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How badly did he want to knohat she&039;d said?

Very badly indeed

She&039;d just beenthat there were ht when they reached the opening to a mine shaft

And here was yet another layer - a barbaric, grisly layer

In front of the entrance, a dozen pikes rose up like a frontier fort&039;s stockade Atop the pikes were even more severed heads! Because you can&039;t have too many!

He&039;d collected thehouls, and monster Xs So this hat he did with theley hadn&039;t been lying What a risk Carroould be taking to ht into this demon&039;s den If Slaine saw her azed back down the trap-laden trail, looking out into a black and blustery nightfall And still Slaine&039;s den was preferable

When she turned back, he grated, "Hoive her tie insect crawled from one head&039;s slimy nostril Beauty

The demon also looked expectant, as if he suspected she would be ed by his collection

"Uh, love what you&039;ve done Your curb appeal is unparalleled" She held his gaze "And I mean that"

He frowned in inco Just before they crossed the threshold, he paused again With his hand over his chest, he said, "Malkom"

She blinked up at him Intros? Really? "Okay, then, I&039;m Carrow"

With a nod, he sounded out "Car-row," then led her in

Had he wanted them introduced before he took her home? Add a layer to the demon&039;s tally

Inside the mine, out of the wind, the air was as humid as in New Orleans and clean, compared to the dust bowl outside Those lava-filled stones were dotted throughout, lighting the way - not that he would need help seeing in the dark

Stone a"ueducts lined the walls, with gathering pools at intervals, while broken barrels and ancient-looking carafes littered the sand floor Where water seeped fro rocks, steam hissed

So these were the fabled water old

As he led her deeper within, the shaft split, and they began following an offshoot frohter light glowing a welcome up ahead When they came to the end, she realized this terminus chamber was his lair

A de male And he wanted to do her

Inside was a collection of those glorious rocks, war it He had a pallet on the ground, laid out by a fire pit with a spit for cooking Did he eat meat as well as drink blood?

The pit itself was situated under a crack in thethe ground were ropes, chains, and blades, likely for those traps he&039;d pointed out Large bones were scattered throughout

Along one wall, cords of fireere stacked On another, he&039;d haphazardly piled up soldiers&039; assault packs, many of them splattered with crusted blood There were dozens Were those bones additional souvenirs?

Studying her reaction with that analytical look on his face, he pointed to the packs, opening hisin explanation But then he closed it

When she gave an unconcerned shrug - she couldn&039;t care less that he&039;d killed those mortals - he ushered her to his pallet, then went to fetch wood for a fire

The demon had demonstrated courtesy when he&039;d introduced hi hospitality Yes, he had a tendency to growl at her repeatedly and snap his fangs, but she kept thinking about that head he&039;d tossed at her

Since she no it&039;d been a gift of value, she concluded this brutal de her

If only she could understand hie barrier was a problelish Maybe he comprehended more? She needed to find out

When he returned with the wood and hunched down by the pit, she gazed on, helplessly captivated by his body The worn leather of his pants lovingly hugged thoseand blunt-ended under his black claws

As he started the fire with practiced es of his torso flexed under his chainly

That body is too, too ods, the rest of him was a disasterpiece of hair and paint Those braided hanks wouldn&039;t do, hanging over his Valvoline-streaked face like a ratty curtain And that scraggly stubble on his face? She&039;d kill to see what lay beneath

He soon had a blazing fire started, and she leaned forward to luxuriate in the war on her, and a sudden jolt of power hit her like a Mack truck He was satisfiedher here

And just a thread of his happiness had powered her like this?

He was stronger than any other Lore creature, his kind the ured that he would be able to give her the most power

She&039;d bet sex with him wouldout to be an unpredictable, feral, bone-and-head-collecting, sexually ravenous happiness battery

She sed All I have to do is plug him in