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bringing in new faces.”
    â€œNo, he’s a practical guy. There’s a huge warehouse of magical stuff to search through. I’m sure he’d love all the help he can get.”
    â€œWell, he’ll love the Alchemists, that’s for certain. They’re more scientists than sorcerers.”
    â€œBut do they know a lot about enchantments and stuff on machines? Looking at Walker’s note, I guess the warehouse is full of them.”
    â€œSure.” He gestures to the mixer. “Let me show you.”
    Our gazes lock, and the world seems to freeze for a full minute. I’m suddenly very aware that we’re all alone in my house. No parents. Nowhere to be. Just time, quiet and each other…Something that hasn’t happened in weeks. The air crackles with electricity and anticipation. The lust demon side of my lust-and-wrath combo powers awakens within me.
    A sneaky smile rounds my lips. “What are you going to show me?”
    â€œWhy, the mixer, of course.”
    My heart kicks harder as I wonder what Lincoln really plans to do. I turn to face the bizarre contraption on the countertop. “Okay, I’m listening.”
    Lincoln slips up behind me, the firm contours of his chest brushing against my back in a way that’s most distracting, especially for someone who’s supposedly demonstrating household appliances. He firmly grips the countertop on either side of my body, and then speaks into my ear, his voice all low, slow and growly. “Almost every group in the after-realms has magic users. Thrax and the House of Striga, Furor and the Hexenwings, even humans. Any one of them could place different hexes and spells on each of the buttons here.”
    â€œWhy is it that everything you say sounds sexy?” My voice comes out a bit husky, as well. “This is a mixer.”
    He nuzzles into my neck, sending pleasant shivers down my torso. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. As I was saying. My Alchemists know how to detect that magic, and then undo it. For you, they could change it. Make it do whatever you want. Even find the Orb.”
    â€œWhatever I want? That could work.” I grin and lean backwards, allowing my body to press more tightly against his. Damn, that feels niiiiiiiiiiice. “We have tobe careful, though. After the ghouls, my people freak about outsiders doing anything major in our government.”
    â€œWalker has his secret portals in and out of Antrum. No one would ever have to know.”
    â€œThere could be other problems, too.” My mouth starts talking without any conscious direction from my brain. “Quasis have inner demons. They can be hard to control. Maybe even frightening.”
    â€œI’m not worried.” He leans in closer, his voice turning growly voice again. “Inner demons are rather intriguing, don’t you think?”
    I pause, a realization appearing in my mind. “We’ve stopped talking about Alchemy, haven’t we?”
    â€œYes. I believe we’ve begun discussing your inner lust demon.”
    Crap, I think he’s right. Somewhere between Walker’s portals and the words ‘don’t you think?’ I totally segued onto my adjustment issues with my inner lust demon. As in, I’m actively avoiding dealing with her presence.
    Lincoln nuzzles my ear. “You haven’t shown her to me since the night of the ball in Purgatory.”
    â€œYup.” For a reason. That was the night of the infamous ‘hedgerow maze incident’. Whenever my inner lust demon gets out, she makes me go nuts and do crazy stuff. On that fateful night, I almost stripped down naked and tackled Lincoln in a hedgerow maze, with all of thrax nobility hanging out at a Ball nearby. That sure was classy.
    Lincoln shifts his weight, so his upper thigh presses between my legs from behind. “I’d like to see that part of you again, when you’re ready.”
    And,