Az frowned. “I’m not sure I want to know.”
“Before we go rushing headfirst into this plan, whatever it ends up being, can we try something else first? Serena’s boyfriend was at the party with her tonight. He was by her side the whole time. If someone took her, maybe he saw who it was.”
Az cocked his head. “You mentioned him before, but I didn’t see him.”
“He was there,” I insisted. “Trust me. He might have stepped away for a moment, but I doubt she would have left the party without telling him. Hemusthave seen something. Maybe he could at least give us the identity of the killer. That would help, right?”
“Maybe,” Caim said, nodding at Phenex. “If the killer is part of the supernatural community, there’ll be an address for him somewhere. If we could find out his name, we might be able to track him down.”
I loosed a breath. “So we could find him that way, instead of trying to set a trap for him again. Like Az said, he isn’t stupid. He’ll expect us to try something during the trade.”
“Okay.” Az nodded. “It’s a deal then. Shall I draw up the contract?”
My heart dropped. “You can’t be serious.”
A little, dimpled smile tickled the corners of his lips. “No, I just wanted to see your reaction.”
“Well, that’s annoying.”
Caim cleared his throat and jerked his head at Phenex. They locked eyes and made a few strange noises before they simultaneously drifted toward the door.
“It’s late. We’ll be going now.” Caim’s hand hovered over the handle before he turned to find me hugging my t-shirt to my chest. “Don’t worry, Mia. We’ll do everything in our power to save your friend.”
I nodded. All I could do was put my trust in them. We were up against a supernatural killer who wanted me dead. My only hope was a Prince of Hell and his five loyal friends. Logically, I knew it was a long-shot that we would win, but my gut told me we’d be able to save Serena and those sacrificial human souls.
As long as Lucifer never found out.
25
An unsettling awkwardness formed a lump in my belly. With Caim and Phenex gone, there was nothing to distract me from the fact I’d just had sex with Asmodeus, the most powerful Prince of Hell. Drunk. While my best friend was missing. Thankfully, Az didn’t seem like he wanted to discuss it any more than I did.
“Would you like another drink,” he asked as he moved over to the bar. Glasses clinked as the muscles in his back rippled beneath the city lights splashing through the windows.
“I think I’ve had enough.”
His shoulders tensed. When he turned toward me, it was all I could do not to stare at his chest. Why hadn’t he put on a shirt yet? “Right, of course. You’re exhausted. We should probably get you to bed.”
I hugged my arms around me, sighing. “To be honest, Az, I don’t think I can sleep right now. Not while Serena is out there. She’s probably scared. Or hurt.”
“She might be scared, but she’s likely not hurt,” he said with a frown. “It’s a shame it’s not a full moon or she might have a chance of fighting her way out of wherever she’s trapped. Werewolves are as strong as hell. Most supernaturals can’t stack up against them when they’re in wolf form. Only demons and angels.”
My heart flipped over. Werewolves were strong, but how did they stack up against literal angels? I had to ask, even though I was already sure I wouldn’t like the answer. “How strongareangels? Can they even die?”
He shook his head. “Not permanently. They’re immortal, just like demons. The only way to stop us is to rip our hearts out, but then you have to keep the heart away from the body or we’ll heal ourselves.”
I blinked at him. “Are you telling me that you literally have to hold onto a demon’s heart if you want him dead?”
“The heart will never stop beating, and if you try to destroy it, it will regrow itself. Same as the body. Morax is the only one we’ve ever lost, and that’s only because Eisheth buried his heart and then had another demon erase her memories of where she hid it. So that no one could ever find it again.” He took a step closer, his eyes darkening. “There are plenty of hunters who have tried to kill us over the centuries. It is impossible. The heart always finds a way of returning to its body if it’s close enough. We’re talking within a thousand miles.”
Shivers stormed across my skin.A thousand miles? “So, you’re all immortal. How are we ever going to stop this killer?”
“I plan to take his heart. And then I will drop it into the deepest ocean, as far away from here as I can manage.” Az reached out and fingered a strand of my hair. My heart lurched into my throat, despite everything. “But don’t you worry about that. You need to get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow.”
I opened my mouth to argue. Hadn’t he heard me tell him I was too worried about Serena to sleep? Damn demons and their selective hearing. But just before the words popped out of my mouth, a strange sensation whooshed through my veins. My limbs suddenly grew too heavy for me to move. Lightness filled my head. As the world went black, Az wrapped his arms around me and kept me from toppling to the floor. The last thing I knew before sleep dragged me under was being lifted off my feet and carried into the bedroom. The scent of fire soothed my soul.
* * *
Iawoke with a start. A gasp shook my lungs as I popped up straight, sweaty hair tangled against my forehead. Darkness still hung heavy in the bedroom, but pinpricks of light shone around the edges of the curtains. Az was already up. I could hear him moving around in the kitchen, clinking dishes.
