The party was packed, and the crowd was more varied than I would have guessed. Suited men lounged on a sofa along with a crowd that had more holes in their jeans than stars in the sky. My gaze snagged on a familiar dark-haired beauty. Her eyes caught on me at the same time.
Serena jumped up from the sofa and rushed across the floor, her flowing crimson gown whipping around her feet. She grabbed my arm when she reached me, her fingernails digging into my skin. “Mia, what the hell are you doing here?”
“Not here,” I mouthed to her.
She gave me a grim nod and dragged me away from Az, who barely seemed to register I’d vanished from his side. Serena led me off the rooftop and into the quieter space inside, down a long hallway, and into a restroom that was more like a lounge than anything. Everything was cast in shades of gold, including the toilet.
Serena threw the lock shut and then folded her arms over her slinky red gown. “Mia. Why are you at a party that’s for supernaturals only?”
I winced. “Well, you aren’t going to believe this, but my new boss brought me with him. Guess what he is. A demon.”
“Wait a minute.” Her eyes widened. “The guy you were standing next to out there.He’syour fake boyfriend?”
“Boss.” I flushed. “And yes, fake boyfriend, too. But mostly boss.”
“I need to sit down.” Serena leaned against the wall and clung onto the hand dryer. “That’s Asmodeus, a fucking Prince of Hell.”
I blinked. “Say what now?”
“He’s not just a demon, Mia,” she whispered with wide eyes. “He’s one of the Princes. He’s like second or third in line. The one who will take over if Lucifer is ever destroyed. Do you have any idea what you’ve gotten yourself into?”
“Sure. Yeah. I totally knew all that.” I found my own wall to lean against and desperately tried to calm my heart before it exploded out of my chest. This couldn’t be happening.
“So, wait a minute,” she said softly. “When you said you auditioned to dance for a club in Hell’s Kitchen, you meantInfernal?”
“Of course I did. I told you all about it,” I whispered. “You knew aboutInfernalall this time? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“You didn’t tell me the name of the club,” she hissed back. “And I never imagined that was where you went. They don’t let humans in there to party. Let alone work for them!”
“To be honest, I think the only reason he gave me the job is because of this whole fake girlfriend thing. So…extenuating circumstances.”
She closed her eyes. “This really isn’t good. If he wants a human to be his fake girlfriend, there will be a reason for it. And it won’t be a good one. He is aPrince of Hell, Mia. What were you thinking?”
“Well, I didn’t know that until now! I didn’t even know that Princes of Hell were a real thing!” I whisper-shouted the words, though a part of me was worried all those supernaturals out there could hear everything. Did they have enhanced senses? I knew Serena did, but only when she was in her beast form. What about the vampires? Or the fae?
Hell, what about the demons?
“Listen, Mia.” Serena pushed off the wall and took my hands in hers. “You need to get out of this. Now. Before you get hurt. I know you’re worried about being a burden to me, but you’re not. Come back home. I don’t care how long you have to stay. Just get away from Asmodeus.”
“I can’t,” I said, squeezing her hands. “I signed a contract.” Her mouth dropped open, and before she could tell me how stupid I was, I continued. “I had no idea he was a demon when I signed it. He didn’t tell me. I only found out last night.”
“For fuck’s sake.” She took a deep breath, nodded, and then paced across the marbled floor. “Listen, this is what you’re going to do, alright? The contract is binding on your side, but not on his. He can end the deal by ripping up the thing you signed. Convince him that this whole thing has been a terrible mistake. Get him to destroy it as soon as possible. And don’t let him know you know. He’ll never let you go. And the last thing you want in your life is a demon.”
The bathroom door flew open and in strode Az with his wicked smile and shadow-kissed skin. I sucked in a sharp breath as his eyes cut from Serena’s face to mine. How much had he overheard?
“You can’t just waltz into a bathroom when it’s in use,” Serena growled at him with narrowed eyes. “Get out.”
“Neither one of you are using the facilities,” he said smoothly as his gaze latched firmly onto mine. A sizzling heat curled in my gut. “Mia, I need to speak with you alone for a moment.”
“Nope.” Serena folded her arms and shot Az a glare. “I’m not leaving you alone with her.”
“Serena Mason,” Az said, our eyes still locked. “Werewolf. Youngest attorney at Parkins, Weller, and Smith. Resident of Clinton Hill. Previously Nashville. You do know it is against our laws to inform a human of the existence of supernaturals.”
“This isn’t her fault,” I said, gritting my teeth. If I dragged Serena into this mess, I’d never forgive myself. “I’ve known about supernaturals most of my life. That’s what you get growing up next door to a werewolf. And no, she didn’t tell me. I found out myself, accidentally.”
We’d been five, playing in the woods behind our houses. It had been summer, and a full moon had glowed in the sky, even before dark. Serena had begun to shift, and she’d had no idea what was happening to her. I’d held onto her the whole time. For hours. Until the sun rose. For years after that, I’d helped her through her shifts. Not once had she ever tried to bite me, even when she lost control.
Az’s eyes widened a fraction of an inch, almost too little to notice. But I’d clocked the surprise. A smug smile lifted the corners of my lips.
