Chapter Sixteen

The next day was surprisingly nice.

Asmodeus let me keep my cloak so I didn't sit around naked. He even let me leave my room too! He left the door open so I could move freely from room to room. Of course, don't think I didn't try escaping because I did. I tried to leave through the main chamber, but the door wouldn't budge.

I assumed their whole ritual thingy yesterday meant nothing could get in... Or out.

I sighed miserably, but it wasn't a total drag. I sat in the cafe now, scarfing down my weight in nachos and salad. I gulped down enough water to have me pissing every hour. At first I was alone, just sitting there and wondering when I would next see Michael and why my back was killing me lately.

Probably a side effect of Michael's healing. He could've at least warned me.

"Enjoying that one man buffet?" I looked up to see Zeke come into the cafe, making me smile. He was wearing a pair of snug black jeans with a loose black V-neck that came up to his elbows and just below his waist. I actually ached to wear some real clothes, but I wasn't about to push my luck and was perfectly content with my creepy magic cloak thing.

"You have no idea." I responded, popping a nacho into my mouth as Zeke grabbed a smoothie from the kitchen and came back, sitting across from me. I offered him a nacho, but he declined with a shake of his head before taking a gulp of the pink smoothie. I cocked my head.

"So, if you're a vampire, you don't eat or drink anything, but blood?" I asked at last. Zeke hesitated, as if he wondered if it was a good idea to talk about it, then reluctantly nodded.

"Pretty much."

"So why are you drinking a smoothie?"

"For the flavor. And the ice cools me down." He replied calmly, taking another sip. I watched him for a while longer, then rested my chin in my palm as I twirled the straw around in my water.

"What else do you get to do as a vampire? If you bit me, would you turn me into one too? Or is because you're a Fallen One? What did Stephen mean by powers, by the way? Do I get to do nifty things like travel through time and space?" I asked all at once, then paused as Zeke stared at me for the longest time before blinking and frowning as he sipped his smoothie.

"You're pretty inquisitive today." He pointed out. I shrugged, resting my arms on the table as I leaned forward. Zeke just watched me, as if I were the most fascinating thing in the world and the thought made me want to smile.

"I wanna know. Might as well since I am sucked into all this bullshit. And, not to point fingers, but I think you owe me some answers." I added. Zeke grimaced.

"I didn't expect you to let this go."

"Oh, no. Not in a million years."

"Fine, but at least give me one question at a time. I can't even remember what your last ones were."

"You must be getting old. Do vampires get Alzheimer's?"

"No. We're immune to any human disease. Not just vampires, either. Dustin and Akira are also immune."

"That's so cool! You guys don't have to worry about lung cancer then?"

"Nope. Our cells were perfectly designed. You're forgetting we were created by the big guy upstairs." Zeke said, pointing to the ceiling. I nodded slowly, processing the thought of being pretty much invincible. Heck, Zeke could have as much sex as he wanted and still not get AIDS! How cool was that?

"How old are you really?" I asked after a while. Zeke stared at me, then slowly lifted a brow.

"Really fucking old if I was thrown down here with Lucifer." He drawled. I scrunched up my nose.

"So... Like... Billions of years?"

"Now that's just insulting, but close."

"So, you're one of the originals? Who else is?"

"Sadly, Stephen is also an Original. Tobias is. Daniel's also an Original, but I think that's it. The rest are descendents of the Originals that couldn't put up with their curses any longer and just died off. Except Akira. He's a special case." Zeke replied with a shrug, slurping his smoothie loudly and pausing to frown at the mostly empty container. I smirked, then hummed thoughtfully, drumming my fingers on the table before smacking it.

"Right! If you bit me, would I turn into a vampire?" I asked. Zeke snorted.

"This isn't Hollywood or Twilight, Mattykins. If I bit you, you'd die of blood loss... Which I also doubt. I never waste my prey. I drink every last drop out of their system." He responded. I paused to shiver at the thought, reaching up to brush my fingers by my neck. Zeke grimaced and looked away, so I changed the topic.

"Zeke, what did Stephen mean by me having powers? Do I really have cool powers?" I asked, excited by the idea. Zeke smiled at that.

"I can't explain that. Only Michael can."

"But that's not fair. We haven't spoken in a while and the last time he talked to me, he wouldn't tell me how I was related to him. You wouldn't happen to know, would you?" I asked hopefully, but Zeke shook his head sadly, making me sigh in frustration.

"They don't trust me with that kind of information. I'm pretty much in the dark half the time as well." He confessed with a lazy shrug. I scrunched up my nose in distaste.

"Why's that?" I asked, confused. You'd think they'd tell their own kind what the plans were and the details involved. Zeke seemed to read my mind and smirked.

"It's because I have feelings for you. I'm not surprised they're withholding information. They did it when I turned in Jeremiah." He answered. We lapsed into silence after that, probably both thinking the same thing.

Jeremiah.

We hadn't seen his spirit since before I was captured, when Stephen told me he'd gotten rid of his spirit and that worried me. Was Jeremiah in Hell? Heaven? Locked away? I wanted to ask Zeke, but it seemed a bit too touchy of a topic to mention, so I kept it inside for Asmodeus to answer soon. Instead, I leaned forward on my elbows and closed my eyes thoughtfully.

"So... You like me? It's not some ruse you're putting up?" I asked, even though I knew the truth. I felt like I had to make sure. Zeke looked up at me, his icy blue eyes locking with mine.

"I don't like you, Matty. I don't think I ever did like you... I love you."

I felt my heart clench and my cheeks flush deep red as I sat up, clasping my hands in my lap nervously.

Oh God. He didn't just say like. He said love. The four letter word that practically had more magic than anything else. At least, that's what I've heard and that's what it felt like.

Magic.

"Like, L-O-V-E?" I asked stupidly. Zeke smirked, resting his chin in his palm as he studied my face intently.

"Yes. The moment I saw you."

"You're not teasing me?"

"I'm serious."

"Then why are you smiling?"

"Because you're adorable when you blush." Zeke responded honestly, looking fidgety, like he wanted to lean across the table and touch me. I felt uncomfortable just sitting there with him staring at me. I felt like I should do something, anything. I finally leaned across the table and Zeke did too. He brushed his fingers against my cheek, giving me goose bumps as he tilted his head, capturing my lips.

I held my breath as he kissed me against the lips at first, then parted them slowly to dip his tongue into my mouth. I resisted the urge to moan, but it was useless as his wet tongue stroked mine, traveling across my teeth and memorizing every curve in my mouth.

I wanted to get closer. I wanted to feel more. I put my hands on the table, thoughtlessly pushing everything out of the way as I got on the table, kissing Zeke back hungrily. His breath was minty and fresh, his tongue wet and hot against mine. I felt his fingers brush my ribcage as I got in front of him on the table.

"You're too far away." Zeke breathed against my lips.

"Sorry."

"Get closer." Zeke ordered. Normally I would've told him to shove it, but I was aching inside and obeyed, slipping off the table and into his lap, my legs on either side of him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. His arms went around my torso, slipping under my cloak so his arms were pressing against my bare skin.

The heat of his skin on mine sent fireworks off inside me, my cock aching and throbbing, shamefully brushing Zeke's stomach, but he didn't seem to care. He just smirked against my lips, pulling back so we could breath.

"You're hard." He murmured. I felt my cheeks burn.

"Don't narrate it."

"Why not? I want you to remember everything you're doing right now so you can't run away afterwards."

"Why would I run away?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Zeke's blue eyes seemed to glow, but he said nothing before dipping his head down to nuzzle my throat. I tilted my head back, moaning as his tongue curled out and flicked against my throat.

For a second, I was nervous having his mouth so close to my throat. I could feel him grow tense, his lips kissing against the hot skin slowly, his teeth brushing it daintily. I held my breath as he clamped his lips on my throat, then pulled away quickly, turning his head to the side.

"Are you all right?" I asked, looking at him uneasily. I reached up, brushing the hair out of his face to see his blue eyes had turned red. I nibbled my lip worriedly as Zeke kept his breath held, his eyes dark and hungry.

"I don't care if you bite me." I told him. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, grinding his teeth together.

"Don't say that. One bite could lead to your death and I'd kill myself if that happened."

"I'll make you stop."

"Matty, it's like you said. I'm a billion-year-old vampire."

"Exactly. You can control it."

"No, I can't."

"Look, Edward, don't get dramatic on me. Nothing's going to happen. I’m a tough guy. I got this." I responded firmly. Zeke scowled, then averted his eyes thoughtfully, then shook his head and settled for kissing me on the lips now. The red in his eyes slowly faded as we locked eyes. I watched it sink away, fading to the same cold blue they rightfully were.

I licked his lip and ran my hands down his sides, listening to him sigh against my lips. I hesitated when I reached his hips, one of my hands wandering curiously to his groin. He was bulging in his jeans and-- Damn, was he big.

I cupped him curiously, watching him moan and lick at my lips. I glanced at him, watching his icy blue eyes struggle to focus. I unzipped his jeans, listening to his breath hitch as I hesitantly stroked him through his briefs.

"This is dangerous." Zeke breathed against my face as I pushed his briefs down, letting him spring freely from the confines of his underwear.

"Everything's dangerous." I responded breathily, kissing his lips, then his throat. I stroked him, my fingers working around the head and throbbing vein underneath, as I kissed him at the same time, listening to him pant my name. His hands smoothed up and down my back, making me shiver as I slid my lips down his chest until I was on my knees in front of him.

"Matty, wait--" He cut off to moan as I took him in my mouth. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly at first, trying to remember how Asmodeus had done to it to me-- save the teeth. Teeth were painful. My tongue timidly stroked the tip of him before I sucked him in deeply, wincing faintly at the feel of him almost touching the back of my throat. I finally peeked my eyes open, looking up at Zeke, who was breathing hard.

He liked this.

Good.

For some reason, that made me genuinely happy. I sucked, my tongue flicking at the tip of him and my hand stroking the base. Zeke moaned, his fingers sliding through my hair and massaging my scalp. I fondled and kissed the tip of him before slipping my tongue around it, sucking it back in with a slurp that made Zeke gasp.

"Matty!" I started to reel my head back, but he came hard, his release hitting my cheeks and lips. I froze, blinking in shock. I should've kept my mouth on it. I winced and looked up at Zeke.

"I'm sorry." I apologized. Zeke panted, staring at me in disbelief.

"For what?" He managed.

"Uh. I don't know. Did I do that wrong? I don't make it a habit of sucking guys off." I added angrily, but Zeke laughed quietly and shook his head. He took my chin in his hand, snatching a napkin off the table and using it to wipe my face.

"I should be the one apologizing. I have no control. What did I tell you?"

"Sex and biting is different."

"Not really. They both feel like the best thing in the world." Zeke pointed out, making me scrunch up my nose. I parted my lips just as he ran the napkin over my tongue and I made a face at the flavor.

"Sorry." Zeke smirked, making me scowl.

"Don't apologize. Next time I'll make sure I don't get it everywhere." I muttered, making Zeke blush. I was surprised to see the stream of pink fill his cheeks and part of his nose. It made me smile as he finished wiping my face, throwing the napkin out. I rose to my feet just as the cafe door opened, making us both jump.

Asmodeus walked in, pausing when he saw us, an eyebrow raised before furrowing in a frown.

"It smells like sex in here." He stated, his voice hard. My face burned red as Zeke rose to his feet too, shrugging.

"We didn't have sex." He assured dryly. Asmodeus rolled his eyes, letting the door shut behind him as he came inside.

"I'm the personification of Lust and Sex, lamia. I know sex when I smell it. It may not have been deep sex, but sex none the less... And you seem to be the only one who got off on it." He added, glancing at my hardened groin. I gasped and jerked the cloak closer around myself, taking a step back against the table, away from Asmodeus, who smirked.

Zeke suddenly looked uncomfortable. I hope it wasn't because of me.

"I'm leaving." He said, nodding his head to me in a goodbye before departing, brushing past Asmodeus as if he were just a ghost. I watched him leave, then looked at Asmodeus, who smiled wickedly.

"Want me to relieve your aching loins, angelus?" He teased.

"Over my dead body." I responded coldly. Asmodeus snorted.

"I can do necrophilia."

"You're disgusting."

"I prefer the term hobbyist. Now, sit down. I don't want to eat alone." Asmodeus commanded. I ground my teeth together, but I'd already pushed my luck so far and he was actually letting me roam around freely, so I wasn't going to risk that freedom. I sat down and paused as Asmodeus scanned the food I'd knocked on the floor in my process to getting to Zeke. He smirked at me and I blushed, glaring at him defiantly.

He grabbed some fries and a couple burgers before returning, taking Zeke's spot as he drank down a Monster energy drink. Why would he ever need that with the energy he already had? His stamina was unbelievable.

"I thought you didn't need human food." I pointed out, watching him take a fry from his plate. Asmodeus shrugged, setting his Monster down and picking up a greasy burger.

"True, but it's rather tasty when you're in the mood to die." He answered flatly, then bit down on the burger, setting it on the tray where I saw it was raw hamburger meat. I grimaced and looked at him in disgust.

"What'd you mean you wanna die?" I asked, shifting uncomfortably to get away from the smell of raw meat as he dipped a fry in mustard. Ew, talk about weird. He popped it into his mouth and glanced at the door negatively.

"Beelzebub. I used to think Mammon was bad. Beelzebub just pisses me off. Ah, but it doesn't matter. Once Lucifer arrives, things will become a little more busy and I'll be the last thing on Beelzebub's mind." He explained smoothly. I pursed my lips, watching him devour his burger and shoving a couple mustard caked fries in after it.

"Lucifer. Did he create you or something?" I asked. Asmodeus paused to smirk at that, then shook his head as he wiped his mouth on the back of his head.

"We're called the Seven Princes of Hell, that doesn't make us blood brothers. I was born to Agrat Bat Mahlat. She's one of the queens of Hell, the queen of demons as well as one of the four sisters of sacred prostitution. She decided one day that she'd get back at King David for something. Like I can remember that far back. Anyway, she screwed him and bore me, a cambion son." He explained drolly as if the topic bored him, but on the contrary.

It was something I could work with.

"Cambion?" I asked curiously.

"Child of a demon and a human."

"So you're part human?"

"I was until I abandoned that half of myself."

"You seem human when you talk about..." My voice trailed when I realized I was treading dangerous waters now. Asmodeus stopped mid-bite, then put his food down, rubbing his temples.

"Jeez, you're a nosy little lamb. I abandoned my human self. You ought to know that by now, otherwise, I'd regret doing all those things to you, which I don't. Honestly. I had fun ripping your little snake out of your belly button." He smirked demonically. I gritted my teeth against the pain of the memory, resisting the urge to snap at him. Instead, I looked away and Asmodeus merely laughed before he continued his meal.

I wanted to know more about Michael and Asmodeus and what was happening there, but as far as Asmodeus knew, I already knew what happened.

I might as well ask the next best person. Asmodeus finished his meal and left me, so I sat for a while longer before departing to find that person. I wandered to the ritual chamber and found Beelzebub there, polishing the creepy goat skull that used in their rituals.

At his feet was the inverted pentagram drawn on the floor with the five elements laid out, including the bowl that was home to my blood. I made a face at it, then crept in. Beelzebub didn't react to my presence until I shut the door.

"Evening, angelus." He greeted without looking up. I stiffened for a second, but stood my ground as Beelzebub stroked a silk cloth through the eye sockets of the skull.

"Uh, Beelzebub, I have a question."

"You want to know why Asmodeus is obsessed with Michael. You want to know what powers Stephen spoke of. You want to know why Michael won't answer your prayers. You want to know your relation with Michael. You want to know if Zeke will ever become yours. Which one did you want me to answer first?" He asked, still not looking up. I stared at him in disbelief, then pushed off the door to come forward as Beelzebub finally looked up with swirling silver eyes.

"How did you know all of that?" I asked in surprise. Beelzebub cocked a brow.

"I am the sin of Gluttony. I don't merely glutton for sex and food. I also thirst for knowledge. Now, if you'd be so kind as to provide me with a single question to answer, I think your curiosity will be satisfied for a while. Two of those questions you will discover an answer to soon."

"So... Then... Why does Asmodeus love Michael so much?" I asked at last. Beelzebub nodded, gesturing for me to get comfortable. I felt myself getting anxious.

This is it.

I was finally going to find out why Asmodeus was infatuated with Michael.

And without a doubt, it would lead to the answers I needed for my other questions.

Then I could finally make a plan and get the hell out of here.