Sin’s workshop came into view, and I veered toward it, cutting through the crowd to come to a halt in the shade of the shop awning. Chase lowered his huge body to the ground, well versed with the protocol for visiting Sin. He always kept watch.

I wanted to say I wouldn’t be long, but depending on what price Sin exacted for the information I wanted, I could be a while. A shiver of expectant apprehension ran over my skin. It had been too long since I’d indulged in carnal exercise.

The inside of the workshop was separated into a storefront lined with shelves of machine parts and goods I had no understanding of, and the forge at the back where Sin could usually be found pounding metal, torso naked and sweaty. A damn treat for the eyes if there ever was one.

Except today the steady clang and thud of Sin working were absent. I made my way down the stacks toward the back of the store, which was more of a warehouse really. The storefront didn’t give an accurate impression of how much space there was beyond the doors.

“Sin?” My voice echoed around me. “Hello?”

A strange sound drifted down the stacks to meet me. A slurping, suckling sound accompanied by a gentle vibration. I broke free of the towering units a moment later and froze, pulse kicking up at the sight before me.

Sin stood, ass propped on the workbench, legs planted wide, head tipped back as a demon female knelt before him, sucking on his cock noisily. Sin wasn’t touching her. His hands were braced on the workbench behind him, chest vibrating as she worked him. What was she doing with her teeth? And that gobbling noise? That was not the best technique for sucking cock.

I tore my gaze from her, dragging it up Sin’s washboard abs and hard pecs to find his midnight eyes fixed on me.

“Nyx.” He said my name like an invitation, and I found myself fighting the urge to step forward, shove the useless cock-sucking woman out of the way, and take her place.

I didn’t do any of that, though. Instead, I crossed my arms and arched an amused brow. “Hello, Sin, did I interrupt something fun?”

To give her credit, the demon hadn’t stopped working him; if anything, her ministrations had become faster, almost desperate.

Sin placed his hand on her head. “Enough.”

She disengaged with a pop, looking up at him. “But you said you had to come. You haven’t come yet.”

He looked down at her dispassionately. “I know.”

“But that means I won’t get what I want.”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

She stood slowly and turned to glare at me. “This is your fault. You interrupted us and ruined it.”

“No,” Sin said. “Your technique leaves much to be desired. Come back when you’ve perfected it and we can trade.”

She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times and then pressed her lips together, pushing back her shoulders in determination. “I will be back, Sin. Mark my words.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Sin smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

The woman brushed past me and dove into the stacks, eager to get away now, but her departure left me with an unobstructed view of Sin’s demonhood, and damn…

Sin reached for himself, slowly, carefully tucking away his prize.  I cleared my throat and pulled my gaze up to his face. Fuck, he had a beautiful face, hard planes and chiseled jaw, wide, flat cheekbones, and dark eyes that swam with flecks of silver. He would have been angelic in appearance if not for the slightly crimson hue to his smooth, velvety skin and the horns that curved up and back from his head.

“What do you want today, Nyx?” he asked in his deep, gravelly voice.

“Information.”

“Hmmm.” He patted the spot on the workbench beside him. “Come sit.”

I crossed the room toward him, heart beating a little faster as our proximity increased. It didn’t help that he was watching me as if I were a sumptuous snack.

I joined him at the bench and hoisted myself up. Sin was tall enough for his booted soles to sit flat on the ground while on the bench but mine dangled in the air.

“What do you want to know?” he asked.

“Someone in Morningstar has put a hit on me. I need to figure out who, and to do that I need to understand the hierarchy system here and why anyone would be interested in killing me.”

“You’ve pissed off a lot of people in your time,” Sin said.

“True, but I’ve never taken down a demon or worked for one.”

“Hmmmm.”

“Can you help me?”

“I don’t concern myself with the workings of the courts, Nyx.”

My heart sank.

“But I can see you have misconceptions about the creatures who reside in Morningstar. I can clear up those misconceptions.”

Okay, that was something. Now for the price. “What will it cost?”

He’d already fucked me bent over this bench, and he’d also tasted me, making me come with his tongue under the proviso I made no sound. I was prepared for anything. An excited pulse beat between my thighs as he moved to stand before me, leaning in to cage me with his body.

His midnight eyes glowed with silver flecks as they raked over my face, settling on my lips.

“A kiss.”

My pulse thudded hard. He’d been deep inside me with his cock and his tongue, but he’d never kissed me. Not once. A kiss was…intimate. Personal. Precious.

He locked gazes with me. “Will you pay the price?”

“Can’t you just fuck me?”

His eyes narrowed. “I decide what the cost is, Nyx. Not you.”

My mouth was dry. I licked my lips, and he tracked the movement, making my pulse jump. I didn’t like this. Not at all. Sexual activity was one thing, but this…closeness, this heart-pounding, fluttery shit was a huge no.

“Well?” His breath kissed my mouth in an echo of what was to come.

I needed the information. I needed to find out who was gunning for me. One kiss wouldn’t matter. It would probably be shit anyway, and yes, I was convincing myself to break a rule to get what I needed right now. I’d let him kiss me, but I’d stay detached. I’d think of something disgusting, like the cold one laying eggs in a human body. Yep, that would work.

I lifted my chin slightly, bringing our lips closer. “Deal.”