Devilish Deal by Jenna Wolfhart
35
The one-bedroom apartment in Williamsburg sat in the middle of a tree-lined block. Az and I trailed up the four flights of stairs and pushed inside the steel door. When I closed it behind us, I spotted six different locks, two of which were electric. A number pad had been bolted to the wall beside it.
Hardwood floors gleamed against the sunset streaming in through the small windows that faced the street. Az strode over to them, peered down at the ground, and then nodded to himself.
“You need to keep these windows locked at all times. Never open them.” He vanished from the living room to check out the rest of the apartment. With a sigh, I shuffled into the tiny kitchen. Enough room for one. Just me.
Serena had gone back to her own apartment. Az had offered to find us a two-bedroom to share, but she didn’t want to leave her job. Since she was a werewolf, Az felt satisfied that she could protect herself, but I’d asked his Legion to check in on her from time to time.
Rafael—Noah—would return from Hell soon enough. I hated that he knew where Serena lived.
“Alright,”Az said when he returned to the living room. “It’s all clear.”
I nodded, heart twanging. I hated that this was goodbye. But worse than that, our final moments would always be remembered as weird and awkward. I didn’t know what to say to him anymore. He didn’t seem to know what to say to me either.
“Thanks,” I finally said, hugging my arms to my chest. “It seems like a nice place.”
“It’s a good building on a good street. I know I don’t need to tell you this, but keep your real name to yourself.”
“I think I can manage that,” I said quietly. “I did that a lot for two years.”
His eyes softened. “I know, Mia, and I’m sorry. When I brought you into this, I intended to get you a job using your own name so that you could move on with your life. I hate that it’s turned out like this.”
I sighed and closed my eyes. “It’s okay. You were only trying to do the right thing. It’s just that sometimes the right thing is more complicated than you think. We saved those souls, Az. That’s all that matters.”
“That’s not all that matters, Mia,” he said hoarsely.
My eyes flew open. His gaze latched onto mine. Tense heat rippled between us, and a zing went through my heart. Az took a step toward me, those shadows rippling across his skin. His hand caught mine. He pulled me into his chest and wound his arms around my back.
My heart thundered against me so hard, I knew he’d feel the rhythm of it in his bones. All my anger toward him melted from that single touch, and a sigh popped from my throat as I leaned against him.
Our foreheads touched.
Az tensed and pulled away. “I’m sorry, Mia. I have to go. This is where it ends.”
My hands dropped to my sides as I watched him stride through the door and vanish from my life.
