Page 9 of Accidentally Summoned an Incubus

Without warning, a mass of shadows engulfed me, settling into arms that draped over both my shoulders.

“Evening,” Ambrose said, his midnight eyes twinkling mischievously.

From my other side, Blaise poked me in the ribs, hard enough to make me wince.

This pair of demons was somewhat unusual for our realm. Most sex demons were solitary beings, but this pair did everything together, including feeding.

“I heard about Devlin,” Blaise said, his golden eyes flashing in the eerie streetlights.

“If we’re not summoned this Samhain, we should go and find him. See if he’s okay,” Ambrose said. His dark skin practically glowed in the soft blue street light. He reminded me of a cattail swaying peacefully, haloed by a swollen full moon, his eyes the soft glittering of a depthless black lake. Calmness. Serenity.

His partner, Blaise, was the midnight owl, golden eyed and always on the hunt.

The four of us had been born of the shadows at the same time and had all spent our early years prowling the mortal realms together. While Devlin and I had become almost consumed with the thoughtof meeting our mate, the bond between Ambrose and Blaise had spurred them forward, and neither had yet tired of the hunt.

The pair rarely ventured back to the shadow realm these days. Instead, they remained in the mortal world, and had even started to pick up some work as supernatural bodyguards for the less physically strong magical creatures.

“I think he needs some time to sort his shit out,” I said.

Ambrose nodded, and the pair finally unlatched their heavy arms from me as the town hall materialized in front of us. It was nothing spectacular—a simple stone building with white, wooden shutters and a bell tower on top that looked more in keeping with an ancient British church than a town hall. The first demon of our clan to have imagined it into existence was the demon that made the bargain with Hecate. The twin of this town hall lay nestled in the mortal realm in the town the Briar Coven witches resided in. Though the location of the coven was a closely guarded secret from all non-mated sex demons, apparently when the witches had moved from their original settlement, the buildings had moved with them. Something about magicked houses, if the older demons were to be believed.

The doors to the town hall swung open. It was one of the few places in this realm that was draped in color, the excitement from all the incubi and succubi fueling the thought of this place. Garlands of herbs hung from the rafters, tapering down the furthest wall and engulfing a stone statue of Hecate upon the small dais. In the middle of the hall was a table creaking under the weight of food.

I took the same place I did every year, Devlin’s seat noticeably empty beside me.

The room filled with noise and chatter. It was a rare occasion that so many of the clan were together at the same time. Stories were exchanged—most of sexual exploits, which mortal TV shows they’d recently watched, or adventures they’d happened upon in the mortal realm.

Ambrose and Blaise were talking excitedly to a succubus, Sasha, who was swearing on everything unholy that she had been bedded by a kraken-like creature and was explainingin depththe benefits of having so many tentacles.

A clock on the far walltick-tick-ticked loudly in my ear, my heartbeat slowly increasing with every moment it crept closer to midnight. Finally, as the first midnight toll echoed, the entire room hushed, and I could feel all eyes glancing excitedly around.

Nothing happened.

The second, third, fourth, and fifth tolls sounded.

From the far end of the room, shadows pooled around a grinning incubus. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

The sixth, seventh, and eighth bells tolled.

Shadows engulfed Sasha, her face impassive as she disappeared into nothingness.

The ninth, tenth, and eleventh bells tolled, and my heart sank.

Another year of hunting. In a split second, I decided I would do everything within my power not to think of my mate this year. Scrap the daydreams of Samhain summonings and focus on me for a while.

The toll of the twelfth bell echoed around the room.

The hairs on my arm stood up as the ringing filled my ears. Just as the chime began to fade, shadows swirled around me.

Chapter 5. Lex

Dinner was a cheery affair. For the rest of my family, at least.

I, however, had started to feel the prickle of dread skitter over me in anticipation of going to meet my grandmother. While my grandmother was loving, kind, and doting usually, tonight, I would be addressing her as the head of the coven.

I would be treated as any other wayward witch in the coven, our blood ties set aside for the evening.

Finally, my mom escorted me the short distance to my grandma’s house. Each house in the coven was different, molded by the magic within. We passed houses that looked like they’d been pulled straight from a suburbia catalog, chalets, log cabins, and gothic houses that looked like the Addams family resided within.

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