I looked at her, trying to figure out what she and Asmodeus had spoken about. I didn’t want to dump a load of information on her that she didn’t need. Being taken hostage was probably traumatic enough without learning all about Lucifer and associated paranormal beings. I could hardly believe it myself still—and that was after all the things I’d experienced. “What things?”
“Things I still find hard to believe,” she muttered.
She knew. She had to know. I was just going to come right out with it. She was my oldest friend—we didn’t have secrets. “He told you about demons, didn’t he?”
Her shoulders dropped and a huge sigh of relief rolled from her. “So, you know? Please say you know.”
I pulled Brandy into a hug and tried to reassure her, but what could I really say? She hadn’t said what exactly Asmodeus had shared with her. I probably did know, but she didn’t need to hear any kind of uncertainty from me. “Yes. I know. You can be totally open with me. Of all people, I’ll understand.”
“How?” Disbelief rang in her tone.
“You know the guy they call the devil of Las Vegas?” I asked. “Turns out he’s the actual devil. Not just of Las Vegas.”
“Asmodeus told me he worked for the devil. I didn’t believe it at first, but…” She nodded slowly. “I met him last night. He was fine as hell, but…intense. You should have seen what he did to those demons who kidnapped me.”
I sat up a little straighter, curious what he’d done. “Did he kill them all?”
“He sure did.”
“Good.” The word slipped out of my mouth, surprising us both. I’d never wished anyone dead before, but all I felt was a deep sense of satisfaction knowing the people who hurt Brandy had been punished.
“He saved us.” Tears filled her eyes again. “And he said he found me because of you. Thank you.”
I still hadn’t let go of her hand, and I let her hold onto me as tightly as she needed. “Of course. You would have sent the devil himself to save me, too.”
She flicked her tears quickly away, but her sadness hurt me, squeezing my chest. “I didn’t think we’d get out. I thought we’d die in there.”
“Do you have any idea why you were kidnapped? Did Asmodeus know?” Maybe she’d have some answers that could help Lucifer figure all this out.
“Not really. Asmodeus said he was investigating a conspiracy against Lucifer, but he also said he got a text from his dad, ordering him to seduce me, but he didn’t know why. The library conference seems like a setup too, but why would demons want to kidnap me?”
“Seduce you?” I asked. There was something about the way Brandy said his name. “Did he succeed?”
She opened and closed her mouth several times. “Before I tell you everything, I should probably say that Asmodeus is an incubus, a demon of lust. He only needs to look at someone to seduce them, and he needs sex to survive. He requires a steady stream of lovers to feed on, and humans can’t survive sex with an incubus more than once, which means the two of us… Well, it’s not possible.”
She spoke so matter-of-factly about the things I was only just starting to come to terms with. How much more did she know? And just how far had she and Asmodeus gone in their basement prison?
She looked at me like she could read my thoughts. “But to answer your question, no, he didn’t seduce me. We kissed once, and frankly, it was better than any sex I’d ever had, but that was it. Mostly we talked a lot and learned about each other. There was nothing else to do.”
“So, you didn’t have sex?” I asked. Given that Asmodeus was an incubus, that seemed almost impossible.
“No.” She shook her head. “The shifters tortured him, trying to get info on Lucifer, but Mo wouldn’t break. Even when they tried to get him to feed on me, he held back. At times, it was obvious how painful it was for him to be in the same room as a woman without feeding, especially when he was injured. But he was so strong.” Her eyes took on that faraway look again, before a small frown forced the fledgling happiness away. She definitely had a thing for him. No doubt. But she also believed there was no way to work it out. I wished I had the answers for her, but there was still so much I didn’t know about this world.
She shook her head and blinked rapidly. “How did you get the devil to rescue me? And this?” She gestured around the room. “This is so far above either of our pay grades.”
As I explained how I came looking for her, and the deal I’d made with Lucifer, she grew somber. And then downright pissed off.
“You sold yourself to him for seven nights?” she practically yelled. “Like some kind of sex slave?”
I held up my hands, feeling the urge to quickly defend him. “He swore he wouldn’t force himself on me, and so far he’s been a perfect gentleman. I don’t know why he’s interested in me, but there’s something there. Something I can’t explain.” I paused and tried to find the words. “I know I’m in a dangerous situation, but I made a deal, and he’s delivered on his end. That just leaves my side of it.” I sucked in a breath. “I have to see it through.”
“Hannah, we can go. We can leave now. Nobody is here to stop us. We’ll go straight back home and forget any of this ever happened.”
I shook my head. “I can’t do that.”
Brandy looked at me, her gaze steady as it met mine. “I’m going home to my mom and son as soon as I can. I have to. You understand, right?”
I leaned forward and threw my arms around her. “Of course, I do. I wouldn’t expect you to stay. I don’t even really want you to—this whole trip has been about getting you home safe. That’s all I want. We don’t even have to do this spa day if you want to go now.”
She shook her head. “No, Lucifer arranged a car to drive me back to Vista as soon as this is over. I can wait until then. Besides, I think I probably need the pampering. If I arrive at home looking like this, Mom will flip.”
The facialist soon came in and gave us a treatment that was more massage than anything, but both of us moaned our way through it, so we didn’t complain. When it was over, my skin felt like a baby’s and practically glowed. Brandy looked about a thousand times better too.
Next, we were fed a ridiculously huge, fancy lunch, which Brandy devoured. Then we hit the salon and had mani-pedis while the experts did whatever they wanted to our hair. We gave them permission to do their thing, and they managed to give us both luscious waves that made us look like we were about to walk onto a movie set.
After we’d had lunch and another round of appointments, the day came to an end much faster than I wanted. Brandy had to get back to her family, and I couldn't go with her, and that was fine. But I’d just found my best friend, and I didn’t want to say goodbye to her already. Plus she’d been my entire purpose for being in Vegas. With her gone, all I had was my deal with Lucifer. The thought made my pulse race.
Brandy and I stopped in front of a limo in the private parking garage and I pulled her into a fierce hug. Emotions flooded me—thankfulness that she was safe, pleasure that she was with me, and sorrow that she had to leave, even though it was what I wanted most in the world. “I’ll see you soon. I promise.”
She stared into my eyes. “I meant what I said. Just get in this car with me, and we can both leave.”
“I can’t. I promised Lucifer I’d be his for seven days and nights, and this is only day four. I owe him three more nights. I can hardly break a promise to the devil, can I?” My heart hammered with both lust and unease when an image of his face, all dark shadows and focused masculinity, flitted through my mind. Besides, there was obviously something strange happening with me, and I needed to know the truth.
“I don’t know,” Brandy said, eyeing me with brows furrowed. “You’re hung up on him somehow. Has he seduced you yet?”
Heat filled my cheeks. “We kissed. That’s it.”
She let out a hoot. “I knew it!”
“It’s nothing more than you and Asmodeus did!”
“That’s all well and good, and maybe you’ll get some good sex out of this, but be careful. Remember that these people are all about temptation. Guard your heart.” She shot the driver, who waited with the limo door open, a look and lowered her voice. “I’ve seen what they’re capable of, Hannah.”
I remembered last night, and how I’d cut down the gargoyles who’d come for me, and I swallowed hard. “I’ve seen some things too, but I’m handling it. Trust me.” I hugged her again. “Give my love to Jack and Donna.”
“Will do. Come home when you can.” She stepped back with a sad smile and then slipped into the limo. The driver shut the door, and the windows were tinted so dark the car seemed to swallow her up.
I waved as the limo pulled away, thinking about what she’d said.
She was right. I had to guard my heart. But with a man like Lucifer, was that even possible?
14
Hannah
I headed back to the penthouse, completely deflated after saying goodbye to Brandy. When I arrived, with Azazel at my side, I looked around feeling at a loss. The mess from the gargoyle attack had been cleaned up while I’d spent the day at the spa, and even the windows had already been replaced. It was like it never happened. There was no sign of Lucifer though, and I wasn’t sure what to do. I considered spending some time in the library, but in the end, exhaustion claimed me, and I headed to my room for an afternoon nap. Today was about sloth, after all.