[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.He was unmistakably a daemon.She stared openmouthed, then jerked her gaze across the faces of the nearest dancers.They didn’t look shocked or fearful.They were staring, yes, but with keen interest and obvious attraction.Without the slightest sign of self-consciousness, the daemon insinuated himself onto the dance floor and was immediately surrounded by a group of hip-swaying girls.One stroked his ear suggestively.Piper swallowed hard.He was either a daemon who’d gotten real creative with his glamour, or he was a neko daemon and wasn’t bothering with a glamour at all.He was a lot less mutant-looking than the sphinx, but his alienness was unmistakable.Breathing a little too fast, she surveyed the club again more carefully.Neko-boy wasn’t the only daemon there; most of them were in varying stages of un-glamour.One, no doubt an Overworld daemon like the neko, had done herself up like some sort of gold and blue fairy, wings included.Others were more subtle, scattered at random throughout the crowds of humans, but all of them were receiving triple the attention of the opposite sex.What the hell was going on with this place? Daemons did not walk around without glamour.They just didn’t.Someone tapped her shoulder.Piper turned and her heart skipped.The man’s glossy black mask was gorgeously done but frighteningly realistic.It seemed to be a part of his face, the planes of it curving over his forehead and cheekbones to form a countenance that was both feline and reptilian.The mask cut in at the hollows of his cheeks to reveal tantalizing strips of defined jaw line.Elegant, curved horns swept back from the sides to cover his ears.She blinked and realized the dragon-masked man was Ash.Heat rushed into her face and she was doubly glad of her own mask.He gestured for her to follow him.Hoping he hadn’t noticed her shocked staring, she fell into step behind him.How could she not have recognized him?Giving Lyre a whack in the back of the head to get his attention off the pole dancers, Ash led the way a partially hidden door in the far corner of the club, guarded by two masked bouncers who nodded amiably at Ash as he went through.Stairs spiraled down, lit by recessed red lights.Ash pushed open a door at the bottom and the sudden change took Piper by surprise.A brightly lit, business-like hall stretched in front of them, leading to a posh, professional sitting room that would have looked right at home in a Consulate.Ash stopped in the center of the room and pushed his mask on top of his head.“They’re letting Lilith know we’re here.She should join us in a minute.”Pushing his mask up as well, Lyre wandered over to a chair and sat.He had a vague, punch-drunk sort of expression on his face.Probably reliving his walk across the lust-crazed dance floor.Piper exhaled slowly.“So what’s with the daemons here?” she asked.Ash shrugged.“Sometimes it’s liberating to be who you are.”“Plus the female attention,” Lyre said dreamily.“Some humans love that sort of stuff.”“But.” She frowned at him.“Didn’t you say daemons don’t show off their true shapes because we’ll never believe you’re human again?”“The daemons here don’t want people thinking they’re humans,” he told her.“They want attention, not anonymity.”She raised her eyebrows.“Have you ever gone around this club with no glamour?”He flashed her a grin.“No.I can get all the attention I want without cheating.”“How is not using glamour cheating?”“Lyre is less attractive with his glamour,” Ash said unexpectedly.“By our standards, I should say.”Piper blinked in surprise.Lyre looked amazed too.“Do mine ears deceive me, Ash? Did you just say you’re attracted to me?”“Your ears deceive you.”Piper snorted.“You must be pretty lust-drunk, Lyre.You’re flirting with the wrong gender now.”He blinked, then looked a little embarrassed.“Uh.yeah, maybe.” He gave his head a little shake and stood again.With a languid stretch, he minced over to Piper’s side and slid a hand across her stomach, curving it over her opposite hip.He leaned against her side and grinned as he put his lips to her ear [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]