Page 71 of Incubus

The fire went out of her eyes as she realized the seriousness of my words. She gasped, and a tear trickled down her face, the first I’d ever seen there. “Because of her?” Her voice was a dirge, and she dropped her arms to her sides, defeated.

“Yes.” I loosened my grip. “She’s mine.” As if that were explanation enough.

“Can’t you keep us both?” Her eyes were no longer lit with wrath, changing as quickly as a child’s whim. The tears now coming in earnest.

“I’m sorry.”

Corinne’s succubus had saved me from ruining countless lives, but I couldn’t allow her to ruin Lilah’s.

She stepped back from my hold, and I let her go. Without saying another word, she stalked out of the room and down the hall, slamming the door behind her.

“Women, right?” Apollo appeared in the doorway. He whistled the sound of a bomb dropping and exploding. “Looks like I’m going to need to go and uh, comfort Corinne again.” He sauntered off after her.

I turned back to my search, though I knew I would find nothing helpful in Lilah’s room. After one more fruitless effort, I bolted out the door, intent on finding Bartholomew. Luckily, the butler was already at the top of the stairs.

“Master, I was just looking for you. A—”

“Not now,” I silenced him. “Did you see Lilah leave? How long has she been gone?”

Bartholomew tapped his chin with his forefinger. “Ah, I believe she left only half an hour or so after you did. So that would be—”

“Six hours. Did she tell you where she went?”

“No. She did give me a kiss on the cheek, though.” His face flushed with the memory. “But then she wouldn’t let me help her with her bags, which as you know made me a little upset, but it—”

“Bartholomew, focus for me.” I placed my hands on the old butler’s frail shoulders. “Did she say anything or do anything that would give you any idea about where she went?”

“No, master, she didn’t say, and I don’t know.”

“Was she angry?”

“No, but she did seem…” Bartholomew appeared to be at war with himself on how to describe her. “She did seem a little sad.”

“Damnit!” I pounded my fist on the balustrade, shattering the wood into splinters.

Gone without a trace. But why? Corinne’s words came barreling through my mind—“She was disgusted by you.” Had Corinne been right? Had Lilah realized her night with me—the greatest night of my life—had been a mistake? Had I hurt her? Shame overtook me. Of course I hurt her. I hadn’t kept my demon at bay and must have frightened her or worse.

“Oh, gods.”

“Master?” Bartholomew asked, concern shading his tone.

“She ran from me the first chance she got.” I sank down onto the top step, cradling my head in my hands. “She only stayed because she gave her word…but I broke her.”

A chasm opened within my chest and the incubus wailed with pain at the thought of losing her. Find her!

But I wasn’t going to chase her if she had run from me. Couldn’t bear the thought of her fearing me. Though the gods knew I wanted to find her and make her see how much I loved her. I laughed bitterly. Love. Once something I thought as ephemeral as pixie dust had now grabbed hold of me so deeply I thought I might die of sorrow for the loss of it. Misery settled on me like a great weight, stifling any thought of happiness I’d had only moments ago.

“I disgust her.” I’d never felt such regret, not even after what happened to the innocent Delia.

Bartholomew patted me on the shoulder. “No, master, no more of that talk. It was clear she was taken with you.”

Though meant as a comfort, his words only sank me deeper into despair. Yes, she might have been attracted to me, but I’d killed any chance I’d had when she’d seen my true nature. And could I blame her?

I sat at the top of the steps for what felt like hours, running the last few days over and over again in my mind. Imagining her lovely feet on the stairs where I sat. She was born to be here with me, mistress of this chateau. Lost her.

Bartholomew cleared his throat; I’d forgotten he was even there. “Master, I hate to interrupt your…well, your-your thoughts, but I was trying to tell you earlier that you have a visitor.”

I couldn’t care less, even if it was Zeus himself sitting on my fainting couch. I lifted my head slightly and saw Bartholomew looking at me expectantly. No reason to make him suffer along with me. What was left of me humored him. “Who is it?”

“He said his matter was urgent. It’s a goblin, master. Named Cranfel.”

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