“Jim eyed me for a couple of seconds, then got off the bed and went to curl up on the pile of blankets I'darranged as its bed. "I don't suppose you'd care to lend me a couple hundred euros?"I pointed at the wall. It turned its back to me so I could get into the nightgown Perdita had lent me. "Youare not going to bet on me. Or against me. No betting whatsoever.Got that?"Jim huffed and settled down for the night. "You sure do know how to take all the fun out of life. Bet youeven made Drake use a condom.”

“A knife!" I yelled, still brandishing my pillow. "Jim, I command you to get me a gelding knife. If this guywants to be a stallion—"He dissolved in a flurry of white smoke even before I could finish the sentence.Ha! Victorious again!"Yeah," Jim drawled while I remade the bed and fluffed up my pillows. "Aisling, two; sexy, naked menwho just want to give her the pleasure of a lifetime with no commitment, zero.”

“You want to …?” His other eye popped open as I started to slide down his body, intent on exploring that part of him which had given me so much pleasure. He grabbed me before I was able to move four inches. I looked up, worried that I had done something wrong. A familiar strained, tense look was on his face, his eyes screwed up tight. I looked down at his penis. It was no longer in a resting state. “I thought you were sated?”I was. Until you went and mentioned doing that to me. No! Don’t touch me there, woman! For the love of – grk!”A half hour later, Gabriel, his arm wrapped around me because my legs were unusually weak, hustled me toward the house with a grim look on his face.I will beat this,” he muttered. “I am a wyvern, I am strong. I will control my needs long enough to give you pleasure, and you will enjoy it, dammit!”I said nothing, but I smiled. A lot. [May and Gabriel, pg. 307]”

“In the center of the room Sarra the demon hung upside down by one leg, its arms bound behind its back, its suit scuffed-looking. Beneath it, crawling around an intricately scribed circle, a woman with short, curly red hair drew binding symbols with a gold stick.She looked up as I fanned away the smoke that was billowing up from the crack in the tile. "You're a Summoner. Hullo. I'm Noelle. Did you know that you have mismatched eyes?"I walked around the demon. It glared at me. "Yes, I know. Why do you have Sarra strung up by one leg?"She drew another symbol. It flared bright green as soon as the stick lifted from the circle. "It was getting a bit stroppy with me. The Hanged Man always teaches them a few manners. It's retaliating with the smoke. Are those spirits I saw yours, then?""Yes, they are. There are four others as well. I hate to be a bother, but I'm in a bit of a hurry, what with Christian being held by this one's master and all, so if you could possibly just give me the abbreviated version of what's going on here, I'll be on my way to rescue him."She leaned back on her heels and sucked the tip of her gold stick. "Asmodeus, eh?"The demon snarled. A chunk of ceiling fell behind me. We both ignored it. It just never does to give a demon the satisfaction of knowing it's startled you."It's a nasty bag of tricks, but I heard through the demonic grapevine that it was weakened and searching for a suitable sacrifice to regain its power," she added."Well, it can't have Christian; he's mine. Back to the demon, if you don't mind…"She looked up at Sarra, still sucking the stick. "It's a pretty specimen, isn't it? I like the hair gel. Nice touch. The mustache is a bit much, though, don't you think? Makes it look so smarmy.""Um…""I'm destroying it, so I suppose it really doesn't matter."I blinked and avoided two wine bottles as they flew out of a rack when the demon hissed at the Guardian.”

“Are you threatening me?” He looked completely outraged at such a thing.“You bet your incredibly attractive and probably hard enough to bounce a quarter off ass I am!” she snapped back.An indescribable look flitted across his face. “You are the most irreverent woman I’ve ever met.”“And you’re the handsomest man I’ve ever seen in my life, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to lick you!” she yelled.”

“I don't like this.""I know you don't, my little spaetzel. But I am too worn out to run from both the police and your murderous twin, and Damian's looking peaky, plus Christian did apologize for trying to kill us earlier.""I wasn't talking about that. It's your lamentable habit of using completely unsuitable love names for me that gives me grief," Adrian groused. "I am not a lambypie, nor am I a spaetzel.”

“You think I'm deranged! How refreshing. Everyone here takes me so seriously, it's a wonderful change to be thought mentally deficient.”