“Serena, you can’t blame yourself for this. You weren’t being an idiot. He actually seemed like a nice guy for awhile.” Until he didn’t.

She sighed and shook her head. “I knew something was off when he got weird about you and your past. We had a huge fight about it, and then he completely turned it all around and said that he’d never once doubted you. That should have been a red flag. Good sex makes my brain fall out of my skull.”

“Tell me about it,” I muttered.

Serena sat up a little straighter on the sofa. “Um, excuse me? Don’t tell me that you and…” She whipped her head toward the closed bedroom door, and heat crept into my cheeks. I hadn’t had a chance to tell her about my, erm, encounter with Asmodeus. She probably wouldn’t approve. I wouldn’t if I were her.

She popped up from the couch and pointed a finger at me. “That look. You’re embarrassed. I knew it. I absolutely knew it. My god, Mia. You had sex with a Prince of Hell.”

“To be fair, he isn’t one of the evil Princes of Hell.”

Snorting, she laughed. “So, how was it?”

“What do you think?”

“I’m guessing you got an answer about what his dick looks like.”

“It definitely does not have a weird spade demon thing on the end of it.” I grinned back, relaxing from the familiar banter between us. It had been a terrible past few days, but Serena was alive and I was alive, and that was all that truly mattered.

The door clicked open, and Az stepped into the room. My smile died as the flames in my cheeks grew hotter. I really, really hoped he hadn’t overheard our conversation. How mortifying.

Serena cleared her throat and plopped back onto the sofa. She grabbed her blanket and hid behind the book, clearly abandoning me in a sea of awkwardness. I shifted from one foot to the other and eventually settled on joining her. There was nothing left to say. Az had made up his mind, and I had too much pride to beg him to reconsider.

“How’s Jon doing?” I asked Serena.

“Oh,” she said sadly. “He’s about to get stabbed. I hate this part.”

I shot her a fond smile. “Then, why do you keep reading it over and over again?”

“Because your favorite books burrow their way into your heart.” Her eyes turned to the page, and awkward silence filled the penthouse. Az still hadn’t said a word, and he’d made no indication he’d overheard my conversation with Serena. Of course, that didn’t mean he hadn’t. Demons had better hearing than humans did.