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“You can’t,” I said, turning to Ash who smiled coldly at me. “He's a King of hell. You can’t kill him, Theo.”
“What?” snapped Cole. “Are you fucking… no, it can’t be…”
Ash lifted his hand, drifting it down in front of his face. He didn’t look any different to me, but Cole gasped behind me. I felt it then though. I knew it as soon as he hit me. I was an angel, I was seriously strong, and Alastor was only slightly stronger. This guy had swatted me away like a bug. Now his veil was down, I could feel it, the dark, demonic power that rolled off him in waves. Terror grew in my chest, but I forced it down, refusing to show him. Refusing to fall to my knees in front of him like he was trying to compel me to do. I resisted, just.
Behind me, Theo whined, and Cole’s voice was strained.
“Ashmodai.”
I turned around. “Do you know him?”
Cole nodded. “I know of him. He owns the Serpent's Garden casino on the Strip. Big shot down below... and up here. How did you… I’ve seen you before, I’ve met you.”
Ash shrugged. “Handy little ritual I learned from Beleth. I didn’t want you or Alastor recognising me, but I knew the otherswouldn’t. Though the angel might have sensed me. But I’d already been warned about her.”
"About me? Why? And by who?" I demanded, though I didn't approach him again. With full armour and my sword, I would have been happy to take him on, but not unarmed and in a confined environment. I was no coward, but a King of Hell was almost the equivalent of taking on Gabriel himself.
"Not important." Ash waved his hand as if dismissing me and I bit my lip to hold back a snarky comment. Antagonising him would get us nowhere.
"Good girl," Ash smirked. When Alastor said it, it made me all kinds of hot, but from Ash, I just wanted to smack him in his arrogant mouth. "Now, we've established who I am and that I'm now leading this team, shall we get down to business. You're all here because you have useful skills - skills I need."
Theo snorted. "King or not, we're not for hire, no matter what you're offering."
Ash rolled his eyes. "I'd heard wolves were rather slow on the uptake. Shall I talk slower? Alastor and Lily are on their way to a safe location-"
"Safe," I echoed, scepticism lacing my tone. "And why should we believe you?"
"Because, my dear Sariel," Ash replied, leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees, "you have no other choice. I have a task for this team—one Alastor and Lily are unnecessary for. Consider their absence... motivation."
I went cold at his words, a wave of nausea washing over me as I stared at the man who'd rescued me from hellions in the ancient city only three days earlier. He'd been playing us all along, figuring out our skills and talents, handpicking the team he wanted. Vivid images flashed through my mind—Lily's laughter, the way her eyes sparkled when she teased me about being too serious. Alastor's stern features softening into a rare smile justfor me. The gentleness in his dark eyes when he touched me like I was the only other person in the world. And then the darkness that followed; Lily bound, Alastor hurt. My throat tightened.
Cole's voice cut through the tension. "What do you need from us?" His hands gripped the armrests of his chair, his white knuckles giving away the emotion underneath his calm exterior.
Ash leaned back, a predator lounging in his den. His eyes, dark and cold, flicked over us, assessing, calculating. "A heist," he finally said. "There's something I need—something extremely valuable hidden away in a secure vault beneath a Vegas casino."
"We're not exactly cat burglars," snapped Theo.
"Which casino?" asked Carlisle.
Ash smiled, but there was no humour in it. "Mine," he said simply.
"Your own casino?" Cole said. "You're insane. Why rob your own casino? Why don't you just walk down to the vault."
Ash shifted in his chair, and I caught a flicker of unease in his eyes. Whatever he was telling us, he was still hiding a lot more.
"For reasons that don't concern you. Suffice to say there is something in my vault I want stealing, and I'm assigning this team to do it, without involving myself in any way."
Theo shook his head. "Seems like a lot of effort to go to for an insurance job."
Ash grinned, and it sent shivers down my spine. His teeth suddenly seemed sharper than human ones. "What I want you to steal is not insured. It is utterly priceless. The second thing you will be stealing is also priceless."
"And what are we stealing exactly?" asked Cole.
"Well, the first thing is a small lead box about three inches square. The second is a plastic tube about this long which contains the scroll you just risked your lives to recover from Sodom."
"What?" Theo growled.
"What are you talking about?" snapped Cole. "The scroll we found is-"
