"Thought you didn't drink."

Closing his eyes, Raze kicked his head back against the blue-tiled wall. The muscles in his throat rippled as he swallowed, and Slake suddenly imagined himself kissing his way down that long, arched neck. Imagined tracing the symbol under his jaw with his tongue. Imagined the sounds Raze would make while he was doing it. G.o.ds, the very thought made heat rush to his groin and his heart race startlingly fast.

Slake wanted Raze in a way he hadn't wanted anyone in a long, long time.

"I can't get drunk, but drinking still makes me want what I can't have." Rake's lids lifted, and Slake's muscles went rubber at the dark hunger that gleamed in the depths of his eyes. "Right now, what I want is standing in front of me, and I'm pretty sure I can have it." His voice went low. Smoky. s.e.xy as f.u.c.k. "Am I right?"

Holy s.h.i.t. A tight fist of heat clenched in his chest and spread in a slow wave as his body reacted to the blatant promise of raw s.e.x. He eyed Raze and those magnificent shoulders and thick arms that were built to hold a partner steady for an onslaught of bliss. Lower, his broad chest tapered down to rippling, hard abs and a narrow waist that disappeared into pants that did nothing to hide an impressive erection.

G.o.ds, to have all that solid strength beneath him, absorbing his thrusts . . .

"You're right," Slake said roughly, even as what Wraith had said earlier echoed in his head. "But Wraith said your kind only does females, and I just saw one in your living room."

Raze took a step closer, the glittery flecks in his eyes melting together like liquid gold. "I'll die without s.e.x. s.e.x with females. She keeps me alive, and I do the same for her."

"But you can still have s.e.x with males, right?" Please say yes. Please say yes.

"As long as a female is present, yes." He took another step closer, his shoulders rolling, and Slake's c.o.c.k jerked.

"Present? Like, nearby?"

The tent in Raze's scrubs grew even more p.r.o.nounced, and Slake's mouth watered. "Present, as in we have to e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.e into one."

"So . . . you're bis.e.xual?"

"Does it matter?" Raze said softly, the heat in his voice an almost tangible warmth that settled on Slake's skin like a fever.

Suddenly, Slake didn't care if the guy was into males, females, or two-headed as.e.xual purple snake demons. All that mattered was closing the distance between them.

In an instant, Slake was no longer standing across the room from Raze. He was chest to chest, mouth to mouth, hard c.o.c.k to hard c.o.c.k.

Raze met him with equal enthusiasm, thrusting his tongue against Slake's as he wrapped an arm around his waist and wheeled them both into the adjacent room. Which, thank f.u.c.k, turned out to be a bedroom.

Slake didn't question Raze's motives in bringing him here after being so adamant about not wanting him. He took control the way he always did, pushing Raze onto the bed. Raze complied, lying back to allow Slake to pull off his scrub pants and boxer briefs. Slake practically drooled at the sight of Raze's erection jutting up from between his legs, the dusky column of flesh curved against his hard belly.

Man, Raze was a work of art, a study of male perfection right down to the raw, wild intensity in his gold-flecked gaze.

Slake was not going to draw this out. He wanted it way too much.

Making quick work of his clothes, he lunged onto the bed. Raze arched his hips as Slake opened his mouth over the head of his c.o.c.k and swirled his tongue around the crown.

"Yes," Raze whispered. "Touch me."

Like Slake needed to be told. Gripping Raze's hips, he licked his way down his thick shaft until he reached the heavy sac at the base. Raze sucked in a harsh breath as Slake pressed the tip of his tongue against the seam dividing the two firm t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es.

As Slake sucked and licked Raze's b.a.l.l.s, he wrapped one hand around Raze's c.o.c.k and squeezed. Raze groaned, and Slake's d.i.c.k pulsed as if reminding him that it needed attention.

He let go of Raze and gripped his own erection as he worked his way back up, tracing the dark veins that read like a roadmap of ecstasy on Raze's shaft. A silky drop of pre-c.u.m dripped from the tip, and Slake eagerly captured it with his mouth, and this time it was his turn to groan. The salty, slightly spicy taste coated his tongue, and heat spread through his insides as he swallowed.

d.a.m.n, it was almost like downing a few shots of whiskey, the way every inch of his body became sensitized. At this point, Raze could probably caress Slake's elbow and give him an o.r.g.a.s.m.

s.e.x demons were awesome.

Nearly lost to l.u.s.t, he looked up, meeting Raze's hot gaze. Such a f.u.c.king turn-on to see that same want, that need, spreading through his eyes in splashes of molten gold. "Your eyes," he rasped. "I love how they change color."

"The gold comes out when I'm turned on." Raze arched his hips, rubbing his erection on Slake's chin and lips. "Or when I'm angry."

Slake swirled his tongue around the crown of Raze's c.o.c.k, loving how Raze hissed in pleasure. "I like it. I want to see more."

Raze slung an arm to the side to fumble with the bedside drawer, where he drew out a bottle of lube. Slake's c.o.c.k throbbed in agonizing response.

"What about the female?" Slake breathed, pretending he didn't know who she was. And at this point, he didn't care. He couldn't, or an emotion he wasn't used to might rear its ugly head.

Guilt.

Raze gripped Slake's hair and roughly tugged him up his body. "Fayle will join us when I need her."

Slake reminded himself to ask later how she'd know. Right now, all he wanted was to bury himself b.a.l.l.s-deep inside Raze.

With an impatient snarl, Slake jammed his arm beneath Raze's shoulders to flip him, but Raze stopped him with an iron grip on his biceps. Raze lifted his mouth to Slake's ear and took his lobe between his teeth hard enough to make Slake hiss.

Raze licked the spot, soothing it, and then in a voice dripping with l.u.s.t, he said, "You smell like s.e.x. Power. It's making me so hard it hurts. If I could, I'd have you bent over that chair behind you, and I'd drill you so hard you'd feel me for days."

Ah . . . yes. Slake spread his thighs as Raze's hand delved between them, finding his shaft, then going lower, to his b.a.l.l.s, and when his fingertips found the sensitive patch just behind them, Slake tilted his hips to give Raze access to anything he wanted.

Slake had always preferred to do the drilling, as Raze had put it, but something about Raze made him want to experience being taken by a powerful, intense male who was literally made for s.e.x.

Before Raze, he'd only felt that way about one other person, and even then, Slake's s.e.xual position on the bottom had been a requirement of their relationship, the only way Gunther would do it.

And d.a.m.n it, why did that b.a.s.t.a.r.d have to intrude on what was happening right here, right now, with a male Gunther couldn't even begin to compare to?

Mentally staking his vampire ex-lover, Slake shoved Raze roughly back into the mattress. "You'll be the one feeling me, incubus," he growled as he flipped Raze and covered him, pushing his erection between his muscular thighs.

Ah d.a.m.n, he was not going to last long even like this. Somehow Raze knew, pushing himself up on his hands and knees so Slake's c.o.c.k was poised at his entrance.

Raze tossed the bottle of lube into the air. Slake caught it one-handed, and in a matter of seconds, he was pushing slowly past the tight ring of muscle. His s.e.x throbbed as he eased inside Raze's hot hole, and finally, G.o.ds finally, he was seated to the hilt.

Unable to wait another second, he withdrew . . . and then slammed his hips forward. Raze moaned, the sound swallowed by Slake's own breathy groan.

Ecstasy rolled through him. Holy h.e.l.l, this was unbelievable. Every inch of Raze's body was made for this, which wasn't a surprise, given that he was a s.e.x demon, but still, the way his a.s.s clenched around Slake's c.o.c.k, rippling from the base to the head . . . f.u.c.k.

He barely heard the sound of soft footsteps, realizing at the last second that Fayle had entered the room. He froze, embarra.s.sed and angry at himself for letting his l.u.s.t get in the way of maintaining a measure of awareness for everything going on around him. Then Raze pushed against him, and hey, it wasn't as if Fayle was brandishing an ax and wearing armor. Even if she had, his weapons were in reach. They were always within reach.

But no, she was empty-handed, dressed the way she had been earlier, in black yoga pants and a yellow fitted T-shirt that showcased full b.r.e.a.s.t.s and a hard belly, and she didn't look happy to be here. In fact, when she glanced at Slake, she curled her lip in a silent snarl, letting him know that if he had any intention of touching her, he'd best forget it.

Message received, but unnecessary. Slake had never been into females-to the murderous disappointment of his family.

Beneath him, Raze shifted, straightening up so his back plastered against Slake's chest. Slake hissed at the new sensation from the upright position. Raze ground his a.s.s against him, and the release boiling in his b.a.l.l.s went critical. Clenching his teeth, he concentrated on holding it back as Fayle climbed onto the mattress, facing Raze on her hands and knees, and took his hard length in her mouth.

Jealousy screamed through Slake. He wanted to be the one to make Raze come. To make the guy shout to whatever deity he worshipped.

"f.u.c.k me," Raze groaned. "Do it. Hard."

Oh h.e.l.l yeah. Slake gripped Raze's hip in one hand and slipped the other around to his sternum to brace him as he drew back his own hips and slammed them forward, nearly lifting Raze off the bed with the force of his thrust.

Raze groaned again, and Slake did it harder. Harder, until the only sound in the room was flesh slapping against flesh and panting breaths.

Slake's b.a.l.l.s went tight, the o.r.g.a.s.m rolling through his c.o.c.k until he exploded in a mind-blowing storm of sensation. It went on and on, and then, just as it died down, Raze shouted, his a.s.s clenching, and Slake joined in for another release that shattered him more thoroughly than the first one. A third followed on its heels, draining him of everything, including energy and thoughts.

They collapsed onto the mattress, Slake shifting to the side so he wouldn't crush Raze. It was only then that he realized Fayle had slipped away.

Good riddance. It was going to be a pleasure to deliver her to Dire & Dyre.

Raze didn't know how long he lay in bed, unable to move, as helpless as a baby Sem. Slake could kill him right now, and all Raze could do about it would be to first thank him for the best o.r.g.a.s.m of his life.

He'd been with males before, a couple of times, but it had always been awkward. Either they hadn't liked having a female involved, or if they did, they were disappointed that Fayle wouldn't touch anyone but Raze.

Slake didn't seem to give a s.h.i.t either way.

They were still connected, an intimacy Raze had never shared with anyone. Not even Fayle. When they had s.e.x, it was all about keeping Raze alive and giving her the kind of s.e.xual rush her species needed to survive-a rush she didn't even need to be in the same room to get. Her species was all about proximity to s.e.x, about soaking up energy that radiated from the act of pleasure. h.e.l.l, Fayle generally avoided s.e.x. Said it was messy. Annoying.

He smiled at the way his damp skin stuck to Slake's. Messy, absolutely. Annoying? h.e.l.l no.

Slake slung his arm over Raze's waist and brushed his knuckles back and forth along Raze's rib cage. "That was . . ."

"Yeah," Raze croaked. "It was. I can't move. How are you moving?"

He felt Slake's lips curve into a smile against his shoulder blade. "How is it that I was able to have multiple o.r.g.a.s.ms with you?"

Raze frowned, uncertain of the answer. "I'm not sure about males, but females always do. Our s.e.m.e.n causes them to come over and over, for as long as half an hour."

"Ah, well, I was sort of on the wrong side of you for that."

Interesting. None of his other male partners had experienced that. He wondered if anyone had ever tested the effects of Seminus s.e.m.e.n on males of various species. If anyone had, it was Eidolon. Not that he knew how to approach that subject.

Hey, Doc, I had s.e.x with a dude, and he had multiple o.r.g.a.s.ms, and now I'm curious about our effects on males.

Yeah . . . no.

"So . . . is Fayle in her room right now having some happy time?"

Raze snorted. "Ingesting our s.e.m.e.n has a different effect. Makes females h.o.r.n.y." Maybe it was his imagination, but he could have sworn Slake stiffened a little. "But Fayle is a succubus that feeds off s.e.xual energy. For her, s.e.m.e.n is like a super-concentrated shot of fuel."

Slake licked his throat, a slow swipe along his jugular, and Raze shivered with pleasure. "How often do you need her?"

"Depends." He silently encouraged Slake to lick him again, but he settled for the gentle stroke of his palm along his arm. G.o.ds, how long had it been since someone had touched him like that? "Most Seminus demons need s.e.x several times a day."

Slake's hand froze. "Holy s.h.i.t. How do you guys get anything done?"

Raze chuckled, but the sound of a siren outside reminded him of the tragedy that had led to this, and he sobered. He wasn't sure why losing his friend, co-workers, and the club he'd grown to feel as comfortable in as his own apartment had made him want to lose himself in Slake, but it wasn't something he was ready to explore.

"The frequency reduces as we get older or after we take a mate. Frequency is also affected by our mother's species." He bit back a contented sigh as Slake resumed the stroking. "I don't know what species my mother was, but she must have been a species with a slow metabolism or that doesn't breed often, because I can go twelve to sixteen hours without s.e.x, but things start getting uncomfortable after about thirteen or fourteen."

"Do Seminus demons take on many traits of your mother's species?" Slake's hand stilled again for a heartbeat before resuming the slow, light strokes. "Or are you guys all alike? Is there such a thing as a half-breed?"

Raze closed his eyes and reveled in being touched. In being alive.

Unlike Lexi.

"No," he said softly. "As long as the mother is a demon, all Seminus demons are purebred. And male." Well, there was an exception to the "males only" rule, but only one. And that one, Sin, was sister to the Seminus brothers who'd founded Underworld General. "We take on some minor traits of our mothers, but for the most part, all Sems are representative of our species. If we survive to our hundredth birthday, we become fertile. If we haven't taken a mate by then, we all turn into monsters who can shapeshift to resemble almost any similarly sized species. Then we run around tricking and impregnating every female we see. And like I said, unless the mother is human, the infants are always purebred Sems. It's part of why we're so rare. The females give birth and realize they were tricked and that the baby isn't their species, and they usually abandon or kill the infant."

"Ouch," Slake murmured, his lips brushing Raze's shoulder. "But for being so rare, your hospital is crawling with you guys."

"That's because Eidolon actively searches us out, and he's made UG a safe haven for Sems. Our innate healing abilities make us natural medics and doctors. Trust me, most demons can live five hundred years and never run into one of us."

"So you guys are purebred, but you said the mother's species plays some sort of role in who you are? Like what?"

He inhaled the musky scent of s.e.x and sweat, letting himself enjoy the moment as he shared his species's particulars with Slake. He wasn't used to people being curious about him, and he liked it. "There's a paramedic at Underworld General, Shade . . . his mother was an Umber demon, so he can turn into shadow in the presence of shadow. Wraith's mother was a vampire, so he needs to drink blood. That kind of thing."

Slake's fingers trailed along Raze's hip, and he had to bite back a moan of pleasure that wasn't even s.e.xual. It was . . . appreciative. "Vamps can't breed."

"Long story." Long and weird and Raze didn't want to talk about Wraith right now. He didn't want any males in this bed besides the one he already had spooning him.

"So how is it that you don't know what species your mother was?"

He smiled, remembering his strange, but loving childhood. "I was raised by humans."

"Humans?" Slake sounded like he'd bitten into a lemon. "How did that happen?"

Raze shrugged. "My birth mother abandoned me in a sewer. Left me to be eaten by whoever came along. A couple of Aegis demon hunters found me."

"The Aegis found you?" Slake's voice now sounded a little strangled. "And they didn't kill you? That's what those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds do."

The Aegis, an ancient league of human demon slayers, had been the enemy of every underworld being for centuries. But, like all organizations, it had gone through changes over the years, which included reform and even a recent upheaval when members who were sympathetic to non-evil demons rebelled against the old ways. Eidolon had even mated one of their members. So had Gem.

Unfortunately, the recent near-apocalypse had revealed the existence of demons, and The Aegis's numbers were swelling as humans flocked to the righteous cause of destroying what they didn't understand. Not that there weren't a lot of evil demons out there. But there were decent demons too, and a wide range of demons who walked a neutral line.

"At the time The Aegis rescued me, they didn't know I was a demon," Raze said.

"The fact that a newborn had tats on his arm wasn't a clue?"

"I think they knew something was up, but lucky for me, they weren't the typical kill-first-and-ask-questions-later kind of Aegis sc.u.mbags. When they couldn't figure out what I was, one of them decided to keep me. She married a doctor when I was three, left The Aegis, and they raised me as their own."

Raze smiled at the memory. Carrie Ann and Ryan Bertrand had given him a good life-a normal life in a human household, which had gone a long way toward giving Raze a more human outlook on the world than many of his demon brethren.

Slake used a fingertip to trace the swirly skull glyph on Raze's wrist, and he shivered at the sensation of having such a sensitive area touched. Caressed. "How did they explain the artwork?"

"My mom made up a story about adopting me from out of an abusive situation. h.e.l.l, until I reacted badly to a vaccine and my dad ran some blood tests, even he believed that I'd been born to addicts who got me tattooed as an infant."