by Jaime Reed
“So demon spirits can leave their bodies at will? That’s pretty cool, but why would she do that?”
“Many of our kind do that as a way to multiply our numbers. We can’t reproduce in our true form, so we possess a human body and pass on a part of us through their children, hence Cambions. Once the Cambion child reached puberty, their spirit would take over. After attaining enough energy, they would transform into true incubi and succubi. None of us expected the human side to rebel. As a result, hundreds of Cambions and only a handful of incubi.”
“You could do that if you wanted,” I offered, avoiding his eager stare.
“I’m quite happy where I am, thank you.”
“Malik!” a boy called and raced in our direction. He looked no older than eight, wearing baggy jeans, a red sweater, and a huge smile on his face.
I turned to Tobias, who must have transformed into Malik when I wasn’t looking. I would never get over the chameleon routine. It threw one’s sense of reality off-kilter, and I really didn’t need any help on that score.
The boy reached our side and wrapped his arms around Tobias’s waist. He was a bite-sized Malik, same dark complexion, haircut, and infectious smile. He would break hearts when he got older and probably had the girls in his class swooning.
“What up, little man? How’s your field trip?” Tobias hefted the child in his arms and over his shoulder.
The boy giggled and rambled on a mile a minute. “It’s good. We saw the Governor’s Palace and horses and people making clothes out of cotton. Oh, guess what? I got picked for bus monitor this week. I get an orange sash and everything.”
“Sounds cool. I’m proud of you.” Tobias laughed, then waved to the female teacher who hovered nearby.
Settling to the ground, the boy looked up with wide eyes. “You picking me up early?”
“Nope. I got practice at four. I’ve got the truck today, so Mom will be home when you get there.”
“Okay. Who’s this girl?” the boy asked with frank curiosity.
“Marcus, this is my friend, Samara. Samara, this is my youngest brother, Marcus.”
Struggling to get into character, I extended my hand. “Nice to meet you.”
The kid had a killer grip for his age. “Hi. You Malik’s new girlfriend?”
“Uh, no. We’re just friends,” I answered, ignoring Tobias’s knowing grin.
Marcus frowned, and I could almost see his young brain churning at high speed. “Oh, okay. But you’re a girl.”
“You caught that too, huh?”
His stare bounced between his brother and me. “Malik doesn’t have girls as friends.”
Before I could think of an explanation, Tobias stepped in. “There’s a first time for everything. You’ll find out when you get older. All right, go back to your class. Don’t wanna get you in trouble.” Tobias pounded fists with the little man in a series of movements Marcus and Malik had probably practiced a thousand times.
“Okay, deuces.” With a lopsided smile, Marcus dashed across the path to join his class.
Pushing back my amusement, I turned to Tobias. “He’s adorable.”
“He’s a handful,” Tobias corrected. “He can’t keep still for a minute, always running around, talking back to people, tracking dirt all over the floor, bringing weird creatures into the house, and refusing to put his underwear in the hamper. I tell you, children were designed to be cute to keep you from killing them.” He took a deep, relaxing breath, then smiled. “But he’s bright, extremely smart. Top of his class.”
I could relate. My siblings were the incarnation of all things evil, but I loved them just the same. It could’ve been the way his eyes beamed with fatherly pride or the warmth and joy projecting from his body, but I knew he meant every word. My question was, why? Why the kid, why the family? He’d said his kind could feel everything, but did that include compassion? The subtotal of the real Malik’s existence now belonged to Tobias, and it continued to live through him vicariously. Memories were strange things.
“How can you turn personalities off and on like that?” I asked.
“The same way you do.” He looked at me and chided, “Oh come on, don’t tell me you act the exact same way with your white family as you do with your black side, the way you speak, your whole demeanor.”
Again, this guy knew me way too well, and nobody liked being called out like that. I was about to explain, but he cut me off.
“You think Douglas acts like a thug around his parents or their friends at the country club? Doesn’t make it any less a part of who he is. We all have a closet with many outfits, and we wear what is appropriate for the occasion.”
Tobias certainly did his homework, and it disturbed me how much he knew about me and my friends, internal knowledge that should take years to learn.
“This charade can’t last,” I argued. “And you’ll destroy an entire family with this deceit.”
He shoved his hands in his jean pockets and led the way back to the truck. “I’m trying my best to avoid that, Flower. Trust me. They’re a very happy family, and that joy is too good to let go.”
“I have a name, you know. Why do you keep calling me ‘Flower’?”
“Because I want to pluck you.” He wagged his eyebrows.
That wasn’t even worth a response, so I walked ahead toward the truck. I opened the passenger-side door when a hand pushed it shut again.
Leaning into me, he said, “Tell me, how do you feel when you’re with me?”
“Bipolar.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I. I live in a nation divided. Lilith desires you with a passion that can only be called psychotic. I can’t get involved with you like that. As much as I hate to admit it, I belong with someone else.”
If my answer hurt him, he didn’t show it. “Sounds like an obligation.”
“No more than it was for you and Nadine. Did you feel oppressed, burdened, or enslaved? No, because it was your own will that you were in agreement with. There’s a type of freedom to have someone know you so well and love you regardless. I’m sorry for your loss, but I can only offer friendship, at best. It’s yours if you want it.”
“I’ll take anything you give me, Flower.” His lips pulled into a kind, easy smile as he helped me into the truck. “For now.”
We didn’t say much on the way back to school, which was cool with me because I had plenty to think about. This supernatural world was getting bigger, yet I felt more claustrophobic than ever before, and this episode with Lilith made the space even smaller. True, I zoned out and indulged in flights of fancy, but having Lilith play puppeteer was so far out of bounds, I couldn’t see the field anymore. How long had this been going on? I definitely needed to have a talk with her when we got home.
Tobias, in his default form, drove in silence with a serene look on his face. So at peace he seemed, like all was right with the world, him behind the wheel and me at his side. What was worse was that I found it hard to dispute that arrangement. Tobias intrigued me. The things he said, his outlook on life, the ages he’d lived, had my mind whirling with questions. I still didn’t trust him, but I would love to pick his brain.
I studied his hands on the steering wheel. The burn had healed, with only a fading red stripe across his wrist. My eyes drifted to his face and almost cried at what awaited me. It wasn’t beer goggles, or Lilith’s unquenched lust, but an undisputed fact for anyone with twenty-twenty vision. The man was fine, neither feminine nor masculine, but the best of both. A square, chiseled jaw, ridiculously long lashes, a plump, slightly pert nose, and masterfully carved lips defined sensuality. Not a scar, blemish, or zit in sight, but a smooth stretch of butterscotch skin that my hands burned to touch. I didn’t dare look at his body; it would only break my heart.
He pulled into a parking spot and killed the engine before looking at me. As a man with all the time in the world, he waited for me to speak first.
“Um, thanks for lunch, or whatever that was,” I muttered.
He bowed his head. “You’re welcome. You need to take better care of yourself.”
I looked away, dodging his piercing stare. “I appreciate your concern.”
“I am concerned,” he asserted. “You hold a very important asset and I need to keep it safe and healthy.”
Before I could respond, a familiar song intruded into the silence. Though muffled, I knew the theme from COPS from anywhere.
“Where’s my phone?” I searched around my seat.
Annoyed at the interruption, he hitched his thumb over his shoulder. “Behind your seat, in your book bag.”
I reached behind me, grabbed my backpack, and dove inside, all the while cursing Tobias for bringing this burden on my head. I knew what waited on the other end of the phone and expected the harangue headed my way. No doubt she’d checked my location from my bracelet.
I barely put the phone to my ear when the voice on the other end yelled, “WHERE ARE YOU? WHY AREN’T YOU IN SCHOOL?”
I pulled the phone from my head, and winced at the blast of fury. I didn’t need that right eardrum anyway. “Mom, I’m fine. I’m back at school now and—”
“Why did you leave? You’ve been gone for almost two hours! Don’t you know there’s a crazy killer on the loose?”
My eyes strayed to Tobias, who sat with his lips tucked and his chest quaking with laughter. At least one of us found this amusing. Friend or foe, it just wasn’t cool to withstand a parental bitch-out in front of people.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry. I—I needed to feed and grab some fresh air. I didn’t want to lash out on the kids at school. That would be a whole other problem.”
A loud sigh shot through the phone. “Well, you should’ve called me. It’s not safe to wander off. There’s no telling what kind of lunatic is tracking you.”
I glanced sideways at Tobias again. You don’t know the half, I wanted to say, but I held my tongue. After several reassurances of my well-being, Mom began to speak in lower octaves.
“You come home after school! You hear me, Samara Nicole?”
I sunk lower in my seat. “Yes, Mom.”
“I mean it! We need to talk.”
“Okay.” I hung up and stared out the window, not wanting to see the humor—or worse, pity—in Tobias’s eyes. It was all his fault anyway.
“I’m sorry if I got you in trouble. I was only trying to help.”
“Yeah, well, ‘there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.’ ”
He smiled and nodded in approval. “Hamlet. Nice.”
He even found my random medieval speak amusing. Disgusted, I climbed out of the truck and slammed the door.
By the time he caught up with me, he’d changed back into Malik, and I wondered why he didn’t just stay that way. Maybe there was a time limit to shape shifting, but more than likely, he wanted to show off his mad skills.
He kept my pace as we passed through the back entrance to the empty cafeteria. “Your mom cares about you a lot,” he said.
“Maybe too much.” I pushed through the double doors leading to the main corridor.
“Are you angry with me?”
“When am I not angry with you?”
“Well, you haven’t sprayed me with oil today, so I think we’re making progress. Anyway, I don’t think it would be a good idea for her to know about me. In fact, I highly suggest that you don’t tell her.”
I stopped in the middle of the hall and looked up at him. “She already knows what I am.”
“But she doesn’t know what I am. I’d like to keep it that way.” He closed in on me, forcing me to retreat until my back flushed against the bulletin board.
“It would be safer for her not to get tangled in something so ... complicated. Now, you promise you won’t tell. Keep this between us. No outsiders.”
My nod felt more like a twitch, but passed as a sign of compliance, at least enough to gain back my personal space. Subtlety was not his strong suit and his sudden “concern” for my family’s well-being was a page right out the villain handbook, one of those don’t-let-this-happen-to-you sermons Mom went on about.
Behind the creepy delivery, Tobias presented a good point. Mom had enough on her plate. She was one step away from a nervous breakdown, and this would only add to her sleep deficit. This was my dragon I had to slay, not hers, and I couldn’t hide behind her skirt forever. On this one occasion, silence was golden.
I returned to class with my mission in my sights. I knew what I had to do for the sake of everyone, and for my own peace of mind.
17
“Hey, guess what, there’s an incubus in town disguised as my classmate and he wants to bond with me and murder Caleb—true story,” I blurted out.
Not smooth by any stretch of the imagination, but it was the quickest way to remove this Band-Aid.
There was silence on the other end of the phone, as I’d expected. I treaded the floor of my bedroom, waiting for Angie to find her voice. Our weeklong game of phone tag had ended when I finally caught her before she went to bed. She currently stayed in Amsterdam, procuring local artwork and God knows what else. As a second mother, Angie seemed more laid-back and equipped to handle supernatural drama than my mom.
Finally, she spoke. “Are you sure it’s a real incubus?”
“Yup,” I drawled, tapping my fingers against the first volume of her journal.
“How long has he been in town?”
I summed up the past month, leaving nothing out. She remained so quiet that I thought she had either fainted or hightailed it to the airport. Her stilted breathing alerted me that she was still on the line; her voice cracked under what I assumed was awe and fear.
“How long have you had these trances? Do they last long? You may need to see a doctor about that. Not all daydreams are innocent; it may be a symptom of absence seizures.”
“Seizures? Like epilepsy?”
“Not as bad, but it can be if not treated.”
“Tobias said that as long as I feed, Lilith won’t try to take over.”
“I agree. Our spirits don’t become aggressive to us unless we don’t feed. Or ...” she paused.
“Or what?”
“Or when they need to mate.”
I swallowed hard. “So, Tobias’s presence is triggering this?”
“I have no doubt, but I believe it started long before Tobias. Have you zoned out around Caleb?”
I winced. “Sometimes.”
“Samara, this is a very precarious stage in a Cambion’s life. You’re new to this and unprepared for the changes that are occurring in your body.”
My upper lip curled. “Uh, Angie, I’ve already had this talk with Mom when I was like five and I still have nightmares from it, so—”
“I’m not just talking about puberty, but the changes with your spirit,” she interrupted. “Adolescence is a very delicate time in a human’s life. Your thought patterns and hormones are erratic and you’re more susceptible to everything, especially the influence of a demon. This is a perfect time for your spirit to take over. Nadine already endured the changes, but this is a new body, and you have to suffer through the phase. Lilith is going into heat, she wants to feed and mate. Simple as that.”
“I don’t get it. Why is she acting this way now? I thought she loved Capone.”
“Welcome to the animal kingdom, little one. This is also why Cambion males and females keep away from each other; the attraction is at its strongest at your age. Lilith desires a mate, and whoever is strong enough to claim her will win. She came to Capone because he was the only option, but now he has a competitor. The demand will drive you crazy, but you must appease her, so I suggest you increase your intake of energy until it passes, but not too much. That is, unless you wish to bond with Caleb.” The statement hung in the air in anticipation.
“Uh, well, I ...” This was awkward. I didn’t want to talk about this with Angie. That invisible wall between parents and children existed for a reason
.
“I never knew Nadine had a mate. She never told anyone. But she kept a lot of things private in her later years,” Angie supplied.
“Did you know that she tried to kill herself?”
The dead air that occupied the line hurt my ears.
“I’m aware.” Angie cleared her throat. “That was a dark time in her life that she dared not to repeat. Do you know why the bracelet was so important to her, why she never took it off?”
I looked down to the object in question on my wrist. “For her protection? In case she got kidnapped?” I guessed.
Angie laughed softly. “Hardly. This is my daughter we’re talking about here. While it held that purpose, it was also a reminder to her promise. Every day, I would monitor the signal from her bracelet. Each motion vowed that she would never leave me by her own volition; that her love for me was stronger than her need to die.”
Silence fell between us again, and though she spoke from thousands of miles away, her pain couldn’t have felt any closer if we shared the same body. Blood may be thicker than water, but Cambion ties outlived the flesh.
Moving to a less depressing subject, I opened the journal and flipped to the page I’d bookmarked. “There’s an entry about one of your ancestors who met an incubus. Going by this, the incubus can only bond with succubi or Cambion females. Since the Cambion is mortal, he’ll share the life expectancy of his mate, and live for as long as she does. He may keep all his powers, but if his mate dies, so will he.”
“That’s sounds about right. Cambions intertwine the same way; their lives are each other’s.”
“There’s no way to reverse it?”
“As you know, if a Cambion consumes enough life energy, takes enough lives at once, he becomes a full demon, becoming immortal. If his mate undergoes the transition, he might regain his immortality. This is theory, of course. I wish I could be more help, but I’m afraid my experience with incubi are limited.”