It was night on this side of Bulwark, which meant Roman had a clear view of the stars overhead as he angled his ship towards the main hangar of Castle Faust. The sight grounded him, a reminder he was out of darkspace. Some days, he needed that.

Decontamination had been its own adventure. Roman had landed at the Hub—the massive space station that served as the Wolf’s front line defense—and had turned himself over, convinced he was never coming back out. There was only one reason demons left people alive, and when Roman had sat down before the akashic and empath on duty, he’d been certain the next words he was going to hear were, “You’re infected.”

When that didn’t happen, when they’d waved him on, it hadn’t been the relief it should have been. Instead, it had left Roman just as tense, just as nervy as before, wondering why he’d been let go.

Roman landed, waved at the ground crew, and keyed in the code to disconnect himself from his ship. He slipped out one of the side doors and paused to wrap himself in shadows. Roman’s etheric adaptation wasn’t strong, but he could pass unnoticed if he flared the power to the edge of his ability. Which he did. He wasn’t interested in idle hallway gossip with anyone tonight.

He’d made it through decon without giving away how freaked out he still was. He’d answered all the usual question in all the usual ways. If his heart was still beating too fast, if he still couldn’t get enough air, well, that was hardly unusual in a scout coming back from patrol. And now he was home, maybe he could finally calm back down.

Castle Faust wasn’t the prettiest castle in the Empire; nor was it the most comfortable. Bulwark was a rocky, barren world that was still in the process of being terraformed. The Wolf had settled this world only because of its proximity to the Breach. Even the nima were still working to gain ground.

Which meant the sort of luxuries that were staples on other planets were expensive and rare here. But Castle Faust was full of soldiers—soldiers who spent their lives holding the line against Hell itself. When they were home, they needed an escape. Lord Faust made sure they had one.

Not drugs. Drugs fucked with the mind and the nima and made darkspace even more dangerous. Not pleasure houses—Bulwark didn’t have the space, and it was too dangerous for civilians. No outdoor sports or beach vacations or whatever other bullshit the soft worlds offered. On Bullwark, there was no going outside.

What Wolves could do was drink, and at Castle Faust, the alcohol flowed like water.

There were bars spread all through the castle, but there was one in particular where the scouts hung out: The Rock. Deep down in the under-levels, the Rock had been a storage cavern when people had first landed on Bulwark and had to live underground until the shield was up. It was cramped, dark, and felt a little like a tomb. It was a rite of passage even to know about it. No one got invited to the Rock till they’d logged their first demon kill.

It was the only place Roman went to drink. It was where he knew he’d find his friends.

Andreas and Satsu—exactly the people Roman was looking for—were seated at the bar.

Andreas was a fellow scout. He was a Faust rather than a Hayashi, but they were all one family in the pack. He was smart as they came, perceptive even beyond what the nima had given him, and, as it happened, plenty easy on the eyes. At forty-eight, he was currently the oldest scout flying, and was far more even-tempered than any nearly-thirty-year veteran had a right to be.

Varya Satsu was a different matter. She wasn’t a scout. She wasn’t even a Wolf. Born to the Griffon, she’d immigrated to Bulwark several years ago to join the front line fight against the demons. Satsu didn’t talk much about her past, and the Wolf weren’t big on asking questions of the people who came here from the outside. As long as you were here to fight, it didn’t matter who you were before.

Satsu didn’t have the adaptations to navigate darkspace freely, but she had a gift that was every bit as valuable. Satsu was a full-gifted empath, with the animals following her around to prove it. Empaths were priceless in the fight against demons, so Satsu had been able to write her own ticket as soon as she showed up. By now, she’d earned her place a hundred times over. On top of that, Satsu was fearless, unstoppable with a sword in her hand, and knock-down gorgeous.

Roman loved her more than a little.

Andreas saw Roman first and waved him over. Satsu turned to look, as did Max, the huge kangal dog that was her constant companion. “There’s a man who looks in need of a drink,” Satsu said.

Andreas slid over, leaving an open stool between him and Satsu. Roman took it, patting Max on his bristly head as he sat. “I am a man in need of all the drinks.”

Andreas caught the bartender’s eye and held up three fingers. Soon enough, they each had a fresh pint of beer sitting in front of them. “To the pack,” Andreas said, raising his.

“The pack,” Roman and Satsu both echoed, clinking their glasses together.

Roman downed a third of his all in one gulp, which earned him twin looks of curious concern. Roman answered the unspoken question. “I almost died today.”

“Ah.” Andreas nodded. “One of those.”

Satsu’s pale jade eyes continued their study of Roman. How deep did she see? Roman’s etheric gift wasn’t strong enough to hide from her, from her gift that could see all the way down into his soul. But her tone was casual as she asked, “Are you all right?”

“I will be.” He drained his glass. “After another five or six of these.”

Satsu put her hand over his, holding him there so he couldn’t signal the bartender. “I have a better idea.” To Andreas, she said, “Are we done here, love?”

He glanced down at her hand over Roman’s and polished off his own drink in a gulp. “I believe we are.”

No one in Castle Faust lived in luxury, but Satsu’s position and her adaptations granted her certain allowances. The suite she and Andreas shared was twice the size of a normal double, with an extra room that served as a kennel for Max and the two hounds that Satsu was currently training.

The dogs were invaluable for demon hunting. They knew. They always knew. A shapeshifted demon might be able to fool a human, but they never got past the animals. Which was why Satsu and the few other empaths who’d come to live with the Wolves—who’d dedicated their lives to keeping the Empire safe from darkspace threats—were always welcome.

The dogs were also great for being, well, dogs. Nothing lifted Roman’s spirits quite as much as the tail-wagging joy he was greeted with as he followed Andreas into the apartment and Hansel and Gretel came running.

Roman crouched down, ran his hands over sleek warm fur as the hounds tumbled all over him. Satsu let them go for a few moments before she snapped her fingers to call them to order. It took a couple repetitions for the dogs to calm and listen to her. “You teach them bad habits,” she said, but there was fondness in her voice.

“Not at all.” Roman caught Gretel’s face between his palms and ruffled her ears. “They’re good dogs.”

Max sat at Satsu’s side, watching the hounds with a look of canine disdain. Satsu rested her hand on his head, scritching behind his ears, but her attention was on Roman. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Roman did want to talk about it—would talk about it, but not yet. “What if I say not?”

Satsu pointed at the kennel. Max trotted obediently into his room. Hansel and Gretel retreated more reluctantly, giving Roman plaintive looks over their shoulders as they went. Max nosed the door closed once they were all in.

Andreas stepped up behind the still-crouching Roman, his knees brushing against Roman’s back. Satsu walked slowly around to stand before him, and the atmosphere in the room shifted.

Satsu reached over Roman’s head, caught Andreas’s hand and brought it to her mouth, kissing his knuckles. “What our friend Roman needs, my love, is a distraction.”

“You think?” Andreas lay his other hand on Roman’s head, his thumb stroking through Roman’s hair. “How ever might we accomplish that?”

“I have some thoughts.” Satsu’s voice was serious, but her eyes held a wickedly playful gleam.

Roman’s heartbeat sped and the room suddenly felt a great deal warmer. This wasn’t the sole reason he’d tracked down his friends, but as always, Satsu had seen through him to exactly what he needed to get past the twitchy, spun-up feeling he’d had since the Borealis.

“Roman’s problem is that he gets all wound up inside his head.” She was talking directly to Andreas, running her fingers lightly over his hand, so that Roman could just barely feel the increased pressure against his scalp.

Teasing him. Making him wait. She knew what Roman wanted. He knew what he wanted. This wasn’t the first time they’d played this game. But that did nothing to slow his pounding blood or dull the dizzying anticipation.

Andreas leaned forward, pressing his lips lightly to Satsu’s, nibbling down her chin as he asked, “What can we do to help?”

“Hmm…” Satsu slid down, landing lightly on her knees, straddling Roman. Then tilted her head to catch Roman in a kiss.

She started gentle, her soft lips brushing his. A series of light touches, each time lingering just a little longer than before. Roman found her hips, pulling her closer, letting his body say yes. And please. He felt her smile, and then her teeth sank deep into his bottom lip.

This was no gentle love-bite. Sharp pain spiked through him, and Roman jerked back, but she didn’t let go. He tasted blood. Satsu’s hands slid down his back, under his shirt, her nails dragging a sharp path along his skin.

Satsu lifted her head as Andreas grabbed Roman’s shoulders from behind and pushed Roman down onto his back. Satsu was still sitting on Roman’s hips. Andreas put a knee on Roman’s chest and leaned in to kiss her again. She had a smear of Roman’s blood on her lips. Andreas sucked it clean and a desperate thrill ran through Roman.

Satsu and Andreas took their time making out with Roman trapped beneath them. His lip throbbed. Andreas’s knee was a painful weight against his sternum. It left Roman short of breath and dizzy with arousal. He ran one hand up Satsu’s leg, along the soft curve of her calf. With the other, he clutched at Andreas’s thigh. Urging. Begging.

“I think Roman wants something,” Andreas murmured against Satsu’s lips.

“You have no idea,” she answered.

These were his friends and they knew him. Roman didn’t have to ask for the sharp scratches Satsu gave as she pulled at his clothes. Or for Andreas’s teeth at his shoulder, hard enough Roman would have a bruise tomorrow. They used him roughly, pushed him back down, claimed his body for their own pleasure.

With each touch of fingers and nails and tongues and teeth, Roman’s mind eased as his body became more tense and desperate. Gripped tight with arousal, there was no room for fear or confusion. There was only flesh and heat and desire.

As he lay there with his skin stinging in a dozen places, bruises pounding, Satsu pleasuring herself on his cock and Andreas shoved deep down his throat, it was almost enough.

When he came it was as much relief as pleasure. A release of everything that had been wound tight since he’d run from the Borealis.

After, Roman had just enough energy to drag some pillows off the loveseat to make himself a comfortable spot to collapse on the floor. Satsu sprawled with him, her eyes half closed and a smile playing over her lips. Andreas pulled down a blanket and tucked it around the two of them as they lay entangled. “Not staying?” Roman asked.

“Can’t. I’ve got my own patrol starting soon. Need to get ready.” He kissed Satsu and gave Roman’s shoulder an affectionate squeeze, then stood and headed for the bedroom. After a moment, the shower started.

Roman and Satsu lay together, Satsu tracing light patterns over his chest with one finger, her eyes focused somewhere in the distance. “Feel better?” she asked.

She already knew the answer, but she was giving him the opening to talk about it. If he wanted to.

The sex had definitely burned off the frantic energy, the fight-or-flight loop that he hadn’t been able to escape on his own. But better…Roman wasn’t sure he could say that.

Now he could think clearly, could go back over everything that had happened. The picture forming wasn’t a good one. Roman had been surprised by a demon. He’d been careless, no question. Which happened to the best of scouts. Especially at the tail end of an Eclipse.

But he should be dead.

Demons didn’t let people go. Not without a reason. Usually that reason was infestation—people injected with the pure energy of darkspace that would lay dormant, growing over time until it became a new demon and hatched out of the poor sap who thought they’d escaped. But demonic infection was hard to hide from hikmaics and akashics, and impossible to get past the dogs. Max would have gone for Roman’s throat the moment he walked into the bar if he’d been infested.

There he was, back to nothing making sense.

“Shhh.” Satsu stroked her fingers down his cheek. “It’s all right. You’re safe now.”

Roman sat up, leaned forward, his elbows on his thighs. He rubbed the heels of his hands against his eyes and tried to figure out how to explain. “This was a rough outing. A closer call than it should have been. I was caught by surprise. Ship full of bodies that were hours dead, and the demon was still hanging around.”

From the doorway, Andreas, in the midst of toweling himself off said, “Demons don’t do that.”

“I know.” Roman’s hands still covered his face. “But this one was different. She talked to me and it was…different.”

Roman could feel the weight of Andreas’s eyes. Could guess the thoughts going on behind them. “What did they say when you handed in your report?”

“I may have…left some things out.” Because he’d been in a hurry. Because he hadn’t known how to talk about what happened. Because until it made sense to him, he wasn’t going to be able to find a way for it to make sense to anyone else.

Excuses. Nothing but excuses.

Satsu was looking back and forth between them. “What’s going on? What am I missing.”

“Nothing. Because Roman is going to fix this.” Andreas gave his hair one final scrub then draped the towel over his shoulder. He stood there otherwise naked, his taut, muscular body a testament to the years he’d spent fighting the war that never ended. Scars traced darker lines all over his red-brown skin, each one a history. Over fifteen years Roman’s senior, Andreas had seen everything there was to see.

“You’ve been flying more hours than you’ve been sleeping the last three months,” he said, his gaze assessing Roman. “It’s the end of the eclipse. Everyone is worn down to the bone. Ask for a couple days off. They’ll say yes. Take them.” His voice was firm. “After that, go back and amend your report. You won’t be the first to have to do that.”

Roman nodded.

“You want to stay here?” Satsu asked.

Roman squeezed her hand, then stood up. “I’m okay. I can sleep in my own bed. But thanks.” For everything, he didn’t have to say.

She smiled. “What are friends for?” She retreated into the bedroom with Andreas, leaving Roman to get dressed alone.