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changed the direction of our order. We continued to
hunt the incubi and succubi, but we no longer had to
kill their children. Wardens became keepers as well as
hunters and found ways to protect our charges and
pleasure them and ourselves. Cambions are born for
such usage, and nearly all of them crave it.
Nearly all. Tristan hadn t. That s how you made
all your money, isn t it? You used them for porn.
Porn, escorts, dancers, every means by which sex
could be used for profit. Soon enough we had money
and influence in every industry. Blanco sighed. Our
success doesn t mean they re not dangerous.
Medication may tame them and allow them to keep
their heads while they work with the general
population, but the sexual, demonic side must be
released from time to time lest it destroy the cambion
from the inside out. That s where the Wardens come
in. We re trained to safely deal with the demons.
Why the hell didn t you tell me any of this
before?
Because I wanted to protect you. Blanco gazed
out the window. Your photographs drew me because
I see people the way you do. I know why no one else
will buy them. They re too truthful. It s as if you can
see into the soul of a man and yank it out for others to
gaze upon.
Cory s college photography teacher had once told
him something similar: Every photo should be
emotionally stirring and tell a story, yet Cory did it too
well. His student art show, while well attended, had
Evey Brett 143
left people uneasy. I can t change the way I see
people.
I wouldn t want you to. I need you to be exactly
what you are.
And what am I?
Blanco didn t answer for a long time. Tell me, Mr.
Levanston. Why is it you ve never taken another man
to your bed?
Cory s face burned. I told you. I don t like to be
touched.
Because it chafes, doesn t it? Like sandpaper on
your mind because you can feel them in a way no one
else understands. And until Tristan, no one else felt
right.
Cory fought to control his rising apprehension.
How in the hell could Blanco know such a thing?
You re like me. A Sensitive. I couldn t stand to
touch just any man either, not until I met Marco. He
sighed. It s the demon that snags you, isn t it? The
darkness, the sex it s as addictive for you as it is for
them.
That isn t why, Cory said softly, even though he
craved Tristan s mouth on his cock. He tilted the
paperweight so the dolphins went skidding downhill
and bumped into each other. He needed me. That
human side of him still does.
So does the demon. You can t have one without
the other. Forcing a separation will kill them. His
voice was old. Weary. Like you, I fell hard for a
cambion. In many ways, Marco was like Tristan.
Smart. Aware. Wanting a life that included more than
sex. I stole him from a mental institution that had no
idea what he was and kept trying to cure his PTSD,
144 Demon's Dance
including an unnatural need for sex and his penchant
for masochism. I found out later he d been a victim of
human trafficking, a prisoner in a sex ring until one of
the other victims escaped and revealed it. The ring s
organizers knew exactly what he was and how to use
his heritage to their advantage. Blanco s voice choked
with emotion, but when he spoke again, he was calm.
My teacher knew the risks better than I and taught me
how best to deal with Marco. For twenty-five years I
loved him and tried to banish the darkest parts of him.
Ill-treatment ruins a cambion mentally as well as
physically, and once they become accustomed to
receiving pleasure from pain, it becomes nearly
impossible to train them out of it.
Tristan s not a dog, Cory said.
Perhaps not. He doesn t willingly wish to harm
another, but his body remembers. That s why when
you slapped him, however lightly, he reacted so badly.
The demon side of him knows the sexual pleasure it
got from Laurence s mistreatment, and it craves more.
When you were alone with Tristan, you were lucky
you only had to fend the demon off when Tristan still
had control enough to help.
Tristan s actions were beginning to make more and
more sense. That guy was fucked-up, he said. That
Laurence.
Blanco inclined his head. Cambions have a
tendency to mirror their lovers desires. Laurence had
a penchant for S and M. Tristan seemed primed for it,
and for a while they did make a good pair. And then
Laurence went too far.
He told me, Cory said. Laurence gave him those
scars.
Evey Brett 145
That s why Laurence is dead.
He was glad the bastard was dead, but the memory
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