“What are the chances we get ourselves killed?" I wondered as someone opened a nondescript door and let us in the private entrance.
"That depends on whether we find Lex and pose a threat. The most likely scenario is we getsomeone elsekilled by not being able to work together."
Jeez, there was helpful pressure and then there was too much pressure.
As we made it to the main floor, I had to admit, the view looked pretty sweet. We arrived at one of the trendiest clubs in the Ashvale supernatural scene, which happened to be run by a sex demon den. The packed club pulsed with energy. A DJ was spinning sick beats, hip young adults danced and made me feel ancient instead of pushing 30. They looked like they could party all night without being hungover tomorrow.
Nowthiswas my kind of party. Not as exclusive as the other place, Bliss. I briefly wondered if Orion’s own club were more trendy like this or upscale like Bliss? This didn’t seem like his scene but neither did anything too old-fashioned.
No, focus.
Lex might be here… or across town at another club… or staying in tonight and catching up on his DVR. Orion told me to trust my instincts to direct us, but I had no ideawhyI chose this place or if my connection to our demonic target provided any help at all.
We waded into the middle of the dancefloor. Spotting the sex demons in the crowd was easy because they always made space for Orion to pass. Like a choreographed dance routine, he’d come close and they’d just slide back in time with the music or twist away, occasionally repositioning their partners too.
We stopped when Orion either found a spot he liked or ran out of sex demons in his path and was so used to everyone parting and re-arranging themselves according to his best interests that he had no idea how to handle a throng of people whodidn’tbend to his well.
"What now?" I half-shouted to be heard.
"We dance." Orion spoke at a normal volume, enunciating clearly and trusting I’d hang on every word… which I did. He was a hard guy to ignore. “Connect to everything around you and let the music in. Be part of all this."
And then he demonstrated, dancing along with the music.
Huh.
How the hell was he so good at dancing? His body should be too stiff and unyielding. He packed too much muscle for grace and looked so much less fun and older than everybody here, me included. And hewasolder than anyone non-demon, by a lot, since demons were one of the few supernatural creatures that aged slower than humans.
But Orion was capable of seduction after all. Someone who moved their hips that well, who swayed with the music and caused my throat to go dry, he had to be capable of actually attracting others and not just waiting for people to come to him. His body became looser and less rigid. He wasn’t the kind of person who’d run his hands over his body while dancing in an obvious come-on, so I wanted to volunteer and run my hands all over him instead. I longed to feel how that hard muscle changed and moved with the beat.
Positioning myself close to him yet not directly against or in front of him to avoid the distraction and epic case of blue balls, I tried to do what he suggested. Lose myself in the music and movement all around.
Maybe I succeeded. I picked up on something loud and clear, so much so it drowned out anything else.
“God, it’s so much worse in here than the other place. This much sexual energy should be illegal.” I cupped my hands around my mouth to project my voice. “Constantly horny since I set foot in here.”
Of course, the music cut out and changed tracks, meaning everybody nearby heard that.
Orion only raised an eyebrow. "Aren’t you always?"
"It’s worse hereandyou’re right there."
"I’m not doing anything." Besides freakingundulatingwith the music as a new song started.
"You look like you and you’re an incubus,” I reasoned. “That makes focusing on anything else super challenging."
“All den businesses are thoroughly soaked in sex, even the bougie ones. The only change here is thatyou’remore attuned to the sexual energy this time. That’s good.”
Just that little bit of praise got my blood pumping harder than a dance did. I felt it then. A rush of awareness created goosebumps on my arm.
“Holy shit,” I breathed. “He’s really here.”
Our blood tied us together. Most of the time, it felt no different than normal. I hadn’t even been aware Lex grabbed onto me years ago and hadn’t let go. But now that we were close, closer than we’d been in a long time, I could feel him nearby.
I’d be here on the dancefloor between one beat and the next, then my heart skipped a beat and went somewhere else, went to him. All I had to do was follow…
“Rob, relax. Keep dancing.”
I’d locked up tight, parking on the dancefloor, but Lex was really here! I had to find him.
