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“Yeah, I’m fine.” I swirled what was left of my drink. “I’ve just decided to spend this year focusing on me.”

Jasper arched a brow. “You? Self-care?”

I smirked. “Even demons need a little personal growth every once in a while.”

“Uh-huh,” he said, clearly unconvinced.

I waved a hand. “Did you get the stuff I asked for?”

Living in the Shadow Realm had its perks. No rent, no taxes, no bills. It also meant I didn’t have a bank account, a credit score, or literally any means of financially supporting myself outside of my occasional visits to the mortal world. Which was why it was very handy to have an alpha best friend who was more than willing to help a financially challenged demon in need.

Jasper nodded, slipping a hand into his jacket pocket. After a moment of rummaging, he pulled out two things: a familiar vial and an envelope.

I reached for the vial first, popping the cork. The potion inside glittered and swirled, shifting like liquid stardust. Without hesitation, I poured it into my glass, letting it mix with what was left of my bourbon. A burst of floral and citrus notes hit my nose before the magic settled.

Normally, Lochran and I would go to the Pennyroyal Coven annually to purchase this particular potion—a contraceptive mix that provided protection against both pregnancy and STIs for a full year.

But Lochran had been on a self-imposed sex-ban for a few years—his own silent protest over the fact that his mate hadn’t summoned him either—so he hadn’t needed a dose.

Which meant Jasper had been gracious enough to bring me my annual supply along with the main favor I had called in.

I tipped the contents of the glass back in one go, letting the brief ripple of magic pulse through my body before turning back to Jasper.

“Appreciate it,” I said, setting the empty glass down.

Jasper smirked. “Always happy to help a horny demon stay responsible.”

I rolled my eyes, but I didn’t argue. I was taking a break from being an incubus demon... but if my dating plan actually worked, I was still going to need the contraceptive potion.

Jasper leaned back, his grin bordering on suspiciously smug. “Anyway, I think you’re gonna like this.” He slid the envelope across the table a little too eagerly. “I think it’ll beperfectfor you.”

I picked the envelope up, twirling it between my fingers, my pulse kicking up a notch as I traced the seam. I had never spent a night away from the Shadow Realm, always returning immediately after feeding.

But I needed a break.

A chance to find myself.

A place to meet someone who might actually date me.

I needed a vacation.

Tearing open the envelope, I pulled out a slightly smudged grayscale piece of printed paper. A rustic log cabin dominated the image, surrounded by a scattering of trees, a massive lake sprawling behind it. At first glance, it looked charmingly remote. If it wasn’t for the creepy, photoshopped ghost. A gloomy, lopsided bedsheet with drooping, hollow eyes, hovered about in the foreground like it had already given up on the afterlife.

Slowly, I raised my gaze to Jasper, who was barely containing his excitement. He made an eager hand gesture, silently urging me to keep reading, and I lowered my eyes back to the page.

In bold, crooked letters, the wordsThe World’s Most Haunted House!stared back at me.

I let my lips press into a thin line.

When I had asked Jasper to book me a vacation, I had envisioned a beach, a lively city... maybe a cozy inn.

I had only one stipulation—find me a place with a high concentration of supernatural beings, somewhere I wouldn’t have to explain or hide what I was.

What I hadn’t expected was a novelty haunted house as my new home for the next two weeks.

Jasper held up his hands, already on the defensive. “Sorry, man! Options were limited. Do you have any idea how fast monster-friendly destinations fill up around Samhain? I only got this place because a member of my pack had been on the waitlist for years. Someone canceled last minute, and she—” Static filled my ears. “—I definitely need to make it up to her.”

“The world’s most haunted house...” I muttered.