Sin Undone

Casually, he eased into a recessed doorway, putting his back to the building. His hackles raised as he scanned the street, and his heart stopped when he saw Idess moving toward him, her normally sexy, rolling gait stiff and forced. A ter’taceo, a demon in a human suit named Marcel, walked beside her, one hand gripping her upper arm, the other in his pocket. Lore knew exactly what the assassin—one of Sin’s own—was concealing because Lore had worked with Marcel before: a pen that shot out a retractable six-inch bolt meant to go through the eye, through the back of the skull, or into the heart. It was a quick, relatively bloodless way to kill if used right, and Marcel never fucked up.

Slipping into stealth mode, which meant controlling his breathing, his thoughts, and even his heartbeat, Lore blended in with the crowd. He strolled past Idess, whose gaze never wavered from looking straight ahead, even though she was aware of Lore’s presence. He kept an eye out for anyone who might be working with Marcel, Lycus in particular. The warg and the Sensor demon had been doing a lot of tag-team killing over the years… some of it just for fun.

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.