Page 49 of Handcuffs and Hexes

“And it’s been a fucking week! You want her to face possible ridicule for you after a single week? And you wouldn’t even fight for her. Fuck! You wouldn’t even let me fight on your behalf. Lifeisn’t always about proving you’re right or one-upping everyone else.”

Was I being a bit unfair? Sure. But I wasn’t the only one in this situation. Now that I was tallying it all up, I was getting so angry it was hard to control my feelings. The idea that demons didn’t have any was an utter lie. We had feelings and emotions, and they burned hotter and stronger than mere mortals. It was kind of ironic that I would end up being the mediator in this whole shebang.

“You know, Seth, I’m beginning to think maybe you’re not all that into her at all.”

“What the fuck, man. Of course I am.”

“Well, you sure didn’t act it.”

“Well, maybe things wouldn’t be so bad if you didn’t jump the gun and ask her to stay.”

“Oh, so it’smyfault now?”

And then, because if I stayed I’d say mean things I’d regret, I popped off to get some fresh air.

It was a warm weekend evening, and after wandering the streets for a while, I found myself in front of Delerium, a Darlington nightclub serving monsters, magical beings, and humans alike. The fire demon bouncer recognized me and waved me in.

Delerium was supposed to be reminiscent of the witch’s sabbaths of old as they danced with demons, incubi, and succubi around a bonfire under the light of the moon.

It wasn’t long before Julian, the incubus owner of the club, spied me. Seeing that I was absent of my usually hyper-protective wizard, his smile turned into a salacious grin as he strode my way, the look on his face clearly indicating that he’d discovered fresh meat. And I guess I was. For an experienced old hand like him, even a demon like me might be considered innocent enough to be corruptible. I’d never left Seth alone with someone like him, and I bet I’d never hear the end of it if Seth found out I was here alone.

But I wasn’t here looking for bedroom games. I only wanted that with two humans I’d already claimed as my own. I was here so that the loud music could drown the frustrations in my head and so I could dance away my troubles.

“Trouble in paradise?” Julian draped his long arms around me.

“Nope,” I lied. “Just here to dance.”

“I see. Need a dance partner? Which version do you prefer?”

He flashed from the darkly handsome thirties-something-looking human guise he had on to the female equivalent.

“I don’t—”

“How about now?” His form grew younger so that she looked in her twenties.

“No, Julian.”

“How about now?” His form grew younger looking again, this time barely legal.

“No!”

“How about—”

“Don’t you fucking dare!”

Julian puffed back to his incubus form, not even bothering to look human this time and bellowed a laugh. “You should see your face. But you know I can’t go any younger because then I’d have to kick myself out.”

The things Julian found funny were questionable, but at least I knew that as long as I was clear that I wasn’t interested, I was safe. Unlike some incubi, he was a stickler for consent. But if you let him, he’d do anything and everything to you.

“I still don’t get why any self-respecting demon would want to settle down when the world is a buffet, free for the taking,” he said, shaking his head.

Incubi were a type of demon, except unlike the rest of us, they needed to consume sexual energy to survive. Julian had frowned on my relationship with Seth until he realized that Seth was a wizardanda witch and recharged his powers through sex. Apparently, that made it acceptable since those types of witches were particularly appealing to incubi.

“When you meet the right one, you’ll understand.” Or should I sayonesconsidering my predicament?

“Never!”

I couldn’t wait for fate to prove him wrong.

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