Sebastian

was waiting for the right company to come along. And in a way that was true, since he'd be waiting for Lynnea.
    He felt no desire to troll the streets for a woman. Hadn't felt the need since he'd met his little rabbit. Just living with her fed the incubus's hunger in ways the hottest sex with other women had never done. He craved her company, the sound of her voice, the feel of her skin beneath his hands.
    Besides his own lack of interest in being some other woman's dream lover, he didn't think Lynnea would see his carnal attentions to another woman as anything but a betrayal—the kind of betrayal that would break a woman's heart. So if he wasn't going to troll the Den and provide sex as a commodity, what could he do to earn his keep?
    He lifted one hand, rubbed his thumb over his fingertips. He felt the tingle of power that marked him as a wizard. Since "wizard" was a dirty word in the Den, he still hadn't told anyone about the power that had awakened in him. But sooner or later people would find out. Sooner or later he'd have to decide what he was going to do with that power.
    Which led his thoughts back to why he'd spent the past few hours roaming the boundaries of the Den.
    Defender. Protector. A few weeks ago he would have laughed if anyone had used those words to describe him. Now, knowing he was the one who anchored the Den made a difference. Lynnea made a difference. This was his place. These were his people. She was his woman.
    Could that really be enough for her, to be his woman? Could the Den give her enough of what she needed so that she'd be content to stay? Even if they couldn't live in the cottage right now, he could take her to visit Aunt Nadia. She could shop in Aurora, talk to the kind of people she was used to. Spend a few hours in sunlight. Would it be enough to keep her coming back to him and the kind of loving he could offer a woman?
    But in the village… How would Aunt Nadia introduce her? As a young friend visiting from another landscape? As her nephews companion? Oh, that would produce plenty of knife-edged smiles and whispers as soon as Lynnea turned her back. But what else could Nadia call her? His wife?
    Sebastian's heart gave a hard bump before settling back into its usual rhythm.
    Wife. Friend, lover, companion.

    No. Oh, no. "Wife" was a human word, not one to be bandied about in a place like the Den. Besides,
    "wife" went with "marriage," and that was too… permanent. He'd known Lynnea only a few days. His craving for her could diminish, could disappear altogether. The temptation to feast on another woman's emotions and flesh could rise up at any moment. After all, he was an incubus. Constancy wasn't part of what he was.
    Then he saw her with Teaser, heading for the bordello, and he knew his craving for her wouldn't diminish, wouldn't disappear. This was more than a craving. This was love. So he'd find some way of giving her what she needed so that she would be willing to stay.
    "There's Lynnea," he said.
    The demon cycle growled what might have been a happy sound and zipped forward so fast Sebastian was sure he'd scraped off half the soles of his boots before he managed to lift his feet.
    "Slow down before you knock someone over," Sebastian snapped. Not that his order made a bit of difference. The demon cycle tore around the corner and into the side street with no regard for anything that might have been in the way.
    Of course, Lynnea had gone inside by the time they reached the building, which left him promising a sulky demon that he'd ask if she wanted to go for a ride later.
    What was it about his little rabbit-turned-tigress that made demons act besotted?
    Best not to think too hard about that, since you're one of those demons , he chided himself as he walked into the building.
    "Better keep your eyes on Teaser," the desk clerk called as Sebastian headed for the stairs. "Your lady is the second one he's brought here in the past hour."
    He paused. "Up to our rooms?"
    The clerk shook his head and gave a room number on the second floor.
    Sebastian took the steps two at a time. Daylight! What was Teaser up to? Why take Lynnea to one of the rooms that were rented for a "night" of pleasure when an incubus or succubus didn't want to bring the prey home? He'd trusted Teaser to look after Lynnea because he and Teaser had been friends for so many years—and because he'd had the feeling that, while the other incubus was drawn to Lynnea, Teaser didn't see her as prey.
    Bounding up the