Son of a Succubus Series Collection

by Dorie, Sarina

  “I think the only thing this incubus whore wants is to ruin my family,” Reginald muttered.

  Elric’s smile grew strained. The Fae prince looked at Reginald disapprovingly, though he didn’t chastise him. And why would he? Red affinity magic was unpredictable, base, and immoral.

  Lucifer’s touch magic ruled him. The way he’d lost control during Vega’s demonstration earlier was one example of how dangerous he was. His selfish need to replenish his magic with Gertrude, to the point he wasn’t even aware he might project lightning into someone, was reckless and cruel. This was exactly why Witchkin and Fae alike feared touch magic, and it was incubi like him that gave less deviant Red affinities a bad name.

  Abigail had said his affinity wasn’t something to be ashamed of, but he manipulated people with it. He hurt and tormented people he cared about like Kelsie. He’d used his magic to entrance Godric and bind Abigail to an oath.

  If Lucifer had been a cat, he would have run away and hidden under a bed to avoid the judgmental eyes in the room.

  Godric was the one who defended Lucifer. “Father, you do realize you are speaking to King Felix Thatch’s brother, do you not? You are insulting one of the most powerful men in the Faerie Realm—a man our sovereign just offered a position in our court.”

  “Just so,” Mixcoatl said.

  “I would remind you it isn’t our place to judge our superiors.” Godric spoke in a snooty tone that rivaled his father’s earlier arrogance.

  Reginald’s face turned red.

  “Furthermore, I would like to point out that Lucy is my friend. I will not tolerate such insults of his person.” Godric clasped his hand over Lucifer’s arm and squeezed it briefly before releasing him.

  Warmth suffused Lucifer. He didn’t deserve that friendship. After all the horrible things he’d done to Godric—including putting a pox on him—he couldn’t believe he had a friend. Lucifer didn’t have any friends. And yet . . . perhaps he did and just hadn’t realized it.

  Lucifer offered Godric a smile. The other man slapped him on the back good-naturedly.

  Reginald looked to Mixcoatl. “And what of this incubus’s interference with my family? He is trying to ruin us. What will you do about it?”

  The condor in the corner ruffled its feathers, but when Lucifer tried to look directly at it, he couldn’t see it. Usually his second sight could see through Fae glamours, but this one was tricky.

  “Is that this man’s intention?” Mixcoatl eyed his subject with the bored indifference Fae so often reserved for Witchkin. “I suppose as your lord, it is my responsibility to do something about that.”

  “Oh?” Elric tugged at his collar. “Perhaps you should go back to the party and enjoy yourself. I can speak with Lucifer about his conduct.”

  Mixcoatl’s tone gave away no hint of interest or emotion. “What will it take to make you agree to release my great-grandchild from your spell so that he is free to sow his seeds among fertile damsels and carry on the family line?”

  A bargain. Lucifer was inexperienced with Fae royalty, though he’d encountered enough in the forest. And working with Baba every day seemed to be a form of practicing reading between the lines and maneuvering through a world of treachery. It was possible he could still save Izzy and Godric from an unhappy fate.

  Lucifer didn’t dare look at Godric, afraid he might give away his next plan, though he did circle an arm around Godric’s back. “I will only release Godric from my spell if I can see him happy with someone of his choosing. Only if he can fall in love with a maiden as much as—no, more than—he loves me will I allow his soul free from my keeping.”

  Reginald scoffed. Mixcoatl tilted his head to the side, studying Lucifer.

  Lucifer worded his price carefully. “I will free him from the snare of my love spell, but only if he marries this woman of his choosing without incurring the wrath of his family or court.”

  Mixcoatl’s lips curved upward into a mirthless smile. “I suspect you have someone in mind.”

  “Not a commoner!” Reginald cried.

  As an afterthought, Lucifer added, “And after Godric is married and settled in his own household, I wish Hattie to be Godric’s charge—if such an arrangement agrees with her.” He glanced at Godric, hoping he wasn’t being presumptuous.

  Godric nodded thoughtfully. Perhaps he also thought his overbearing and neglectful parents didn’t have Hattie’s best interests in mind.

  “It is an interesting bargain,” Mixcoatl said. “Not the usual terms I’m used to being offered.”

  From what Lucifer understood, a Fae was only compelled to agree to bargains in their favor. This one wasn’t unless he spun it that way. “I will give up Godric if you agree to these conditions, and you can be assured your bloodline carries on.”

  Mixcoatl looked from Godric to Reginald. “For the sake of my bloodline, I am tempted. Knowing my heirs—and future heirs—are cared for is of the utmost importance.”

  Lucifer frowned at that. Mixcoatl hadn’t been quick to ensure his unborn child’s care. Not that he could have guessed at the time he’d sired Lucille. Even so, Lucifer didn’t think what he’d done to make an example of his Witchkin mistress would have been warranted even if circumstances had been different and she had been unfaithful.

  “I agree to this bargain,” Mixcoatl said. “Godric will marry whom he chooses, and his sister will remain in the keeping of his estate. I will not interfere with his love life. Nor will his father or my court.”

  Reginald snorted. “Of course I’m not going to interfere. This boy is no child of mine. Especially after that public display with this incubus we just witnessed.”

  Mixcoatl shrugged. “I imagine you will get over it with time.” He turned to Lucifer and extended his hand.

  Lucifer grasped it. Magic tingled between the two of them, binding them in an oath. Lucifer hoped he wasn’t going to regret this.

  “Shall we celebrate with champagne?” Elric asked.

  Mixcoatl bowed his head in agreement. “We have much to celebrate. It is my hope this will be the start of many positive meetings between your court and mine.”

  “Oh goody!” Elric said. “We should have you and your wife over for dinner some time.”

  Mixcoatl leaned forward. “I would prefer to leave our wives out of our next meeting. I must admit your wife frightens me more than the previous Raven Queen.”

  * * *

  Lucifer didn’t breathe easier until Mixcoatl left the room. Elric cast a stern glance over his shoulder as he escorted the other Fae out.

  Elric wagged a finger at Lucifer. “I’ll be back to deal with you in a moment. Stay here.”

  Lucifer didn’t doubt he was going to ask about the ruby.

  Elric continued out with Mixcoatl. Lucifer remained seated, his muscles tense in anticipation of his doom.

  Godric scooted a little farther from him, dropping the pretense of being in love with him. Lucifer was relieved to see it was a pretense.

  “I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t scandalize you and ruin your life,” Lucifer said.

  “Don’t be sorry. You saved Hattie and . . . ahem . . . well, you know who.” Godric clasped Lucifer’s hand. “You are a true friend, Lucy.”

  Lucifer grimaced. “I don’t know about that, but it’s nice to hear someone not think the worst of me.”

  Godric’s eyes were full of pity. “No one thinks the worst of you—except for Father—and he thinks poorly of everyone.” He bit his lip. “If there’s anything you need, anything at all, I give you my word I will be there for you.”

  No one had ever said such a kind thing to Lucifer. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a friend before. No one besides Abby.” He’d tried so hard to avoid people—to claw at them and keep them at bay as a cat and the times since he’d been a cat—he hadn’t realized he would like to be a friend to someone.

  “Isn’t Kelsie your friend?” Godric asked.

  “Maybe.” Lucif
er didn’t know whether Kelsie would ever be a true friend or she would continue to harbor resentment in her heart. Godric’s proclamation was different. He actually considered Lucifer a friend.

  “And Baba Nata? Queen Vega?” Godric asked.

  Lucifer peeked out into the hallway. Guards were posted outside the door. They glared menacingly at him. Probably they were there to keep him in.

  Lucifer turned back to Godric. “Baba is my mentor. Queen Vega . . . I don’t know.” It was hard to say what she considered friendship. But they weren’t enemies. “They’re my allies.”

  Except that he’d stolen the ruby out from under Vega’s nose, and as soon as Elric returned, Lucifer was going to learn whether he had made enemies. What if they kept him in the castle and didn’t allow him to return to Baba? She had told him she needed him back by dawn. She always had a reason for everything. What if she needed him to heal her? He didn’t want to let her down.

  He needed to leave.

  Godric slapped him on the back. “Just one thing, and I hope you don’t mind me saying so—especially after all you did. If you please, I would prefer you not ever kiss me like that ever again.” Godric blushed as he said it, and his heart lurched.

  Lucifer’s face flushed as he realized what he’d been too preoccupied to notice before. Godric had liked it.

  Confusion dwelled in Godric’s chest. And a few other places as well.

  The gray ebb of dawn crept above the horizon. Day approached. It was important Lucifer return soon. That had been part of his agreement with Baba.

  Anxiety must have been etched onto Lucifer’s face because Godric’s brows furrowed.

  “What is it?” Godric asked.

  Lucifer swallowed. “I’m afraid I must ask you a favor.”

  “Anything. What do you need?”

  “I’ve gotten myself into a bit of a bind with King Elric and Queen Vega. I need to leave to get home to Baba—she made me promise—and she’ll do something drastic if I’m not home in time. The last time I wasn’t quick enough, she cut off Abigail’s fingers.” Kelsie was the one who would be on the receiving end now, if that was what Baba resorted to. Then again, it might be Baba and her failing health who fell victim to Lucifer’s tardiness.

  Lucifer didn’t want to involve Godric in anything that might get him in trouble, but he needed assistance getting out of the room. “Elric is going to detain me, and I can’t be late.”

  Godric strode over to the door and peeked out. “Why don’t you just—oh, I see. That is a problem.”

  The guards apparently were still there.

  “I have enough magic that I can transport myself with a spell once to get to my quarters to retrieve the soul blanket I brought with me—don’t ask—it will take too long to explain. But I need to save that magic to get home. I require a plan to get past the guards.” Using that transportation spell once would use up all the magic he had left.

  Lucifer could ask if he could kiss Godric again to fuel his affinity, but he didn’t want to push his luck.

  “A distraction perhaps?” he suggested instead.

  “You don’t need a distraction. You need a disguise.” Godric threw off his cloak. “Quick, switch clothes with me before the king returns.”

  Lucifer eyed Godric’s slender physique. “It won’t work. My shoulders are broader than yours, and I’m at least eight inches taller than you.”

  “Ha! More like five inches.” Godric unlaced the front of his doublet. “In any case, you don’t need to wear all my clothes, just enough to look like me. Come on. Make haste.”

  Lucifer supposed it was worth a try. They both hurriedly undressed down to their undergarments. At least, Lucifer tried, but he couldn’t get the fitted pants off.

  “Blast it! I swear these are enchanted!” He struggled to unbutton the legs.

  Godric rushed over and tugged on one leg of his pants. Lucifer nearly fell out of his chair. He held on to his underwear to make sure they didn’t escape along with the pants.

  The door creaked open. Lucifer’s heart lurched, expecting to see Elric. Surely, he would see through this plan as an attempt to escape.

  Felix glowered at him from the doorway. “Merlin’s balls. You’re still here.” His gaze flickered from Godric to the discarded clothes on the floor. “Why can you not confine your liaisons to your own quarters?”

  He threw his hands up in exasperation as he exited.

  Godric looked to Lucifer in alarm. “Are you going to be in trouble later?”

  “Probably, but not for this.”

  * * *

  Lucifer slouched to make himself shorter and held Godric’s hat down at an angle as he escaped the library. There were glamours he could have used to disguise himself, though Lucifer was better at hiding his magic than changing his appearance. He concealed his affinity as he exited and did his best to come across as a weak Amni Plandai who once had been drained like Godric.

  The guards didn’t call out to him, so Lucifer suspected he had fooled them. Godric stayed behind, wearing Lucifer’s attire. He was supposed to distract Elric, though Lucifer didn’t know how well he would succeed. Lucifer might not have much time.

  Immediately he headed toward his room to retrieve the blanket he’d woven. He asked a footman for directions and followed the route he was given, but at the end of the hallway, he found Prince Mixcoatl in his path.

  He was alone, without courtiers or familiars. Even when Lucifer glanced around, using the corner of his eyes to examine Fae glamours, he didn’t see any snakes slithering on the floor or condors circling above them.

  No witnesses were there this time.

  Mixcoatl’s eyes raked Lucifer up and down.

  Lucifer knew Fae didn’t take kindly to being outwitted. He remembered the Fae in Abigail’s story that she’d told Coinneach and that he had somehow passed on to his seedling who had in turn told the new Abigail. Lucifer had tricked a Fae with the tops of turnips and carrots when Mixcoatl had been expecting corn.

  Just when Lucifer thought he’d won. . . .

  “You handled yourself very well, but I hope you don’t think you’ve bested a Fae,” Mixcoatl said, a tight smile on his face. “You only won because I allowed it.”

  Lucifer straightened, his unease growing. “Why would you do that?”

  “It served my best interests. I hope you’ll overlook the deception. And if you know what’s best, you’ll keep your mouth closed about it. I can’t have my court speaking about this and seeing me as . . . weak. Understood?”

  Lucifer nodded.

  Mixcoatl reached into the downy breast pocket of his green-feathered coat and withdrew an envelope. “See to it this is delivered on my behalf. When she is done, ensure it is burned so that no trace is found.”

  Lucifer swallowed. Sprawled across the envelope was the name “Isibeal.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  To Heir Is Human

  Lucifer stared at the letter in his hand as Prince Mixcoatl strode away. This cemented Lucifer’s suspicions that Isibeal’s former Fae lover knew she was here. Either he had known the entire time and had already intended to have this letter delivered, or he’d figured it out through Lucifer’s exchange with Godric.

  Mixcoatl hadn’t said anything about it in front of his courtiers. That was a relief.

  It wasn’t Lucifer’s business to read Isibeal’s mail, but he feared a curse or enchantment. He tested the envelope with the same spell he used to check food for contamination, hexes, or poisons. The paper tingled, but it felt as though this was more due to the residue of Fae magic than poison or curses.

  He found a quiet corner and opened it.

  My Dearest Isibeal,

  When I made you my mistress, I promised you two things, both of which I failed to do. I did not keep you from the harm of my family. Nor did I conduct myself in the manner I said I would so long as you were faithful to me. In light of certain new developments about the Red Court and yo
ur lineage, I can see now that you never were disloyal. The accusations I made and that my family made were unjust.

  It is with great regret that I must acknowledge I have broken the terms of our agreement. If you should find it within your best interest to forgive me, I am willing to work to regain your favor and grant you anything you ask. Be that as it may, I have lived long enough to know Witchkin hearts, once broken, cannot be repaired with jewels, riches, or splendor as easily as a Fae’s can. I suspect convincing you might be impossible. Please know that you are free to go elsewhere without risking harm to you or incurring further debt to me.

  Our child is another matter.

  Lucille, as my spies tell me she is called, is my heir. She will be acknowledged and treated as such when she has come of age. Upon her sixteenth birthday, you will present her to me so that I might meet her. On her eighteenth birthday, she will be given her title and birthright if she chooses. I will protect her and keep her safe if she aligns herself with the Verde Court.

  You may do as you please with your life and with my blessing. Stay with the Red Court of your kin or join mine again. You and Lucille will be cared for either way.

  Yours,

  Mixy

  Lucifer scanned the page, trying to identify the trick Mixcoatl intended to use to snare Izzy, but he wasn’t certain there was one. He folded the letter back up and placed it inside the envelope, feeling guilty for reading her personal mail now that he’d ascertained it was harmless.

  He had one final task before going home.

  Guards were still posted outside the nursery. They didn’t bar his way from entering. The nurse he’d briefly met the night before slept in a bed, a child snuggled up in her arms. Lucifer silently stepped past, navigating through the short passage to the bedroom. The room was dim, Abigail sleeping in one bed, and Izzy in the other. Lucifer placed the note on the nightstand beside Izzy’s bed. He considered waking her, but he felt like he would be intruding.

  Abigail was no longer immobilized by vines. She’d dressed in a nightgown and slept under her embroidered blanket. He stooped to kiss her cheek. She smiled in her sleep.