Page 56 of The Incubus Curse

When we walked out the door, I realized the little buzz I had was fueling me with courage. The kind of courage that let me link my fingers into Dustin’s as I pulled him down so that my lips could whisper into his ear.

“Act madly in love again, right?” I teased, tugging his shirt down to grab his attention further.

“Yes, but no words. The less you say, the better. They already seemed cautious of you the last time. We don’t need to fuel the questions they might have.” He looked concerned, adorably so, like he was worried about my safety.

I nodded and followed like the helpless puppy I was.

We wandered back down the road toward Edward’s club, and when I saw the bright red neon light in the shape of a crab, I knew it was time to pretend to be just a mere human entrapped in the gaze of a succubus.

I let my hands cling onto Dustin’s sides, wrapping around his waist like I was an extension of him. I’m sure by this point that I might have felt like an unwanted tumor to him, but I pushed the thought to the side as we stepped into the bar.

It was quiet compared to the other bars we had just left; it was nothing I had imagined. However, I had imagined people screaming, fangs tearing into flesh, and blood splattering around the room like a burst piñata, so anything would have felt quiet in comparison to that image.

A single piano played in the corner of the room as its melody serenely washed over us. At the bar, there were only three people. Sophie and Trevor were noticeably the two to the left, but the third was a younger man fiddling with his drink in his hand as he sat there talking to the couple.

The man’s hair was black, manicured rather nicely, with bright green eyes that flicked up in our direction, and I knew instantly that he was a succubus and a strong one at that because everything in me felt his pull.

I felt it tugging at me at full force, desperately wanting me to collapse into its hold. And at that moment, I panicked. Not because I was with another succubus, though the idea of it was interesting, but because I had dumbly made eye contact.

Soon, he would know that it didn’t work. Would know that I wasn’t just some human. And Dustin would know that I failed the one job that I had.

God damn it, Freya. What have you done?

Chapter 19

Dustin

When we entered the bar, it was quieter than expected and empty, as only five people were in the room.

A pianist played eloquently, dancing his fingers across the white and black keys. A bartender whistled to himself as he shook a cocktail in his hands. And then, finally, three demons sitting at the bar. Trevor and Sophie were leaning into the third, who looked back for a split second as we entered, and I realized who it was. However, it took me a few seconds of calculated thinking.

It was a man named Daemon; his last name availed me, but that could have been because he never once mentioned it.

He looked fairly different from the last time I saw him, but the style in the early 1940s was not quite the same today. And we met in very extraneous circumstances. World War 2 wasn’t just problematic for the humans.

Never aging meant keeping up appearances, so we were forced to join human politics and wars to keep the allusion that wewerehuman. It was the only time that I had ever been to Europe and the only time that the bylaws were able to bebroken in lieu of the world’s crisis at the time.

However, Daemon’s hair was much shorter now than it was before, shaved along the sides similar to an undercut, emphasizing his hair volume and the shadow of his beard that looked freshly shaven. He looked well-manicured Like he wasn’t running for his life, which led me to believe he was here on purpose.

So why would a European succubus be in the States?

There was no current war. No reason he should want the wrath of the Elders by trespassing. After all, it was forbidden.

His emerald eyes flanked Freya as he licked his lips, and it took everything in me not to castrate him there and then.

“Daemon, how interesting it is to see you onthisside of the ocean.” I gritted my teeth, trying to hold myself back. If he touched her, that would be the last time his hand remained attached to his body. I would make sure of it.

“Dustin?” His eyes shifted to me, lighting up with a smile as he stood. “What a great surprise. Glad you could make it.”

“Who is this, Dustin?” Oliver’s brow hitched as he stepped back from us, his hands sprinting to Tina’s waistline as if to claim her.

Daemon noted the hostility and stopped in his steps momentarily. “I see you never mentioned me to your family.” His smile stretched, reaching out his hand toward Oliver, who rejected his attempt. “Your brother and I met back in the 40s during the war. However, that’s a story for another day. Please, join us.” His hand gestured to the empty seats that filled the bar.

“Why are you here, Daemon?” I growled.

This was unusual. And the last thing we needed was the wrath of the Elders and the ancients. He would be a risk to usif he were here breaking the bylaws.

“Ah.” He reached for his drink, pulling it to his lips as his eyes darted to Freya again. His brow hitched at the sight of her, but he said nothing. And I couldn’t get over the thought that maybe he knew what she was. Or perhaps it was just paranoia.

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