“No.” I took a step back. “I think I just want to go to bed.”
His frown deepened, but he didn’t argue. “Alright. But keep the door open just in case.”
Before I could talk myself out of it, I placed my untouched drink on the dining table and vanished into his room. I climbed into his bed without bothering to undress. My eyes struggled to shut. Every muscle in my body stayed tense. Ominous thoughts flashed through my mind, taking me down paths of disastrous what ifs. I’d told myself never to play that game again, but I couldn’t help it tonight.
What if I should have gotten out of the deal when I could? What if the Legion really was hiding something? And what if Az found out I’d been a momentary spy?
But the thing that kept me awake the most was that Az never came to bed.
20
Time flew by, faster than an express subway train. Az and I fell into a daily rhythm even though things were tense and strained between us. Every night, I slept in his bed. Sometimes, he joined me. In the morning, we had pancakes with Hendrix, and at night, I danced in his club.
I always walked home alone, continuing my role as bait. Thankfully, the angels hadn’t tried to approach me again, but neither had the killer. Our entrapment plan wasn’t working.
We all sat gathered around the folding table after another night at the club. My entire body ached, and my forehead glistened with a light sheen of sweat. I’d danced for five nights straight, something I hadn’t done since high school. My muscles were making me pay for it, but the exhilaration in my tired body made up for it. Dancing drove the cobwebs out of my head. I might be mixed up in a dangerous, crazy situation, but I hadn’t felt this good in a very long time.
Not since that night of my senior year in college when everything fell apart.
I could still see those flashing lights. The blood painting the asphalt. The terror in my sister’s eyes.
“Right.” Phenex leaned against the wall beside the massive map and folded his arms. “I don’t think our little friend is going to come out to play.”
“He knows we’re keeping an eye on her,” Stolas answered with a nod. “Our trap is too obvious. We’re going to have to try something else.”
“Like what?” I dared to ask. Walking home was one thing. Who knew what they’d come up with next?
Az rubbed his jaw. “We’ll have to use the party somehow. That’s the last time he showed his face.”
“The party?” I frowned. “What party?”
He cut his eyes my way. “The second party we’ll attend as a couple. It’s part of your agreement.”
“When is it?”
“Tomorrow night.”
My heart flipped. That was soon.
“Would have been nice for you to mention it before now,” I muttered.
“It’s part of your deal,” he replied evenly. “If you’d read your contract, you would have known about it.”
I narrowed my eyes. Az met my gaze, clearly unaffected by the tension between us. He’d been like this ever since our argument. I’d offended him somehow, by asking about the vampire spy. Whatever friendship we’d formed had vanished like mist.
Fine with me. I didn’t want to be friends with him anyway. As soon as this whole thing was over, we’d never have to see each other again.
“Fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “We’ll go to the party. But how exactly does that help us catch a supernatural serial killer?”
A strange smile slid across his lips. “We’ll have a public argument. That shouldn’t be particularly difficult, at least not for you. After, you’ll storm off. Go outside to be alone. Hopefully, the killer will approach you then.”
Heart thumping against my ribs, I nodded. “Sure, that could work, but won’t that cause problems for the sacrifice ball? Have you gotten an invite for that yet?”
Az turned to Stolas, who shook his head. “Nothing. You haven’t been invited to the Covenant Ball.”
A shiver raced down my spine. “TheCovenantBall? Sounds like something straight out of a horror movie. Will I have to take some Holy Water?”
Caim chuckled. “You’ll be safe. Two of us will go with you. We’ll be waiting in the wings when you step outside.”
