Devilish Deal by Jenna Wolfhart

10

The party was being held on a rooftop bar smack dab in the middle of Hell’s Kitchen. I’d hoped we’d get out of this little pocket of the city but no such luck. It seemed as though all of Asmodeus’s business was wound up in these streets, as well as his friends.

As we waited in the gold-plated elevator, he dropped his voice to a low murmur. “I must warn you, some of the guests may be…wearing costumes. Don’t be alarmed. Some of them are fond of gothic horror.”

My heart flipped as I glanced down at my dress. “Costumes? Um, then shouldn’t we be wearing that, too?”

He chuckled. “That won’t be necessary.”

I opened my mouth to ask him another question just as the elevator shuddered to a stop and the doors whirred open. Partygoers were crammed into the rooftop space. In the distance, the lights of New York glowed like a thousand stars. A fanged girl trotted into the elevator, her hand tucked into a guy’s arm whose hands were covered in fur.

Realization slammed down on me as Az led me out onto the roof. He hadn’t meant costumes at all. This was a party for supernaturals, and he hadn’t told me. Because he thought I didn’t know vampires and werewolves are real. Here, they let down their masks, if they chose to. Here, the demons came out to play.

Az gave me a gentle nudge. I glanced up at him, my heart pounding hard against my ribcage. Was I the only human here?

“Are you alright?” Az asked with concern in his voice. “You’ve gone pale.”

“No, I’m just...” I pressed my sweaty palms against my dress and tried to clear my head.

This was fine. Totally fine. I could do this. Sure, I was probably the only human in a swarm of supernaturals, but there was no reason to panic. I just needed to calm the fuck down and act like it wasn’t a big deal. Serena had told me about parties like this. She went sometimes. Supernaturals weren’t inherently bad. They didn’t just attack humans like the movies suggested they did. Vampires did drink blood, but only the worst of them killed for it. Werewolves rarely lost control of their beast. Fae liked to play games, but they were harmless unless they felt wronged.

This would totally be fine.

Maybe if I told myself that a hundred times, I would believe it.

“Mia.” The way he spoke my name came out like a caress, his deep voice almost a purr. He took my hand in his and weaved his fingers through mine, and then he pushed me back against the wall. I sucked in a sharp breath when his body pressed tightly against mine. He angled in close and dropped his lips to my ear. “Relax. There is nothing to worry about. All you have to do is pretend you can’t keep your hands off me.”

Not an entirely difficult thing. He might be an asshole demon, but Asmodeus—Az—was maybe the sexiest guy I’d ever seen in my life. A part of me knew I should be afraid of him, but I wasn’t. Not really. He set my nerves on edge, but it wasn’t from fear. Deep dislike more like it. But…I didn’t have to pretend I thought he was hot. I mean, it wasn’t even a question. It was a literal fact. The man was a goddamn masterpiece.

Not that I would ever tell him that.

Loosing my pent-up breath, I tried to relax against the wall as I lifted my gaze to his. Flames flickered deep within the ice blue. I swore I could see the flash of them. That intense stare bored into me once more. That soul-stripping, piercing gaze. What kind of powers did he have? Could he see my soul?

He probably could.

Swallowing hard, I wound my hand around the back of his neck. He stiffened beneath my touch, but then shot me a wicked grin. “That’s more like it. Ready to go into the party now?”

“Sure,” I murmured back.

He pushed away from the wall, leaving a gulf of cold air in his wake. I itched to draw him back to me, which was utterly ridiculous. I didn’t want him to touch me. I mean…it was kind of fun. But probably only because we were pretending. It was like we had a secret from everyone else, and we were trying to get away with something scandalous.

That was why it felt so great.

The one and only reason.

Az and I drifted through the crowd. He introduced me to several businessmen before falling into some boring conversation about stock markets and real estate prices. I found my attention drifting away, even though the only reason I was here was to hang off his arm like some kind of human trophy.

The party was packed, and the crowd was more varied than I would have guessed. Suited men lounged on a sofa along with a crowd that had more holes in their jeans than stars in the sky. My gaze snagged on a familiar dark-haired beauty. Her eyes caught on me at the same time.

Serena jumped up from the sofa and rushed across the floor, her flowing crimson gown whipping around her feet. She grabbed my arm when she reached me, her fingernails digging into my skin. “Mia, what the hell are you doing here?”

“Not here,” I mouthed to her.

She gave me a grim nod and dragged me away from Az, who barely seemed to register I’d vanished from his side. Serena led me off the rooftop and into the quieter space inside, down a long hallway, and into a restroom that was more like a lounge than anything. Everything was cast in shades of gold, including the toilet.

Serena threw the lock shut and then folded her arms over her slinky red gown. “Mia. Why are you at a party that’s for supernaturals only?”

I winced. “Well, you aren’t going to believe this, but my new boss brought me with him. Guess what he is. A demon.”

“Wait a minute.” Her eyes widened. “The guy you were standing next to out there. He’s your fake boyfriend?”

“Boss.” I flushed. “And yes, fake boyfriend, too. But mostly boss.”

“I need to sit down.” Serena leaned against the wall and clung onto the hand dryer. “That’s Asmodeus, a fucking Prince of Hell.”

I blinked. “Say what now?”

“He’s not just a demon, Mia,” she whispered with wide eyes. “He’s one of the Princes. He’s like second or third in line. The one who will take over if Lucifer is ever destroyed. Do you have any idea what you’ve gotten yourself into?”

“Sure. Yeah. I totally knew all that.” I found my own wall to lean against and desperately tried to calm my heart before it exploded out of my chest. This couldn’t be happening.

“So, wait a minute,” she said softly. “When you said you auditioned to dance for a club in Hell’s Kitchen, you meant Infernal?”

“Of course I did. I told you all about it,” I whispered. “You knew about Infernal all this time? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“You didn’t tell me the name of the club,” she hissed back. “And I never imagined that was where you went. They don’t let humans in there to party. Let alone work for them!”

“To be honest, I think the only reason he gave me the job is because of this whole fake girlfriend thing. So…extenuating circumstances.”

She closed her eyes. “This really isn’t good. If he wants a human to be his fake girlfriend, there will be a reason for it. And it won’t be a good one. He is a Prince of Hell, Mia. What were you thinking?”

“Well, I didn’t know that until now! I didn’t even know that Princes of Hell were a real thing!” I whisper-shouted the words, though a part of me was worried all those supernaturals out there could hear everything. Did they have enhanced senses? I knew Serena did, but only when she was in her beast form. What about the vampires? Or the fae?

Hell, what about the demons?

“Listen, Mia.” Serena pushed off the wall and took my hands in hers. “You need to get out of this. Now. Before you get hurt. I know you’re worried about being a burden to me, but you’re not. Come back home. I don’t care how long you have to stay. Just get away from Asmodeus.”

“I can’t,” I said, squeezing her hands. “I signed a contract.” Her mouth dropped open, and before she could tell me how stupid I was, I continued. “I had no idea he was a demon when I signed it. He didn’t tell me. I only found out last night.”

“For fuck’s sake.” She took a deep breath, nodded, and then paced across the marbled floor. “Listen, this is what you’re going to do, alright? The contract is binding on your side, but not on his. He can end the deal by ripping up the thing you signed. Convince him that this whole thing has been a terrible mistake. Get him to destroy it as soon as possible. And don’t let him know you know. He’ll never let you go. And the last thing you want in your life is a demon.”

The bathroom door flew open and in strode Az with his wicked smile and shadow-kissed skin. I sucked in a sharp breath as his eyes cut from Serena’s face to mine. How much had he overheard?

“You can’t just waltz into a bathroom when it’s in use,” Serena growled at him with narrowed eyes. “Get out.”

“Neither one of you are using the facilities,” he said smoothly as his gaze latched firmly onto mine. A sizzling heat curled in my gut. “Mia, I need to speak with you alone for a moment.”

“Nope.” Serena folded her arms and shot Az a glare. “I’m not leaving you alone with her.”

“Serena Mason,” Az said, our eyes still locked. “Werewolf. Youngest attorney at Parkins, Weller, and Smith. Resident of Clinton Hill. Previously Nashville. You do know it is against our laws to inform a human of the existence of supernaturals.”

“This isn’t her fault,” I said, gritting my teeth. If I dragged Serena into this mess, I’d never forgive myself. “I’ve known about supernaturals most of my life. That’s what you get growing up next door to a werewolf. And no, she didn’t tell me. I found out myself, accidentally.”

We’d been five, playing in the woods behind our houses. It had been summer, and a full moon had glowed in the sky, even before dark. Serena had begun to shift, and she’d had no idea what was happening to her. I’d held onto her the whole time. For hours. Until the sun rose. For years after that, I’d helped her through her shifts. Not once had she ever tried to bite me, even when she lost control.

Az’s eyes widened a fraction of an inch, almost too little to notice. But I’d clocked the surprise. A smug smile lifted the corners of my lips.

“So, this whole time you’ve known I’m a demon? And the others at the club? You knew about them, too?”

“Ah.” I winced. “No. Idiot that I am, it never occurred to me.”

He turned to Serena then. “So, you did tell her what I am.”

“Oh, don’t be a dick,” she countered. “She already knew about supernaturals. I think it’s fair game to tell her at this point, especially since you had her sign a contract without telling her what it meant. That’s not allowed, and you know it, Asmodeus. You have to inform humans that they’re signing a soul contract.”

His expression darkened. “Just because you’re an attorney at Parkins, Weller, and Smith doesn’t mean you can lecture me about contracts.”

I whipped my head back and forth, watching the exchange. What did he mean about Serena’s job and demon contracts? Puzzle pieces began to click together in my mind. Serena had always been incredibly smart and driven, but she’d managed to snag a competitive job at a prestigious law firm in Manhattan at the age of twenty-three. Surely not…

“Serena,” I said slowly. “Do you work for a supernatural law firm?”

She flushed, avoiding my gaze by staring at the soap dispenser by the sink. “I wouldn’t really call it a supernatural law firm. It doesn’t use magic or anything. It’s just…most of our clients are vampires, demons, or fae. Werewolves, too, but mostly the others.”

“And I am a client of the firm,” Az added. “Which means you need to stay out of this. Otherwise, I will have to tell Parkins that you instructed Mia to tear up one of my contracts.”

Serena growled and whipped her head to me. “This guy is a dick.”

“Tell me about it,” I replied.

“You’re really not supposed to let a human sign a contract without telling them what it means,” Serena said, not missing a beat. “It’s against the rules. It won’t hold up, regardless of who your lawyers are.”

Asmodeus shot her a wicked smile. “For other demons, yes. But I am a Prince of Hell. Those rules do not apply to me.”

My heart flipped, and for the first time, the reality of my situation sank into the very depths of my bones. A part of me hadn’t believed it. The guy was an asshole, but he didn’t look like the kind of person to feast on souls. Not that I had any idea what a soul-eater would actually look like. Maybe a red dude with horns. And a tail. Definitely a tail.

Did he have a tail?

“So, it’s true then,” I said, my breath rattling in my lungs. “If I break our deal, you’ll get my soul.”

He leaned forward and tucked his finger beneath my chin. Those wicked eyes cut through me. “I will not only get it, but I will enjoy taking it straight to Hell.”