Chapter 20
W ith a dead Keith and a pub half full of customers with more expected shortly, Kyla couldn’t exactly drag his body out, chop it up, and dispose of it. She would have to make a call and ride it out, hoping and praying that whatever Azazel had done to kill him wouldn’t be pinned on her.
Azazel stuck around but made himself invisible, sitting on the countertop in the far corner of the kitchen, watching the drama unfold.
Kyla called the emergency services then cleared the pub out, asking people to leave in respect of Keith, which of course they did. By the time the paramedics arrived, only a few stragglers remained, hanging around on the street outside.
Kyla stayed in the kitchen, near Azazel, watching the two female paramedics work on Keith, trying to revive him. Her heart pounding and her body covered in a cold sweat, Kyla couldn’t help but gnaw on her nails as her anxiety bested her. The thought that they just might bring the old pervert back to life worried her beyond belief.
Ten minutes later, they called time. “I’m terribly sorry,” said the younger of the two ladies. “But he’s gone. Does he have any family?”
Kyla shook her head.
“Ok. We’ll call the coroner and sort things out. Are you ok? You look very pale.”
Kyla nodded. “I’m ok. Do I need to stay or can I go?”
“Let me take your details first and then you can go. Is there someone to lock this place up?”
“I can come back later and do it.”
The lady nodded before handing Kyla a small black notepad and a pen to write her details down on. Without a further word, Kyla ran out of there, her entire body shaking and her mind whirring with endless possibilities.
Azazel reappeared at her side as she stepped out of the back door. “Are you ok?”
“No,” Kyla replied. “I’m really not.”
Azazel grinned at her. “Is now the right time to say I told you so?”
Kyla turned and glared at him. “About what exactly?”
“I told you how you would feel about it, didn’t I?”
Rolling her eyes, Kyla fished the keys for Sam’s car out of her pocket and marched around to the car park at the front. “It’s not that,” she said, keeping her voice quiet. “It’s the hand marks around his neck I’m worried about. That they’ll come back and pin this on me somehow.”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Azazel said, giving her a mischievous smile. “His autopsy will find he died of a heart attack and that’s that. Case closed.”
Kyla stopped next to Sam’s car, scanning her eyes over Azazel. “Just like that?”
“Yep. Just like that. Trust me.”
Kyla snorted. “That’s a funny enough phrase coming from a human, let alone a demon.”
“We’re not all bad, you know. The media never portrays us nicely.”
“To the media, you’re fictional.”
He took a step closer to her, his eyes locked on hers. It was impossible to ignore the hitch in her breath and the instant spike in her heartrate as he invaded her personal space. Lowering his voice to a deep husk, he whispered, “Do I look fictional to you?”
Kyla pressed her lips together, her legs trembling, her heart racing like a herd of wild horses, and her mind running riot with the thought of kissing him again. She couldn’t help but think of what she knew he was hiding in his trousers and how amazing he would feel inside her.
“No,” Kyla breathed, unable to take her eyes from his. “Definitely not.”
Azazel took the last of the space between them. He reached out and settled a hand on her hip, teasing up the edge of her shirt and brushing her skin ever so softly with his thumb. “Did you like what you felt earlier?”
Kyla licked her lips, a piercing throb settling straight between her legs as she thought about that moment. “Yes,” she whispered.
Keeping his eyes on hers, Azazel took a second to poke around at her energy, feeling with his mental tendrils for weak spots in her mind, any softness where he might squeeze in and flood her consciousness with his thoughts.
As Kyla stared into his jade green eyes, mesmerised by the tiny gold flecks swirling around like gold dust, she found herself relaxing, a sense of warmth and happiness flowing through her.
The second she relaxed, Azazel found his in, sending his tentacles through her brain, searching for everything there was to know about Kyla Marshall. Flashes of her childhood like a picture book on hyper speed raced through his mind, memories of school, of gymnastics classes, memory after memory of Sam, teenage years, more school—her entire life to date filled his mind in less than ten seconds.
But he wasn’t interested in that right now. He could sift through all of that later. What he wanted right now was her sharing his mind, knowing what he was thinking, he wanted her brain to be crammed full only with thoughts of him.
Kyla gasped as her mind filled with thoughts, thoughts of him and her having sex, hard, rough sex. An image of them both naked, hot, sweaty, flooded her brain. He grabbed her hair and wrapped it around his wrist before turning her around and bending her over, pounding into her from behind. The slapping of skin on skin resounded through her, echoing in her ears almost, as if it were really happening.
Her body reacted to the images in her mind, her desire heightening as the throbbing between her legs intensified, picturing how his girthy cock would feel sliding in and out of her, fast and deep.
The instant Azazel saw the spark of hunger in her eyes, he shut the mental image down, withdrawing from her mind as quickly as he’d invaded it.
“How...how did you do that?” Kyla asked, her voice all but a breathless whisper.
“Tricks of the trade,” Azazel replied, giving her a cheeky wink.
Completely dazed, Kyla had no response. Utterly turned on and full of emotion after the day’s events, she didn’t know what to do for the best.
“After what you’ve discovered about me today, I’m amazed you’re not screaming or fainted in shock,” Azazel said.
Kyla shook her head. “I should be screaming or have run as far away from you possible. I mean, you are pretty scary when you, you know, turn into...that. But...”
Azazel quirked a sandy eyebrow up. “But?”
A hot blush crept up Kyla’s neck, spreading over her cheeks and turning her face bright red. “But there’s something about you...you fascinate me...and I...” She sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “I can’t stop thinking about you fucking me.”
A triumphant grin spread over Azazel’s face. “My little mind trick always works wonders. Quite realistic don’t you think?”
Kyla tore her eyes from him, staring at the gravel beneath her feet. “I need to go home. I need to chill out after today.”
“Would you like some company?”
Kyla bit her bottom lip. Oh, did she ever. After what she’d held in her hand less than an hour ago and the buzz currently running through her veins, Kyla wanted nothing more than to rip his clothes off and devour him entirely.
But something niggled at her. Something that told her not to be so easily manipulated, especially by a demon.
“No,” she said, giving him a sweet smile. “No, thank you. Not today.”
Azazel dropped his hand from her hip and took a step back. Shock and confusion spread through his eyes like wildfire as the reality of his first ever rejection settled deep in his soul, slicing him in two.
“Oh,” he said, his voice quiet. “Of course, no problem. Are you ok getting home?”
Kyla smiled, wondering if this was his second attempt at trying again or if he just really wanted to be rejected again. “I can drive a couple of miles, Azazel. Thank you.” She pressed the unlock button on her key and turned to open the door, then stopped. “Just wondering, your brother...is he actually your brother?”
“Unfortunately. His name isn’t Ben though.”
Kyla laughed. “No shit. Really?”
Azazel grinned at her. “His name is Balthazar. He’s a hopeless romantic and a blundering idiot but you’ll figure that out yourself soon enough.”
“Well, Azazel. It’s been a pleasure today, in a weird way. I’ll um...I’ll see you soon, maybe.”
Nodding, Azazel watched her sit down in the car. “Don’t worry about coming back to lock this place up. I’ll sort it. Take some time and chill out. You’ve had a hell of a day.”
“But you’ve got no keys,” Kyla replied, frowning. A second later, she realised what she’d said and slapped a hand over her mouth, giggling. “Sorry, stupid thing to say, considering,” she said, waving a hand at him.
“It’ll take some getting used to. Don’t worry about anything, ok?”
Kyla nodded and reached for the car door to close it. “Thanks. See you soon.”
As she started the car and drove off, Azazel couldn’t help but feel a little piece of himself went with her.