Asmodeus motioned to the ceiling, and the cage cranked down to the gleaming floor. I tried to push the door open, but it didn’t budge. My lungs squeezed tight. I was locked inside.

For a moment, Asmodeus stood on the other side of the door and made no move to release me. My heartbeat hammered my ribs, and panic rose like a rock in my throat, choking my breath away. Darkness swirled across my vision, and a sudden heat pulsed against my skin, as if a nearby radiator had suddenly flared to life.

I’d been an idiot for walking into this club. Alone. No one even knew where I was. All I had was a few borrowed dollars in my pocket. My hands fisted by my sides as the instinct to fight rose within me like a storm. If he didn’t let me out of this damn cage, I would scream bloody murder. This might be a quiet street, but someone would hear me.

Maybe. How thick were these club walls?

After far too many tense moments, Asmodeus cracked a grin, shoved the key into the lock, and released me from the cage. I stumbled forward with narrowed eyes. “For a minute there, I didn’t think you were going to let me out.”

“You think I would bother trapping you in a cage?” He turned his back on me and strode over to the empty bar in the far corner. It was a curving wooden thing that had been polished to perfection. Behind it, rows of top bottles glimmered beneath a hidden spotlight. There were champagne bottles that cost more than Serena’s monthly rent.

“The way you said that makes it sound like an insult.” I stayed beside the cage, watching him grab a bottle of gin from behind the bar.

“Would you like a drink before you go?” he asked, ignoring me. “You look like a gin and tonic kind of girl.”

I wasn’t sure what that meant, and annoyingly, he was right. Begrudgingly, I trailed over to him. “Sure, I’ll have one.”

A slight smile lifted the corners of his lips as he mixed the drink. He grabbed a second glass, made another, and then pushed one into my hands. His fingers brushed against mine, and a shot of electricity went down my arm. I stiffened and sucked in a sharp breath, and then scolded myself for being such a goddamn idiot. His eyes darkened as he pulled back his hand, and I swore I saw the reflection of flames deep within the sharp blue.

Obviously, I was imagining things. This guy was really getting under my skin, and I hated him for it.