“I have a question,” I asked him as he pulled my hand into the crook of his elbow.
“What is it, Mia? We need to hurry before he leaves.”
“The humans who get sacrificed at this ball…where do their souls go?”
“To Lucifer.” He frowned. “They always go to Lucifer. Why?”
Of course they did. It was all starting to make more sense. Lucifer needed souls to win his game, and he would stop at nothing to get them. That meant he was ahead. If he won, the entire world would go to Hell.
“That’s all I needed to know,” I said with a nod. “Let’s go convince a vampire we’re in love.”
18
It was only eleven, but the club was already thumping. The other dancers were up in their cages, swaying along to the hectic beat blaring from hidden speakers. Girls and guys spun around the floor. Groups clustered in the booths, the sparkling chandeliers casting eerie glows on their faces.
Every single person here was a supernatural, including the short, squat man lurking in the back booth with a gang of solemn-faced groupies. His flat nose reminded me of a spade, and half a dozen piercings dotted his ears. An elaborate tattoo swirled across his neck, at odds with his pristine suit and close-cropped hair. Frankly, he looked like a mobster.
“That’sthe guy?” I murmured to Az as he shifted me sideways so that our profiles were visible to the vampire and his gang.
Az leaned down and wound his arms around my waist. An electriczingwent through me from his touch, bringing with it a strange sense of familiarity. “Yep. His name is Tony Soprano.” When my eyebrows shot up to the top of my forehead, Az laughed. “I’m joking. His name is Lars. No last name. He likes his blood fresh.”
A shiver went down my spine. Despite it, I pushed up onto my toes and laced my fingers around the back of his neck. “So, he’s a vampire who kills.”
“That’s the rumor. Of course, no one has ever been able to prove it.”
“And so we’re dangling me in front of him. Who’s to say he won’t try to drink my blood?”
“BecauseIhave claimed you. And now it’s time to make it look real.”
Az dropped his forehead to mine. My whole body stiffened as he searched my eyes, almost as if he was waiting for my consent. I wet my lips and nodded, my heart raging like a bonfire. What the hell was I doing? Why didn’t I stop this? This was crazy. A terrible, horrible mistake.
His lips brushed mine. Those pesky sparks stormed across my skin, burning away my intrusive thoughts. My hands tightened around his neck as the kiss slowly deepened. He groaned against my mouth and pulled me tighter into his chest.
All logical thought fled from my mind as the hard planes of his perfect chest rippled against me.
I pressed up onto my toes, crashing against him. A shudder swept through me as his tongue speared my lips. Clinging on as tight as I could, my tongue melted against his, our mouths in sync and our bodies locked tight. Everything within me yearned for more of him. Heat coiled within me, clenching my core.
Slowly, Az pulled away. Darkness flickered in the depths of his ice blue eyes, and my chest thumped with the rhythm of my frantic heartbeat. I didn’t know what the hell had just happened, but I knew I hadn’t hated it. Had he felt that same spark? We weren’t still pretending, right? Or had all that just been for show?
Even with the flicker in his eyes, I couldn’t read his mind.
“Well,” he said with a delicious smile that made my toes curl. “That will certainly do the trick.”
“I mean, I would be convinced if I were him.”
His eyes flashed as he spun me around and gave me a spank on the ass. I let out a little chirp of surprise. “I seem to have made you late to your shift. Better get to dancing, Mia. I’ll see you after.”
As he strode away, I reached my hands up to my cheeks. They were boiling hot. I took a deep breath and rolled my shoulders, trying to shake off what had just happened. I needed to get a grip. At the start of all this, he’d warned me that we might have to share a few fake kisses in front of people. That was all that was.
He was just a really, really good fake kisser. And I couldn’t let myself think it was anything more than that.
* * *
After my shift, Valac, Caim, Phenex, and Stolas were waiting for me in the hallway. There was a fifth demon among them, one I hadn’t met yet, but whose name I’d learned was Bael. With dusty blonde hair and a winning smile, he looked like he’d strolled right out of a college football team. One of those wholesome, boy-next-door types. But luckily, I knew it was nothing more than a mask.
“I need a minute.” I held up my hands when they tried to usher me into their little crime-solving dungeon. “It’s hot as hell in there, and I need some fresh air.”
Truth be told, I was still reeling from the kiss. But also, I’d spent four hours dancing. I needed to pee.
