big step back from her frozen form. “Ewww. Really? A nephilim? And she’s your host? Darrak, how do you stand it?”

Did this mean he’d leave Eden alone now? “I manage.”

Asmo literally gagged. It took him a few seconds to pull himself together. “Oh, gross.” He shuddered. “That’s what I sensed in you. Celestial energy.”

“In me?” He pointed to his chest.

“Uh, yeah .”

Theo drew closer. “What does that mean?”

“What it means is the deal’s off. All of it.” Asmo held his arms as if he was hugging himself. “Yuck. Celestial energy. I’ve never been this close to it before.”

“But, Asmo—” Darrak began.

“No. It’s over, you disgusting hybrid. I’ve never seen such a thing before in my entire existence. It sickens me.”

It took a lot to sicken the Lord of Lust. Darrak would have been honored if he thought it was a compliment. But, it wasn’t.

“What do you mean by hybrid ?” he asked.

“You’ve changed,” Asmo said.

Darrak shook his head. “As soon as my curse is removed, I’ll go back to the way I was before. Sure, it hasn’t all gone smoothly, but there’s no reason for me to believe otherwise. Theo convinced me that I’m the same underneath. Hell is my only home. It’s where someone like me belongs. It’s the only place I belong.”

Asmo’s lips curled with disgust. “Nope. No longer. You’re not welcome there. Not like this. You’ll contaminate the atmosphere.”

What in the hell was he talking about?

Theo looked as confused as Darrak did.

But then realization came into both of their gazes at the exact same time.

Celestial energy. He’d been absorbing it from Eden. That’s what had been powerful enough to give him form after all these years when no other human had been able to do that for him. Why her soul had been the brightest and shiniest thing he’d ever seen and he’d gone to it like a moth to a flame.

He’d taken it into himself. It had helped heal and help him.

It had become a part of him.

Removing the curse wouldn’t change him, wouldn’t take away this humanity and emotion he felt.

It was just the way he was now.

“Oh, shit.” Darrak felt like he’d just been punched in the gut by the hand of God. Clarity was a bitch sometimes. When he composed himself enough, he looked at Theo. “Release Eden. I know you can do it.”

Theo looked at him with shock. “Uh. . I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”

“Just do it,” he growled.

“Fine.” Theo flicked a wrist at Eden and she stumbled forward. Darrak caught her.

She gasped for breath and then threw her arms around him tightly. “I heard everything.”

He leaned back and looked down at her face. He wanted to hate her for doing this to him, for infecting him with this celestial energy. He’d known she was powerful, but she’d managed to destroy him without lifting a finger.

But Darrak couldn’t hate her. All he could do is feel relief that she was still all right.

It was all kinds of annoying.

Darrak looked at Asmo. “Will you break my curse?”

Asmo made a face. “Why would I ever want to do that, you weirdo?”

“To help us out.”

Asmo laughed so loud some would consider it a cackle. “Help you? Wow. That sounds like angel talk, loser. My advice to you, Darrak, is to kill this nephilim and find a new host. She’s going to drag you down. And I don’t mean to Hell.” He shuddered again. “I’m just really grossed out right now. I touched her ass and everything.”

“I’m sorry,” Theo said. “If I thought it would make a difference. . uh. .”

“Shut it.” Asmo paced back and forth, looking at each of them in turn. “I don’t want this body. I refuse to be in this one, and it’s not just because of the baldness, although, I must admit, that is a contributing factor to my decision. I need a perfect specimen and obviously that’s not going to be a human. I’m going to have to go demon for this. It’ll take a little more energy to burn out his insides, but I’m willing to make the effort.” He sighed. “I mean, I’m the Lord of Lust. How can anyone worship me if I don’t look the part?”

Darrak drew Eden closer to his side. He had a really bad feeling about this.

“We’ll find the perfect demon for you,” Theo said. “I promise.”

Asmo cocked his head, looking at Theo as if for the first time. “You know, you’re very pretty.”

“Pretty?” Theo’s expression soured. “I’m usually called ‘handsome’ or ‘extremely hot.’ But, okay. Thanks.”

“Pretty demon.” Asmo patted his face. “I want you.”

“I’ve, uh. . always preferred women, but. . I suppose I might be open to—” Theo gasped as a stream of black smoke exited Stanley’s mouth and entered his.

Stanley collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

The demon wheezed and braced himself on his thighs for a moment before straightening up. Then he slid his hands over his now-muscular chest and firm stomach. He reached behind his head and pulled the piece of leather out of his hair and shook it out.

“Way better!” Asmo said. “How absolutely yummy am I now?”

Darrak had a hard time talking at the moment. He kept his arm around Eden. Her fingernails dug into his arm to indicate her current level of stress.

“How can you possess another demon?” he managed. “I never knew that was even possible.”

“He’s on my staff. I might not have created him, but I can control him. Therefore his form is mine to do with as I please. Fun, right?”

“You need to let him go.” Darrak had his problems with Theo, but he couldn’t just turn his back on him now. Theo had tried to help break his curse. He’d stood by Darrak even when confused and dismayed by his behavior lately. As demons went, he was a true friend.

But Asmo didn’t let him go. Instead, he squeezed his eyes shut and held his hands out to his sides. There suddenly was a sound similar to a furnace — a roaring blaze which finished after ten seconds with a sizzling sound.

Asmo opened up his eyes, which were filled with flames for a moment before they darkened to normal. Smoke wafted off his skin in wispy tendrils.

He grinned. “Too late. He’s gone.”

Darrak gaped at him. “What?”

“Remember what I said before about the shell and the yolk? It didn’t take as much energy as I thought it would to fry him up over easy and send him on his way.”

Theo was gone? Just like that?

That was impossible. He couldn’t be gone.

What was this emotion Darrak felt? It didn’t seem all that familiar to him.

It must have been. . grief.

“Darrak. .” Eden said quietly. “We need to get out of here. And we need to get all these people out of here, too.”

Asmo had decimated Theo like he was nothing but a body with no past and no future. A nobody to be discarded to make way for someone more important.

But Darrak still existed. He still had a future. And so did Eden.