The Soul on Fire | Slow Updates

Chapter Seven

"You look nervous."

She glowered at him over her shoulder. "I'm not."

He chuckled, coming up behind her. Heat emanated from his body, suffocating her in its intensity. He grabbed her hips and pulled her against him. The air rushed from her lungs when her back collided with his muscled chest.

"I can't wait to touch you," he whispered into the shell of her ear, the smoke from his lungs curling around her neck, making her burn hotter for him.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," she shirked away from him and came face to face with the demon that stole his way into her every fantasy. Denying him was proving to be increasingly difficult with every pass he made at her. Even when several days went by without seeing him, he consumed her every thought.

She hated it.

"You can't possibly believe he'll resist." The large demon arched a brow and gave her a cocky, lopsided smile.

"I know he will. He's come this far without money – I don't expect that will change." She eyed the large pile of gold and jewels her counterpart conjured. It sat in a woven basket behind the podium at the front of the mosque. It was still quite early in the day, and her charge had not yet arrived.

"I have yet to meet a man who can resist large sums of gold." Asmodeus stepped toward her, lowering his gaze as he erased the distance between them. She craned her neck to look up at him – her chin barely reaching his breastbone.

"You're about to meet him." She kept her tone relaxed, confident.

She refused to let him see how nervous she truly was. No doubt her ward was in desperate need of money. He lived a simple life. Even the term 'humble' was an over exaggeration. Frankly, he was dirt poor. She knew not what to expect when he entered the temple and came face to face with more gold and riches than he had ever known.

"For a tiny thing, you can be quite intimidating."

She bit back a smile. "It's called confidence."

He laughed. "I know all about that."

She shook her head and gave him a knowing look. "You're arrogant. There's a difference."

Footsteps sounded beyond the temple doors, drawing both their attention.

"He's here," she breathed, feeling suddenly anxious.

She jumped when Asmodeus took her hand and brought it to his mouth. He brushed his lips over her knuckles and smiled warmly. She had never seen such a fond look on his face before. His affect was usually cocky and a bit pretentious. This was different. The look in his eyes could almost fool her into believing he actually cared for her.

"Good luck, little angel."

Her lips parted on a sigh. The demon released her hand and they both turned toward the door when Abdul pushed it open. She made her way to his side and followed him to the podium.

Abdul set his satchel down and turned, freezing in place when his eyes landed on the basket filled to the brim with precious metals and stones. Armaita rested her hands on his shoulders and leaned into his ear.

"You're stronger than this, Abdul. You don't need material things. God's love makes you richer than any man you know."

Asmodeus appeared in a puff of smoke directly in front of her ward. He leaned forward, giving the angel a seductive wink before speaking.

"But think of all you could do with this gold. No more hardships, starvation. Your troubles could end: right here, right now."

Damn. He was good.