Page 1 of The Devil and His Goddess

Chapter 1

Perseus

I TWIRLED THE KEYS AROUND my finger as I walked leisurely through the building I’d just closed on. The smell of mildew wafted up from the carpet as the chipped paint and out-dated design assaulted my eyes.

With a nod, I gestured at all of the seats and the stage around me. “Yup. We’ll change it all.”

Rupert chuckled next to me. His salt-and-pepper head shook, not surprised by my declaration. “Of course you will.”

Smirking, I nudged the older man with my elbow. “My company and its patrons deserve the best, don’t you agree?”

“Of course, of course.”

I turned to the silent, meek man who waited behind us. The janitor, one of my many new employees as of today, smiled softly. “I can’t wait to see your new vision, sir.”

I glanced at the name on the badge attached to the pocket of his yellow shirt before returning the fairly young guy’s smile. “Thanks, Drake. And thank you for walking us around. I’ll have different teams coming in to redo things, so just take the time off until we return for the upcoming season, okay? It’ll be paid.”

His muddy brown eyes widened. “Wow. Okay, sir. Thank you.” He jumped like he’d just remembered something and turned to grab multiple bags from the last row of seating in the dimly lit theatre. “Before I forget, here are the last three years worth of recordings from the shows Silverlight has done. I collected them for you as requested.”

I accepted the bags with another thanks and followed the two men out of the theatre. Out in the parking lot, I stared up at the stone and glass building and couldn’t help but smile. It was mine. All fucking mine.

I was the new owner of the Silverlight Ballet Company. It had been a dream of mine to have my very own ballet company one day, and seeing as how my life had recently gotten less busy, I thought now was the perfect time to try being owner and artistic director. All of the ideas I had for the place bounced around my head as I returned to my new home.

New company, new home.

They were signs that life had … changed in the last little bit. Sinners Do It Better, the rock band I was a member of, was at our peak. We were doing endless concerts, getting invited onto countless TV and online shows, and having fucking awesome parties every weekend.

But then the leader of the group and fellow Incubus, Zagan, got himself bound to a human. The parties stopped, and the need to move to Tennessee arose. So now I was here. To top it all off, Zagan announced he wasn’t able to write music at the moment, which meant we were on hiatus.

I needed something to occupy my time, now more than ever, so when I looked into a ballet company around here and found Silverlight, it was pure luck. Until I’d seen it. The once reputable and thriving company had seriously declined.

The previous owner felt the company had a good chance of making a comeback because of a ballerina that would be full-time this year. The ballerina was supposedly a treasure of her time. Of course,I’dbe the judge of that. Regardless of the special dancer, I wasn’t too worried about the current decline of the company. I had great plans for it, just as I had big plans for this pristine mansion that carried hints of Greek architectural influence. I’d only been here for one day, yet it already felt like home with the wall of windows, outdoor pool, marble features, and art gallery.

Seeing as I was still getting settled, all I had for furnishings in the marble and stone home were my couch, TV, bed, and my music equipment. Not that I needed too much else. I had a very “less is more” approach to filling and decorating my home.

I deposited the bags of recorded performances onto the white couch before pulling my phone out to call Xander, one of my band mates and closest friend.

The Mischief demon answered on the first ring. “Pers. You back home?”

“Just got here,” I answered, running a hand through my long golden curls. “You still coming over to watch these recordings with me?”

Seeing as how I was taking over an entire dance company, I felt it was necessary to acquaint myself with the current dancers and talents there. I hadn’t witnessed any shows by this group, so I was eager to study the quality of ballerinas and danseurs now under my supervision. Xander, who was always down to get into something, offered to watch them with me, if for no other reason than to not be alone.

“Yeah, I’m coming,” Xander replied. “Can you grab us some food and coffee while I finish up here?”

The multiple giggles and brief moan told me exactly what he was finishing. Not wanting to keep him and the numerous girls he had with him from enjoying their fun, I let him go and went back out into town to complete his request.

The town wasn’t all that busy, seeing as it was midday during a work week. When I walked into the coffee shop, there were only two workers behind the counter and a single woman in a green dress ordering a drink.

The minute I walked in, the patron looked over her shoulder at me. Her dark brows rose, and she stood up a bit straighter, popping her hip out to accentuate her figure. There was no missing the intense smell of her desire as it tickled the back of my throat with the need to pursue the easy prey.

She finished her order and moved aside to wait for it as I placed my own. I flashed her a charming grin and adjusted my gray button-up with my heavily ringed fingers. She watched my every move, and even without looking at her, Ifelther paying special attention to my lips as I finished mine and Xander’s coffee order. That wasn’t something I could miss in my line of work. Incubi were sensitive to human desires and their fascinations, and being as experienced as I was, it was easy for me to tell what she was thinking.

I moved to stand near the human woman, who had undoubtedly soaked her underwear by this point. When her drink finished, she took it, and she cast me a small glance as she started to walk by. I saw the plan form in her mind, even before she pretended to trip right beside me. Playing along, I reached out to swiftly catch her before she and her coffee fell to the floor.

“Are you okay?” I asked with mock worry.

Her face flushed as she stared up at me in awe. “Y-Yes. Thank you.”

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