by L. L. Frost
As soon as I find my bubble bath, I plan to take a long bath. But for now, I turn the knob to send the water up into the retro-fitted shower head that hangs from the ceiling. A hot waterfall rushes over my head.
So decadent.
Briefly, I wonder how big the heater is since a shower like this must drain it fast, but then I shrug. It wouldn’t be here if it didn’t last at least ten minutes, right?
With a sigh of relief, I let my wings slip from my back and rustle the feathers beneath the spray. It feels good to let them stretch for the first time since my hurried shower the morning of my ill-fated meeting with the bank.
The shampoo left in the shower has that odd smell that all scent-free products seem to give off. Glad it’s not musk of man or whatever those cologne heavy soaps call themselves, I lather up and soap down my entire body, happy beyond belief to wash the dirt, stick, and who knows what else down the drain.
Then, I lean back my head and enjoy the shower’s warmth, letting the slow transition toward lukewarm let me know when it’s time to get out.
I jerk back to awareness when the bathroom door rattles, wings fleeing back to safety within my body. The door crashes open with a loud bang against the tub, vibrating the cast iron beneath my feet.
A moment later, the curtain pulls back with a loud rattle, and Emil scowls in at me. “You better not have used up all the hot water.”
My hands go to my hips. “A little privacy, please?”
“I have an actual job to go to, you know.” He sticks an arm under the spray, and his scowl deepens. “You used up the entire tank?”
Quickly, I shut off the water and grab a towel, wrapping it around myself. As I wind a smaller one around my hair, I demand, “Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?”
“You’ve been in here for an hour.” As if only just now registering my nudity, his gaze rakes over me,. “Do you have no concept of time?”
My wings rustle with agitation. I don’t like the disadvantage of my position, trapped within the tub. But there’s not enough space in the bathroom to get out without Emil moving.
At least the tub gives me a few inches in height so I can glare directly into his eyes. “I’m sorry, I was enjoying the first shower I’ve had in days.”
He leans closer, his sleep tossed, white hair falling across his forehead. “It’s not my fault you’re not self-sufficient enough to figure out a way to stay clean.”
I stiffen with affront. “I was homeless!”
The blue slowly fades from his eyes, the temperature in the room dropping. “You seemed cozy enough at that incubus’s house.”
My bones rattle with warning, but I refuse to be cowed. “Someone chased me out first thing in the morning.”
One side of his mouth quirks up. “I seem to remember you running away.”
“That’s called a tactical retreat.”
“You dented my car.” His eyes fade to complete white. “You dirtied my clean bathroom.” The beads of water on my skin turn to crystals of ice. “Now, you stole my hot water.”
I lick my lips, tasting the energy that fills the small room. Fresh snow, metallic and clean. This demon can bring on a new ice age. He should terrify me—and he does to some degree—but if we’re going to be roommates, I can’t let him push me around.
Closing the small distance between us, I press our noses together, heedless of the nip of frost against my skin. “I’ll clean the bathroom and make you some hot chocolate for when you’re done with your lukewarm shower. Sound good?”
If anything, the temperature drops further. “Are you trying to appease me?”
“It’s a peace offering.” I blow warm air across his lips, and he rears back, his brows furrowed in confusion.
He sniffs and backs against the wall to give me room to climb out of the tub. “Why would you think we’d have hot chocolate here?”
“Just a hunch.” My eyes drop to the tiled floor as I step onto the small bath mat. My footprints are all over the place. With a sigh, I tug the towel from my hair and drop it, using my foot on top of it to wipe up the mess.
When I gather it and my dirty clothes up, I turn to glance at Emil, brows raised in question.
His eyes, back to their regular shade of blue, study me for a moment before he nods. “The packets are in the top left drawer of the kitchen island.”
“And the straws?” After thinking about it for a minute earlier, I’d figured out he used one with his coffee to avoid touching the actual cup with his icy lips, prolonging the warmth inside a little longer.
For a moment, I think he’ll try to pretend he doesn’t know what I’m talking about, but then he glances away. “They’re in a dispenser on the counter next to the fridge.”
“Excellent.” I step closer to him to make enough room to open the door. “See? We can be civil to each other.”
His lips tighten. “I’ve always been civil.”
“I’m going to buy you a dictionary.” With another puff of warm air in his face, I zip out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind.
***
Back in the kitchen, I turn the burner on under the tea kettle that waits on top of the stove. It clicks for a moment, then blue flames burst from beneath the kettle. My knees shake with excitement as the gas comes to life, and I spend an embarrassingly long time stroking the stainless steel beauty while the water boils.
Adjusting the towel, I crouch to investigate the large oven. Instead of a regular pull down door, this one features French doors that open to either side, allowing for easier access. Three full-sized racks, evenly spaced, fill the interior, and the bottom of the oven shines, no hint of soot in sight. Do they ever cook for themselves?
“Don’t worry,” I coo to the pristine interior. “I’m here now, and I’m going to bake so many yummy desserts in you.”
“What are you doing?”
I spring to my feet to find Tobias on the other side of the island from me. He had changed into a business suit, similar to the one he wore the last time I saw him at the bank, only with faint, dark-gray pinstripes.
His black eyes rake over me, and his mouth kicks up into an amused smile. “The towel’s an interesting choice, but I prefer naked apron play.”
Resisting the urge to clutch the knot at my front to make sure the thin piece of terry cloth stays in place, I scowl at him. “I don’t do naked apron play.”
He arches an eyebrow in disbelief. “No?”
Heat creeps across my shoulders and chest as I recall the one time while I still lived in dreamland when I did, in fact, play housewife, wearing only an apron. But dreamland and the human plane are different. People dream about a lot of things, and as a succubus, it’s my job to make sure they’re the happiest they can be so they release the most energy.
On the human plane, though, building elaborate fantasies takes more energy than I can safely gain, so I need to take more from the humans. Also, humans on the physical plane have a lot less stamina than their dream selves, which means I barely start to feed before they’re finished.
Skimming is easier all around, even if it takes more time.
The tea kettle’s whistle saves me from having to answer Tobias’s question. Quickly, I move it off the burner, then pull open the drawer in the island where Emil said I would find what I need.
Holy hot chocolate heaven.
Fancy metallic packets of powder, from white chocolate to dark chocolate with flavor options including caramel, mint, raspberry, and cinnamon, line the drawer.
I lift one out and flip it over to read the directions, then peek at Tobias, who circled around the counter while I was distracted. “Do all of these require hot milk?”
“Yep.” He steps closer to open the drawer next to mine and pulls out a packet of green tea, then he nudges the lower cabinet with the toe of his shiny black loafer. “The saucepan is down there. Don’t scald the milk.”
“I know how to heat milk.” Grumbling, I bend to find the small sauce pan with a pour lip on one si
de.
Spotting it near the back, I reach for it and feel a slight tug on my towel. The stupid knot at the front unravels in an instant, and I drop the pan to yank the material closed.
Re-knotting it, I grab the pan’s handle and straighten to poke it against Tobais’s rock hard stomach. “Stop that.”
He pushes the pan aside, unrepentant. “Do you often walk around in a towel at home? A robe would be better. Something in silk, maybe?”
Like I own anything that fancy. “I have to find my clothes before I can get dressed.”
On the way to the bathroom earlier, Tobias had pointed out the stairs up to where my new room would be. When I’d ventured up to get dressed, I found boxes stacked haphazardly around my furniture, the small couch from my old living room leaning against the bed, with no sign of a suitcase in sight. My dirty clothes and towel sit in a neat stack on one edge of the counter, which reminds me…
I glance at Tobias. “Where’s the washing machine?”
“I think there’s one in the basement.” He shrugs and turns away to get a mug from the cupboard next to the refrigerator.
“You think?” I follow behind him to fetch the milk. “You don’t know?”
“We have a service that comes on Sundays to clean the house and take our laundry to the dry cleaners.”
“Lucky you.” Rich bastards. I open the fridge, unsurprised when I discover it stocked mostly with bottled water, wine, milk, and one lone, wrinkly apple. Grocery shopping just moved up on my list. “Do you have food delivered, too?”
“We mostly eat out, though Kellen usually picks up a box of pastries on his way home from the club in the morning.”
I walk back to the stove and pour the milk into the pan before turning the stove on low. “Is food and laundry included in the rent?”
He laughs at my hopeful tone. “Did you include it in the contract we signed?”
My shoulders hunch. It never even crossed my mind that that was an option.
He tugs a strand of my damp hair, rubbing the fine blue tips between his fingers. “Do you want to renegotiate?”
“No need.” I swat him away. “I’m perfectly capable of doing those things myself.”
“If you say so.”
I bristle at his obvious doubt. “Look, I realize I might have come across as a little desperate the first time we met—”
“A little?”
Ignoring him, I forge on, “But I’ve been taking care of myself just fine. If I hadn’t run into you on accident at the coffee shop, I’d be well into the launch phase of my bakery right now.”
He studies me for a moment, face serious. “You know, our paths were bound to cross, no matter what.”
“What are you talking about?” I bump him aside and randomly select a hot chocolate mix from the drawer. “If I hadn’t given into my cousin’s offer to use HelloHell Delivery, none of this would have happened.”
He shakes his head. “You’re exactly where you were always going to be.”
I scoff, “That’s stupid.”
“You’re naive.” When I bristle, he holds up a hand. “If we hadn’t met at the coffee shop, what would have happened?”
“I’d have peacefully gotten my loan and been happily hunting for a shop location right now.” Grumbling, I stir the milk on the stovetop as small bubbles begin to appear.
Tobias leans a hip against the counter while he waits for his tea to steep. “And how would you have prepared for your meeting at the bank?”
The spoon slows to a stop as I peek at him from the corner of my eye. “I would have gone to the club to fill up on energy.”
He gives a knowing nod, the smug bastard. “Where you would have met Kellen.”
“And if I hadn’t gone to the club…” I push out an annoyed breath. “Let me guess. Emil reviews all demon loan applications. So I would have met both of you at the bank, where you would have refused my loan anyway.”
“Ding, ding, ding.” Tobias pulls the tea bag from his mug and tosses it into the trash before giving me a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “Like I said, you were always going to end up here.”
I shrug his hand off, then grab a to-go mug I noticed in the cupboard and add the hot chocolate mix to it before carefully pouring in the hot milk. When I glance up at him, he looks entirely too satisfied. “You know, I could have decided to leave town.”
He smiles over the rim of his mug. “You’re far too stubborn for that.”
“So what’s your point?” I screw the cap on tight and shake the container, taking my annoyance out on the cocoa.
“Stop mourning the loss of your shop because it was never meant to happen and embrace your new position as our household succubus.”
I slam the mug down on the counter and whip around to face him. “What is with you guys and being assholes? Are you so old and crotchety that you’ve forgotten what basic manners are?”
“Crotchety?” The way he draws out the word makes it sound like he’s never heard it before.
“Old and crotchety.” I jab my finger against his chest. “Maybe you’ve had centuries to amass your fortune and dig out a place in the human world that you fit into nicely, but some of us lowly demons are still struggling here. So get your jollies pissing on my dreams all you want, but I am telling you here and now that I am no one’s kept succubus. I’m your roommate who has the option to help you out with your energy issues. Because don’t think for a second that anywhere in those contracts you signed did it say I had to feed off you.” I step back and gesture to my body. “This right here? Not for your use.”
His eyes narrow as he stalks forward. “Is that a threat? You’re not living here if you’re not useful to us.”
“It’s a statement of fact.” My bones rattle with imminent danger, and I force myself to hold my ground as the air fills with the metallic taste of thunderstorms. Meeting his black eyes, I lift my chin. “You may be powerful and able to destroy entire cities in one night, but that means you need me more than I need you.”
He leans over me, a rolling cloud of thunder. “We can get a different succubus.”
“Then do it.” I put my hands on my hips to hide their tremble. “I’ll even give you a list of names.”
His nostrils flare as he drags my scent into his lungs. “You’re a weak little succubus who can’t even take care of herself.”
I rise up onto my toes. “And you’re a big, bad catalyst demon who’s scared of losing his corporeal form.”
Lightning skates over my skin, and I lock my knees, unwilling to back down even if it means being obliterated by his wrath.
“Tobias,” Emil’s calm voice breaks through the tension, “We need to leave for work.”
I drop back to my heels, then skirt around the angry demon to grab the to-go mug off the counter. I thrust it into Emil’s hand on my way out of the kitchen and head for the curved staircase that leads up to my new room.
Emil’s voice drifts after me. “Call the bank to set up a new appointment. I think I’ve just reconsidered your loan.”
I pause, one foot on the wooden step, to glance back over my shoulder. Emil stands in the archway, mug raised as if to salute me. With a nod, I walk calmly up the steps.
I’m not sure if that was a victory or not, but I’ll take it.
Grade A Something
“Darling, I’m so glad to hear you resolved that pesky little issue you were having,” Julian’s happy voice fills the phone. “And the cousins are having a proper cat fight over that old apartment of yours. I think I’ll be able to raise the rent by a couple hundred.”
“You could have given me a little heads up.” I pull another pillow over my body, wiggling to ensconce myself beneath the pile. It doesn’t feel the same as my old home. The bed faces the wrong way, the large room giving sounds a different echo.
“I knew you could figure it out on your own.” A creak sounds, and I picture Julian kicking his feet up in his office at HelloHell Delivery. “You’re resilient when backed into a
corner.”
“Speaking of corners, how’d you do against cousin Cassandra?” I tuck a pillow against my stomach, the blue feathers stabbing me through the tank top I pulled on earlier. I hadn’t found my favorite pillow with the purple sequins. This one doesn’t fit quite right, the size a little too small, the stuffing too flat.
“Oh, were you worried for me?” Humor fills his tone.
I actually was, which is the main reason I called. I knew he would have already heard about the claim against me being reversed. Julian’s delivery demons bring him all the best gossip. “Did she eat your mischief imp?”
“Only a small nibble. Poor thing will recover.” He sounds nonchalant, but a hint of weariness underscores his words.
Of all of my kind, Cousin Cassandra scares me the most. She’s one of the oldest of our kind, filled with energies gathered over almost a century of life. Everyone is open game, even her own kind. And not in the distracted, lazy way that my mentor, Landon, skims my energy. Cassandra is an active, frequently malicious, devourer.
My voice drops to a whisper. “And you?”
He stays quiet long enough that I think he won’t answer, but then his gruff voice mumbles, “I’ll be fine, darling.”
“I’m sorry if I was the reason she came to visit.” I curl tighter around the too small pillow, the pointy feathers little stabs of recrimination.
“Hush. She would have stopped by anyway. You were just an added treat.” He clears his throat. “Speaking of treats, I heard you’re now living with some grade A energy.”
“They’re grade A something,” I grumble and wiggle until my back presses against the headboard.
His voice brightens. “Oh, trouble in paradise already?”
I snort, still annoyed by my exchange with Tobias. “We’re still feeling each other out.”
“Oh, that sounds delicious. Tell me more.”