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CHAPTER 1

I wished the guy on top ofbored

Unfortunately, it didn't see to finish anytime soon Brad or Brian or whatever his name was thrust away, eyes squeezed shut with such concentration that you would have thought having sex was on par with brain surgery or lifting steel beams

"Brett," I panted It was tiuns

He opened one eye "Bryce"

"Bryce" I put on asmic face "Pleasepleasedon't stop"

His other eye opened Both ide

A minute later, it was all over

"Sorry," he gasped, rolling off me He looked mortified "I don't knowdidn't mean"

"It's okay, baby" I felt only a little bad about using the don't stop trick on hi that seed co"

And really, that wasn't entirely a lie The sex itself had been mediocre, but the rush afterwardthe feel of his life and his soul pouring intoIt hat a succubus like me literally lived for

He gave y he'd had noed in my body Its loss had exhausted him, burned hi a great deal over the next few days His soul had been a good one, and I'd taken a lot of it - as well as his life itself He'd now live a few years less, thanks to me

I tried not to think about that as I hurriedly put on my clothes Instead, I focused on how I'd done what I had to do for my own survival Plus, ood souls on a regular basis Bad uilty, but they didn't fulfill Hell's quota

Bryce seemed surprised at ht it I pro so - and slipped out of the room as he lapsed into unconsciousness

I'd barely cleared his front door before shape-shifting I'd coain wore ht brown hair that flirted with gold Like most of my life,on one

I put Bryce out of my mind, just like I did with most men I slept with, and drove across town to as rapidly beco my second home It was a tan, stucco condo, set into a community of other condos that tried desperately to be as hip as new construction in Seattle could e I parked my Passat out front, fished my key out of my purse, and let myself inside

The condo was still and quiet, wrapped in darkness A nearby clock infor toward the bedrooown

I froze in the bedroom's doorway, surprised to feel my breath catch in otten used to him, that he wouldn't affect me like this But he did Every time

Seth lay sprawled on the bed, one ar cale around his long, lean body Moonlight ht broould pick up a russet glow Seeing hi him, I felt my heart swell in ain, not after centuries of feeling soe to

I slid into bed beside him, and his arms instantly went around me I think it was instinctual The connection between us was so deep that even while unconscious, we couldn't stay away from each other

I pressed my cheek to Seth's chest, and his skin waruilt from Bryce faded, and soon, there was only Seth and my love for him

I slipped almost immediately into a dream Except, well, I wasn't actually in it, at least not in the active sense I atching h at a movie Only, unlike a hts, the soundsit was almost more vivid than real life