Incubi

I slid the cardboard cup across the faux-wood counter, forcing the corners of my mouth into a rigid, painful smile. "Here is your coffee. Please come again."

The middle-aged woman grabbed her drink without a single word of thanks and hurried out the glass door.

God, I hated this place. Serving overly cheerful customers for six hours straight with only a fifteen-minute break was torturous enough. Dealing with my sleazy boss, Brad, made the shifts unbearable. I did not even need this paycheck. Vic had plenty of money. Both of my parents hated that I worked here. But I craved independence. I needed a sliver of normalcy in a life that had turned upside down.

Today, the artificial cheerfulness of the cafe grated against my sour mood. The massive freak-out from last night replayed in my head on an endless loop. I had stood in the dining room and screamed at my new stepfamily. I had thrown their blood-drinking habits in their faces. I had told them I was terrified they would snap and kill us. The guilt gnawed at my chest, thick and suffocating.

I had tried to apologize this morning, but Vic had beaten me to it. Why was he apologizing? I was the one throwing a tantrum. Mom just kept giving me sympathetic looks, treating me like a fragile glass doll ready to shatter.

And Kaelen. He was not home when I woke up. Vic claimed he went to a friend's house early in the morning. I knew better. Kaelen was avoiding me. He was angry, and he had every right to be. I had looked him in the eye and called him a monster. I was such a jerk. I needed to fix it. I would apologize the second I saw him. What did it matter if they drank animal blood? Vic went out of his way to hide his feeding habits. Kaelen drove me to school, teased me to pull a smile out of my bad days, and kept me company. And I had thrown it all back in his face. My stomach twisted into tight knots at the memory.

The soft chime of the front door pulled me from my spiraling thoughts. I raised my eyes to greet the next customer.

My breath hitched in my throat.

A boy around my age stepped into the shop. He had honey-blond hair falling in a messy fringe over his forehead. His skin was pale and flawless, and his deep blue eyes swept the room before locking onto me. The sheer sight of him sent a shockwave straight down my spine. Without thinking, I pressed my thighs together.

His scent hit me a second later. It was mouthwatering, a rich blend of musk and something sweet that bypassed my brain and went straight to my blood.

I shook my head, blinking hard to snap out of the sudden daze. I rolled my eyes at my own biological reaction. The guy had 'incubus' practically tattooed across his forehead. His unnatural allure rolled off him in invisible waves. Incubuses fed on human lust. They were infamous for being persistent, far harder to shake off than vampires.

Luckily, the cafe was mostly empty except for a few elderly patrons reading the morning paper. I did not want to deal with a shop full of screaming teenage girls throwing themselves at him.

He approached the counter. Up close, he looked frantic. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his chest heaved as if he had just sprinted a mile.

"Hello, what can I get you?" I placed my hands flat on the counter. I knew he did not come in for a latte, but customer service rules still applied.

"Hi, um... do you offer your services?"

His voice was sultry, slipping under my skin like warm honey. I wondered if the sexy voice was a biological trait, just like the mind-numbing scent.

"Of course I do. I make coffee."

He shook his head, running his tongue over his dry bottom lip. "No... not that. I mean... well, you know what I mean."

"Do you want coffee?" I knit my eyebrows together.

He let out a frustrated sigh, leaning closer to the register. "No. I mean, do you offer your services... sexually?"

The shock hit me first, followed immediately by bubbling annoyance. I stared at him, offended to my very core.

"This is a coffee shop, mister! We do not do that here." I kept my voice low, though it took every ounce of my self-control not to scream the words. How dare he walk into a cafe and ask me to whore myself out?

He dragged a hand through his blond hair, looking flustered. "Of course you don't. Damn, that must have sounded so creepy. Hey, are you getting off work soon? Maybe we could..."

"Can you just fucking go away? I am trying to work here." I glared at him, crossing my arms over my chest. I understood incubuses needed sexual energy to survive, but marching up to random girls and asking them for sex was harassment.

He took a step back, his cheeks flushing a faint shade of pink. "Right."

He turned on his heel and rushed out the glass door, the bell chiming a cheerful farewell behind him.

I let out a harsh breath, trying to steady my racing pulse.

The door to the back office creaked open. My boss, Brad, stepped out, wiping grease from his hands onto his stained apron. His beady eyes shifted toward the front window.

"What was that about, Brynlee?"

"It is Brynn. And I know you heard every single word of that exchange."

Brad gave me a fleeting glare before a sleazy, thoughtful expression settled on his face. He rubbed his chin. "Do you think it would bring more money to add sexual services to the menu?"

Bile rose in my throat. I stared at him in sheer disgust.

"This is a fucking coffee shop, Brad! So no, I do not think it would be wise to add that to our menu."

His face darkened. "You know, I have a right to fire you for your attitude."

"Good luck finding someone else who will work for you at such low pay." I yanked my apron over my head and tossed it onto the espresso machine. I marched to the back room, grabbed my purse from the locker, and headed straight for the front door.

"Where are you going?! Your shift is not even over yet!" Brad shouted from behind the counter.

"I don't care. I am done for the day." I shoved the glass door open, ignoring his string of curses, and stepped out into the fading afternoon light.

I took a deep drag of fresh air, letting the cool breeze flush the stale smell of roasted beans and sour milk from my lungs. I had not bothered to change out of my uniform. I just needed to escape that suffocating building.

The sun dipped lower in the sky, painting the clouds in shades of bruised purple and fiery orange. Evening was creeping in. I checked my watch. I did not want to go home. I dreaded facing my stepfamily. The memory of Kaelen's rigid, cold face from last night made my stomach churn all over again.

Across the street sat a quiet neighborhood park. I jogged over the asphalt and found a wooden bench tucked beneath the sprawling branches of a massive oak tree. I sat down, dropping my purse onto the wooden slats beside me.

I stared blankly at the lush green patches of grass and the neat rows of shrubbery. This view would make a nice painting. A bitter wave of nostalgia washed over me. Back when my dad was alive, we used to visit this exact park on the weekends. Mom would spread out a checkered blanket and read a paperback novel out loud. Dad would set up his easel and try to capture the scenery in watercolors. The paintings were usually messy and terrible, but we laughed until our ribs ached. Those were the peaceful days. The simple days.

I wished more than anything I could rewind time and live in those moments forever.

But Dad was gone. Mom had moved on. She married Vic, a vampire. I had a new, supernatural stepfamily. It had been two years, and I was still failing miserably to adjust.

"Hi."

I gasped, my shoulders jerking hard. I slipped off the edge of the bench, bracing for the harsh impact of the dirt.

A strong hand shot out, catching my wrist in a firm grip and hauling me back up.

"Sorry."

I wrenched my arm away, glaring up at the intruder. "You again! Do you not take a hint? I told you to go away."

The incubus stood there, looking sheepish. The setting sun caught the golden strands of his hair. "Technically, you told me to leave the shop. Besides, I wanted to apologize for earlier. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable."

"Uncomfortable? You walked into my workplace and essentially asked if I was a whore. That was sexual harassment." I scoffed, my irritation boiling over once more.

"I know." He sighed, dropping his shoulders. "I was desperate back there. I am sorry. How about a fresh start, yeah?"

He flashed a charming, lopsided smile. Despite my lingering anger, my breath hitched again. His supernatural good looks were a weapon, and my body reacted to them on pure instinct. Get yourself under control, Brynn.

"Not interested." I grabbed my purse and made to stand up.

He stepped into my path. I shot him a fierce glare. "Do not touch me."

"Okay, okay, I am sorry. But can you please hear me out?" He threw his hands up in surrender, taking a wide step backward.

"What could you possibly have to say?" I gripped the strap of my purse, keeping my stance rigid.

"I just do not want you to have a bad image of me. We do not even know each other yet." He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "I mistook your shop for a place a friend recommended. Believe it or not, I do not usually walk around asking pretty girls if they want to bang."

"That is hard to believe." I raised an eyebrow.

"I know. I missed a feed earlier before leaving home. I was losing my mind a bit. I swear, it was just a massive misunderstanding." He let out a short chuckle, the sound deep and warm.

I studied his face. He seemed genuine. The desperate, sweaty look from the coffee shop was gone, replaced by a relaxed, easygoing demeanor.

"Okay."

"You do not believe me, do you?"

"I do not know you."

He turned his head, gazing out toward the tree line. I followed his line of sight to a small golden retriever hiking its leg against a nearby bush.

"Well, my name is Lex. Can I at least have yours?" He turned back to me, his blue eyes bright.

"It is Nadine." I crossed my arms.

"I know you are lying." He smirked, leaning slightly against the trunk of the oak tree.

"How can you tell?" My defensive posture cracked.

"Your emotions shift when you lie. I can sense the change. The hesitation in your pulse, the sudden spike of anxiety. It tastes bitter in the air."

"Can all incubuses do that?" I dropped my arms, genuinely intrigued. The irritation began to melt away, replaced by a growing curiosity.

Lex nodded slowly, then shrugged. "I do not think all of us can garner enough focus to do it. It takes effort."

"Right. Because you are always thinking with your dick." I let out a dry laugh.

"Is this prejudice just directed at me, or do you treat all the incubuses you meet this way?" Lex glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, an amused spark lighting up his features.

"I do not have prejudice. Maybe I do a little bit. But it is only because every single incubus I meet either wants to have sex with me, or... wants to have sex with me." He gave me a knowing look. At this angle, the shadows from the leaves made his blue eyes look a shade darker. He was gorgeous. I wondered if he realized just how lethal his face was.

"I do not want to force you to have sex. I mean, that does not mean I would turn you down if you wanted to. Do you want to have sex?" Lex let out a booming laugh.

"Lex!" A genuine smile finally broke through my foul mood. I could not keep a straight face around him.

He grinned down at me, displaying a row of perfect, pearly white teeth. Incubuses did not have the needle-like fangs of vampires or the sharp canines of werewolves, but they were dangerous in a different way. They lured you in.

His scent washed over me again, potent and dizzying. It smelled like warm amber and rain. My mouth watered. I fought a sudden, primal urge to step forward, bury my face in the crook of his neck, and just inhale.

I cleared my throat, firmly clenching my thighs together beneath my skirt. Lex's gaze dropped for a split second, catching the subtle movement. A knowing smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, but he graciously said nothing to call me out on it.

We sat together on the bench in a comfortable, easy silence. The frantic energy of the day bled away. Chatting with a supernatural creature who wasn't a vampire felt surprisingly grounding. He did not bring up my stepfamily. He just offered light banter and a welcome distraction.

I glanced up at the sky. The sun had fully dipped below the horizon, leaving behind a canopy of dark blue streaked with stars. The streetlights flickered on, casting long shadows across the park grass. I really needed to head home.

"I should go. Here is my number." I reached into my purse, pulled out my phone, and held it out toward him.

"You want me to call you?" Lex blinked, looking genuinely surprised by the gesture. He took the phone from my hand, his fingers briefly brushing mine. A jolt of electricity shot up my arm.

"I would not give you my number if I did not want you to call me, Lex."

"Right. Then I will call you..." He typed his own number in, sent a quick text to himself, and handed the phone back. He trailed off, waiting.

"Brynn."

"Brynn. That is a pretty name." His smile softened.

"Thanks. I will see you sometime, I guess."

"Definitely."

I turned and walked away, holding back a wide smile. The heavy dread that had weighed on my chest all day was gone. My sour mood had vastly improved, and it was all thanks to Lex.

The house was dark and quiet when I unlocked the front door. Mom and Vic were usually out at this hour, handling business or attending some high-society function. However, the sleek black sedan parked in the driveway belonged to Kaelen.

A wave of sheer relief washed over me.

He was home. He was not avoiding me. My brain had been working in overdrive all day, convincing me that he hated my guts and had fled the house to escape me. Now, I finally had the chance to sit down and apologize for the horrible words I said last night.

I kicked off my shoes, leaving them neatly by the front door, and prepared to head up the stairs to our bedrooms.

A sudden, loud crash echoed from the back of the house.

I paused, my foot hovering over the first step. The noise came from the kitchen. A small smile crept onto my face. Kaelen was probably in there, clumsily trying to make a late lunch or scrounge up some human food to keep up appearances. He was terrible at cooking, usually knocking over pots and pans in the process.

Excitement bubbled in my chest. This was the perfect icebreaker. I could walk in, tease him about his lack of culinary skills, and then transition into my apology.

I turned away from the stairs and retraced my steps, padding softly down the hallway.

"Kaelen?" I called out softly as I pushed the swinging kitchen door open.

I froze in the doorway, the words dying in my throat.

A random girl with long dark hair was sitting right on the edge of our kitchen counter. Her legs were parted wide, hooking around a familiar waist. Her skirt was bunched up around her thighs. Kaelen was standing intimately between her spread legs, his large hands gripping her hips with a bruising force. His head was tilted, and he was kissing her passionately, his mouth moving hungrily over hers.

The girl's hands were tangled in his dark hair, pulling him closer as a soft moan escaped her lips.

My breath vanished from my lungs. The kitchen seemed to spin around me.

For some inexplicable reason, witnessing this intimate, heated act did not make me want to look away in polite embarrassment. Instead, an unexpected, heavy wave of emotion slammed into me.

My heart clenched painfully in my chest. A sharp, burning ache radiated outward, stealing the warmth from my blood. My fingers curled into tight fists at my sides. A deep, confusing jealousy flared hot in my veins, mixing with the sickening feeling of the ground dropping out from beneath my feet.