Page 15 of Incubus (The Incubus Saga #1)

“I don’t see why it’s such a big deal.”

“It was a guy, Jim.”

“So. He’s an incubus. I don’t think it really matters.”

“I’m not talking about feeding here, I’m talking about sex .”

“No, you’re talking about Sasha having sex with a man. Which freaks you out because it means he might not be entirely joking when he hits on you.”

Nathan opened his mouth to deny that, but nothing came out.

“Look, Nate,” Jim said, leaning back against a tree.

They were walking the borders of Loring Park with half-finished coffee in their hands, searching for hidden corners where the platinum blonde succubus might be hiding.

“I know you’re not comfortable with people who are gay, or the subject of people who are gay, or anything even remotely related to people who are gay… ”

Nathan grimaced. “I am not a homophobe,” he said vehemently.

“Homophobic doesn’t only mean the violent kind, Nathan. You’re okay with people being gay and loving whoever they want just so long as they don’t do it around you.”

Again, Nathan opened his mouth, because there had to be a comeback for that, but, with a very prominent scowl, he drew another blank.

“Well, you’re in luck,” Jim went on, “I don’t think Sasha can be classified as gay, or bi, or however you want to say it. I don’t think you can categorize an incubus. I mean, he can’t have much for standards if he's been hitting on you.” Jim smirked around his frou-frou coffee drink.

Nathan took a drink of his overly-priced black coffee, and started to consider the benefits of fratricide again. “So what was with you telling me that I was imagining things, huh? That he was just messing with me?”

“He is. Was . I think he was. I don’t know, I guess I was just messing with you too, so.

..I could have been wrong. But look, Nate," Jim said, his tone turning serious, "as entertaining as this all is, you need to get your head in the game.

We need Sasha. We need to finish this case so he can help us.

And I have to admit, having an incubus on our side makes me feel a lot better than just having a seal.

Sasha knows more lore than either of us. He's strong. Skilled."

"I know, okay?" Nathan said. "And I know I'm being stupid. I trust him. I really do. I'm just not sure how to...handle him."

Jim snickered.

"And if you make one crack about, 'oh, I'm sure he'd love for you to handle him, Nate', I will punch you in the face."

"Nathan."

Nathan started at Walter's voice coming from behind him.

"I apologize for...interrupting," Walter said, with perhaps a touch of amusement, "but I believe luck may be turning in your favor." He pointed toward the apartment building across the street.

"What is it, Nate?" Jim asked. "Did Walter spot a candidate?”

“I think he just spotted the victim ,” Nathan said. “Check it out.”

There was a woman with black hair and blue eyes passing by on the other side of the street. A second woman had just caught up to her, and she had the most brilliant platinum blonde hair Nathan had ever seen.

The brunette and the blonde they believed to be the succubus spent the entire day together. Coffee and talking, shopping and talking, walking and talking . It amazed Nathan they weren’t sick of each other after all of that talking. But, eventually, the women returned to the brunette’s apartment.

Their initial hope had been to follow the succubus until they could get her alone, but even though the MO said that the next kill wouldn’t happen for a couple of days, they were soon staked out just as they had been with Carol.

The succubus could still be planning on feeding, especially if she was feeling desperate after almost getting caught.

If the two women moved from the main room, or if any of the lights went out, Nathan and the others were prepared to act.

Jim took watch first down an alleyway behind the apartment building, while Nathan had Walter keep watch in the apartment itself, and he and Sasha remained in the car.

Nathan’s stomach growled as they sat waiting.

He thought fondly of the burritos Sasha had picked up for them for dinner, and wasted no time before reaching around his seat to grab his container of food.

While he did so, he tried valiantly to avoid looking at Sasha.

Being alone with the incubus again felt more awkward than Nathan cared to admit.

It was while Nathan's mouth was full around a bite of beans and rice that the first sounds of Sasha’s laughter began filtering over to him from the passenger seat.

“Do you always eat like it’s your last meal?

” Sasha asked. “The first time I saw you eat, I assumed it was a fluke. Maybe you hadn’t had a good meal in a while.

But it’s been days now, pal, and you’re still putting it away. Where do the calories go?”

“In my belly where they belong,” Nathan said, greedily taking another bite.

Sasha laughed again. “I’m serious. Is life that good to you?”

Now there was a thought—life being good to the Griers. “Strong metabolism.” Nathan shrugged. “Jim’s the same way. You just wouldn’t know it unless he has a bunch of sugar in front of him. Me? Give me real food any day. I’d kill for ribs, potatoes, and corn bread.”

“I’ll have to remember that,” Sasha said. “And I’m sure I’ll be very thankful they give you those little moist cloth things with the meal.”

Nathan could only join in on the laughter halfway since his mouth was full of tortilla, but laughter came easily anyway. Somehow, Sasha always managed to put him at ease.

“Nathan…”

Looking up from his mutilated burrito, Nathan found himself only inches from Sasha and nearly choked. He had no idea how the incubus had gotten so close without him noticing, but despite the lump in Nathan’s throat, Sasha wasn’t even looking at him. He was trying to lean past him.

“Look,” Sasha said, pointing up at the apartment building.

Nathan turned. The victim was standing in front of her window looking out, thankfully not at them, but beyond them at the city. Behind her stood the succubus. As Nathan watched, the succubus slipped her arms around the brunette’s waist from behind and pulled their bodies close.

Nathan gulped. That was bad. Hot . But bad.

The succubus began planting kisses along the brunette’s neck. The pair was too high up for Nathan to make out their expressions, but with what Nathan assumed was a smile, the brunette turned and started leading the succubus from the window.

“Nathan,” Walter said, suddenly in the backseat again.

It was time to move.

The new victim’s apartment building was more modern than Carol’s, but easy enough to break into.

They passed few people on their way up the floors, with no one paying much mind to three young men rushing through the hallways.

They would have to guess on the apartment number, but Walter’s assistance made it possible for Nathan to be very certain when they reached the door they believed to be the correct one.

The door was locked when Jim tried the knob. “Damn.”

“I got it,” Sasha said. Taking firm hold of the doorknob, he turned it until there was resistance, and then kept going.

Nathan heard the strained crunch as the lock broke, staring in awe at Sasha’s easy strength.

Sasha smiled, reaching stealthily into the back of his jeans to pull a gun. “You ready for this?” he asked.

Nathan and Jim had also armed themselves, but it was strange to be hunting something rather than being on the defensive. Not that Nathan had any issues of conscience taking down a murderous fae. Even Sasha was willing to kill one of his own for crossing that line.

Weapons ready, Nathan and Jim nodded to Sasha and the three of them burst into the apartment. There was no sign of the women at first, having already moved to the bedroom, so they wasted no time locating the now closed bedroom door.

Nathan kicked the door open with a shout, “Police, don’t move!” It was the first thing he could think of.

The brunette was lying back on the bed in her underwear, while the succubus straddled her, already nude. At the sight of them, Nathan had to shake his head to focus. “Sorry for interrupting ladies,” he said, “but I’m afraid we have to take the blonde there in for questioning.”

“Questioning?” the brunette asked, gathering the blankets to cover herself. “Questioning for what? How did you even know she was here?”

“We have strong suspicions that she is connected to a string of recent murders,” Jim said, following Nathan’s lead.

Nathan looked to Sasha since he was the expert in all this, but the incubus had yet to join in on the ruse. The succubus was staring at Sasha and he was staring right back. She had gotten off the bed— and the brunette—and was standing there bare as anything.

Nathan gestured from the brunette to his brother.

“Miss,” he said, “if you’ll be so kind as to accompany Officer…

James here out of the apartment, it would be best if you stayed with someone else for a few hours.

We need to, uh…take the other lady in.” Nathan realized he was running out of ways to talk about the succubus without sounding suspicious that he didn’t know her name.

Jim gave Nathan a sideways glance as if to say he did not like that Nathan was taking him out of the action, even if only for as long as it took to get the brunette into one of the other apartments. But he soon nodded, and the brunette moved quickly to join him.

The succubus lunged forward as her companion went for the door, but a step closer from Sasha and a wave of his gun kept her in place.

After Jim ushered the victim out of the room, Nathan readied his own gun to fire and get things over with, but something about the way Sasha and the succubus stared at each other made him pause.

The succubus seemed transfixed by Sasha.

Then Nathan realized why, and he worried for the briefest moment again of betrayal.

In both Sasha and the succubus’ eyes was a clear sign of recognition.

“Sasha...dear. Still following in Daddy’s footsteps, I see,” she said, speaking casually despite the tension in her body.

She had the whole package, so to speak, but something in her expression repulsed Nathan.

She looked mid-twenties, and absolutely flawless, but Nathan knew that this hag could be as ancient as stone and just as cold.

Sasha twitched at being addressed personally but did not lower his gun. “Even when I caught a glimpse of you the other night, and following you at a distance all day, I never thought it could actually be you .”

Nathan looked hard at the succubus. The hair was different, but seeing her up close, he realized he had seen that face somewhere before.

“You blinked out of existence. I’ve seen you once every, what, five years?

” Sasha said, his voice trembling in a way Nathan had never heard before.

“Shi never spoke of you fondly, Sabine, but not cruelly either. How can you…do these things? Our people do not kill. We take what we need but we always give in return. You’ve been slaughtering these women… ”

The succubus laughed as Sasha trailed off, but it sounded unnatural, emotionless and flat. “Sasha,” she said, “women? Humans are cattle. A good meal. That is all.”

She took a step closer to Sasha, and though he held his gun firm, he did not fire.

“I thought differently once, like you do now,” she said. “And like your mother…my poor dead sister.”

Nathan could have kicked himself. Sasha had mentioned his aunt Shiarra, but this was another woman with the same face as Sasha’s mother. There were three sisters.

“Age changes that,” the succubus went on.

“Experience changes that. Just wait. Wait until you find someone so…enticing…that you can think of nothing but possessing them. And when they finally turn from you because they’ve gotten bored, or they don’t feel the same passion as you do, or maybe…

because you tell them the truth and they see you only as a monster…

” She glanced at Nathan and her eyes flashed red before she focused sharply back on Sasha.

“Then…tell me what justifies slaughter.”

She moved so fast that even if Nathan had thought to fire, he would have hit nothing but air. In those same short moments, Nathan saw her transform as if in slow motion and was struck completely still.

The succubus rose into the air, growing wings like that of a gargoyle that stand atop buildings.

Her hair, blindingly blonde, grew longer, fuller.

From her temples grew horns, black, that went straight up and came to dangerous points.

The slit red eyes remained, and her eyeteeth became fangs.

She had claws fading to black from her now pure white skin where her fingers became talons.

Her feet were the same, large and monstrous.

She had been wearing no clothing, but now there were black coverings that gave back her modesty, like undergarments woven out of intricate tattoos.

Tattoos .

Now Nathan understood Sasha’s markings, but that could not have prepared him.

Not for how the succubus rushed at Sasha in her new form and slammed him back into the wall, making his gun drop to the floor.

Not for how Sasha pushed back with such uncanny strength to get her away.

And definitely not for how quickly Sasha, too, changed.

Sasha did not need his gun. He had claws just as she did.

He had wings that spread farther than hers for his greater size.

Sasha’s hair grew longer too, well past his shoulders.

His eyes blazed red, and his fangs glimmered as he growled.

The horns that grew from his temples were different from those of the succubus, black but curled at the sides of his ears like a ram’s.

And, of course, there were the tattoos—for Sasha’s clothing vanished as he dropped his glamours—the ones on his back to form black wings, and the ones below his waist to cover him.

When Sasha charged forward to meet the succubus again, and together they soared back and burst out of the window to fall gloriously to the alley below, all Nathan could think was…

Awesome .