Sebastian

straight to the buildings that housed the classrooms and living quarters. Then he realized the road and buildings were only reference points for the thing she wanted him to be able to reach if he needed to. Her garden.
    Mentioning her garden had made her uneasy, but she still made him go over the directions until she was satisfied he could find it. A safe place, if he needed one. And a way to escape, hidden in the fountain in the center of the garden… if he needed it.
    He'd worry about that once he and Lynnea reached the school. Right now he didn't want to think of anything but her, didn't want to feel anything that wasn't connected to the time they had together. Not enough time. Not nearly enough. But he wouldn't ask for more.
    Leaving Teaser, he and Lynnea strolled hand in hand, enjoying the music, the action, the energy.
    Everything looked different now. They were his people, his responsibility, demons and humans alike. His will and heart were the anchor that would keep the Den safe from encroaching evil. He was needed in a way he'd never been needed before.
    And something inside him began resonating in a slightly different way as a response to that knowledge.
    As they came up to a side street, two demon cycles zipped around the corner. One, noticing Sebastian, came to an abrupt halt. The other, its attention fixed on Lynnea, rushed forward, waving its arms and roaring, "Blaarrgh!"
    Lynnea stared at the demon, with its claws and razored teeth—and she giggled.
    The demon stared back at her, its ears lifting at the sound. "Blaarrgh!" it said again.
    She giggled again, then wrapped a hand around one of its claw-tipped fingers, and said, "How do you do, Mr. Demon?"
    There was a difference between being a tigress and a fool. The demons who had claimed the motored cycles as the spoils of battle could eviscerate a man with one swipe of those claws—and usually started feeding before the first scream died away.
    But there it was, grinning at her, while its companion looked on as if it had been denied a particular treat. Which was not a healthy way for either of them to think about his rabbit.
    "We have to go now," Sebastian said. "We have a bit of a walk ahead of us."
    The grin was replaced by a scowl. "Where you go?" the demon said in a voice that sounded like gravel rolling in a metal barrel.
    They talked? Sure, everyone knew the demon cycles understood human words, but no one had ever heard any of them talk .
    "We're going to my cottage," Sebastian replied reluctantly. They probably already knew how to find the cottage, since they traveled all over the Den, but that didn't mean he wanted to point it out to them.

    "We take you. You ride."
    In those moments when he tried to figure out how to refuse without getting hurt, the demons focused their attention on Lynnea.
    "Wanna ride?" they asked.
    The look on Lynnea's face was answer enough. His little rabbit-tigress wanted to ride. He just wished the excitement he could read on her face had something—anything!—to do with his anatomy rather than a demon cycle.
    "Okay, let's ride," he said, trying to keep the growl out of his voice that might be misinterpreted as an invitation to a pissing contest. It wasn't a contest he could win, and a gelded incubus wouldn't be much use to anyone, least of all himself.
    He straddled one cycle, then had to bite his tongue to keep it from falling out when Lynnea straddled the other one—which made him desperate to find out if she was wearing anything but skin under that catsuit.
    Mr. Finch was, without doubt, a wicked , wicked man.
    It was less than a mile between his cottage and the streets that made up the Den proper, but the demon cycles couldn't seem to find the lane that was the straight route. They zipped around the countryside, weaving between trees, zooming up a hill and down the other side, making strange sounds that might have been gleeful laughter while Lynnea whooped and squealed and giggled.
    Finally, when he insisted that she was too tired to play anymore—and she dutifully agreed with him—the demon cycles found the lane and took them to the cottage.
    "Good-bye," Lynnea said, waving at the demons as Sebastian hustled her inside the cottage. "Thank you for the lovely ride."
    He closed the door before the demon cycles decided to join them, then tensed when he realized there was a lamp glowing on the table in front of the couch. He never left a lamp burning when he'd be gone for hours. Too much risk of fire.
    "Stay