Sebastian

that I was finally being considered for a seat on the Wizards' Council and decided to remind everyone of why I've been passed over all these years?" Koltak kept his voice low, but that didn't diminish the venomous tone.

    I don't give a damn about you or your ambitions . "I came here to report an incident to the Justice Makers," Sebastian said, keeping his voice just as low. "I asked for you because I thought you would prefer it rather than have me talk to another wizard."
    "The Justice Makers have no interest in the Den of Iniquity or what goes on there," Koltak said.
    "Even when a human is murdered?"
    Koltak hesitated, then made a sharp, angry gesture with his hand.
    "Come in then. You may think nothing of making your affairs public, but things are done differently here."
    "I'll stay where I am."
    Spots of color blazed on Koltak's cheeks. "What do you think I'll do? Lock you in this room and deny you were here?"
    "If you could get away with it, you'd do it in a heartbeat," Sebastian snapped.
    "As if anyone would care if you disappeared."
    "One person would."
    The unspoken name—and the threat—hung between them.
    Belladonna.
    "We think the woman who was killed came from a wealthy family. She always wore a wide gold bracelet."
    "Every wife of a prosperous man wears a gold bracelet," Koltak growled. "What did she look like?"
    "I don't know! There wasn't enough left of her face to describe it!"
    Koltak paled, but Sebastian couldn't tell if it was because of what he'd said or because he'd raised his voice.
    "Listen to me, Koltak. Something came into the Den that is brutal and vicious. It killed a succubus a few days ago. Now it's killed a human woman."
    "Maybe it will wipe the Den clean and stop all you demons from luring decent humans into doing things that will ruin their lives."
    "It's not just demons who live in the Den. And I'm half-human, remember?"
    Koltak's lips pulled back in a rabid snarl. "There's nothing human about you!"
    Sebastian looked away. Apparently those heart-wounds hadn't scarred over enough after all. Then he forced himself to look Koltak in the eyes. "You're right. How could there be anything human in me with a succubus for a mother and you for a father?"
    "Get out!"
    He took one step back, which left him standing on the threshold. "There's something out there, Koltak.
    The Den may not be its only hunting ground. I did what I was supposed to do. I reported this to the Justice Makers. If you do nothing because I was the one who came here, then the blood of the next person who dies will be on your hands, not mine."
    He stepped out of the room, unwilling to turn his back on the man whose seed had helped create him—
    the man who hated him for existing.
    When the door swung shut, hiding him from Koltak's view , he pivoted and moved across the courtyard as fast as he could without running. He had to get off this hill, get out of this city. Wizards ruled here, commanded the guards. He could be detained, locked away.
    It felt like forever before he reached the wrought-iron gate next to the Petitioners' Hall. When the gate resisted his efforts to open it, his chest tightened until he struggled to breathe.
    Trapped. Was Koltak watching, exerting his will and wizard's magic to keep the gate closed until… ?
    Until guards showed up and decided a man who couldn't get out of the courtyard must be dangerous and should be detained for questioning. Or, worse, Koltak would appear and tell the guards to take him back to that room for questioning. Latch the shutters and close the door—and no one but Koltak would know he was trapped in that room. Oh, the guards would know, but they wouldn't care what happened to an incubus who had dared enter the city.
    Detain him. Contain him. Kill him.
    He had to get out of here!
    Travel lightly, travel lightly, travel lightly.
    Sebastian took a step back from the gate and closed his eyes.
    A simple gate designed to open only from inside of the courtyard. A simple latch that might be a bit rusty.
    That was all. A simple gate that would open easily at his touch. Then he would leave this courtyard, leave this city… and go home.
    Sebastian opened his eyes and reached for the gate. A gentle tug. A click as the lock slid back.
    The gate swung open.
    His heart pounded, but he walked through the gate and headed for the Thousand Stairs, keeping his pace easy, as if he were strolling the main street of the Den.
    As he reached the stone path that led to the stairs, he glanced