“My brothers have taken the first step to start a war of succession,” he continued, “though I suppose if they succeed in killing me, it will not be much of a war.”

“Brothers…” I made the word halfway a question, though I would have liked to come up with something more eloquent and intelligent-sounding.

Lugh nodded. “Two of them. Dougal is the elder and will succeed if something happens to me.” He met my eyes grimly. “My youngest brother is named Raphael.”

Shit on a stick! I swallowed hard. “That would be Raphael, as in the demon Andrew is hosting?”

“So it would seem.”

I frowned. “But if this is a war of succession and Raphael is in on it, why didn’t he just kill you the moment you possessed me? You make it sound like I was too out of it to put up much of a fight.”

“True.” His lip curled in distaste. “Raphael and I have a long history of bad blood. Dougal and I disagree on matters of policy, but with Raphael, it’s always been personal.” The hinges of his jaws stood out in stark relief, like he was grinding his teeth. “I suspect he found the prospect of a swift death…unsatisfying. And I suspect Dougal’s other supporters are rather annoyed with Raphael right now.”

He looked at me and shook his head as he spoke. “I always wondered why there was only one person there on the night I was summoned. I would bet my kingdom Raphael acted on his own to use you as a host. Since Dougal’s quarrel with me is political, not personal, he wouldn’t have let me live a moment longer than he had to. But Raphael is determined to make me suffer first.”

And I thought I had troubles with my brother!

“So if Adam and I can get hold of Andrew, would you be able to cast your brother out of him?”

Lugh smiled at me. “Not unless you’d be so kind as to let me take control when you’re conscious.”

I shuddered.

“But even then, I don’t know if I could do it. Raphael and I are evenly matched. I have no way of knowing who would win if we fought.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “What about me? Can I toss him out on his ear?”

Lugh sighed. “I’m afraid not. You are obviously a very skilled exorcist, but Raphael is beyond you.”

That tweaked my pride. “You never know until you try. I’ve kicked some serious demon ass in my time.”

He looked amused. “I regret to inform you that the vast majority of demons who walk the Mortal Plain are of far less exalted — and less powerful — lineage than Raphael and myself. You have not faced a demon of anywhere near our rank before.”

Just what I wanted to hear. “And what about Adam? Did you ever really believe he could exorcize you?”

His shoulders lifted in a hint of a shrug. “No. But I hoped to speak with him. I need an ally.”

“Other than me, you mean.”

His amber eyes crinkled with amusement. “Are you my ally?”

“Well, duh! I don’t have much choice, you know.”

He inclined his head, causing a lock of that fabulous black hair of his to slide forward across his cheek. My hormones took notice, but didn’t go nuts.

“Point taken,” he said. “But I suspect Adam has skills and contacts that we might find useful.”

“And you trust him?” I sure as hell didn’t.

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have delivered myself into his hands.”

My heart thudded. “This was your idea! You told him to kidnap me and lock me up.”

Lugh laughed. “No, not in so many words. I asked him to help and protect you. He decided on the manner in which he would do so.”

I had a few colorful things I wanted to say, but Lugh kept talking.

“Truly, Morgan, he is a good man, and he’ll keep you safe to the best of his ability.”

“A good man? Excuse me, but were you napping earlier this evening?”

Lugh’s shrug was elegant. “I didn’t say he was a nice man.”

“Sorry, in my book, good men don’t whip their lovers.” Judgmental? Maybe so. But also heartfelt.

His stare pierced me. “Even if their lovers enjoy it?”

“Even if.”

Lugh looked disappointed in me. “If you could inhabit another’s skin as we do, your mind would be less narrow.”

I wanted to tell him to go fuck himself, but I didn’t know him well enough. Yeah, I actually have to know someone pretty well to be vulgar with them. I settled for willing myself to wake up from my dream.

I didn’t expect it to work, but almost immediately my eyes opened and I found myself curled into a protective ball in bed. The room was still pitch black, my body heavy with exhaustion and interrupted sleep. I stretched and turned over, and before I had time to wonder if I’d now be awake the rest of the night, I was asleep again.

I woke up the next morning to the sound of someone clomping around my room. I blinked bleary eyes and turned away from the wall.

The clomping was the sound of Adam’s biker boots impacting the wooden floor. I sat up cautiously, keeping my eyes fixed on him, but he had his back to me and didn’t seem inclined to look in my direction.

He dropped a tray onto the writing desk, rattling dishes and silverware. It was just a wild guess, but I thought he was still pissed at me. I slid my feet out of bed, studying the tension in his broad shoulders. He must have heard me stirring, but he didn’t look my way.

After putting the tray down, he made a beeline for the door. I gathered he planned to leave without once speaking to me or even looking at me. But, sad to say, he was the closest thing I had to a friend right now, and I needed him. I swallowed my fear and my pride.

“Adam, wait,” I said as he jerked open my door.

He froze with the door halfway open, his hand still on the knob. Still, he didn’t turn toward me, though I had a good view of his profile. His mouth was set in grim lines, his eyes narrowed, but it didn’t look like anger. It looked more like pain.

“Did I cause irreparable damage?” I asked. I had to keep my voice fairly low so it wouldn’t wobble. Despite Lugh’s pep talk last night, I still felt really bad about the trouble I’d instigated.

He hesitated a long time in the doorway, then pushed the door closed and turned to face me. A muscle at the corner of his eye ticked, and his face looked paler than usual. For about half a second, that puzzled me. Then a sneaking suspicion crept into my mind.

“Are you hurt?” I asked him. He didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. I remembered what I’d heard last night.

I raised my eyebrows. “You’ve had plenty of time to heal the damage.”

He shrugged, but the movement made him wince. “If I were so inclined, yes.”

It offered me an unwanted glimpse into his psyche. “Would Dominic have any objection to you healing yourself?”

His chin jutted out stubbornly. “Doesn’t matter.”

Yeah, I knew what I was looking at, all right. Self-loathing: an emotion with which I was intimately familiar. It meant it wasn’t so much me he was pissed at as himself. I found myself in reluctant sympathy.

“Dominic’s demon could have told him the truth, too. It’s not all on your shoulders.”

His eyes closed and he heaved a sigh. “I still should have told him. To hell with our laws. It’s not like Dom would have told anyone else.” He opened his eyes and looked at me. “I might never forgive you for the way you did it, but I’m glad he knows the truth.”

I accepted that as gracefully as I could. I wondered how Adam had managed to get so attached to the real Dominic so quickly, but I wasn’t nosy enough to ask.

I was, however, fond enough of meddling to ask, “So is Dominic enjoying this whole martyr bit you’ve got going on?”

Adam’s sensual lips twisted into an ugly snarl. “I’d be very careful what I said if I were you.” His demon glowed in his eyes.

Oh yeah, I’d hit a sore spot, all right. A smart woman would have done exactly what he suggested. I guess that means I’m not that smart.

“I know you mean to punish yourself, but I can’t see Dominic as the kind of guy who — ”