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He despised that reaction to humans It es, even though those urges ere going to win him the prize

He’d planned to meet her, whisk her someplace private, take her, and be done with it without ever having to exchange na incubus, after all Effortless sex hat he did No feured that the one he needed to not resist hi

This situation had been poorly planned on his part, which was unacceptable He usually spent weeks, if not ets It wasn’t that he liked research, but better to know every detail than to spend toosorab

Serena was not going to be a quick in and out, though there would be so the hard stuff," he colass toward hilass at the bartender for a refill "Love the burn"

Burn Yeah Because that’s what she was doing to hiht now

"You probably think that’s pretty unladylike, don’t you?"

He shook his head, which had begun pounding at the teain "I think it makes you pretty damned hot"

"Well, aren’t you a charmer" She frowned "Are you okay?"

"Fine" He hooked his foot through one of his backpack straps and tugged it closer to the leg of his stool His ht headache"

"That thing didn’t hurt you, did it?" She put her hand on the side of his head, running her fingers through his hair His scalp tingled and his body coiled and he hissed in a breath She jerked her fingers away "Sorry Didn’t ly hoarse "I have aspirin"

She nodded at his la the rily "So, when do you head ho to survive this Wraith downed his drink, welconaled for more whiskey

"Whenever I feel like it I decided to make a vacation out of this trip One of those one hundred and one things to do before you die"

She slammed another shot, and a railroad spike of lust haroin "So you’ve never been here then?"

"I’ve been here" Hundreds of tiypt was a treasure trove of useful artifacts for Eidolon’s ic collection "But always for work, never for… pleasure"

"Ah What kind of work do you do?"

Here here he needed to play his cards right Too ht make her suspicious, especially if it didn’t jibe hat she’d been told about the "real" Josh But he needed to tantalize her, reel her in with common interests

"My brothers and I run a medical center that uses nontraditional cures to treat patients, and I’ people to pay?"

"Collections, as in asseredients and mystical objects the doctors sometimes use in the cures"

"Your ht say that" He leaned back on his stool and stretched his legs, letting his calves "accidentally" brush hers Her heat shot straight to his dick "And what brings you to Egypt? Obviously, soht"

Serena practically bounced in her seat "Val didn’t tell you?"

"He just toldfor so in the catacolass "So evasive," he lass down "Why?"

"Well…" She braced her forearms on the bar top, leaned in, and lowered her voice with dramatic, conspiratorial flare "I don’t know if I should be telling the co it fro the prize, from under her or from on top Either would work for hiet paid, I don’t do the work" He shot her a stern look "And why are you traipsing around Egypt by yourself? That’s dangerous, you know As tonight should have proved"

"Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?"

He shrugged "I can take care ofplaying clueless when he knew daood and well that, thanks to her charm, she could take care of herself "Does Val know you have demons after you?"

Her eyes flared "They aren’t after me--"

"Bullshit I sa the khnive watched you Why is that?"

"I have no idea"

"Then I think Val should know," he said "He’d be pissed if he knew you were in danger"