“It’s hard to feel scared when you’re angry,” I finally whispered to him.

He tensed against me, and then wound his hand around my back. His palm pressed against the dip just above my ass, and I suddenly forgot what we were talking about.

“We’re being watched,” he murmured, his cheek pressed against mine. “Now would be a fantastic time for you to use that anger as fuel for passion.”

“Excuse me?” I squeaked.

“People saw you vanish into the restroom with Serena, and then me follow close behind. They know we were arguing about something. We need to convince them we’ve made up.”

“Maybe I don’t want to convince them we made up,” I hissed back.

“Then, I’ll be forced to take your soul,” he said in a deadpan voice that held little remorse or guilt. My fingers itched to curl into fists and slam into his gut. But I couldn’t. And he knew it. I was nothing more than a puppet to him, and I would never escape until he cut the strings.

“Fine,” I growled back.

Rolling my eyes, I wound my arms around his neck and leaned in close to him. Heat curled off his body, caressing my skin. I swallowed hard at the feel of his light stubble against my cheek. His skin was soft and warm, and it drove away all thoughts of fighting him on this. To be honest, this wasn’t too bad. He smelled good, like campfires and manly musk. His hand was warm against my back, and his shredded chest was like a steady rock, shifting against me each time we swayed.

If I forgot about the contract and the rude comments and the disdain in his voice when he spoke to me, I might even be able to enjoy this. Just a little.

Something buzzed by my ear. I jumped, heart raging like a bull. Az pulled his hand away from my shoulder and glanced at his smart watch. A frown pulled down his lips, and he turned away from me, his eyes shuttering.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” he said without even giving me a fleeting glance. “There’s something I need to do.”

“What?” I gaped at him as he pushed through the crowd, already halfway across the dance floor. “You’re just going to leave me here?”

“Go find Serena and stay close to her,” he threw over his shoulder, and then he was gone.

My mouth dropped open. What the hell was going on? Was he up to something? I should probably follow him and see if I could find out what it was. Maybe if I caught him with his hand in the metaphorical cookie jar, the angels could help me get out of the contract.

I glanced around. A few fanged dancers were eyeing me with eager interest. Yep, definitely time to follow Az. With a deep breath, I pushed through the crowd.

12