I dropped my hands and backed away.
He shot me a wicked smile. “You’re worried someone will see you in here with me.”
“Um. Yes. That someone isLucifer.”
“The windows in this building are tinted. That’s why I chose this one.” He pointed out the dark film on the outer glass. “If anyone looks into this room, they’ll see vague shadowy forms and nothing more.”
“Oh.” Relaxing a little, I stepped up beside him. No wonder it had taken Stolas so long to plot out his map of Hell’s Kitchen. He’d even nailed down details about which buildings had tinted glass and which did not. “So, what exactly are we looking at? Is one of these windows the apartment from that contract?”
Mycontract. Had I signed it? I certainly didn’t remember doing anything of the sort.
“I’m not sure.” Az folded his arms, standing tall and firm beside me. For a moment, I let my eyes wander across his body. His corded muscles tensed as he gazed at the building across from us. That strong, unyielding jawline rippled with determination.Whydid he have to be so damn hot?
His lips curled. “Have you forgotten that I can scent your emotions, Mia?”
Alarm rippled through me, and I jerked my gaze away. Heat consumed my face until I was sure it was actually on fire. To be honest, I kind of had forgotten. Not that it would have made any difference. I couldn’t control how I felt any more than any other living, breathing human with eyes. He was as sexy as sin. It was just a fact. If he had a Wikipedia page, it would be one of the first things listed about him.
“You sure do like to jump to conclusions,” I said with a mouthful of marbles. Time to save a little face, if even possible. “Whatever you think you smell, you’re wrong. It doesn’t mean what you think it means.”
“If you say so.” He chuckled.
My eyes narrowed. “You have a massive ego. Pretty rich coming from the most anno—”
“There he is.” The smile slipped from Az’s face. He took one step closer to the window and pointed up at an apartment two floors above us.
Heart pulsing, I followed the line of his finger. Az was right. There he was. Lucifer’s silver hair flashed beneath the sunlight streaming in through the window. His hands were wrapped around an old man’s throat.
I sucked in a sharp gasp.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Lucifer smiled. He stepped up closer to the window and snapped the man’s neck in one fluid motion.
Horror tumbled through me.
I screamed.
Lucifer’s gaze snapped toward our building, his eyes scanning the windows. Az grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the door. I stumbled after him, reaching up to touch my cheeks. They were wet with tears.
When we reached the door, I shot one last glance over my shoulder. Lucifer was gone from the window now. Had he seen us? The glass was tinted, but he’d still be able to make out our forms. Would he have recognized the shape of us?
Az didn’t wait around to find out. He grabbed my hand and hurtled up the stairwell. Our footsteps echoed through the concrete space like war drums. When we reached the rooftop, he gathered me in his arms and shot up into the clouds on his wings of darkness.
But it was far too late. I knew Lucifer had heard my scream.
11
Az set down on a rooftop only a few blocks away. He hadn’t wanted to remain in the sky for long to avoid Lucifer—or humans—spotting us. He’d found a roof that held a maze of concrete structures for us to hide among, but it all felt a bit pointless to me. If Lucifer really wanted to find us, wouldn’t he?
Fisting his hands, Az paced before me. Tension rattled his body, and a strange, sizzling heat seemed to waft off his skin. I’d never seen him like this before. Like he was just as shaken by what we’d seen as I was.
“Why are we here?” I asked. “Won’t he know exactly where we are because of his smell tracking thing?”
Az shook his head. “That’s not how it works. He has to be actively tracking someone to keep his sights on them. One he focuses on something else, he loses that connection, though he can pick it up again if they get near enough.”
“Near enough,” I said flatly. “Like we just did.”
“That was a big building with a lot of people. Besides, we weren’t actually that close to him. There were two walls between us and several stories,” Az said, ruffling his dark locks. “As powerful as he is, he isn’t infallible.”
“So, we’re safe?” I asked with a hopeful hitch in my voice.
