The darkness descended upon me the moment I stepped into the Étienne Noir. The entire front room, what had been the lobby of a once-opulent hotel, was painted a shade of blood- red. The floor was a shiny black. Metal cages hung from the ceiling and nude nymphs danced inside. The place was full of creatures, many staring raptly at something that was going on at the back of the room. Most were dressed in leather, and not much of it. Several of the females were wearing nothing but thongs as they made their way through the crowd.

“I think we’re overdressed, but that’s a good thing,” I yelled to Roth over the din of the thumping bass.

A pretty redhead made her way through the crush right in front of me. Her guileless face seemed out of place in a pleasure demon’s lair. Before I could blink, a pair of hands shot out and grabbed the witch. In an instant, a large male with crimson horns was on top of her, tearing off her flimsy thong and going for the gold. But there was more to the female than met the eye as she quickly flipped the demon to his back and straddled him. I had been tensed to pounce on the sex offender and snap his horns off, but the witch glanced up with a rapturous look on her face. She likes it.

“Is that the pleasure demon?” I pointed.

Roth spared a glance at the debauch with the redhead. “No. You’ll know him when you see him.”

Though there was some hardcore in and out taking place on the floor, most of the Underworlders were still focused on whatever was happening at the back of the lobby. There was a stage, but I couldn’t make out what was going on over the shoulders of all the bodies in the room. Roth stood over six and a half feet and probably had an excellent view.

“What’s everybody looking at?”

“I don’t think you want to know.” His grip tightened on my shoulders as a vampire walked by, scanning my body with hungry eyes. Roth let out a low growl that sent the vampire back into the crowd.

“Follow me. And whatever you do, don’t get separated. Here.” He took my hand in his firm grip. I hated to admit it was comforting, especially when surrounded by the goth Underworlders with a penchant for kinky sex. Though, of course, I could take care of myself.

We picked our way through the crowd. Roth was making a deliberate effort to keep me away from the stage, which only made my curiosity burn brighter. As we neared a door toward the right side of the room, I caught a break in the crowd and got a peek at what was going on. I almost gagged. A fallen angel was being racked while a nymph whipped him with a cat-o’-nine-tails. His wings were bound tightly against his back, giving him no chance of escaping the tortures, not that he wanted to. The look on the angel’s face was of exquisite pleasure and pain, though the ball gag in his mouth made it a little hard to see. He was much the worse for wear, with small cuts circling his bare chest as a vampire fed from his neck. A female demon rode him hard. The crowd was rapt, except for the ones pleasuring themselves or each other. The lust in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

I drew in a breath at the sight. “That’s not something you see every day.”

Roth pulled me roughly the rest of the way through the crowd.

“Hey!” I tried to loosen his tight grip without success. His back had gone tight, his shoulders wide and strained against the black leather of his jacket. It didn’t take an aura diviner to know he was on edge.

As Roth pulled me through the door and into an even darker but less crowded room, I yanked on his arm. “What’s the matter with you?”

When he threw a quick glance over his shoulder, I realized his eyes had changed, the embers burning bright in their depths. “Nothing. Keep up.” His voice was husky, a few octaves lower than usual. The incubus side of him must be eating this place up—the naked, sexed-up Underworlders likely had him in a frenzy. Did that mean I was in some sort of danger?

“Trust me,” he’d said. I was giving it my best.

Roth continued leading me past the couples and threesomes and even a foursome who were doing things I had only read about in Cosmopolitan, until he reached another door. This one was solid metal and guarded by the biggest rage demon I had come across. He had to be over seven feet, with shoulders wider than the door frame he stood beside. The large steel ring hanging from his nose made him look like the most pissed-off bull I’d ever seen.

“Rannok.” Roth inclined his head slightly. “Is he in?”

“Depends.”

Roth released my hand and dug into his jacket pocket, eventually pulling out a thick fold of euros and slipping it into Rannok’s palm. As soon as the money changed hands, Roth’s hand gripped mine again, possessively.

“Right this way.” Rannok gave me a sinister smile, his fangs gleaming white in the faint light. The metal door swung open. Roth led me inside and through an empty hallway that led to a pair of French doors.

Roth gave a perfunctory knock and waited a few beats before a low rumble rang out. “Enter.”

Roth’s push on the door revealed the second scene of unforgiving debauchery—three vampires feeding on one witch who was tied up every which way but loose. Her head lolled back, and a moan escaped her lips as one vampire switched breasts. A stream of blood trickled from the previous fang marks as he set upon the unmarred mound. A nymph lay on a divan next to the scene, likely having been the previous entertainment. If she had been mortal, she would have bled out already from the bites and cuts.

I wanted to lunge for the cretins and knock them away from their current victim, but just like before, I could tell the witch was more than willing, she was enjoying the torture.

“This place is seriously fucked.” I shook my head.

“Welcome back, Roth, and I see you’ve brought me a gift.” The rumbling voice emanated from an ivory-haired demon with multiple horns protruding from his head, like one of the stags I used to hunt. His skin was a deep orange, like a sunset, but that wasn’t the most stunning thing about him. He was pierced in what had to be hundreds of places. His face was a mass of metal, as was his chest. Even his abs had what seemed like barbs protruding from them every few inches. Like everyone else in this part of the club, he was naked, and even his enormous shaft seemed weighted down with the metal loops that hung from it. I could feel my eyes about to pop out of my head at the sight of him, at least until my amazement turned to fury when the demon dared lay a finger on me. He brought a hand up to my neck, but before he could touch me, I’d backhanded him across his metal-infused face.

“Bad idea.” Roth shot his arm out and pushed me behind him.

“Again,” the demon taunted, his voice gravelly. His face had lit with delight when I’d hit him, disconcerting me. He darted to the side so he could get another look at me, though Roth swiveled to keep him separated from me. “Hit me again, little immortal. I like the feel of your violence.” His massive shaft now stood at full attention despite the metal accoutrement.

I tried to twist from behind Roth so I could pummel the smile off the demon’s face. I was more than ready to take down this asshole.

“We only seek passage to the catacombs, Voltaire.” Roth backed up until he had me pinned between his body and the wall. Eventually, I stopped struggling. But only for the moment. I still intended to get my point across to the pleasure demon that I wasn’t here as his plaything.

“You come on my turf and bring a tantalizing tidbit like that but won’t offer her to me?” The demon had stopped trying to get at me and stood nose to nose with Roth.

I calculated whether I could slip out from behind him and summon my bow from the ether. One glance to the rage demon peering in from the outer door told me that I wouldn’t have enough time to take them both down before they were on top of me.

“Coming here was a mistake. We’ll just be leaving.” Roth took my arm and pushed me back toward the rage demon at the door.

“Not so fast, Roth.” The pleasure demon’s offhand tone hid a not so subtle warning. “You can’t waltz in here and enjoy the ambience without giving something in return.”

“You aren’t touching Lilah.” A cold blast radiated from Roth.

“Lilah, is it?” The demon rolled the word around on his studded tongue. “I’m sure there’s something you can offer. That sweet piece of ass would do perfectly.”

I’d had enough of the “stay behind me” routine and didn’t appreciate being talked about like a piece of meat. “I’ll punch your lights out, you son of a bitch. How’s that for an offer?” I fought to free myself from between Roth and the wall.

“You’re just encouraging him.” Roth spun and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me against his chest. His scent enveloped me, shooting warmth through all the places that needed to remain cold.

Voltaire watched Roth’s actions with obvious interest. I twisted my head around so I could see him. Of course, he was eyeing my ass like it was a drink of water and he was a dying man in the desert.

After a moment of intense standoff, the demon purred, “If you won’t give me something, then you can show me something.”

Been there, done that, saw the Oracle.

“We’ll be going now.” Roth pushed past Full Metal Jacket, dragging me behind him, only to find the hulking Rannok blocking the exit.

“Like I said, someone has to pay.” The pleasure demon leered at me as the tension ramped up a notch. Roth’s eyes locked with Voltaire’s. Both males were coiled tightly, a promise of violence about to begin.

The pleasure demon was the first to back down. He simply held his hands out, palms up. “Listen, I don’t need any more violence up in here tonight, though I wouldn’t mind it, of course. So, this one time, I’ll make you a deal.”

“Oh, yeah, what’s that?”

“I won’t hurt her, though I’d really, really like to.” Voltaire licked his lips, or more accurately, the metal loops that held his lips captive. “But you will.”

Another blast of cold from Roth, but this time it was straight from the Arctic Circle. Even the “performers” stopped what they were doing to watch the scene.

“We play along, and you’ll grant us safe passage to and from the catacombs?” Roth grated out.

I craned my neck back and stared at him. “Hang on a second. I think I just hallucinated. You’re not actually agreeing to this?”

“Safe passage, yes.” Voltaire nodded and waved the vampires back to their prey. The witch moaned when she was bitten again. I wasn’t about to join her as the M in the S&M sandwich. No way was I going to be trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey just so Roth could tell me something he could have already told me in the safety of his home.

But the stark set of Roth’s jaw told me he’d made up his mind. A slight tilt of his head sealed the deal with the demon. Son of a bitch.

“Let me go!” I began fighting against Roth’s rock-hard chest, but his grip tightened on me as I thrashed.

“Now that’s more like it.” Voltaire’s eyes grew hooded.

Before I knew it, Roth had gathered my hair behind my head and wrapped it around his fist. I yelped with surprise before raking my nails down his neck.

“Yes.” The demon motioned for the bloodied nymph to come over. She knelt in front of him and took his metallic length into her mouth. “Watch me, little immortal.” His eyes burned through me.

“Goddamnit, Roth, if you—” But when I’d turned back to him, Roth was gone. The ember-eyed incubus had taken his place. He yanked my head back with a smile and wrenched my left arm behind me, pressing my body hard into his. I shuddered involuntarily, feeling a desire that seemed entirely out of place in the current circumstances. He eyed my lips.

“If you try it, I’ll bite you.” I bared my teeth.

“That’s it, my fiery Lilah.” Voltaire’s gaze bored into me, but I wouldn’t look at him. Couldn’t watch what the god of heavy metal was doing to the poor nymph. Besides, I had my own problems.

Roth gave another strong pull on my hair, making me arch into him as he slanted his mouth over mine. That first bit of contact was like fire in my veins, but I wasn’t going to give in. I bit his lower lip, drawing blood, but that made him kiss me even harder, with more need. I wriggled against him, the crushing strength of his chest maddening. His lips were hot and firm. I felt as if someone had pranked me and put jelly where my knees were supposed to be.

I stopped fighting him, heat blooming inside me. Something different than I’d ever felt before. His tongue probed my lips, wickedly flicking and licking them. And, gods help me, I opened my mouth for him.

He angled his head, deepening the kiss and brushing me with the sheen of shadow on his cheeks. His grip on my hair relaxed, and I found myself wrapping my arms around his neck, pulling him even closer. The heat of his tongue stroking mine made my thighs feel like they were on fire, and I opened my legs just enough so he could press his hard length against me. I would have gasped with pleasure if my mouth weren’t otherwise engaged. I was branded by his lips, the possessiveness of this kiss.

When he moaned low in his throat, a sound full of the deepest desire, I knew I was lost.