Page 31 of The Incubus Curse

Oliver laughed, merely watching me. “Don’t you want to know what that was?”

“Nope.” I shook the thought of the burn away as I coughed slightly.

If I wanted to keep my sanity after everything that went down today, I knew alcohol was the answer. Honestly, I didn’t feel as comfortable around Oliver as I did with Dustin. It’s not like I thought Oliver was a threat, not any more than Dustin. But Dustin had stepped up to protect me from that deathwalker. He put his own life on the line for mine, and it messed with my ability to dislike him. It wreaked havoc on my ability to think clearly around him.

Hell, it made me trust him when I knew I shouldn’t. Not entirely anyways.

“So, who is that? That Dustin went with?” My head nudged toward the vicinity in which Dustin had disappeared to. My eyes tried searching for him in the crowd, but it felt useless as bodies blended into one another like a kaleidoscope.

Oliver sighed, downing the shot before him, which only piqued my interest more. He brushed back his blonde locks and leaned in as if to whisper. “He’s just a janitor of sorts. Nothing serious for you to worry about,” he assured me.

“What happened?”

“It’s hard to explain. Maybe for another time,” he shrugged.I could see the lies taking shape in his eyes, and it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up in anger. Before I could continue to pester him, he shook his head, making a displeased ticking sound.

“Don’t go asking.” He almost chuckled inwardly, his smile spreading over his lips.

My mouth opened as if to refute, however, I knew he wasn’t going to answer me. “Fine, if you won’t answer that question. What will you tell me?” I quipped.

“Hmm.. how about a game? I’ll answer a question for every question you answer.” He appeared proud of himself for coming up with that. “We’ll start with me. Do you have any family in New York?”

I hesitated. Not because I wasn’t going to answer his question, but because, for all I knew, I did have family in New York and didn’t know. “Not that I know of. My parents died when I was younger, and they never found out who the next of kin was. For all I know, you guys could be related to me.” I laughed at myself and then cringed at the idea.

“Interesting. You never did one of those ancestor tests?”

“Hey, it’s my turn now!” I shouted. “How old can a succubus get? Are they like vampires with the whole immortality thing?”

He bashfully grinned. “Something like that. All demons are. It’s a part of our curse.”

“Your curse?”

“Ah, ah, ah!” He asked, shaking his index finger in my face. “My turn, remember? The ancestor thing. Have you never tried it? To know if you have any lineage?”

“No. I haven’t exactly had the money to waste on it. If I had family, they never came looking for me. So why would I go look for them?” My eyes were now drifting around the room,trying not to make eye contact so that he wouldn’t be able to see the water building up behind my eyes.

“You’re not missing out on much. Family is… complicated.” He added.

“At least you have one.”

“I wouldn’t say that. I only have a name—my mother’s name at that. I’m nothing else. Just a pariah that my mother despises. She can’t hate my father, so she puts all her hatred toward Sasha and me for keeping her in the States even though it’s my father who’s truly held her back all these years.” His voice was quieter, sadder almost. And while I didn’t know him, it broke my heart to hear it. No one should ever feel unwanted. I knew that better than most.

“I’m sure she doesn’t hate you?”

“Is that your question?” He blinked, amused by my sympathy.

“No.” I tried to shift gears to the real questions at hand. “What am I?”

“Ah, surprised it took you this long to ask.” He teased. “I’m not sure I’m the one to tell you that. My brother has grown fond of you, and I like my head on my shoulders and not scattered across the floor.”

I gulped. Could Dustin do that? Why did it seem like Dustin and his mother were terrifying creatures compared to the other Ellisarios?

“Fine, I retract my question. Why is Dustin and your mother different? You seem to talk differently about them. Like you’re scared of them?”

“Because I am. Dustin is a full-bred succubus. He has unyielding powers in comparison to me. Mother even thinks he’s stronger than her, and she is a force that I would notwant to reckon with.” He scoffed, the sound carrying a hint of annoyance.

“One final question because I’m bored with this.” His finger traced an imaginary shape on the counter as he thought deeply about what he wanted to ask me. “Can you feel it? The pull?”

“What?”

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