Page 30 of Signed in Incubus

“Nope,” Griselda said. “But he’s our ride; the license plates and photos match.”

“But he’s ademon.” I turned to the driver. “I mean, no offense.”

“None taken…incubus.”

The troll was stomping his way out of the alley toward us, and I decided the demon was currently the lesser of two evils. I got into the front seat, and soon, we were speeding away from the bellowing monster.

“Our friend here is newly freed, sorry,” Griselda explained from the back seat.

“Ah, that explains it.” The driver rummaged in the side console and handed me a card that readSpeed Demon Cabs—We’re Infernally on Time.

“Give us a call if you need a job. We’re always hiring.”

Chapter 15

Penny

I woke up withmy head hurting so badly I wondered if someone had used it as a punching bag. I wasn’t in my own bed at my new, temporary home. Judging from the rich fabric and vibrant colors everywhere and the hand-woven tapestry of a frog on a toadstool on the wall right next to the bookshelf full of spell books, I was in Griselda’s guest-room-slash-library.

I didn’t remember getting here.

In fact, I didn’t remember much of anything after we’d gone back down to the dance floor, except for dancing with Prax. Except I swear I saw some dudes shrink into goblins, and there was thishugeguy with a ton of hair. But everything was fuzzy, and I couldn’t recall many details, and those I did remember felt like I’d dreamed them.

I tried to sit up but quickly realized by the way the world was spinning that that might not be the best idea. Instead, I lay still, inhaling the scents of…eggs, bacon, and coffee?...and letting the magic that had seeped into Griselda’s belongings calm me.

"Good morning," said a familiar, masculine voice. "How are you feeling?"

“Prax?” His name came out of my mouth a hoarse whisper.

He held out a cup of water, and I took it gratefully, chugging a good half of it before handing it back.

“Do you remember anything?” he asked.

I shook my head and regretted it immediately. I grabbed my forehead, but the room kept spinning. I groaned.

“Is Sleeping Beauty finally up?” Lily called from outside the door.

I groaned again at the shrill sound of her voice.

“Yes. Does Zelda have anything for her headache?” Prax asked.

“It’s Gigi,” Griselda corrected, walking into the room. “I’ve got an old hangover potion from back when I didn’t know my limits, but I’m not sure it would help. I don’t think this was alcohol.” She leveled a look at me. “I think you were roofied.”

“The wizard guy?” I asked.

“That’s what we thought, too,” Prax said. “But he was just as confused at your state when he tried to take you from us at the front of the club. I don’t think it was him: he didn’t smell like the chemical. There was someone at the club who did, but I wasn’t able to pinpoint who.”

“Wait a minute,” I said, putting out my hand. “Back up a bit. What exactly happened? What is this about in front of the club? Everything is so hazy, and it feels like a dream.”

“What do you remember?” Prax asked.

“What I do remember doesn’t make any sense. There were these little goblin people and a giant ogre thing.”

“Troll, not ogre,” he said. “And a demon cab driver.”

“Speed Demon Cabs! I’ve heard of them. A Darlington special. We don’t have them in Boston.”

“They cost a little more, but they come extra fast,” Gigi said. “A good thing, too. He came just in time.”

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