Sunshine looked at him with alarm—he could see her eyes beneath her hood. “We need to get out of here now!”
He wasn’t keen on standing ten feet away from a bunch of bloodthirsty killers either, so he started forward again. He forced himself to walk casually. The primary objective was to avoid attracting attention.
They reached the edge of the clearing unscathed, and after several more twists and turns, dodging more sellers, the black tower finally appeared at the end of a shabby courtyard.
Even from here, the sexual energy coming from inside was palpable.
Demons were fucking on benches lining the walkway or up against the buildings on either side. They passed one openly jerking off who waved his dick at them in hello. Sunshine recoiled and stepped closer to Raum.
“What is this ungodly place?” she hissed.
Raum scanned their surroundings, noted a small alcove off the one side, and headed toward it. “It’s a brothel, a bar, and a sex club all in one. It’s a powerful succubus’s feeding grounds.” He guided Sunshine into the corner. “I need to put more ash on your face. We can’t risk anyone scenting you inside.”
She pressed her back against the wall, and he stepped closer, using his body to shield her from anyone behind him. It was dark in their little corner, but when she tipped her face up, he could see her grimace.
But she didn’t protest. He had a feeling she would take a bath in demon blood if she had to now that she’d seen the dangers of the Blood Market for herself. A little ash smeared on her face was nothing.
Setting the gold sack at his feet and pulling the bottle out of his pocket, he dipped his finger in and retraced the lines on her cheeks and forehead, his gnarled black claw decidedly incongruous against her cheek.
Fuck, her skin was so smooth. Honey brown and silky soft, it was the kind of skin meant to glow under sunlight. Not be tucked away beneath an ugly cloak and smeared with ashes outside the dirtiest brothel in Hell.
Damn him for these persistent idiotic thoughts, but he really wanted to get her out of here.
“The succubus owns the club?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“And she’s the one who can get us what we need?”
He nodded, momentarily losing focus as he stared at her lips. The temptation to run his thumb over her bottom one to feel its fullness was so overwhelming, it was only the ashes on his hand that kept him from doing it.
“Why her?” Sunshine asked.
He shook himself. “She specializes in procuring things. She’s well connected, and she doesn’t pick sides. She’s like a neutral go-between.”
“I guess people are often at war here.”
“Always. Hold out your arms.”
There wasn’t room in the alcove for Sunshine to straighten her elbows between them. She lifted her hands hesitantly as if unsure what to do.
“Put them on me,” he grunted, hating himself.
Her gloved palms landed on his pecs, and he couldn’t stop the muscles from jumping at the feel of her touch.You’re a fucking dumbass.If she’d seen his scaled face, she’d probably think he was ugly as sin, and here he was getting all excited about her touching him.
Harder than was perhaps necessary, he smeared the ash up her forearms and then pulled her sleeves back down to hide her sparkling skin. He didn’t bother asking her to remove her gloves this time, since her hands seemed well covered.
He pocketed the bottle when he was finished. “We’re gonna go in there, make the buy, and get the fuck out as fast as possible, okay?”
She nodded.
“Let me do the talking. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but just go along with what I do.”
She nodded. “I trust you.”
He gritted his teeth. He hated when she said that. If she had any sense, she would know that a demon forced into service would seek any opportunity to spite the one who’d trapped him. She should be expecting him to stab her in the back at every corner.
“Who is the seller?” she asked.
