Chasing Tail

Chasing Tail by Lorne Rodman

Torquere Press www.torquerepress.com

Copyright ©2009 by Lorne Rodman First published in www.torquerepress.com, 2009 NOTICE: This eBook is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution to any person via email, floppy disk, network, print out, or any other means is a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines and/or imprisonment. This notice overrides the Adobe Reader permissions which are erroneous. This eBook cannot be legally lent or given to others. This eBook is displayed using 100% recycled electrons.

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Gluttony. Lust. Envy. Tony stifled a yawn and checked the various sins off the little list he'd had printed at Kinkos, every one with a neat little box next to it. So much easier than writing it out longhand, especially as he had the ancient demon symbols for each word printed there, too. The boss refused to learn anything newer than Hebrew. The boss really preferred his languages, and humans, dead. Tony thought humans were as intriguing as they were repulsive. Really, at least demons had an excuse for being awful to each other. They came from a dimension where everything burned, poked, scratched or tortured you. Humans had this amazing planet, and this supposedly loving God, and they screwed each other at every opportunity. Literally and figuratively. Sighing, Tony pushed his pen into his hair and scratched one of his horns. Really, he should get out of this bar and go to Starbucks. The door opened, a large silhouette backlit in it. As the door closed, the guy stepped out of the shadows. Tall, dressed head to toe in leather, with a full length duster, the man cut quite a figure. Not that Tony was looking. Or admiring. Nope. Triple mocha latte was way more important. Of course the long overcoat was making it hard to not look. It moved as the guy did. This guy was purely Alpha human male. 3

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He was coming straight for Tony, too. Shit. Tony folded his little notebook away, sitting up straight with his hands folded on the table. Might as well start out like he could hold out. Whether or not that was how it was going to end. The guy sat one stool over from him, glancing briefly at him, before ordering a whiskey in a voice that was pure gravel. Oh. Well. Good. Clearing his throat, Tony looked about to make sure no one had noticed what an idiot he was. Then he glanced back at tall, dark and leather, trying to read his sins. The man's head slowly turned, eyes the color of the sky staring at him. Tony recoiled, the weight of what this man had seen pushing against his chest like a giant hand. No. No, indeed. He didn't need to meet this person. Those eyes narrowed, the man taking him in from head to toe. Tony had a hunch the man hadn't missed a single detail. Very carefully, Tony got up, backing away until he knew he was out of arm's reach. One eyebrow arched. "You got a problem with me?" "No. Nope. No, sir. However, you are an... um. Big game hunter. I am considered big game. I think it's prudent if I leave." "You're not on my list." "Then you shouldn't have any quarrel with me leaving. Ciao." He turned and fled.

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The guy's arm snapped out, one huge paw wrapping around his arm. "I said you're not on my list. That doesn't mean I wasn't looking for you." Shit. What had he done? He couldn't think of anything that would make someone take out a contract or anything. "What do you want?" "Information. I hear you're just the demon to find it." Those eyes pinned him where he was. "You do? Where does one hear things like that?" Shaking his head, Tony tugged, trying not to have to do something drastic. "We'll go sit at a booth and have supper and maybe I'll tell you." It was said as if it were a done deal. "Supper. With you? That might be less than wise." It could be catastrophic. "Not having supper with me would be even less so." Oh, that wasn't entirely friendly. Not at all. "You think?" Jesus, Mary, and Beelzebub. He just wanted to do his job and go home and have a meeting with his magic fingers chair. Sighing, Tony shook his head. "Fine. Lead the way." The guy pointed to a booth in the back and then, sure enough, led the way. This is a bad idea, the little voice in his head said in a singsong voice. Very, very bad. He was inclined to agree. "Are you buying?" He got another long look from Tall, Dark and Dangerous. "I am." 5

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"Well, that's something." As long as the guy didn't think that would buy more than a listen to whatever he had to say. "Stop being so suspicious and sit." That voice could cut glass. "I can't help it. After what I have seen, it's in my nature." It was in a demon's nature anyway, but he wasn't going to admit it. "It's in your nature anyway—you're a demon." "Ha ha." Was this guy a mind reader? He sure hoped not. The little waiter came by to take their order. Tony couldn't tell if he was nervous or trying to flirt with the big guy. "The special. For both of us," growled the hunter. "I can order for myself, you know." He drew up to his full height in his chair, his tongue flicking a little in annoyance. "Now you don't have to." "You are by far the most irritating human I have ever met. I have met..." He checked his notes. "Nearly four million." "Four million. And I'm the most irritating?" That actually brought a smile to the man's lips. "By far. So what do you want?" He was going to get what this man ordered, he supposed, as the little waiter was gone. "I'm looking for someone who's proving to be most elusive. I figured you know where he is." "Moi?" He raised his brows and his hands. "I'm not a finder." That didn't seem to bother the hunter in the least. "No, but you can find people—demons—right? You know where to look." 6

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"I suppose." He was actually quite good at it, but again, not something he needed to admit. "I can pay you." It was said as if that would settle everything. He supposed in a lot of circles, it would. "Bully for you." Tony bit his thumbnail. "How much?" "That will depend on how useful your information is, won't it?" "Hmm." He had to get something better than dinner up front, or the whole demon/hunter community would see him as a pussy. "I think we need to discuss rates." Their food came and the man waited until the food had been plonked unceremoniously down in front of them along with a pair of beers. Not flirting, then. "Discuss away. I'm going to eat." "You're not very professional." Tony sniffed, trying to guilt the man into a glance, at least. The man snorted. "I'm a hunter." "Yes, but how am I to know how good you are at what you do if you cannot act professionally?" So there. Suddenly there was a gun in his face; one minute the hunter had been just sitting there, the next, gun. "This is what I do. Professional enough for you?" "Quite." He had the advantage of being able to completely divorce himself from fear. He wasn't human after all. Still, the man was obviously quick. He supposed that boded well for the rest of his abilities. "Would you care to put it away?" "Would you care to answer a few questions?" "If I am able." There. A non-committal answer. 7

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The gun disappeared back beneath the trench coat. "I'm looking for someone called The Tail." "Well, then I fear you're at the wrong place. I don't have one and I am not female, so I don't qualify." The corner of the man's lips twitched. "All I need is an address." "I'll have to look into it. I have no ideas off the top of my head." Tony paused. "Unless you can describe... it." The man pulled a battered leather notebook out of his right breast pocket and flipped through it. "Six ten, broad. With a really long tail." "How long?" A lot of demons had tails, and humans tended to think they were all fascinating. "Long. I mean the demon's name is Tail for hell's sake." It didn't look as if patience was one of this hunter's abilities. Leaning his chin on his hand, Tony played a little. "Six feet? Eight?" The hunter gave him a growl and reached into one of his coat pockets, bringing out a sheet of paper that had seen better days. "I've got reports from seven feet to twelve. I'm guessing the truth falls more in the middle." "Wow." That was an exceptionally long tail for a human sized demon, even if it was the larger end of human sized. "You think he's enhanced?" "Maybe. Maybe it's just a power thing, and he can't hide it, even when he's trying to pass." Like Tony's horns. "Yeah, I was wondering about that. It's a pretty big power if he's got a tail that large and can't hide it." Still, the hunter didn't look nervous. 8

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"That's your problem to deal with, I suppose." "Yep. I work alone." "Well, yay." Tony stood up, hands flat on the table. "Then you won't mind that I can't help you." "Yes, I do mind. I need to know where to find this guy and so far I haven't been able to find anyone who'll even admit to having ever heard of him, so sit your ass back down and tell me what you know." Listen to that growl. "I don't really know anyone with that kind of tail, but it should take me maybe an hour to find something out." An hour where he could run, put distance between him and this man. He shouldn't have left the house today. "Excellent. We can have another beer while you do it." "Another..." No. No, no, no. That wouldn't do at all. "What, do you think I have direct dial to my contacts out my ass or something?" "Is that where you keep your cell phone?" "My... No. I do this kind of research more discreetly. I'll need my laptop." His cell phone, indeed. Hell, he was lying about the laptop. He was really more accurate with a scrying mirror and some sage. The hunter's eyes narrowed. "You're not trying to ditch me, are you?" "Me? Why on earth would I do that?" He widened his eyes, trying for innocent. The hunter snorted. "Because it's what everyone does." "Oh, well. That makes me feel better." He grinned, holding his hands out, palms up. "You can't blame me for trying." 9

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The hunter shrugged. "I could, but it wouldn't do me any good." "Hey!" His back drew up in a straight line. "You came after me." Slapping his hands on the table, Tony stood. "Come on. Let's get this over with." The hunter stood and threw a few bills on the table. "Lead on, MacDuff." "Gotcha." He'd do the job and pack up his flop house, leave town. He didn't need this man coming after him later on. "I'm Salter." The words and name were offered over as they left. A demon hunter sharing his name; Tony would have preferred not to know. "Tony." That was enough of his name to give people something to call him, not enough to have power over him. "Tony. Interesting name for a demon." They left the bar together, Salter a tall, dark bulk beside him. "Salter is an interesting name for a man." "It's the only one I've got." "Really? I thought it was customary for you people to have three." Why was he continuing to make small talk? He was trying to get rid of Salter, not ingratiate himself with the man. "Yep. My ma wasn't exactly customary." "Sounds like it." He led the way, meandering through the alleys, hoping against hope that the hunter might get a little lost and forget how he'd gotten there. Finally, Salter grunted, the sound annoyed. "Look, I'm not looking to bug you every five minutes—I work alone. Do you think we could just get there already?" 10

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"Sure." Sighing, Tony cut down through the alley, heading right for his little third floor walk-up rat trap. Salter never faltered, stayed right there with him. "You always this cagey?" He turned on a dime, getting right up in the big guy's face. "I'm a demon and the world's biggest snitch. What do you think?" To his surprise, Salter chuckled. "That would be a yes." "That would be a yes." Whirling back around, he stomped the last few feet to his building, making his way into the ancient foyer and up the creaky stairs. Salter's steps followed him up. He could almost feel the man's eyes on him. His shoulders itched. "Stop staring so hard. I can't teleport." "No? What are your..." Salter paused, "special skills?" "I'm nosy." Tony rolled his shoulders, letting the man into his place against his better judgment. The deep chuckle sounded rusty, unused. "You know what they said about the cat." "Uh-huh. I'm not the one with the tail. Here we are." He waved about. "Sit. Coffee?" Salter looked surprised at the offer, but he answered readily enough. "Sure." Tony had a little espresso machine. It wasn't much, but it had good pressure, and a decent milk steamer. It seemed very civilized. "Look at that. How very human of you." 11

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"I like it here." He gave Salter an arch look. "Ever been to a Hell dimension?" "Not for a few years." He couldn't tell if the man was joking or not. "Well, if you have then you understand doubly well why I like small comforts." The machine hooted and blew steam. "Not being there's a pretty big comfort." Salter sat on the one good chair, his weight making it creak. If that man broke his magic fingers, Tony would not be responsible for what he did next. "That, too." He stopped a moment, eyeing the big guy. Then he shook it off. What was a chair, in the great scheme of things? "Here. Latte. Let me get my laptop." It should do and he certainly wasn't getting out the magical accoutrements with Salter looking on. One big hand reached out for the mug, their fingers brushing together briefly. "Thanks." Again, the word was little more than a growl. "Not a problem." That tiny touch had shocked him, literally. It made the hair stand up on his arms. Salter tilted his head slightly, and he was pinned for a moment by dark eyes. Tony turned away, not willing to show that he was affected by such a simple thing. "So. Tail." "That's right." Was it his imagination, or was Salter's voice even gruffer than it had been? "Let me just..." Something. Laptop. Books. Anything to break the tension. "I googled him at the library, but didn't find anything." 12

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Tony tried to imagine Salter's leather clad bulk sitting at a computer at the library and the image was just... not working. "I would have thought a huge guy named Tail would be easy to find, but apparently nobody's ever heard of him." Salter shrugged. "Either means he's very good, or very bad at what he does." "Right. Well. I, um." He would type. Even if it was the quick brown fox thing. He was pinned by Salter's gaze again. "You what? Have or haven't heard of him?" "I haven't! Will you stop staring at me!" One eyebrow went up. "Staring?" "Yes. It unnerves me. Ancient demon custom." Asshole. Tony finally gave up and actually started doing some research, blocking out the annoying man. He didn't' actually look, so he couldn't tell for sure, but he was willing to bet Salter was smirking. Sighing, Tony rolled his shoulders. He had a feeling it was going to be a long day. Night. Whatever. A very long one indeed. Salter worked alone. It was a hard and steadfast rule and one he'd broken only once. He'd vowed he'd never break it again. And sure, getting information from outside sources didn't mean he was working with those sources, not really, certainly not as partners. Still, he didn't like it. He was not the sit in someone's living room sipping on coffee and chatting about the weather kind of guy. And he 13

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certainly wasn't the notice how good-looking the information demon was, especially the way the little horns peeked out through the short curls on Tony's head type. He was here, though, he couldn't deny that, because he needed Tony's help—and he couldn't deny that, either. So he sat and glared at a spot on Tony's back between his shoulder blades as the demon typed away at a little laptop. He might need Tony's help, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Tony's shoulders twitched every so often, like the guy knew he was glaring. Heck, maybe he had an eye hidden in the back of those curls, too. Salter wasn't sure how long it was going to take Tony to get the skinny on the Tail, but he had been to a lot of places looking for the demon so he figured it wasn't going to be a five second search, even for someone whose world revolved around information. He was a little surprised, actually, that their paths had never crossed before. Probably had a little something to do with his lack of wanting to admit, ever, that he needed help. The clacking of keys went on and on, though, long enough to make his teeth clench a little. He finally emptied his coffee cup and set it down hard on the little coffee table that had seen better days. The whole place had, really. "You find anything yet?" "If I had, I would tell you!" Tony whirled around, smoke trailing from his nostrils. Huh. Cool. "It's taking long enough. I thought you were a big deal with information." He wanted to see what else Tony could do when he was pissed off. 14

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"Well, if this asshole was that easy to find, then you would have done it. Now, shut up and let me work!" The temptation to say "make me" was huge. Huge. Salter had to actually bite his lip until the urge to say it passed. Tony snorted, the sound very much implying that the demon knew what he was thinking. To distract himself, he got up and began to wander around the little space, checking it out more thoroughly. It didn't take long, though. It wasn't exactly palatial, so he started going through the shelves, checking out Tony's books and knickknacks. Tony ignored him, save for the occasional twitch or mutter. Until he picked up some kind of little glass ball filled with green smoke. "Put that down!" He pretended to startle, to almost drop it. "Gently!" Man, Tony was kind of a growly bastard. It was cute. "What is it?" He passed it from hand to hand, trying to see if the green smoke would do anything. Disappointingly, it didn't. "It's a summoning ball. It summons little demon with very sharp teeth. Please put it down." Tony snapped out the words, making each one short and clipped. Chuckling, he did as Tony asked. "A little demon with very sharp teeth? As opposed to the large one with the sharp tongue I already have in front of me?" "Just like that, yes. Have you ever seen a gremlin? They look rather like that alien from the Disney movie." Tony sat back from the laptop. "Are you ready?" 15

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"About time—I was ready when I got here." Although he had to admit, he liked Tony. The demon had a fine ass and cute horns. He could think of worse ways to spend time cooling his heels as he waited for information. "Fine." Snippy now, on top of growly. "Write this down." Tony rattled off an address. Salter wrote it down on his notepad. The pen and paper kind. He was old fashioned that way. He knew too many people who'd lost data when their electronics blew out. Besides, he thought it added to the badass image. "There will be someone there who knows your Tail. That's all I can promise you." Tony's shoulders hunched. "Good enough?" "Someone?" That wasn't the bargain. He wanted the Tail; he'd been running around after his own long enough on this job. He was ready for some solid intel. Hell, the bounty was enough he'd even offered more than one informant a bribe, but so far this was the best he'd gotten. "What do you want? I told you, if this guy was that easy to find, you'd have him already." "Well, you can come with me, then. And point this someone out." "What?" Tony's voice rose to an almost hysterical shriek. "I told you what I found out. Go now." One of his eyebrows rose. "Now I'm curious. Where are you sending me that you so don't want to accompany me?"

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"I just want you to go away. I don't care where you're going." Now the damned demon was shivering, hugging himself. "I'm not going until you tell me what you're hiding." He sat back, crossing his arms. He knew he looked pretty solid and immovable this way. "I'm not hiding anything. I have simply endured more of your company than I can stand." Tony's eyes wouldn't meet his, darting around the room instead. For a demon, the guy was a lousy liar. Hell, he was a lousy liar regardless of his species. Salter growled, he stood and moved to tower over Tony. "I know when someone's lying to me." "Someone's looking for you. I had instructions to send you to him." Wow. That took no effort at all. Bravery, and even bravado, were obviously not on Tony's list of things to be. "Who?" "Someone I owe a favor." If he had an ounce of sympathy in him, he'd feel bad for the little guy. Tony looked miserable. "When did this come up? Before or after I approached you at the bar?" Because that would make all the difference as to just how dangerous to his continued ability to breathe this someone was. "Just now. I got the message in my private email. I'm sorry." "Don't be sorry—tell me who, tell me how they knew I was with you." He hadn't lasted this long by not following up on leads like the paranoid hunter he was. 17

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Tony shrugged. "How do any of them know? Trouble with us demons is there's always someone watching." Those shoulders were an amazing barometer of Tony's mood. "So who is it?" He had to know who was out there looking for him. He'd also like to know why and how to kill them, but he'd take one bit of information at a time. He could be patient. Sort of. "A demon named Dasai." Ah. Well, that was interesting. Dasai was well-known as a demon hunter hunter. If that made any sense. He also called in favors at the drop of a hat. Nasty. He wondered if the Tail had put out the hit on him. It could have been any number of people, though. It could have been something else entirely. Either way he wasn't interested in actually being around to find out. "I guess we'd better go then." He had a few places he could hide out in for awhile, even if they were two. He wasn't sure how Tony would take to hiding out, but he was at least easy on the eyes. "Or we can go meet with Dasai. Find out what he wants." Now the guy was ready to go with him? "Is there any reason for me to believe I'm going to survive that kind of encounter?" Salter had a very healthy sense of self-preservation. Very. It was something he thought he probably shared with Tony. "Maybe. I'm an extraordinarily fast talker." Those dark eyes met his, expression wry. "I seem to find it much more difficult to fast talk you." "I don't let people fast talk me." 18

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"No, I got that impression." He got a sideways kind of head tilt. "In fact I would say that it's something of a mental talent." Salter snorted. "I'd say it had more to do with the fact that I'm big. And mean." "No. No, I mean I've lied to far scarier creatures than you. And it can't be that I like you." He got a smile, faint, but true. "So you're saying I'm unlikable?" He wasn't about to answer the unasked question. "No!" Now there was a flush on those lean cheeks, and he had to hide a grin. This guy was a hoot. "So you do like me." "What?" Slamming the laptop closed, Tony shook his head, packing things away neatly. Fussing. That's what Tony was doing. "Are you ready to go?" Salter bit back his chuckle. "I am." "Well... good. Come on." Clutching his little bag of whatever he'd just packed, Tony backed away, then turned and scurried out of the room. Crazy. Salter followed, his long legs swallowing up the distance between them. He slammed the door behind him. "You're not leading me into a trap, are you?" Although trap implied he didn't know he was in trouble when in fact, he was well aware Dasai wanting to see him was full of a whole lot of possibilities of bad. "Well, they'll try to trap you, I have no doubt. But I'm more valuable to them free and alive." Tony shrugged. "Your call." 19

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"Let's go." Better to walk into a trap he knew than to avoid this one and have one he didn't know about sprung on him later. And if Tony was telling even a half truth about being more valuable free and alive, he was better off with the demon than not. "Okay." Tony led the way, and Salter had to wonder just where everything had gotten so out of control. Guess that was what he got for dealing with demons. Why? Why did the cluster fucks always come at him like he was some sort of shit target? The moment Salter had shown up on his, well, coffee break, Tony had known. Badness. Danger. Serious messwith-me-ness. Sighing, he led silent and huge toward Dasai's latest endeavor, a club with non-human strippers. Yargh. Now that he was here, he didn't really want to have to deal with the disgusting demon, or his icky little club. "We could just not." "Confronting the guy was your idea." Yeah, he'd had a hunch Salter wouldn't back down once he'd set his mind on a course. "I know. Well, actually, it was his idea." It had seemed like a good idea, too. Tony had thought maybe Salter would take Dasai out for him if things went badly. If not, he'd delivered and wiped his slate clean. Kind of win-win, really. "Fuck." Salter grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back into a doorway. "Just whose side are you on here?" 20

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"Mine." He bared his teeth a little. He didn't have to lie about that. "This might be the only way to find your guy, though." "I need to know that when we go in there, you're not going to stab me in the back. I don't need you to be on my side, but if you're on Dasai's, I need to know that." "I'm rooting for you." He wasn't such a pussy that he would allow, or help, Dasai to kill a human with him standing by. There were repercussions. "Okay. I can work with that." Salter nodded and squeezed his shoulder. "Don't let me down." His skin tingled, and Tony jumped. Damn. That shouldn't make him so twitchy. One of Salter's eyebrows went up. He hated that. He tried to stare it down, but Salter's eyebrows were staying exactly where they were. Sighing, Tony rolled his shoulders. "I'm with you. Let's do it." "Okay. Lead on, then." Tony led on and, when they got there, the smoky interior of Dasai's place made him wrinkle his nose. A pretty, human looking girl with a blue tail gyrated on a small stage, looking like a pole-dancer out of a sci-fi series. There weren't too many patrons in the place; it was early still. The floor had that slightly sticky feel that wood got when enough spilled booze had soaked into it. For a demon who considered himself a big muckity-muck, Dasai sure ran a sleazy club. Salter checked the place out, eyes just everywhere. Tony would bet there wasn't one detail Salter hadn't taken in and digested. 21

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Dasai sat in his usual corner, pinstriped suit incongruous with the blue-ish skin. Tony figured they might as well just beard the dragon, and headed over. It wasn't like they were here to party. Salter moved with him, not hesitating for a moment. The man's coat flowed out around him, making him look bigger; it was a little intimidating. Dasai raised both brows. Luckily it wasn't just one of them going up, or Tony might have socked him in the nose. "Here he is." Salter stood in front of Dasai, chest puffed up, hands on his hips. Near the guns. "Huh. You're bigger than I expected." Dasai didn't bother to get up. "What do you want?" Just like that, Salter put it out there. There wasn't an inch of back-down in the man. "I understand you're looking for the Tail. I might be able to help. If you help me." Oh, God. Another deal. Tony tried not to cringe. One of Salter's eyebrows went up, and Tony had to work hard not to hit him. "Help you do what?" "I have someone I want tracked down and delivered." "That's my job—if you want me to do it, you can hire me. This cloak and dagger shit isn't necessary." "Au contraire." Dasai smiled. It wasn't pleasant. "I can't be seen hiring you." No, Dasai's reputation put him directly in the line of hindering hunters, not working with them.

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"I'm not bagging and tagging someone for no more than a bit of information." Tony was surprised Salter hadn't ended the sentence by spitting on the floor. Dasai didn't seem the least perturbed by the way the conversation was going. "No? I think you'll find you need more than information." Yeah. Tony sank in on himself a little. He'd figured that, too. Salter only considered the matter for a few seconds, though. "I want your personal guarantee that if I do this for you, I get the help I need—any help I need—to get the Tail delivered and my bounty collected. And—and this is the important part—you keep your mouth shut that I did you a deal. I can't be seen working deals." "Then we have an accord." Shit. There was no way Tony was ever going to get out of helping now. He knew what was coming. He wasn't disappointed. "Dantonion, I call in the debt you owe me. You will assist the hunter in every way." Every way. Thank you for the dry fuck, Dasai. "Dantonion?" Salter gave him a look. "Shut up." Demons didn't get much choice in names. He wasn't going to have Salter using his at every opportunity. The corner of Salter's mouth twitched. Sighing, Tony turned his attention back to Dasai, nodded. "I figured, though I should be able to call it even for bringing him here." 23

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Dasai fixed him with a stare. "You get to call it even when I say we're even." He bristled, but really, what could he say? Dasai could have him sent below in a heartbeat. All he could do was agree. He hated being held over the barrel like this. Salter cleared his throat. "All right, now that everyone has figured out who's paying who back, tell me who I'm after." Dasai flicked his fingers and a dossier appeared, only a tiny bit singed around the edges. "A recent escapee. His name is Malachi Fosse. I'm not sure if you've heard of him." Salter may not have, but Tony had. The man had killed nearly twenty women back in the '70s. He was bad news, and given Tony was a demon who recorded everyone's sins, that was saying a lot. "How in hell did he escape?" Tony asked, not even wanting to ponder what kind of punishment the poor slob who'd been careless would get. Salter's fucking eyebrow was raised again. "And who is Malachi Fosse?" "It's all in the file. Dantonion can fill you in on the rest." "As long as this is an actual bad guy and not some poor sap who doesn't deserve to be hunted down like a dog." Salter took the file and flipped through it. He grunted once or twice and then nodded, closing the folder. "Oh, he's plenty bad." "Not to mention that he escaped from Hell!" Acting like this was normal? To contract this shit out? Jeez. Tony was not a happy camper. 24

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"I'm not convinced everyone in Hell is there because they belong there. But that's a discussion for another time." Salter fixed Dasai with a look. "Where should I start with this guy?" Those long-nailed fingers flicked again, and the dossier opened again. "It's all in there. As for the Tail..." Dasai motioned at Tony, who reluctantly moved close. Dasai's hand landed on his shoulder, the smell of burning flesh sudden and horrid. "Tony now has all you need to find him." Salter looked at Dasai with disgust. "Come on, Tony. We have work to do." His head ached, but his shoulder was already healed and he nodded, resisting the urge to stick his tongue out at Dasai. He got the feeling that the big demon on the block was a little afraid of Salter. That was something to behold. Salter headed out, walking like he owned the place. That cock of the block gait with the duster swirling around him really was hot. When they made it out the door, the man's nose wrinkled. "I hate the stench of Hell in the evening." Tony let himself crack a smile. He might, quite possibly, be warming up to the guy. A little itty bitty tiny bit. "It gets all in your clothes." "It does. And you can't just throw leather into a washing machine." Salter gave him a wink and took a proper look at the file. "So. Malachi Fosse. Any idea where to start with this guy?" "Well..." Tony put a hand to his head, which throbbed so hard that it almost doubled him over. Thank you, Dasai for 25

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the information dump. Too bad retrieval was a bitch. "He... he liked titty bars when he was human." God, Tony hated Dasai. "All right. Closest one's a few blocks over." Salter strode out to cross the street with confidence. Reluctantly, Tony reached out and grabbed Salter's arm. He didn't want more shocks today, physically, but it was worth it. "Not that one. He had... particular preferences." Salter looked at where his hand rested on the man's arm. "Where, then?" "We'll have to take a cab." There was a place. God. He wanted these images out of his head. Now. "All right." Salter's hand went up imperiously and a cab slid to a halt next to them. Just like that. "Damn." Short of dropping his pants in a crowded square, Tony had never gotten someone to stop so fast. Salter pushed him into the back seat of the cab and dropped in beside him. "Tell the man where we're going." "El Tornado, please." The cabbie gave him a look in the mirror. Tony stared him down. He didn't need any comments from the very human peanut gallery. Salter's eyebrow rose again. Tony was going to put a curse on the man to make it stay like that. "What?" Tony crossed his arms over his chest. "It was on the top of Dasai's list of the guy's old haunts." "I just want to know what kind of a place this is we're walking into. I like to be prepared," Salter told him evenly. "Oh." That was reasonable.

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Salter stared at him for a long time, and it seemed as if that raised eyebrow was accusing him of something, though he wasn't sure what. "Well?" "Well, on the surface it's a titty bar. Lots of poles and gyrating girls. Humans, not like Dasai's place." "So what's under the surface?" "You want it, they do it. Drugs, prostitution, rumors of white slavery." It all made him wrinkle his nose. Sadly, in his job, he had to go to places like that quite a bit. "Is this where Fosse found his victims?" "No. Well, yes, in a way. He went after the customers." Wealthy, privileged people, people who mattered to others. People who paid for the kinds of things that El Tornado offered. "Let's hope he's made the mistake of going back to his old hunting ground. I want to get this side-job done with so we can get on with the job of bringing in the Tail." "We." When had they turned into a we? He didn't want to be a we. He was pretty damn sure Salter wasn't interested in being a we, either. Salter turned to look him full on. "I'm no happier about this than you are, Dantonion. But apparently, my way to both Fosse and the Tail is with your aid, which Dasai guaranteed, so it looks like we're stuck with each other." "My name," Tony said through gritted teeth, "is Tony." "Your nickname is Tony. It's short for Dantonion." Salter looked amused as hell.

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"And Salter has to be a last name, so you must not love your name either." He put a hand to the center of Salter's chest and shoved. "Back off." Salter grabbed his hand and held it where it was. He could feel the strong heart beat beneath hard muscle. "I don't remember saying you could touch me." His nerves jumped, his muscles twitching. Shit, a touch should not feel this... big. "You're touching me, too." Salter's eyes narrowed. "You started it." "I did?" He had. Damn. "I didn't mean to." Salter grunted, almost growled, then chuckled and let go of his hand. "Just don't forget this is my show." Oh, yes, Salter was used to being in charge. Well, to be fair, he was used to working alone, which would automatically put him in charge. "I'll be quiet as a church mouse." That tickled Tony, and he chuckled, which turned into a snort. The corner of Salter's lips quirked up into a smile and there was a flash of real amusement in the man's eyes. "Got any cheese?" They pulled up outside the club, and Tony waited for Salter to pay the cabbie. It was Salter's show, after all. "Cheese?" Salter looked at him like he was crazy, or about to begin some arcane ritual. "For the mouse?" "Oh. Right." Salter shoved some cash at the cab driver and hauled him out. "Maybe I'll get you some later." "I like cheese, actually, though I bet the stinky kind would be too much for you." He could just see Salter, faced with a 28

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really smelly cheese like a good stilton or a blue cheese, or any number of stinky feet smelly cheeses. "Is that a challenge?" "Yes." The word came out without thought. He wanted to see Salter sit and eat... Weird. Maybe he was losing it. "All right. But later. We have shit to do." "Yes." Shit to do. That was one way to describe what they were looking for. Salter headed for the club, long strides eating up the distance between them and it. Tony followed more cautiously, never willing to throw himself into a situation where he had to do more than watch and record. But he got the feeling Salter would expect back-up. The bar was loud and raucous, seedier than Dasai's had been, which was saying something. Salter walked in and kept his back to the wall, almost blending in with it as he scanned the place. Going the opposite direction, Tony slid up to the bar, ordering a cider, turning so he could scan the crowd. Salter slowly worked his way around the outside of the bar and Tony caught it the moment the man's focus narrowed in on someone a few seats down on the bar. Tony tried not to be obvious, but he turned to look. He was usually good at picking out who was who. It wasn't Fosse, but the guy's easy posture stiffened right up as soon as he noticed Salter. So, someone who knew he was being hunted, or someone who knew Salter. Tony probed a little deeper, using his talents. He was definitely picking up fear, and the guy's eyes darted around the room, nose twitching like a rat's. 29

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Huh. Well, whatever the man knew, they needed to find out and hit the road. The whole thing was giving Tony a very bad feeling. Salter caught his eye and nodded in the guy's direction. At his nod back, Salter began to move in, leaving Tony to cut off the guy's exit. The noise and dimness of the place made it easy to sneak up on something. This guy never even saw him coming. Circling, he stopped the man at a small, round table, pushing the weasel down. "Hi." The guy swallowed and then glared. "Who the hell are you?" Salter was right there on the other side. "You don't need to worry about him, Blake. You just need to worry about me." Blake. Usually Tony knew their names just by seeing them. How had he missed this one? Salter had him off his game. The weasely little guy gave Salter an ingratiating smile. "Anything you want, Salter." "You better believe anything I want." Salter pulled out a chair and turned it, straddling it. "Where's Malcolm Fosse?" "Who?" The man cleared his throat. "No idea." Salter snorted. "I don't believe you." Well, duh. The man was clearly lying. Badly. Salter put two fingers under the guy's chin and tilted his head, forcing him to look into Salter's eyes. "You've seen him. When and where, and I'm not interested in a song and dance about it, either." Salter was intimidating as hell, Tony already knew that, but it was still fascinating to watch people crumble under that glare. 30

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"Sure. Sure, okay. I've seen him. I ran the other way." "I said when and where and you haven't answered either of those yet." Man, Salter was growly on a good day; as it was, right now he'd raised it to an art form. "It was just a few days ago. At the Night Market." "You know the Night Market?" Salter asked, looking right at Tony. "Huh? Yeah. Not exactly like the tourist trap in Hong Kong." No, this was more a contraband market, and it moved nightly. You had to be in the know. Or know someone who was in the know. Salter grunted and turned his attention back to the weasel. "You sure you didn't talk to him or follow him or know anything more you're not telling me?" "I swear, man. I don't want nothing to do with him." No, that was the truth, too. The very idea of the escapee scared this guy half to death. Tony couldn't say he blamed the little rat. "But you know where he might have gone from the Night Market?" There was something in Salter's voice; Tony could feel that the weasel wanted to answer him, to tell him the truth. Huh. Tony unfocused his eyes a little, just enough to read Salter's aura. Son of a bitch. The man had a talent. It looked untamed; he didn't think Salter was doing it deliberately, but he was pushing hard with it, to get the truth out of Blake. 31

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"No. No, I know he was talking a lot of trash, said he was going after the one that got away. That's all I know." "It better be. I find out you lied to me, and I'm coming back just to pull you apart and feed you to the dogs." It didn't sound like an idle threat, the way Salter said it. The rat shrank back and shook his head, one hand coming up as if to ward Salter off. "No! No, I swear." Tony put a hand on Salter's arm, nodding when the man looked at him. That was as good as it got. Salter nodded back and straightened. "All right. Let's get the hell out of here." "Yes." The place was... well. It made Tony feel oily. It wasn't a feeling he cared to endure. Salter led the way, those long legs striding along and make short work of getting them back to the door and, from there, the street. The moon was struggling to come out from behind a bank of clouds, but its absence helped give the night a dreary atmosphere. "Now what?" Really, it wasn't like him to dither. Maybe he needed some sleep. "Now you tell me where this Night Market is and we go find whoever last dealt with this Fosse character." Salter stared at him, hands on hips. "We could sleep." Tony didn't even need sleep in a physical way. He just loved the escapism. That damn eyebrow went up again. "It's night—wouldn't that be the best time to hit the Night Market?" "I think it would be better to go in with a plan." Damn it, he was not one to rush off in all directions. Tony watched. He 32

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waited. He recorded. He didn't hunt or capture or drag back to Hell. There were demons for that. Salter leaned back against the brick of the squat building that housed El Tornado, and crossed his arms. "All right, then. What's your plan?" "I..." Sighing, Tony hunched his shoulders, the smell of gas and neon and sweat making him a little nauseated. "I have no idea. I want to go home." He wanted a shower and an espresso and to go to bed and sleep. Salter gave him a look like he was insane. "This asshole's trail is cold enough as it is; we wait another night and who knows if we'll ever catch up with him again. Until he kills that is. Then we'll have a fresh trail. I just don't like the body count on that." "Well, you're human." Damn it, he recorded sins. Reported them. He didn't stop them. Why couldn't Salter just understand that? "I'm the one being coerced here." "You mean it won't bother you a bit if we don't find Fosse before he kills?" Salter didn't look like he believed that for a minute. "Besides, since when do demons need sleep?" "Oh, shut up!" Tony turned and stomped away, opening his mind up to find the Night Market, knowing Salter wasn't going to let it go, wasn't going to let him bury his head in sleep. Asshole. Salter followed him, filling a large portion of his perception. How was he supposed to find anything with the man looming over him? 33

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"Back off, would you?" Tony snapped, trying to get his groove back. Damn it. "What the hell is your problem?" Salter was all growls, not giving an inch. "I can't think with you looming over me." He couldn't think, couldn't concentrate, couldn't breathe, couldn't ignore the fact that Salter made him feel... something. "Christ." He could almost hear Salter rolling his eyes. The guy backed off, though, wandering off a ways and giving him his space. Better. So much better. Tony stopped, closing his eyes, his senses reaching out. Salter hovered at the corner of his awareness, but it was easier now for Tony to push past him. It wasn't hard, really, to find the Night Market. It was oily and creepy and stank of sin. He couldn't believe he was going there deliberately to find someone. He'd bet he could fill his month's quota of sins in little more than an hour there, though. "This way." Shoving his hands into his pockets, Tony turned down a side street. It was close enough to walk. Figured it would be near to El Tornado. Salter fell into step next to him. "How can you tell?" "I can feel it. It's not hard. I'm made to detect sin." The Night Market was rife with it. "Made for sin. I'll remember that." That amused tone was back. "Made to detect it. Detect. Got it?" Jerk. Tony put his feet down hard. 34

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Salter chuckled. "Uh-huh." The man made him want to scream. "Oh, shut up." He'd said that more in the last day than he had in who knew how long. It didn't take a premonition to believe he would say it a lot more before his association with Salter was over. Salter simply chuckled and kept sauntering along with him. It didn't seem to matter how quickly he sped his pace, Salter easily matched it and made it look easy. Salter broke the silence after a block or two. "Have you never been to this Night Market before?" "A few times, yeah. Never because I wanted to, though." It left him feeling oily and black all over. It was just gross. "So on the job. Like tonight." Salter drew closer as the neighborhood went from bad to worse. He didn't think it was because the man was seeking protection from him. Was he supposed to be happy Salter felt a need to look out for him? "No, not at all. I've never barged in bearing my very own gorilla in a duster." Salter looked at him and for a long moment Tony thought just maybe he was about to be beaten into a pulp. Then Salter began to laugh. The sound was unexpectedly cheerful. Tony allowed himself a sour smile. Then Salter's laughter got the better of him, and he started to chuckle. Once Salter sobered, he was all business. "So what can we expect when we get to this place? I assume people are not going to be particularly helpful, or is information as readily available for the right price like anything else?" 35

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"It depends on who you talk to." Salter was looming again. "It's like everything else. Nothing is black and white, and a demon hunter really ought to be more aware of that." Wow, was that bitchy? Salter snorted. "It's pretty black and white to me, Tony. You're either on my list, or you're not." "I'm not." He stopped, turning to stare into Salter's eyes. "Right? I'm not." Something flashed in Salter's eyes. "Not that list, no." A shiver ran down Tony's spine, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant. "Oh. Well. Good. Turn right." Salter hung a right, staying close. "Don't get lost. I can't protect you if you aren't close." He wasn't aware he'd asked Salter for protection. "Since I know where we're going, that's not much of an issue." Listen to him. He was snippy as all hell. "I'm just trying to be nice." "I know! It's confusing. And... uncharacteristic, I think." His head was throbbing, just ready to explode. Salter shrugged. "Having a partner at all is uncharacteristic. I don't do partners. At all. Ever." Tony had a feeling it was throwing Salter, letting him come along. "I imagine." That made him feel a little better, actually. "I work alone. This is..." Salter shrugged again and then screwed up his face. "Oh, shit, do you smell that?" Tony nodded miserably, turning a corner that seemed to shimmer, like something out of that horrible magical book for children. The veil lifted, and there before them was a 36

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teeming, steaming pile of the worst of both demon and human. "Welcome to the Night Market." The Night Market was a steaming cesspool of shit. Salter decided that it was a one-stop market for all the worst kinds of depravity, and he was going to have to make it a destination next time he was having trouble finding whatever scumbag had dropped onto his list. Not that he usually had trouble. The Tail was the first demon in a long list who'd proved to be this elusive. Which was why he was here with Tony looking for someone who was not only not on his bounty list, but who wasn't even a demon. Still, from what he gleaned about Fosse from the file and Tony's clear disgust, the guy was a demon in training, if there was such a thing. "Do I just grab the nearest guy and ask where Fosse is, or what?" He was a fan of grab and demand. It usually worked for him, but they were in Tony's territory now, so to speak. "No. That can get you all manner of things." Those eyes went wide with alarm. It was cute. He chuckled. "What do you suggest, then?" "Tactical retreat, but you wouldn't go with that." Tony touched his arm, turning him toward a huge man with about a zillion tattoos. "That's Edith. He'll be the one to start with." "Retreat isn't going to get us our man and without Fosse, we don't get the Tail and until we get the Tail, I'm going to be hanging around you like a bad smell you just can't get rid of." He gave Tony an unamused grin and strode toward this Edith. The man would have to be huge to pull off a name like that. 37

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The big head swiveled around, the man staring at him, a little smile creasing the wide face. Like the asshole was waiting for him. Salter refused to be intimidated, though, even by someone bigger than himself. Tony hung back. Way back. At least that way he wouldn't get into Salter's way. Salter made sure he had easy access to his weapons, and he stopped a few feet from the big man. "Hey." "Hello." The deep, cultured voice sounded like it belonged to a black guy, like James Earl Jones or Barry White. Who knew, maybe it did and this guy had stolen it. "I was told you were the man to come see." "What about?" Edith tilted his head, sniffing. "Do I smell demon on you?" Salter raised one of his eyebrows. "And if you do?" "I just need to know where I stand." Edith looked him up and down. "You seem human enough." "I am." He bled red and everything. "Not much for talking, hmm?" The man smiled, and it was sorta terrifying, all those teeth, some sharp, some black with decay. "What do you want?" "Looking for a man named Fosse." He didn't mention Tony. The way Tony was hanging back, Salter thought maybe the demon preferred staying out of this. "Ah. Well, of course you are." The smile widened. "I can't help you." What kind of an answer was that? "Why not?" "Because if I have to choose between offending you and offending Fosse? I'll take you." 38

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It was good to know Edith could be intimidated. "You've got that backward, friend. Fosse's not going to be sticking around. I am." He wasn't going to let the Fosse asshole intimidate him. "You think?" Edith lowered his voice. "The man came back from Hell." "Uh-huh. And I'm going to see to it that he goes back." It was as simple as that. "If you say so. Look, if you want to find Fosse, why don't you watch the morgues?" He had the sense Edith thought this was a real good tip. Salter managed to keep his disgust down to a curl of his lips. "What's he doing at the morgues?" Tony stepped up, touching his arm. "He means watch for the dead bodies with Fosse's MO," Tony said quietly. Salter growled. "No. No more dead bodies because of this asshole." The man had taken more than enough before he'd come back from Hell. "Ah, a crusader. How quaint." Edith sighed and spread his hands. "We are at an impasse, then." Salter rolled his eyes; he didn't have time for this crap. "Then we're done." He turned and motioned to Tony. "Who next?" "Edith is your best bet," Tony said under his breath, doing that shoulders around his ears again. Considering they'd just spoken to the man and had gotten bupkus for their troubles, he was more than a little frustrated by Tony's answer. "Do you expect me to pay him, beat him, or threaten to cut out his tongue if he won't help?" 39

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"I don't know what to expect." Tony gave him a ghost of a smile before squaring off with Edith. "I think you know who I am." "I've got your back," he murmured just loud enough for Tony to hear him. He was surprised the demon was stepping up. So far Tony'd seemed the fade into the background kind of demon. Edith drew up straighter, looking unhappy. "I do." "Then you know that since you are human, I can choose to record your information at any time. Officially." Humans who knew about sin gatherers like Tony no doubt trod very carefully around him. Edith was clearly no exception, he swallowed and nodded slowly. "Then I think you can help us." Tony stepped back, arms crossing. The look on Edith's face, though, was fucking priceless. "So," Salter began, more than happy to push the advantage Tony'd given him. "Where do I find Fosse?" "I..." Edith's face creased with what looked like pure rage. "Damn you. He hasn't been here. In fact, he's been avoiding all of his old haunts for a classier target audience. Try the Hotel Flamingo." "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Salter reached up and patted Edith's cheek, but not before making sure his guns were in plain sight. "All right, Tony, we have what we need. Let's blow this shithole."

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Tony tilted his head, making some kind of weird sigil in the air with his fingers. The air around Edith actually glowed for a moment. "He's not telling us something." Salter rounded back on Edith, fisting his hands in the man's shirt and tugging him down so they were eye to eye. "You'd better spill it, Edith, my man, before Tony here starts taking notes and naming names." "He's not working alone this time!" Edith started babbling, actually crying. It was never pretty, but to see such a big guy blubbering? Ew. "You'd better tell us the rest—who's he working with?" There was always more you could shake out of an informant once you'd broken them. "This demon. He's... I don't know much. Word has it, he has a huge tail." "Son of a bitch." He couldn't believe it. Two birds with one stone. If the birds were nasty, horrible Hell beasts. "Well, that's... convenient." Tony wasn't doing the dog whistle head tilt thing, though, so Salter'd bet it was the truth. So, two birds with one stone. It was convenient. Made him wonder what the catch was. He narrowed his gaze on Edith. "Is there anything else?" "Aside from the psycho killer back from Hell and the demon with the tail moving uptown and about to go on a killing spree?" The big man sneered, the blubbering gone. "What more do you want?" "Whatever you've got that'll give us a leg up on Fosse and the Tail." He would take each and every advantage he could 41

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and beating the information out of Edith was beginning to sound fun. "Nothing. Nothing." Edith grunted, holding up his hands. "I don't know any more, and I doubt anyone else will tell you." "It'll do. Thank you for your cooperation." He smoothed Edith's clothes back against his chest and turned on his heel. "Come on, Tony. Let's find this Flamingo Hotel and our two fugitives." He didn't even look back. Tony muttered something to Edith before following, hands in his pockets. "I think we need to regroup." "All right. We going back to yours?" He could see the dawn beginning to lighten the edges of the sky, and he knew men like Fosse conducted their business at night. If they took a break and made a plan, they'd be able to go after Fosse and the Tail with fresh eyes. "We might as well. I'm not sure I want to contemplate what you consider a decent place to stay." He got a wry grin, Tony looking more relaxed than he had all night. Salter chuckled. "Yeah, you might be right at that." His car wasn't exactly the height of elegance. It wasn't the height of anything, really. "Yeah. Come on. I might even make you food." "Oh ho! Why, Dantonion, someone might almost think you like me." Tony couldn't believe he was letting a demon hunter spend the night with him. He was a demon, after all, and Salter could take him down on a whim. No one would think less of the man, and no one but the boss would give a shit that Tony was gone. 42

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Of course, that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that he was going home with a demon hunter who had suddenly grown a sense of humor, some great laugh lines, and a nice ass, when he took off the duster. Tony figured he must be losing his mind. "So did you really want to regroup or was this just a way to get me alone?" Salter's eyebrows waggled up and down. His head snapped up. Surely he hadn't been staring that hard? "What?" "Don't be coy—you heard me." Salter lookedE well, smug. "I heard you. I just don't know what you mean." He wasn't used to anyone being so... blunt. That damn eyebrow rose up. He was going to wait until Salter was asleep and then shave it off. "Don't tell me you're a virgin." "I don't have to discuss that with you." His shoulders were pulling up around his ears. Who talked about this stuff like that? He certainly didn't. "Well, no, but what would be the fun in that?" Salter was not getting the hint. "You're not here to have fun." He was going to just lose it. "This is downtime. We could have fun if we wanted to." There was something in Salter's eyes now. Something intense, hot. Something that was very hard to ignore. "I..." Oh. Tony couldn't look away, which was ridiculous, because that was sin shining there, with a capital S. "Come here."

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"What? No." His feet started moving, and they were supposed to go backward, but he moved toward Salter. Compelled. Salter patted the couch cushion next to his thigh. "Sit." He sat. "How do you do that?" "It's my compelling personality." Salter grinned, and Tony could tell it was a joke to the man. Didn't Salter know what he could do? Surely the man had to know... Well. "Do you bathe?" Salter blinked at him. "What?" Finally, he'd thrown Salter for a change. "Well, I've only known you what? Two days? Not even that? Before we get busy, I need to know if you bathe. If you use condoms." He had to take control back somehow. Find his equilibrium. "Of course I bathe—if I didn't you could smell me coming a mile away. If you'd like to shower together, though, I'd be more than happy to oblige." Salter gave him a wicked grin. "I'm good at shower sex. And I thought demons didn't need to worry about things like condoms." "I..." He didn't have sex, as a rule. Oh, he could. He was physically very much like a human. But it was... Sweaty. Intimate. A little raw. Salter reached for him, hand sliding behind his head and cupping it. His head was tilted, and Salter's mouth descended upon his own. The feeling was immediate and electric. His skin heated, his cock jolting in his pants, and Tony marveled at how fast it all was, how easy. He had always been able to take it or leave it. Mostly leave it. Mostly he wanted to leave it because ew, sex. 44

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Groaning, Salter deepened the kiss, tongue sliding between his lips like it was fucking his mouth. His breath hitched in his chest, his hands coming up to grasp Salter's arms. Oh, goodness. Strong muscles moved beneath his hands, Salter's kiss never faltering. This was such a bad idea, but Tony thought maybe Salter could compel with kisses like he did with words. He didn't want to stop. Not at all. Maybe not ever. One big hand slid down his back to cup his ass and drag him up close along the big body. Tony melted a little, pressing against Salter and feeling all that solid muscle the duster really only hinted at. A low growl vibrated through his mouth and Salter leaned back, bringing him along so he was half lying on the man. His legs opened naturally, his knees slipping down on either side of Salter's thighs. He rocked a little, gasping at the feel of his cock pressing against Salter, even through layers of fabric. "Yeah, that's good." Salter shifted slightly and then the hand on his ass encouraged him to rock again. This time Salter's hips pushed, meeting his. "Oh." His eyes went wide, his whole body jerking at the contact. Salter growled at him. "You are a virgin." Another slide of their bodies together had him gasping again. "I am not." Well, he was, as far as technical stuff was concerned. Penetrative sex always seemed so distasteful. And oral... Man, there were germs. Icky, gross germs.

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Salter laughed, the sound husky, sexy. "Okay." The hand on his ass worked its way beneath his pants, fingers sliding along his crack. "No!" Tony leaped up like he was scalded. "No touchy." Salter lay there, sprawled out on his couch, blinking. "Isn't that kind of the point?" "Not there. Not this soon. Okay?" He was not going back to the couch if he couldn't make Salter understand this was nonnegotiable. "Oh, you don't mean no touching at all. Okay. Come back here and we'll leave your ass alone. For now." Salter's grin was a lot less wolfish and a lot more come back so we can keep rubbing off-ish. "Okay." That was a fair compromise. The next time Salter tried, he would still say no. That had to be... unsanitary. Of course, he knew now that Salter would stop when he said no. Salter tugged him back down onto the solid body, hands going to his face this time. Salter tilted his head and kissed him, tongue pushing into his mouth. Tony kissed back, his arms slowly wrapping around the man again. He liked the kissing. Salter kissed him for a long time. The man's cock was hard, digging into his hip, but Salter just kept kissing as if that didn't matter. He blinked up at Salter when they came up for air, his lips tingling. "Wow." "Yeah, you wanna move onto step two, pretty demon?" As if he was pretty. "What's that?" His head lolled back, making him chuckle. 46

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Salter didn't answer with words, instead the man reached out and slowly slid a hand up his shirt, tweaked one of his nipples. His nipple went tight, but it was the little bolt of sensation that shot from it to his cock that made him moan. "Again?" Grinning, Salter tweaked his other nipple this time. "Geez." Tony felt like an idiot, popping out with the oldfashioned word. "You like it." Salter's fingers lingered, plucking and stroking his right nipple, then his left. "I do. I..." He sat there, rocking into the touch, clinging to Salter's shoulders. "What am I supposed to do?" "You could touch me back. Or take off our shirts." "I can do that." It was far safer to take off their shirts. He thought. He soon found out that all those muscles were dangerous. Salter's chest was massive, his abdomen cut. Then Salter flexed. "Fuck." Tony clapped a hand over his mouth. He didn't want to give Salter the idea that he was asking for it. Lips twitching, Salter reached for him. "Come here. Skin on skin is good." "I... Okay." He went. What else could he do? The sensation of skin on skin made his whole body jerk. Salter was all but purring, big hands moving along his spine. Tony allowed himself to touch, his hands pushing up along the hard muscle of Salter's arms, then his shoulders. So pretty. For a human. Salter rumbled and pushed into his touches, obviously enjoying them. He kneaded at the big 47

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muscles that lined Salter's shoulders and neck before tracing a line down the sternum. His thumb rubbed over one nipple, testing. "I like that," Salter told him. "Do it again." "This?" He pushed at it with his nail, knowing some men liked a little more sensation. Tony'd certainly liked the pinch. "Fuck!" Salter grunted, bucked up. "Yeah, that." "Okay." Hey, who was he to argue? That had been hot as... well. Not Hell. Hell was beyond hot. But still, hot. As he flicked at Salter's nipple again, Salter pinched one of his, timing it so they did it at exactly the same moment. They both gasped, and Tony stared into Salter's eyes, amazed at the fire he saw there. Where had this been hiding? Salter's free hand slid behind his head and pulled him in for another kiss. This one was hard, raw, and filled with low, needy sounds. Losing himself in it was easier than Tony would have imagined. He kissed and rocked, and before long he was humping. The fingers playing with his nipples disappeared, Salter tugging at the fastenings on his pants. "We're heading to a bad place again." He didn't back off, though, did he? Salter didn't even miss a beat. "There's nothing bad about mutual orgasms." Salter got Tony's pants open, and then his own. "No. No, I guess not." He stared down at Salter's cock, which was pushing up, hard as a rock and weirdly fascinating. Salter reached into Tony's pants and tugged out his cock, lying it next to Salter's. He stared at that, too. "Sorry. I know 48

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it looks a little..." Well. His cock was very red. And kind of wide. "Fucking sexy, Tony." Salter's hand wrapped around both cocks, the man watching as he stroked them together. "You—you think so?" It might be a stupid question the way Salter was stroking and moaning. He guessed the answer was kind of obvious. Salter nodded and grunted out a strained "do." "Good." That was good. Right? Shit, he didn't know anymore; he wasn't supposed to want this. Tony wrapped his hand over Salter's, moving it harder, faster. Moaning, Salter met his gaze. The man's eyes were full of heat, of promise and the big hand squeezed tighter around them, increasing the sensation. "More!" The word burst out of him, and he kissed Salter again to stop babbling. He would, given half the chance. Salter's free hand slid between them and tweaked his nipple again. Tony grunted, the white noise in his head surprising him. The static traveled up from the base of his spine and exploded right at the top of his neck, spilling into his brain and shorting him out. He came all over the place. Salter kept moving beneath him. The man bucked and dragged his hand along their cocks. "Sulfur," whispered Salter, and came. That had to be the single strangest experience in Tony's entire life. And considering how the last few days had gone? That was saying something. Salter panted, slowly catching his breath as he held Tony. 49

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He'd just had sex with a demon. Sure, a cute, sexy demon who he was majorly drawn to, but still. He wasn't usually drawn to demons. In fact he wasn't usually drawn to anyone at all. He was a loner. And he'd just broken all his own rules. He was having trouble caring. He was far more interested in Tony's prick. He wanted a closer look. He wanted a taste. Tony sort of sprawled against him, looking completely debauched, jeans down around his hips, legs spread. The skin under all those clothes was definitely not human, which was fucking hot, in a weird way. "I want to explore you without your clothes." "Hmm?" Those eyes opened, looking a little... smoky around the edges. "Are you sure? I mean, it may shock you a bit." "I don't shock so easy, Dantonion." "Tony." He got a tiny grin. "You call me that, you sound like my boss, and trust me, you don't want me thinking of him." "Everybody calls you Tony." He slid his hand down along Tony's body and found one of the sensitive little nipples again. "I'll call you T." "Uh-huh." The tiny touch had Tony rolling against him, panting. It was like the demon hadn't ever been really touched. Salter figured he could fix that. He liked touching Tony. He liked it a lot. "You have a bed?" 50

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"What? No, I sleep hanging like a bat." Tony pinched him. Hard. He stuck his tongue out at Tony and just barely resisted pinching back. "Then we should take this party there." "We could shower first." Tony wrinkled his nose. "I'm sticky." "I could shower." He'd have a good view of Tony's body that way. "Cool." Tony climbed off him and got up, holding out a hand to help him. He took Tony's hand with his and used the other to hold up his leather pants. Tony's fingers were long and slender, not like his meaty paws at all. The rest of Tony seemed tiny compared to him, too, except that thick red cock. It was kind of stunning. As soon as they were in Tony's little bathroom, he began stripping the demon, eager to see. Tony was pretty well cut under there, muscles from a gym, maybe. The skin was oddly colored, though, with a tracery of blue veins standing out all over. It wasn't off-putting, though. Not a bit. He traced the blue veins, fingers dancing lightly on Tony's skin. Then he bent and began to follow them with his tongue. "I. It doesn't bother you? That I'm so different?" "No. I like it. Human's are a dime a dozen." He liked the differences. A lot. "Not like you." Tony reached out, pushing at the rest of his clothes. "Trust me. You're not all created equal." He chuckled, letting Tony undress him, more flattered than he wanted to be over the compliments. 51

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Tony's hands closed around his cock, and the noise that Tony made was the best thing ever. Kind of awed. It felt good and he put his hand on Tony's, encouraged movement. "You... wow. You know, I never really thought about how this would feel." Tony could keep touching as long as he liked as far as Salter was concerned. "Feels fucking good is how it feels." "Yeah?" Man, Tony asked that a lot. There was no selfconfidence there. "Yeah. You are making me feel awesome. Gonna make me blow my top again if you keep it up." He could let Tony know just how good it felt. And if that got him more, then they were both winners. "I could go for that." There was a glint in Tony's eye that said something. Probably, 'this way he can't touch my ass again'. "Speaking of blowing..." He wasn't even asking for a blow job, or at least not just asking for one. He wanted to get up close and personal with that bad boy Tony'd revealed in his pants. He'd never sucked demon cock before. "Huh?" Those dark brows furrowed, Tony staring at him, head tilted. "Blowing—blow jobs? You know?" He made a circle with his mouth and bobbed his head. International hand gestures for blow job. "Oh." Laughing a little, Tony shrugged. "You'll have to show me how." "I can do that." He reached for Tony's cock, fascinated. 52

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"What is it with you?" Tony sounded almost accusing, but that cock was hard as a rock. "I've never been unable to say no." "You've never been with anyone like me before." He thought Tony needed more people he couldn't say no to in his life. "No. No, I haven't. Show me. I'll do it." Now that was an offer he had no intension of refusing. Grinning, he dropped to his knees. It was his first really up close look at Tony's cock, and he wasn't going to waste any more time checking it out. "Whoa." Staring down at him, Tony laughed. "You're remarkably tall." "Yeah, I'm a big guy." Smiling up at Tony a moment longer, he then turned back to that weird and magnificent cock. His tongue flicked out and he licked the tip. Moaning, Tony rocked, pushing against his lips. Someone was hungry. Starved for touch. Lucky for Tony he could hand out one or two or a few hundred. He wrapped his lips around the head, pulling it into his mouth. Tony tasted a little smoky, but mostly musky, male, and the flesh was not quite as silky as his own cock, but just as hot. Maybe even hotter. There was no way Tony could pass for human, though. No way. It was just damned cool. He loved the way the thick cock stretched his lips, and he bobbed his head, taking the first third or so in over and over. What could he say? He was an oral man. Of course he was anal, too, but he could wait for that. 53

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Tony's hands fell on his head, cradling his ears, but not hurting. Not a bit. He grabbed the base of Tony's cock and began stroking, fist meeting his mouth as he sucked. His other hand found Tony's balls and he rolled them. "Oh. Oh, oh. God." Tony sounded blown away. Amazed. Not a virgin. Right. Tony might have not have been a virgin in the strictest sense, but it seemed to Salter he was in all the ways that mattered. He kept sucking, intent on making Tony feel better than he ever had. From the sounds and shaking he figured it was working. Hell, that and it took Tony like, two minutes and those balls were drawing up, ready to burst, even though he'd already come. Salter wondered what demon come tasted like and figured he was about to find out. It had better not be too foul. He sucked harder—in for a penny, in for a pound. It turned out to be okay. Hotter than human, a little more smoky, but okay. And Tony, well, he thrashed and moaned and made like it was way better than okay. Like supernova good, maybe. Salter kept the suction up, knowing the best way to end a blow job was to keep it going as long as you could. Finally, he pulled slowly off and looked up at Tony with what he knew was his best shit-eating grin. "That's how you do a blow job." "Uh." Tony flopped back against the wall and blinked. A lot. "Okay." Feeling just as smug as could be, Salter leaned past Tony and turned on the shower. 54

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"What do I... Do I need to." Sighing, Tony smiled. "I feel awkward." He patted Tony on the ass. This wasn't the time or place for awkward. "Let's do the getting clean thing and worry about the rest later. I'll wash your back if you wash mine." "Okay." Nodding, Tony touched his chest, a jolt of fire going through him at the simple press of palm to skin. This was not going to be easy. Groaning, he pushed Tony into the shower and grabbed at the soap. They got lathered up, jumping nearly every time they touched. Damn. Damn it was good. Salter made sure to spend some time washing Tony's bits—first his cock and balls, fondling, bringing the red cock back to life. "I... Salter. Stop." There was nothing in the way Tony's body reacted that agreed with the words. "Just washing you, Tony." He slid his fingers around to fondle Tony's ass. It was a very nice ass and deserved more than a little fondling. "It's too much." No. It wasn't enough. "You're a funny guy, Tony." He slid his middle finger along Tony's crack, letting the tip press against Tony's hole as it went by. "Stop that right now." But Tony went up on tiptoe, hands on Salter's shoulders. "What? This?" He let his finger take the same route again, almost pushing it into Tony's hole this time. He could feel that big cock, hot and eager against his belly. 55

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"Yes. No! I mean... Damn it." Tony actually pushed back against his hand, just the tiniest bit. "I'll take care of you, T. Make it good for you." He let Tony's momentum pull in the tip of his finger. "Oh." The sound was surprised, breathy, a little panicked. Tony's body opened up like it was made for touching, though. "You're tight and hot inside. It's good." He grabbed one of Tony's legs and pulled it up, which gave him easier access to that hidden spot. "You said... you said you wouldn't." Tony was moving against him, cock stiff, muscles straining. "I'll stop. If you really want me to." He took Tony's mouth in a kiss so Tony couldn't say anything right away, would have a few seconds to feel, to really decide if he wanted to say no instead of giving the knee-jerk reaction Salter knew would come. That tight ass opened up a little more, Tony sinking back on his finger. Feel that heat. Instead of moving his finger, he encouraged Tony to keep moving back and forth so Tony was fucking himself. "You... No fair. If I do it, you aren't." Those dark eyes were heavy-lidded when Tony stared up at him, accusing. Didn't keep that ass from moving, keep Tony from fucking himself harder, though. He wasn't going to bother to argue the point. Actions were speaking way louder than words here. "Please." Tony was all but crawling up his body before sinking back down, panting, skin hot enough to make the water steam. 56

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"Have you got anything slippery?" "Slippery?" Those dazed eyes met his. "Shampoo?" "Yeah, that'll do." He searched the edges of the tub for a bottle of the stuff. It was violently green and smelled like apples, but it was nice and slick. Apples. Lord save him from diva demons. He removed his finger and slicked it and two others up with the shampoo. "You're going to like this," he promised. "Are you sure?" Tony laughed, but it was strained to the point of breaking. "I'm something of a prude." "You didn't seem like much of prude just now." He slid his fingers back along Tony's crack, finding that eager little hole again, pressing his advantage while he still had it. "I'm simply bemused. Wait until I get my head back on straight." "I think I like you better with it on crooked." He winked and slipped two fingers into that amazing heat. "Uhn." Tony made the most amazing noise, stumbling against him, clinging hard. He could feel all those sweet muscles firing, contracting and releasing. He pushed his fingers in as far as the first knuckle and wiggled them around. That climbing thing started again, Tony rubbing up on him like nobody's business. "Need more." Someone wasn't protesting now, were they? "You got it." He pushed his fingers deep. "No. I need..." Tony wiggled, the solid, sturdy body somehow more dense than a human's. "Bed. I need to go to bed." He figured Tony didn't mean for a nap. 57

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"Okay, we can do that." He was easy. Hell, being horizontal would make everything easier. "Okay." Tony didn't move. Just hung there and stared at him. Chuckling, Salter leaned over and managed to turn the water off. Then he got them out of the shower and grabbed a towel one-handed, half drying Tony. "That. Your fingers. Moving." Tony was almost not making sense. It was cool. "Yep. And just you wait, there's something special coming." As long as Tony had the same little spot he did. "There is?" Tony wrapped both legs around his waist, letting him lumber to the bedroom. There was only the one other door in the hall, and he figured, correctly, that it led to where they wanted to be. He just prayed the bed wasn't small. Salter half expected the room to look like a monk's cell. It didn't. It was a jumble of fabric and cushions, the bed taking up half the room. Oh, good. It was a nice size, even a big man like himself would be comfortable in it. Grinning, he took Tony right over to it and climbed on in. "Voila. Bed." Tony patted his chest, looking so proud. Doof. "Uh-huh. You have slick stuff in here?" Because he was going to need more than what little shampoo he'd managed to slick Tony up with. "Um. Lotion. In the bedside table." Oh, good man. Demon. Whatever. He leaned over Tony, letting their bodies rub as he grabbed the lotion. 58

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"Oh." Tony bucked, fingers digging into Salter's skin. "Yes." Tony was doing pretty damn good for a so-called prude. Salter figured Tony just hadn't had the right kind of sex yet— good sex. He grabbed the lube and slicked up his fingers, letting the tube drop next to him so it was within easy reach on their next step. Tony spread for him like hot butter, opening up. It was kind of stunning. He rubbed his fingers against Tony's hole and then slid two inside again, watching as Tony pulled the fingers in. "I can't... I need. Damn it, would you just fuck me, already?" Tony was wagging his hips, pushing and pulling. Salter bit back his laughter. Now there was a change in tune. "I can do that." "Now? I might go up in smoke. Tony a la phoenix." Tony sure was pretty when he begged. "So we established earlier that what I've heard about how demons can't catch or pass on diseases is true, right?" He was willing to take Tony's word for it, but he wasn't willing to go on the hearsay he'd picked up on the street. "In my case, yes." He got a teasing grin. "There are some that carry leprosy. Beware of those." Salter made a face. "Ew. Let's not lose the mood here." So not where he wanted his brain to be at. He slicked his prick up with Tony's lotion. "Right. Though in my circles, that can be a turn-on." They were definitely losing it. Tony had stopped moving. 59

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Salter put his lips against Tony's to get the guy to just shut up, and then he pressed three fingers into Tony's ass as his tongue fucked Tony's mouth. There. Better. Tony moaned into the kiss and held on tight, starting that slow hip roll again. Sensual fucker. And Salter would bet Tony'd never known he had this inside him. He pushed and searched with his fingers. Would Tony even have a prostate? His fingers found a bump, slightly larger than the average human's, and Tony screamed, body writhing... So yeah. Must have. Grinning, he nudged it again. Shit, this was going to be fun. Well, it was sex, of course it was, but with Tony being so damn sensual and not even knowing it? Yeah. He didn't think they were going to get a whole lot of sleep. Tony started babbling at that point, something Salter would have to remember. He could get the guy to tell him anything. He finally couldn't wait any longer—he wanted in with his cock. He pulled his fingers out and slicked up his prick. "Ready, T?" "Yes. Yeah. Si. Oui. Jesus fucking Christ!" Look who could be profane all of a sudden. "Good." He lined up and began to push in. A long, low curse sounded. Salter knew it was a curse, even if it wasn't English. Or human. Then Tony sank back, taking him deep-deep. "Fuck! Damn. T." He groaned, Tony tight around his cock. 60

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"Probably. I imagine..." Tony stopped and wiggled, getting him positioned even better, "We're both damned." Salter chuckled. "For this? I don't think so." He began to move, pushing into Tony's body again and again. It felt far more like Heaven than Hell. "No. No, this is good." He would swear that the hand that reached back to hold his hip had claws now. He let it go, though, in favor of enjoying every single moment, every way that Tony's ass held and caressed his cock. The heat inside Tony's body was incredible, and the strength of those muscles had him grunting, gasping. Tony moaned, over and over, Salter's name coming out in broken syllables. He pushed one hand into Tony's hair, finding Tony's horns and grabbing hold. "Salter. Salter. SalterSalterSalter." Tony chanted, rocking hard against the cradle of his hips. "Yeah." He wasn't much of a talker himself, but that didn't' mean it wasn't blowing his mind. He wrapped a hand around Tony's cock and started tugging. "Uhn!" That shut Tony right up, like all that poor, overloaded body could do was breathe and squeeze. It was damn good and Salter worked harder, pounding into Tony's ass and working his prick. Tony stiffened beneath him, cock all but blazing in his hand. Salter wouldn't be surprised if they went up in flames when the guy came. He wanted it anyway. "Come on, T. Gimme." "I. Mnuh?" Salter got what he asked for. Tony shot, hollering his fool head off, his whole body convulsing. 61

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Salter'd never felt anything so tight and he moaned, his cock going hard-hard and then shooting. "Good." Caveman demon. That's what Tony was turning into. Grunts and clicks. Salter grinned and collapsed onto Tony. They lay there, panting, until the amazing heat started to ebb a little. Tony's body temperature returned to something close to normal in a pretty short amount of time. Salter pulled out carefully and rolled to lie behind Tony. He was spooning with a demon. "That was..." "Shh." Tony patted his hand, which had wrapped around Tony's waist. "Talking bad. Hush good." Damn. Tony was a man—or demon—after his own heart. All there was left to do was the napping. Then the snacking. He put his head on Tony's shoulder and closed his eyes, drifting off. Tony woke up in a cold sweat panic, his heart racing. There was something on top of him, something warm and heavy and trying to smother him. Was he back in the Pit? Then the something on top of him snuffled and belched, and Tony sighed, relaxing back on the bed. Salter. Oh. This was a very, very bad idea. His ass twitched, the little twinge reminding him that he'd let Salter go where no one else ever had. Ever. Not even in the Pit. Damn. He whacked Salter with his elbow. Hard. 62

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Salter groaned and shifted slightly, hands sliding over his hip. "That was not foreplay, you oaf." He would have to start out like he could hold out. Admitting that he rather liked Salter, and that he loved the man's cock, was never going to work. One of Salter's eyes opened. "Huh?" "Get off." He needed to... to do something. Move. Pace. Eat a box or Oreos. "You're ready to go again already?" "No!" No. His cock was not saying hello. Not waving. No. "I guess 'get off' means something different in your world than it does in mine." Despite his protests, Salter's hand slid along his chest and downward. "Please. I have to... I need to pee." He didn't, but it would give him a moment. "You sure?" Salter's hand had found his cock and was doing wicked things to it. "No." What was it about Salter that made the truth pop out of his mouth? He wasn't sure about anything. "Oh, good." Salter chuckled, the sound husky. The hand around his cock began to move. "Oh. Yes. That feels good." Salter's hand tightened and sharp teeth nipped at his earlobe in response. His back arched, his ass pushed back, and Tony's nipples tightened like they were connected to his cock with invisible strings. Oh, he was so owned. Salter made a rumbling noise and sucked in his earlobe, teeth continuing to worry it. 63

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"I. Can I turn around?" He would really like to taste and touch, too. "Yeah. Come here and get a piece of me." "Thank you." He was polite, if nothing else. Always fall back on manners, his mentor had once told him. Tony flipped like a cheese omelet, hands on Salter's chest. Salter's mouth closed over his. Just like that, no warming, just boom, kissing. Tony closed his eyes and let himself get lost in the feeling. Bad idea or no, Salter made him experience things he never thought he would. Salter's cock pushed against his, against his belly, the man hot and muscled and good to touch. The chest was fuzzy, the arms well-made, bulging with muscle. Tony liked the feel of Salter's skin best, though, especially in the hidden places, where it was soft. Salter was responsive, too, groaning and moaning for him. The man didn't use words, but Tony still knew what he was doing was being enjoyed. He plucked at Salter's nipples, remembering how that had made him feel. It had to go both ways; he seemed to remember proving that earlier. "Fuck!" Salter jerked and pushed into him. "More?" He grinned a little. Go him and the nipple pinching. "Yeah. That's a good one." Salter pinched one of his nipples, too. He jumped, his breath hitching in his chest. He'd never really understood what that meant, actually, until now. "It's sexy," murmured Salter against his mouth. "You're sexy." 64

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"Am I?" It made him shake his head, the whole sexy thing. He was a dork, even for a demon... Salter found one of his horns and stroked it. "Yeah, you are. I don't say that to a lot of people." "I like that." The horn thing. It made his eyes cross. Made him wonder what life would be like if he hadn't had his tail docked. "This?" Salter kept fondling it, fingers rubbing at the tip of it. "Uh-huh. That. Right there." He couldn't help it. It made his hips roll. He just might do anything to keep Salter from stopping. "You have a button!" "I do not!" Okay, maybe he did. It felt like Salter could do that and Tony's legs would fall open. "No?" Salter used both hands, each one caressing and rubbing. "S-Salter..." He panted, rocking, hips moving faster and faster. No one could come from horn rubbing. Right? "This is great." Salter kept rubbing, thumbs working the tips of them. "Stop it. No fair." He'd said that more in the last day than he had in... Oh. "Right there." "Let me try something." Salter shifted, moved up and took one of Tony's horns in his mouth, began sucking and licking. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he was surprised fire didn't shoot right out of his cock. That felt like Armageddon. Salter kept it up, leg sliding between his legs, offering him a 65

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place to rub against. Tony took it, straddling the thick muscles. He rubbed, the feeling so huge, so amazing. Salter hummed, the sound vibrating through his horn. His body shook, his whole world crashing down around his ears with pleasure. Tony shot, his teeth rattling. Salter's tongue flicked across the tip of his horn and then he slowly shifted back down so they were face to face again. "You. You." He stammered, trying to find words. "No—you. You have a button." Salter winked, arms going around him, holding him close, not letting him pull away. "You're." Frustrating, amazing, hot as all hell. Tony sighed. "You're okay, Salter." "Yeah, so are you." Well, that was better than nothing. Maybe he could go for better than that, though. "I could, um, suck you." "You'd do that for me?" "I would." He wanted to, in fact. "Do I... do you need to wash up first?" That seemed like a good idea, after what they'd done pre-nap. Salter chuckled. "I had a feeling you weren't just going to go down on me." "Hey, I've done more of... that kind of thing in the last twelve hours than I have my whole life." Tony puffed up a bit. "Allow me some fastidiousness." Salter chuckled and the hand that stroked his cheek was gentle. "I was surprised you offered actually. Pleased, though. You want another shower or should I just go pass a cloth over the bits in question?" "Just wash up." Tony grinned a little. "I like how we smell." 66

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"Oh-ho!" Salter laughed and hauled himself out of the bed. "I'll be right back." "Okay." He'd wait. He would. He would not get cold feet and run. Nope. Not a bit. Salter pressed a hot, hard kiss on him and then the man got up and headed out of the room, ass swaying as he walked. Tony watched, mesmerized a little. To keep from freaking out due to lack of visual stimulation, though, he lay back and closed his eyes, thinking about Salter inside him. Hot and large, it had felt different than he'd ever imagined. Now he knew, though, and he was very afraid he would become addicted before he and Salter split ways. Which would be soon, he imagined. If the Tail and the once-human murderer were indeed working together, they wouldn't be able to hide. Salter came back before he could think about it for long enough to decide he was going to get cold feet after all. The front view was every bit as tantalizing as the back view had been. Maybe more. Things bounced, things stuck up... wow. Big things. Salter was probably more impressive naked than he was all decked out in his hunter gear. And that was saying something. Coming to stand by the bed, Salter put his hands on his hips. "Your offer still open?" "You know it." He wasn't the kind to back out on a promise. "Come here." Salter climbed onto the bed and moved toward him. "How do you want me?" 67

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"Um." He tilted his head, pondering. "Why don't you sit up by the headboard?" Salter moved easily, muscles flexing and releasing in the best ways. Especially the ass muscles. He propped a pillow behind him and spread his legs, arms going along the top of the headboard. "Come and get me." Tony crawled up between Salter's legs, licking his lips. He had to spend a little time touching, just to learn that hard body now that he had a chance. Salter rumbled and moaned, pushing into his touches. He stroked Salter's chest, then traced a path down the ridged abs. He had a feeling Salter worked out a lot, just on the job. Those muscles moved for him, Salter taking a breath and catching it. "Mmm." He licked Salter's neck, tasting salt and man, so human. So fragile. "Yeah, don't stop." One of Salter's arms left its perch on his headboard and slid through his hair, brushing by his horns with an almost not there touch. "Oh. Don't derail me, now." He grinned a little, his forefingers and thumbs plucking at Salter's nipples. Salter groaned and the hand on his head tightened, but left his horns alone. Tony mouthed his way down Salter's neck, biting at one collarbone. Then he worked down, licking at the little swirl of navel. Salter jerked, cock pushing against his chin. Tony finally bent and licked at the head, tasting Salter's essence. It was almost better than having the man inside him. More intimate, somehow. Every muscle in Salter's body froze and he made an encouraging noise. 68

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"Mmm. Good?" Tony licked again, then sucked the head right in. "Shit, yes." Salter's hips jerked and then relaxed back against the mattress. "Don't stop." No. No, he couldn't stop now. He was an information gatherer, right? He had to know what Salter felt like, tasted like when he came. So it wasn't the information he usually gathered. So what? Salter began to leak, drops that coated his tongue. Tony moaned, his eyes closing as his cheeks hollowed out. Oh, he needed that. So amazing. Salter didn't talk, but he did make noises, hips jerking the smallest bit, like Salter was trying to hold back, to not move. Grabbing Salter's hips, Tony sucked harder, giving silent permission for Salter to really go to town. Salter began to hump up into his mouth, slowly at first, gently. He had to remember to breathe. That was the big thing. He remembered not to use his teeth, too. A sound close to a whimper came from Salter and he moved faster, pushed deeper. Yes. Tony hummed, the happy sound surprising him. His hands slipped around to grab Salter's tight ass. "T!" Salter's body moved into his mouth and then back onto his hands. "Good. Damn." Yeah. Yeah, it was good." Feeling very brave, Tony reached down and cupped Salter's ballsac, rolling it a tiny bit. "Nngh!" Salter slammed up, cock pushing into Tony's throat. He swallowed without thinking, his throat closing around Salter's flesh. 69

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"Yes!" Salter shouted again and come pulsed from the hot cock to shoot down Tony's throat. That surprised him somehow, being so strong, so rich. Tony swallowed, though, working to keep it all in. Salter came and came and then collapsed back against the bed with a groan. One big hand patted his head, thumb brushing across his horn. "Good. Shit, T, I thought you'd never done that before." "I haven't. I'm an exceptional observer, though." He licked his lips; they felt swollen and hot. "I'll say." Salter grinned and tugged at him. "Come up here and give me a kiss." Tony went, feeling weird about letting Salter taste himself, but willing anyway. A kiss would be nice. Their lips pressed together, and Salter's tongue swept into his mouth. The kiss was like the icing on the cake. It made Tony happy deep inside. Of course, that was when he expected the crashing other shoe to drop and bring brimstone with it. All that happened, though, was that one kiss turned into another and then another. Tony leaned against the wide chest and let the kisses ease him down, make him melt. He needed to enjoy this while he could. Salter touched him while they kissed, big hands hot on his skin. Tony finally just leaned on Salter's chest, his head sinking to one wide shoulder. "We need to make a plan, huh?" "Yep. Sun'll go down in a couple hours and we should be ready to move. We can't let Fosse get anyone else." "I know." There was the Tail, too. It would be bad. "Are you ready for what we're going to be walking into?" 70

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"No." That was the one question he knew the answer to right now. Definitively. "No, I'm not." Salter thought the Hotel Flamingo was a rather innocuous name for a place where rape and torture and who only knew what went on. The place reeked of evil, though. He didn't have any special talents himself, but even a normal human like him could almost see the black aura that surrounded the place despite the fact it was a nice hotel on the surface. He figured if this Fosse and Tail thing didn't work out, he could just go through the various rooms, busting people, and he'd probably have enough cash racked up to retire on before he'd made it off the first floor. Fosse and Tail were who he was here for, though, and he didn't like to come up short. They'd picked up his beat up old Civic from the garage he'd parked in before tracking down Tony in the first place and were currently ensconced in it, complete with the worst cup of coffee he'd ever tasted, surveilling the place. "This is foul. Do you know what level of Hell someone who makes this kind of coffee goes to?" Tony asked. He raised his eyebrow. "No, I don't know." "Seven, at least." Tony grimaced. "Tell me again why we're just sitting here?" "Getting the lay of the land. Waiting to see if our marks are going to show up, or if we have to go in there and browbeat the desk clerk into telling us their whereabouts. Seven, eh? Remind me never to make coffee again." "Do you make bad coffee?" One dark brow winged up. "You poor man." 71

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"That's why they invented coffee shops." "Right." Tony patted his leg. "You just keep telling yourself that. Making good coffee is a sign of evolution." "Says the demon." "Hey, I should know." Tony sat up straight next to him. "Look. The guy in the overcoat." He leaned forward, eyes taking the man in. "Fosse." If they could get him before he even went in... "Come on." "Right behind you." Tony was, too. Very solidly behind him, hiding behind his bulk. He strode toward their target and just before Fosse got to the doors he called out. "Malcolm Fosse." The man turned, red eyes glinting at Salter through the gloom. "I don't know you." He let his duster billow out as he continued to walk, giving him easy access to his guns. "No, but I know you." "Really. And what do you and your pet demon want with me?" Fosse had a slimy kind of charm to him, a sense of magnetism that Salter knew the lower element of society would have trouble ignoring. Hell, he'd bet anyone the least bit ready to be bent would have trouble ignoring Fosse. "There's someone who wants to see you, and I'm here to escort you to him." And if Fosse would come quietly, that's how he'd take the guy, but he'd really be more comfortable if the man was tied up and under control before bringing him back to Dasai. "Ah." Fosse shook his head, studying one fingernail. "Well, I have no wish to see him." 72

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"You don't have much choice. Aside from do you want to just come with me or do you want me to drag you there kicking and screaming." He kept moving forward in slow increments. He could feel Tony a few steps behind him; the guy knew when to stay out of the way. He liked that. "Kicking and screaming works." The guy moved fast. Really fast, sweeping in and trying to take his legs out. It made it hard to believe Fosse was already dead. Salter jumped to the side, hand sweeping back to indicate to Tony to get back. With his other hand he pulled out his gun with the salt rounds. They wouldn't kill Fosse, but they'd slow him down better than regular rounds. Tony rolled off to one side, quiet, not trying to distract him. It was his own fault if he was a little worried. He backed out of the way of a swing from Fosse and got off a shot, sending Fosse stumbling back a couple of steps. Pressing his advantage, he shot again. Damn it, his binding rope was in the back seat of the car, which wasn't going to do him much good here on the street. All he could do was keep firing, keep Fosse on the defensive. "Salter! Back left!" He heard the rushing of footsteps just behind Tony's cry, felt the sting of something hard and sharp slice through the leather and cloth covering his shoulder. If it wasn't for Tony, it would have cut deep into his skin and muscle, too. He rolled forward to get out of the way of another hit and swung both legs, taking Fosse's out from under him. The ghoul went down hard and Salter slammed Fosse's head into the sidewalk before coming up to face his rear attacker. 73

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The demon was big. Damned big. He might pass for human when he wasn't pissed off, but right now his gaping maw, double row of teeth and huge fucking tail made him stand out. Well, at least now he understood why the bounty on the Tail was substantial enough he could take a couple years off if he collected it. He backed away a few steps, grabbing his gun with the silver bullets in one hand and the knife from his boot in the other. He kept an ear open for any indication Fosse was coming around, but most of his focus was on the motherfucker in front of him. He heard a grunt, the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Looked like Tony had joined the game. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be having any effect on the Tail, and Salter wondered briefly if anything would. There was only one way to find out. He jumped at the Tail, bringing his knife in toward the demon's belly. The thing roared, swatting him to one side like he was a flea. The acrid smell of brimstone filled the air. Shit, he was woefully underpowered here. Growling, he shouted back and aimed the knife at the Tail's neck, sending it sailing through the air. The blade sank deep, but it was like a dart in a dartboard. The Tail yanked it out and tossed it aside, then kept on coming. Salter got off several rounds with his gun. That had a little more effect, but not quite enough to give him hope that the Tail was going to be taken out any time soon. Tony went 74

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flying past him, toward the damned Tail, arms and legs flailing. Damn it. Tony was going to get himself killed. Roaring, Salter pulled out his other gun and began firing. Arms, legs, torso, he wasn't very picky over what he hit, he just wanted to make sure Tony wasn't torn in two. "Shit!" The word sounded kind of hilarious in Tony's prissy voice, but his own personal demon rolled out of the way, putting a good bit of room between the sturdy, compact body and the big Tail. Salter kept firing and he'd be damned if that wasn't slowing the monstrous demon down. If he could get to the car he could grab his shotgun. A couple of blasts from it ought to be enough to get the Tail bound with his special rope and then he could make good on his deliveries. He started inching around toward his vehicle. That was when Fosse bum-rushed him, taking him down in a flying tackle. Something hard jabbed into his ribs, jolting him hard enough to make him grunt. He rolled, punching Fosse, twice in the face and once in the gut, hard. Blood spurted from Fosse's nose, which gave him hope. The man could still bleed. He grabbed Fosse's head and banged it into the pavement a few times, hoping to knock the man out again. Just long enough for him to deal with the Tail. Fosse moaned, eyes rolling, and hit him in the ribs once more, but it was a weak effort. Tony rolled up beside him, whacking Fosse with a piece of metal. God knew where it had come from. "Go. I've got him." 75

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"There's binding rope in the car." With that parting shot, he dove for the Civic's back passenger door. He managed to get it open and get his hands on the shotgun before a clawed hand grabbed him and tossed him back onto the road. Grunting, he rolled and tried to get back to his feet. The tip of the demon's tail smacked into his chest, the sharp end all but opening him up. A line of fire sprang up where it had touched him. But when he flew back, he landed against the damned car. Somehow, he'd kept hold of the shotgun and he brought it up, aimed and shot. The Tail went flying back, the shot taking him in the chest. Thank God. Not indestructible. "Tony? You got Fosse?" "Yeah. Yeah, I got him." Tony was trussing Fosse up like a Thanksgiving turkey. "Excellent!" He searched in the back of the car for more of the binding rope. The Tail roared, and he heard Tony yelp, the sound highpitched and worrisome. He turned, bringing the shotgun up, ready to fire again. Salter processed the scene in an instant. Fosse was out of the game, tied up like a calf or something, blood seeping from a wound at his temple that Salter hadn't put there. The Tail, though, he was up, fully capable, and holding Tony in front of him. That long, prehensile tail wrapped around Tony's neck. He had a couple of choices. He could take out the Tail, but the demon would likely take out Tony before Salter succeeded in his goal. Two days ago he wouldn't have even thought 76

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twice. A demon was a small price to pay to send another back to Hell and collect a bounty like the massive one on the Tail's head. Today, he didn't have to think twice either. He lowered his gun. "Let him go and I'll return the favor." The massive head tilted, the gaping maw opening to let the demon taste the air, as if to lick his words and see if they rang true. Tony, though, he just stared. "I'm not in the habit of lying. Let him go. Now." He slowly put the shotgun on the ground. The Tail backed up two more steps, putting some distance between them, motioning for him to move away from the gun. He could see Tony's face starting to turn a little purple. He backed up a couple of steps. "Now. You have to let him go now." He would swear a grin split that crazy-assed face, like literally. Then Tony was flying through the air toward him, the Tail disappearing in a swirl of scaled skin. He braced himself to catch Tony, both of them going down as he took the weight of the demon. "Sorry. Sorry." Tony lifted up and stared at him for half a second, those dark eyes wide and amazed. Then Tony grunted, that hard body jerking against him before his demon passed right out, slumping down on Salter's chest. Salter held onto Tony and worked on catching his breath again. Tony watched Salter carefully out of the corner of his eye. He didn't know when or where the pent up frustration was going to boil over, but eventually it would have to. 77

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They'd taken Fosse to Dasai. All in all, it had been far easier than Tony had expected, but then, Salter was a true demon hunter. One axe-murderer escapee from Hell wasn't so bad, right? The worst part had been watching Dasai dispatch with Fosse. The Boss had show up, and while he hadn't said a word to Tony, it was clear that they needed to Talk. Tony hated Talking. He'd left with Salter, though, because it was his fault that they'd lost the Tail, so he was going to help Salter get the big guy. Salter growled as they left Dasai's place. "Your Boss gives me the creeps." Tony didn't imagine there was much that did. "He's special." Special enough to drag himself out of the primordial ooze one soul at a time, earning himself a place on earth, with a mansion and servants... "Yeah, that's one word for it." Salter checked his guns. "I need to reload, and we need to rethink our strategy with that motherfucker of a demon." "Yeah. Okay. Uh. My place?" Tony really wanted his Magic Fingers chair. "Oh! Or a hotel. One with a hot tub." "Yeah. I'd rather my arms dealer didn't know where you lived. I've got just the place." Salter made his way to the beat up old car and unlocked it. "Yeah?" He was learning to trust Salter. The man wouldn't take him to a fleabag place once he'd expressed a wish for a hot tub. 78

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"It's not much to look at from the outside, but that keeps the wrong sort out." Salter started up the car and quickly got them on the road. "I'll call my dealer once we're there." "Okay." His body started to ache the moment he stopped moving. Jesus, he was sore. Salter looked over at him, eyes focused, sharp. "You all right?" "Hmm? Oh, my back is sore where he stung me that last time." Right before he'd passed out, like some heroine from a romance novel. And just like that heroine, he'd come to in Salter's arms. "I'll take a look at it when we get to our room." "Thanks. You, um. You okay?" He'd seen blood, but it hadn't been serious, he knew. Salter wasn't limping or favoring anything. "A few scratches." Salter gave him a wide grin. "I've had worse—I'll live." "Oh, good. That seems very important just now." He gave Salter a smile in return, wobbly as it was. There went that damn eyebrow. "It does, does it?" "Yeah. Strangely..." His skin felt too tight, his breath hitching in his chest. "I can live with that." "Oh, good." Tony sat back, trying to make his brain work. It was easier said than done. Salter had shifted his world view a bit. It wasn't long at all before they were pulling up into the parking lot of a run down hotel that looked as if it might have been quite something in its heyday. It had that art deco look 79

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that Tony had always admired, but he thought he might be disappointed in the hot tub department. Damn. Salter all but dragged him into the place, making only a quick stop at the front desk where money and keys exchanged hands. "We're on the fourth floor." The elevator was waiting for them. "Does this thing work?" He didn't want to climb the stairs, but the elevator had a cage door, and appeared less than safe. If they'd been here looking for the Tail he would have thought it was a trap. Salter only chuckled and hauled him in, closing the cage door and pressing the button for the fourth floor. To his surprise, the elevator began moving without a sound. He blinked, rocking back and forth from toes to heels. His balance was a little off. Salter frowned at him. One hand grabbed his arm. "You're not okay. Something's wrong." "Huh? I'm fine!" Except he wasn't. He should be healing faster than this. "I hope that tail isn't poisonous," muttered Salter, arm going round him. "Me too." It might not be to Salter and might be to him, actually. Demons worked like that. Damn. "Let's get you inside and get you undressed, take a look." With that worried note in Salter's voice, the words didn't even sound suggestive. The elevator stopped and Salter led him through a dilapidated but clean hall to a room at the back. Salter 80

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opened the door and Tony's jaw dropped. It was clean, neat, and modern inside. There was a big bed, a television, and a hot tub over in one corner of the room. "Wow. Oh, look at this." The bed was huge. Tony couldn't decide where to go first. Bed. Hot tub. Bed. Hot tub. "The bathroom's good, too. Big shower, lots of room. Get naked." "Okay." Suddenly he was feeling better. The prospect of lot of water and Salter had him stripping down fast, ignoring the twinges. Salter might not be feeling suggestive, but he was. As soon as he was naked, Salter made a slow circle around him. The man whistled. "Shit, your back looks like pizza." "Yeah? Well, that probably means it's not poison. He just beat me a lot harder than I knew." He ducked his head. "I was distracted." "Looked to me like you were nearly passed out." Salter touched his throat; it surprised him how much it hurt. "He had a pretty good choke-hold going on you." "Yeah." He hadn't been scared for himself, really. He'd been afraid Salter would rush the Tail and that he'd get in the way and get Salter killed. "I'm not even sure how to clean this up, T. We could go to the hospital, otherwise all I can really do is wrap it..." "No. No hospitals. It will heal up fine if we stick it together, kinda." Poor Salter. Demon anatomy was a mystery to Tony sometimes, and he was one. "Okay, it's your back. I've got gauze and medical tape— either of those sound right?" 81

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"Tape. The gauze will grow in." He headed for the shower. "Let's get cleaned up first, huh?" "You sure you don't mind the water getting into the wound?" Salter was already stripping off, leaving a trail of clothes and weapons. "I'm sure." He checked the wound on Salter's chest. "Your leather makes good armor, babe." "It does. It also makes me look tough." Salter lifted his chin, thumb running softly over what had to be a bruise, the way the touch made it ache. "You look tough all beat up." "I'm not tough." He was going to take the compliment, though, especially as it was from Salter. And beg a kiss. "No? You went mano-a-mano with the Tail. No, that's not right. Demono-a-Demono?" Salter chuckled. "Whatever. It was hot." "I wasn't thinking." He hadn't been. He'd been protecting his human. His human. That had happened sometime around the 'we' he suspected. "Or you wouldn't have done it." Salter threw his head back and gave an out and out guffaw. "You'll live longer if you think about things, then." Salter got the water running, turning to do it and giving him an eyeful of the man's awesome ass. Tony wasn't thinking now, either. He just reached out and grabbed, squeezing. Oh, so warm. Salter jerked slightly and then pushed back into his hands. "That's about the only part of me that isn't currently bruised and battered." 82

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"I know. It's really very perfect." It was so muscled and well-shaped. "Mmm. I'm glad you think so." Salter stayed bent over, letting him have his way with the man's ass. Tony felt his way down the crease to the hole, his fingers slipping along. Then he lost his nerve and reached around for Salter's cock. Salter stood and took a step back, pressing up against him. It gave him better access, too. Tony rubbed his cock against Salter's butt, the jolt of sensation telling him he was hard. It surprised him. "Feel that. Someone's ready. You gonna do me in the shower? Or you wanna get done?" "I want you to do me." His butt was fine. His back would heal. He just... Salter didn't seem like a do-ee. It was nice, though, that Salter had made the offer. "You got it." Salter turned and took his chin, tilted it. The kiss was hard and needy. Tony let the kiss transport him, taking him away from everything but Salter. He needed this, so badly. Salter's hands slid around to grab his ass and squeeze. "Mmm." That was much better than Salter touching his back or poking at bruises. Much. Salter tugged them together, their cocks pushing and sliding. "Oh..." Tony rocked, his mouth opening for another kiss. He held on, his nails digging into Salter's upper arms. Salter's tongue fucked his mouth, while hot fingers slid along his crack. Gasping, Tony pushed back and opened up. He knew this now; he wasn't afraid. 83

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"I like the new attitude," growled Salter, one hot finger finding his hole, the tip pushing in. "Thanks. I just needed to get my priorities in order." Tony figured after the Tail, Salter was a piece of cake. Salter wanted to give him pleasure, not pain. "That's handy—my cock and your ass are a priority for me, too." Salter gave him a wink and pushed that finger deeper into him, wriggling it around. "More!" He was ready now, thank you. Now. He had to have Salter in him. "Let me grab the shampoo." "Yes. Now. Please." His toes curled, trying to find purchase on the tile. Salter pulled him into the shower, the hot water hitting his skin. Salter found a little bottle of shampoo with the hotel's name on it and waved it at him. "Got it." "Oh, good." He turned, pressing his hands to the shower wall. The water pelted his back, but it was helping, not hurting, so Tony went with it. "Come on, Salter. You always get your demon, right?" "I do. You're the first I've gotten like this, though." Two of Salter's fingers pushed at him, slid in. "Gonna be the last, too." How Salter had become so important so fast, Tony didn't know. Damn it, he was, though. Salter chuckled, fingers twisting, but then he said softly, "Yeah, I imagine you are. First, last, one and only."

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"Please." He bore down, squeezing down on Salter's fingers, promising more to come if Salter gave him that enormous cock. Gracious. He'd turned into a cock-hound. Who knew? He certainly hadn't. Salter spread the shampoo and got him all slick inside, then the man's fingers disappeared. Which had better mean the big cock was coming up. Then it was there, pressing against his hole, Salter holding it there. Tony took a deep breath, then let it out, relaxing his muscles as he pushed back. He wanted that cock. Now. Salter got the message and the thick cock pushed into him. Tony pressed back, his back arching, and he could feel the wounds healing. Maybe he'd just needed a shot of Salter. "Fuck." Salter repeated it a few times and then groaned and began thrusting. In and out, nice and hard. Tony nodded, shaking water out of his eyes, off his horns. His body shook, his cock so hard it ached. Pumping into him over and over, Salter kept the pace steady until, finally, he wrapped a hand around Tony's prick. Tony cried out, standing up, rocking back so he rested back against Salter's chest, his feet leaving the floor. "Oh. Oh, oh, oh." Salter didn't miss a beat, free arm wrapping around his chest and supporting him. Tony rocked, his feet touching the tile, his mostly healed back up against Salter's chest. It felt so good. So solid. Salter's mouth slid over his neck, teeth gnawing at his skin as the man slowly fucked him. His balls drew up, the whole 85

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notion of Salter giving up a capture for him sort of stunning him all over again, letting him know this wasn't just about the fucking. They could say it was, but he knew better. "Come on," growled Salter, biting down hard. "Yes!" That was it. Orgasm on demand. Tony came so hard he saw stars, and it seemed so sudden, so damned unexpected right at that moment that his shout turned into a shriek a little. Salter's movements slowed; the thrusts became deeper and more deliberate. "Almost..." Tony gritted his teeth and tried to squeeze, not at all sure he could do it again. The finger thing might have been a fluke. "T!" Salter shouted it out, hips driving the big cock deep one more time. Then Salter was coming and Tony could feel it. He could feel Salter's spunk filling him. Moaning, he drooped back against Salter's chest. "That was... Thank you." Salter patted his belly. "You, too." His head lolled like a baby's, his neck refusing to support him. "What—what do we do now?" "We finish our shower, we get something to eat and we nap." That sounded far better than thinking too far into the future. Tony liked it. "Hot tub, too. You promised." "Shit. Of all the demons I had to hook up with the one with hedonistic tendencies." Somehow, it didn't sound like a complaint. 86

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One of the best things about the hotel was the room service. The food was always hot and tasty, and tonight had been no exception. For a demon his size, Tony could sure pack away the food. Still, a good meal—or two in Tony's case—an hour in the hot tub and another go round in the orgasm department and Tony's injuries were practically non-existent. Even the horrible mess that had been Tony's back was practically back to normal, the skin a little pink, but otherwise whole. Salter shifted his arm, his shoulder aching nicely. He wouldn't mind if a little bit of that healing thing rubbed off on him. He'd been trying not to disturb Tony, who was using him half as mattress, half as pillow, but he'd finally needed to move. He pushed the pillows around and got more comfortable, grunting out a "Sorry" for disturbing Tony. "No problem." Tony nibbled at him a little, the amazing, almost prehensile tongue coming out to taste him. He reached up and idly played with one of Tony's horns. There was a lot about the guy that had surprised him, like how sensitive the little bumps were. "Stop that." Tony shivered, which belied the prim tone. He smiled, but didn't laugh. He did keep touching, though. He liked that Tony had a button. He liked a lot of things about Tony. Heck, he liked how Tony was on a job, too, once the guy had started working with him, instead of being indifferent. "So will you go after the Tail?" 87

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"Have you seen the bounty on the Tail's head? You bet I'm going after him." There was also a certain amount of pride involved. When he said he was bringing someone in, he brought them in. "Oh." Tony licked his nipple, tongue sort of... curling. "Do you, um, need some help?" Salter let the pleasure tingle through him, focused on that for a moment, his nipple going hard for Tony. The thing was, he worked alone. He didn't have a partner by choice. That was just the way he rolled. Always had. He opened his mouth and answered. "Yes." End.

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