“You're been out a few hours. E and I have been taking turns staying with you. Tayla's here. And Gem. Luc. Kynan. Reaver. Our other brother, but he's in chains. He's also a total dick. You'll like him." (Shade telling Wraith)”

“Either one of you kill him, or I will.”Shade, Wraith and Kynan raised their hands to volunteer. How special. Brotherly love ran like syrup in the room.”

“Tayla stole a peek at the report. "What's fucked up? The Smurfette?""The what?""Smurfette." Tayla rolled her eyes. "You've never watched cartoons, have you?"Wraith came around the corner, his leather duster flapping around his boots. He shot Tay a look drenched with sympathy. "E's way too starched to watch cartoons. That's so not happening to Stewie. He's already digging The Simpsons.""He's three weeks old!" Tayla gaped at Wraith in outrage."Almost four."Tayla huffed. "Good God. I can't believe you are raising a child. Isn't there some sort of demon equivalent of Child Protective Services ?""Hey. I have as much right to screw up a kid as anyone else.”

“Okay, listen. From what Shade said, Roag got toasted like a burnt marshmallow. He would have been nearly destroyed, right down to his junk." Wraith grinned. “Which is really fucking funny.”

“Yeah," he grount out. "I nailed her.""Where?" Luc always wanted the dirty details."Stockroom. Pay up."Luc snorted and reached for his wallet. "I really got taken on this one , didn't I?" He handed over four hundreds and five twenties."Yeah, well, you can have the last laugh once the Sem brothers catch up with me. Seems she's their sister.""Dude." Luc streched out the word and then whistled, low and long. "Nice knowing you. So, will it at least have been worth it? Being gutted by Shade, I mean. Was she good ?"His body heated as though remembering. And wanting again."Of course I was."Fuck. Con spun around to find Sin standing there, hands on hips and fury in her expression. Like a kid caught stealing candy, he whipped the money behind his back. She looked at him as if he was an idiot and grabbed his arm, briging it around."It's not what you think," he said lamely, because it was exactly what she thought. "Really? So that big asshole behind you didn't bet you five hundred bucks that you couldn't fuck me ?""Ah...""That's what I thought. You dick. How stupid do you think I am ? Your name really fits you , Con." She snatched the money from him, took two hundreds and three twenties, and thrust the remaining two hundred and forty dollars back into his hand. Then, smiling broadly, she punched him in the shoulder. "Next time you make a bet like that, don't cheat me out of my half. I owe you a ten."She winked and left him, jaw-dropped and gaping, as she sauntered away.”

“What's going on?" Kynan askedLuc smiled, which was little more than a baring of his teeth. "She's a warg. She knows I know, but I'm guessing her human buddies don't know. She's afraid I'll tell.""Are you going to?""That depends." "On what?"Luc's voice dropped an octave. "Whether or not she gives me what I want.""And that is?""Fifteen minutes. Naked.""That's blackmail."Luc snorted. "Wargs call it negotiation." "So you want fifteen minutes...what will she want?""With me?" Luc winked. "Two hours.”

“Tayla cursed under her breath. "I was just explaining to Eidolon that Sin is a Smurfette."Wraith swung his big body around to study Sin with blue eyes that were very different from Shade's, E's. and Lore's. Sin's, too. "Nah. Smurfette is way hotter.""What the fuck is a Smurfette?" Eidolon was seriously getting annoyed now."There's this cartoon called The Smurfs," Tayla explained, slowly, as though Eidolon were the child here."They're these little blue people, and they're all male. But one day a female shows up. She shouldn't exist, but she does."Eidolon considered that for a second. "How did she get there?""An evil wizard named Gargamel made her," Tayla said. "In a lab or something.""So you're suggesting that an evil wizard made Sin?""Of course not, silly. I'm just saying she's a Smurfette. A lone female amongst males."Eidolon frowned. "Did the Smurfette mate with the males?""Dude." Wraith grimaced. "It's a cartoon.”