Immortal (Fallen Angels #6)(55)
Author: J.R. Ward

He was dimly aware as she sat up and fluffed her hair back into place. “So this thing gives me a lot of control over you. It’s how I made it into your bed at your house, you know. Such a shame the way that turned out—although I’m not sure I could have kept the lie up as you fucked Sissy’s body. Anywho…” She picked up the ashtray and then looked around. “This is going to take care of everything.”

Stretching an arm out, she pulled a Kleenex free of a box on the coffee table.

“I know better than to think you’re going to stand still for this, so I’m just going to take a little precaution here.” Bringing the tissue to her mouth, she spoke into the thing, then blew across the fibers once, twice … three times. “There we go.”

The instant she covered the hood ornament with the Kleenex, a huge weight settled over him, immobilizing his already weak body, keeping him down on the floor—even though ostensibly there was nothing on him.

Devina put the ashtray on the coffee table and looked down at him. “Where’s your phone, Jim?”

There was no way of answering the question, as he couldn’t open his mouth or use his tongue. The only thing he seemed capable of doing was breathing—that and having a pulse.

“I’ll just have to pat you down.”

She straddled him in those high heels and bent over him, her full breasts swaying as she ran her hands down his entire body—not just around the pockets of the jeans he’d changed into.

“No phone, damn it. But this … I think it’s best that I take your little knife. Just in case.”

With a flourish, she unsheathed his crystal dagger from where he’d tucked it into the small of his back. Bringing the weapon up to his face, she smiled like a shark.

“Were you planning on using this against me? Shit, I should have kept my bra and panties on and you could have cut them off me. That would have been hot.”

All he could do was blink, but the hatred curling in his gut must have shown, because she pulled that bullcrap pout routine of hers. “Oh, come on, Jim—we have to keep things spicy in the bedroom. It makes couples closer. I read about it in an article that was forwarded around Facebook.”

Jesus fucking Christ, the bitch was—

“Okay, so no phone—any chance you left it with your girl? Because that would be so damned convenient, you have no idea.”

Straightening, she went back over to her bag and took out an iPhone. After dialing, she put the thing up to her ear.

When the call was answered, she said grimly, “Hello, Sissy.”

Her eyes locked on his as he tried to fight against the nonexistent bars that held him down.

“I think you need to come see me.”

Jim gritted his teeth and struggled so hard his bones hurt—and the only thing that happened was that the Kleenex in the ashtray moved ever so slightly.

“Penthouse. Freidmont Hotel downtown—I’ll let the front-desk supervisor know you’re expected up here. Why?” Her eyes narrowed. “Because Jim’s about to arrive here any second, and I figure enough with the bullshit. You need to see this for yourself. And before you ask, no, it’s not a trap. In fact, I’ll bet you Jim already told you he had to go somewhere tonight, didn’t he. So get your ass down here—and be the strong female I know you want to be.”

Devina terminated the call and shook her head in something close to amazement. “You are so fucking pissed off right now, aren’t you. But you can’t say a thing, you can’t do a thing about it. You know, I should have tried to run you over with my Benz weeks ago. This is so good for our relationship.”

She tossed her phone back in her purse and looked his body up and down. “And now for a change of clothes.”

With a wave of her hand, he was left naked, his threads dematerializing as cleanly as smoke cleared by a draft of fresh air.

And then something utterly horrific happened.

A surge of nausea hit him right in the gut, and it was followed by a strange vertigo, one that seemed to affect his head as well as his body.

“Holy … shit,” Devina breathed. “I am so fucking hot.”

It took a second to piece together what she was saying. Oh … fuck …

“We’re going to have to allow you a little movement, I don’t want me to look dead.” She directed a stare at the ashtray … and suddenly he could, if he really tried, lift his head about an inch off the carpet. “Besides, I want you to admire my handiwork.”

Jesus Christ, no …

He had become Devina. He had her naked body, with her breasts and her hair, her mile-long legs, those goddamned shoes.

No! he screamed without making a sound.

“And now for my costume.”

In the blink of an eye … she became him. Everything from his growing-out fade to his broad shoulders to his heavy legs.

“What do you think?” she asked in his voice. “We should totally remember this for Halloween, right?”

Chapter Twenty-eight

Adrian could not find out she was leaving, Sissy thought as she padded down the creaky stairs, sticking to the far edges where the nail heads were to cut the noise.

On the first floor, she moved through the shadows silently, zeroing in on the kitchen. It was physically painful to see the table and its four chairs, and pass by the counter Jim had cleared off to get at her. But the keys, oh, yes, the keys to the Ford Explorer were right where Ad had put them when he’d emptied his pockets of his wallet, the Home Depot receipt, and his own phone.

She slipped outside and carefully shut the door. When she hit the lawn, she looked up, way up, to the attic. No lights glowing there. Ad had to be asleep.

And he needed to stay that way.

This was something she needed to handle on her own. Because if she got down to that hotel and found Jim hooking up with the demon? She was not going to be responsible for what she did to him. If that was what he was doing, then Jim was pure evil—what the hell else would you call a man who could say what he’d said to her, do what he’d done to her … and then go out to some other woman’s bed. Some demon’s bed.

The SUV had been parked right at the head of the driveway so that they could unload the plywood sheets, and fortunately, Ad had not locked the thing so she didn’t have to worry about the chirp of the alarm deactivating. Once she was behind the wheel, she moved the seat up so she could reach the pedals … and prayed to God the sound of the engine starting didn’t disturb the angel.