A smile flashed across his face. “I’m surprised you were actually brave enough to show. You’ve run from everything else in your life. I thought you’d run from this, too. A pity, almost, that you chose guts this one time. You’d be better off if you’d fled.”

My lungs rattled as I gaped at him. Thoughts flicked through my mind almost too fast for me to comprehend them. Noah wasn’t here because the killer had lured him into his trap. He was here because…

“You can’t be,” I breathed as I took a step back. “Not you. You’re just…you’re human.”

He was a nerdy coffee-addict hipster who had swept my best friend off her feet.

Chuckling, he reached behind his back and pulled out a very, very sharp knife. The florescent light gleamed against the serrated edge. Specks of blood clung to the metal. I swallowed down a hard lump in my throat.

“I was shocked when Serena’s useless roommate walked right through Infernal’s doors without any trouble at all. At first, it annoyed me, Mia. But then I saw it for the opportunity it was.” He flipped the knife in his hands. “You would finally give me what I have wanted for decades. A way to find out exactly what Asmodeus and his Legion are up to in his fucking club.”

My heart thumped. “Seems a little over the top, don’t you think? You could probably just ask him.”

Sneering, he edged a little closer. “Asmodeus would never tell me a goddamn thing. Don’t you know who the hell I am?”

“Um. Actually? No.” I shrugged, trying my best to appear nonchalant. I needed to keep him talking long enough for the Legion to get here. And then we’d grab Serena and go. Was he keeping her behind that plastic sheet?

“My name is Raphael,” he growled.

I blinked at him. “Like the ninja turtle?”

“No.” He fisted his hands, and anger poured off his body in waves. “Like the fallen angel. How could you have never heard of me? Don’t they teach you humans about us in church?”

“I’ve only been a few times, and I never really paid attention.” I folded my arms and lifted an eyebrow. Somehow, my body remained far more calm than my mind did. Inside, I was screaming to run. “So, tell me. What’s your plan here? You’re going to give me Serena, and in exchange, I give myself up to you. And then what? How does that tell you what’s going on inside the club?”

A wolfish smile flashed across his face. “You’ll see. Az will arrive any minute now. He won’t be able to help himself. I sent the Legion off on a wild goose chase, and he’ll soon realize you’re facing the killer alone.”

Realization pounded through my veins. “You want him to show up.”