“What are you saying?” I whispered to him, strangely touched by the intensity of his words.
“We came to this world for one reason only.” He scanned the room, meeting the gaze of every demon who stood before him. “This might be our last chance to protect the lives of this city, human and supernatural alike.” And then he turned to me. His eyes pierced the very depths of my soul. “This demon knows the truth about Mia, and Lucifer has been hiding him. Maybe he knows something that can save her from this fate. Maybe there’s a way she can stay here.”
My stomach dropped to my toes. Sucking in a sharp breath, I crossed the room and grabbed his arms. I searched his face, desperate for some sign that what he said was wrong. He acted as though there wasn’t any hope for the Legion. He seemed convinced their fate was sealed.
Well, I wouldn’t accept that.
“There’s got to be something else we can do,” I insisted. “What if we left the country?”
He shook his head. “Lucifer will find us wherever we go.”
“Well, then we fight him, like you planned to do before,” I said, throwing back my shoulders. “You and the Legion were dead set on destroying him only a few days ago. What’s changed now? Let’s come up with a plan, surround him, and do the whole rip out the heart thing.”
His jaw clenched as he gazed down at me. “You’re right. We have to try. But first, we’ll take care of this.”
I opened my mouth to argue with him, but he wouldn’t hear it. He’d made up his mind. Quickly, the demons scrawled out a plan. The Legion would split up. Phenex, Caim, Bael, Valac, and Stolas would take down the fallen angels. Az and I would go alone to track down Lucifer’s hidden asset. The demon with all the answers.
And we were leaving now. There wasn’t any time to stick around and find out if Lucifer would pop by, armed to the teeth.
Just before we stepped out the door, Az grabbed my elbow and drew me to his side. The way he looked at me made my knees wobble. That, plus the adrenaline rush from what we were about to do, made my entire body feel like it had been tossed through a blender.
“I need you to promise me something, Mia,” he said in a rough voice that invited absolutely zero argument. Whatever he was about to say wasn’t a question, but a command.
“Let’s hear it.” I tipped back my head to meet his gaze.
“We don’t know exactly what we’re walking into tonight,” he murmured. “I’ve heard about this demon. She’s stronger than she looks, and she operates on a short fuse. Do whatever I tell you to do and stay close to me.”
“Sure.” I palmed his chest, wishing that I could take back the past several hours. I’d notice the moon and call off the date. Tomorrow would be another normal day. Or at least as normal as it got working at a demon club. Lucifer would still be playing his game, but at least we’d have more time together.
At any moment, Az could be ripped away from me. Or I could be ripped away from Az. Because even if we both ended up in Hell after all this, I knew Lucifer would never let us come face-to-face. Not for a very, very long time.
“Az,” I said, my heart pounding. “I’m not ready to say goodbye to you yet.”
“I’m not either, Mia.” He cupped my face. “I’ve only just found you.”
That weirdzingmade another appearance, but for once, I didn’t care what it meant. Nothing else seemed to matter right now but Az. He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine, lighting up every inch of my skin. Closing my eyes, I pressed up onto my toes and let my hunger loose. Our mouths crashed together; our bodies became one.
I needed more.
Desire burned through me.
“Ahem.” Phenex coughed from the open doorway. “Sorry to interrupt, but...now is not the time to rip each other’s clothes off, guys.”
Cheeks burning, I unwound myself from Az’s body. Phenex was right, as much as I hated to admit it. The sooner we got out of this apartment, the better.
Because Lucifer would come for us. Eventually. And we couldn’t be here when he did.
19
The uptown address ended up beingwayuptown, past the point I’d ever travelled during my four short months in the city. Inwood felt more like an entirely separate borough rather than the northern tip of the island. A different kind of energy pulsed against my skin as we strode down the quiet streets.
It was calm and peaceful. Children were playing in a nearby park, and the shorter buildings provided an unobstructed view of the sky. We came to a stop outside of a red-brick building that stretched across most of the block. A sidewalk tunnelled between two matching sections, leading to a door with a pristine green awning. It looked like something on a postcard.
The normality of it all caused my skin to prickle. By this point, I would have been more relaxed about something visibly creepy. Like an abandoned warehouse or a basement apartment.
The safer it felt, the more wrong it seemed.
“You sure a demon who worships Lucifer lives here?” I whispered as we strode toward the revolving door. “This looks like a place for very human humans with Netflix subscriptions, screaming babies and, dishwashers.”
