Embrace The Dark (Her Elemental Dragons Book 5)(8)

Besides, the headlines about Earth’s latest problems were a good distraction from thoughts of Hannah. Just knowing she was in my penthouse brought me a sense of calm that had been missing for years, but I was certain she didn’t feel the same. Ever since I’d told her the truth about who I was she’d become closed off and nervous, and had retreated to the guest room as soon as we’d returned from dinner. She didn’t believe me. Not yet. But she would.

As I sipped my coffee I gazed out at the midday sun. Normally I spent my nights awake and slept during the day, as fit my role as Lord of Darkness, though I didn’t need much sleep after all this time. However, with Hannah here, I’d adjusted my schedule to accommodate her mortal needs. Besides, I had plans for us today.

The elevator opened outside the penthouse door with a familiar ping, capturing my attention. Samael walked inside a moment later, his dark brow furrowed as he approached. Like many former angels, he had an ethnically ambiguous look with dark bronze skin and rich brown eyes. Many humans guessed he was Middle Eastern, or perhaps Latino, but the truth was often too much for their fragile mortal brains. Like me, Samael had been born in Heaven, though we’d lived in Hell for much longer. Not that either Heaven or Hell was home anymore.

“Good morning,” he said, in his usual serious tone. “I have an update for you on the missing woman, along with a complete report on Ms. Hannah Thorn.”

I nodded and sipped my coffee as he slid a thick beige folder toward me with Hannah’s name on it. “What have you found?”

“Our surveillance footage of Styx Bar showed Ms. Brandy Higgins sitting with Asmodeus on the night she disappeared.”

My attention piqued, I stopped in the act of opening the folder. Asmodeus was an incubus who ran most of my strip clubs in the city—and Samael’s son, with the Archdemon Lilith. “Is that so?”

“They spoke for a short time, and then they left the bar together.”

“Have you questioned Asmodeus about this?”

“I tried.” A muscle in his jaw ticked. “My son is missing as well.”

My hand tightened around the folder. Asmodeus was old and powerful, not to mention extremely loyal to me. If he was missing too, that pointed to a much larger problem than a lost human woman. Who could kidnap him? And why would they do such a thing? Was Asmodeus the target, and Hannah’s friend simply in the wrong place at the wrong time? It felt too much like a coincidence, and I’d learned those were rare among immortals.

I opened my mouth to issue Samael further instructions, but before I could speak, Hannah’s bedroom door opened with a quiet click. She shuffled sleepily into the kitchen and her eyes widened when she saw we were already in there. Her startled gaze flowed over Samael, curiosity obvious in her body language, then landed squarely on my naked chest. Interest flickered in her eyes, but she quickly dragged her gaze away from my body as her cheeks flushed. Her obvious desire for me stirred heat at the base of my cock, but I needed to take this slow, to bring her to me willingly. Still, it seemed she wasn’t above a bit of temptation, judging by the way she’d eyed me. And I did love to tempt.

I stood quickly and pulled out a chair, gesturing for her to take a seat beside me. “Hannah, this is one of my closest advisors, Sam.”

“Nice to meet you.” She clutched her robe—which looked as ancient as I was—tight at her throat, a hopeful look lighting her eyes. “Are you helping to find my friend?”

“Yes, I am.” Samael held himself stiffly, though his words were polite. His dark eyes scanned her, no doubt taking in every detail and filing it away in his vast mind.

“Find Asmodeus and find the girl,” I told him.

His gaze snapped to me and irritation crossed his face. “Of course I will.”

He sounded almost offended, and I wasn’t sure if he thought I was questioning his capabilities, or his devotion to his son. In truth, I simply wanted both of them found immediately. “I have no doubt you will.”

He bowed his head, somewhat mollified, and then left the kitchen. I took a long sip of coffee as I tapped my fingers on the report about Hannah. Once I was alone, I would pore through it and memorize every detail.

“What was that about?” Hannah asked, still clutching her robe. The thing was pale pink cotton and so thread-bare I could almost see through it—not that I minded that part. However, it was definitely a sign she wasn’t living to the standard she should be, and no doubt required a full wardrobe intervention. Exactly what I had planned for today.

I reached for another mug and walked toward the coffee machine. “Do you take your coffee with two sugars and no cream?”

“I do.” She said, and then her still-sleepy brain caught up. She stared at me with a healthy dose of suspicion in her eyes. “How did you know that?”

I handed her a mug and winked. “Lucky guess.”

She considered a moment, her distrust clear in her guarded expression. Then she appeared to arrive at a decision. “I’m not buying that, but I’m willing to move on to get information about Brandy. As part of our deal.” Her words were curt. Business-like, almost, and I appreciated her cool efficiency as I longed to make her mouth move in more sensual ways. “Did you learn something new?”

“I did.” I drew my chair alongside hers, sitting possibly a touch closer than she felt comfortable with. I couldn’t help myself. The desire to be near her was too strong for me to resist. “Our security cameras show Brandy left the Styx Bar downstairs with Asmodeus. He’s an incubus who runs my strip clubs.” I added that helpful detail and side-eyed her, awaiting a reaction.

She coughed on the sip of coffee she’d just taken. “Incubus? In your…strip clubs?”

I should have suspected she had no memory of any type of demon or supernatural entity, but perhaps I could help jog her memory. “Yes, strip clubs. I own many of them throughout the city catering to all sorts of different themes and kinks. They allow the Lilim to safely feed on humans without hurting them, and thanks to their gifts, the humans are immensely satisfied. After all—” I leaned closer to Hannah and dropped my voice. “I like all of my customers to leave my establishments satisfied. Including you.”

She watched me from under her dark lashes, the suspicion in her gaze increasing as she flicked a glance between the direction of her bedroom and the main doors like she was calculating an escape. She could look around the penthouse all she liked. There certainly wasn’t any escape for her. The men outside the door would see to that if she tried, and Azazel was certainly very good at her job.

“Lilim?” she asked after a few moments, obviously choosing to ignore my question.

Damn. Nothing I said seemed to be sparking any memories. “The collective term for succubi and incubi. They’re a type of demon that feeds on lust.”

“Uh-huh.” She sipped her coffee, disbelief heavy in her tone like she was merely humoring the crazy billionaire. “There’s only one problem with what you’re saying. Brandy isn’t the type of person to go to bed with a man she just met in a bar.”

"She's human." I shrugged. "She wouldn't be able to resist an incubus no matter how hard she tried. Especially one as old and powerful as Asmodeus—he can enchant a human female without the slightest effort. But the problem is that he’s missing too.”

“Do you think he took her?” she asked, obviously ignoring the parts about the demons and focusing on Asmodeus's disappearance. There was a fierceness in her crystal blue eyes, and I had no doubt she’d try to take down anyone she thought might be a threat to her friend, even though she had no chance of actually injuring a demon like Asmodeus.

“No, I can’t imagine he would do such a thing.”

“Then we need to find them. We should go looking around, or question some people, or—”

She’d let go of her robe in her excitement, revealing why she’d been clutching it closed so tightly. The fabric was so frayed that the knot at her waist kept loosening, and her cleavage pressed against the edges of the collar enticingly, baring the sweet curve of her breasts. I’d barely heard what she said as my fingers itched to touch that soft, smooth skin.

“Hannah.” I rested my hand on her knee, making her freeze. “There’s nothing more we can do. My best people are looking for them now. I have every confidence they’ll find your friend soon.”

Her shoulders fell. “We can’t help?”

Samael’s people would find Brandy, I was sure of it. Nothing on Earth or in any of the other realms was as important to me as the woman sitting beside me, clutching her robe. We had a deal, and I’d hold up my end. I always did.

I shook my head. “If we get involved, we’ll only slow them down. Let them do what they’re trained to do. This isn’t Samael’s first time heading up a search and rescue, and the best thing we can do is go on about our lives. In fact, I have something planned for today that I think will keep your mind off of things.”

“Day? I thought we were only doing nights.” She blew out a long breath. “What’s today’s sin?”