hellus demon’s deep, raspy voice boomed down the corridor. The succubus closest to me jumped back a foot, and the rest of the demon squad tensed. Delacroix surged closer, his heavy footfalls inciting my heart beats into a rapid staccato. He stopped about a foot away from me, his black boots nearly scuffing mine. Tugging at the hair on his chin, he cocked his head at me. “So nice to see you again, little girl. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me, hiding behind the insufferable Triad.”
I shook my head and clenched my jaw to steel my nerves. “I told you I needed time to make an informed decision, and after the boneyard episode, you’d understand why I wasn’t exactly jumping up to take a knee.”
His onyx lips twisted into what I assumed was a smile, but the jagged line of his scar only made him more gruesome. “I respect a woman with balls.”
“Just call me Dick.”
An unexpected chuckle burst from his lips, sending his broad shoulders bouncing up and down. “I liked you from the start, Azara. I’m glad you’ve made the right decision.” He reached for me, coiling his arm around my waist and it was all I could do not to cringe. “Come, let’s have a talk.”
I followed him back to his cell as the rest of the Underworlders closed in around us. This was either going to be the stupidest or greatest idea I’d ever had. Getting into Delacroix’s inner circle should definitely give me access to the intel Thax needed, and not having the hellus demon gunning for me was a huge plus. Win-win, right?
Just like last time, once we reached Delacroix’s plush cell, his entourage dispersed. Only a few of the nastier looking ones remained by the door. I glanced over my shoulder to assess the two guys loitering in the hall. I could take them if I had to make a quick getaway—or at least I hoped.
“Sit.”
I sank into the chair, hoping he didn’t notice my shaky knees. I had no idea what the initiation process was to get into his crew, but it couldn’t be anything good.
Delacroix sat across from me, his plastic chair covered in a crochet blanket. Who the heck was knitting stuff for this guy? I couldn’t imagine the hellus demon had a little old grandma sending him care packages from the Underworld. Focus, Azara. I tossed the random, nervous thoughts out of my head and met the dark eyes across the table. “So, now what?”
“Now you cut the bullshit and tell me why you’re really here.”
My eyes bugged out, but I somehow managed to control my jaw before it hit the floor. Taking a second to clear my throat, I laced my voice with as much innocence as I could muster. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I shrugged and sat back, trying to keep my cool. “You clearly run this prison, and I need to be on the winning side if I want to survive my dime sentence.”
He raised a dark brow and didn’t speak for the longest moment of my life. Then he stood, walked over to the box of cigars and lit one up. Inhaling deeply, he puffed out a dark cloud of bittersweet smoke. “Fine, but if you want to run with my crew, you have to prove yourself worthy. A lot of the guys are skeptical about you. First, you end up in a cell with the Triad, then you deny me, then you hide out for days. It doesn’t look good.”
“I get that. What do you want me to do?”
He rubbed the pointy end of his horn, and an evil grin contorted his jagged features. Raising his hand, he crooked his index finger at one of the guys at the door. The storek demon lumbered in, his long ape-like arms swinging at his sides. His features were nearly human but with a caveman-like quality, short and stocky.
Delacroix ticked his head at the male. “Bracken, you’re up.”
A toothy grin split the demon’s lips, revealing a mouthful of serrated teeth. “My pleasure, sir.”
Ice spilled through my veins as he inched toward me, some sort of black fabric stretched across his clawed hands. I stepped back, but this Bracken guy was fast. He threw the hood over my head, and everything went black.
I screamed, but his big hand clamped over my mouth at the same time his arm wrapped around my waist. He picked me up and held me tight against