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One

He who does not see the angels and devils in the

beauty and malice of life will be far removed from

knowledge, and his spirit will be empty of affection

—Kahlil Gibran

Lore had always believed that when it came to sex, the more the merrier Too bad for him that when “more” meant more than just himself, people tended to die

So what the hell was he doing in bed with a curvy liquor store clerk he’d picked up while on his third tequila run in as many days?

Sure, technically, he wasn’t in bed He was standing at the foot of the hu into her froh her fourth orgasm

Pressure built in his balls and his shaft throbbed with the need to blow, but no ripped her hps harder, thrust deeper Faster

Nothing

He lifted her so her knees caainst her with feverish gyrations

Still nothing

Sweat streas burned with the force of his panting breaths

“Coht her name was April… or May… maybe June—cried She bucked, consumed by yet another clax, and then dropped her head in exhaustion, her flaxen hair pooling on the black satin sheets

She was pretty—not as pretty as Gee of the Goth half-Soulshredder doctor out of his head, because she was in love with a human jerk named Kynan, and Lore hadn’t truly had a shot with her anyway

That he couldn’t clax because he orried about snuffing thisfunny considering that he killed for rets, and there were definitely worse ways to go than death-by-orgasm

But Gem seemed to have opened up a vein in his instead of blood And in truth, there was a reason he hadn’t had sex in decades, even though his Se need to screw every female who crossed his path Fortunately for hies himself, unlike purebred Sems who had to have a female partner or die

When Lore had female partners, they died

With a frustrated roar, he tore hiloved hand His release was hard and fast… and, as expected, nothan if he’d been by hinore the handprint-shaped welt that burned on his chest

Lore had to go NoAfter three weeks of avoidance—mainly to piss off his boss—it was time to take his punishment like a man Well, a half-man, half-incubus

The female rolled over, watched him with drowsy eyes He still wasn’t sure why he’d fallen off the celibacy wagon for her, except ht tiotten yet another text frouy just had to include the MD in his signature, as if the entire underworld didn’t knohat he was

The reminder that his brother was a respected doctor who saved lives, while Lore was nothing but a low-life half-breed killer, had sent him into a destructive, doard spiral that involved a lot of alcohol and a proposition for AprilMayJune

Still, he was eventually going to have to face Eidolon and his other brothers again, no matter what Lore had pro that if his newfound brothers wanted to find him, they would And they didn’t seem like the types to respect space and privacy

“I told you I’m not in season,” AprilMayJune said, her voice sleepy with sexual satiation “I can’t get pregnant”

“Doesn’t matter” He tucked himself back into his leather pants “I’m sterile” At least, that hat one of the other brothers, Shade, had told him Lore wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but it was definitely for the best

She sighed and fell back against the pillows “Then why did you just crealove?”

“To reduce the chances that I’ll kill you” Anyone who touched the bare skin of his right arlyphs called a derernail, dropped dead on contact He’d worn a jacket and gloves around everyone except his sister for decades, but if he orgash the protective leather, which hy, during sex, he tried not to touch his partners as he neared clax Tried, because with very few exceptions, so

The female bared her teeth, which, in the last couple of seconds, had grown sharper And longer “You think you can take me?”

I just did, honey “I know I can” He patted his pocket to make sure she hadn’t lifted his wallet, then checked his weapons harness for the saantua-bone dagger

Gracefully, she came to her feet, which were now tipped by curved claws, just like her hands What the hell kind of deant prick” Her pronunciation was h an extra row of teeth that hadn’t been there before

“You’re irl” Lore hs See ya”

“Little girl?” She launched at hi him into the wall As he spun away, she raked her claws across his chest, tearing open his T-shirt and leaving a bloody trail of scratches behind

Hunger glimmered in her black eyes as she crept toward hi to eat your brains raw”

Lore clapped a hand over his stinging cuts “Jesus You’re a fking Dire Mantis” Figured that after sixty years of celibacy, the first partner he picked would be one that ate the heads of demon males

“If it’s any consolation,” she purred, “that was the best sex any of iven me”