I sucked in a rattling breath as the realization washed over me. At the time, I hadn’t thought much of it. I’d spent so long bobbing along in a sea of solitude that it’d made sense I’d grasp onto the first group of people who welcomed me into their lives with open arms. Even if they were Princes of Hell.
But maybe there was more to it than that. Maybe I’d felt like I fit in with a bunch of supernaturals because...I was one myself.
Could thatreallybe the case?
We were about to find out. Maybe. Az seemed certain we would find answers at this address, but I had a sneaking suspicion we’d just find Lucifer lurking in the shadows and waiting for us to walk straight into his trap.
The driver angled the car toward the curb and left the engine running. Peering out the tinted windows, I tried to steel myself for what we were about to do. But, to be honest, my entire body felt a little wobbly. What was it people said? Bravery isn’t the lack of fear. It’s doing the thing you fear even if it liquidates your bones.
Az slid out of the car, rounded the back, and swung the door open for me to climb out. I put one booted foot on the sidewalk and braced myself for the inevitable swoop of black wings. But nothing came. People bustled by, heads down. It was the middle of the day on a busy Manhattan street, and Lucifer was nowhere to be seen.
I glanced up at the number on the building in front of us while Az slammed the car door. Twenty-six. The address we were looking for was forty-eight, unless I’d totally missed the mark here. And that was always a possibility.
“The building is on the other side of this block.” Az took my elbow and led me toward the revolving doors. “We’re going to approach it through this one and stay out of sight until we’re sure he isn’t in there.”
“But heisgoing to be in there,” I said, glancing up at him. “Isn’t he?”
Az nodded. “Most likely.”
“I still think this is a terrible idea.”
“We need to see what he wants us to see.” Az led us into the revolving doors, and we pushed against the golden frame. “We just can’t lethimseeus.”
I rolled my eyes. Demons were so weird. “But he knows we’re going to follow this trail, right? So, what makes you think he won’t spot us? Or smell us? He’s big on the whole scent thing, right?”
“We’ll stay well out of sight.”
I sighed. There really was no talking him out of this. A part of me wasn’t sure I evenwantedto know the truth. If the fae was right and I was a fallen angel, what would that mean for my future? Would that make me an enemy to Az? Could angels and demons date?
Not that we were dating anyway, I had to remind myself. We’d had a very brief, fake fling, and he’d shown little interest in me since he’d dropped me in that Brooklyn apartment and walked out of my life.
And I refused to spend the rest of my life pining after a guy who wasn’t interested.
The rest of my life. My gut twisted. Wait a minute. Was Iimmortal?
We strode through a dimly lit lobby and passed a bank of grungy elevators where a few people stood waiting. They glanced at us as we passed, but went back to their phones with disinterest. One person wore a full-on bunny costume, complete with an oversized, floppy-eared head.
It wasn’t the strangest thing I’d ever seen in Manhattan.
“You seem to know where you’re going,” I whispered to Az when I felt sure we were well out of earshot.
His lips tipped up in the corners. A dimple briefly made an appearance. “The Legion and I have lived in Hell’s Kitchen for a very long time. Stolas spent the past decade making us a map of every building.”
I arched a brow. “An entire decade?”
“Sometimes, good work takes time.”
“Must be one hell of a map,” I muttered.
It didn’t surprise me one bit that Stolas was the demon behind it. Unlike Caim and Phenex, he rarely cracked a smile or seemed drawn to chaos. I could easily picture him with his head down, bent over a massive canvas and drawing tiny details for hours.
We reached the back wall and hung a left down a corridor lit only by a flickering fluorescent bulb. It buzzed like bees as we passed beneath it. A few doors down, Az twisted a knob and pushed inside an empty room. A stairwell sat to our left. We jogged up two flights and entered another vacant room that looked out onto an alley.
“That’s the building.” Az pointed at a red-brick walk-up that squatted on the opposite side of the alley. Dozens of windows stared back at us, some covered in blinds or curtains. A few windows were bare, and we could clearly see residents wandering around their apartments. Some cooked. Some watched TV. One girl was petting her cat.
I shifted on my feet. “Um, this feels a bit voyeuristic.”
Az crossed the room and stood before the large window. I hissed and latched onto his arm, trying to drag him back. But he was like a stone statue. Immovable and…whoops. I could feel his muscles tense beneath my fingers. My god, his biceps were sculpted to perfection. I wanted to run my fingers over them and—
