Page 4 of Consorting With The Enemy

Arrogantly, I closed the door and stepped further into the room. I was here for a purpose and that purpose wasn’t to have tea or discuss Marchand’s pretty wings. Smiling at him, I couldn’t help but wonder what he thought when he looked at me. Did he remember our brief time together? Did it still haunt him the way it did me? More importantly, did it trouble him that only one of us would probably leave this room before the night ended?

He didn’t look troubled.

Arrogant. Cocky. Not troubled.

“Well, well, Azazel,” I drawled. “Fancy meeting you here…holding a lavender feather that reeks of your nephew, the Dark Lord’s promised pet.” I slowly walked around him, forcing him to move in order to keep an eye on me in case there might be a sudden attack. “Where, oh where could he be? My prize seems to keep alluding my dark clutches.”

Az’s jaw twitched in anger, but his body remained perfectly still. When he spoke, his voice was calm, but his fury lay just below the surface. “My nephew isn’t the Dark Lord’s pet or your fucking prize, Ari. You should realize that I’ll never let you or any other demon take him from those who love him.”

“Okay,” I answered. Damn, but his ass looked as good as I remembered. His suit had to have been tailored for him.

“Okay?” he hissed. “Why are you even here, Ari? I would have thought you would have been much too smart to fall for a fucking demon trap. To be honest, I never expected you to show.”

“Demon trap?” I asked in mocked surprise and then started disappearing and reappearing all around the room like I was trying to escape from the magical trap locking me inside the shack. When I finally settled and my body adjusted, I grinned at him and said, “I’m shocked.” For the first time since I’d arrived, a look of uncertainty passed across his features. Not fear, but a slight unease. “I mean, you did lure me here with that intoxicating scent, didn’t you? Wasn’t that your intent?”

“This isn’t a game, Ariel.” he snapped. “You came here to capture my nephew and take him to the underworld. You’re in a demon trap and I’m far more powerful than you. What in the unholy fuck do you think is going to happen in this shack?”

Oh, my. Somebody’s calmness was slowly evaporating.

Keeping a smile on my face, I plopped down on an old sofa and laid my arms across the back. “First of all, Az, I resent the fact that you believe yourself to befarmore powerful than me. That’s simply absurd and insulting. Second, you brought me here, so stop acting surprised that the plan is coming together so smoothly.” I crossed my leg over my knee and moved one arm down to toy with the buckles on my boots. I cocked a brow at him. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it? Me. Here. Trapped.”

I could practically hear his teeth grinding.

“You are here to take my nephew to the underworld, Ari. Stop being damn flippant about it.”

All playing aside, I asked, “Why would you think that, Azazel? What makes you so sure that’s what I’m here for?”

He stormed across the room and glared down at me. “You. Followed. His. Scent. Here.” His goddamn beautiful wings unfurled, ripping his expensive shirt, vest, and jacket to shreds. “Why the fuck else would you be here, demon?”

Looking up at him, I said, “What makes you think it washisscent that lured me here?” He stepped back like I’d punched him. “Don’t get me wrong, I was kind of starting to like the lavender piece of fluff when we were together last, but his was not the scent that I followed into this nasty bayou.” I stood up, practically putting us chest to chest, and whispered, “It wasyours, Az.”

He stepped away from me. “Shut the fuck up, Ari. Is this your way of telling me that you’ve sent others to try and collect my nephew? You’re here to distract me?”

His body practically vibrated with anger and finally fear. My angel did love his only remaining family. For a second, I wondered what it would be like to be on the receiving end of such devotion from Azazel. Hell, from anybody…but mostly Azazel.

“No, your nephew is perfectly safe. The underworld is busy with other priorities right now.” I shrugged. “Anyway, I’m certain that the boy is with the Gaudets and his vampire guardians. The Gaudets, Az? I would never have imagined you aligned with witches.

He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it again. His eyes, a beautiful pale blue, especially compared to my soulless black eyes, studied me closely. He searched for a hint of deceit. He wouldn’t find it. Marchand was completely safe for the moment.

“Why are you here, Ari?” he finally asked. “What’s your latest game?” A funny look crossed his face and he said, “You. It was you at Ravenwood, wasn’t it? I knew I smelled a demon.”

“No games,” I answered and then, with a flick of my wrist, a king-sized bed appeared in the center of the room. When his eyes bulged out of his head, I laughed and said, “The Gaudets aren’t the only ones capable of magic, Az. I’m a demon. I have all sorts of trickery and fuckery at my disposal.” Using a bit more of my powers, I caused my clothes to vanish and then climbed onto the bed. I tried to appear casual as I leaned my back against the sturdy headboard, but my heart thundered in my chest. The look in his eyes…that damned sexy look was almost more than I could handle. It did hurt my feelings that I could follow his scent across the continents, but he’d only smelled a demon at Ravenwood, not me.

Patting the bed next to me, I said, “Come on, old friend, join me.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “We were never friends.” His voice was low and absent of his venom, contrary to the words he’d said.

I patted the bed again. “Come on, old lover, get in here.”

He moved away and leaned his back against the wall. His wings retracted in the blink of an eye, making me miss them the second they vanished. “What are you doing, Ari?” he asked again. This time his voice was laced with exasperation.

“I’m trying to seduce you into a nice tumble in the sheets…for old time’s sake.” I felt my eyes darken even more. “You remember, don’t you, Az? The first time we were together? Remember how we battled to see who would fuck whom?” I licked my lips. “I remember. I remember every damn lick, suck, touch, and your whispers of how badly you wanted me.” Laughing, I said, “The devil knows how badly I tried to forget but it wasn’t possible.”

His heartrate picked up the pace. His words, however, didn’t match the sultry rhythm. “It wasn’t memorable.”

“Ouch. That was not nice, Az.” I sat up on my knees. “It was also not the truth.”

“Shut up.”

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