Page 32 of Demons of Eden

Whoops. Well, there goes my attempt at friendliness. It had been semi-decent while it lasted…

“Listen up, Marbles,” I begin, saying a silent ‘fuck that’ to playing nice any longer while he’s lying right to my face. “I’m all out of patience here because Ireallyneed to find Ash, and I think you’re lying to me about what you know. Hell, I’m willing to bet that you do know him, personally even, with how sketchy you’re being. So, can you please just cut the shit and tell me where the hell I can find him?”

Marbas narrows his eyes, the friendly genial expression completely vanishing from his face. “Even if I were lying, if I did happen to know an incubus called Ash and considered him my dear friend, why would I tell demon hunters where to find him?”

“I’m not a demon hunter.”

“Obviously. Your companions, however, are. Their presence won’t do you any favours here. You two are both members of Fletcher Hunting, am I correct?” he asks, directing the question at Torrin.

“You’ve heard of us?” the hunter replies tightly, none of his usual friendly banter, as he’s put on the backfoot at being recognised. I get the sense this isn’t a common problem for them, but he recovers quickly enough from the surprise. “We already told the demon who let us in that we’re not here on an assignment, so our jobs really shouldn’t be a problem. Not tomention, if Ash hasn’t done anything wrong, why would he need to fear hunters wanting to speak with him?”

“You could say that I’ve heard of you. You could also say thatyour mother tried to kill me once.” It’s impossible to miss the way Torrin and Rio both tense up at the mention of their mother. “A lovely woman, despite her inane choice of career. Ava was very apologetic about it all once she realised she had the wrong demon.”

“Didshe have the wrong demon?” Rio speaks up, glaring across the platform at Marbas.

“Quite. She was looking for an incubus who had drained all the energy from a string of unwilling human women, leaving them very dead. And, as I already informed you, I don’t engage in such activities, so it couldn’t possibly have been me who committed the horrendous crime she accused me of.”

“You don’t kill women, or you don’t have sex with them?” Torrin asks, surprisingly blunt about it.

“Neither,” he answers with a flippant hand wave in Rio’s direction. “As I said to that one before you both arrived, I don’t have sex withanyone.”

“But you’re an incubus?” The questioning words slip out of my mouth of their own accord, my mind desperately trying to find a way for his statement to make sense. “You literally feed off sexual energy. How can you not have sex?”

“Once incubi reach full sexual maturity, the need to feed off sexual energy does become a requirement for survival. It’s why I opened my club. Here, I have all the background lust to feed from that any of my kind could ever need. All without needing to directly resort to such…unappealing measures.”

Unappealing measures. Does he mean sex?

He’s repulsed…by sex?

“You’re asexual,” I blurt out, stunned. “An asexual incubus. Is that even possible?”

“It is. Though it’s a rare orientation amongst my subspecies, I’ll admit. It was only my total disinterest in sex that convinced Ava Fletcher of my innocence. So, you’ll have to forgive me for not trusting innocence alone will be enough to protect a demon if a hunter has already been convinced of their guilt.”

“How could she mix you up with someone else?” Torrin says, sharp hazel eyes scanning the demon sceptically. Rio also grunts as if seconding or backing up his brother’s question.

“You ask because of my distinctive appearance and lack of charm, I assume?” Marbas responds dryly. “While I’m currently the only white-horned incubus I know of, before he met his end at your parents’ hands, there was another. Our shared condition also somewhat alters our ability to morph our appearance to appeal to desires, though it hasn’t proven an issue for me given my nature. A fortunate benefit, actually.”

“And I’m sure you were just thrilled to point them his way instead of yours?” Rio asks.

“Yes, I was. I may not be fond of your ilk, but I was more than happy to point the hunter inhisdirection.”

“Not a fan of the guy, then?” Torrin asks.

“The stain he brought to me through the confusion of our identities aside, I’m ‘not a fan’ of rapist serial killers, no,” the demon snaps, clearly having had enough of entertaining our questions and being insulted.

Well, shit.

“Look.” I pause to sigh, realising we’re not going to get anywhere. Not like this, anyway. “I get you’re not going to admit knowing him, even if you do, and I guess I can also understand why you feel that way. Could you at least agree to tell Ash that I’m looking for him, though? It couldn’t possibly hurt, right? Just tell him Eden’s looking for him. And where he can find me,please.”

Marbas stares at me so intently and so silently, it feels as if he’s giving my soul a very thorough evaluation. “If I happen to see an incubus going by that name, I will pass on your message,” he finally agrees, and I get the sense that’s the best I’m going to get.

“Thank you. And I’m sorry for calling you Marbles, by the way. I’m just…I really need to find Ash,” I apologise, my excuses sounding lame even to my own ears. I’m not about to tell him my actual reasons for searching for him, though. Too many people know about the baby already.

“There’s no need to apologise. I actually think I quite like the nickname Marbles,” he says, slipping right back into his earlier personality, all warm pleasantness and amusement. “I may give it to myself.”

“Everyone gets a nickname but me,” Torrin mutters, though I think I’m the only one close enough to catch the hushed words.

“I guess we should leave you to your evening,” I say, not quite sure how to make a graceful exit after all that. Nothing ever goes smoothly when it comes to the hunt for Ash.

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