Tugging the glove off his right hand, Lore did a slow turn in the crowd and eased up behind Marcel, whose unremarkable height, looks, and mousy brown hair allowed him to become practically invisible in a group of people. But Idess was tall, striking, and she definitely stood out. Males eyed her with lust, women with envy, and Lore was going to have to use every bit of his stealth skills to get her out of there and get Marcel dead.

Good thing just a brush of the fingers would end the guy—Lore didn’t even have to fire up his killing gift, which was cool, because Marcel didn’t deserve the energy it would require to do so. No one who touched Lore’s female did.

Lore allowed himself a grim smile as he “accidentally” bumped into Marcel and allowed his hand to graze the demon’s arm. Instantly, the guy dropped, and in the resulting rush of people who stopped to help, Lore grabbed Idess and quickly slipped into the alley and into the Harrowgate. He wasn’t worried about the body—as a ter’taceo, Marcel wouldn’t disintegrate; he’d most likely be taken to a human hospital and then to a human morgue, and no one would be the wiser.

Once inside the Harrowgate, Lore didn’t allow Idess a single word as he wrapped himself around her and kissed her desperately until they both needed a breath.

“What happened?” he finally said, as he caught her long brown ponytail, which was held by gold bands spaced every six inches, and drew it over her shoulder. “What did he want? Did he hurt you?” If so, Lore was going to regret not causing the bastard a whole lotta pain before he died.

“I’m fine.” She reached past him to tap the symbol on the wall that would take them to Underworld General. “He said I was going to be bait. For Sin.”

“Son of a bitch.” Lore slipped his glove back on to prevent any accidents in the hospital. Idess and his siblings were immune to his touch, but everyone else was at risk.

Idess curved her hand around his waist, her honey-colored, almond eyes full of concern as she looked up at him. “Have you heard from her?”

He shook his head. “It’s not unusual to not hear from her for days, but with assassins after her…”

“She’ll be fine. She’s tough. I should know,” she said wryly, and Lore smiled despite his worry. Sin and Idess had fought it out, and the results hadn’t been pretty.

Sin was tough, street smart, and hard to kill. But obviously, the people trying to kill her had stepped up their game, and it wouldn’t be long before the roll of the dice went in the bad guys’ favor.

The Harrowgate opened up into the emergency department, but Lore didn’t step out. “Stay here, babe,” he said to Idess. “It’ll be the safest place for you until this whole thing is over.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, and his gaze went automatically to her breasts, which were now nicely plumped by her biceps. Yeah, he was a sex demon. Shoot him. “What are you going to do? And eyes up, mister.”

Busted. “I’m going hunting.” He gave her a quick peck on the lips and then a gentle nudge out of the gate. “I’m going to see how many assassins I can take out before they get to Sin.”

“Be careful.”

“Always, angel cake. Always.” He smiled as the gate shimmered shut.

Kar’s entire body was on fire. Not with fever, but with need. Man, she hated waking up the morning after a Feast moon shift, but usually she woke alone in her own house. This time, she was in a male’s lair, naked, and surrounded by his scent.

She was also alive.

Luc hadn’t killed her.

She sat up with a start, found herself looking into his furious golden eyes. He was crouched over her, as naked as she was. Werewolves always came out of their transitions horny, and clearly, Luc was reacting to her, ready to answer her call.

His hand shot out, and suddenly she was on her belly, his heavy body pinning her to the pallet. He held her down, controlling her with a grip on her throat and chin as he popped her hips up.

She stifled both a groan and the urge to grind her butt against his erection. Another more vicious urge welled up in her, and she wrenched her arm behind her to claw him in the thigh. He pinched her earlobe between his teeth in response, a punishing nip that only made her want him to bite harder.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he rasped against her ear. “Who sent you?” His hips rocked back and then rammed forward. He entered her, burying himself all the way to his balls, and she cried out at the erotic invasion.

“No one sent me,” she moaned. “I swear.”

He pulled back again, until only the thick head of him was inside her, and she quivered, shoving her hips back to take more of him. He denied her that, holding himself out of reach. “I don’t believe you.”

She snarled in frustration. “It’s true, you jerk.”

He slammed home with a ruthless thrust, and she nearly climaxed. His lips brushed her cheek. “I could kill you right now. Just a twist of my hands is all it would take.”

“Will you let me come first?” She couldn’t believe she’d said that, but her body was screaming for release, was teetering on the very edge, and he was just being cruel.

“We’ll both come.” His teeth sank into the back of her neck, holding her in the most primitive way possible as he pumped into her… slowly. Way too slowly for her to get what she needed, damn him. After several excruciating minutes, he released his bite hold. “How did it happen?”

“How did what happen?” she asked between panting breaths.

Luc kept one hand on her chin, but slipped the other down her belly and between her legs. “Your turning.”

Right. That. He flicked his finger over her tight knot of nerves, and she whimpered. “My Aegis partner and I were battling a wizard.” Oh, yes, right there…“After we killed him, I found a woman chained in his basement. She begged me to kill her. Said she would turn into a werewolf in a few minutes. I thought she was crazy. It was still weeks until the full moon.” Pausing to catch her breath, she squirmed, chasing Luc’s elusive touch. “She turned and bit me.” Thankfully, Kar’s partner, Emilia, had been searching the mansion’s attic, so she hadn’t witnessed the attack.

“And you didn’t tell The Aegis?”

Son of a bitch. How could he sound so calm and unaffected while Kar could barely get her lungs to work? “Luc, please…”

Rearing up, he gripped her hips with both hands and hammered into her. Finally, oh, finally! The wet sound of his cock sliding through her core blended with the snap of the fire and the slap of their flesh coming together, and she’d never heard anything so erotic in her life. Her sex contracted with the beginnings of her orgasm, and Luc fisted her hair, drew her head back, and tilted her face around to kiss her.

It was rough, a kiss meant to punish and dominate, and it worked. She was more than ready to submit to him as long as he relieved her of this delicious agony.

He clipped her lower lip with his sharp teeth, propelling her to the very brink of climax. “I’m going to ask you one more time. Did you come here to kill me?”

The rough, guttural words sent her over. “No!” Her cry of denial and of pleasure filled the tiny basement, and then he joined her, roaring into her mouth and filling her core with his hot seed.

Her orgasm went on and on—one of the benefits of becoming a warg was longer, stronger orgasms. She thought maybe he came again, too, but she was too focused on her own pleasure, and when it was over, he collapsed on top of her.

When she could breathe again, she shoved him and rolled away, taking the blanket with her. A twinge of nausea made her swoon as she sat up, and she winced as she tucked her legs beneath her and brought the blanket up to cover her breasts.

Luc reached out and tugged the blanket down to her waist. “Don’t hide from me.”

She jerked it back up. “Don’t tell me what to do.”