Thais didn’t like having to deceive, but while it reminded her of her own damn kind, deception happened to be her most valuable gift. The only thing that’d kept her alive for so long.

Ruse still in play, she made her way through the cellblock, anxious for a clean and uneventful getaway. The spell she’d cast worked on most supes. Even the Fallen. So anyone who happened upon her would think her to be Calix’s female, unless she managed to get distracted—impossible, when her only objective was escape.

The staircase lay ahead, as she exited the row of cells toward her freedom.

“All good?”

Hearing the familiar voice rattled her spine, and Thais jumped back, quickly recalling that she wasn’t she. “All good,” she said, licking her lips. “He’s down for the count.”

“You must be one skilled female to sate a starving incubus in one quickie.”

“You’ve no idea.”

Xander’s brows lifted, and he rubbed a hand across his chin. “Well, if things don’t happen to work out between the two of you, maybe you can show me your tricks of the trade.”

“You’re a dirty bastard, you know that?”

He nodded, his lips stretching to a grin. “You’ve no idea. Goodnight.”

“Yeah. Goodnight to you.” She continued on up the stairs, and reaching the top, she gave a glance over her shoulder, making sure the weaselly bastard hadn’t followed.

A solid mass crashed into her, bringing her to a halt.

Her head whipped back around, and Thais trailed her gaze up the enormous form blocking her way. He must’ve stood a good six-foot-seven—hell, maybe even seven feet tall. Hard to tell with her nose damn near buried in his chest.

His body was solid, covered in muscles and tattoos that screamed scary, pain, death. Scars marred his throat where he’d obviously attempted sudesxz, and a gnarly-looking scar ran down his cheek. As she lifted her gaze higher, dark eyes took her into a dark and wicked place, one that called to her Fallen wiles.

His lip peeled back into a snarl, like she’d invaded his world when she’d bumped into him.

“I’m sorry.” She placed a hand to his chest to push back, but felt a blaze of heat move across her palm like a snake. It tingled her senses, all the way down to her toes, and she tipped her head back, reveling in the sensation she’d missed.

Gathering it up into her hands, she opened her eyes to the hellsfire dancing in her palm.

The demon’s brows raised, from the pinch of being pissed off to enchanted, as he stood, mouth gaped, while Thais allowed the blue flames to swirl around her arm, across her body, and back to her awaiting palm.

The beastly male let out a groan and shivered.

Thais lifted her palm and blew the flame back toward him, smiling when it retreated beneath his skin once more.

The male studied her without saying a word, only the occasional twitch of his eye telling her he hadn’t gone statue on her.

Gods, he was beautiful. Broken, scarred, and tragically handsome. And hell if she didn’t flock to the ones whose very aura screamed stay the fuck away, if you know what’s good for you.

Breaking away, a downward glance revealed that she’d allowed the façade to drop.

“Excuse me,” she said, scampering her way around him toward the door, feeling the brush of his finger against her arm as she passed him.

The demon stood frozen in place, staring down at his palms as if in shock.

Probably best that he was, seeing as she happened to be making an escape.

Resuming the mask she’d worn moments before, Thais quickly exited the front door before the troll she’d met on the way in could reach her.

Ahead of her stood the iron gates off in the distance, at the end of the long, gravelly driveway, and the bark from behind told her the property was guarded by hellhounds. The place really was a fortress.

Wondering just how fast her ass could scale that gate, she upped her pace to a run.