Jake was right about one thing…Club Hex was much nicer than Club Pride. Even though I didn't frequent clubs for my own pleasure (I did occasionally go to the to reap a soul who'd overdosed or gotten into a brawl or otherwise screwed up) I could tell that Hex was on the nicer end of the spectrum. Asia had flashed a pass to the bouncers and upon entry I could tell that the majority of patrons were demons. There were a few humans doting the crowd, not the dead, but thralls like Hanna and Tuck, here for the sole purpose of pleasing their masters and their friends. No matter how nice the décor and how compulsive the music, I had to remember who I shared the space with.

Everyone there was lavishly dressed, even the humans. Everything radiated excess, glamour, and debauchery. It was easy to see why Jake might have considered it worthy of me, but I wasn't here for such things. Powerful demons meant powerful potential allies. The club was filled with patrons dancing, publicly displaying extreme "affection", some with multiple partners, alcohol, drugs of various kinds and a huge wall covered in screens that displayed various other clubs with roulette and card tables doting the floor nearby. Every now and then, I'd hear the players' cheers or groans and see a poor soul hauled away on one of the screens by huge bouncers.

As I slowly made my way through the throng of people, following Asia towards the bar, I came to realize a small but significant flaw in my plan. Demons were nothing if not self-serving…If I tried to ally myself with the wrong one, they might run back to tell Jake in hopes of being rewarded…He'd never let me out again if he found out what I was trying to do…I was so lost in thought I didn't pay attention to my surroundings and accidentally bumped into one of the patrons.

"Oh…I'm so…sorry…" I gasped as a moment of realization struck me when she turned around.

The woman had lightly "sun kissed" skin, full lips, near perfect curves and golden curls that fell down her back in waves. Golden green eyes looked me up and down in amusement and a perfectly manicured set of nails landed on her leather clad hip. "Well hello there, Azrael. ~"

"Lilith…" My brow furrowed and a frown settled onto my face as I looked over the first attempt at a mortal woman.

She'd been the first wife of Adam, but he'd cast her out of Eden when she had refused to submit as he thought a wife should. Eve had replaced her, and her hatred of man turned her into an unholy creature herself, the first succubus…She'd caused havoc on earth whenever she could, kidnapping children and seducing men from their wives and families. Before…when I had watched over Eden, she'd always been headstrong, but never seemed evil until she was replaced. Her fall had hurt almost as much as Adam and Eve's had, but since she'd never tasted the forbidden fruit, Death couldn't touch her…back then…I'd considered her a friend.

"Been far to long. I'd heard Jake dragged one of you holier-than-thou prudes down here, but I had no Idea it was you. ~ Oh, this is just too good!" She smirked, seemingly perfectly at home among the other patrons…though I suppose a few million years gives one a lot of time to adjust.

"Look, Lilith…I'm really not in the mood for this…"

"Come on now…I'm sure I can change that~"

She slunk closer, with each step she took, I took another back until my back hit Tuck and he put himself between us. "Mr. Thorn wouldn't want you touchin' her. Wouldn't want anyone touchin' her."

Lilith pouted and shrugged, pulling a small business card from her corset, an intricate pentagram on one side, her name on the other in a metallic purple print. "You're guard dog is so dull. Call m if you change your mind. I've never played with an angel before~."

She handed me the card and disappeared back into the crowd. While I wouldn't be calling her in the way she perhaps hoped, she may prove to be an ally if she was willing to remember our days in the Garden. I gave the card to Tucker who slipped it into his pocket, trying to spot Asia again. She was by the bar, impatiently as usual, waiting with a round of shots.

"Sure took you long enough." She rolled her eyes, downing one of the glasses and slamming it down on the bar.

"Sorry…I saw someone I used to know…"

She arched a brow but didn't question me about it, turning to lean against the bar, her legs crossed making her skirt hike farther up her tanned thighs. "Look. Enough prattle. You may have Jake fooled but I know there's no way you'd agree to come to a club, much less suggest it yourself."

I tensed, crossing my arms, "Ever think that maybe I'm trying to make myself at home?"

"Look. Unless they've got sex, drugs and rock and roll on your side of the tracks there's no way that this…" she gestured to the dancing crowd, "is you 'making yourself at home.' You're trying to run…and I want to help."

"You'll forgive me if I don't believe you."

"Here's how I see it. The longer you're here, the more distracted Jake is gonna get. You leave and everything goes back to normal." She huffed, downing another shot.

"Aren't ya worried he's gonna find out?" Tuck crossed his arms, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Who's going to tell him? You? You're deeper in this than I am mutt. I go down, so do you. And you- "she pointed at me, "are gonna be gone anyway so you're not gonna snitch. I just want you out of here before you cause any more damage."

Asia filled us in on what she knew. Apparently, Jake had been so distracted with me lately his underlings were getting antsy. They wanted me gone almost as much as Asia. She'd introduced me to one of these who knew of or at least heard rumors of the portals to earth that Tuck had told me about. They were supposedly in a place called the Wasteland, which I had accidentally found when I'd stumbled on the lake of fire. I wasn't sure just how true these rumors were, but I figured, after having been here for so long with no other glimpses of hope…they were my best chance.

Asia didn't follow us out into the Wasteland, and I hadn't expected her to. She'd already done more than I'd hoped by getting us a lead even if it was to further her own agenda. Once again, I found myself in the rocky, fog covered terrain, silently praying that I wouldn't lead us to the Lake again. Honestly, I had absolutely no idea where we were going. Probably not the best plan on my part but wandering aimlessly seemed better than going back to the hotel and losing the opportunity. As we continued our trek, I asked Tucker about all of the rumors I'd heard about this place…Some were true, some weren't, some he didn't know about for sure, and some were much much worse.

Apparently, Lake of fire, hell hounds, nine circles, and nothing but misery and manipulation were among the true rumors. I was beginning to suspect Jake was heavily monitoring the parts I did see, especially after I'd made my way out here the first time. It didn't take long for my heels to go from my feet to my hand, blisters having rubbed my heels and toes raw. I would have abandoned them all together, but I didn't know where we'd end up and I'd hate to be caught without some kind of shoe if we had to do something crazy like walk across hot coals or something.

We'd been walking a while when I heard a faint voice through the fog, making me pause. Tuck looked back at me, shaking his head, "Come on…stayin' in one place too long will make it easier for the hounds to find us."

"No no…shh…listen…"

Sure enough, the voice got louder and I could just barely make out the shape of a person running toward us in the fog, calling my name.