For a moment, all I could do was stare at him. I should leave. Go on with my life. But it was a life that Asmodeus had designed for me. Obviously, if he wanted me dead, he wouldn’t have to lift a finger to find me. He’d picked out my new name. My new job. Even my new apartment. And if I tried to flee to Canada or something, would I get very far?

Probably not.

Dammit.

With a growl, I ripped open the door and stormed down the corridor. When I reached the meeting room, they were all in there waiting for me. Pinched expressions were carved on every face. I stepped inside, bracing myself for battle. They all leapt from their seats and cheered.

The demons surrounded me in an instant. Arms wound around me, hair and muscled skin slammed into my cheek. I couldn’t even breathe for how hard they squeezed me. Caim was there. So was Stolas and Phenex and Bael. Even Valac joined in. The scent of flames roared in my head.

For a moment, panic ripped my heart open wide, but then it slowly ebbed. They weren’t trying to crush me. They were…hugging me.

When they all stumbled back, my eyes found Az. He huddled in the back corner, arms folded, eyes downcast. He’d been the only one who hadn’t rushed to my side the instant I’d walked through the door.

“You pointed a sword at me,” was all I could say.

His jaw flickered as his eyes stayed locked on the floor. “I’m sorry, Mia. I never wanted to do any of this, but it was our only choice. I had to make you believe that I’d betrayed you. She isn’t a demon, but Eisheth can scent emotions even better than I can.”

“Wait.” My stomach dropped. “You’re saying you planned all of that?”

He nodded and finally glanced up. Pain churned in the depths of his eyes. “The plan we told you about wasn’t the real plan. I hated to lie to you, but if you’d known the truth, Eisheth would have scented it on you. You had to believe you were in actual danger. She had to smell your fear.”

I stumbled back, heart hammering. “So, when Phenex went in to unlock the window…”

“I hammered it shut,” he admitted with an uneasy cough. “I’m sorry, Mia.”

“Because you wanted me to be scared.”

It made sense. Horrible, brutal sense. They’d lied to me about the plan.