Page 3 of Moonlit Alexandrite

With little else to do, I began to draw.

I started with the black horse I saw occasionally, down by the loch. There were about a million signs warning people not to ride him, but I still kind of wanted to.

Who was I kidding? It was only a matter of time before I marched up and mounted the thing. I mean, he was beautiful.

Totally worth the risk.

Next, I drew a rough sketch of the dancers I had been observing outside.

I focused on the negative space, the breaths between flesh, and the movement of light and sound. There was beauty in the dark, just as there was in the light.

I couldn’t have said how long we drew, but when I finally lifted my head, I saw the boy had meticulously drawn a picture of a small reptile, all black with yellow markings on its head and back.

“That’s a nice-looking lizard,” I complimented softly. He shook his head hard.

“It’s my salamander.”

His voice was smoother than I expected. A beautiful, melodious sound that I immediately wished I could hear again. “What’s your name? I’m Lex,” I said with a small smile.

He grinned back at me.

“Newt.” A deeper, darker version of the boy’s voice came from the doorway behind me.

My succubus purred while I sat frozen, equally worried about making eye contact and opening my mouth. I did not trust that bitch at the moment; she was most definitely in time-out until she learned some manners.

The boy’s eyes lit up, and he threw himself across the room.

“Da!” There was a short, but clearly loving reunion while I tried my best to blend into the carpet. Nothing to see here, folks, just carry on with your night, and I’ll make myself scarce once the coast is clear.

“Is there a reason you are in a restricted area, alone, with my son?”

Well, it was worth a shot.

I turned slowly and pointed a finger at my chest with my best innocent expression.

Who, me?

Eye contact was a terrible idea, I reflected as I took in long dark braids that flowed over his shoulders, and a broad chest that strained the black button-down he was wearing. His features were identical to the little boy, leaving me in no doubt about their relationship.

I climbed to my feet, an explanation of what had happened perched on my lips. I was innocent here, after all. Nothing shady.

I craned my neck to keep eye contact and realized this guy was really tall. My succubus, logy with feeding, slinked closer to look at the god standing before us.

As I continued my inspection, and time clearly didn’t stop for me, the man folded his arms across his chest and arched a sharp eyebrow. Right. What was the question?

“You’re so pretty.”

I should not be allowed to interact with others for a while.

Chapter Two

Lex

The next morning, as Colbie and I wandered toward the town square, I was still thinking about my succubus’s behavior. I mean, I couldn’t fault our taste, all three of those guys had been delicious, but... see... to put it lightly, my succubus and I were sexually challenged. Colbie had been banned from using the V-word years ago. It wasn’t for lack of opportunity; it was just that... well...

“What are you so up in your head about? Dreaming of alone time with that hottie I saw you with last night? Three strikes and you score, right?” Colbie winked outrageously, and I chuckled, shaking my head. The ridiculously good-looking father of Newt had escorted my blushing ass out of the ‘employees only’ section — I saw the sign on the way out — and delivered me into the safe hands of my bestie. He then suggested I pay more attention to signage in the future. I flushed in embarrassment as I remembered his cold, aristocratic features. Such a stark contrast to the warmth I had been experiencing.

“Lex!” Colbie huffed.

---