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It had been irresistible to me then. And I was finding it just as hard to resist it now.
    I’ve been through some shit. Feeling wanted, the way only a demon can want, is a nice little stroke to the ego. And Nain’s particular brand of desire/hunger is like being caught in an inferno.
    And I feel guilty and angry at myself for wanting it, and I know there’s not a chance in hell I’m capable of having him in my life again that way. I’m just not strong enough to handle everything that comes with him.
    So… yeah.
    That’s why I was out with the imps, checking up on leads that I knew would amount to nothing. We focused on the Seven and Kelly area for most of the day and into night. After breaking up my fourth fight, I glanced toward Dahael (imps are invisible to Normals, which is why they’re so damn effective). “Yeah. I’d say Strife’s been around.”
    “Indeed, Mistress,” she agreed. “Can practically feel her taint here.”
    I nodded. As we walked, I opened myself, letting myself feel the emotions and hear the thoughts around us. It still wasn’t something I liked doing. Now, it reminded me too much of having the immortals all bonded to me, their thoughts a constant cacophony in my mind. I sifted through the thoughts and emotions as we walked, able to disregard most of them almost immediately. Normal, everyday things. I was focusing so hard on a particularly screwy tangle of emotions that I didn’t notice the group of women approaching at my right until they were practically right on top of me, and Dahael hissed “Mistress!” I glanced over just in time to see one of them raise a gun, and then my stomach exploded in one fiery shot. She shot again, hitting my shoulder, and I grunted.
    I’ve been shot before. Several times. It’s still not my favorite sensation. My stomach was bleeding, burning, my body immediately working to heal the damage. I gritted my teeth against it, against the way the pain and loss of blood made me start trembling.
    “Don’t move,” I roared, ripping into their minds and making them obey. They froze. It was almost comical, like pausing a video or something. “Drop the guns, right now,” I said, quieter but still with a definite snarl in my voice. All four women dropped their guns, and the imps went and quickly retrieved them. They’d destroy them. We were barely putting a dent in the number of guns on the street, but we tried.
    I stared at the women, trying not to wince as my stomach and shoulder repaired themselves. All four of them were young, barely out of their teens. They had that crazed, hungry look that wasn’t uncommon among addicts. If they’d been robbing me, I would have written them off as junkies desperate for money so they could get their fix. But this was different. They weren’t trying to rob me. They’d tried to kill me. Even in this neighborhood, that wasn’t par for the course.
    “Mistress,” Dahael said, and I glanced toward her. She gestured toward her nose, and I raised my hand to mine. When I pulled it away, it was smeared with blood. I was already in pain from the gunshots, then healing, then using my powers to force my way into their minds. And I wasn’t done yet.
    I studied them. One of them, the one who had shot me, was struggling against my influence, trying to gain control of her mind again. “Don’t bother,” I muttered at her. “You can speak if you want to though.”
    “How the hell are you still standing? I shot you twice.”
    “I don’t know. Maybe you have shitty aim,” I said, crossing my arms, letting her see very clearly the way the flesh of my stomach was knitting itself back together, shredded organs growing new parts to replace damaged ones. She stared. “Or maybe you messed with the wrong person. Why did you do that?”
    She was still staring at my stomach.
    “Hey!” I said, trying to get her attention, and she forced her eyes up to mine. I dropped the enchantment on them, let her see the way they glowed, and I felt