Page 36 of Accidentally Summoned an Incubus

“Oh,” was all I could say. The first time I’d had sex was when I was sixteen, when my succubus side first reared its head. I guessed it made sense that a full-blooded incubus would also need time to mature, despite what their body looked like.

“From the age of ten, we were let loose on the world to explore.”

I cocked an eyebrow. Ten years old didn’t seem old enough to be allowed to explore on your own. “How did that go?”

“Not very well,” Lochran said with a chuckle. “I banded together with the demons that were born from the shadows at the same time as me. There were about fifteen of us, but my closest friends were Devlin, Ambrose, and Blaise.”

I racked my brain trying to think of which witches my age had mates. I didn’t recognize the names, so none of his friends had mated with the witches from our coven yet. And, aside from myself, the only witches my age that hadn’t mated were Caitlyn and, presumably, her cousin, who was in mortal prison.

“It’s a good thing that we are almost indestructible. Devlin once got run over by a car three times in one day.”

My finger automatically reached out to trace the scar down his scalp. Lochran let out a shudder as my finger softly glided down his neck and over the thick muscle of his wing. When it reached a solid band of scarring, I let out a little breath of air. He must have been severely hurt for his scalp and crooked wing to have scarred.

“All sex demon’s shadows settle differently on them, and they’re mostly just for show. I can only fly short distances with my wings, but one day in my youth I decided to put them to the test. It’s obvious now, but at the time, I didn’t know that flying in a storm probably wasn’t the best idea.”

“You flew in a storm?” I gasped.

Lochran nodded his head.

“Stupid, I know. But I was a bit reckless back then. When the lightning bolt hit me, I plummeted to the earth. I just remember excruciating pain... and then nothing. I probably would have died if it wasn’t for Devlin, Ambrose, and Blaise. They brought me immediately back to the shadow realm, and some of the older demons helped set my bones. I didn’t wake up for a week, and even then, it was months before I was well enough to leave the shadow realm again. The lightning strike is what caused the mottling pattern on my wings.” He sucked in a breath. “I know my scars and my wings aren’t the prettiest—”

“You’re perfect, just the way you are.”

Chapter 18. Lochran

You’re perfect, just the way you are.

My mate’s words resonated in my mind as I pulled her closer to me, one hand on her stomach, the other under her head. I pressed a soft kiss to her temple and listened to her breathing slow into a soft rhythm as she fell asleep in my arms.

As my breathing slowly matched hers, all I could think was if heaven was a place on earth, it would surely be right here by my mate’s side.

***

“Hello? Anyone there?” an unfamiliar voice called from somewhere below. Before I could stop myself, I was on my feet, crashing through the bedroom door. The shadows had pooled around me, wings spreading to block theintruder from the room where my mate lay.

A petite woman with billowing silver hair stood in the hallway below, one hand on her hip, a challenge on her face. Power radiated off the wolf shifter in crashing waves. The moment her eyes glowed red, my talons punched into the walls as I readied myself to leap down the stairs and attack. She was an alpha. A young, inexperienced one, yes, but a powerful one nonetheless. My mind worked frantically. A powerful witch could be a match for a normal wolf shifter. But an alpha? It didn’t matter, though; my mate’s magic had been stripped from her. My mate couldn’t protect herself, but I would. I would lay my life down for Lex.

The wolf shifter would be vulnerable in this form, but she could shift in a split second, and then she’d be deadly. But the moment she shifted, her senses would be overwhelmed for the briefest second, and her body would be in its most vulnerable form mid-shift. That would be the only chance to kill. My shadows coiled, ready to strike the moment she moved.

The young wolf’s scrutinous glare looked me up and down, assessing the threat... until her scowl landed on my naked crotch. Her eyes widened in surprise. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and her lips twitched into the oddest pleased grin before she diverted her gaze from my cock. I breathed in. Her scent wasn’t desire or attraction. It was surprise, swelling with happiness for someone else, and an odd sense of hollowness for herself.

Strange.

“Billy! Is that you?” Lex called excitedly from behind me.

“Lex!” the wolf called back. “Wanna call off Mr. Tall, Dark, and Well-hung?”

Lex stumbled from the room. From the corner of my eye, Icould see the look of confusion as she took in my heaving, shadowed form. “What are you doing?” she hissed.

“Protecting you,” I growled, my eyes never leaving the wolf.

Lex and the wolf scoffed at the same time, and only then did I take my eyes off the wolf to glare at my mate instead.

“Billy is my best friend, Lochran,” she said indignantly. Lex raised her eyebrow and in a slightly more sheepish tone, she added, “Did I not tell you she’d be visiting?”

“No,” I said flatly. Though I probably should have guessed who the wolf was. I had a vague recollection of Lex’s mom mentioning a wolf-shifter best friend.

Lex flushed. “Oh. Sorry. I must have been... distracted.”

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