When I pushed back into the bedroom, Az had already changed and climbed into bed. He wore a loose-fitting black shirt and his silken sheets were pillowed around his head. Even in the dark, his eyes pierced into me. Swallowing hard, I climbed into bed beside him.
Tension rattled my body.
I could smell him. The sheets were covered in the aroma of bonfire and musk. Shadows curled across my skin, as timid as a light caress. I twisted my head to the side to catch him staring at me in the dark. Heat pulsed between my thighs.
“I’m never going to sleep if you keep staring at me.”
His lips quirked. “And why is that?”
“Because it’s creepy, that’s why,” I lied.
“Guilt is not the only emotion I can read, Mia.”
Alarm throttled my heart. Oh god, please let him be lying. If he could read my emotions, he’d known every single time I’d felt even a hint ofanything. I’d admired his body more than once. Not that it meant I wanted him. I just…noticed…that was all. And he knew it.
Oh my god, this was mortifying.
“If you can read my emotions, then you’ll know I’m in no mood for games, and I just want to go to sleep,” I snapped.
He chuckled.
I growled out my irritation and flopped sideways so that my back faced him. There. Now, he couldn’t lie there staring at my face all night, and maybe I could get some needed sleep. It was probably after five in the morning by this point. It had been a very long night.
Just thinking about what happened brought on an overwhelming wave of exhaustion. I was trying to think up another retort so I could snap back at Az some more, but sleep tugged me under as my thoughts grew heavy. Darkness curled around my mind, soothing my frayed nerves.
* * *
Iawoke to a warm arm around my body. My heart jolted in my chest as my eyes flipped open. The room was still dark, even though it must have been hours into the day. And I was still in Az’s bed with his arm around me.
Swallowing hard, I tried not to panic. It felt kind of nice, in an abstract kind of way. If he wasn’t Az, the demon who had basically enslaved my soul. If I thought of him as just a guy trying to protect me from a serial killer, I didn’t feel the sudden urge to leap out of bed and throw his arm off me.
“Good morning,” he murmured into the back of my head. His breath whispered across my neck. I gritted my teeth at the sparks that lit up across my skin. Go away, sparks.
“I thought you were still asleep.”
“I’ve been awake for a little while.”
“Oh.” Heat crept into my cheeks. “And so you just decided you wanted a cuddle?”
“You were shivering in your sleep. Your teeth were chattering.”
“Right.” I closed my eyes again and sighed. “That happens sometimes. Serena thinks it means I’m having a nightmare, but I never remember what they’re about. It’s all just hazy when I try.”
“It’s your past,” he said quietly. “It haunts you.”
I sucked in a sharp breath and slowly eased out from under his arm. “I don’t want to talk about my past.”
Something told me he wasn’t going to let it rest. Asmodeus did not seem like the kind of guy to let things go easily. I normally admired determination but not when it came to this. He needed to stay out of my life. In a month, we would no longer know each other. I wasn’t going to let a stranger in on my darkest thoughts.
I pulled open the door and strode into the kitchen, leaving him in bed alone. The clock on the wall said it was well past two in the afternoon. We really had slept all day. For me, it had been sorely needed. Hendrix sat on top of the dining table, his head cocked expectantly. A smile crept across my face.
“Morning, Hendrix. If you go get Az out of bed, he might make you some pancakes.”
He let out a little chirp and flew through the apartment, a tornado of feathers.Huh, I thought as I watched him vanish into the bedroom. It was almost as though he’d understood me.
* * *
Backstage was a whirlwind of activity. It was only my second shift at the club, which was crazy. With everything that had happened, it felt like I’d been there for weeks. Priyanka dropped down beside me as I painted on some eyeliner. There was a haunted look in her brown eyes.
