I slowed as we approached the restaurant doors to give myself time to think. This was a supernatural haunt, and Az had mentioned Lars like to come here. If the vampire saw me, I was in big trouble.
“Is something wrong?” Lucifer stepped in front of me to block my view of the patrons through the windows. “You’re looking a little pale, Sansa.”
“I’ve been here before.” I grabbed the first words that popped into my mind. “Quite a few times. The food isn’t great. Maybe we could go somewhere else.”
“Really? How strange. Because I have also been here. Quite a few times. And the food is excellent.”
He took my elbow and gripped it tight, steering me toward the door. How gentlemanly. Much to the shock of no one, it turned out that Lucifer was pretty much the opposite of a good date. We were going to eat in this damn restaurant, whether I liked it or not.
Wonderful.
He practically shoved me inside. I stumbled in my boots. The brunette hostess at the podium letting out a little gasp of surprise and dropped a stack of menus on the floor. She blushed furiously, kneeling to gather them back into her arms.
“Apologies.” She shot a nervous glance up at Lucifer’s face. “Your Highness.”
Your Highness. My eyes rolled all the way out of my head.
She jumped to her feet and dropped the messy stack of menus on her podium. “Come with me. Your table is ready for you.”
She led us toward the dimly lit back corner while speakers pumped out folksy music. Or that was where I thought she was going to take us. Instead, she found a table right in the center of the restaurant, surrounded on all sides by fully packed booths and tables.
Lucifer motioned for me to sit.
So this was his play. Parade me in front of everyone to make sure I wasn’t missed.
If it wasn’t so annoying, I’d call him smart.
After we were seated, I held the menu up to my face. I tried to cast a few subtle glances at the other booths to see if I could spot anyone who might recognize me. So far, so good.
“Tell me, Sansa.” Lucifer shoved the menu aside. His eyes sparked with anger as he leaned forward. “What’s your favorite dish on the menu?”
“Don’t you meanleastfavorite?” I snapped back. “Because I’m pretty sure I told you I’m not a fan of the food here.”
He laughed and leaned back in his chair. “How rude. At least lower your voice so the servers can’t hear you.”
“I don’t think they care. They’re not the ones cooking it.”
“You really are a feisty one, aren’t you?” He cocked his head, revealing the edges of the swirling tattoo along his neck. “Has anyone else ever told you that before?”
Unease slithered through me like a venomous snake. Someone had in fact called me feisty before. Not too long ago, actually. It had been Lars.
Heart hammering, I forced myself to keep my gaze forward instead of looking around. That was what he wanted me to do. Search the restaurant for the vampire mob boss who’d invited me to that damn Covenant Ball.
“You sound disappointed.” I arched a brow. “Not enjoying the date? Feel free to bail if you’re not having a good time. I’ll happily go elsewhere for dinner.”
“You’re playing a dangerous game, little wolf,” he growled.
I stared at him for a long moment, tension throbbing in my veins. He knew I was Mia McNally. And he knew that I knew that he knew. A part of me wished he’d just get it over with and say it out loud. Put me out of my misery. End this right here and now. But I knew what would come next if he did. He’d hand me a one-way ticket to Hell.
I leaned back in my chair and smiled. “So are you.”
I expected him to laugh at me or maybe even growl. Anything but what he actually did. A flash of what looked like fear went through his eyes. The smug smile vanished. He looked almost...confused.
“What’s going on inside that pretty little head?” he murmured.
I wrinkled my nose. “I think you know exactly what is going on. None of these dishes sound appealing. I’d like to go somewhere else.”
Just as quickly as the confusion appeared, it vanished again. “You have terrible taste.”
