Atlas (The Atlas Series) by Becca C. Smith

knew she was on her own.
    Asmodeus stepped forward and caressed his hand against Kala’s cheek. It was so sudden and unexpected, Kala just stood there staring up at Asmodeus’s brown eyes. If she didn’t know he was a Demon, Kala would have kicked him where it counts. But did Demons even have private parts? She knew they had powers and that’s all that mattered in this moment. Kala didn’t want Asmodeus to hurt Jack. Or her for that matter.
    “You are a beautiful creature,” Asmodeus smiled at Kala, examining her like a prize horse.
    Kala took a step back so Asmodeus was out of reach. “No touching, perv.” She just couldn’t seem to stop herself.
    Asmodeus looked shocked at Kala’s behavior. She knew in that moment that no one had ever turned this guy down before. He was apparently used to women falling at his feet, drooling over his good looks. Kala never cared for conceited guys. They cared more about mirrors than they did anything else. She liked a little humble with the men she was attracted to. Like Jack. Gorgeous, but didn’t know it, or didn’t care. This guy… or Demon… or whatever… was completely full of himself, thinking he was god’s gift to all women (or men for all Kala knew).
    Asmodeus moved forward, grabbing Kala’s arm. Instinct kicked in and she flipped him on his back, her knee to his throat. Instead of trying to release himself from her pin-down, Asmodeus laughed. “A fighter. I like it.”
    Asmodeus touched her leg…
    …And Kala found her surroundings shift out of focus. Jack, the car, the forest and Asmodeus all disappeared in a flash. She felt like she was on a terrible acid trip, or at least what she thought an acid trip would feel like.
    Just as abruptly, everything snapped back into focus.
    Well, Kala definitely wasn’t in nature anymore, and she was completely alone. Kala wasn’t sure where she was, but it was definitely in some kind of high-rise. An entire wall made up of tinted windows overlooked a vast cityscape. Kala knew that cityscape. It was New York! The fact that this Asmodeus dude transported her from the forests of Virginia to New York City in about two seconds was beyond Kala’s comprehension. In fact, this whole day was beyond her comprehension. The room (or she should say floor) itself was abandoned. There wasn’t any furniture, there wasn’t anything in it at all, just a steel gray industrial carpet and windows. Somehow this wasn’t what she imagined a “Demon lair” to look like. There was only one door, and it looked like it was made of titanium. A small keypad was bolted on the wall next to it. Kala had seen that kind of keypad before at the Compound. It might be easy to crack. She couldn’t be sure until she looked at it.
    But Kala’s problem wasn’t breaking out of the room (she was certain she could do that), it was what she would do after she escaped. This Asmodeus guy could find her anywhere and apparently transport her 200 miles in a few seconds. Kala had no idea how she was going to keep him from finding her over and over. Maybe there was some kind of super high-tech suit or device at the Compound that would do the trick. But even if there were, she’d have to convince General Turner that she needed to use it, and somehow that seemed more impossible than her current situation. After all, when she had confessed what happened to her, he flat out laughed out loud. So did she, but things had changed since the last time they met.
    The bottom line: Kala had no intention of going through with her mission, so really Asmodeus had nothing to worry about. Maybe she could use that.
    Kala called out to air. “I don’t know if you can hear me, but you don’t have to keep me locked up. I’m not going to do what they want me to do.”
    Nothing.
    “Hello?” Kala was really hoping she wasn’t talking to herself. She had to assume that Asmodeus wouldn’t leave her completely unattended. The place had to be bugged or have some kind of spying