* * *
My boots paired with the dress nicely, and if anyone tried to tell me otherwise, I’d punch them in the face. Okay, I’d probably just threaten to sic my harmless pigeon on them, but I refused to wear heals. The slinky gown that cost as much as a Tesla? Fine. Heels? No fucking way. There was a supernatural murderer out there who wanted me dead. If I needed to run tonight, I had no intention of doing it teetering around on little sticks attached to the bottom of my shoes.
No thank you.
Az waited for me in the lobby of his building. He’d wanted to make a few phone calls, apparently out of my earshot. Once again, I got the sneaking suspicion he hadn’t told me everything yet. Maybe he never would. Az was a puzzle. A very dangerous, annoying puzzle. And as a human, I doubted I would ever have all the pieces to solve him.
When the elevator whirred open before me, I caught sight of his suited back. The silky material stretched tight over his muscles, accentuating that raw power he carried with him everywhere. His damp dark hair curled across his neck. One strong hand clenched into a fist while the other held a phone to his ear.
Slowly, he turned to face me. The scowl on his face melted as his eyes sparked with light. He murmured a few words into the phone and then slid it out of view. I swallowed hard. Everything about him was eye-wateringly hot. The light stubble on his sharp jaw. The sleek cheekbones. The flaming crystal eyes. His hands. His body. My god,everything.
And he was looking at me like he wanted to eat me up. After last night, I very much wanted to let him.
No, my mind screamed at me. That had been a drunken mistake. It didn’t mean anything. It would certainly never happen again. We had a determined path ahead. Save Serena. Rescue the human souls from sacrifice. Prevent Lucifer from finding out about any of it. And then I would go on my merry way.
But for tonight…I was Az’s fake date.
“Hello, lovely,” he said with a wicked smile curving his lips. My stomach squeezed.Lovely. It squeezed a second time when I spotted his dimples had made a rare appearance.
With a deep breath, I took his offered hand. Warmth flooded my belly, and azingshot up my arm and into my heart. He pulled me toward him and brushed a strand of my curled hair behind my ear. I rarely did much other than let it hang loose and messy around my shoulders, but I’d made a bit of effort tonight.
To be convincing for the vampire mob boss, of course.
“You look captivating,” he murmured.
“Thank you. You aren’t ugly.”
Smiling, he tugged me toward the door. “Our table is booked for eight. We only have fifteen minutes to get there.”
I hurried after him. As soon as we climbed into the car, he stretched an arm behind my head. I could almost feel the heat of him burning against my neck. The car rumbled into drive, and soon, streetlights flared through the windows as we spun downtown.
“Relax.” He massaged the back of my neck. The sudden contact made my thighs clench.
“I’m not going to relax until Serena’s safe.”
“Fair enough,” he said. “But try not to show it, if you can. We don’t want Lars to have any suspicions about us. If you’re on edge all through our dinner, he’ll know something is up.”
“Maybe he’ll think I just have date nerves.”
“You’re supposed to be my live-in girlfriend, Mia,” he said in a delicious purr that made chills sweep across my skin. “By now, you shouldn’t be so nervous.”
I turned to face him, my heart throbbing. “It’s not you I’m nervous about. It’s Serena. It’s this vampire mob boss. It’s me being bait tonight. You are the last thing that would cause me nerves right now.”
My lungs froze as I held my breath, waiting. He still hadn’t mentioned what had happened last night. How long could he dance around it? Was he worried I would think it meant more than it had? Or was he waiting for me to bring it up?Ha!Hardly. Az wasn’t the kind of guy to wait for anything.
“Well, then just focus on me for a couple of hours, lovely.” His wicked smile burned right through me.
The car slowed to a stop outside of the Waverley Inn. The driver opened the door for the both of us, and we headed into the restaurant. Inside, the lights were dim, and the clinking of glasses mixed with a soothing folksy music filtering in from hidden speakers. The elaborately-painted walls were lined with quiet maroon booths and small pockets of tables were dotted throughout a larger room beside a bar. It screamed old money.
A brunette smiled at us from behind a podium. “Last name, please?”
“Asmodeus,” my date replied with a smile.
“Ah.” The girl flushed bright red and grabbed two menus from the rack behind her. Her eyes darted to his chest. “Of course. So sorry. Right this way, sir.”
My eyebrows shot up my forehead as we followed her to a small corner booth. As soon as she bustled away, I couldn’t help but ask. “What the hell was that?”
“This is a popular locale with the supernatural community. Most of the waitresses here are fae. She’ll know who I am.”
