Tatterdemalion

easy target. There was never going to be another time when Lindsay went through watching someone die

because of him, unable to stop it, not if there was anything on earth Lindsay could do to keep that from

happening. Not even if it meant putting himself in Ezqel’s hands again.

Dane stopped walking and pulled Lindsay into him with the arm around Lindsay’s shoulders. His

other hand slid into Lindsay’s hair, tilting Lindsay’s head back to the perfect angle for a fierce kiss. The kiss felt like pride and praise and want all in one hot moment of lips and teeth and tongue, and it warmed

Lindsay through to feel it.

“Now you get it,” Dane said, when he pulled away from the kiss. His expression was intensely

predatory. It sent another rush of heat through Lindsay, all the way to his belly. “You understand. It’s good.”

Lindsay nodded, trying to catch his breath. “I didn’t, before. I didn’t know why you kept telling me

I’d want something that’s been nothing but pain and trouble.” He kept his eyes on Dane’s. “I do now.”

“Good.” Dane let go of Lindsay’s hair and smoothed it back into place. “It needs to be this way.

Come on. Guess where we’re going next.” He turned them to keep walking.

“Out of the woods, I hope,” Lindsay said, obediently following Dane’s lead.

“Mexico.” Dane gri

birthday party—a very large, scary kid.

“As long as it’s warm.” Lindsay backtracked through the conversation a moment and asked, “Demon

hunting?”

Dane laughed at his expression. “Ezqel needs its heart. It’ll be good for you to get out and do

something. Can’t wait, myself.”

Dane had nearly gotten killed, and there he was, reveling in the anticipation of hunting a demon.

Lindsay hadn’t even known demons existed. He wasn’t sure whether he was frustrated with Dane or

impressed by his indifference to his recent trauma. “How do we find it?”

“It eats magic,” Dane said cheerfully. “And, by association, mages. Should be a snap.”

It ate mages. Perfect. Out of the frying pan, and into the fire.

The hotel in Cholula was spectacular, a shimmering white tower with two gleaming turquoise pools

and lush gardens inside and out. Dane and Lindsay had a room halfway up, two beds and a lounge, a wide

balcony, and a bathroom the size of Lindsay’s bedroom back in New York. Vivian, who had made their

reservations, had great taste. The tiled floors were cool underfoot, the carpets were soft and plush, the

artwork was relaxing, and a mellow breeze blew through, stirring the streaming white curtains. It was too

bad they weren’t going to spend much time here.

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“We should get ready to go.” Dane nodded toward the windows that had a view of the setting sun, as

soon as the bellhop left them their bags. “Need to get hunting before it’s too long past dark. It’ll be after food soon, by Ezqel’s reckoning. Don’t want it to get someone, get sated, and leave us sitting for a week.”

“All right. What do you need me to do?” The thing hunted mages, Dane had said, but Lindsay didn’t

know what that meant for him.

“Be pretty.” Dane flashed Lindsay a wolfish grin. “Should be easy enough. It likes to hunt on the

seedy side of things, outside the illegal nightclubs and gambling houses. We’ll be going there. Lone, drunk victims are easy prey for a thing like that. We’ll find it where they are.”

Lindsay blinked at Dane. Bait. He was going to be bait. He wasn’t used to thinking of himself as

desirable, but Dane seemed certain of it. “I can do that. I think.” At least he could do something. He dug through his bag, searching for anything to wear to a nightclub. Most of what he had was chosen for the cold German winter, not the warmth of Mexico. And certainly not for looking pretty, or easy.

“There’s a shop downstairs,” Dane added, pulling off his own shirt. “If you want to get some lighter

clothes. Whatever you think works best. Pretty’s not my forte.” He snorted softly at the notion.

“The gift shop might be best. You can tell me if I succeed.” He took the cash Dane handed over and

gave Dane a grin that he couldn’t have stifled if he’d wanted to. Dane liked him. Dane liked him. “I’ll be right back,” he promised.

It didn’t take long to find what he needed. The hotel was part of a resort, and the shops downstairs

stocked all ma

ducked into the bathroom before Dane could ask any questions.

It had been a long time since he’d tried to dress in such a way that he’d attract attention, and these

were the first clothes he’d bought for himself since… He stopped that train of thought and turned his

attention to his clothes, shedding the ones he wore and digging through his bag of purchases.

The pants he’d bought were black and velvety-soft, and he’d found likely the only long-sleeved shirt

in the entire resort. He’d impulsively bought an eyeliner pencil, but standing in front of the mirror, he was afraid it would make him look like a clown. He gave it a shot anyway, tracing delicate lines under his eyes.

When he stepped back to inspect himself, he was surprised to see that the kohl brought out the gray in his

pale eyes, making them seem more intense.

After he’d cleaned up the pile of clothes and tags he’d left on the floor, Lindsay was out of ways to

delay showing himself to Dane. He swallowed hard and stepped out of the bathroom, shrugging

uncomfortably. He wasn’t sure if he’d managed anything more than making himself nervous.

Dane’s rumble was definitely approving. Lindsay was learning to tell Dane’s noises and his

expressions better all the time. “Someone’s going to steal you, not just the guul. I best be careful.” He kept his hands to himself, though. He was wearing heavy boots, clean jeans, a wide belt, and a well-worn leather vest. As far as Lindsay was concerned, Dane looked pretty damn irresistible himself.

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