No, I thought. Deep down in my gut, I had sensed something about him the moment we’d met. A strange energy seemed to pulse off his skin, and he could do things that weren’t normal. At the time, I hadn’t understood it, but I did now. He wasn’t human.
And we had our first date tonight.
* * *
The angels’ business card burned a hole in my pocket as I paced from one end of the penthouse to the next. They’d asked me to spy on Asmodeus. Truth be told, I didn’t really want to, but my curiosity made every hair on my arms stand at attention.
Asmodeus would be gone for hours. I was here in his penthouse alone. What if there was something here? Like…incriminating evidence that he was the bad sort of demon. And if there wasn’t, maybe that would soothe my jangling nerves. I had to make it through the next month, or I’d lose my soul. Confirming that he wasn’t hiding something big—bigger than being a demon—would go a long way.
On the other hand, if Ididfind something, I could call the angels and tell them everything. They’d arrest him, or whatever it was angels and demons did to keep the peace. Hopefully, they’d be able to get me out of my contract.
There. I nodded to myself. I’d convinced myself to peek into Asmodeus’s things.
My stomach flipped as I scurried across the floor. I was going to snoop through a demon’s bedroom! Deep down, I knew I was far more excited about this than I had any right to be. But this was the perfect opportunity to find the answers to my burning questions. I might not get the chance again.
Did he have anything to do with those murders? Were there trophies hidden in his drawers? Would he have a list of everyone he’d targeted or an elaborate diagram plotting out his nefarious deeds? Did he wear a different type of boxer shorts? You know, for his tail. Not the other thing.
Adrenaline surging through my veins, I twisted the door handle and pushed. The door held firm against my attack. It wouldn’t budge. Frowning, I released my grip and stepped back. He’d locked his door.
Now, that was weird. And not a great sign. Why would he have locked his bedroom if he had nothing to hide? What did he have in there that he didn’t want me to see?
There was no other reason he would have locked it. No one else was here. He’d locked it to keep me out.
* * *
“You ready to go?” Asmodeus called through the door, and then gave it a light knock. I stood before the floor-length mirror, staring at myself with wide eyes. I hadn’t seen Asmodeus all day, so I’d had a lot of time stuck alone with my thoughts.
I was going on a date with a demon who was hiding something.
To keep myself occupied, I’d dressed up for the occasion. Instead of my standard uniform of jeans and crop top, I’d chosen the only dress I’d packed. One I’d borrowed from Serena and hadn’t returned yet.
She was a little smaller than me, so the dress hugged my curves. It was a little black number with a scooped neck edged in delicate lace. The bottom hem hit mid-thigh, the perfect length to pair with my boots. The outfit was a combination of class and edginess, and it gave me the boost of confidence I needed to get through this night.
I topped it all off with a pair of dangly earrings my sister had given me for my eighteenth birthday, a reminder of where I’d come from and why I was here. Her face flashed in my mind. Even after everything that had happened, I wouldn’t go back and make a different decision. At least, not about saving her.
“Yep, I’m ready,” I called out as I turned from the mirror. Now was not the time to think about my sister. If I did, an avalanche of competing emotions would crash around me, burying me beneath the weight of it all.
I pulled open the door. Asmodeus sucked in a sharp breath and took a step back, his gaze sweeping across me. His eyes sparked as an appreciative smile lifted the corners of his lips. “You look incredible.”
“Oh.” I flushed, pressing my lips together. He didn’t look so bad himself. A dark suit hugged his muscular frame in a way that should be criminal. The color matched his dark hair and the light stubble that stretched along his cutting jawline.
“No one will question why I’m dating you, that’s a certainty,” he said with a wicked smile.
My flush deepened. I cleared my throat. I’d never had anyone compliment me like this. Did he mean it? Or was it just for show, like everything else we were doing tonight?
“You don’t have to start the fake dating just yet,” I said with a strained laugh. “It can wait until we get to the party.”
Tension bounced between us as his eyes darkened. “Right. I thought it would be a good idea to practice.”
“No need. You’ve got it down, it seems. I’m guessing you probably date a lot.” Rolling my eyes at myself, I stepped into the hallway and pulled the bedroom door shut. Why had I brought up his dating life? I didn’t need to hear about that. He might think I was interested for other reasons, and I very much wasn’t.
I did wonder though…how muchdiddemons date?
“Well, there you’d be wrong,” he said as he led me to the penthouse door. “I don’t date. It’s one of the reasons I made this deal with you. I have no desire for an entanglement.”
Anentanglement. His word choice reminded me of the angels who had asked me to spy on him. They were centuries old. Did that mean Asmodeus was, too? Obviously, he had to be. Even his name was evidence of that. So…how old were we talking about here?
I was desperate to ask him, and I hated that I couldn’t. I’d have to admit I knew what he was. And then he’d want to knowhowI knew. I obviously couldn’t tell him that either. Not unless I wanted to face an angry demon.
