“I do not know anyone named Terrin. As for your request—”

“What request?” I asked, confused, while my mind was busy pushing bits of puzzle pieces into place. No wonder Kostya looked familiar to me. But that meant that everything Terrin told me was true. Which in turn meant I wasn’t the least bit gaga. Relief swamped me when I added, “I didn’t ask you for anything.”

“You did. You asked me to sex you now. I realize that you desire my body,” Kostya said to me in the same stern tone of voice that my father had used whenever I was caught doing something I oughtn’t, “but now is hardly the time or place for such actions. I will admit, however, that the thought is not displeasing to me. You are quite comely. Later, we will have the sexing. But for now, we must remain focused.”

I giggled. I couldn’t help it, the giggle just slipped out.

His frown returned. “You find me amusing?”

“I find your phrasing amusing. Comely, to be exact. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it used outside of a Georgette Heyer novel. And for the record—” I had to stop for a moment to get a grip on myself. Apparently, my brain decided that giggling was good, and there was no reason to cease that action. “For the record, I do not desire your body. Not that you’re hideous or anything, far from it. Even with those scars, your chest is really nice, and I like your legs because they aren’t scrawny, and you have nice shoulders and naughty bits, but I’ve never been one to put physical attributes ahead of more important things.”

“Such as?” He had his hands on his hips when he asked the question, which just made me want to giggle again.

“Intelligence, a sense of humor, and oh yes, not being a mythical creature.” I swallowed another giggle. “Not that it wasn’t a cool form, but still. I like my men without the sort of baggage that must go with being a shape-shifter.”

“Is that so?” One eyebrow lifted.

“Yes.”

“Then you will not like this.” He pulled me against him, his mouth moving into place on mine, his breath hotter than I could have imagined. And then he kissed the very wits right out of my brain.

For about five seconds, after which my brain began to formulate thoughts again, all of which were highly positive about his kissing technique. My body gave that a thumbs-up and went into immediate seduction mode, which is why I found myself sliding my hands into his hair, careful to avoid his injury, and tugging gently to make him turn up the heat a notch.

It felt like fire was sweeping through me as he obliged, deepening the kiss, his tongue busy in my mouth even as his hands stroked down my back to dig into my behind. I wiggled my hips against him, causing him to moan into my mouth, a sound I wanted to echo. His lips were hot, but his tongue was pure fire, leaving little burning tingles that seemed to light other fires within me, deep fires, secret fires.

I was just seriously contemplating stripping the clothes off him and molesting him right there on the side of the road when he pulled back. Even in the dim twilight, I could see a glow in his eyes, as if they were lit with an inner power that glinted with silver moonlight.

“No,” I said, unable to think of anything else to say. “No, I didn’t enjoy that in the least. Do it again so I can not enjoy it some more.”

His lips curled slightly at the corners, and tiny lines appeared at the edges of his eyes. “If I were to do so, you would end up naked on the backseat of your car. And as much as I might desire that, we would not be safe. Someone could come upon us, and I do not wish to place you in a position of risk.”

“All things considered, that’s really thoughtful of you, but I doubt if we’re in any actual danger. Sweden is a pretty safe country.” I let go of his hair and stepped back, simultaneously embarrassed that I reacted so strongly to his kiss and filled with a strange, empty sort of wanting that I hadn’t felt before. “I concede the point that maybe I don’t find you wholly repugnant. And you’re right—we shouldn’t do that again. I’m not at all the sort of woman who kisses strange dragons when she comes across them. Wow, I can’t believe I just said that sentence. Are you impressed with how well I’m coping? Because I am. I’m not screaming, or ranting, or even calling the cops and having you hauled away. No, sir, I’m just standing here perfectly normal and natural even though my entire world has just been shaken to the core. There are demons who look like dogs, and dragons who look like handsome-as-sin men, and men who get killed and come back without a scratch on them. Really, I think a major award is in order to acknowledge just how well I’m coping, especially after all I’ve been through.”

“If you’re getting an award, then I want one, too,” said Jim as he approached, evidently now refreshed. “It ain’t every day you find out you’re a demon and can talk. How come you’re beet red, Eefies?”

“My name is Aoife. It’s really not that hard to say: EE-fuh.”

“Nicknames are a sign of affection, babe. So what’s the plan? We going to walk to your house or drive like civilized peeps?”

I looked at the dog, then up to Kostya. It took me a minute to stop looking at his mouth and reliving that kiss, but at last I managed to ask, “You said I’m a demon lord. I assume that means that I am his boss?”

“Yes. There are eight demon lord princes who rule Abaddon, but they have legions of demons, not just one. I know of no other demon lords who are not princes of Abaddon.”

“Abaddon being…?”

“Mortals based their concept of hell on it, but it’s not the same thing. Similar in some respects,” he allowed. “But not identical. I am hungry, and my head hurts. I wish to eat and then rest for a while, but if you do not want to drive, then I will.”

“So I have legions of demonic dogs at my beck and call?” The skin on my back prickled at the thought.

“Not so far as I know. A demon lord is technically anyone to whom a demon is bound. For some reason that I do not understand, Jim appears to be bound to you. Do you wish to drive or not?”

I gave in to his prompting and returned to the car, part of me still marveling at how well I had shifted mental gears and gone from denial of all things impossible to a new world where dogs talked, and men were dragons, and I was smack-dab in the middle of it all. “I’ll drive. But don’t you be turning into a dragon while you’re in the car. I don’t want those claws poking holes in my nice upholstery.”