by Tiffany Dawn
* * * *
Dorian shifted his body against the cool sheets of his bed. A sliver of bright early sunshine shone through the drapes. It would be another Florida scorcher. His home was well air-conditioned, but Shari’s smooth strokes up and down his chest were making him burn again. He’d never wanted a woman so many times; it was like he was a starving man who could never get his fill. She had him so twisted up with a simple look. He wished he could reach inside her and quench all of his curiosity and thirst for her. She was torturing him with the desire to be human. He could imagine the joys of waking up to her every day and talking about a future. But how could he hurt her by continuing all the lies? He still needed to feed on one more mortal to pay his debt. How could he explain what a monster he was? That he was a soulless creature that would terrify her if he ever let down his mask and she saw him? Other humans had claimed to love him and he’d enjoyed watching their faces recoil in horror once they saw their ugly souls reflected back by his empty shell. But he never wanted Shari to run in terror from him.
She stirred against him, snuggling closer and softly kissing his shoulder. “I’ve never had a night like last night. You made me not think about a single one of my worries.” Her hair tickled his neck, and he reached for the errant strands. Wrapping them around his hand, he pulled her a bit closer and took her mouth in a sweet kiss. He didn’t want to ever let her out of his bed.
“You shouldn’t have any worries. I will do all your worrying for you,” he offered, letting her hair loose again.
“That’s sweet, but I don’t think you can help me fix my stepbrother or get Dr. Burke well any faster.” Her smile slipped a bit, and he wanted more than anything to be able to whisk away all her troubles.
“What’s wrong with your brother?” he asked, thinking the guy was probably a junkie or something, the usual human family problems.
“Stepbrother,” she clarified. “Gabriel gets into money trouble and then needs help. I’ll take care of it. It’s just bad timing with the vet closed right now.” She rolled away from him. “Oh well, I should probably get up and take care of Dempsey.”
He shook his head and pulled her closer to his body. A fine sheen of sweat slithered across Dorian’s skin. “Tell me more about this Gabriel.” He rolled with her, spooning her body against his, and listened intently, fearing every last whispered word she shared.
* * * *
Two days of having Shari and he was sunk. Her whole being called out to him, and he was helpless to stay away. They had played in the water and made love on the beach. He’d taken her in the kitchen and on his desk. Each time was better than the last. He’d ignored all of his investment business—something that he usually enjoyed as a sort of competitive sport. She’d only left him long enough to take care of her pets at her own home and to nurse a quickly healing Dempsey. Her compassion for others was a huge part of her appeal. He wanted nothing more than to spend his eternity worshipping her body and studying her mind. But he was an incubus that had not yet bought his freedom from the masters. He had a final victim to feed from and then perhaps he could be hers.
Shari had opened up to him with a level of innocence and trust he’d never before encountered. The longer she talked of her family’s traumatic past, the more she revealed. She felt responsible for their loss—though he wasn’t sure how that was possible. It didn’t take any supernatural ability to realize that she was also in love with her stepbrother. She was intensely ashamed of her feelings. Somehow, Shari had gotten the oddest idea—that her feelings for her stepbrother had been the reason their parents died. It was ridiculous to connect the two events—fate didn’t dole out such punishments for the passions of mortals. Didn’t she comprehend that pure emotion was the gift of a beautiful soul? How could she deny her feelings and take on such guilt over some concern of wishy-washy cultural taboos? He’d need to think about what to do.
Shari wanted him but loved Gabriel. It was beyond a Shakespearian farce. The demon masters had insisted on Gabriel’s soul for his last tribute to them. He was planning on feeding from the unrequited—or was it?—love of his obsession’s life. Perhaps this was some cosmic test? That or the most bizarre coincidence he’d experienced in a thousand years of life. What to do? What to do?
What was he thinking? He couldn’t have her. Once he let his guard down and she saw the soulless monster he was, she would run in terror. Better to enjoy her for the moment even if it left him pining for more. Looking over at her was such pleasure. She was even more beautiful at each glance. Her long red hair lay fanned out on his white sheets, her shapely legs tangled in the covers. He would feed her some brunch and then love her body for the rest of the day. At least that had been his plan. His phone vibrated again on the nightstand. It was time to make some decisions. Gabriel had been blowing up his cell phone with messages and texts all morning. With a last longing look at temptation herself, he left the bedroom.
Chapter 14
Shari awoke to the rhythmic spinning of the ceiling fan. She reached out for Dorian but felt only cool silk sheets beneath her fingers. She opened her eyes and stretched noting her sore thighs and tender cheek. It didn’t matter. She longed for Dorian’s stubble to rub against her face and thighs again. Just thinking about the things they had said and done last night made her swell and cream. These last days had been heaven on earth. She’d been in love before, but it had never been paired with the sort of lust that Dorian inspired in her. The combination was heady indeed. For the first time in her adult life, she was a bit distracted from her infatuation with her stepbrother.
The faint aroma of muffins caught her attention. Her belly growled. Dorian had left a robe draped at the end of the bed for her. He was incredibly thoughtful. She pulled the satin across her skin and belted the front loosely. A man’s voice begging stopped her in her tracks by the door. She reached for the handle and opened it, peering cautiously down the hallway.
She heard Dorian’s voice. “I’m sorry, but you have to go. I don’t know if I can be with you anymore. I’ve met someone. It’s complicated.” He sounded so cold. Completely unlike the man she’d been so thoroughly loved by these last nights and days.
“Please. I know we could be great together. Just give me a chance. I need you. I haven’t been able to get you out of my head. You plague me almost as much as she does,” another man’s voice pleaded, a familiar man’s voice. It couldn’t be. She listened more carefully. Gabriel? What the hell was going on here?
“Of course, I’ll give you what you need. Just give all your darkness away, only then will you be at peace with yourself,” Dorian answered, his voice echoing a bit through the cavernous house.
She left the room stumbling to a stop at the threshold of the living room. Dorian’s back was to her, but she could see him biting at the throat of her stepbrother. What kind of monster was he? What would he do to Gabriel? She ran across the marble floor and shoved her ne’er-do-well brother aside. Gabriel dropped to the floor, his face frozen in terror, eyes wide and mouth open as if locked in a silent scream. She slapped Dorian’s beautiful face and clawed at his arms. Dorian howled in frustration, turning away as if to hide from her sight.
“What are you doing? That’s my stepbrother,” she wailed, pushing against Dorian’s back and spinning him to face her. He held his stance against her pummeling fists until finally fastening both her hands against his body. She stopped her attack and spared a look to his face. The lone tear she saw working its way down his cheek undid her.
“Dorian, what is going on? Why is my stepbrother here?” She had to repeat her question twice more before he would answer.
“He’s here because he thinks he’s in love with me.” Dorian ran his fingers through his dark hair.
“You mean, as in romantically in love with you?” Shari glanced over at Gabriel, who remained frozen on the floor, a look of sadness dragging his features down.
“Gabriel has been trying to use his attraction to me as a distraction from someone else he wants
. That’s how he came to my attention. He only thinks he’s in love with me.” He gestured toward Gabriel’s supine form. “Look, I’m an incubus and the pheromones I emit can awaken and heighten sexuality. He thought I would get him over you, but he was wrong.”
“What are you talking about?” Shari worked to control her frantic breathing. Nothing made sense. Dorian was looking her right in the eye and saying crazy stuff. Where were the sensible man and incredible lover of these last few days? Was this all some sort of sick setup?
“I’m an incubus. I consume the evil from mortal souls in exchange for a new soul and a life as a human once my debt is paid. None of it is worth it now that you’ve seen the frightening creature that I truly am.” He released her arms.
“An incubus, like in those old horror movies? You rape women in the night and impregnate them with demons?” She dropped her hand spontaneously to her flat stomach. This was ridiculous. She had been with a raving lunatic.
Dorian looked back at her, his eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. “Tell her, Gabriel. All of it.” He nodded his head to Gabriel.
Gabriel stirred on the floor. He spared a glance at Shari and then spoke to the room at large, letting his eyes glaze over. “It’s true. I’ve seen him, just now, and he’s not human. He’s got no real face, just wavy lines that moved out of focus when he lunged for me. I felt him pulling something out of me and…” Gabriel broke off, and he cursed softly. Shari dropped to the ground and held him.
“Shhh, Gabriel, you’re talking crazy. Just take some deep breaths. Are you on any drugs, have you been drinking?” She rubbed his back in circles, looking up at a now pacing Dorian.
“No, nothing. I’m telling you. I’ve done some really bad things, ripped off the wrong people, tried to hide who I really am and then I met him.” He pointed at Dorian, who stopped his pacing and cocked his head to the side. “It was like I couldn’t help myself. I thought at first he could go in on the scam I’ve been running, but then I just kept thinking about him. Next thing I know, I want him like I’ve only wanted one person before. I came here because he kept ignoring my calls. When he did what he did by my neck, it was like all the anger and bitterness in me was pulled away.” A small smile crept across Gabriel’s face. “Shari, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for all the times I’ve fucked up. I’m sorry I can’t be a good brother to you. I kept trying to become a success—because then I’d deserve to be around you. You and I are the only family we have. It makes me a bitter asshole but you, you just rise to the challenge and do the right stuff.” He paused, giving his head a shake.
“I know Dorian doesn’t love me and you barely tolerate me, but whatever he just did took out all the crap that I’ve had in me. I’ve been trying to change for the better. It’s like now maybe I’ll be able to really do it…”
Shari stood and walked closer to Dorian. “Why did you help Gabriel—if that’s really what you did?”
“I’m not totally sure. I was supposed to be bartering his soul for my freedom. Usually when I drink from a dark aura, the person becomes frightened and loses all memory of me. They give up a piece of their soul, the part that is evil. When you pushed Gabriel out of the way and took his place, I froze. I didn’t consume his soul, just the negative bits and pieces. But it doesn’t matter now.”
It was her turn to pace anxiously.
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve seen me without my human façade in place. I must look like a monster to you. Even your brother sees the illusion that my form is although I’ve never had someone say my apparition was wavy. It’s what happens when I take even a small sip of a human’s energy. I drop my mask and you see your own consciousness reflected back—most see a fiend quite clearly. I don’t have a form yet, I won’t until the demons are paid and I earn a soul.” He chuckled wryly. “What a wonder a soul is, it’s your heart, mind, and essence. It’s what God gives to all his favored creatures. It’s what I’ve pined for, for nine hundred years—and now it seems meaningless if you don’t want me.”
“Dorian, you are talking about things I don’t understand. You are the most beautiful, ah, man, I’ve ever seen. You look more beautiful to me now than you did last night. I see a sexy man with sizzling gray eyes, a kissable mouth, and a body that leaves me tingling all over. I don’t care what anyone else sees.” She cupped his face between her palms. “But I also think you need some professional help.”
He laughed but the sound was hollow. “You think I’m crazy and I think you must be blind. I am an incubus. I can prove it. I can sense sexual longing and hidden fantasies in mortals. It’s what makes our kind so able to appeal to the weaknesses of the flesh and leave victims vulnerable enough to let us feed from their very souls.”
Shari couldn’t take her eyes off of him. He was so beautiful and accomplished yet obviously mentally ill. She was compassionate. Heck, she had a friend who was schizophrenic but was doing well once on the right medication. Maybe that would be what Dorian needed. Oh, this was nuts and it had spread to Gabriel. He’s the one she should be worrying about. He was family, sort of? Right? Oh, shit, she was lost.
Dorian leaned toward her face and blew a gentle wisp of his minty breath toward her. She inhaled the intoxicating scent and immediately felt a building ache between her thighs. Oh my. How could she want him again after finding out he was certifiable? He placed his hand on her shoulder and lightly kissed her cheek.
Gabriel stirred in the background grabbing for her attention. “Shari, be careful; he has a way of, I dunno, totally getting under your skin.” She nodded at his sage advice and stepped back.
Dorian gave a wry smile at her movement. “You have been longing for him for years now.” He gestured to Gabriel. “You dream of forbidden touches and words of passion. It’s the biggest secret of your life. What you didn’t know is he is also attracted to you. He tries to get your attention even if it is in a negative way.”
Shari put her hands to her mouth and shook her head. “How could you? How could you say such things?” Why would Dorian expose her like this? Nobody knew how she felt about Gabriel.
“Because they’re true. You love him but you also desire me. He loves you but desires me. It’s the reason why I couldn’t make him my last victim. He is redeemable, and I am a soulless monster.” Dorian dropped his gaze to the polished floor.
Shari looked over to an openmouthed Gabriel, his blond hair hanging loose in his face, blue eyes wet with unshed tears. “Shari, I don’t know what to say. I feel like Dorian has freed something inside me. I don’t know where to go with all this. I care for you, but I’m a mess.” His gaze dropped to the floor like a puppy about to be punished for a soiled carpet.
Shari couldn’t stand the tension. They all were silent, each refusing to meet the other’s eyes.
She reached for Gabriel, running her fingers over his jawline and up to tangle in his hair. It was a sensuous touch he didn’t recoil from. Could this be possible? Gabriel kept his eyes on her face. He dropped closer to her, giving Shari time to pull away. She stayed still, holding her breath as if that would break the spell. He threw his head forward, taking her lips in a soft kiss. Whatever had happened in his past needed to be left there. She wanted to see him as the man he was becoming. But she couldn’t ignore her feelings for Dorian either. He was passionate, kind, and even self-sacrificing if what he believed he’d done had happened. He’d risked his chance for a soul to not hurt her by refusing to hand over Gabriel. She pushed herself away.
“I need some time to process all this.” Shari stepped back a few more feet, taking in two sets of gorgeous male eyes trained on her.
“Maybe we should talk this all out?” Gabriel offered.
“Shari, don’t leave. Don’t run away,” Dorian pleaded.
“I’m not running away and we will be talking. Right now I need to check on the puppy and go home to my own pets—they count on me.” She turned back toward the bedroom.
“I’ll go with you,” Dorian offered, reaching for
her arm.
“No, I need some alone time.” She tugged herself free of his grasp, anxious to put some space between them and think things through. As wild as his story was, part of her already believed the truth of it.
Chapter 15
Gabriel
What the fuck was he doing? Shari may have kissed him, but then she asked for time. He’d been going crazy these last twenty-four hours forcing himself not to call or stop by. But here he was riding the 92 bus to get to her doorstop. He couldn’t wrap his brain around all of this. He knew Dorian was different, but WTF? An incubus? It was like being sucked into some bad horror movie. The really nutty thing was that he was more blown away by what he learned about Shari than a monster trying to suck his soul out.
The lady across the aisle from him shifted her bags again, dragging his thoughts back to the issue at hand. He was nearing the bus stop closest to Shari’s but then he would still have a two-mile walk to her door. He missed having a car already. Bag-balancing lady looked at him again. This time it felt like she was stripping him with her eyes. He must look better than he felt. He smiled weakly at her. She was opening her mouth to start a conversation, but thankfully it was his stop. He nodded politely and worked his way down the aisle and off the bus, glad to be the only passenger getting off. He waited until the bus drove away before cracking his neck and walking down the dusty road. He hadn’t walked more than half a mile and he was coated in sweat from the humid Florida weather.
Fuck, what a predicament. Shari wanted him. She didn’t find him a repulsive slacker. Then again, she also was in lust with Dorian and to be totally fucking honest—he was, too. Dorian was intoxicating and now he knew why. Whatever he pulled out of him the other day had changed him—made him feel free. He didn’t have all the doubts and misery whispering in his ear. He could be somebody—somebody worthy of Shari.