“Because it was the only way to get what I want,” he said with a voice devoid of all emotion. “While we might be doing some good here, I am still very much a demon, Mia McNally. And I will do whatever necessary to get what I want.”
Chills swept down my arms. My voice dropped to a whisper. “What is it that you want?”
“Entry into an exclusive party,” he replied, his gaze locked on mine. Flames of darkness flickered in the depths of his eyes. “Invitations are only extended to supernaturals who have pretty, little human sacrifices on their arms.”
All the blood rushed from my face. “Sacrifices?”
“He wasn’t actually going to sacrifice you,” Caim interjected. “It’s just a trick to snag an invite.”
I frowned. “But why do you want to get in?”
Fury rolled off Az’s fisted hands. “I plan to stop the sacrifices.”
“Oh.” I leaned back in the chair. Everything was starting to make a lot more sense. I’d thought it was weird he’d fake a girlfriend just for a few dates. Why would business investors care if he had a plus one to some lame parties? Now I knew why. I was to be…bait.
I swallowed hard.
“I need you to listen to me very carefully, Mia.” Az’s eyes bored into mine. I felt myself captivated by them, lured in, and held firm. His voice was as soft as a caress, even with the underlying danger in it. What would happen if I stretched out my hand and placed it on the table between us? With my breath locked in my throat, I palmed the metal.
Az leaned forward and gripped my fingers. Heat sizzled up my arm.
“These people need to be stopped,” he said in a low growl. “They’ve held this party every year for over a decade, and at least twenty humans are sacrificed each time. That’s over two hundred deaths. Two hundred souls lost to Hell. We can’t let this continue, and the only way I can get inside is with a human companion. One meant to be a sacrifice.”
My heart throttled forward into next gear.
“I never wanted you to know because I didn’t want to scare you. We had a plan to keep you safe, none the wiser. You were my ticket in, and then the Legion planned to sneak you out safely before the bloodshed began.” He sighed, and his gaze went sharp. “But now that you fully understand who we are and what is happening here, I am going to give you a choice. Will you help us stop these deaths, or do you want me to break our deal?”
15
My blood crackled in my ears like static. Az dropped my hand and pushed up from his chair while my eyes followed his every move. This was…unexpected. He’d been dead set on forcing me to remain in the contract, and now he was offering up a way out as if it meant nothing at all.
Annoyingly, I didn’t jump to my feet and accept. An hour ago, I would have. But an hour ago, I’d had no idea there was a group of supernaturals out there, sacrificing humans to…what, exactly?
“What are the sacrifices for?” I whispered.
“Ah.” Caim nodded. “Good question. And I don’t think you’re going to like the answer.”
“They’re for Lucifer.” Valac lifted his gaze from the table. The silver in his eyes looked like glowing bullets, and there was an emptiness in him that made my soul shake.
“Lucifer,” I repeated. “The same Lucifer you’re hiding from.”
“We’re nothidingfrom Lucifer,” Stolas corrected. “He knows exactly where we are. We just don’t want him to find out that we’re trying to help people instead of corrupt them. You see, he wants us to send more souls to Hell. It’s getting too empty for his liking.”
“Right, of course,” I said as if that wasn’t one of the craziest things I’d ever heard in my life. How had I gone from feeding pancakes to a pigeon tothis?
“So, now you understand our dilemma.” Caim ran a hand through his midnight hair. “If you want to walk away from this, no hard feelings. But it’ll suck for us. We’ll need to find another human to replace you if we want to get Az inside that ball, and it’ll look a little sus.”
“Az never dates anyone,” Stolas added. “To go from one girlfriend to the next in a span of a week…”
“Not to mention you’re currently living with him,” Valac said so softly that I almost couldn’t hear him over my pounding heart.
I closed my eyes. “I need a minute to think.”
The demons all fell silent. I wasn’t seriously considering this, was I? Serena and I hadjustbeen talking about convincing Az to destroy my contract. And here was the perfect opportunity. I hadn’t even needed to convince him. He’d offered. All I would have to do was say the word, and I’d be free.
Free from all this danger and supernatural insanity. I’d move back in with Serena and continue my life as a drifter. Drink mugs of wine in front of the TV every night. Better than the alternative. Death by demon.
But…these guys clearly needed my help. I was Az’s ticket into this horrendous sacrificial party. If I walked away from this, he might not get an invitation, and the murders would continue another year. Could I really let twenty people die because I was too afraid?
