Sebastian

landscape.
    It fed, and fed on, the fears, glutting Itself as It hadn't been able to do since that long-ago time when It lost the battle to control the world.
    Yes , It whispered through the tentacles. You are right to fear that. It will happen, has already happened .
    Sated, It withdrew the mental tentacles. It had found the Dark Ones. But something tickled old memories, nudging them into a different pattern. So It turned away, intending to leave the city, pleased that It knew where to find the Dark Ones but they didn't know how to find It.
    Then a mind, rising up into the twilight from uneasy sleep, caught Its attention. Seduced by the powerful emotions, It extended a tentacle, slipped into that mind.
    Yes , It whispered eagerly. Yes, you have reason to fear, reason to hate. Yes .
    But the mind was rising to wakefulness too fast. There was strength there… and power that would recognize an intrusion.
    It left the city, looking like a rippling shadow as It moved under the landscape. The last mind It had touched puzzled It. So much fear, so much rage, so much loathing. But It didn't understand the word that was the source of all those delicious feelings.
    Sebastian.
    *
    Feeling awkward, Sebastian dropped a blanket and pillow on one end of the couch.
    Foolish to feel that way. Lee had bunked on the couch any number of times when he'd come to visit.
    But Lee was human. Teaser was not.
    "Need anything else?" he asked.
    "Nope," Teaser replied, pulling off his boots.
    "Sleep well." Sebastian walked to his bedroom doorway. Before he stepped into the other room, Teaser said quietly, "Pleasant dreams."
    He turned to face the other incubus, who watched him with too much understanding.
    "There's a… feel… about you when you've abstained from hunting for too many days," Teaser said. "I know you need to feed the hunger, but… Just be careful, all right?"
     
    Not knowing what to say, Sebastian nodded, walked into the bedroom, and closed the door.
    Was it apparent to everyone? Or was it that Teaser, being an incubus, could spot the signs of a craving that had taken on the sharp edge of need?
    He undressed, tossing his clothes on to a chair to deal with them later. Then he slipped into bed, extinguished the oil lamp on the bedside table, and pulled the sheet up to his waist.
    In the dark, he felt the steady beating of his heart as he unfurled the power that made the incubi what they were. He let his mind drift as he sought a female mind yearning for a dream lover. This time he wouldn't try to shape the scenario. She could set the stage for this interlude. And in the twilight of waking dreams, he would provide a face and voice to her imaginary lover, would provide the sensation of touch, would create the stimulation that would arouse her until she came.
    And he would feed on that arousal, on that orgasm, until it eased the hunger inside him. It wouldn't hurt her. He never hunted to cause harm. But the feelings he stimulated in the female were as necessary to his well-being as food and water and air.
    Please.
    He narrowed his focus to that female thought that resonated with something inside him and tried to strengthen the link between their minds.
    I didn't want him to feel that way. I didn't encourage him to want… lustful things…from me. I didn't!
    Ssh , Sebastian whispered soothingly. It's all right .
    Why can't someone love me?
    I can. I will.
    The Landscapes will send me to a had place. I just want —
    What? What do you want?
    I want to he safe. I want to he loved. I want to be someplace where I'm not afraid all the time.
    He hesitated. This wasn't a female yearning for pleasure. Daylight! Why had his power pulled him toward her when she wasn't going to do anything to ease his hunger?
    Please.
    Something warm and sweet flowed through the link between them. Something that lived inside her, waiting to bloom. Something elusive and so seductive it took his breath away.
    Come to me , he demanded. Come to me .
    I—
    The link between them snapped.
    Sweating and frustrated, Sebastian furled his power.
    What had just happened? And why? He had no sense of who she was or where she was. Nothing that would help him retrace his path and find her again.
    And why would he want to find an obviously troubled female?
    Something warm and sweet inside her and so, so seductive. Something that made him feel as if he'd just gotten the tiniest taste of something he'd been searching for—and craving—all his life.
    Sitting up, he rubbed his