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“Freshman year of high school…” I say, pressing my lips together into a firm line. He won’t know what I mean by that, though. “I flunked out of my exams. My mother was one of the most iconic witches in history, and as her daughter, I should’ve been stronger, yet I failed one of the simplest tests we take. I missed a ceremony where I was supposed to accept an award in her honor because I broke my hand.” My thumb glides over my knuckles, feeling what’s left of the scar.
Inhaling, I try to push the memory out of my head. It’s not a time I like to think about. In fact, I’m pretty sure it was the darkest point of my life to date. The smell of burnt cider and something hereby mixes in the air, and if it weren’t for the chill shuddering through my body, I could bask in it.
Asmo gnaws on his bottom lip to hide the smile twitching at the corner of his lips. “How does someone go from that to pulling a fury out of the sky?”
“You weren’t the only one who was spellbound.”
His eyes pop wide, double taking as if he couldn’t have possibly heard me right. Something about me must confirm it, because his face softens. “I’m sorry…”
“It’s not your fault we had shitty mothers. Yours pushed you in a prison world. Mine sold my heart to the Devil’s son. It’s a lovely world we live in.”
“She didwhat?”His mouth gapes. His features illuminated by the faint glow of the fire.
“You heard correctly. Apparently, Michael wanted me dead. He had already killed my father and hunted my mother until, one day, he caught up. She made a deal with the Devil, trading me for a chance at peace with my father. Flash forward twenty years later, and I quite literally was dragged to Hell by a hellhound, where I found out I was engaged to your brother. I just recently found out about the specifics. The deal states my heart in exchange for his protection.”
Asmo falls still for a moment, zoning out on the fire. “That explains Kai’s reaction when you fought me. It was like he was a man possessed, but the fates would do that to him. That’s why you had to lock him away, isn’t it?”
I nod, pushing down the rush of tears that blur my vision. There’s no way in Hell I’ll cry in front of him again. Asmo holds out his hand and summons a bottle of Elven wine, tossing it over the fire toward me. I fumble to catch it, saving it at the last second from smashing onto the ground. “Enjoy it while it lasts. I’m not burning up my magic for more.”
Popping the cork, I hold the glass bottle up to him. “Thank you.”
“Oh, it’s not all for you,” he says, chugging the last bit of whiskey in his canteen. “We’re sharing.” He tosses it to me and I pour half into it and slide it on the ground back.
“You’ll have to teach me your ways, sensei. I’m starting to think my father wasn’t involved in the process of making me.”
His laugh is so innocent… You’d never know he’s been through everything he has based on the sound of it. Somehow, he’s managed to hang onto joy. It couldn’t have been easy. I can already feel mine slipping away.
“And what do I get out of it?” he asks. His dark hair hangs over his eyebrows as he smiles wide enough to show off his teeth.
“I won’t tell anyone that you dream of me shattering mirrors.” His smile disappears as if it never existed.
“I do not. I get visions. You just have happened to be in a few. Don’t make this to be anything other than what it is. An arrangement. I have no feelings for you.”
“Says the man who kissed me.”
“To keep you quiet and your hands to yourself. I couldn’t let go, or one of us would no longer be invisible. I did what I had to in order to keep us both alive, and you from doing something you’d regret. Now stand up and stop mocking me.”
I hold my hands up in a show of surrender, climbing to my feet. Asmo rounds the fire, stopping next to me with his palms turned up. “Put your hands on top of mine, just like mine,” he commands.
Wow… okay. I didn’t think he’d really try to teach me. Especially not right this very second. Doing as he says, I rest the back of my hands against his. I meet his eyes and he gives me a nod of approval.
“Now, close your eyes.” I hesitate. He’s still my enemy. It wouldn’t be wise to let him out of my sight, even for something like this. “Stop thinking about it. If I was going to hurt you, I would’ve by now. I certainly wouldn’t have carried you out of a canyon surrounded by trolls or kept you from getting eaten by a spider. Just do it.”
“Jeesh, okay. Going.” I toss my head, whipping my hair out of my face, and let my eyelids drift shut. “What now?”
“Picture something–an object–you want more than anything. Something you can’t live without or that you just want. Build it in your mind, down to every little detail…”
The cold air nips through the thin fabric of my shirt, biting at my flesh. A jacket would be nice right now. One like my biker jacket from Earth. That thing was so warm… Picturing it in my mind, I run over every line, every stitched row, until something heavy lands in my hands.
I jolt my eyes open to find the exact same jacket in my hands, and shriek like a preteen girl at a concert. “I did it! Oh my gosh! I fucking did it!” Gripping the leather fabric, I spin around, clutching it to my chest before holding it out again.
Turning my attention to Asmo, I find him smiling, watching me, with his arms heavy at his sides.
“This was my favorite jacket in college. I was so upset when it didn’t come with my belongings from Earth. I’m pretty sure my college roommate kept it for herself. I let her borrow it the night I was brought here.”
“It wasn’t in Hell?” he asks, furrowing his brow. “You should’ve only been able to call upon something that exists here on our plane of existence. You can’t summon things from Earth or Heaven.”
I freeze, one arm in the sleeve. “What do you mean? I just did.”
