Chapter 3

“What’s your name, dude? I mean, I don’t ordinarily go off with total strangers.”

He smiled, another one of those toothy smiles. I swear he had half again more teeth than normal. They were white and shiny, as gorgeous as the rest of him. “I’m called Azareal,” he replied.

To me it sounded kind of like that—AH-za-ray-al.

“Of course informally I’m often known as Aza Long Dong.”

My gaze had to drop to the appendage he mentioned. Yes, it was doubtlessly long, and big around as well. Hmmmm.Like the bottom roller on the wringer of Grandma’s old-fashioned washing machine.

“Next to the Boss,” he continued, “I’m the big dog around here. Consider yourself privileged, sweet thing. I don’t ordinarily take new recruits under my wing, but there was something special about you.”

Wing…something about his words sent a chill down my back, like someone had dropped an ice cube down my shirt. As surreptitiously as possible I tried to look behind Azara—well, I’ll just call him Aza.