18. Secrets RevealedAsher

18

SECRETS REVEALED

ASHER

H oly Shit! What the fuck is this woman doing? Why is she eating Theo's heart? She's looking at me like a demented killer. Blood drips from razor fangs onto bare breasts. From demon claws, it slides down a pale arm and onto the floor, puddling at delicate toes. Wow, she's hot.

Really? You'd fixate on that, at this very moment?

Dropping the heart, Mara makes her way over to me. She's scanning me with her eyes, as if I'm her next meal. I maintain my composure, never shifting my gaze away from her face. Her face transforms back into that of a human, yet the blood remains, tarnishing the lovely face underneath.

My own claws remain out, but I don't lift them when she flattens hers on my chest. She runs the sharp tips down to the top of my jeans and snaps the button off with a flip of her wrist. She smirks at me before licking her lips.

"Do you want to have a bit of fun too?" she purrs. "He couldn't satisfy me."

"So you fucking killed him?" I grab her wrist slowly, allowing my fingernails to return to normal. I didn't want to aggravate the situation or provoke it to go any further. As much as I'd love to roll around with this woman in the sheets, I couldn't. Not only is she a mission, but she's also a man killer.

"I killed him because he was a horrible human being who did very bad things to people that were unable to defend themselves." She pulls her now human hand from mine and turns from me. I don't know if I saw disappointment or hurt in her eyes before they vanished from view.

"You need to explain," I demand, looking away as she puts her clothes on.

"Why should I? I don't answer to you."

"Well, for starters, we're gonna have to figure out what to do with the body," I start to explain. "We'll have to figure out something to tell the rest of the group why he just up and disappeared, seeing that he's the head of this cult."

"Are you a part of this cult?" she asks. I feel her eyes piercing into me, and I tense. "Who exactly do they worship?"

"Yes, we all are," I reply. "We're using it as a cover while we searched for you."

"You missed the last question. Who is it that you pledge yourself to?"

"The Devil," I say bluntly.

"That's perfect," she throws her hands up in frustration. "Not only am I being hunted by you three, I also have to worry about a cult that worships Samael. Wait, are you trying to release him from Hell?"

"It was the original plan," I step closer to her. "That is until we got to know your full story."

"That's laughable," she gets in my face. "Who would ever choose my side over power?"

"It's not that simple, Mara. We still have lines we try our damnedest not to cross." I grip her arms and catch her eyes with mine. "Your situation is one of those lines."

She pushes me away and steps towards the door. "Very funny. None of us can escape Samael. I'm very grateful for your intervention all those years ago, but this is suicide for you guys. There's no way you would get away with defying him. The best thing I can do is disappear again."

"Mara, you can't," I try to catch her before she can leave. "You can't do this alone. He means to trap you. To end you."

"Then I'm better going against him alone. I'd rather not take you three down with me. Have a good life, Asher." And with those words she vanishes.