“Why did you stop?” she asked.
“Your eyes…I…what have I done?” He replied in a tortured voice. He grabbed her hands that had begun sliding sensually up his chest. The delicate blue veins visible under skin were running black. Following his gaze, Katia looked down at her hands and arms, letting out a cry of shock.
“Wh…what’s happening to me?” She looked up at him in desperation.
Releasing her and shoving her back from him, Luc jumped from the bed and backed into the far wall. The farther he got from her the more the red glow faded from her eyes. Luc felt his heart plummet to his feet. It was him; he was doing this to her. He was infecting her with evil.
After all this time, he’d finally found a woman that cared for him despite who he was and he couldn’t be with her without damaging her. He’d never sought a relationship, thought he didn’t want the softness of love — thought he didn’t need it. He’d spent centuries growing the wall of ice and darkness around his soul and this woman had cracked it wide open in the space of two days. It was so close and felt so perfect, but yet he was going to be denied. He felt like crying. He felt like screaming.
“Your Sigil — it’s lighter.” Katia said, pointing to his chest with a shaking hand. The oily darkness in her veins also visibly lighter since his hasty retreat from the bed.
Looking down at his chest, Luc realized that she was right. More of the blackness radiating from his heart had been replaced with gold. “I..can’t…we can’t do that again,” he said, choking on the words.
“Why not? I’m fine now,” Katia replied, holding out her arms to show him they’d returned to their normal state.
Shaking his head vehemently, Luc replied, “The evil, the darkness…your eyes...I can’t do that to you; I lo….I care about you too much. I won’t let it happen.”
“I…okay,” Katia replied, sadness lacing her voice. Slowly, she turned away from him to face the other side of the room. Sliding down into the mattress and drawing the bed sheets up around herself, she lay in silence.
Moving over to the ugly chair, Luc plopped down and scrubbed his hands over his face. He mentally slapped himself for almost making a declaration of love. He’d only known her for two days, how could that even be possible? Sliding his eyes over to where she lay on the bed, he felt his heart constrict painfully. He let out a shaky breath. It was definitely possible with this woman. He was falling in love with her and there was nothing he could do about it. He would do the only honorable thing he could — he would help her get out of this situation with Satan and then disappear from her life. Sergei clearly wanted her, they were friends and got along well. She would be better off with him. That thought made Luc want to smash every piece of furniture in the room to woodchips. He had never been the jealous type, but there was a first time for everything. Balling his hands into fists at his side, he strengthened his resolve. He’d never thought it was possible, but it seemed as though he was entering a new kind of hell.
Chapter Seventeen
Who knew angels could be so bloody messy. Sergei humphed as he walked around his now-empty apartment, picking up empty pop cans strewn around the room and tossing them into a hefty bag. Both ashtrays were full of butts. That Baal smoked like a friggin’ chimney. Good thing he was immortal or he’d have died of lung cancer years ago. Fifteen minutes and one full garbage bag later, Sergei plopped down on his couch with a sigh.
His date with Katia had been a giant disaster, his home had been invaded by supernatural beings, and he was wiped out from performing the summoning ritual.
