I thought you failed to remember beyond the last year or so.
I dont even remember my own name. But I remember you.
He looked at me then, the deep black emptiness of his eyes chilling me. Azazel.
AZAZEL CONCENTRATED ON THE NARROW, sun-baked road ahead. Her cluelessness was beginning to annoy him, but if that was her main line of defense it was easy enough to deal with. As long as she didnt shift into her real form, his job would be relatively easy. What he couldnt understand was why she wasnt putting up a better fight.
She had weapons she hadnt begun to use, not the least of which was her ability to shift into Lilitu, the storm demon, the birdlike monster who could claw the entrails from a man, given a moment of inattention. It would be useless against him, but she wouldnt know that. She never remembered.
It wasnt the first time hed battled the Lilith. With the curse of eternity on his head, hed come face-to-face with her in many demonic forms, and each time hed vanquished her. But never completely.
Hed destroyed other demons and abominations in the thousands upon thousands of years hed been on earth. Most obviously the Nephilim, as well as others that Uriel had allowed to run free in an attempt to vanquish the Fallen. But the she-demon Lilith was beyond even his control. And hed waited long enough.
He hated to think of her as female, but now that he was around her he couldnt continue putting her in the nongendered group to which most demons belonged. Her destructive power was like that of no other female, and hed always tried to think of her as it. Particularly given the unacceptably prophecy he was determined to avoid. She was dangerously female, and even now he could feel her seductive power.
She hadnt reacted to his name, but she should know exactly who he was. It was always possible she was telling the truth, that she didnt remember anything. Hed been watching her for the last five years, and her behavior had been odd, supporting what she said. By the time hed finally taken her, shed already lived under four different names in four different cities. Hed assumed it was an effort to avoid him, but there was the slight chance she really didnt remember. He could sense very real distress coming from her, and he needed to fight it.
Demons were expert at clouding expectations. And most creatures felt distress when they saw death staring down at them. He had no room for pity or second thoughts.
The landscape had gotten scrubbier as the day wore on. Theyd reach their destination well before nightfallhed have more than enough time to take care of things. He wondered vaguely if hed return afterward, to see if there was anything left. The idea should have filled him with grim satisfaction. For some reason it was no longer as soothing.
Sheitwas doing too good a job.
Azazel? she said, obviously trying to sound normal. Thats an odd name. Is it Middle Eastern?
Biblical, he said briefly.
My name is Rachel Fitzpatrick. At his uncontrolled snort, she changed tacks. All right, so Fitzpatrick isnt my real last name. Since you seem to know more about me than I do, why dont you tell me what my real last name is?
He said nothing. Richard Thompson was on the radio, and he leaned forward to turn it up, wanting his mournful voice and stinging guitar. The moment he pulled his hand away, she reached out and turned it off.
He glared at her. If you want to be able to move and talk, he growled, turning it back on, you will keep your hands off the radio.
She sat back, folding her hands in her lap. They were normal handspretty, even. Oddshe wore no rings, no polish, none of the adornments women had used since the beginning of time. Yet he could almost imagine those hands on his body.
He shuddered, fighting it. It was so easy to forget, to see her as a desirable female, when hed done his best to submerge his sexual nature. He glanced at her face. Her curling red hair was the same as always, a snakes tangle to ensnare men, to make them want to bury their faces in the silken strands. He was immunethe moment he felt even the slightest pull, he was able to slam a lid on it. She wouldnt reach him as she had so many men. He couldnt let her.
RT was singing Cant Win, which seemed absurdly prescient. When it was over he turned the radio down again, glancing over at her. That isnt your name.
Then what is it? she said, her voice breaking with frustration. For Gods sake, if Im going to die, dont I deserve some answers first? At least to know why Ive been targeted by a killer? Ive done my best to be a good person. If I did something bad in the past, something that deserves punishment, then at least I should know what it was.
Your crimes are too numerous and horrific to detail.
Her forehead creased, and he wanted to smooth it. She was working her wiles, and he forced down his reaction. Thats wrong, she said. Now I know youve got the wrong person. If I committed horrible crimes, Id know it. I couldnt commit atrocities and then live a normal life. Youve got the wrong person. Youve got me confused with someone else.