“I’m just trying to keep her safe. She wouldn’t make it in Hell.”
Tears burned my eyes as I twisted away. There was no reason to get upset by what he’d said. Of course he didn’t love me. I was just a pesky human he’d pretended to date. It had been nothing more than that. And yet…my stomach still churned. My heart ached. His words had been so dismissive of me.
She wouldn’t make it in Hell.
“I think you’d be surprised.” River folded her arms and lifted her brows. “You can’t tell, can you?”
Az’s hand tightened around mine.
“Tell what?” he demanded.
“I can’t do a scent glamor on her because she already has one.”
Sweat beaded on my brow, and thatzingwent through me again. The one I’d only ever felt when Az looked at me. But it was happening now, as this fae sized me up like a steak on a platter. Dread roiled through me.
“What do you mean?” I whispered.
“Interesting,” she murmured. “Youdon’t know either.”
“I’ve had enough,” Az growled, yanking me toward his chest and wrapping his arms protectively around me. His heart thumped against my ear, fast-paced and frantic. I didn’t know what to think about that. That he was as nervous as I was.
“She’s not human, Asmodeus,” River called as he dragged me toward the gate. “Something has been done to her to hide who she is, and she doesn’t even know it’s happened.” She levelled her gaze with me. “If I were you, I’d want to find out what she is.”
5
“This can’t be happening.” Az paced, brows furrowed.
River lowered me into a wooden chair at the edge of the trees. Whispers drifted out from the dense brush, and I swore I saw the flicker of several yellow eyes. None of the other fae ventured out to join us. It seemed River was right. They didn’t want to greet the demon.
“Mia is human.” He came to a sudden stop before me and peered into my eyes.Zing. “She looks like one, she smells like one, shefeelslike one.”
River shrugged. “Whoever did this to her is strong. Impenetrable magic, invisible even to demons. Someone as strong as me.”
Az narrowed his eyes. “How many fae are as strong as you?”
“Not many,” she said lightly, brushing my hair back from my shoulders. She gave me a kind smile, but I didn’t miss the eager excitement in her eyes. River might be helping us, but she was getting something out of this. What? I didn’t know. But I needed to stay on guard. “In this area of the world, maybe ten.”
He strode over to us, looming tall, shadows whorling across his skin. “Can you tell who did it?”
“Maybe if I had more time.” She glanced up at him. “But I’m assuming you’d like this done quickly. The garbage smell has faded. If Lucifer hasn’t stopped actively tracking her, he might already have a lock on her location.”
“Do it,” he said, shoving his fingers into his midnight hair. “Go on then. Get it over with.”
“You know I can’t do this for free,” she said lightly.
“Just do it!” He shouted. His voice echoed through the trees.
Smiling, River brushed her fingers along my collarbone, lighting up my skin with the same kind of magic that had melted my brain as soon as I’d stepped into the grove. My body burned like it was engulfed in flames. Wincing, I glanced down at my arms, half-expecting to see the fire I felt. But there was nothing there. Nothing but—
A strange scent wafted into my nose. A familiar scent, but one I couldn’t place. It was harsh and metallic, almost like gold.Ozone.The word popped into my head, though I couldn’t explain where it had come from. What did ozone smell like exactly?
It smelled like this.
Az sucked in a sharp breath and stumbled away from me. River’s hand fell from my arm, and her wide eyes whipped across me in disbelief. She pressed her fingers to her lips. Dread clenched my heart.
“What’s going on?” I whispered.
Az’s jaw tightened. Hell, his whole body did. He shot a sharp glance at River, who still stared at me like she’d seen a ghost. “Are you sure she doesn’t know?”
