"Awww…" Jade said, grinning.

  "It's not the mess so much as that Cynthia will want a go at him, and I for one ain't gonna be the one to tell her no."

  "Why not?"

  "Umm, because I like her?" Cinnamon said with a smirk. "Plus she's a lot of fun in bed. That girl can generate a serious amount of lust because of who her father was, and as a succubus, that's damn tasty!"

  "So is our hubby gonna have to take her 'oath'?" Kerrie teased.

  "Really, Kerrie?" Mihalis asked, turning to look at her.

  "What? You're a sex demon and a lion! I knew what I was signing up for when I married you!" she said, laughing.

  "Plus, it would be hot, watching you put that demon in her place," Jade added, grinning.

  "And what place would that be?" he asked.

  "Under you, of course!"

  Mihalis sighed and looked at Talin.

  "Don't look at me! I'm the one who encouraged you to go after my sisters!" Talin said, winking at him.

  "I'd ask the three of you," he said motioning to his sisters, "but somehow I don't think I'd get any support."

  "Hey, you made us this way, bro," Noje said, "and honestly, we're all pretty happy with it. Besides, you are a lion, gotta check out the merchandise and all that!"

  "Fine, so what's next on the agenda?"

  "The hotel's ready to open, and once we have a chef, we can open the restaurant as well," Cinnamon said.

  "What about Cynthia's brothel?"

  "It'll be done in about a week. She's already lining up gals, and even a few guys to work in it."

  "Where's she finding them?"

  "Well, a lot of the djinn were trained to that kind of thing, and some of them are quite interested."

  "Really?" Mihalis asked in a skeptical voice.

  Cinnamon shrugged, raising her hand. "I don't judge, Mike. I had Nat check 'em out, and they're on the up and up. For the others, well, this is Earth, and there are a lot of demons and fey and other supernatural creatures who don't have any issues with getting paid for sex. I mean, it's not like there aren't bordellos everywhere else in the world."

  "True. Well, let's go check out the restaurant, at least."

  "Don't want to check out her brothel?" Jade teased.

  "I sorta promised Beri and Tamerin I'd be checking them out next."

  "Uh-huh."

  "Well, me and Noje are gonna head back to the Auction House," Harmony said.

  "And I've got stuff I need to get done here," Cinnamon said, motioning to her desk.

  "I'd like to check on how things are going down at the restaurant and the coffeehouse," Talin said. "I haven't had the chance to check in with Biggs on how it's been progressing since we left."

  "They still need a chef," Cinnamon said.

  "Well, I don't think we're going to be getting any customers right away, but if worse comes to worst, I'll see if Shaylee has anyone we can ask."

  "Have fun!" Cinnamon said, going around and sitting behind her desk as Mihalis and the others left her office.

  "Hi! Did I hear you're going down to the restaurant?" Cynthia said, coming over to them.

  Mihalis couldn't help but notice she was wearing the same outfit again, the one that showed off her chest so well in the leather top with the high-cut leather panties, thigh-high boots, and not much else.

  "You sure you won't be cold like that?" Jade asked.

  "Oh, I'll be fine." She smiled, and Mihalis could feel with his empathy that she was trying to figure out a way past the wives to get next to him.

  "Well, I'm sure if you get cold, we can get our husband here to put one of those nice, warm wings around you," Talin said with a wink as they walked out of the building.

  "Are you sure you wouldn't mind?" Cynthia asked, looking at the three of them.

  "I think we're all dressed a little warmer than you are," Jade said, smiling.

  "Cynthia, you've been very helpful with getting our businesses set up," Talin said, smiling. "Surely that deserves a little consideration."

  Cynthia looked at him shyly, but he didn't need his empathy to know how much she wanted to grab onto him as they walked.

  "Sure," he said, extending the wing on his right, and she immediately stepped up next to him and put her arm around him. Putting his right arm around her, he was surprised to find that she was cold. So he quickly pulled the wing back in, wrapping it around her body. He could feel the lust rolling off her as she snuggled into him.

  He smiled. He was still hard as a rock from what had happened when he'd taken Hengity's oath—he'd have to watch out for that when he took Ennakoida's—and she did feel good pressed up against him like that.

  "Talin?" he said, held out his left wing and arm, smiled as she did the same on the other side of him, and pulled his left wing in around her. He could feel her contentment, and a touch of amusement that he suspected was because of the way Cynthia was pressing into him. He wasn't sure who they were teasing more, him or Cynthia.

  Then again, he remembered the time he'd almost maimed that photographer, and they'd all gotten pretty excited over that . They'd also gotten excited each time he came home from getting Talin and Caitin's sisters pregnant. That made him wonder for a moment as they walked. All of them had known him as an incubus first, before they'd discovered he was a lion, or a dark elf, or any of that. He was an incubus to them.

  The first time he'd bedded each of his wives, he'd done it as an incubus.

  So Kerrie wasn't joking when she said they knew what they'd signed up for when they first hooked up. That was… interesting. That they were just as attracted to 'demon' him as 'lion' him wasn't something he'd considered before.

  Reaching out his empathy to Kerrie and Jade, he could feel that they were enjoying the by-play between him and Cynthia as well.

  "You know, Cynthia, Cinnamon really likes you a lot," Talin said, striking up a conversation.

  "Oh, she definitely likes teasing me," Cynthia replied.

  "I'm not just talking about in bed, Cynth. She likes you."

  Mihalis wasn't sure where this was going, and he could feel a little bit of concern from Cynthia as she looked over at Talin.

  "Umm…"

  "That means we'd like to see you around more; maybe a few of us would like to get to know you better, too."

  "Some of you?"

  "I think Noje, Harmony, and even Taeria at first."

  "At first?"

  "There may be more later, perhaps a lot more," Talin teased.

  Mihalis could feel a little bit of worry from Cynthia, but there was no malice coming from Talin, so he gave Cynthia a hug to reassure her.

  "Loyalty is important, Cynthia; you know that, right?"

  Cynthia nodded quickly.

  "If you keep coming around and spending more and more time with us, well, we're going to expect you to be loyal. Not just to Michael here, but to all of us."

  "I…" She nodded.

  "Because you're going to learn things about us we won't want anyone else knowing. The kinds of things you only share with members of your household."

  Mihalis could feel Cynthia's concern growing right up until the last few words, then suddenly all that was replaced with a large amount of surprise.

  Then again, he was feeling surprised, himself.

  "So you're going to need to decide, soon, where your loyalties lie, and how much you want to be with us. Okay?"

  Cynthia nodded in agreement. "Okay."

  They'd gotten to the restaurant while Talin had been talking, so Mihalis had waited until she was done. He wasn't quite sure what she was up to, but he was sure she'd tell him soon enough.

  Unwrapping his wings, he found the door wasn't locked. Going inside, he saw there was a pair of guards in the front room, who both greeted them.

  "Oluf's in the back, just checking out a few last things," one of them said.

  "Thanks, Brian," Talin said as Mihalis let go of her with his left arm. Cynthia lingered a bit as he let go of her, so he gave her ass a pat, and she smiled at him and went right back to broadcasting her lust for him.

  "Do you know all the guards' names?" he teased Talin as they walked through the place, looking around. Mihalis was impressed. There was a nice lounge area, a small bar, and they came to the dining room next, it had ten tables in it. They could feed quite a few people in here.

  "Yup. And that includes the ones working the gates. I'm surprised you don't."

  Mihalis shook his head and tried not to look guilty. "Guess I should learn them now."

  "Yes, you probably should. And that includes you, too, Kerrie, Jade. It helps with morale and management if you know them all by name."

  "Yes, Tal."

  "I'll try, Tal," they both replied.

  "The place looks so much better than the plans," Mihalis said. "I'm glad you worked on this with Biggs."

  "Well, I did help our mom with the last three inns she ran, so I've got some experience," she said and smiled. He pulled her over and gave her a kiss.

  "Now, let's go check out the kitchen."

  Going through the swinging doors into the kitchen, Mihalis was once again impressed. It was larger than he would've expected for the size of the dining room, and everything was new and clean.

  "So, what's the verdict, Oluf?" Talin asked, while Cynthia's emotions got his attention, as he was still reading her. It was a combination of excitement, admiration, and longing. Since she wasn't looking at him, but around the kitchen, he knew those emotions weren't being directed at him.

  "…so it's all finished up here," he heard Oluf saying as he turned back to him and Talin. "I'm about to go downstairs, help the boys finish up the wine cellar, and wiring up the deep freeze."

  "Thanks, Oluf," Talin said, giving him a hug.

  "Yeah, thanks, Oluf, a lot ," Mihalis said. "This place is like a work of art!"

  "Hope you still feel that way when you get the bill!" Oluf laughed.

  "Just make sure you pad it enough to give everyone a taste," Mihalis said, smiling. "Gotta keep the family happy, right?"

  "Right!" Oluf laughed, and with a wave of his hand, he left for the basement.

  "You really like this kitchen, don't you, Cynthia?" Mihalis said, turning back to her.

  "Umm…" She blushed as she turned to face him.

  Mihalis fanned his wings out a little as he stepped up to her, looking down into her eyes. He could feel equal parts guilt, lust, and embarrassment.

  "Something you want to share ?" he said in a low voice, leaning on his Persuasion ability a little.

  "I used to be a chef!" she blurted out, and then blushing, buried her face in his chest.

  "Oh? How good a chef?"

  "Five star," she said in a soft and guilty-sounding voice. "I'm a demon; I can do things with the food that bring the flavors out as well as the best chefs out there."

  "Why'd you stop?" Talin asked.

  "I… I got in trouble. I was doing way too good, and the other restaurant owners and chefs figured out I was 'cheating' somehow, and one thing led to another, and the next thing I know, I'm wanted for murder, and I had to flee."

  "Guess we found our chef, Michael," Talin said.

  "No, I can't! I won't have the time! I've got—"

  Lowering his head, he kissed her, cutting her off, and using his Sexual Empathy, he ran his hands down her body, causing her to shiver against him.

  "I… I can't run the kitchen, my bordello, and my part of the town," she protested as he slowly walked her backwards towards the large, flat table he figured was for food prep.

  "Talin will take over your district," he said.

  She flared up immediately.

  "But that's mine ! That's my money! It belongs to me !"

  "Cynthia," he whispered, brushing his lips over hers as he put his arms under her armpits and hoisted her up so her butt was on the table, "I'll let you keep all the profits from your bordello, and ten percent of the gross from the hotel."

  "Twenty!"

  "Fifteen, and I fuck your brains out," he growled and, leaning forward, he kissed her again, letting his hands stroke her body. "Don't worry about the money; I'll make sure you have enough," he told her as he broke the kiss.

  "Do I have a choice?" she asked, panting.

  "Do you really want one?" Talin said from behind him.

  She shivered and looked up at him, and he didn't have any problem reading her mind at all. She wanted him, almost the same as Tamerin had wanted him. She was a demon; she wanted a stronger demon to take her, make her a part of his group. To protect her and use her in ways she could enjoy. In some ways it was like what Hengity wanted.

  She wanted to belong .

  "Time to show her what she's about to get into, Michael," Talin said from behind him, "time to show her what a lord lion incubus looks like!"

  "Huh?" Cynthia said, eyes going wide, and suddenly there was a seven-foot-tall lion lycan standing before her, with fur as black as the skin of the incubus who'd been there only a moment before, and if she'd thought Michael's wings were big then, his wings were huge now.

  He undid his belt with one hand, and as his pants dropped to the floor, the claws of his other hand grabbed her leather panties and cut them from her body.

  "Michael…?" she gasped, looking up at him.

  "Just let me know if I'm hurting you," he purred as he moved between her legs. "I want you to enjoy this."

  Looking down his chest, her eyes stopped at his crotch. He was big !

  "I'm a lust cambion, Michael; I don't know if you can hurt me." She smiled, looking back up at him, and her voice got all husky as she put her hands on his chest. "But I would sure like you to try !"

  Mihalis lost all track of time as he took her on the table. Cynthia truly was capable of an incredible amount of lust, and he fed on a lot of it. Using his Read Mind skill, he learned that, like him, she also fed on emotions, lust, and some of his body's energy. So using his Push ability, he made sure she was very well fed.

  That set her off even more than his attempts to pound her flat on the table as he took her. She was incredibly tight, vocal, talented, and yes, fun . He thought briefly about bending her will, or using his powers to force her to be his ally, but he was worried that might break something about her, and he honestly liked her just the way she was.

  When he finally finished with her, he gave her a long kiss, then slowly dismounted, and carefully got off the table.

  "Think you've got enough left for Beri?" Kerrie teased as she handed him a bottle of water.

  Draining it, he looked down at his crotch to see that, yes, he was still hard as a rock. Screwing a lust demon when you were a sex demon was definitely an interesting experience.

  "I'd say yes."

  Talin handed him his pants. "Go take care of Beri; we'll clean up here and make sure Cynthia gets home okay."

  "Thanks, Hon," he said, and took a minute to give each of them a kiss. They were all pretty excited right now; they'd obviously enjoyed his performance thoroughly.

  "As long as you're loyal to us, and only us," he heard Talin whispering to Cynthia as he headed for the exit, "you'll be happy and well-cared-for to the end of your days. But should you ever betray us, that will be the end of your days."

  The feeling of acceptance that suddenly flowed out of Cynthia was so strong, he wondered if she'd had another orgasm.

  Clear My Head

  Morning found Mihalis in his workroom, finishing setting up the things they'd brought out to make it easier for him to work on his enchanting. Building the device that let him summon his wings and get their benefits in his hybrid form had been a right pain in the ass because he hadn't had the proper equipment or a good setup.

  "What's up?" Talin asked, entering the room, coming up behind him to wrap her arms around his body and lean into him.

  Turning his head and twisting his body around slightly, he gave her a kiss, then went back to work.

  "Finishing up my workshop."

  "I can see that," she said and snuggled in closer. "But why?"

  "I need to make a couple of rings for Jade and Kerrie."

  "What do they need rings for?"

  "It'll make their fur as black as mine when they're in hybrid or animal form."

  "Why would you want to do that?"

  "Because they're Nega-lycans!" Mihalis said with a snicker.

  "I'd say that was the stupidest thing I'd ever heard if I didn't believe it would work."

  "Yup. I'm thinking I might also put something in there to make their eyes look like black pits." He paused a moment. "Or maybe flames? Hmm… need to think about that one."

  "Ummm hmmm."

  "Did you know that Cynthia was a chef?"

  "Yup."

  "How?"

  "Cinnamon mentioned to me that whenever we talked about the restaurant, and Cynthia was in the room, she got a flash of emotion out of her. So I did a little research."

  "Oh, how?"

  "Took a picture of her face and did a web search for chefs that matched it. Cynthia is a lot of things, but genius isn't exactly one of them," Talin said with a giggle.

  "So you knew."

  "Yup."

  "And you wanted her, why?"

  "Because Cinn's right. She's actually kinda nice, and to be honest? She is a good chef, and she was minding her own business. But people got suspicious because the hot little chef at the small, high-priced restaurant was packing them in. And being who she was, she wasn't shy about screwing the customers, the health inspectors, the competing chefs, and now that everyone knows about magic and such, they hired someone to check her out."

  "And found out she's a cambion?"

  "Yup. They tried to kill her, and they burned down her restaurant."

  "What about the murder bit?"

  "Oh, she killed several of the restaurant owners who were trying to have her killed, as well as the guy who burned her place down when they tried to kill her."

  He shook his head. "Where'd this happen?"

  "Montreal. Best I can figure is, she spent a few years on the run, then heard about this place, and made her way here. Now, I don't doubt she's used and abused more than a few people over the years, but she's a cambion; that's her nature. But as far as I can tell, until they burned her out, she'd never actually been malicious."