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Chapter Thirty-Five
Noelle took a step back in fear. Hadrian, the demon that had possessed Sage, was in front of her. It didn't make any sense; how was he here in her head? Did Ayumu have more power than she thought? "How...why," she stuttered nervously, "I don't understand. How are you here?"
Ayumu shifted on the couch, lounging into a more comfortable position. He had another glass of demon's brew in his hand, which he swirled around lazily. "I brought him with me," he shrugged, as if it was no big deal to bring friends along for a ride in Noelle's mind.
"You brought him along? You can do that?"
He gave her a sarcastic look, letting her know that her questions were irritating him. He was on a tight schedule her, but he enjoyed taunting her nonetheless. "What can I do for you, luv? We don't have much time, but I'm willing to entertain a few questions."
"I want to know why Hadrian is here," she demanded.
"Really now?" he mocked, "You wanted to speak with me about that? Curious, I didn't know you could predict the future."
She shot him a dirty glare, "Screw you, you know what I mean." She seethed when Ayumu merely looked at her innocently. Suddenly it dawned on her, "You brought him along to flaunt your powers didn't you? Such a male," she growled, "let's just all slap our dicks on the table and measure whose is the longest!" He chuckled lightly, but made no effort to argue with her. Figures. He just wanted to rub it in her face, and in Raine's. He was more powerful than they knew, and there was nothing they could do about it.
"Why don't you ask me what you really want to, luv?" he suggested nonchalantly.
Noelle sat in the armchair and stared unwaveringly at him. "What can you tell me about Theo and Delilah as mates...or not?"
Ayumu chuckled affectionately, "That bastard." When he noticed Noelle's offended look he laughed, "I was referring to Jedidiah, not precious Theo."
"Don't mock him," she growled. How dare he? Theo was dead, and Ayumu was laughing about it. "You killed him," she accused, "Why? What is wrong with you?"
She could have sworn there was a flicker of guilt on his face before he sneered. "Theo was weak and presented no challenge. I killed him as a warning to all of you. We demons are powerful and we will get what we deserve."
"Eternal damnation?" she retorted snarkily.
"Already have that, sweetie," Hadrian grinned.
Noelle jumped, she had forgotten about him. She gave a frustrated growl and glared at Ayumu, "Tell me."
He raised an eyebrow mockingly, "Tell you what?"
Resisting the urge to scream in frustration, she clenched her jaw and ground out, "Everything."
Sighing, Ayumu refilled his glass, offering some to Noelle in the process. When she refused, he shrugged giving her a 'suit yourself' look and settled on the couch. "I suppose I should start from the beginning. He rested his right ankle on his left knee and took a quick sip of his drink.
"Four years ago, our king, King Roan, sent out three of his best demons to track down the Vessel," he inclined his head slightly to acknowledge her and continued. "They were unsuccessful, even after four years of searching, which angered Roan. He had them killed and devised a new plan to find and capture the Vessel. This time he sent out demons to infiltrate every race that would be looking for you, the Vessel. Hadrian was assigned the pixies and I was assigned the werepanthers. We didn't know that they had no idea about the Vessel or its uses, but it worked out for us in the end.
"Our task was to possess a creature of our assigned race, one who was in a powerful position. That way we would be among the first to hear news about the Vessel. Once we received knowledge of the whereabouts of the Vessel our task was to seize it. Hadrian chose to possess Sage because he was close to King Clovis and engaged to one of the princesses. I chose Theo because he was the weakest and easiest to control, yet still in the close circle of Raine's friends."
"Why not possess Raine or Finn?" Noelle asked angrily. She was starting to get annoyed with Ayumu and his flip tone. He was acting like Theo and Sage were worthless, a means to an end.
"First of all," he replied in a placating tone, "the change in character would have been noticed because they are both high in power. Secondly, it would have taken a lot more energy and power to control them."
Noelle nodded in understanding, "When did you possess Theo?"
He shifted uneasily, "The day they left to kidnap you and the other women."
She frowned as she tried to recall that day's events. "Wait a minute..." she muttered, "you took a bullet for Delilah!"
He flushed uncomfortably, "I was behaving as Theo would have in that situation. I couldn't blow my cover."
Enjoying his discomfort, she grinned, teasing him by saying, "Make all the denials you want, but I think you have a heart; you care." She chuckled ironically, "As much as you want to deny it, the facts present themselves. Who would've known?"
Ayumu's eyes flickered red as he glared at her, trying to hide his obvious embarrassment. "I acted as Theo would have," he muttered defiantly.
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks," she sang irritatingly. "It's alright, little girl, I won't tell anyone your secret." Before she could blink, Ayumu had a hand wrapped around her throat as he growled in her face. "Whoa," she choked out, "you don't have to be so defensive."
He snarled and squeezed tightly before letting go roughly. "You will speak to me with respect or I will make your life miserable. Don't forget, I have more power than you can imagine."
"About that..." she said cautiously, "that was another question I had. Care to explain anything?"
"Not particularly," he sneered. When Noelle continued to stare silently at him, he sighed and sat back on the couch. "Demons gain more power for two reasons: they kill someone and consume their soul or they are given more power willingly. The second reason is more powerful and raw. My power is mostly from someone who gave it to me. I have killed before, but not enough to give me a massive amount of power."
"Who gave you your power?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, that question is not open for discussion," Ayumu said mockingly. He grinned at her obvious frustration and waited for her to blurt out another question. There was no doubt she had a couple dozen up there, it was written all over her face.
Noelle frowned, resisting the urge to yell and rant at Ayumu. She hated it when people kept things from her. It reminded her of a childhood saying: 'Secrets, secrets, are no fun, secrets are for everyone'. Something about him made her want to give a tantrum. "Fine," she muttered under her breath. "Final question, and I expect you to answer it. What can you tell me about Theo and Delilah as mates? You didn't answer it before, so I'm bringing it up again."
He looked at Hadrian for a moment before smiling back at her, "What makes you think I have the answer?"
"Jed told Delilah to ask me to ask you," Noelle replied in a monotone voice. "So spit it out. What's the dealio?"
The light from the fireplace flickered in the room eerily as Ayumu stroked his chin thoughtfully. He was purposefully leaving an empty silence, to put her on edge. The fire crackled menacingly, with periodic pops that fragmented the silence into pieces of danger.
"I don't know who Theo's mate is or was," Ayumu said quietly, "However, I do know that it wasn't Delilah. I chose her, not Theo, because she was with the other women chosen. She was simply a convenience and someone there to use in my cover. Theo made no protests or comments when I grabbed her, so I assumed she was safe on both accounts."
Something that he said struck her. How could he 'hear' Theo while he possessed him? "Was Theo still present when you possessed him?" When Ayumu gave her an odd look she rephrased it, "Could you hear or feel Theo while you had control of him?"
Ayumu nodded in understanding, "To a certain extent, yes. I was able to gage how Theo was feeling, or would feel, in a situation and from there, acted accordingly. However, he never 'spoke' to me while I was a part of him. That is not possible. When a demon possesses its host, it gains complete control over everything, except memories and feelings. I was forced to feel what Theo would feel, but only in the most intense situations."
"It's still not adding up," Noelle said carefully, "I don't understand how Theo and Delilah could have acted so in love, if it was you all along. Are you in love with Delilah? I don't think anyone can be that good of an actor to fake love."
Ayumu scoffed, "You'd be surprised what I can do, and what I'm willing to do, luv. Never underestimate a demon. Playing at love is easy to do, especially with humans. You look for love and companionship and it's all too easy to pretend to give it to you."
Offended, she didn't even realize she was on her feet and heading towards him until he commanded her to stop. Her limbs shook with rage and mortification. Were they really that easy to trick?
"How dare you?" she hissed. "You mock us, yet you are willing to risk your life to protect us. You have no right to criticize how we live our lives. At least we know how to love and live. You on the other hand, live off of others and their emotions like a parasite. How is that a life you can be proud of? I am disgusted with you and your race. If you want to loaf off of others your whole life, be my guest, but don't criticize something you can never hope to be."
Ayumu and Hadrian's lips were set in a thin line as they took in her words. As much as they wanted to argue with her, they knew that she was partially right. However, none of it made any difference to them. They were acting according to their nature, something they had never deemed wrong. Yet, Noelle's view on their life opened their eyes to what they do. They wanted to defend themselves against her sharp accusations, but it would be fruitless.
"I want to go back," she said in a low voice. "When and if I have another conversation with you, I'd appreciate it if there were no surprise visitors."
Ayumu gave her a sad smile, but granted her wish silently. The last thing she saw before everything went black was the regret and confusion on both demons' faces. They were a mix of emotions, struggling with pride and guilt.
When Noelle opened her eyes she realized Raine wasn't lying next to her anymore. Moving into a sitting position, she looked around the room and found him sitting in the chair near the bed. He was staring at her with barely concealed anger. Apparently Ayumu had kept her longer than she had hoped for.
"Shit," Noelle muttered. She was hoping to visit Ayumu and be back before Raine would notice. But no such luck.
Raine raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.
He was pissed.