Page 26 of Signed in Incubus

Lucky for me, the asshole decided that I wasn’t worth the trouble. He turned and left, disappearing into the crowd.

“The spell?” Lily asked.

Prax, Gigi, and I answered her simultaneously. “Yes.”

Prax said something, but the music was too loud for me to hear, and my voice was toast from screaming anyway.

“It's too loud in here. Let’s talk outside.”

We started toward the door when we were suddenly stopped by a man in form-fitting jeans and a smoking jacket that should have looked very out of place at a club. But like Prax with his pirate get-up, the man wore it with such confidence and aplomb that it worked.

“Prax! My old friend. I’m so glad to see you are free and alive. Gina told me you were here.”

“Julian! It’s been centuries. Gina…oh, you mean Gwen. Yes, I saw her earlier.”

I exchanged a look with my friends.

“I’m pretty sure that’s the club owner,” Lily whispered.

I was suddenly thrust in front of the man, with Prax showing me off like a prize. “This is Penny. I’m here with her and her friends, but we were just finding a quieter place to talk.”

“You can use one of the VIP rooms. Come, I’ll take you.”

We followed him up a flight of stairs and through a set of double doors. The room was lavishly furnished with lush leather couches, a low, oval marble table in the middle of them. A selection of finger foods and snacks was set out on the table. A well-stocked bar stood against the wall with a variety of liquors, wines, and champagnes.

The music was quieter in here, and it was indeed a perfect place to talk.

“If you need a server to mix some drinks, oranythingelse, just press that button right there, and someone will come.” Julian eyed Lily, Gigi, and me appraisingly before handing Prax a card. “I’m sorry I can’t stay, but I’ve got some business I must attend to. Call me, and we’ll catch up. And if you need some privacy, just flip the sign at the door. No one will bother you.” Then the other demon was gone, and we were alone.

“Um, did I just get the feeling that your friend thought we were going to have an orgy or something in here?” I asked.

“That is a distinct possibility,” Prax admitted. “Julian is an old friend of mine from way back. I am not surprised he owns this place. It is an incubus’s dream.”

“No kidding. Lots of sexy women for you to hit on.” Oops. Did that sound as jealous to him as it did to me?

Prax must have known who I was talking about because he was suddenly by my side. “She wanted to go hunting together for old time’s sake. I told her I wasn't interested.”

“Hunting?”

“Yes. For bed partners. Gwen…I suppose she goes by Gina now…is a succubus.”

“Ohhh!” Lily and I said together.

“I told her I wasn’t interested because I’m not on the hunt.” His eyes sparkled. “I already know who I’m going home with tonight.” His gaze sizzled on me.

“That’s really sweet, you two, but can we please get back to your little problem?” Gigi said. “This spell you cast is still sending you random men.”

Oops! For a moment there, I’d totally forgotten we weren’t alone.

“Prax,” I asked, “when you received the summons, was there anything strange about it?”

He shook his head. “Nothing I can think of. But I didn’t exactly look very thoroughly. I thought it was just a booty call, remember?”

“But you stuck around.” Lily grabbed a candy from the tray on the table, unwrapped it, and popped it in her mouth. “And now Penny has bachelors throwing themselves at her,” she mumbled around the confection.

“Did the spell promise you anything if you accepted it?” Gigi asked.

“Nope. Just Penny. Which, for me, is prize enough.”

---