Counterpart (Succubi & Incubi Assn.)

  A slight chill washed over my bare arms and I cursed Melinda for forcing me into this tight red dress. What did she think we were going to? She may be good at her wardrobe, but I really should've reminded her that we were going to a post-funeral party, not a sex fling.

  Daniel waited for me to answer his question and I honestly didn't feel like saying anything. But I knew he would listen, and sadly, he won't leave until I've opened my mouth and let out everything, every single piece of worry.

  Defeated, I sighed, leaning against the car beside him and focusing my eyes on the people walking in and out of the arena across the road. “I don't know what to do.”

  “With?”

  “Everything.” Today had felt like a long ass day, and it hadn't even struck midnight yet. My shoulders had a permanent weight on them, and I was finding it hard to know why it was there. Was it because of the succubus in me? Was my demon going through some phase? Was it the effect Tristan left me in earlier on? Or was it all of the above?

  I was going for the last.

  “You're going to need to give me a little bit more, Maya.” I felt Daniel's eyes on me. “Are you worried about Tristan?”

  “Yeah,” I said admittedly, “I don't know how to explain it, but...” I found it hard for me to say the next words. Swallowing to fix the dryness forming in my throat, I whispered, “I just miss him, Daniel. A lot.”

  “Maya,” he said, his tone one of comfort. I felt his hand snake around the side of my head and I was pushed against his chest. “Don't let it bring you down,” he murmured, his lips pressing against my hair, “he'll come around eventually.”

  As if the semi-hug was what opened the gates, a stray tear fell down the side of my face. “You weren't there, Daniel. You didn't see his reactions. You didn't see his face when I told him. I practically disgusted him.”

  Daniel's hand tightened around my hair. “He didn't tell you that did he?”

  “No, but he might as well.” I refused to let another tear leak from my eyes and I took a deep breath, only for it to turn into a non-humored laugh. “What makes it even more stupid is that we're supposed to be soul mates apparently and he doesn't even want that.” Turning my head, I buried my face into Daniel's sweater, feeling his arm tighten around my shoulders instinctively. “I feel lost, and I hate that.”

  I was never the type to ever act like this. I'd never cried once in my life. I always found it to be a sign of vulnerability, but lately, the past four weeks had been too much for me to even hide the fact that I hurt. And I really didn't have anyone to blame but myself.

  Tristan had always been the one who stayed by me. He never did anything but be there whenever I needed him. Not once did I ever think I was taking advantage of that, but I could see it now. When he looked at me today—before I even told him about Geoff—I knew at that moment that I could forgive him for the stupid decision he made. Then I had to open my mouth and spill out the bad news, and the cards turned. Faster than I could blink, the loving feel of his fingers on my face and the passionate sound of his voice were gone, replaced by the complete opposite.

  I told him because I thought it would be out in the air, and then he would get over it. I didn't even think about how he would feel about it. When I finally saw how he did, after he explained everything from him being on the sidelines, watching what I was doing with other guys, I could see it.

  I was giving Ryan shit for acting how he was, and I was acting exactly the same with Tristan. I might as well dangle his heart in front of cat with the way I was treating it. Now that he was gone, reality was so much worse.

  “It's going to be okay, Maya.” Daniel's tender voice comforted me slightly, but it didn't at all get rid of my feelings. “It may be hard now, but you'll get through it. He'll come around. He has too.”

  “He doesn't have to do anything,” I said, finally moving my head away from the warmth of him. “It's probably better if he just stayed away, for the sake of his sanity.”

  “Don't act like that, Maya—”

  “But it's true,” I interrupted, “even if he did turn around and start talking to me it's not like I can give him what he wants. He's immune to me. That's it. He's not immune to what I have to do to live, it'll never work. It'll just start another fight, and we'll just go around in circles.” The truth in my words hadn't hit me until I finally said it out-loud. My shoulders slumped.

  “Maya.” Daniel was instantly in front of me, and his hands cradled my face, making sure I looked right into his eyes. “You need to stop doing this. Stop thinking about what bad things could happen out of this, and start thinking about the positive side of it.” He made that sound so easy. “And if Tristan ever did come back, I doubt you'd turn your back on him.”

  Glaring into those sea-blue eyes, I sighed. I hated how Daniel and Melinda could both see through me, and I hated when they were right half the time. Stubbornly, I moved my eyes over his shoulder. “You don't know that.”

  “I've known you most of our demon lives, and I've heard a lot about you and Tristan—”

  “How?”

  His lips pulled up and he arched a brow. “Do you really have to ask?”

  No. Rolling my eyes, I mumbled, “Melinda is such a gossip.”

  He chuckled and continued, “What I'm saying is that if I know you, you care a lot about this guy and I don't think you'd let something like this get in the way of making things work between you two. Just give him time, Maya.”

  He was right, yet again. “Fine, but don't expect me to be all happy ducky in there,” I nodded my head towards the arena before coming back to meet his eyes. A smile crawled onto my skin and he matched it with his own. “Thank you,” I said.

  It only made him smile the cocky grin that he could only possess. “I told you I'm not just a pretty face.”

  As much as it brought up my mood, I grinned, pushing him away from me until his hands slipped off my face. “Conceited.”

  “Nothing else I'd rather be.” He turned to the side and nodded his head to the arena. “You going to come in? I'll even buy you a drink.”

  I knew Stuart would be working at the bar tonight but I wasn't going to tell Daniel that, only because he loved to brag that he was legal to buy alcohol, and older than me by a year. “Sure, I'm going to order the most expensive drink they have.”

  ****

  Apparently Geoff was an old school kind of guy when it came to his choices of songs. His wife had brought in a pile of his favorite CD's, and apparently they were all from the 90s.

  “Oh my God, I haven't heard this song in a long time!” Melinda jumped off her seat. No Diggity by Backstreet had just started, and even I had to get excited over the song.

  “Wow,” Ethan said, looking around the crowd. “I remember seeing these guys in concert.”

  Melinda paused from her frantic behavior at trying to finish her drink so she could go into the crowd that were dancing, and she started to stare at Ethan like he was hypnotizing her. “We're so perfect for each other.”

  Silence is what fell as soon as the words slipped out of Melinda's mouth, and I knew she didn't mean for them to get out, but they did. Daniel and I stared wide-eyed at each other for a quick second before staring back at Melinda. She had quickly picked up what just happened and a red tinge showed on her cheeks. “Did I just say what I think I just said?” she asked me. I nodded, fighting myself not to laugh.

  “Oh God.” I noticed how she was avoiding Ethan's gaze and I took this moment to see what he was thinking. The expression he had was hard to describe. You could tell he was surprised by her sudden outburst, but other than that, he didn't seem at all phased. I don't know why Melinda was worried.

  A laugh from my side caused me to turn and see Daniel holding a fist over his mouth, his shoulders were lightly shaking and I knew that he was trying to hold it in.

  “Just forget I said anything,” Melinda finally stated after a few seconds. “Stuart, another.”

  Ethan finally turned and his brow was arched
in my direction. He probably never experienced this type of reaction before. Considering he was an incubus and had way more years on him than us, you'd think he would have.

  I shrugged, not really knowing what to say. “She's drunk.”

  “Not that drunk,” Daniel muttered, and after all the effort we had put in, he and I were laughing. It was bound to happen. Melinda had been fawning over Ethan ever since he showed up.

  “Maya.” My body stiffened when the male voice sounded in my ear, and instantly I thought Tristan was standing right behind me, but when muscled arms planted themselves on the bar next to me and my eyes connected with brown ones, I was kind of relieved. It's not that I didn't want to see Tristan right now. It was just that, if I saw him, I probably wouldn't know what to do but stand there and look like an idiot.

  Noah had his usual smile on and he looked over my shoulder to Daniel. His eyes then narrowed quickly towards the incubus, but they were quickly back to normal and he out-stretched his hand. “Hey, I’m Noah.”

  “Daniel.” He shook Noah's hand, and I could really feel an awkward conversation coming along. Plus, it was starting to feel really hot inside the arena. There were so many bodies here that it was starting to become over-whelming.

  “Hey,” Noah said, after their awkward handshake that I noticed had him curious about the male next to me. I don't know why he's sizing Daniel up, seriously. “I actually came here to ask if you've seen Tristan.” Noah moved his eyes to me.

  Now I was the one narrowing my eyes. “No, I figured he would be with you.”

  He shook his head. “Nope, last time I saw him was a couple of hours ago, and he wasn't very happy. I swear he almost punched me when I asked if he was coming with you tonight. Figured you'd two would come together. I was wrong.”

  “We're not a couple, Noah,” I said.

  “You could've had me fooled,” he retorted. “Anyway, I was just wondering if you'd seen him. I text him but he hasn't replied. Of all people, I'd never expected that he would miss Geoff's farewell.”

  Pressing my lips together, I started to analyze Noah's expression. There was a darkness covering his eyes, and I could see the worry over his friend in the way his brows pushed down. He was right. Tristan should be here, and I actually felt sad that I hadn't noticed it until now. But I honestly did think he was with Noah, and avoiding to come anywhere near me.

  At least I knew he was still angry. Punching his friend in the face would be the perfect confirmation for that—even if he didn't. I lifted my shoulders, feeling helpless. “I don't know where he is, sorry.”

  He frowned slightly. “Damn, that thing with Tori must have really fucked him off.”

  “What thing?” I asked.

  “He didn't tell you that he snapped her cheating?” he asked me, only for me to shake my head. He caught her cheating? “Yeah, caught her red handed. Twice, in one day. Different guys too.”

  Why didn't Tristan tell me this? “Wow.”

  “Yeah, she's a cow.” Noah shrugged. “Anyway, if you hear from him, tell him I'm going to kick his ass the next time I see him. I'll see you later.”

  When he walked off, my dumbfound expression was almost hard to get rid of. So he found out she was cheating? That's why he dumped her. It was safe to say that I was surprised by the new found knowledge, but it kind of made me think how much of a hypocrite he was. He was cheating too, with me.

  I still couldn't help but feel angry at her though.

  Stupid bitch.

  My head started to pound softly and the nerves inside ached. I brought my hand up to try and attempt to get rid of the headache that I really didn't want. With the music blasting loudly, the murmuring of the crowd and the non-existence of an air conditioner, I knew I needed to get some air.

  “I'll be right back,” I told Daniel, and I grabbed my purse and walked between the sweaty bodies until I reached the cold haven that was outside.

  Taking in as much cold air as I could through my nose, I walked towards the car, wanting to just sit in it for a while. I reached into my purse in search for my keys, only to come out short when I remembered that Daniel had them.

  Great.

  Shaking my head at my unplanned situation, I ignored my annoyance and pulled out my cigarettes, taking one and lighting it. The headache still managed to stay though, no matter how many times I took a deep breath, and even though I wasn't inside the arena, I was still feeling the heat surround me. It actually felt like I had stepped into a more heated area.

  No one was outside now, so the streets were silent except for my heels that clicked along the concrete. Slipping them off, I leaned back against my car, taking a long drag from my smoke.

  I turned my gaze to the stars in the sky, counting the shapes that I could make out of them. I was pretty sure I managed to draw a rabbit at some point but that could just be me hoping I did. The sound of footsteps rang through my ears, and I didn't count one but three sets of them, and they got closer.

  Soon enough, I heard a quiet chuckle. “Well, well, well, look who it is.”

  Of all people to send in my direction, it just happened to be Ryan and two of his jock friends. They all shared the same sardonic smirk on their lips when they saw me, and my tolerance to even see them hit an all time low. “Go away, Ryan.”

  I heard him suck in a quick breath, but I knew it was all for show. “Harsh, Maya. You're not even going to ask for your payment?”

  My brows furrowed in confusion. I didn't want to ask, but the urge to do it was over-powering the urge to tell him to fuck off. “What are you talking about?”

  The two guys—who I had no memory of their names—stood tall and straight behind Ryan, their arms crossed over their chest. I even saw one of them check me out. Gross.

  “Well.” Ryan decided that he was allowed to touch my car and he leaned his hip against it, too close to me. “Rumor has it that you charge hourly for your services, and well, I never got the bill.”

  The fact that this rumor was starting enraged me. “You're fucking kidding me.” I didn't bother asking how this rumor even started, considering that Ryan seemed to hear them before everyone else. “Do you like being an asshole?”

  He shrugged. “Only for you, Maya. So, how much?”

  My eyes narrowed. “Considering you didn't even last ten minutes, you can fuck off.” It seemed that his presence made my headache worse, and I just wanted to rub my temples but that would give him a sign to keep going.

  “I don't remember much of that day, but you're right.” Suddenly Ryan was in front of me and the smell of his breath made me cringe. “I have fifty minutes left.” His hands found my hips and any attempt for me to step back only failed when my car wouldn't let me move.

  I turned my head and all his friends were doing was standing there, smirking like idiots. How could I even relate myself to Ryan? He was an idiot. I swear he didn't even have half the brain cells that an average person had. I was nothing like him. He was sinister. He obviously did this for a laugh, or it gave him extreme pleasure to make a girl helpless. Either way, it made me sick.

  “Get off, Ryan,” I said lowly, “seriously, remove your hands.” I was tempted to do some real damage and I wasn't sure what, but my knee was getting ready to meet his balls. Then there was my headache that was making concentration almost out of reach.

  Ryan's hands tightened on my hips and I felt him pull me closer to him. “Why should I?”

  “I would remove your hands if I was you.” I couldn't contain the sigh of relief when I heard Ethan's voice. I looked over Ryan's shoulder and saw him standing a couple of feet away from me, his hard stare on Ryan's back. “Remove them. Now.”

  Ryan's head only turned ninety degrees and he nodded his head to his friends. They each took the sign and started walking up to Ethan.

  Suddenly, I could smell Ethan's scent in the air. The muskiness mixed with mint entered through my nose. He was staring at the two guys, his eyes now a cloud of black. “You might want to rethink that.” I'd neve
r seen someone use compulsion like this. With me, I had to touch them to pull them in, but with Ethan, he just needed to look at them. The two guys stilled. They wouldn't remember this part when it came to reminiscing.

  Ethan's gaze was back to Ryan. “Remove your hands,” he repeated, “or else this won't be pretty.”

  Ryan finally removed his hands from my hips and he turned to face Ethan. He didn't realize until then that his friends weren't doing anything but standing there, their gazes switching between the two males having a staring battle.

  “Leave,” Ethan finally said.

  The two males scampered off as soon as the word left Ethan's lips, and Ryan seemed to have a battle with himself. He watched Ethan momentarily before looking back at me with a glare. “Whore,” he said, before walking after his friends.

  “Don't.” I held my arm out when Ethan stepped forward to do whatever he was thinking of doing. “He's really not worth it.”

  “Are you alright?” he asked. “It was lucky I could smell your scent and the fear that was inside it.”

  Finally being able to rub my forehead, I nodded. “Yeah, I'm fine.” Then I picked up on what he said. “I have a scent?”

  He nodded, and I was even more confused. I couldn't even feel my demon inside me and now I have a scent? I didn't even get a warning. God, something is wrong with me. Maybe I was just so engrossed by other things that I wasn't noticing. “Perfect. Thanks, by the way.”

  “No need to thank me,” he replied. “Come on, I'll walk you back inside.”

  As safe as it would be in there, I still felt like I was inside a sauna and I didn't think that going back inside was going to help with that. Shaking my head, I said, “No, it's okay. I think I'm just going to head home.”

  “Are you sure? Do you want me to send out Melinda or Daniel?”

  I couldn't help but smile. “Thanks, but I'll be alright. Ryan's just an idiot, and it's starting to freak me out that you care. I'm kind of wondering what happened to the old Ethan.”