Sebastian

need to see in another landscape. Then I'll he hack.
    We need to talk. Be careful.
     
     
    No signature. She never signed her notes. Not even with an initial. Since he saw her so infrequently anymore, the unsigned notes made her seem less… real.
    Considering what the wizards and other Landscapers thought of her, maybe that was her intention.
    But—daylight!—the note meant she'd been close by. If he'd waited a few hours before riding out to Wizard City, he could have talked to her instead of facing Koltak.
    A shiver went through him. He rubbed the back of his hand over his forehead. Was he ill? He certainly didn't feel well. But that could be nothing more than a sick feeling in his gut caused by seeing Wizard City again—and remembering things he tried hard to forget.
    He rode Philo's bicycle back to the Den. As he coasted up to the courtyard, he wondered how long he'd been gone. Were the daylight landscapes now passing into another evening or just beginning to see the sunrise?
    Since the Den never saw sunrise or sunset, what did it matter?
    Admit it. You were disappointed that you hadn't seen daylight. That's one of the reasons you were willing to go to that city. To see the world in daylight. To feel the sun on your face. Didn't happen, though. Hasn't happened in years. After all, an incubus is the kind of lover women only want to meet in the dark.
    Feeling unsettled, and trying to ignore the craving for the hunt growing inside him—a craving that was sharper than anything he'd felt in weeks—Sebastian walked the bicycle to the storage shed at the back of the courtyard. Teaser sat at a nearby table. Since there were plenty of tables available, the other incubus must have chosen to avoid the flirtatious games that usually took place at the tables closer to the street.
    Which wasn't like Teaser at all.
    "Why aren't you out trolling?" Sebastian asked as he pulled out a chair and sat down.
    Teaser gave him a pale imitation of his usual cocky grin. "Wasn't in the mood for it." He raised his half-empty mug of ale, then pointed a finger at Sebastian.
    A few minutes later, Philo came to the table with a full tray. He set down two mugs of ale, a bowl of melted cheese, and a basket of Phallic Delights.
    "He's been swilling ale for hours now," Philo muttered, not looking at either incubus. "Get him to eat something before he's so drunk he can't even manage a blundering grope."
    Teaser snorted. "Like I'm interested in playing slap and tickle."
    Sebastian, reaching for his mug, froze for a moment. Teaser wasn't interested? Teaser ?
    "What's wrong?" Sebastian looked from Teaser to Philo and back again. "Has something else happened?"
    Philo wiped his hands on his apron and kept his eyes focused on the table. "You didn't tell him?"
    "He just got here, didn't he?" Teaser snapped. "Hasn't even had time to swallow some ale and wash the taste of Wizard City out of his mouth."
    "What's wrong?" Sebastian asked again.

    Someone at another table called to Philo. He hurried away.
    Teaser picked up a penis-shaped roll, swirled it in the melted cheese, and took a bite. Chew, swallow, swirl the next piece of the roll.
    Sebastian plucked a Phallic Delight from the basket and swirled it in the cheese. The first bite was a sharp reminder that he hadn't eaten anything while he'd been away from the Den. Since Teaser didn't seem anxious to tell him what had happened—or find out what had taken place in Wizard City—he gave his attention to the simple meal.
    Then Teaser glanced toward the front of the courtyard and muttered, "Could have done without seeing her ."
    Glorianna ? Sebastian looked in the same direction, his heart suddenly pounding. Then he looked away as quickly as Teaser had, hoping the succubus eyeing the other customers was too preoccupied with her own games to notice them.
    "Can't say I'd feel sorry if that one disappeared," Teaser said, tearing off a piece of the Phallic Delight before dipping it in the cheese.
    "You don't mean that," Sebastian said sharply.
    Teaser flinched. "No, I don't. It's just… well… that one. You know the bitch will ooze over here and make snide comments about incubi eating cocks."
    Sebastian huffed. "It's bread and cheese. We don't get a vote on what shape Philo chooses to make the rolls."
    "Tell her that."
    I'd rather not get that close . Since they usually weren't competing for the same prey, the incubi and succubi who lived in the Den tended to get along fairly well—and sometimes even