Az palmed my knees. His feverish hands skimmed across my skin, making me forget about everything and everyone else. Suddenly, we were alone in this room, and all the pain and worry and fear melted beneath his touch. I stared into the flickering depths of his eyes and saw something I’d never seen before.
Recognition. A reminder of the past. But how? I’d grown up in Nashville, Tennessee, and had never been to New York until I’d moved here four months ago. The chances we’d ever met before were slim to zero. I leaned closer with my breath caught in my throat. His tongue whispered across his bottom lip.
Desire curled through me.
He blinked and pulled back. “You’re healed.”
His voice was gruff and distant and hard. All the emotions I’d seen in his eyes were gone, as if he’d pulled a shutter across them. Frowning, I glared up at him. Not this again.
“Why do you always have to—”
“Everything okay in here?” Lucifer breezed into the room, the Legion parting like the Red Sea. Power pulsed on his bronze skin as he came to stand before me. He cocked his head. “You hit your head pretty hard out there. Is the wound not healing?”
His fingers touched my forehead. I stiffened and sucked in too large a breath. The gasp practically echoed in the silent, tense room.
“Hmm.” His hand dropped away. “It’s hot to the touch but feels fine. Looks like your werewolf healing powers kicked in just in time. Why is everyone gathered in here as though that little cut was an emergency? An overreaction, is it not?”
“Sorry,” I muttered. “I guess I’m just a wuss when it comes to blood.”
Probably not the best response, but it was too late to take it back now. I didn’t know much about werewolves in general, but I knew a hell of a lot about Serena. And she didn’t hate blood. In fact, in her wolf form, she craved it.
“You’re a very odd wolf.” He sniffed, and then shot me a wicked smile. “Best get back to dancing. I heard several of the regulars talking about you. They like the way you move.”
My head jerked toward Az.Thatprobably wasn’t good. Some of the regulars would have known me from before.Shit, shit, shit.
He gave me an almost imperceptible nod. The look in his eyes was clear. I needed to follow orders. Best to do whatever Lucifer said.
Shakily, I stood and took the towel Caim offered. I wiped the blood from my hands and squared my shoulders. Time to get back to dancing then. No time to waste. Be a puppet on a string for Lucifer’s amusement. Just as I reached the door, Az grabbed my hand. Something rough slid between my fingers. His eyes caught mine, heavy with meaning.
I gave him a smile and drifted out the door, my heart pounding. He’d slid me a note.
“Asmodeus, you truly do have a strange relationship with some of your employees,” Lucifer said, his voice fading as I strode down the corridor. None of the others followed me. I was on my own now. They’d already done too much. If they hovered, like I knew they wanted to, the roots of Lucifer’s suspicions would only grow deeper. And we’d already planted enough seeds.
With a steady nod to myself, I tucked the note into the corner of my bra.
The night went by quickly. I tried not to think and instead just let the music move my body the way it wanted. The lights blurred before me as I swirled, and the cheers from the crowd fed me like a massive plate of fluffy pancakes.
I didn’t know what would happen when this night was over, but right now, I didn’t have to think.
All I did was move.
When my shift was over, I ducked into the ladies’ room before the girls could pepper me with a million questions about my accident. I sucked in several deep breaths and pressed my back to the door. There was something I needed to see before I did anything else. Hands shaking, I unfolded the note Az had passed me.
My eyes tripped across his words, hastily scrawled in deep black ink.
Meet me on the Brooklyn Bridge at four.
My heart hammered my ribs. Unfortunately, Az didn’t mean four in the afternoon. Limbs heavy, body aching, all I wanted to do was to crawl into bed and sleep my stress away. But I couldn’t. Deep down in my bones, I knew the night was far from over.
I was a supernatural. Maybe. And Lucifer had dragged me back intoInfernal.
Could I even go back to my apartment in Brooklyn now? It was full of my stuff. My very human stuff that had no hint of my supposed werewolf identity. The whole place probably reeked of my humanity. If Lucifer followed me back there, he’d know in an instant who I was.
Pain flickered in my heart.
Even after everything I’d done and as hard as I’d fought, I was homeless.Again.
My hand fisted around the note as my gaze dropped to the grimy floor of the club bathroom. I was back in my worst nightmare all over again. The one I’d thought I’d left behind for good. Homeless. Jobless. Friendless.
