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Again, Casfinding his mate "You drank frouttersnipe naar

Back then, he'd had just enough pride to be blistered by shame hour after hour

Cas remembered a vow he'd made to himself as a seven-year-old pup: One day, when I never have to wear rags or beg anyive myself a new name, a proud name

He had He'd succeeded and kept that promise But he could never erase what came before

The bite of snow against his bare feet The hovel he'd called hoer The cruelty of others: If you want this feast, Beggar, you have to eat it with a little spice

Would Mirceo see Cas as a pup, sobbing on his hands and knees?

"I probably will," Mirceo said "Since I tapped right into one of your firm, warm veins"

"You had no right!" Inhaling for calreat Dacians didn't drink from the flesh"

"We didn't, until we installed Lothaire as king He's veryprogressive Our entire kingdo dramatically"

"How rew nauseated at the idea of Mirceo sinking those fangs into someone else

"No one I will drink from my mate alone"

"Ah, for your s in your mouth But would you keep your dick in your pants?"

He squared his shoulders "Yes"

"How long would that last before you got bored and strayed? You always have You dreaded thefaithful to your mate"

"If I'd suspected I would have a "

Silver-tongued vaamy as an intolerable hardship Re a boar that had already been felled?" He pinned Mirceo's gaze "You forget--I know you"

"Is that the reason for your hesitation with me? Or is it because I'm male?"

Cas pinched the bridge of his nose "You'd like it to be that sin all the blas Have you ever considered that the problem lies with you specifically? Maybe I don't object to the fact that you have a cock Maybe I object to the fact that your cock has you"

Mirceo scowled "What the hell does that mean?"

"I'm an older demon, set in my ways, but I can evolve If e"--he waved at Mirceo from head to toe--"I would happily embrace my destiny But you're not my dream You never will be The sooner you realize that, the more pain you'll spare yourself"

"Dreae I know this as well as anyone In time, I'll convince you"

"In ti me?"

"I figured you would return to this palace But just in case, I have Trehan's scry talisman" Mirceo pulled a faceted crystal fro it "This has been passed down through his line--the House of Shadow--for generations It's how he found you in Abaddon"

The crystal held Cas's gaze rapt

"When I couldn't locate you for weeks, my uncle entrusted the priceless crystal to me, because he kno important you are to me He feels bad about the way he treated you Do recall that he was under the influence of poison when you two faced off"

If not for that crystal, Trehan never would've found Abaddon or entered the tourna beloved by his people He would be king of the very dimension that had scorned him

Instead, he'd returned from five centuries of hell just in ti the sa crystal!

Cas's hand shot forward to snatch it Bane of s, he squeezed his fist with all the new strength in his body

Before Mirceo's disbelieving eyes, Cas crushed the thing--crushed it, then released the glittering dust on the night breeze "Try finding me now" He teleported away

_______

Abandoned a the Forbearer remains, Mirceo punted a severed head Daround with his mate--and he'd lost the scry crystal forever

Hoould he locate Caspion now? Luckily, Mirceo was a genius and would come up with a solution Soon

Until then, ould he do? Just as Mina had said, Caspion had other reservations about Mirceo He exhaled a gust of breath Evolving as a person? There had to be another way

Aha! Galvanized by an idea, he traced back to Dacia, to a laboratory deep within the bowels of the castle

A large hearth fire illuic supplies Beakers wafted yellow sled from racks

Mirceo glanced around, but spied no one "Balery! Where are you? I need your help!"