The throb and pulse of Abandon's dance floor beat a counter rhythm to Elena's thudding heart. She skirted the fringes of the crowd, trying to weave through the bodies without attracting too much attention. Drawing deep on her reserves and adding energy to reinforce her inner shields, she avoided the lustful onslaught of hormones. Even with the skintight pantsuit she was wearing, it shouldn't be much of a problem. Most of the dancers wore far less. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Why the hell did I wear my hair down?

Within moments a hand grasped her elbow. She glanced up and gasped at the gorgeous specimen who'd touched her. Eyes dark as onyx reflected the changing flashes of light throughout the club. Thick eyelashes framed them in perfect symmetry, making her fingers itch to sketch them. Sharp cheekbones were accented by shadows, reminding her of a Greek statue. The dark silk of his hair was held in place by a leather thong. Like always.

"Angels don't usually grace me with their presence. To what do I owe this honor?" The deeply masculine voice rumbled across her skin like a caress.

Waves of lust stroked her, teased her nipples to aching tips thrusting against the black denim. She shivered against the heavy power in his touch. Demon power. The raw sensual heat of a demon of lust.

"I'm no angel." Her throat was husky with suppressed longing. Desperately, she concentrated on rebuilding the shambles of her empathy shield.

His full sensual lips lifted in a half smile. He brought her hand to those fascinating lips and brushed them against her open palm. Little bolts of electricity shot from her hand to her core, stroking her pussy from within. She bit back a moan at his tender ministration. Control. She had to maintain control. His hungry gaze sizzled her from head to toe. He had a way of making her very aware of every single curve.

She cleared her throat. "You have something I need."

"I appreciate your candor, Elena. Would you like to retire to my office?" He gestured toward the upper balcony.

She nodded, not trusting her voice to form further coherent words. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew this was life and death, but her libido, at the moment, was in heaven. Don't forget why you're here, Elena. There are worse things than death. She flinched in memory of the cloaked man's words.

She pulled her hand from his with an apologetic smile. "Please, after you." She gestured and did her best to keep from rubbing her hand against her thigh. It still tingled where his lips had touched her.

He led her to his executive elevator. Two men, more like tree trunks with arms, blocked the path of any others who would dare enter. From their lack of expressions to the tangy flavor of their cologne, she couldn't tell them apart until she noticed a small scar on one man's face. At 5'6" she only came to their shoulders, but even at close range they exuded no emotion.

They stepped into the elevator and she couldn't help but comment. "It's rare to see twins working as bouncers."

The demon smiled and his eyes glowed. "They owed me a debt."

Elena swallowed and tore her gaze away from his disturbing presence. "Debts are serious things."

Within the confines of the box, the rich scent of his body surrounded her, infiltrated her senses, and teased her with a promise.

"Yes, they are." His voice rumbled with amusement. Drake's heavy gaze was unnerving. "You should wear your hair down more often, Elena. The chestnut color is striking."

Heat flushed her cheeks at the compliment. To her immense relief, the elevator chimed their arrival.

He gestured and she left the elevator. Her heels sank into the plush carpet--blood red and a perfect match to her demon host. She peeked at him from beneath her lashes. An elegant profile and lost in thought. For just a moment she wondered what he was thinking.

His obsidian eyes flicked to meet her gaze. For several long seconds she held her breath at the intense sexual longing she felt from him. Her pussy clenched in desperate urgency, slicking her panties with her need. Empathy's curse.

She needed a distraction. Ornate doors drew her interest. Wrought iron edging with wooden carvings in the panels. She reached the doors and stared. Women and men writhed in sexual abandon. Each tiny body an embodiment of lust. She fisted her hands to keep from tracing a particularly intricate one. Is that even physically possible?

"I assure you it is," he whispered in her ear.

Elena jumped and spun around but the demon stood too far away to whisper in her ear. The doors opened and she stepped through, making a quick escape into his office.

"Please be seated, Elena." He gestured to a leather settee.

She sat down with all the grace she could muster. The sinful suede fabric felt divine against her fingertips.

"Three years have gone by." He sat behind his obsidian desk, the man's domain. A fire burst to life in his fireplace. Elena gasped and stared at the flames in shock. He rested interlocked fingers on the desk and leaned forward. "Why did you choose now to come to me?"

Elena licked dry lips and crossed her legs. "I have been given a mission."

"Surely you could call on any number of demon-kin to do your bidding. Thousands of lessers would fall at your four-inch booted heels in a heartbeat. Your mother was well respected."

Elena flinched. The pain of her mother's death clawed at her heart. "They can't help me with this, Drake."

He raised an arrogant eyebrow. "I was unaware you knew my name." He shifted in his seat, apparently uncomfortable.

Elena smiled in feminine satisfaction. It had taken years of research, but she'd found the name of her sexual tormentor. "Drake Oblivion, demon of lust. You are the only one who can help me."

"You are a surprise," he mused. He tapped one elegant finger against the table. "I take it you're not looking for a job as a bartender. What predicament have you found yourself in, sweetness, that you call on a demon of lust to quench your needs?"

Elena shivered. Her nipples tightened to hard buds, chafing against the denim of her bodysuit. She gasped and tried to pull up her protective shield. The mental walls refused to slam shut against Drake's onslaught.

She closed her eyes and unzipped her denim bodysuit. Drake's appreciative groan made her knees weak. Her ragged breathing and the pop of the fire filled the empty room. The mark of the damned burned over her heart like ice, chilling her soul and calming her desire. It craved the heat of the fireplace and the soul of any man who dared touch her.

Elena opened her eyes and caught a twitch of dark lust before the demon wiped all expression from his face. The flames danced in delightful abandon across his features, giving him a sinister look.

"I won't ask how that mark came to rest on your mocha skin. For now. I assume you want it removed."

At Elena's jerky nod he smiled. "What do you offer me as a boon?" His obsidian irises danced with the reflected flames from the fireplace. He stood and poured himself a brandy from the liquor tray at the end of his table. The elegant crystal reflected a rainbow of color.

Elena pulled the zipper shut. "The usual." Elena tilted her head and let her lips curve into a small smile. The chill of the mark lessened. "Money, power, influence, loyalty."

"Loyalty." He swirled the brandy in his snifter, staring into the depths of the liquid as though it could divine the future. For all she knew it could. "Do you know what you offer me, Elena?" His stare shifted to include her.

Elena took a shallow breath. What had she done to garner that type of interest? She could still feel the heat of his touch on her arm. The brand of his lips against her palm.

He set the snifter on the slick ebony surface of his desk.

Would water rings clean off the desk, or would he just replace it if it got too dirty? Like he tossed everything he touched. Bitterness built in her heart.

He snapped his fingers and a playing card appeared between his fingers. A flick of his wrist and he had it in a steady grip.

"Do you know what this is?" The door locked behind her.

She didn't have to turn around to know that there was no one there. "No." Something very important was happening. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest.

"This is the answer to your prayers."

Elena winced at the reference. What did she expect? She'd asked for his help. A demon.

"How is a card the answer to my prayers?"

"First we discuss the binding of your contract." He tapped the card against the desktop. With nonchalance he leaned his thigh against the edge. Gods above, those slacks were a gorgeous cut.

"I'm not sure I understand your meaning behind the word binding."

"I mean, sweet Elena, you." His voice dripped sex. "Tied to my bed."

The softly whispered words seduced her. Her pussy clenched in expectation, hungry for the sensations he promised. She licked suddenly dry lips.

"My dick buried so deep inside of you, every throb of my body will sing with yours." The raw need in his expression took her breath away. An edge of lust clipped his words and promised dark passion.

She closed her eyes against the expectation in his gaze. This wasn't what she needed. Her mind raced and a part of her wanted to leave. She uncrossed her legs and tucked them close against the chair. Could she take a demon's soul? "You know what the mark means, Drake."

She heard him cross the room and kneel beside her chair. Her eyes opened, her gaze drawn to the object of her lust. The cut of his slacks stretched taut across his cock, leaving nothing to the imagination.

She swallowed and felt her pussy grow damp with excitement.

He ignored her comment. "Would you like that?" He touched a chestnut curl that had fallen from behind her ear and twirled it around his finger in slow taunting motions.

Elena licked her lips and breathed slowly, careful to not inhale his enticing scent. His knuckles brushed the sensitive skin of her cheekbones. She leaned into the caress and wanted to let him have his way with her. "What do you want with me?"

"I've watched you for a very long time, Elena."

"Why?"

His eyes flickered in an emotion she couldn't identify. "I need you as much as you need me."

"I don't need anyone."

His smile was devastating. She remembered to breathe. "You can't lie to me, sweet. I can see into the depths of your soul."

Elena clutched on that one word. Soul. "I don't need your death on my soul, Drake."

He chuckled. "Demons don't have souls, or haven't you heard?"

Elena shook her head. "The mark won't leave with sex. I've already tried." She held her tears in check.

His dark eyes missed nothing. "Tell me what happened." His voice held no emotion, but for once she just wanted to let go.

A snifter of brandy was placed in her hand and she sipped the liquid. The fire of the liquor made her choke on the words, but they came out, haltingly. "Three nights ago I was attacked. I had just closed the bar at Chico's." She glanced at him. "You know the one, newly opened."

"Yes." He waved his hand in dismissal.

"Anyway." She took another sip and closed her eyes. "The sun had already started rising. I remembered thinking about stopping to get a bagel or something before heading home to bed."

He brushed a stray lock of hair off her cheek and waited.

"A shriek scared the hell out of me." She gulped another mouthful of her drink and choked on the strong liquor. "Two guys were being assaulted by something that looked like a demon." She spat the word.

"Yes, demons are despicable, aren't they?"

Elena winced at his wry tone. "I didn't mean it that way. It reminded me of old pictures of harpies my grandmother used to have."

Drake raised an eyebrow. "You were attacked." He continued to stare at her.

"I pulled out my cell to make the 911 call and it was on me. Before I could scream it bit me." She touched the mark through her suit. "That night I was sent into my own hell. It left me there, bleeding. Somehow I stumbled to my car and drove home."

"What happened next?" He tucked a finger under her chin and lifted it so she'd maintain eye contact. The light caress of his finger against her throat soothed her.

"I slept for fourteen hours, trapped in dreams filled with sex and heat. The lust is unbearable." She closed her eyes. "I didn't mean to let it loose, but I couldn't stay in my apartment. So I headed back to Chico's. Bryan, my ex, was working at the bar when I walked in." She took another sip. "He was so fucking hot and suddenly I didn't give a shit who he was with, why he'd cheated on me, nothing." Lust swirled low in her belly, a ghost of the lust claiming him had brought. She shifted her legs to ease the sweet ache of her pussy.

"What happened then, Elena?"

She met the demon's gaze. "I fucked him at his place until we both passed out. He couldn't keep his hands off me. We almost didn't make it home." She felt her lips lift in a dark smile. "I reveled in his lust for me, rode it like a current until we were both spent."

She downed the rest of the liquor and gasped at the liquid fire. Her stomach roiled in retribution but she needed something to anchor her lustful body to the earth. "When I woke up, he was a shell. A living, breathing, emotionless shell. I'd taken everything, every bit of emotion, and drained him dry."