Strangely, it wasn’t the demon part of the equation that had me spooked the most. Having grown up with Serena, I understood that supernaturals were a multifaceted group of people, just like humans were. They weren’t all good; they weren’t all bad. That might extend to demons…but Asmodeus had trapped me in a soul contract without telling me, and these angels thought he might be linked to a serial killer. Now, I had to pretend like I didn’t know about any of it.

How the hell would I pull this off?

Unease racing down my spine, I threw the chain around my neck, slung my hands into my jacket pockets, and started walking. I needed some time to think. Asmodeus was back at the club, unaware I’d been approached by two fallen angels who wanted to take him down. I still had a little time to make a plan. I wondered if I could convince him to tear up the contract. I knew next to nothing about demons, so I didn’t know if that was even possible. How binding were these things? If he decided to renege on it, what happened to my soul then?

All I knew was, I didn’t want to go through with this. I needed a job, but I wasn’t this desperate.

Was I?

With a deep breath, I rounded the corner instead of continuing south to Asmodeus’s apartment building. He wouldn’t be there, but I wasn’t ready to walk into that penthouse just yet. Not until I’d had a chance to clear my mind and make a plan.

The distant thud of footsteps sounded on the sidewalk somewhere behind me. Chills swept across my arms. Glancing around, I noticed this street was steeped in darkness. I was away from the bustling, twinkling nightlife now. Instead, the buildings were ghosts, full of shadows and darkened windows. I cast a quick glance behind me, but no one was there.

No one that I could see.

Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to wander through Hell’s Kitchen alone in the middle of the night, even with my trusty pepper spray. In fact, it was downright stupid. Why had I come out here alone? Idiot. Heart suddenly in my throat, I picked up the pace, only to hear the footsteps do the same.

Shit.

I started to run, tears pricking the corners of my eyes. A car squealed past and slid sideways as it jerked to a sudden stop beside the curb. The passenger door flew open. Asmodeus rushed out, eyes narrowed, jaw clenched tight. A burst of shadows exploded from his skin in the blink of an eye. And then they were gone.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he barked, thundering forward. The vein in his neck seemed to pop right out of his skin.