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took her hand. She helped him stand, and he abruptly remembered his nakedness.  
    “Er…what happened to my…”
    “All your things are over here,” she said with a wry grin. “Come on, let’s get you moving.”
    ***
    The name Incubus conjured up a very particular image—a perfectly sculpted man with a sharp tongue, soft hands, and a willingness to use both. It was the reason the Covenant had chosen such a name, first labeling all of them Demons and then picking a more specific mythological creature. It kept people cautious and mistrustful, almost terrified of a pretty face lest he or she be crawling through your thoughts, sifting through your most private fantasies and darkest secrets.
    Damien was that man. His physique was carefully molded as if from a statue, and his long brown hair spilt delicately across his shoulders. His brown eyes were as soft as they were dangerous, betraying a mind that was both compassionate and calculating all at once. Even now that he was fully clothed, Sariel felt drawn to his presence.
    Drawn to, but not compelled by. The distinction should have made her happy. In the midst of all that was going on with her and with the Asurans, she didn’t have time for an impulsive tryst with a Demon. She needed to get him prepared to see Kronn and the other Asurans, and that meant focusing on the task at hand.
    But instead she had to fight off a fresh wave of despair. The part of her that still felt lust—the human part—grew more dull and listless by the day. A fraction of her mind still tingled at the thought of brushing against him, of wrapping her arms around him, but her body…her body felt nothing at all. It was just a symptom of the wasting disease that was slowly eating away at her, drowning out her humanity piece by piece until nothing remained. 
    She turned away and went back to washing the bloodstain out of her shirt before it set. He was dressed and almost finished eating, and she needed to get him acclimated. If she had any hope of surviving this, he was the only thing that mattered.
    In a very real, tangible way, he might have been her only hope.
    “I apologize for the limited selection,” she said as she walked out of the washroom. He was sitting at the table finishing off the last few bites of some kasha stew. “We ration our food supply pretty tightly.”
    He nodded idly. “It’s not bad. Though I was so hungry I probably would have settled for a raw nestle.”
    Sariel chuckled softly. “I know you have a lot of questions to ask. The others won’t be expecting us for a bit yet, so ask away.”
    “All right,” he said, wiping his mouth and setting down the bowl. He glanced to the window again, just as he had been doing the entire time he was eating.
    “You’re welcome to look if you want,” she told him. “I’m sure it looks different in person than on holo stills.”
    He walked over to the window and gazed outside. It wasn’t the best vantage point in the city by any stretch, but at least they were a few stories up. He could see out to the ocean and the giant statue of the Faceless Knight that towered over the harbor a few kilometers east. For most immigrants, it was the landmark they had always thought of when they envisioned Solace—the stalwart protector whose shield would shelter anyone against the evils of the world.
    “It’s real,” she said with a smile, dropping into the chair at the table. “You really got away.”
    Her voice seemed to drag him back into the present, and he turned about to face her. “I guess I’m wondering about that. Who was it that tried to stop me?”
    “Bounty hunters hired by the Agency,” she said. “We’re not sure how they tracked you yet. Fortunately, it shouldn’t matter anymore. They have no presence in Solace.”
    His lips pressed into a tight line. “I assume you’re going to want something in return.”
    “There’s no price, if that’s what you’re asking,” she assured him. “We wanted to help you, and