“Definitely no dishwashers,” I muttered.
When we reached the right door, Az gave me one last glance before giving it a light knock. As we waited, adrenaline surged through my veins, making me feel like my skin was going to bounce right off my bones. I’d never been more on edge in my life, and that was saying something. This was nothing compared to stage fright or the nerves before a big speech in class.
It was the unknown of it all. Neither one of us had any idea what was on the other side of that door.
The hinges creaked as the sagging door swung open. A face peered out at us, wrinkled and small. I cocked my head as I stared at the little old lady who stood before us. She was stooped over, like an invisible weight squatted on her shoulders. Her gold-rimmed glasses matched her necklace, and coils of white frizzed around her heart-shaped face.
Um...
This was the demon?
“I’m sorry.” Az stepped back, confusion in his voice. “We must have the wrong address. Apologies for disturbing you so late at night.”
Her rattling voice whispered out at us. “Who were you looking for, son?”
Son. I bit back a smile. If she only knew Asmodeus was centuries older than she was.
“A woman named...” Az glanced down at the paper in his hands. “Rebecca Reynolds.”
“I’m Rebecca Reynolds,” the old woman said.
Oh. Hmm. This was getting stranger by the moment. A little slice of fear shimmied its way into my heart as Az tried to make sense of it all. Eisheth had been the one to give him the name and address. She’d been on Lucifer’s side since the beginning. My heart began to pound harder in my chest. Was this another one of his tricks? Could we have walked straight intoanothertrap?
Az turned to me. “This is the Rebecca Reynolds. Eisheth must have gotten the addresses mixed up somehow.”
“You know Eisheth?” the old woman asked.
Az’s eyes sharped on her face. All the blood inside my veins stilled. “Forgive my confusion, but...I must ask. Do you know what Eisheth is?”
“Oh, yes.” Rebecca bobbed her head. “Vampire. Quite vicious when she wants to be.”
Shadows rippled across Az’s arms as he stepped forward. “But you are...”
“Human?” The old woman smiled, and for the first time since she’d opened the door, something about her face looked off. Like the lines of her nose didn’t match. My stomach twisted with unease. “I’m not human, Asmodeus, and I know why you’re here. You want the thing that Lucifer asked me to hide for him.”
Nerves jangled my belly. Rebecca wasn’t human, so then what was she?
Az stormed forward and slammed his hand against the door. It rattled on its hinges, and it shot wide open to reveal a hoarder’s den. The entire surface of the floor hid beneath towers of junk. Glittering trinkets. Mounds of clothes with the tags still attached. Tattered books and a random assortment of electronics. The walls were covered in framed photos. Floor to ceiling. Wall to wall. There wasn’t even an inch of space left untouched.
And the thing we wanted was somewhere in the midst of all this. No wonder Lucifer had wanted to hide it here.
“You’re welcome to take a look,” she said with a sweet smile, motioning toward the disaster.
I didn’t really know what to say at this point. What other choice did we have?
Az gave a nod and stepped inside. I followed him. Rebecca closed the door behind us and darted through the mess as if she’d done it a thousand times before. When she reached an arched doorframe leading into the kitchen, she paused where she precariously perched on a teetering pile of cardboard boxes with the dexterity and balance of an Olympic gymnast.
Definitely not human.
“Would either of you like a cup of coffee or tea?”
“No, thanks,” Az grumbled.
Her watery blue eyes turned toward me. “And you, dear?”
Coffee was the last thing I wanted right now, but it would be good to get rid of her for a few moments. At this point, we had a bit more information, but it wasn’t much. There was an object we needed to find. Somehow, that held all the answers. Lucifer had gone to a lot of trouble to hide it from us, and we would never find it without knowing what it was.
“Sure,” I said. “Cream and sugar.”
