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.