Topic: Back on the Road Again

Rhys Bristol

Date: 2011-05-01 13:19 EST
Rhys shoved his last pair of jeans into the duffel and zipped it closed, taking a look around the apartment to see if he'd forgotten anything. He hadn't lived there very long and hadn't had time to accumulate much. Books mostly. Tomes old and new. Reference materials on just about anything he could get his hands on regarding the strange and unexplained. That was one good thing about Rhydin. It was a virtual goldmine when it came to information about weirdness.

But there was one book he just couldn't seem to locate. The most valuable one of all. An ancient tome, thicker and heavier than the Bible, written in an archaic form of Latin that would probably take a lifetime to translate. He'd found the thing lurking in the library, old, worn, dusty, probably untouched for centuries, and had managed to sneak it out without anyone's knowledge. He'd searched the apartment from top to bottom for the last week and still couldn't find it. There was only one explanation. Kellie. She'd taken the book with her when she'd left, along with his favorite Metallica t-shirt.

Rhys frowned as he shouldered his duffel. First Riley, then Kellie, and now Lelah. His track record with women left something to be desired. He found himself thinking a lot about Jessie lately, but Jessie had been dead for years. There was no bringing her back. And Cara was out of the question. She'd made it pretty clear that she never wanted to see him or his weirdness again. That ship had sailed. Riley had gotten married, and somewhere along the way, love had turned to friendship. Kellie had left, her patience at an end. He hadn't meant to push her away but somehow had, and things had gone similarly with Lelah. Both of them were right. He wasn't ready for a relationship. Not until he got his sh*t together, and his sh*t was all about demons.

Rhys took a last, long look around the apartment. He'd tacked a scribbled note for Riley on the fridge, apologizing for leaving and explaining that he had to finish things once and for all. She'd know what he meant. He left the key to the apartment on the counter, hoping he'd be able to come back here someday, but unsure if he ever would. Unsure if he'd even survive, unsure if it even mattered. She had her own life to live now, and he wasn't really part of it.

Rhys thought about leaving a note for Lelah, but wasn't sure what he should say. Sorry I screwed up. Don't worry about paying me back for the car. Maybe Ori can teach you to drive. He frowned. No, it was better to just leave things the way they were. In time, she'd forget about him, if she hadn't already. He wasn't even sure what he'd been thinking. She was way out of his league, and she deserved better than him.

Rhys adjusted the duffel on his shoulder and grabbed his car keys. He wasn't quite sure where he was going, but he knew somehow he had to find Kellie and that damned book, before it was too late.

Rhys Bristol

Date: 2011-05-17 18:40 EST
It had been a long time since Rhys had tried scrying, and he wasn't sure it would work. He wasn't even sure if he remembered how, but it was worth a try. He had to find the book, and more importantly, he had to find Kellie.

He closed his eyes a moment, brows drawn down in concentration, and formed an image of Kellie in his mind, while Luke looked on. Rhys" lips moved, quietly forming words, too quiet to make out, spoken in a language Luke probably wouldn't understand. Rhys opened his eyes and gazed into the bowl of water, his mind focused, lips still moving quietly. The water swirled, clouded over, and then cleared, and Rhys thought he saw an image forming there of a coffee shop - a small mom and pop kind of place with a sign that talked about apartments for rent above. The water swirled again and there was Kellie upstairs looking out the curtains before drawing them closed.

"Where?" Rhys muttered quietly, beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. Coffee shops were a dime a dozen in Rhydin, if she was even still in Rhydin. The shop's name was blurred for a moment, but slowly came into focus.

Rhys furrowed his brows as he caught sight of the sign, trying to swing the vision back to Kellie, his head starting to ache with the effort. It looked like Rhydin, but he couldn't be too sure. "Give me another clue," he muttered, leaning slowly forward, closer to the bowl, which was starting to bubble and boil like it was heating up.

As the water started to boil and smoke, the last vision Rhys was allowed to see was that of a man in armor, almost like a knight of the court, walking out with a cup in one hand and a bag in the other. It wasn't much longer after that, and Luke was shoving Rhys away from the bowl and taking cover himself as the water container shook violently and then sprayed upward.

Leaning even closer to the bowl, almost as if drawn to it like a magnet, Rhys was unaware of the danger mere inches from his face and was taken off guard when Luke knocked him aside, falling to the floor with a thud, knocking his forehead on the side of the coffee table, the spell broken.

"What the hell..." Rhys grumbled, sitting up and rubbing the bump that was forming on the side of his head.

"Hot water in the face wouldn't be good, man," Luke said as he went for some towels. He was watching with interest and wondering if his house was going to explode.

Rhys looked over at the bowl and the water that had sprayed all over the table and floor. "That never happened before." Realizing he was fortunate not to have been burned, he moved to his feet and leaned over to blow out whatever candles were still lit.

"I wouldn't know," Luke said on his return, dropping towels on the table to soak up the water. "So what did you see?"

Rhys dropped onto the chair to retrieve his beer, pressing it against the bump on his forehead, furrowing his brows as he tried to remember what he'd seen. "Coffee shop. I think with some rooms for rent upstairs, somewhere in Rhydin."

"Great, that narrows it down."

"I got a name."

"So we look it up and go."

"Yeah' What are we gonna do' Let our fingers do the walking?" He'd yet to see a phone book in Rhydin.

"Do they have directories here"

"I dunno. Would you believe the place is called Joe's?"

"Joe's?" Luke snorted a laugh. "How....original."

Rhys shrugged. "It's Rhydin." He was puzzling over the bowl again, trying to figure out why the spell had gone awry.

"Any landmarks"

"Probably in the Marketplace. Everything's in the Marketplace. Think I've seen this place before."

"Do we want to go tonight?"

Rhys moved to his feet. "Not we. Me. It'd probably be better if I go alone."

"Okay and what if it's a trap" You said they could have gotten to her by now."

"If it was a trap, they'd have lured me there by now."

"Maybe they are being sneaky. Back home we had a sneaky gator. Sometimes he'd be right there to see, other times he was hiding in the mud."

"This isn't a gator, Luke. It's demons. You've seen what they're capable of."

"Right, but same disposition."

Rhys sighed. "Just....try to stay out of trouble, okay?"

"Hey, I'll let you go up, but if you aren't back in five, you better tell me how to get you out."

"You don't get me out, Luke. You get the hell out of there."

"Never leave a friend behind, Rhys."

"I thought that was the Marines." Rhys drained the beer and started for the door. Now that he knew where Kellie was, he was in a hurry to get there and get things over with.

"Rangers,? Luke corrected.

"Whatever."

"So, let's go get your girl," Luke moved to pick up his jacket.

Rhys wasn't sure Kellie was his girl anymore or if she ever had been, but if nothing else, he had to make sure she got home safely. And there was the matter of the book.

Rhys Bristol

Date: 2011-05-17 19:49 EST
After asking around downstairs, Rhys was directed to a room on the second floor where a girl matching Kellie's description was said to be staying. Room 113. He wasn't usually the superstitious type, but he didn't find the room number to be a very good omen. Nevertheless, he had no choice.

He hesitated a moment outside the door, feeling a little nervous, mumbling something to himself to chase away his fears. She was, after all, just a girl, and one Luke seemed to think had feelings for him, though he really had no clue if that was true or not. After taking a moment to gather his courage, he finally rapped his knuckles against the door and waited for an answer.

Kel was moving about inside. She was trying to get used to the new place and keeping her mind busy with ways to get home. She had met a man, but his friends had interest in the book that she wasn't willing to let go of. They claimed they needed it for a few days, and she wasn't going to let that happen. As far as she knew, it was her way back. She glanced toward the door, and while she didn't have much, she did have a gun and it was in her hand. "Who is it?"

It was now or never. The moment of truth. She'd either let him in or tell him to screw off. "It's me, Kel. Rhys."

Sh*t. She thought it, but didn't say it. How'd he find her there" Simple, she had been there a few weeks, he'd been there a while. "Just a second," she shouted. The book was pulled from the table and shoved under a couch cushion. Not the best hiding place, but she was in a rush. She made a dash to the bathroom to look in the mirror and check her hair, before she was at the door and pulling it open. "Hey."

He narrowed his eyes at her when she pulled the door open. He hadn't missed the fact that it had taken her a while to answer the door. "That's all you've got for me" Hey?"

"What'd you expect' A song and dance?" She narrowed her eyes back at him.

"No "Hey, I'm sorry I walked out on you and oh, by the way, here's your book and your favorite Metallica shirt?""

"Oh..." She shook her head. "That's how this is going to go down?"

"Go down?" He furrowed his brows. "You wrote me a Dear John letter. When you get your sh*t together....blah blah blah."

"You told me you didn't want me around, Rhys." She poked her finger at his chest. "Don't lay this sh*t on me. I've done nothing but try to help you, and then when things get close you craw fish, scared, but then....never mind."

"I did not say that. You're putting words in my mouth." He narrowed his eyes at her, emphasizing the "not". "Are you gonna invite me inside or are we gonna do this in the hall?"

"Fine, come in." She bowed as she stepped back, "Mister Bristol."

He stepped past her into the room and glanced briefly around, not seeing the book anywhere at first glance. "How long have you been here?"

"A while. Did you just come to ask me about my living arrangements after kicking me out?" She slammed the door behind him, before brushing past him to sit on the couch.

He glared back at her. "I didn't kick you out. I don't know where you're getting that from. You left, remember" You said you didn't like it here. And if you recall correctly, I'm not the one who brought you here."

The gun was tossed onto the coffee table, and she glared at him. He still looked good, but she was reminding herself that she wasn't happy with him. "Yeah, whatever. I just popped outta some chick's ass?"

"I have no clue how you got here, Kel. I only wanted to keep you safe, that's all. I don't know what you're so bent out of shape about."

"I am bent out of shape because I wanted to be with you, and you didn't want sh*t to do with that!" She glared but inside she wasn't happy with herself at all.

His gaze darted briefly to the gun she'd just tossed on the table, but it gave him no comfort. The last thing he was worried about was her shooting him. He looked back at her, eyes widening just slightly at her statement, remembering what Luke had told him. Maybe she did care about him, after all. "It wasn't that. I tried to explain, but you never listen."

"I don't want you getting hurt, Kel....Things are happening and I don't know if I can keep you safe....like I needed protection!" She stopped, looking at him then. "I was listening! You just pushed me away," she finally said quietly.

He frowned, feeling both guilty and stupid. How could she understand when she knew so little about him' They knew so little about each other. "You're right. I did. I'm sorry." He thought about Jessie a moment, wondering if he should explain, but unsure if it would make any difference.

She just watched him while he appeared to be thinking things over, but the apology wasn't expected. "I don't know what I was thinking we had....but that hurt."

"I push everyone away at some point, Kel," he admitted quietly, realizing just how true it was, just how pathetic his life had become. He wandered over to the window so he didn't have to look her in the face, looking out onto the streets of Rhydin and wishing he was back home. He had come there for the book, but the book no longer seemed important. There was something else going on, something that was far more important. He didn't want to open that particular can of worms, but he wasn't sure he had any choice.

She was watching him, wondering what was on his mind. For the first time in a long time, she was willing to listen to someone that she felt broke up with her. She stood from the couch and walked over to where he was watching nothing out the window. "Why?"

He shrugged, eyes staring out the window, focused on nothing. "Because it's just better that way."

"But' your life doesn't scare me."

"It should. It scares me."

"Rhys, some people are made to do this. It's a calling." She reached for his back reluctantly, then dropped her hand with a sigh.

"It's not a calling, Kel. It's a curse," he replied, turning his head toward her. "Don't you ever wish you just had a normal life?"

"Yeah, I wish it all the time....and sometime, I'll have one, Rhys." She was watching him still, her eyes trying to meet his when he looked at her.

"I had a normal life once....in a dream. That's all it was. Just a dream." He turned back toward the window and closed his eyes.

"So, what, you are scared to try again?" She finally put that hand on his back.

"I'm never gonna have a normal life, Kel, no matter how much I might want it. Not in this life time anyway."

"With an attitude like that, you could die alone....but I think you can have it, Rhys."

He opened his eyes and turned his head toward her again. "Don't you get it, Kel" Dying alone is better than watching all those you love die before you."

She just shook her head, sadly. "So, what, lone gunman forever?"

"You think I want to see you die" Or Luke" Or Adam' Or anyone else I care about' That's what happens to people who get close to me, Kellie."

"What if it's just our time?" She turned and left him standing at the window. "You can't save everyone when their number's up."

He turned back to the window, pausing another moment, his thoughts turning back to Jessie again and then to Riley. Riley had been luckier than Jessie. At least, she'd lived, but he'd still lost her forever. Never meant to be or whatever. "There was this girl once..."

She was watching him from the couch again, listening.

"She was beautiful. Blond hair, like yours, blue eyes. We were just kids when we met. She..." He paused, a little lost in the remembering.

"She what?" She was interested in the story, to say the least.

"Her name was Jessie. She was..." He paused again, fighting back the pain that had been burning inside for years. "She was my first. We had this secret place. I know it sounds stupid, but that's what kids do. No one knew about it. Just Jessie and me. We used to go there when we wanted to be alone."

She nodded, listening, and letting him say what he needed to say.

"One day she told me her mother was taking her away, that she couldn't see me anymore, that it was too dangerous. She was right, you know" It was too dangerous, but I was crushed. I begged her not to go. We went to our secret place and"one thing led to another. We hardly knew what we were doing. She died because of me. She..." He closed his eyes again, fighting back the pain. "She threw herself off a bridge and drowned, but it wasn't her. It was demons. Her mother blamed me for her death. I found out later she'd been possessed. If it hadn't been for me, if she hadn't, if we hadn't..."

"So, a demon made her jump off a bridge?" She was shocked, not expecting that end. She thought the girl listened to her mother and wrote him off as the weird kid that she shouldn't see anymore. She was up and moving his way again, hoping to comfort him in some way. She wrapped her arms around him. "God, Rhys, I'm sorry,"

He let her comfort him, if only for a moment, leaning into her embrace, his voice ragged with grief. "If I hadn't loved her, she'd still be alive."

"I don't think that's the truth....but I can see where you'd think that."

He pulled himself away from her, holding her by the shoulders at arms' length. "Don't you get it, Kel" I don't want that to happen to you, too. Or anyone else. I can't let it happen."

"Don't you get it, Rhys" I'm a big girl and can make my own decisions and choices."

He searched her eyes, as if looking for an answer, his heart conflicting with his head.

"What?"

He'd wanted a happily ever after, but happily ever afters didn't come until the story was at an end, and his story wasn't finished yet. One demon down, two to go. "Are you in love with me, Kel?"

She just stared at him for a bit.

He stared back, searching her eyes. "I need to know."

"You gonna keep pushing me away?" Did she love him' It was something. She cared for him and wanted to know him better. She didn't get that chance before, and now that he knew who he was, it would make for more interesting conversation.

"I don't know. I don't want to..." His heart was aching with loneliness and fear.

"I started to care for you." She looked at him again. "I started to know the real you. You knew who you were for the first time since meeting me and then bam!"

He was still searching her eyes, all the fear and grief and regret plain to see on his face. "I'm scared, Kel. I don't want to lose anyone else."

"You were young when you lost Jessie, Rhys. She was a kid, and you said it yourself, you didn't know anything." She reached for his hands. "We aren't kids, and I know a few things about taking care of myself, you know?"

He let her take his hands, meeting her gaze. "I have to go home. I don't belong here."

She lifted a hand to cup his cheek. "Not without me."

He smiled faintly down at her. "You gonna give me the book back?"

"Uh." She thought about that a minute. If she gave it to him now, he might not come back to see her. "I don't have it?"

"You're a sh*tty liar, Kel." He tipped her chin up and dipped his head to meet her lips, sealing the deal with a kiss.

Rhys Bristol

Date: 2011-05-25 21:55 EST
Rhys had sent Luke home hours ago, needing to be alone with Kellie, to talk to her, to explain why he'd acted the way he had. One thing had led to another, and before long, he'd found himself kissing her. It wasn't long after that he'd taken her to bed, not realizing until that very moment how much he'd missed her and how stupid he'd been. A few hours later found him lazily dozing, tangled in the mess he and Kel had made of the sheets and blankets, naked as the day he was born except for a couple of tattoos and an amber stone that hung from a chain around his neck. He rolled to one side, reaching for Kellie and not finding her, but too tired to go looking for her, assuming she'd just gone to the bathroom.

Kellie had left his side for just a few minutes, leaning over the sink, running cool water into her hands, then across her face. The towel was picked up from the bar, and as she was drying her face, she caught glimpse of something in the mirror, but before she had the time to alert Rhys, she was on her knees. She tried to fight, but realized there was nothing there. It was too late.

She looked back into the mirror and smiled brightly at the face that looked back at her. The woman named Kellie was still alive inside her body somewhere, but she was no longer in control.

The demon could smell Rhys on her flesh, and she knew what the couple had done. She had just made love to her toy, and that was not going to be the last time today, if she had her way. The door was opened slowly and she stepped out, making her way back to the bedroom. She leaned in the doorway, her hands smoothing down over the shirt, his shirt that she wore again. She watched him as he slept, and then her eyes dropped to that stone around his neck, and a small frown formed there.

She made her way back to the bed and like a cat, crawled up his legs before she slid beside him, eyes on the stone and the clasp of the chain. She had to remove that necklace.

He sensed her presence, even in his sleep, her scent filling his senses, and he shifted a little, muttering something inaudible under his breath.

Carefully she reached for the clasp, so close to that annoying stone.

He felt a tickling sensation as her hair brushed against him and her fingers reached for the chain about his neck. He made another soft sound as his eyes slowly opened.

The clasp was quickly undone, and she had the necklace in her hand, but the stone burned her fingers as she quickly tried to catch it.

Rhys" eyes snapped open suddenly when he felt the chain sliding away from his neck, a hand reaching out to grab hold of her wrist before she could snatch the stone away. "What are you doing?" His eyes narrowed as he studied her face in the moonlight, paying particular attention to her eyes.

Her eyes were cool blue as always. "It was caught in my hair! I wasn't trying to wake you up."

He reached for the stone, wrapping his hand around it to take it from her. "Leave it."

"I don't know why you wear this thing anyway." She leaned to press her lips to his jaw, moving the stone out of his reach, while her other hand moved down his chest, across his stomach and slowly further down.

He sucked in a breath, eyes drifting closed momentarily again as she reignited his desire. He dropped his hand, giving in and forgetting about the stone for a moment. "It's for protection," he muttered, turning his head to search for her lips.

She smiled. The stone was kept from him and held by the chain away from her. Her lips moved from his jaw to his neck, before she leaned up to meet his lips. A sigh was the only sound from her.

He captured her lips, losing himself momentarily in her kiss, before settling his hands against her hips and shifting his weight to turn her onto her back.

She was too slow with the stone, and it hit her leg, causing her to jump, but she tried to play it off, wrapping her arms around him as she was pushed to her back. She allowed him to put her where he wanted, easily, willingly.

He used his lips to distract her, while one hand once again reached to take the stone from her, his body pressed against hers, his arousal evident.

She was caught up in the kiss, and as soon as she felt the tug on the chain, she moved the stone away again. He couldn't have it back; that would ruin part of the plan.

He frowned into her kiss, brows furrowing, unsure if she was teasing him now or if there was something else going on. He broke away from her lips, looking down at her with a serious expression on his face. "Kel, give me the stone." She'd already stolen his book. Was this some kind of ploy to get the stone, too"

"You are serious now" I mean where we are here and you are worried about the necklace?" She watched him with an almost pouting expression, until that damned rock burned her hand after it rolled from the covers into her palm, causing her to suck in a breath and drop it to the floor.

It was hard to miss that reaction and he grabbed hold of her wrist to examine her hand, realizing the truth too late, his stomach lurching sickeningly. "Who are you?"

The smile formed and her blue eyes washed to black. "Rhys, darling, can't we talk about this in about, oh, five, maybe ten minutes?"

His eyes narrowed as he realized who was in possession of Kel's body and he felt like an idiot for not taking the proper precautions. "Naamah."

She smiled and nodded her now blonde head. "Now, can we finish what we started?" She reached up, wrapping her free hand around the back of his head.

His initial reaction was not only disgust but hatred. She'd been taunting him for years and had been responsible for too many deaths. Despite the body she was wearing, he was no longer interested in what she had to offer. He pulled her hand away from his neck and up over her head where he held it firmly at the wrist. "What do you want?"

"You?" She smiled sweetly. "I know how you feel about this body. It's obvious." She glanced downward.

It wasn't quite so obvious anymore. As soon as he'd realized who she was, all his desire for her evaporated. "Would you like to know how I feel about you?" His words dripped with obvious loathing. It was taking all his self control not to throttle her.

"That's not nice, Rhys." Her smile was still there. She had both wrists pinned now, and she shifted her body to press against him. "Since you are holding me down, it would be so easy for you to have your way with me."

He glared at her with narrowed eyes and starting reciting words he'd memorized in Latin.

"Not a good idea, Rhys." She twitched with the words.

He ignored her threat and continued to speak the words of the exorcism, words he'd learned long ago.

Another low growl and she pushed with everything she had to try and throw him off of her.

He literally flew across the room to slam into a wall, jarring the room, a lamp crashing to the floor, along with a few pictures.

"I tried to be nice, Rhys."

He laid there against the wall, stunned for a moment, stars spinning around his head.

"Apparently there is only one way to reach you." Her smile was cold as she stood up from the bed.

He groaned as he rubbed the back of his head, blinking to try and focus his eyes as he watched her approach, wishing he had a gun in his hand but knowing it wouldn't do him any good anyway. "If you wanna get laid, we don't you just go stand on a street corner and flash a little leg?"

"With this body, I could see a lot of action, I am sure." She smiled as she leaned to cup his chin with delicate fingers.

He looked up into the demonic inky blackness that were once Kellie's eyes of blue. "I'm not gonna let you keep her. You know that. And I'm not gonna let you kill her either."

"Then you are going to help me, Rhys." She let go of his face.

"Help you do what?" he asked, watching her closely, his voice still dripping with hatred.

"I want you to kill Abaddon for me, Rhys."

His eyes widened for just a moment and then he laughed, climbing to his feet and grabbing his pants from the discarded clothing pile. "You're joking."

"Before you think you have a choice, I know how she feels about you."

He pulled his jeans on, narrowing his eyes at her as he zipped them closed. "You think that'll make a difference?"

"Something says you have the same feelings for her. Maybe it's the look in your eyes." She smiled. "You want your life, I want my freedom."

"I don't have feelings for anyone," he contradicted, leaning down to swipe the stone from the floor and slip the chain around his neck as he straightened. "You killed Jessie, remember" Think I just conveniently forgot about that' And you expect me to help you? You've gotta be kidding me."

"No one?" She laughed, Kel's laugh. "You forget about John?" She asked as she stepped out of the bedroom toward the living room, as if seeing things for the first time.

With her back turned to him, he took advantage of the opportunity and grabbed his gun off the nightstand. "Did you forget about David?"

"David?" Her eyes fell to the pistol that Kel left out and it was picked up. Since he was armed, she thought she might as well do the same. "I was thinking that if you don't help me, I'll pay a visit to Adam. Did you know that they had a thing for each other?"

"Don't act stupid with me. What about the hounds you set on me" You forget about those, too' How about the accident' Refresh your memory yet?" He had the .45 leveled at her, but didn't really want to pull the trigger and hurt Kellie.

"Hounds." She smiled as she picked up the pistol, holding it to her side. "Your driving didn't improve, while running from my boys."

He eyed the pistol at her side. "What are you doing?"

"Insurance?" Her smile was sinister.

He realized with a heavy heart how stupid it was to point a loaded gun at her when she was all too willing to use Kellie's on herself. He faltered, wavering, and finally lowering the gun. "After everything you've done, what makes you think I'll help you?"

"I want to be free, Rhys." She spoke again when he moved the pistol away. "You are so soft, so easy..."

It was his turn to smile, turning the tables on her to toy with her a moment. "He wants you dead. He made a deal with me to kill you."

She frowned a little. "He wants me dead?" That was a new revelation.

"The deal is I kill you and give him the sword and he lets those I love live. Can you do better?" He knew it was a crappy deal, but he had no intentions on keeping it anyway.

"You get my freedom, you'll never see me again."

"Same deal he gave me. You better sweeten the pot."

The gun rose to her temple then. "I don't take another person from you."

"Why are you such a bitch?" he snarled.

She smiled again. "We all have our talents, Rhys."

He watched the gun at Kellie's head. "If I agree, I never want to see you again. Ever."

"That's my offer, Sweetness." Her laugh was not Kellie's laugh then. "I keep this body until I have his head."

"I don't think so. I'll call you if I need you."

"A counter offer?" She laughed again. "Rhys, if I give her up, you won't follow through. That means Adam goes to see David, Jessie, that bitch from Chicago....and I will get to your blonde again."

"How am I supposed to trust you to keep your word?"

"I haven't splattered her brains across this crummy little room yet, have I?"

He frowned at her, not liking the deal, but feeling he had no choice. It was either agree or risk Kel joining the lengthening list of people he'd lost to demons. "I'm not sleeping with you. That's not part of the deal."

She smiled at that frown. She had seen the look more than once. "Come on, Rhys," she cooed. "How do you know you haven't already?"

"She didn't taste like sulphur."

"You dirty little boy." She laughed.

He didn't appear very amused by her remark or by the situation in general. "I'll sleep on the couch."

She stalked back toward him, gun in hand and lowered from her head. "You can share the bed with me" us" again." She reached a hand for his shirtless chest. "I'll keep my hands to myself."

He watched her, green eyes following her every move, and snatched her wrist once again before she could touch him. "You do just that or I might decide to let Abaddon know about your little plan."

"Are you drinking buddies?" She watched his posing and posturing. She knew he was serious, but she still had to toy with him.

He stiffened a little, prideful, tempted to kill her right then and there, but he didn't want to hurt Kellie. He turned on a heel and started back toward the bedroom. "I'm going back to bed, and I'm locking the door, so don't try anything."

"You are locking me out?"

"Since when do demons sleep" Check the TV. Maybe The Exorcist is on or something. You should find that entertaining."

"I've seen it several times, and it keeps getting funnier."

He stopped when he got to the bedroom door. "Don't forget who I am really, Naamah. You harm one hair on her head, and I swear to God, I'll kill you."

She reached up and plucked out a blonde hair and held it to him. "Like this?" She let the hair drop to the floor, smiling sweetly at him, in a daring gesture.

"Remember Lilith?"

"Yes, I do. I say you got lucky."

"Would you like to put that to the test?"

"After you get Abby, we will talk."

"After I get Abby, you will let Kellie go and never bother either of us again."

"A deal is a deal." She stepped closer, holding out her hand. "Shake on it?"

"No, and I'm not kissing on it either."

"On the cheek?" Still smiling. "Fine, go to bed. I'll have a smoke."

"She quit. Chew some gum." And with that, he went into the bedroom to contemplate the situation, making good on his promise to lock the door.

She waited until the door was closed, and she heard the click of a lock. The pistol was put back on the table, and the remote was picked up. As far as she was concerned, it was going to be an interesting night.