I followed his gaze to the guy in the far corner, half-hidden in shadows. He had bleached white hair and pale skin that seemed to pull tight around his muscles. Something about him screamed danger, and every hair on the back of my neck stood on end. The whites of his eyes seemed to pierce my soul. Suddenly, the fangs of my memories threatened to pierce my mind. I shuddered.

Caim sighed and rolled his eyes. “Stop it, Valac.”

Confusion rippled through me, and my memories blinked away. “Stop what?”

“Nothing,” Asmodeus said quickly, catching my elbow in his hand. “I need to take you to the other dancers now. They’ll go through everything you need to know for the night. This lot will talk your ears off if we stay much longer.” He shot them all a dark gaze. “Behave yourselves.”

“Bye, Mia!” Caim called out as Asmodeus dragged me out of the room. I frowned up at him when our feet hit the hallway and yanked my elbow out of his grip. He motioned for me to follow him down the left side of the hallway, and we fell into step beside each other.

“You don’t have to manhandle me.”

“It’s almost nine. The club will get busy soon, and we need you ready for your shift.” He didn’t even glance down at me, and he threw out his words as if they were barbed. Had I annoyed him somehow? Again?

“What have I done now?”

He cut his gaze my way. “You were eyeing up Caim like he was a steak dinner.”

I snorted, nearly stumbling over my own feet at the shock of his words. “Wait a minute. You’re mad because I noticed your bouncers aren’t exactly ugly?”

“Stay away from them, Mia.”

“Excuse me? You were the one who introduced me to them.”

“Clearly, that was a mistake.”

I was starting to think the mistake was me agreeing to this bizarre deal in the first place. With a roll of my eyes, I considered the night ahead. At least I wouldn’t have to work with him. I’d be up in a cage, dancing the night away. He’d be…doing whatever club owners did. Likely greeting his most prized guests and rubbing elbows with the latest winners of the Grammys.

At the end of the hallway, Asmodeus pushed open a door and ushered me into the dancers’ dressing room and a flurry of vibrant energy. Girls sat along a slim table that hugged the wall, half-costumed and applying makeup before a bank of brightly-lit mirrors. Each and every one of them was breathtakingly beautiful, as if they’d walked straight out of the pages of a magazine.