smiled and ran a hand through his hair.
“Took you long enough, Fee,” he said. “I thought I’d have my cock in you before you backed off.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks.
He shrugged. “Maybe next time, eh?” He dropped me a wink and then walked around me and out of the room.
The bastard. The total fucking wanker.
Chapter Twenty-Three
I had reaper gear. Iza had added it to my wardrobe, and I hadn’t even noticed, but I was wearing it, and I felt kick-ass in it. Shame it didn’t give me longer legs so I could keep up with Azazel.
“I know what it is.” I jogged to stay abreast of him. “You have a rocket up your ass.”
“You’re too slow,” he replied.
“My legs aren’t as long as yours.”
He conceded by shortening the length of his stride.
It was almost sunset here in Necro. The streets were less busy as the city transitioned from work to play.
I had no idea where we were headed. Azazel had taken a river to a spot behind a mall, and we’d walked from there. Having said that, this street looked familiar, and then I spotted why. Lumiers sat on the corner, lit up against the dying light.
“Are we going to Lumiers?”
Azazel answered by striding across the street toward the building.
What was his problem? He’d agreed to let me tag along, and now he was acting all standoffish and dickish. We stepped onto the pavement, and I grabbed hold of his arm.
“Hey.”
He stopped and stared at me. No, glared at me.
I flinched. “What is your problem? You agreed to let me come with you, and now you’re acting like a dick.”
His jaw stuck out mulishly for a second, and then he turned his head to the side and closed his eyes briefly. “Mal can’t give you what you want, Fee.” His tone was so soft it stunned me.
“What?”
“You’re smarter than that.”
“I don’t know what you … Oh …” Could he smell Mal on me? “Azazel, there is nothing going on between Mal and me. I mean nothing serious.”
“It doesn’t take long for not serious to become more, and Mal …” He smiled wryly. “It’s impossible not to love Mal.” He said it fondly. “But he has his own demons, and those demons will not be kind to you.”
“You mean the fact that he’s cursed?”
Azazel looked surprised. “He told you about that?”
“He told me he was cursed to feed off sex. I mean, it explains why he has so many women …”
“What else did he tell you?” Azazel asked.
“Nothing … wait. There’s more?”
Azazel tipped back his head and sighed. “Yes, there’s more, and if Mal wants to share that with you, he will, but my advice … Shield your heart.”
The look he gave me was pure pity, and then he pushed open the door and ushered me inside.
Shield my heart? I wasn’t falling for Mal or anything. It wasn’t like that, but then the delicious aroma of freshly ground coffee beans hit me, and I lost my train of thought. This was sex for my olfactory system. Throw in a little cinnamon, and I was mentally writhing on the floor.
“Fee.” Azazel frowned at me.
“One moment.” I took another whiff and then followed him across the room. The place was emptier than the last time I’d been here, but pink lady was behind the counter, grinning at me. No. Not at me, at Azazel. She tipped her face up and fluttered her lashes.
“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” she said.
“Leana. Is my room ready?” he asked.
“Always. And the offer of company is still on the table too.”
It was obvious from her tone that by company, she meant sex.
He chuckled. “I appreciate that.”
She finally looked at me and winked. “The usual?”
I’d only been here once, but what the hell. “Please.”
“I’ll bring it through,” Leana said.
I followed Azazel’s leather-clad back up the stairs and into a room that held a desk and several chairs.
He shrugged off his jacket and hung it on the back of the chair behind the desk.
“How does it work?” I indicated the jacket. “Your wings … there aren’t any slits in the jacket.”
“Wings are not physical in the same way as our bodies. They exist on a parallel plane that we’re connected to, and therefore can be visible or not depending on will. Clothes don’t matter.” He indicated the chair by the window. “Sit. Observe. Do not speak.”
I folded myself into the chair. At least the seat was padded. “So, what do you do here, exactly.”
“Necro is a network