Kris Starr used to be famous. Rock and roll. Sold-out shows. Literal magic. Empathic talents and screaming fans. But he has a problem or two. He's having a hard time writing new music. It’s Midwinter, which means he’s surrounded by depressing holiday cheer. And he's in love with Justin, his manager, who has a talent for rescuing almost- or once-famous bands ... and who’s hiding secrets of his own. Justin Moore, on the other hand, is very good at keeping those secrets -- he's had to be for years. One secret involves a demonic inheritance that would make him a target of suspicion. Another involves his past. And the third involves Justin’s feelings for Kris Starr, rock and roll icon and now his client ... and a powerful empath of his own.

A Demon for Midwinter

Justin wasn’t talking anymore. Not good. Even that energetic hair had gone motionless: flattened under the weight of public revelation. What could they do? What could come next? What could be an answerto this?


He tried to rub warmth into chilly demon skin. That shirt was too thin. Justin needed to be warm. Maybe he could solve that much, at least; maybe he could throw himself between his demon and the cold, when the storm hit. He did not know what else to try, yet; but maybe he could do that.


He took Justin’s mobile away, out of one lax hand, and set it on the sofa behind him. Justin did not appear to notice. Kris swallowed, hard, and held him, and after a few seconds Justin turned more closely into him, face tucked into Kris’s neck, accepting being held.


Heavy drops, outside, drummed on windowpanes and lake-water and winter ground. Waiting, he thought, to hear what answer they might find.


Chapter 71