Sebastian

played with one another for a night of mind-blowing sex. But that particular succubus… She didn't live in the Den, but she visited often enough, and every time he encountered her he felt… uneasy. She was sharper, darker, more predatory than the Den's residents, and there was a maliciousness to the way she played with her prey that made it clear to those who also played the game that she deliberately stripped all the fun out of sex and turned her prey's need into desperation and addiction. And she was just as malicious when she tried to lure an incubus into playing her particular game.
    They sighed with relief when the succubus turned away from the courtyard.
    Breaking the last roll in half, Sebastian scraped the remaining cheese out of the bowl. He handed one piece to Teaser and ate the other. Full, and yet still hungry for something food couldn't ease, he leaned back in his chair. "You ready to tell me what happened?"
    Teaser lifted his mug, then set it down again without drinking. "The alley changed."
    "What does that mean?"
    "It's been altered," Teaser said, his voice sharpened by uneasiness. He paused, clearly struggling with some strong emotions. "We figured we should move the… remains. Couldn't just leave them there to attract other kinds of predators, could we? But the body was gone. In its place there are green plants growing in the middle of the alley right where the body had been."

    Teaser stared at him. Sebastian looked away.
    "Belladonna was here," he said reluctantly.
    "So she did—"
    " No . She wouldn't bring a killer into the Den. She had to be the one who altered things after we left the alley, but that's all she did. Although why she'd put plants in a dark alley is anyone's guess."
    "Covering her tracks?"
    Sebastian swore. "How many times do I have to say it, Teaser? I know her."
    "You know the girl she was," Teaser replied. "Do you really know the Landscaper she's become?"
    No . But he wouldn't admit that. Not to anyone. Because he had to believe Glorianna wasn't so different from the girl he'd known.
    Teaser hesitated. "Maybe you should stay at the bordello tonight instead of going back to the cottage."
    He almost snapped that an incubus couldn't afford to be afraid of the dark. Then it occurred to him that Teaser was afraid—afraid to be alone right now and afraid that anyone he invited to his room might give him more than he'd bargained for.
    "I'm going back to the cottage," Sebastian said. "There's only one bed, but the couch is comfortable enough."
    "You asking me to stay?"
    Sebastian shrugged. He wasn't willing to play scaredy-boy, but he also wasn't going to insult his friend by indicating he knew which of them really needed company. Besides, Glorianna had said she would be back, and he wanted to be where she could find him easily.
    "A couch," Teaser grumbled. "Course, you've also got koffee, so I guess that's an even trade. All right, I'll keep you company. You settle with Philo, and I'll see if I can snag another ride with a demon cycle."
    Sebastian remained at the table, knowing Philo would come to clear the dishes.
    "Well?" Philo said, keeping his voice low even though there was no one at the nearby tables. "What happened in Wizard City? Did you get an audience?"
    "We'll get no help from the Justice Makers. They don't care what happens in the Den."
    Philo sighed. "We're on our own then."
    Belladonna will help . He didn't think anyone else in the Den would find that thought comforting, so he said, "Yes, we're on our own."
    *
    It stretched out beneath the place where the Dark Ones dwelled. In the land above It, dogs howled a warning, only to be hushed or ignored; flocks and herds of animals stirred, alert and edgy, their simple minds aware that a hunter had come among them. But the best prey ignored their instincts, believing themselves powerful and superior.
     
    It unfurled a thousand mental tentacles, sending them into that twilight place between wakefulness and dreams—that place that revealed the heart's hopes and fears. The wakeful mind denied or caged so many desires. The dreaming mind cloaked fears in symbols. But here, in the twilight, the heart couldn't hide or be denied. Here, in the twilight, was the true feast upon which It fed.
    She's acting strange. My business depends on her family's wealth. Has she discovered I have a mistress?
    I put those coins in the money box. I did! But they'll think I'm a thief and will send me to a different landscape. Maybe even a dark