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"I'm training her to roadie."

"So," Thane eyed me up and down, "you're going to be
around more often? I could get used to that." He licked his lips.
"I'm getting hungry just looking at her."

In another life, I would've swooned at the thought of
the punk rock god making innuendos about me. But as it was now I
wanted to kick him in his junk. But Trevor's hand squeezed my arm
tighter and it calmed me somewhat.

Lowering my gaze, I looked down at my scuffed boot
instead of at Thane. I hoped he mistook it for shyness instead of
murderous intent.

"She's not on the menu." Trevor slid off the stage
onto his feet. They were now face to face. I looked at them from
between strands of hair.

I could see Thane's eyes go black. The dark purple
aura around him swirled violently to black, as thick as tar. I
suspected it meant he was angry. Trevor's aura also darkened but it
never reached the inky darkness of Thane's. It was obvious Trevor
still retained some semblance of his humanity. Thane was completely
devoid.

My body shook. I was so scared. I wouldn't blame
Trevor if he backed down and offered me up as a midday snack. Thane
was that frightening. But he didn't. He kept the incubus' gaze, not
flinching, not wavering. No one had ever stood up for me like that,
with that much fortitude. Not even my best friend Chloe.

Without thinking, I reached over and slid my hand
into Trevor's. I don't know who was more surprised me, Trevor, or
Thane. But it had an effect. Maybe not the one I was expecting but
beggars can't be choosers.

Thane started to laugh and all the tension that had
been building like a brick wall around them, broke apart. I
wouldn't have been surprised to see pieces of red clay scattered
all over the club floor. It had been that palpable.

"All right, Trevor, you win." Thane took a step back.
"You got some massive balls on you dude."

I squeezed Trevor's hand and he finally looked over
at me. Except he didn't look too happy. Actually he always kind of
looked miserable, like one of those brooding heroes in a historical
novel. What was that one guy from the Jane Austen novel I had to
read for English? Mr. Darcy. That was it. He'd been a miserable
bastard.

"Are you claiming her, then?"

Trevor's head snapped back to gape at Thane.

"She's obviously claimed you," he gestured to the
hand holding thing, "But if you're not actually claiming her then,
well, she's still fair game, isn't she?" He smiled again, and this
time I didn't hide the shudder that racked my body.

Trevor looked at me again, then back to Thane. "Yeah,
I'm claiming her."

Thane slapped him on the shoulder. "All right, man,
fair's fair." He shook his head, still smirking. "Devon is going to
rip those balls right off of you." And with that he slunk away like
the slimebag I now considered him to be.

Trevor tugged his hand out of mine, then sat back
down on the stage, noticeably not as close as before.

"What exactly was that about?"

"Claiming is part of their societal rules, what
little of them they have." He ran a hand over his face and through
his hair. "I claimed you so that means no one can physically touch
you."

"Well, that's good right? I'm safe from them, then.
Devon included, I hope. She scares me almost more than Thane
does."

"Yeah, that means Devon too."

I lifted my hand to the sky. "Thank you, Jesus." I
chuckled letting all my nervous energy out. I smiled at Trevor but
he was scowling even more than usual. "Obviously, there's a
problem."

"This means we have to act like a couple. Like we're
tighter, together. Or Thane won't believe it for a second."

"Oh." Oh God, my cheeks were going red. I couldn't
believe I was blushing so hard. It wasn't like Trevor and I had to
do...anything. We just had to pretend. How hard could that be?

He glanced at me, and then jumped to his feet. He
must've noticed my flushed face. "Don't go all moony on me. It's
just an act. We aren't really together."

"I know that." Anger was quickly swelling inside me.
"Jesus, you don't have to be such a douche about it."

"I just don't want you to get the wrong idea."

"Don't worry, I won't." I stood, suddenly wanting to
hit him in his pointy chin. "That would mean you would have to have
a heart. And it's obvious to me you don't." I went to stomp off,
tired of being near him. Before I could, he grabbed my arm.

I looked down at his hand encircling my wrist. "What
the hell do you think you're doing?"

His answer was to pull me to him and cover my mouth
with his.

Chapter 19

I fisted my hands in his t-shirt, hanging on for dear
life as he kissed me. I could taste the soda he just drank and a
silky dark flavor that reminded me of creamy chocolate pie. I
wondered if this was what he meant when he said that cambions had a
certain taste. If it was, it was definitely delicious. I wondered
if I had the same delectable zest and that was what Trevor tasted
as he slid his tongue over mine.

But as quickly as the kiss had started, it was over
and Trevor pushed away from me.

I blinked stupidly at him and licked my lips. They
still tingled as if I'd been running the end of batteries over them
repeatedly.

"Holy hell," I murmured as I stared at him. But he
wasn't looking at me at all. He was staring at something over my
shoulder.

Quickly, I swirled around and spied Devon glowering
in the corner. She was snarling, those tiny but sharp kitten fangs
of hers flashing between her pink glossed lips.

I glanced back at Trevor and it became clear. He
kissed me because he had to prove our cover not because he was
overwhelmed with the urge to. As if I'd drive him to it by the
sheer awesomeness of all that was me.

Somehow I felt violated all over again.

"Warn me next time, okay?" I murmured at him, angry
that my body was still on overdrive.

He wiped at his mouth. "Yeah. Hopefully there won't
be a next time."

"Fuck you," I mouthed quietly, and then said, "You're
worse than they are. At least I know they aren't human."

My hands fisted at my sides. I was so angry, and yes,
hurt. I had thought that kiss was real. It had seemed real, at
least to me. To Trevor it obviously meant nothing. He had even
wiped it off his lips as if obliterating it from existence.

"I'm out of here." I turned on my boot heel and
marched toward the back door.

I pushed past the other road crew, other equipment
jockeys and a couple of security goons. They'd smartly gotten out
my way. I reached the back exit and pushed through it, stomping out
into the back alley.

I didn't know where I was going to go or even how I
was to get there. I had barely ten bucks in my jeans pocket. But I
had fury and determination on my side. That would take me somewhere
away from here at least.

I managed to make it to the street before Trevor
caught up to me. "What are you doing?"

"I'm leaving. What does it look like?"

"Don't be stupid, Salem." He tried to grab my arm
again. But I wasn't having it.

I curled my fists into his shirt then pushed him back
to slam him up against the brick wall. I got right into his face.
He didn't struggle against me. He could probably see that I was
seriously pissed. I wondered if my eyes were black. I was sure of
it, because there was a red haze around him.

"Don't touch me again, unless you mean it. I'm tired
of being treated like a throw-away blow-up doll."

He placed his hands down to his sides. "I'm sorry. I
wasn't thinking."

The heat of his body swirled over me, mingling with
mine. Leaning into his neck, I inhaled deeply. He smelled like that
chocolate pie I was craving earlier. I sniffed along his throat
again.

"I'm hungry."

He searched my face. "I know. I can see it."

I swallowed down the spit though I wanted to swallow
Trevor. Suck out his essence and feed the deep hollow ache
inside.

"Just a taste," I growled, with a voice that was
foreign to my ears. I could sense the change coming, like a shift
in the weather.

I looked down at my hands on Trevor's chest. My nails
lengthened and darkened into talons. With the tip of my tongue, I
traced my front teeth, feeling the tips of fangs. I guess I had my
answer if cambions got fangs like succubi. Because, hello, they
were there.

That little tidbit reminded me too much of Devon and
I backed off from Trevor. I didn't want to be anything like that
Tokyo pop bitch.

Panting, I opened and closed my hands willing them to
return to normal. Slowly, the talons receded into my
fingertips.

"That's good. You controlled it."

"I still want to kick you in the junk for being a
dick."

He laughed as he pushed off the wall. "I know. I
deserve it. I'm sorry for kissing you without asking. I'll ask next
time."

"Next time?" it thrilled me to see him duck his head
with embarrassment. Maybe he wasn't as indifferent to me as he
liked to let on.

"Well," he sputtered, "not that I'm going to or
anything like that."

I smiled a little at that. Maybe I could forgive him
for being a douche. "I'm still hungry."

"How about Chinese? I saw a place a couple of blocks
over?"

"Only if you're paying. Cuz I'm broke."

"Yeah, I'm paying." He motioned toward the street.
"Let's go. Unfortunately we have to be back in a couple of hours
for the show."

Resigned, I followed him out.

As we walked the two blocks, I asked him, "Do you get
fangs when you, you know, go all dark side?"

He shook his head. "Nope. I think it's a girl
thing."

"Great, just what I need. It's like having two tiny
boners in my mouth."

A loud raucous laugh burst out of him and he slung
his arm around me. "You're killing me, you know that?"

I didn't shrug off his arm as we continued to the
restaurant and he didn't remove it.

I tried not to read anything into it but it was
difficult when my heart was thumping so loud it echoed in my ears.
I just hoped he didn't notice.

Chapter 20

A few hours later we were back at the club going
through the last of the set up. The club would open in a bit and
Malice would take the stage shortly after that. It would be my
first gig since the big transformation. I wondered how different
their music would sound to me. Would it all be static in my ears
like it had been before when Chloe had played them on my iPod? I
guess I was going to find out which didn't thrill me one bit. If I
never heard their music again it would be too soon.

Trevor watched me as we finished the last few tasks.
Twice I'd asked him if there was something on my face or if I was
doing something wrong. Both times he just shook his head and went
back to his work. But when I looked up again his gaze was back on
me.

"Dude. Seriously what?"

"What?"

"You keep staring at me."

He frowned. "No I don't." He went back to plugging in
wires and flipping switches.

I wanted to say it was freaking me out, but the truth
was I didn't. I like the attention he was giving me. Ever since our
kiss he was acting oddly. Looking at me more, but differently. Not
as some girl he needed to complete a task for him, but as a girl
that maybe he liked, that maybe he was attracted to.

That kiss had rattled my brain and made me go all
gooey inside. Maybe it had done the same to him.

When we were done and there was nothing left to do
until after the show, the crew, including Trevor and I, hung around
backstage. Most of the others hung around Thane and the others but
Trevor and I kept to ourselves in a separate room. There were also
a couple of the crew hanging out too, drinking beer, but they kept
their distance.

We sat on a couple of overturned crates and drank
sodas. When Trevor was done his, he leaned toward me. "You need to
try and go through a shadow-way."

"Now?"

He nodded. "It's the perfect time while Malice is
here occupied."

"I don't know if I can."

"You have to try." He pulled his crate closer. "Once
they go on stage, you'll be free to do it. I made sure not to salt
the bathroom in the hotel room. It'll be a safe straight forward
trip."

I fidgeted with my soda can. My palms were suddenly
cold and slick with sweat. "Can't you come with me?"

"I have to be here. They need to see me here. They
don't know you're a cambion, that you can walk the shadows. It
won't matter to them if you're not here."

"What do you want me to do when I get there?"

"Just come back. This is just a trail run. Practice.
I'll feel better about all of this, if you can get out of any
situation by going through the shadows."

"Okay." I drained the rest of the soda. "Where do we
do this?"

Trevor looked around. We still weren't completely
alone. There was another guy in the corner smoking a doobie. The
sweet stench polluted my nostrils.

"We need privacy. A room we can lock." He stood, then
reached down and pulled me to my feet. "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"Just follow my lead, okay?"

He pulled me out into the corridor and toward the
bathrooms. We passed other crew, who leered at us. Then we saw
Devon at the end of the hallway. She was sucking on a lollipop and
glaring our way.

Trevor turned into me and pushed me up against the
wall. He nuzzled my neck. My heart leapt into my mouth. I thought I
was going to hyperventilate.

"I'm asking permission," he murmured into my
skin.

I nodded frantically, my voice seemingly stuck inside
my mouth alongside my thudding heart.

He brushed his lips over my chin then up to my mouth.
He kissed me again. And it wasn't no simple lip lock but full on
tongue sweeping snog.