This was where she’d brought me? And they said I was a torturer.
“Is this truly what you chose for lust?” I couldn’t hold the question in any longer as I tried not to look as horrified as I felt. Of all the places in Las Vegas we could have gone to, she’d picked this dingy old bar?
Hannah laughed, and seeing her eyes sparkle with mischief was almost enough to make up for this wretched place. “Come on, let’s go order some food and drinks.”
She led me to the bar, and I admired her in those tight black jeans and that draping top, both of which came from her new wardrobe, though she didn’t stand out in this place like I did. I wouldn’t have chosen to spend any moment of my immortal life with these other human specimens, but if this made Hannah happy, so be it.
She hopped onto one of the red barstools, and I took the one beside her. I nearly rested my elbow on the bar and barely contained my yelp as I yanked away from the surface. More than one layer of dirt and grease graced the dark wood. Enough that my jacket sleeve might have never recovered from such close contact.
“What are we doing in here when you don’t even drink?” I asked Hannah.
“I found this place on one of those lists of ‘best food in Vegas off The Strip.’” She shrugged as she flipped open a laminated menu with peeling edges. “I thought it’d be fun to do something different. Take you out of your element for a change and see what happened.”
A crusty old bartender ambled over, acknowledging people left and right as he approached us. He made a pretense of wiping the bar with a stained rag. “What’ll it be?”
“Four chili dogs with everything on them. Fries and onion rings.” She paused and I stared at her in horror as she described six different ways to cause a heart attack. Not that I could have one, of course, but I worried about her own mortality. “And a root beer.”
“What’ll you have to drink?” The bartender tapped his fingers on the bar while I considered which wine would taste best with fried foods.
“Malbec?”
He stared at me, his face blank.
“You don’t have wine, do you?” Instead of horror, I only felt resignation. I glanced behind him at the various bottles and waved a hand. “Just bring me some of the house beer, whatever that is.”
At Hannah’s giggle, I swung my attention back to her while the bartender walked away to get our drinks. I straightened my suit and asked, “Does this amuse you?”
“Very much so. It’s a nice reversal, seeing you so out of place.” She raised her eyebrows and gave my suit a once-over with a grin, although the hand she skimmed down my thigh spoke much more of appreciation than amusement. “This is how I always feel around you, with your fancy penthouse and gourmet foods and private helicopters. Tonight I wanted to see what Lucifer was like without all the money, luxury, and power.”
I leaned close and brushed my lips across her ear. “You can take away the money and luxury, but power? Oh, I still have plenty of that, darling.”
Her eyes flared with desire as I sat back, just as the bartender set two drinks in front of us. I picked up my plastic cup and took a sip. It tasted thin and watered down but wasn’t completely undrinkable.
“Besides, I have a hard time believing you’d ever eat here if it wasn’t to torment me,” I added, once he’d left again.
“Probably not.” She glanced around and wrinkled her nose. “But it’s closer to the kinds of places I’d normally eat at than anywhere you’d take us.”
“Then I shall endeavor to enjoy slumming it with you, as the mortals say.”
She burst out laughing at that, and the sound of it made all of this worthwhile. I’d do anything she asked if it brought out that kind of reaction. Damn, how I’d missed being with her. She’d always loved to challenge me, and it was wonderful to see she felt comfortable enough already to do it now. Her fear of me had vanished, and though she may not remember me yet, she knew me on some deep, subconscious level.
Her laughter trailed off as the bartender plopped two grease-spattered plates of chili dogs and fries in front of us. Eating this meal without getting it all over ourselves was going to need a miracle.
Well, challenge accepted.
With my gaze meeting hers, I picked up the chili dog and took an enormous bite. Flavor and heat exploded in my mouth, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle. Then I set the food down and grabbed a napkin from the smudged chrome holder and carefully wiped grease off my fingers. “Your turn.”
She took a bite next, but her chili dog fell apart as she did, making a huge mess that tumbled down to her plate. She laughed as she tried to salvage it, and I handed her some fresh napkins. “Wow, that is good. Although I’m not sure it’s worth the, um, ambiance.”
“No food is worth this,” I muttered, as two people in the corner started yelling at each other in high-pitched voices, then suddenly leaped up and started making out over the table.
We kept eating anyway, dipping fries in the chili as we watched a lady in a pink tutu who couldn’t be a day less than ninety use one of the slot machines. At least we were never bored.
“What did you do today?” Hannah asked, as she grabbed an onion ring.
“I questioned the dragon we captured, but once again he proved resistant to my powers, which shouldn’t be possible.” I bit down hard on an onion ring, trying not to let my frustrations show. The fact that dragons were also turning against me and trying to kidnap—or worse—Hannah meant this truly was a
