1. Moles

ASHER

"Will that be all for you tonight, sire?"

I flicked the unlit cigarette against my thumb, resting my eyes on the siren posted just outside of my booth. As soon as our gazes locked, I could see the edges of her lips twitching. There was a coy smirk hiding underneath.

Not that she would let me see it until I made my confirmation. As far as she was concerned, I was merely at the club for my share of the liquor until I got bored and wanted to dabble in some typical drug choices. If I wanted pussy, I would be the one to express it. Flexing my jaw, I severed eye contact and dragged my gaze down her slim body. Aside from the way the flickering lights occasionally emphasized a few scales on her side, there was nothing else to give away her race.

To the human eye, she was a stunning goddess walking around in a human body.

I didn't answer Keye immediately, opting to reach out and seize the glass she'd just refilled first. "That depends. Is Mikey running a special tonight?"

A hint of that grin started to break free. She kept the tray balanced while she planted her spare hand on her hip. "That depends on what you're in the mood for," she purred. "Should I bring you a bottle of wine? Or perhaps the demon prince would prefer a Cuban cigar?"

I didn't relax all the way against the booth as I tilted my head back and drank half of the whiskey in one go. When a stray droplet escaped down my chin, I brushed it away with the side of my hand. I could feel the sexual tension radiating off the siren as those dark obsidian eyes watched my every move. "What would you recommend if I had no interest in alcohol or foreign smokes?"

Her eyes flashed and the sweet aroma in her aura thickened. Keye eased the tray down onto the table before she tugged the velvet ribbon loose from the curtains. She slipped inside as it fell shut behind her. "Do you have a hunger for something else tonight?"

My eyes didn't leave her as she sauntered over with the ribbon hanging from one hand. I could feel my cock hardening when she spread those long, slender legs and eased down onto my lap. I didn't budge an inch as that ribbon hooked me behind the neck. Every part of my demonic instinct sought to cast her away — or wrap it around hers instead — while the incubus could feel the heat of her pussy through the layers of material between us.

It was one of the unusual combinations that worked, even when it really shouldn't. The saliva of a siren would leave their romantic partner in a sexual frenzy. Their pussy juices created a far better effect. They were essentially the only ones that could come close to what the incubi race could cause. On nights like this, I enjoyed the heightened sensations a siren could bring.

Keye didn't break eye contact with me as she tugged the glass from my hand and set it on the table behind her. "What would you like from me tonight, Prince?"

I let the cigarette drop from my fingers as she started to rub against me. It hadn't taken much on her part to get me hard and my cock was already straining against the boxers until it hurt. A pained groan escaped me as she reached down to cup me. "I would be greatly disappointed if you didn't already know what I was in the mood for, Keye."

Considering how often I come by this club.It was my sanctuary, a place where I could dabble for whatever I happened to hunger for that night.

Her pale pink lips curled into a full grin. "Is that what the demon prince wishes for?"

All it took was one swift movement for me to tear the ribbon from her grasp and have it wrapped around her own throat. I jerked her toward me, squeezing a gasp from her. The sound of pain and pleasure mixed together was almost enough to paint my vision with red dots. "Bend over the table, siren."

Keye's eyes flashed with the same heat that was tearing through me. She had no protest when I kept the ribbon tight around her throat. It certainly limited her movements, but that didn't stop her from heeding my request. The material strained as she slid off my lap and turned, pushing her ass toward me.

I kept a tight grip on her new leash while I used my other hand to simply rip the silk thong off her. The material was thin enough to where I could smell those juices already leaking down her leg, only now there was nothing to keep it from slamming me in the face. I paused to suck in a lungful. Who could miss that salty scent that gave away her watery race? Smirking, I delivered a slap against her right ass cheek.

Keye jerked with a gasp. "Prince Asher!"

"You fought for this section tonight when word spread that I would be coming…didn't you, siren?" I dragged my nails along the fresh handprint, causing her to jolt against me.

"Y-Yes." Her voice was ragged.

"Are you already wet for me, Keye?" I flicked a thumb against her clit.

She arched her back in a desperate move to guide my fingers inside. "Oh, gods, yes. I am. Touch me, prince, and you'll be coated with me." Her words were borderline a yearning whine.

I smirked, taking great care to avoid getting sucked into that hot abyss. "You didn't answer my question. Naughty little girls don't get a reward if they're disobedient. If you want me to touch you — to fuck you — I want to hear those words coming from your mouth."

The siren hung her head with a frustrated noise. "Yes! I traded sections with Gwen so that I could serve you myself."

Already so wet…It was a sight that I was very well accustomed to seeing when I found a new female to bend over the table during my visits. All it took was a simple brush on my part for the intoxicating sensations to be spiraled into full effect by my incubus nature. "I don't know…" I flicked her clit a few more times. Each strike caused her entire body to jerk. "Is Mikey going to bill me for this pussy?"

A mournful whine escaped Keye. "N-No, prince. Whatever you ask of me will be on the house."

Good man.

I certainly wouldn't be against paying a being for these services, but that was the fun part about being demonic royalty. I didn't have to offer up a single bill unless my heart desired it. Running my tongue along my lower lip, I added another slap to her ass before I worked on pulling my pants apart. As soon as I shoved the material out of the way, my cock sprang to attention. "Come sit for your prince," I purred.

The siren didn't hesitate. She immediately eased back, moving slow enough to where she could help guide me to her pussy. Although she had sought a gentle entry, I wasn't willing to be that patient. Her back straightened as I thrust hard into her, bringing her all the way down onto my lap with a jerk. A cry escaped her lips, casually leaking out into the air to join the music vibrating around us.

Utter delight washed through my veins as Keye's juices completely coated every single inch of my cock. I had only just pierced these hot walls and I could already feel the side effect leaving my own incubus touch spiraling out of control. It completely left the rest of my senses muffled by the intoxicating sensation.

It didn't matter how carefree I was about squeezing noises out of my partner. My own were usually reserved to the occasional one that managed to escape me. The groan was just inches from launching from my tongue before I silenced it, content to enjoy the heat of her body squeezing my cock.

Not that anyone in the crowd would hear our naughty little deed with the music so fucking loud. Hell, the other booths wouldn't notice a damn thing until the smell started to spread. All that would cause would be a fun little orgy.

I reached around and started rubbing against her clit, causing Keye to arch against me. My fingers were already getting coated with her juices and the sensation left me on fire. I shifted against her, the small movement prompting her to start mimicking the thrusts for me. "That's it… Take my cock like you need it to breathe."

Keye stiffened as I pulled on the ribbon, cutting off her air long enough to deliver the message.

My lovely was depending on me to survive as long as that soft material remained around her delicate neck. Planting her hands on the table, she raised off my cock just enough to pierce herself repeatedly. Every time she took me back inside, her walls started tightening around me.

"No, no." I pulled her back against me so that I could brush my lips against her ear. "You don't get to orgasm unless I give you permission to. Is that understood?"

A mixture of strangled noises escaped her lips. Keye turned her head just enough for us to lock gazes.

"Do you understand, siren?"

She arched her back as I delivered a thrust hard enough to steal the last of the air tucked away within her lungs. It was all she could do to nod as those eyes rolled up into the back of her head.

I cupped her throat with my hand, keeping her pinned against me. "I want to hear you say it," I growled.

Keye moaned. "Y-Yes, prince. I won't orgasm unless you allow me to."

"Good."

As soon as I released her throat, the siren slumped against the table. It only took her a moment to recover before she started resuming the pace. The table shook beneath her as her movements started to become desperate. It was taking every part of her self-control to remain as close to her own high as she could without going over. Being this close to an orgasm was tormenting in its own way, especially when a siren thrived off them.

An incubus got their fill no matter what throughout the whole experience and I enjoyed dragging it out as much as I could. The only thing that ruined it was when someone decided to have enough balls to interrupt.

A loud whistle cut through the music vibrating around the club.

I immediately caught Keye by the hips and forced her to a halt. Although she immediately tried to resist and impale herself on my cock even more, I managed to keep her from budging an inch. My eyes swung toward the head poking inside the booth. "Is there a reason why you're bothering me right now, Archer?"

His wicked smile grew. "Nico requested your presence downstairs."

The siren managed to wiggle her hips just enough to squeeze a groan out of me, which only caused the demon's grin to spread. "I'm busy."

"It's related to the dock incident, boss."

That got my attention immediately and it was enough to leave my mood turning for the worse. Curling my upper lip, I reluctantly released the ribbon and shoved Keye onto the cushion beside me. "It better be an important update." I tucked myself away and buttoned my pants back up.

Archer pulled back to free up the exit. "Can I finish her off?"

The siren cowered against the booth.

It was one thing for her to be bold enough to fuck the prince of demons, but Archer was one of the demon lords that helped oversee my empire. The Silentium family was well known for their perfect assassination record and he held the highest body count out of them all. That didn't make him an ideal partner in bed when it came to a one night stand. My willingness to let him have her would only mean she was his next mark.

I pushed past him. "If you interrupted me, why should I let you have her?"

He blew out a breath at my back. "Hey, I'm just the messenger."

"Well, now you're my witness to whatever the hell Nico wants." I whistled once to seal the order and continued away from the booth. With my cock still hard and unspent, I was eager to get the sudden meeting over with so I could finish off with the siren. It wasn't wise to have an entire empire ruled by an unsatisfied incubus, and my mood wouldn't change until I had my fun.

Archer didn't resist the command for long. An irritated growl escaped him as he reluctantly fell into step behind me. Together, we trailed around the edge of the dance floor. He didn't attempt to break the silence between us until I drifted into the back hallway. Jamming his hands into his pockets, he followed me through the sole door. "I don't see why I have to be punished for doing what Nico asked."

"If he told you to jump off the bridge, would you?" I drifted down the worn stairway. The annoyance quickly lifted when the humid air brought a mixture of scents against me. All it took was one shallow breath for me to catch a whiff of iron in the air. The smell could only mean that Nico had found a toy to play with and it was already bleeding. I rounded the corner with an eagerness to my step.

"That's a trick question and you know it."

I didn't answer. My eyes had already fallen upon a man tied to the chair with an unconscious woman at his feet. Tucking my hands into my suit pockets, I allowed my steps to slow long before I pierced the light hanging from the lamp above him. My gaze dropped down to the woman. "I don't like an angel loose in my club."

Nico had been in the middle of pacing around the man when my voice drove him to a full stop. He ran the bloody blade against the angel's shoulder, causing him to whimper. "Give me some credit. I'm not sloppy, Asher."

"I don't know about that," Archer remarked. He ventured closer and nudged the woman's face with the edge of his boot.

The male angel lurched forward. "Don't you fucking touch her!"

I clicked my tongue softly. I didn't have to peek at him to sense anger swirling within my fellow demon. The edges of my lips twitched and I ventured off toward the side to take in the scene laid out before me.

At one point, Nico had started the torture by the weight of his presence alone. Just him pacing nearby was enough to shake any being that walked the earth until they were on the verge of losing their sanity. The twisted bastard had spent a small portion of their time together by simply pouring himself a glass of wine. He even had a lit cigar resting on the ashtray. His dark crimson eyes swung my way when I seized the glass. "Don't you fucking dare," he spat.

"Now that's not very nice." I smirked at him while I took a swig from it. All while I kept my gaze locked with his. A comforting heat washed down the back of my throat, the alcohol noticeably mixed with a sweet texture.

Since he couldn't take his frustration out on me, Nico settled for the angel right in front of him. His upper lip curled to expose his double set of fangs. He ran the blade along the angel's back, taking it over one of the gaping holes.

I swore softly under my breath once I realized that Nico had torn off the poor bastard's wings. How the man was still conscious after that traumatic event, I didn't have the slightest idea. Cocking my head to the side, I mused over the possibility that my fellow demon had simply refused to let him succumb to the darkness.

The angel would remain awake as long as the demon lord demanded it.

"Stop, please!" The angel twisted against the bonds while he struggled to pull away enough to stop the sudden burst of heat from the blade. Sweat poured down his forehead, mixing with the blood staining his face. The combination certainly didn't seem to feel great as they pooled within the burns on his legs.

Another smell leaked into the air and my stomach churned. The feathery bastard had pissed himself. Wrinkling my nose, I ventured back toward the steps just so I had a small supply of fresh air brushing against me. "Is there a reason why you interrupted me, Nico?"

"You wanted to know if we uncovered anything tied to the missing shipment from the Florida dock." Nico pulled the knife long enough to shift it in his hand.

"I did." I arched an eyebrow as he jammed the weapon into the gaping hole. "Are you wishing me to assume that your new toy had a hand in the robbery?"

The angel writhed against his bonds with noises coming from his lips that I couldn't hope to decipher. He couldn't manage to weave any of it into English until Nico quit twisting the blade. His head hung as he panted. "I-I don't know anything about missing guns!"

Archer gestured to the crate behind me. "Take a look at the file, boss."

Irritation leaked into my veins. All it took was a quick peek over my shoulder for me to realize that Nico had left his glass of wine on top of a manilla folder. I grabbed it with a quiet scoff, leaving the wine in its place. Although I was distracted by the small stack of papers tucked inside, I could sense his aura drawing close. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was grabbing the wine before I could finish it off.

"You never appreciate how long it takes to get this kind of brew right," he muttered, retreating back behind the angel. "Took me fucking months to get the level of angel grace diluted enough to enjoy. I can actually get drunk off this shit."

Without dying in the process.

I ignored him while I scanned the pages. The gears started turning long before I flipped to the final page that portrayed the very warehouse in question. Lifting my jaw, I shifted my gaze toward the shaking angel. "So you own the warehouse in Port Angeles, Gabriel?"

Gabriel stiffened as his name launched off my tongue. "N-No. Auriel oversees the daily operations there. My name's just on the lease."

Amusement trickled through my veins. Isn't this a beautiful twist of events?

Angel turning against angel. It didn't matter how fond he was of the unconscious female, that didn't stop him from trying to throw her under the bus to save his own ass. The wings had already been torn off his back, leaving him without the treasured ability to fly. Poor bastard didn't have anything left to lose except his life.

I tossed the file back onto the crate. "I don't care whose name is on the paper. Which one of you was working last week when my shipment went missing?"

His dulled golden eyes remained locked on me. "Auriel," he rasped.

Wrong answer. I lifted my chin sharply, giving Nico the silent cue to twist the weapon a little more. While the angel jerked with an ear-piercing wail, I leaned against the crate. "You've got one chance to give me an honest answer."

The angel's body slumped forward, every breath a loud wheeze that flooded me with pure delight.

Nico brushed a hand against the handle of the dagger, causing him to cry out. "Here's the problem, friend. If the boss is asking you a question, he's already got the answer. He's just wanting to see how deep you're digging that hole for yourself. If you want a quick death, then you might want to give him what he wants."

Gabriel's upper lip curled. He spat in my direction. It didn't matter how short the bloodied gunk fell of my shoes, the message was still the same: fuck you.

The amusement faded from the demon lord's face. His hand shot out, seizing the handle. All it took was a jerk downwards to flood the entire room with a high screech from our guest. "The boss asked you a question," he growled.

Gabriel's back remained arched with those golden eyes locked on the lamp above him. "Auriel oversees the daily operations." His voice was nothing more than a strained rasp. "She's always there when the shipments arrive. If anyone stole them, she did. She's been complaining about the upcoming trade talks."

Archer crossed his arms over his chest with a snort. "Do you really expect us to believe that she stole one of our shipments to get back at us for your shitty business decisions?"

"Or your growing debts," Nico snarled at the angel's back.

The angel stiffened. "No. She was stockpiling the guns to start a war with you fuckers. You don't deserve the land that you've taken from us. North America belongs to the angels, not demons."

The edges of my lips twitched as our prisoner was fixated on glaring at my fellow kin instead of realizing he'd just made that hole a hell of a lot deeper. Who said anything about guns?

It didn't matter how bold his demeanor had become during the torture. It shattered as soon as the woman at his feet moaned softly. His eyes widened.

Clicking my tongue, I gestured for Archer to grab the woman.

By the time her piercing blue eyes fluttered open, the demon had swept up behind her and jerked her up onto her knees. It took several long minutes for her to register that he had her arms pinned against her folded wings and the gun of a barrel nuzzled against her temple. Those pink lips parted as her gaze fell upon her fellow angel. "G-Gabriel," she whimpered. "What is going on? Why are we here?"

Archer brushed his lips against her hair, causing Gabriel to spit at us in his native tongue. "Did you know that every time an angel lies, a feather turns black? Rumor has it that the wings simply fall off once that final feather loses that magnificent color."

"Don't spin a tale about what you don't know, demon," Gabriel spat. "You asked me a question and I answered it."

"Right. You want us to believe that Auriel here had a part in my missing shipment." My tone was dry, but it delivered a powerful blow all the same.

Auriel's eyes widened as the words registered. "W-What?" Her pasty skin lost all color. "No, that's a lie! I was sent home every time a shipment was due to arrive in port."

"It's useless to lie, Auriel." Gabriel lowered his voice to a whisper. His expression shifted into one of defeat, yet it also carried something dwelling just below the surface. Desperation.

Her blue eyes swung toward him. "I'm not lying! I swear to you, Gabriel. Someone stole their guns, but it wasn't me. Lauriel always sent me home when we got word of the boat arriving."

It took everything I had not to let the laughter escape into the air. Who is really innocent in this situation, then? My eyes swung toward Nico. Was there really another angel involved with this operation or were they simply spinning a tale with the meager hope that the gods would weave mercy for them? It didn't really matter, at this point. None of us had leaked what had been at that Florida port, yet this pair seemed to know exactly what had arrived.

Gabriel had already admitted what the shipment had even been.

The curiosity was thick in Nico's crimson gaze. He reached out to pull on the blade. "Tell us the truth, little bird. Who gave the order to steal them?"

Gabriel jolted against the chair with his eyes bulging. "L-Lauriel!"

Annoyance trickled into my veins. I never enjoyed it when an interrogation felt like we were beating around the bush. Blowing out a breath, I reached out to retrieve the lit cigar and puffed on it. It wasn't the nicotine my body was craving, yet it was the only thing within arm's reach to offer the necessary distraction.

Nico jammed the blade back in. "What happened to Auriel being behind the impending civil war?" he taunted.

"You fucking bastard!"

Archer let the female angel surge forward before he jerked her right back against his chest. A smirk erupted across his face as Gabriel paled from her sudden rage. "I don't think you two are friends anymore, Gabriel," he murmured.

Auriel twisted her head back and forth until she managed to pry her chin free from Archer's grip. Those piercing blue eyes never left her bound companion as her upper lip curled to expose perfectly white teeth. "I'm going to kill you!" she spat.

"Looks like we've got a fallen angel in the making." Archer released a soft whistle in her ear. He managed to get a firm grip on her chin, forcing her to turn her head until they locked gazes. "I can feel that anger pouring into your soul, sweetheart. Isn't it a lovely feeling to feel all that heat? That'll keep you nice and warm at night."

The demon lord was having plenty of fun until the little enraged creature decided to spit in his face. That was all it took for him to shift gears with his own rage tearing through his body. A livid snarl escaped from Archer as he thrust her down onto the ground, ramming her face into the cement. He was quick to straddle her back to keep the wings pinned while she swore at him in their native tongue. Scowling, he wiped his face clean as he muttered, "Fucking bitch…"

"Perhaps that'll teach you to quit playing with your food," I remarked. My grin merely widened as those piercing eyes swung my way. "Just because sweet Auriel here is an angel doesn't mean she won't bite."

Nico released an irritable growl that drew our attention back toward him. "We're not getting anywhere with them pointing fingers at each other, boss. Neither one of them is willing to cop to the theft. We won't find the shipment unless they confess where they've stashed it."

"Like hell!" Gabriel spat. He swore under his breath when the demon responded by backhanding his head.

I tapped the cigar against my finger to knock away the excess ash. "Very well. Get rid of this one and send some of the boys to the warehouse. It's time to clean house."

All of the color drained from Gabriel's face once my words sank in. He gaped at me. "You won't do that," he rasped. "Saint Angeles is angel territory. You would be declaring war with us if you harm my people on our own land."

The angel looked like he was on the verge of pissing in his pants again when my smirk merely spread across my face. "As far as I'm concerned, you've already done that for us by stealing my guns. Your own prince didn't have the balls to declare it first. He thought he would go behind my back, first. Your kind chose to steal from me, Gabriel. I'm merely responding." I twisted my upper body to abandon the cigar on the ashtray. "Deal with him, Nico."

He perked up immediately. "The hounds?"

Gabriel's golden eyes widened. Although his lips parted, he couldn't find the strength within himself to beg for mercy.

I jammed my hands into the suit pockets and pulled away from the crates. "Feed them. I'm sure they're rather famished right now."

"N-No! I beg of you to spare me!" Gabriel's voice rose several volumes as Nico seized the back of his chair, dragging his bound ass away. "Auriel and Lauriel are behind the theft! I had nothing to do with this! Please—"

Gritting my teeth, I closed my eyes until the demon delivered a strike hard enough to knock the angel out cold. "Angels…They act so mighty. You'd think they'd embrace death with open arms."

"What do you want me to do about this one?"

I cracked an eye open to study the woman still pinned underneath Archer. If it wasn't for the strange black anomaly just under his crotch, I would have simply dismissed him with the same order. A hint of curiosity leaked into my veins and drove me closer to them.

Auriel attempted to jerk her head around with a low hiss. With a hand still keeping her pinned against the cement, she could do absolutely nothing as I reached out and ran my fingers along her wings.

Archer wrinkled his nose. "Could you get any closer to my crotch, boss?"

I ignored his remark, finding the one feather that had caught my attention. Seizing it with two fingers, I yanked it free from the wing and held it up for him to see. "Still got that cage at home?"

Archer's amethyst eyes honed in on the feather. All it took was one glance for his lips to curl into a coy smile. "With a pretty little collar to go with it."

Auriel went still. Fear leaked from her aura in waves. It didn't take a genius for her to decipher the fate waiting for her.

I pulled away from them, letting the feather fall. "Do what you wish with her."

A wild cackle escaped from the demon lord's lips as he tangled his fingers within the angel's blonde hair. All it took was a sharp movement to smack her head back down onto the cement and put her out cold. The air shimmered around them before the duo simply disappeared.

With both of the demon lords no longer in the room, I didn't have a distraction to keep my mind off the fact that I was still hard as hell. I groaned softly as I rearranged myself. There was a part of me that yearned to hunt the siren down and finish what we'd started while the rest of me was weighed down with a fatigue that was occurring far too often these days.

Bullshit like a missing gun shipment on angel territory certainly came with the role as the prince of my own kind. Hell, I knew it was a risk to send it to that port. Yet I couldn't ignore the gut feeling that it was going to be a problem. The shipment had been a test of their loyalty. Every single gun in that wooden box was useless. They would either misfire or would simply jam.

It wouldn't cause any loss of sleep for me. The fact that we hadn't heard of any angels being dumped in front of a disposal facility meant that they hadn't been brave enough to test any of the guns. Right now, they were stockpiling them until it was time to use them.

I let my head fall back with a weary sigh. Every moment I lingered on the gun problem, I lost the desire to chase Keye down. All it would take was a few minutes to jack off and I'd be able to focus on something else. Faint footsteps on the stairway had me perking up.

It didn't take long for Dante to come around the corner. As soon as he realized that my eyes were locked on him, he immediately ducked his head with respect. "Forgive me for interrupting, sire, but I'm afraid there is a matter outside that my boys aren't sure how to handle."

A snort escaped me before I had the chance to stop it. "Since when are the others flustered enough for you to retrieve me?"

"Since a mortal woman decided to walk straight up to the front door."

That was all it took for all the amusement to sap out of my body. I drew my head back slightly. "A human?"

"Yes, sire." Dante kept his head low.

How intriguing.It wasn't the thing that would help me reach a release, but it had my attention long enough to where I decided to oblige the demon's silent plea. "Very well. After you, Dante."

"Yes, sire." He spun on his heel and marched back up the steps, leaving me to follow. As we reached the main level of the club, the crowd parted to let us through without resistance. It wasn't long until we had made it to the front door.

I winced when Dante nudged the door open, allowing a shrill voice to carry inside. What in the fuck makes that kind of noise? If I hadn't been informed about a mortal woman on my doorstep, I would have been under the impression that a harpy had escaped the Underworld. It certainly sounded like one that was dying.

"If you don't return to your abode at once, the prince will happily feed you to his hounds."

Dante eased out of the way to reveal a woman toe-to-toe with one of the other bouncers. There was over a foot in difference with their height, not that it seemed to deter her any. Her extreme boldness certainly had Sirus on the verge of losing his temper. His right eye was already twitching and it wouldn't be long until he lost control and struck her.

All it would take was one hint and he'd snap her neck.

The woman either didn't realize how much danger she'd put herself in or she just didn't give a damn. She closed the distance between them, craning her head back so that she could glare at him. "I'm sure you've all felt those pockets getting lighter lately and you have yet to uncover who is behind the thefts. I don't give a fuck if you want to handle it internally just to save face. I am willing to hand you those responsible on a golden platter."

"And why would you do that?" The sound of my voice caused her to jerk away from Sirus and bring those wide chocolate-brown eyes onto me. My lips twitched as her enraged demeanor faltered once she realized who she had come face-to-face with, yet it didn't take long for the anger to click back into her face. I stifled a snicker as her chin rose sharply. "You are essentially betraying your own kind just by stepping foot on demon ground, human."

Her upper lip curled. "They're a disgrace, the lot of them!" She tugged the manilla envelope trapped under her arm free and held it out toward me. "I knew that bastard child of mine was sneaking off to do something unlawful. I just didn't know what she was doing until I followed her."

I didn't have to budge a muscle for Dante to reach out and snag the envelope from her. I merely cocked my head to the side while he sniffed all over it. "You're breaking curfew by coming here," I warned softly.

The woman wrinkled her nose at the bouncers. "Perhaps a king like yourself would be willing to look in the other direction just this once, especially when you realize how many souls I'm offering to you."

I'll be damned…This human was attempting to flatter me with the enticing sound of a higher rank. Fragile little thing just didn't realize that I didn't have that kind of ego.

"You did not come to my club to break curfew only to expect my mercy as your reward," I countered.

"No, sire." Her brown eyes slid back toward me. "Rumor has it that you're willing to pay for every head of those that disgrace your family. That's all I want."

Of course this was her ultimate desire. Humanity was driven by every sin that had evolved since the dawn of time. Greed was simply the oldest out of them all. Snorting softly, I drifted my eyes over to Dante when the demon was finally satisfied by the lack of sustenance on the envelope. As soon as he held it out to me, I accepted it and tore the end open.

The mortal had brought me a stack of photographs. Every single one of them had their name and address written on the back. Hell, she'd even gone as far as to assume who held the higher ranks in the organization. I flipped over the first photograph and almost lost it.

The Anti-Paranormal League.

So this was the infamous APL. It was surprising that a human organization would go to such dramatic measures just to rob my family. The poor bastards wouldn't even keep what they stole. They would disperse the funds amongst their own kind. It reminded me a little too much of a human tale of Robin Hood. As annoying as it was to be hit with another report of their doing, it was also amusing. Just because I hadn't taken them down yet didn't mean that I wasn't tracking their web movements.

A demon preferred to toy with its prey before cutting them down.

I kept flipping through the pile until I reached the end, where I found three different pictures of the same woman. Yet every single one of them bore a different name. Although the photographs were in black and white, it wasn't hard to decipher that she had altered her appearance just enough to keep someone from recognizing her immediately. My eyes shifted back toward the woman. "What is your name, human?"

"Anita." The woman raised her chin abruptly. "Anita Rossi, sire."

All it took was a small tingle on the back of my neck for me to know that Archer had joined us outside. Perfect. I tucked the photographs back into the envelope. "See to it that Miss Rossi is given a generous reward for her donation to my empire." I turned away from her. From the way my magic hummed under my skin, I knew that she was smirking at the bouncers. I brushed the sensation away and locked gazes with the demon lord. "Do see that she gets home in one piece, yes? After all…we can't send the riches to a dead woman." I strolled back into the club.

"Yes, my lord," Archer muttered.

Although several of the strippers swung their hopeful gazes toward me as I came further inside, I redirected my path toward the staircase at the back. Even Keye was lurking nearby with the eagerness to finish what we had started. I shut it down by simply passing by her without acknowledging her presence.

I didn't stop until I was upstairs and within the safety of my own office. As soon as I eased into my chair, I pulled the photographs back out and spread them over my desk. Clasping my hands together, I rested my chin on them. I lingered on the woman's set the longest.

My door soon opened and a grumpy demon lord slipped inside. "Want to tell me why we're paying a reward fee to a human?" Archer plopped down into the chair across from me and slumped down in it. "I thought we agreed that it was restricted to the paranormal."

Snorting softly, I reached out to grab the woman's first photograph and flipped it over. "Who said she was going to keep breathing? It won't take long for her neighbors to notice the sudden wealth. Rumors will leak about the origin of the money. They'll turn on her before the week is out."

Archer scowled. "It's a waste of funds."

"It's not like we don't have plenty to spare, old friend." I ran my fingers over the name written in a permanent marker.

Quinn Rossi.

How cold. Anita was willing to turn over one of her own blood. I held the photograph up, bringing the demon's attention to the address. "Is this the same one she gave you for her home?"

"Yes."

How curious. The edges of my lips twitched as I turned over the other photographs. Although the first one had the same address as Anita, she'd only written names on them.

Blaire Rossi, fake identity #1. Aspen Barone, fake identity #2. Anita had even circled ‘recent' under that one.

My fellow demon lord's mood only grew even more foul as we sat there in silence. He scoffed at the collection spread out across my desk. "I didn't think you gave a damn about this APL."

"Oh, I don't. But who am I to argue with a human turning on their own?" I flipped the woman's three photographs back over and tapped on the original. "Besides, Nico is in need of some new test subjects, is he not?"

Archer's eyes narrowed into thin slits. "You just want to keep him busy playing with toys while you find out where the angels stashed that shipment."

"Perhaps." I leaned back in my chair with a smirk. "Let him experiment with some new methods on them before we find it."

"You know their prince is going to demand a meeting if we raid that warehouse before the next trade talk," he mumbled.

I cocked my head to the side. "So reschedule the talk. Move it up to tomorrow night."

It only took a moment for him to catch my intention. His amethyst eyes lit up and the same smirk spread across his face. "You want to blindside them about the guns during the meeting."

I locked gazes with him as my own lips twitched. "Bingo."

"You're a sadistic man, boss."

Snorting, I grabbed the woman's original photograph and studied the angelic face that was oblivious of me. It wasn't much of a kick to the balls where this group was concerned. Losing money was certainly infuriating, but it wouldn't be the cause of my kingdom's collapse. That didn't mean I would let it continue occurring under my watchful eye, so I would accept Anita's greedy offering. I would take each and every single one of them to be an example to the rest of humankind. Even this little bird with different names.

Perhaps I would take this one for myself. A little torture at my own hands seemed necessary, and I thirsted for some excitement to jumpstart this dead heart of mine.

Would Quinn Rossi be the one thing I needed to accomplish that?