One of them stood right in front of me, staring down at me with black eyes and an ice-cold expression. He didn’t move, just stood two inches in front of me like a marble statue and about as warm as one too. My body locked in place, afraid to move or breathe. There was no knowing what these guys would do to me. Lilith’s granddaughter or not, he looked like he wanted to eat me. Those black eyes were nearly solid. I tried to find the difference in the pupil from the iris, but it was like sinking into a pool of darkness. There was something intoxicating about him though, especially this close. His skin was perfect porcelain, not a pore or blemish in sight. The color was almost like a pearl that would reflect other colors around him. It made me want to grab him and move him around just to see his skin shimmer. His black hair fell straight down around his shoulders, and part of me wondered if it was as silky as it looked. But I needed to remember this wasn’t a vampire or anything earthly. This was something other.

Something alien.

Something intoxicating.

I found myself unable to move or breathe normally. All I could do was stare. And then it hit me. This is the one that attacked Frankie and that gray dragon. This is the one who attacked Tegan. But he was also the one who caught me as I plummeted toward the ground when Frankie’s attempts to kidnap me failed. I wanted to thank him, yet I was positive the granddaughter of Lilith didn’t thank people for being nice.

Villainy was just not natural for me.

He watched me for a long moment, then reached up and took a strand of my blonde hair between his thin fingers. He twirled a strand around his fingers and then dragged me flush against his body. I crashed into the silver armor strapped to his chest. My eyes barely reached his collarbones. He lifted his hand with a full fistful of my hair and held it up to his nose.

And smelled it.

My pulse quickened. I had no idea what this was about, so I just stayed still and silent.

Then he dropped my hair like it burned him and growled, his upper lip snarling up.

I swallowed roughly and pushed my shoulders back. “Excuse me,” I managed to say with some sharpness in my tone.

Then I all but ran down the hall and didn’t stop until I shut my bedroom door behind me. I knew something was wrong before I even turned around. The room was too dark, the air too cold and electric. I wasn’t alone. I took a deep breath and then spun—and choked on a gasp.

Asmodeus stood in the middle of my room . . . with Reuelle clutched to his side.