Chapter 7

Zee gaveme a quick rundown of the syndicate while Reynard's driver took us to East SoMa, where old San Franciscan buildings butted up against new developments. This was where we'd find them, according to Zee. He explained how some of Razorsedge's staff sometimes did escort work on the side. Where there's sex, there's cash, and drugs, and crime—all things the exclusively fae syndicate had their fingers in.

Broken AI bartenders seemed an odd choice for organized crime, but if there was money in it, then so were the syndicate, or so Zee claimed.

The car dropped us outside a small but pretty street-food restaurant that had tables outside and was dotted with potted palms. The sign on the door said open, but we were its only customers.

The waitress, a dainty fae with big blue eyes, approached. "Hey there, table for two?"

"Hey, is Kris in?" Zee asked. "Tell him it's Zodiac." Kris was an old contact, Zee had told me on the way over. He'd be able to tell us more about the syndicate.

"Sure." The waitress appeared less enthusiastic now she wouldn't be getting a serving tip, and left out the back door.

"How well do you know Kris?"

"Oh, you know." Zee winked.

The waitress returned and said Kris was out but he'd be back soon, and offered us a table to sit at. "Hey, d'yah wanna eat to kill time?"

"Oh, erm. Sure?" It was after lunch, but the sun was shining outside, and the restaurant did seem nice, even if weirdly vacant.

We sat and ordered, and received our drinks. San Francisco Bay radio played in the background. Chatter from passersby came and went through the open door. Our food arrived—chicken noodles with sides of rice, salad, and fries. The sun blazing through the window warmed my back, and for the first time in a long time, the weight of responsibility... and the hotel... and prophesies lifted off my back.

"Kitten, this is nice, right? You and me. Food. Wine. Normal nice."

"It is normal nice. Almost like a date."

Zee stopped chewing. His grin paled before flaring back, brighter than ever. "Fuck, you're right. I've never been on a date. I usually skip the romance part and go straight to fucking. So this is what a romantic date with my human is like." His grin grew, and softened too, turning into one of his rare, true smiles. "The market, and now this. What a great fucking day."

My heart warmed to see him happy. Some days, I wondered what the point of it all was. Why try and survive, when I had nothing to survive for, just chaos and terror and fate hunting me down? But then these little moments happened. The quiet, soft moments, when everything felt normal and right and safe. The moments when I could stop and marvel at the brilliant purple of Zee's eyes, at the way his grin encompassed his entire face, not just his dancing mouth. Or how the sun shone through the windows, warming my arm. How the food in my belly meant I didn't have to forage or scrounge for scraps. These little, normal moments were in many ways more important than the grand, life changing, monumental events. I was alive, and sharing lunch with my best demon. I had a safe place to call home. Maybe, it was finally time to relax?

And perhaps tell Zee my true feelings for him?

Zee scooped up his wine, nails flashing, and caught me watching him. Whatever he saw on my face, it cooled his smile. "You're so fucking adorable," he admitted. "Ugh, I can't fucking do this. Your cute face is killing me." He heaved a great breath, and said, "I fucked up and we can't ever have sex again. There. I said it."

My happy thoughts screeched to a stop—then fell off a cliff. "Huh?"

"Look, we all know I'm perfect. I have exquisite control. I am the master of edging. I can make a man come, or not, and play desires like musical fucking instruments. Let's just make that clear so we're all on the same page in the Zodiac is Awesome book."

"Uh, okay." Where was he going with this?

Zee gulped the wine, then slammed the glass down. He sighed. And leaned forward, getting intense. "But with you, it's different. You're not like everyone else I've fucked and fed from. There's this... need."

"Oh, erm, thanks. I think?"

"I mean, with you, the need is..." He clenched his fist, gritted his teeth, and winced. "It's real fucking hard not to come, okay? And there was once or twice when I... maybe... didn't..." He trailed off in a mumble.

"Didn't what?"

"Useprotection," he muttered almost incoherently.

"Eh?"

"When I didn't fucking use a condom, okay? It's not usually a problem, I'm up to date, I take my health and that of my customers seriously, so I didn't think it was a concern, and then you... were you, and so bright, and I fucked up." He considered his words, and added, "Literally."

"Oh." I glanced around, but we were still alone. "Oh." I sat back. "That's okay, I'm not... you know. It's fine. We should probably have talked about it before, but you can't... you know..." I flapped a hand between us. "I mean, I can't catch anything."

"Yeah, okay, but as a human, you absolutely can. And I'm not talking about STDs, Kitten. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a fucking incubus. Besides being fabulous twenty-four seven, I'm also in the prime of my fucking life, and crazy potent."

"Potent?"

He pursed his lips, and leaned forward. "I have magic sperm."

I blinked, and for some inexplicable reason, looked down at the few stray noodles on my plate. "Magic sperm?"

"Ehhh-hmm." His voice see-sawed. "Well, I guess they're more like virulent little parasite bastards who will find and infect any living thing, turning it into my own personal zombie sex slave. Forever."

I gulped. "Magic sperm sounds so much better."

"Yeah, which is why I led with that."

The noodles churned in my gut. It was probably still fine, but also... oh dear.

"This is why we were never meant to be a thing," Zee said. "I told you, if you get fucked by a demon too many times, you lose your soul. Which is the nice way of saying I'll turn you into my personal fuckboy."

I still didn't think that would ever happen, but my thoughts had gotten hung up on parasitic sperm. I shoved my plate away and dragged a hand down my face. Was it hot in here? It felt hot. My shirt had gotten all scratchy and clingy.

"And now you hate me. Look, I've never hidden what I am?—"

"No, I just need a second." I swallowed excessive saliva. "What about all your clients at Razorsedge?"

"Kitten, everything I did there was for the client, not me. They came, I didn't."

"Never?"

He shrugged. "Rarely. And if I did, then I'd end up fucking myself over, because I'd have to refuse them as a mark. Like I said, master at edging—myself."

Even my eyeballs felt hot. I fluffed my shirt away from my chest, trying to cool myself down. "I had parasite sperm in me?" Did they have... teeth?

"Magic sperm," Zee corrected.

Magic. Parasitic. Sperm.

Zee's expression turned to worry. "You're freaking out."

"No," I squeaked. Then whispered, "Are they still in me?"

"No, they die real quick. Losers."

Why was that in no way comforting?

"One or two times is no big deal, okay? It takes a few... goes." He made a circle with his finger and thumb, and poked another finger through. "Which is why we can't fuck anymore. One broken condom and I'll fuck you up forever."

The waitress appeared and asked us how our meal went.

"Can I please have a glass of water?" I wheezed.

She returned a few moments later, handed over the water, and explained that Kris was a few minutes out while I guzzled the entire glass.

After she'd removed the plates, and I'd cooled down, my thoughts cleared. "So, okay... Look, your main prey is humans, right?"

"Mostly."

"So your little guys are designed to infect humans. Well, what about someone who isn't entirely human? Would your magic sperm do their thing then?"

Zee narrowed his eyes. "How much not human?"

"Just a little bit not human?" I pinched my fingers together.

"Like . . . ten percent?"

I shrugged. "Maybe more? Maybe less?"

He rolled his eyes. "Alright, let's put it this way. If I fucked a jukebox—not saying I did—I could fill it full of magic sperm and it wouldn't turn into a zombie sex slave. If that's what you're getting at."

I was going to have to get the jukebox thoroughly cleaned. "Kind of?"

"But for organic beings, it's complicated," he added.

"What about really big organic beings?"

Zee frowned. "How big?"

"Oh, I don't know, like . . . maybe . . . bigger than a horse?"

He blinked. "A horse? I mean, I did fuck a horse once. Or was it a centaur? I was high. It's kinda vague." His head tilted, thoughts ping-ponging. "Or was it two guys in a suit? Did you know centaurs have two dicks? One at the front and the back. Because I did not fucking know that but I was pleasantly surprised?—"

"Or a house?" I interrupted, before he fell down a centaur-anatomy hole.

His frown deepened. "Bigger than a horse or a house?"

I shrugged. "Just theoretically speaking?"

"In theory—I'm still figuring this shit out since getting stuck here—but in theory, if I fucked a horse bigger than a house, not only would that be fucking terrifying, I doubt my magic sperm would do much, since they're real small anyway and that's a fucking big horse."

"Okay."

"Did that help, because I'm real fucking confused."

"It helps." I figured I was immune to his magic sperm, but it was still a risk, until we found out for sure. Which meant no penetrative sex with Zee. Probably good for the curse situation. But I already missed him. "I like being with you, though."

Zee smiled for the first time since the conservation had taken a weird turn. "Babycakes, nobody is more fucking devastated than I am. Fucking you is right up there as one of my favorite things ever, right beside mac and cheese. If I could fuck you while eating mac and cheese, I'd combust."

"You're so sweet."

"I know, right? I'm going to find a way to fix it. I don't know what we are, Adam Vex, but it's the best thing to happen to me, ever. And I will not let it go. You and me? We're better than mac and cheese. I won't ever fucking hurt you, even if that means I have to keep my dick in my pants. We can still get off. It just won't be, you know, the same, until I figure it out."

I had to tell him what I was. He'd earned it, and if it destroyed us, then so be it. It was wrong and selfish to keep my big secret when he was willing to go to such lengths for us. And if I did tell him, it had the added bonus of maybe saving our sex life? Or ruining it forever. It could go either way.

This restaurant, the meal, the good time we were having... It was right.

I leaned forward, and reached for his hand, taking it in mine. His skin was warm and soft, his nails glossy. I folded my fingers around his. "Zee, listen to me. There's something you need to know about me. It will change everything, but I think it's time?—"

"Zodiac," an English-accented voice declared behind me.

Zee's gaze clung to mine a second longer, then skipped away. "Not now..." he whispered. He was right, this wasn't the time. He eased his hand away, and stood. "Kris! What's it been, a year?"

"I'm surprised Seb let you out to play, Zee."

My heart raced. I'd almost told him. I still wanted to, but also... didn't. There was too much at stake. But I could trust him, I was certain of that.

"Change in management," Zodiac was explaining. "Kris, this is Adam, my partner."

I pinned a polite smile to my face and turned to look up at the fae. Kris and I were about the same in height and build. His pretty face was undeniably fae, with high cheekbones, elegant eyes, and tapered ears poking through pin-straight white hair, cut diagonally and sloping toward his chin. An expensive looking watch glinted on his wrist and his shoes gleamed in the sun.

"Adam Vex, right?" Recognition flashed in his eyes.

"Yeah. Have we met?"

"I've heard about you and the Sex Hotel."

"Oh, uh. That's not its name?—"

"You're one crazy human. Sorry about leaving you guys here. Downtown traffic was rough. Let's chat out back." Kris pushed through the back door into a bright, stainless-steel kitchen. "So, Zee, what's brought you out to fae territory?"

I heard the puff of air. Zee hissed, and spun on his heels. "What—" He reached over his shoulder, then swayed. His eyes rolled and he dropped.

"You should never have come here, Zee," Kris said, casually watching Zee collapse.

The kitchen doors swung shut behind me. I spun, saw two tall figures loom from either side of the doorway. The puff of air from a dart gun accompanied a sharp sting in my neck. "Ow."

Another dart struck, then another. The room spun, its edges wobbling, and I dropped.

"Three darts. I've never had to use more than two before."

"Do him again, one more won't hurt."

"It might kill him."

"Meh, not our problem."

The fourth dart stung my ass. "You are going on my . . . Bad People . . . list . . ."