Extraits

As good as the sex was, Ans as much as I appreciated that he seemed to really care that it was as satisfying for me at it was for him, Sean was a one night stand. A damn fine one, though, and with any luck, after we'd sept, he'd have at least one more chance to show off his skills before I sent him on his way.

For mundane humans, their presence was supposed to be reassuring, or so I have been told. For the reason, most agents displayed their credentials and wore Agency jackets or vests everywhere they went. Their visibility was designed to give people a sense of security in a dark and scary world full of monsters and magic and things that went bump in the night.

I didn't tell him that I had one final option standing between me and the tortures of the Agency or a cabal. Inside my left leg, a so called "divine wind" spell was carved into my femur. Only the most sensitive and focused X-ray would be able to spot it, and it couldn't be sensed before I invoked it. It was basically my nuclear option, and one I would never use unless I had no hope of escape. I knew it was a better alternative than the suffering I would have to look forward to at the hands of either the Agency or a cabal. And if my grandfather ever caught me... well, nuking myself would be the only choice. At least I would take a lot of then with me when I went, in true kamikaze style.

While there were certainly plenty of smaller cabals out there that had no interest in criminal activities and whose members used their magic to help rather than harm, all the very powerful ones were organized crime syndicates. These cabals, like any other criminal organization, ran on brutal efficiency, demanded unwavering loyalty, and cared about two things: money and power. There were a dozen major cabals in the US and a host of smaller ones, each run by a powerful Davo and his or her lieutenants. Like the Mafia, cabals made money through various criminal enterprises. Mages bound to cabals did whatever was required to make these ventures profitable.

Half-demons were larger and stronger than humans, but it was heavy muscle mass. They might get off to a fast start, but they weren't built for running long distances.