want powers,” I blurted.
“Powers.” Lucifer regarded me like one might a yipping chihuahua. “What kind?”
The gears in my head turned in overdrive. What kind, what kind… Flying was out of the question.
Or was it?
I squinted at Lucifer. “Wings?”
He rolled his eyes. “How utterly predictable.” Crossing his arms, he added, “No. I can’t turn you into a demon, and I can’t give you wings.”
Well, it was worth a try.
“Healing,” I said after thinking on it for a few more seconds. “I want to heal as fast as a demon.”
“Obviously,” Lucifer muttered.
“And summoning!” I added with a raised finger, having thought of this one just now.
He sighed and casually waved his hand. “Done.”
A tingle ran through my body, and I inhaled sharply. Was that it? So easy? I raised a brow and scratched my arm hard enough to draw blood—just to watch the fresh wound begin to close almost immediately.
“Do you doubt my word?” Lucifer asked with quiet menace.
I jerked my head up. “No! Of course not, Your Grace. I would never, I swear. I was just—I mean—there was an itch—all that glitter—”
Azazel’s hand closing over my mouth effectively cut off my babbling as he pulled me to him with his other arm around my waist. “She meant to say thank you, Your Grace. The debt is paid, and we’ll be going now. If you’ll excuse us.”
And with that he lifted me and whirled around, already striding toward the doors to the lobby.
“Wait!” I yelled, reaching back to the dais. “My dagger!”
I’d be loath to leave that beautiful stabby thing here, lodged as it still was in the chest of the demon I’d stuck with it. The insurgent in question had woken in the meantime, along with his comrade, though they’d been smart enough not to scream in Lucifer’s presence.
Azazel growled and turned back around, just as Lucifer strolled down the dais, grabbed the dagger and yanked it out of the demon. The guy didn’t even wince. Then again, the move probably barely registered over the pain he must be in from his severed limbs.
“This one here?” Lucifer asked, weighing the blade.
“Yes,” I squeaked weakly.
“Hmm.”
With a move too fast for my eyes to follow, he threw the dagger right at me. It thudded into my shoulder with enough force to thrust me back against Azazel’s chest. Pain exploded in my upper body, and I screamed.
“To test your new healing skills,” Lucifer purred.
Azazel snarled, his energy vibrating so violently, it crawled over my skin and let the air shimmer around us. His wings unfurled with an aggressive whoosh.
“Careful, boy.” Lucifer clucked his tongue. “I’m in the mood for blood. You should take your leave as long as you can.”
Azazel glowered at him, but I tapped him on his arm around my waist.
“Let’s just go,” I whispered as I pulled the dagger out of my shoulder, cringing at the fresh pain.
With a rough exhale, Azazel tucked his wings back in. Hefting me up in his arms, he pivoted and marched toward the doors.
A push and pop in my head, but instead of Azazel, it was Lucifer who spoke directly into my mind. Oh, and Zoe?
The intensity of his energetic presence made me tremble.
Not a word about Naamah, he went on. To anyone. Including your brooding husband.
My lips parted. That was—no. Azazel needed to know. I couldn’t do that to him.
If you want to leave here, Lucifer said, his mental voice a threat wrapped in silk, I’ll need your binding vow not to reveal what you know about Naamah.
Your Grace, I stammered. Please.
Vow it.
I looked up at Azazel’s achingly beautiful face, his features drawn tight as he carried me, and I closed my eyes.
I vow not to reveal what I know about Naamah.
Good, Lucifer crooned. This is your friendly reminder that vows are binding, and breaking them has consequences. A heavy pause. You do not want to find out what they are.
Understood, I whispered.
See you around, kid. His voice dripped with wry amusement.
The next instant, his mental presence receded, leaving me alone with a terrible secret and a heaping amount of guilt. But what choice did I have?
I wrapped my arms around Azazel’s neck, careful to keep the dagger away from him, and buried my nose in the curve of his neck. Clutching me tighter, he hurried on.
I shared in his urgency—I didn’t want to spend one minute longer than necessary in this palace. I still couldn’t believe we were getting out of here at all.
We were just crossing the lobby, when a shout made