by Rory Miles
Every demon has a baseline of power, and the fusion station only takes the additional essence within a body. The fusion stations keep logs of every demon and the quantity of essence provided. Seeing as he’s prone to killing me, I do my best to meet my quota.
Ever since the gates between the worlds opened, Lucifer has been on a mission to gain more and more essence. What he plans to do with the surplus is not known and I have yet to see any evidence of him using it to build Avernus into a better world. Aside from the fusion stations, the little bit of technology we stole and repurposed from the humans is as far as my home world has advanced. It’s rather sad, but again, I don’t really care enough to ask him what he’s done with the essence.
Once the glow dims, I step away from the station and head back to the nearest vortex so I can leave this shitshow of a night behind me.
Knocking three times on Jasper’s door, I glance around the dimly lit street. Jasper lives in a nice house in a sketchy part of town. In Albuquerque, no matter how nice the property is or what part of town you’re in, you can almost always count on chaos. Shootings and stabbings are a regular occurrence in the great Duke City.
“Well, look what the hell hound dragged in.” My vampire bestie leans against the door frame.
“I hope you have some of that fae wine.”
He steps aside to let me pass. I end up sitting at the kitchen counter on a black leather barstool while Jasper pulls out two blue carnival glass goblets and a black wine bottle with a diamond-studded stopper.
“Lucky for you, I got a new bottle recently.” He shakes the bottle and meets my eyes with a smirk. “There’s enough for two glasses each.”
“Exxxcellent,” I say, dragging out the word. One glass shared between us would be enough to get us buzzed. Two glasses each? We’re heading straight toward shit-faced city. Just what I need after that meeting.
“What took you so long?”
I scoff. “Rosie propositioned me, again.” Not telling him about Beelzebub isn’t because I don’t trust him; I do, unquestionably. The relationship between Beelzebub and me is confusing and potentially nothing more than a game to him.
“Here.” He hands me a cup. “She really wants you as a breeder, huh?”
The fae wine is iridescent and tastes like sugared strawberries. I normally loathe sweet wine but seeing as human alcohol doesn’t affect me, I down the liquid and prepare to get my ass kicked.
“I don’t care what the woman wants, I just want her to leave me alone already. How many times do I have to say no?”
He laughs. “Preach, sister.”
Glancing around the small kitchen, I pretend like Rosie’s propositions don’t bother me. They do, though. If she’s asked me, how many other pureblood demons has she recruited and what is she planning to do with her half-blood army?
“So, Shane,” Jasper begins as he sits down, but I shush him, pushing away my worries.
“No, none of that. We aren’t going to waste this buzz on the heavy stuff. It’s still night, let’s go dancing.”
He straightens in his seat and quirks a brow. “It’s Saturday. We could always go to Underground.”
I check the clock on the wall. “Bottoms up. It’s nearly 11:30.” There is a slight time difference between the Underworld and Earth, but not nearly as drastic as Faerie. That said, the meeting only took two hours from our night.
We clink glasses and slam the overly sweet fae wine. Jasper refills both of our cups. By the time I finish that round, my toes are tingling and my body vibrates with excitement.
“Let’s go find ourselves some trouble.”
The light glints off his sharpened teeth. “Let’s go, you succubus slut.”
I giggle, bumping my shoulder with his. Because I love him, I don’t mind the barb and I know he’s joking. He doesn’t mean it as an insult. He stumbles out of his chair.
“We need an Uber.” I pull up the app and call a car.
Jasper puts on some ridiculous pop song and we dance around while we wait. Being this inebriated isn’t necessarily responsible, but after the meeting, I’m ready to let loose and stir up some chaos.
“Bye, Nicole, it was so nice to meet you!” Jasper coos at our driver before shutting the door to her little white sedan.
“Did you two want some alone time?” I quip. Jasper takes to Uber drivers like a newly born vampire takes to blood. He fucking loves them.
He bumps me with his hip. “Don’t be jealous, Shera.”
We step off the curb and cross Central, which is crawling with low-riders and gangsters, and head into Underground. The bouncer nods his head at us we pass the long line of humans without needing to show an I.D. or pay cover. The short hallway that leads to the stairs is lit by black lights and the dark carpet has random, questionable stains covering it.
“I’m not jealous,” I say and walk up the first half of the stairs. “I just don’t understand how you always make friends with the drivers. I mean, really, they aren’t that interesting.”
Jasper snorts from behind me and we turn and head up the next flight. “Oh, but they are. Nicole seemed nice enough now, but trust me, when she was eighteen she got into all sorts of trouble.”
“Right, but she’s boring now.”
A couple passes us on the stairway and I caress the guy’s arm, taking just a bit of his essence and riling him up enough that his partner won’t know what hit her. The music grows louder as we near the third floor, the bass thumping through the walls and vibrating through my skin.
“That’s the best part, though. Humans and their desire to be good.”
Ah, let me explain. You know how some humans, namely teenage girls in 2008, were obsessed with Twilight and that ridiculous sniveling Edward (no offense, dear, it isn’t you, it’s just after being around real vampires I’ve come to realize how disillusioned humans are about the creatures)? Well, Jasper is obsessed with humans.
Probably because books like Twilight or Vampire Academy spend a lot of time romanticizing demons that will literally drain a body of blood in a fit of hunger. But sure, let’s all have wet dreams about their sharp teeth and bloodlust. Devil, it’s like the humans are broken in some way. Like they don’t know better than to fear something that is most definitely bad for them.
Oy. I digress, and now Jasper is staring at me like I’ve gone mad.
Fucking fae wine.
“Drink?” he asks.
We’re standing at the bar and I have no idea when we passed through the door and entered the heart of the club. Hundreds of people writhe on the dance floor. Humans, fae, mages, and demons. Here at Underground, anything goes and there is only one rule: No one dies.
The rule is what makes the humans feel safe, like they can mingle with the exotic beings from different worlds without getting hurt. The rule is what gives some overly dolled up human woman the power to grind her body against a fae male who will most definitely ruin her for all other men or perhaps take her back to Faerie as his slave bride. I doubt she’d be too put out, though; the fae treat their slave brides well.
A new song starts and I feel the fae wine mingling with my demon blood, causing another buzz to rush through my body. The potent drink has two highs for demons: when you first drink it and it rolls across your tongue, and then again as the body metabolizes the drink. I bounce on my toes and watch the strobe lights pulse over the sea of dancing bodies.
Shaking my head and grabbing his hand, I say, “No, I just want to dance.”
He laughs and follows after me, likely feeling the second buzz as well. I slither through the crowd, tugging him after me until we are dead center on the dance floor.
We’ve been dance partners for decades and it only takes a second for us to fall into rhythm as we roll our hips, spin and brush against one another in a familiar yet exotic dance. Some of the humans and mages standing near close in around us, turning to watch as they mimic our movements. We play with them, grabbing one here and there before finding each other again. By the ti
me the song is over, I’ve taken enough essence from the crowd that my buzz has faded.
“Drink?” I ask Jasper, but now he shakes his head no, continuing to stare down an attractive mage. “I’ll be back,” I shout over the music.
An aggressively dancing human stumbles into me as I’m pushing through the crowd and knocks me into a strong chest that smells of amber and brimstone.
Beelzebub.
“Humans,” I grumble, before looking up into his chocolate eyes. My body pricks with awareness and he lets one of his hands trace down my back which arches under his caress.
“Shera.” His voice is husky and full of frustration. “I’ve been looking for you.”
Kissing him in Avernus had been a mistake. Especially now that I remember his secret conversation with Verrina during our date. I’d been in shock after Shane’s death, but now my mind has cleared a bit.
“Why?”
He leans close to whisper in my ear so he doesn’t have to shout over the music. “You’re upset with me?”
My, his awareness is surprising for a male demon.
Taking my silence as confirmation, he says, “I didn’t know about Shane.”
“This has nothing to do with Shane.”
He begins to sway to the sultry song that just came on, pinning me to his body. “You left our date.”
I don’t respond. He’s getting warmer to the root of my annoyance.
“In fact, you left during my conversation with Princess Verrina. Is that it? I don’t fancy her.”
Scoffing at his audacity, I say, “I’m not jealous of Princess Impatience.”
“Oh?”
Men. I guess I need to spell it out. “One date. We had one, spontaneous date that was going well and you couldn’t put your political nonsense aside long enough to enjoy my company.”
Beelzebub stops moving and takes a small step back. “I’m sorry. She surprised me and I couldn’t ignore her. She’s persistent.”
“What did she want?” I ask.
He grits his teeth together.
Narrowing my gaze, I ask again, “What was so important you couldn’t put it off for a few hours?”
“It’s complicated.”
Blech. It always is.
“Goodbye, Beelzebub.” I turn and leave him on the dance floor, holding my head high. I was stupid to think he had a genuine interest in me. No, just like all the other royals, he wants something and I’ll be damned if I give it to him.
Chapter Seven
“Something bold and red,” I yell to the bartender who nods and heads toward the wine. I’m standing between a group of rowdy human women and fae males. I glance at my reflection in the mirror, checking to make sure my makeup hasn’t smudged—it hasn’t—and see a familiar face.
“Rem?” I ask around the fae, leaning on the bar so he can see me. “Rem,” I say a bit louder this time, but he still doesn’t turn. I bristle.
Oh hell no. Is he ignoring me?
The bartender returns with my drink. I take it and walk over to Rem, placing a hand on his arm.
“Rem.”
When he turns his dimples on me, I know I haven’t mistaken someone else for the human.
His eyes flash with surprise. “Oh. Hey, Shera. What are you doing here?”
I lift my glass. “Drinking and dancing.”
“Right.” He chuckles. “I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
I can feel fae power rolling over my body and resist the urge to glare at whichever male behind me is stupid enough to push his power at me. Rem watches me for a moment before glancing out at the dance floor.
“Do you want to go get some food?” Rem looks hopeful and I can’t deny those dimples.
Taking a hearty sip of my wine, I set the glass on the bar top. “Absolutely.”
The fae power pulses around me and I glare at one of the men sitting behind me, letting my glamour drop a bit and shoving some of my own power at him. The male’s eyes grow hooded and he starts to lean toward me.
“Pick on someone your own size, peewee,” I whisper at him. He pales but the power I felt recedes. Before Rem notices anything weird about the interaction, I’m yanking him through the crowd and out the door. Jasper is busy with his newest conquest, so I send him a quick text while Rem and I wait for our ride outside the club.
There are still cars cruising up and down the main drag, but since it’s almost one in the morning, most have scattered. Police cars are lined up in the turning lanes, waiting to pounce on the person dumb enough to blaze down Central after a night of drinks. Albuquerque’s heavy demon population may have something to do with all the chaos; you can almost smell it in the air. Sweat, smoke, and vinegar.
“The Plains is open all night.”
“Mmm. They have the best green chile mac and cheese.”
Rem laughs at that. “You’re joking? A succubus loves mac and cheese?”
With a sigh, I shrug my shoulders. “The human loves succubus sex. Who am I to judge?”
He stops laughing. “Touché.”
I give him a smirk and step up to the black SUV waiting for us. “Let’s go, pretty boy.”
His eyes heat a bit at my teasing. When he gets in the car, he sits in the middle, pressing his side body against mine while staring straight ahead.
“The Plains?” the driver asks, starting to pull up the map.
“Actually, no.” I lean forward and give her my address. When I sit back, Rem puts his arm around my shoulders.
“I thought you were hungry.”
“I am.” My eyes meet his and I drop just a hint of my glamour. He takes a deep inhalation, eyes dilating, before his other hand comes to rest on my thigh. The driver is watching us in the rearview mirror so I narrow my eyes at her and place Rem’s wandering hand back in his lap.
Then I realize I’ve dropped my glamour: she isn’t offended by Rem, she’s getting pulled into my thrall. I rein in the succubus power and she focuses on driving again, shaking her head to clear whatever fog had rolled over her.
Turning to Rem, I say, “Patience, my dear, patience.”
We arrive at my house twenty minutes later, and I feel a distinct disturbance in the air. Demons.
Rem gets out and holds the door for me. His human senses haven’t picked up on the danger yet, but they will after it’s already too late. Lucky for him, I’m here and can keep him safe.
He lets me lead the way to the door, giving me leave to glance around the property without drawing his attention to my unease. I jiggle the handle and find the lock broken. After opening the door and doing my best to hide the obviously destroyed piece of metal, I bring Rem into the kitchen and gesture to the island with barstools.
“I’ll be right back.” I quickly walk to the bathroom, where I feel the highest concentration of demon energy. The light flickers a moment before illuminating the space. Everything is in place, but I can sense some sort of essence lingering in the air.
“Everything all right?” Rem asks from the kitchen.
“Yup,” I call as I turn and head toward the bedroom. The barest trickle of fae energy fills the air in the hall. It’s so faint I barely catch the whiff of essence, but now that I’ve felt it, there is no denying that a fae was here.
Fae and demon working together? How odd.
Two things I notice when I open the door to my room: everything is a mess, and there is a yellow rose lying on the upturned mattress.
Lucifer’s calling card.
My palms grow clammy the longer I stare at the disarray and that stupid flower. A threat and invitation all in one. He’s given me a yellow rose before, the first time he tried to claim me as his mate.
The fae essence is stronger in this room suddenly and I don’t understand. Why would Lucifer send a fae and a demon to do his dirty work? Moreover, why would any fae listen to his commands when Faerie is their mother? I’m still standing in the doorway when a hand grips my shoulder.
“Shera?” Rem’s words sound distant and I turn,
blinking at him in a daze.
“Yeah?”
“What happened?” He glances around me and into my room, cursing when he sees the mess. For a moment, his gaze lingers on the rose and his brows scrunch in confusion. “We need to get you out of here.”
I laugh. “Oh, trust me. I’m just as safe in here as I am anywhere else.”
He frowns at me. “Shera, someone’s torn your bedroom apart. I’d hardly consider that safe.”
Walking into the room, I begin to pick up the jewelry scattered about the floor.
“Do you know what I am, Rem?”
“A succubus.”
I nod and place the handful of jewelry back on my dresser before starting to pick up the clothes.
“I’m a succubus. But I’m also a demon.” I point to the rose. “That was left by someone I cannot disobey.” No matter how much I actually want to.
Rem glances at the flower and back to me. “No one should control you.”
Devil below, humans and their dramatics.
“He isn’t controlling me. I’m following his rule by choice because it’s the smart thing to do if I don’t want to die the final death.” And the Creator gave Lucifer the power to drag me to Avernus whenever he wants.
“That’s a pretty shitty way to live.”
I give him a once-over. “Rem, love. I’ve been alive a long time, don’t pity me.”
He deflates as all his noble pep talk falls on deaf ears. I hear him, really, I do, but humans have so much more flexibility with the way they live thanks to morality. Demons don’t have the same sort of moral compass that would fight to shut some fascist leader down.
Plucking the rose from the bed, I throw it to the floor, stomp on it, and then put the remains in the trash bin. Fuck the high lord’s claim. Rem helps me fix the bed and both of us stare at it. The night once held so much promise of fun between those sheets. Now, even with my succubus drive, I want nothing more than to sleep.