"Son of a fucking bitch!" I nearly dumped the paint cup beside me as I got to my feet and tossed the shop keys to Daniel. "Can you lock up? I forgot I was supposed to pick up the kids from soccer."
"Why don't you just text Brady and ask him to bring them over here? Then we can all have dinner together."
"I can't ask him to do that!"
"Why? He's your boyfriend, isn't he?"
"Yes. But–"
"No buts. Text him."
Sighing, I grabbed my phone off the reception desk and did as he suggested. A simple apology and request. I even said please. My phone went off in my hand before I even set it down.
Too late. We're already on our way to your house. Meet us there and we can grab dinner.
I smiled at his response. "Guess I was later than I thought."
"No. Look outside. It's raining. They probably called practice." He pointed at the window.
It wasn't raining, there was a mini hurricane outside. Wind was blowing the rain sideways down the street. We were going to get very wet just running to the car. Wet and cold.
"Shit. Maybe we should do takeout at the house. Feel like Chinese?"
"You weren't going to cook?" He chuckled and grabbed a paintbrush out of the pack. "Let's finish this up and head out. That way, we won't have to rush to finish in the morning before the flooring people come."
"Good idea." I sent one quick text to Brady, letting him know we would meet them shortly and got down on my knees, grabbing the brush, determined to finish.
Daniel was a much faster painter than I was. Or could ever hope to be. He had the whole wall trimmed in top to bottom by the time I finished the lower half of the wall that I was doing.
"Show off."
"Nope. Just hungry." He grinned at me and took all the painting supplies into the back.
We managed to get to the cars relatively dry. There was a break in the squalls as soon as we walked outside. "That was lucky."
As soon as we started driving, it started again. I followed Daniel's Jeep with my SUV and had a hard time seeing his taillights through the deluge. Takeout was definitely an awesome idea. What should have taken us ten minutes to get home, took us almost twenty.
As soon as we pulled onto our street, I knew something was wrong. When the cop car came into view, parked out on the street, my heart sank. Daniel swerved into his driveway, and I skidded to a stop behind the cop car, jammed the transmission into park, and ran for the front door, the rain the least of my worries.
"Karl!” I shouted from outside the door, worry and panic the only thing keeping me going as icy fear flooded my veins.
"In the kitchen, Mom!"
That saved me from searching the house. "What happened?"
I stopped just inside the arch to the kitchen. The kids were standing by the police officer, and Brady was sitting on a stool by the counter. He was holding a wet towel to his face and gently dabbing a gash on the side of his head.
"Brady!"
"Don't worry, ma'am. Headwounds bleed a lot, but it's not that deep. EMTs are on the way."
"You guys okay?" I stared at the kids, looking for any sign of injury.
"We're fine, Mom," Ryn answered. A guilty look passed over her face, but she stared nervously at the cop. I'd find out what that was about after he left.
The front door banged open, and Daniel ran in just as I was gently lifting the towel from Brady's head. "You okay?"
"Tis but a mere flesh wound, Milady."
"What happened?"
"The kids were unlocking the house when the Bickering Bandit rushed out between the houses and clobbered me. The kids… They uh…saved me, Kara." He flushed in embarrassment.
"Still don't know how they did it," the cop responded in disbelief.
"We told you, Officer. I jumped and grabbed the guy’s legs, and Rynnie started beating his face in."
"And neither of you got a good look at him?"
They both shook their heads. "They were dressed all in black and had a hood and mask," Karl answered for his sister.
"Okay. I'm going to call this in. Glad you guys are okay."
"That's it?" Brady sounded pissed.
"Sir, there are seven patrol cars driving through the neighborhood looking for this guy. If he's still in the area, we'll find him."
Brady opened his mouth to say something else, when I "accidentally" dabbed his wound a little too hard.
He hissed as he sucked in some air and pulled back. "Ouch."
"Sorry," I said, trying to sound apologetic.
"Here's my card. If you think of anything else, give me a call," the cop said, and headed for the front door.
"Useless."
Karl and Ryn sighed in relief as soon as the front door closed. Brady narrowed his eyes at them. Something had definitely happened, something they didn't want to say in front of the cop. "Spill it," I told the three of them.
"Mom?" Karl's voice sounded shaky and unsure.
"Is there anything you want to tell me, Kara?" Brady shifted his attention from them to me.
"Like?" I went with the confused approach out of habit. Daniel had been right. I needed to tell Brady what I was, no matter the consequences.
"Kara…" Daniel's voice spoke volumes.
I sighed in apprehension. "You might want to sit down for this."
"I am sitting. Sitting and bleeding. Kara, your kids saved me. They didn't just stop the guy—they were beating the shit out of him."
"Self-defense lessons?"
"With claws, Kara."
Oh.
"Mom?"
"Okay. Family meeting time. Anybody want coffee?"
"Kara!" Daniel shook his head and pushed me toward the stool on the other side of Brady.
"Fine!" I sighed and sat. "I'm not human."
Brady started to roll his eyes and then stopped, staring at the kids' hands. "What do you mean?"
"She's a demon," Karl answered for me.
Gasping, I looked up in shock at him, and he blushed, leaning back against the counter. "You knew?"
They both nodded.
"Your father?"
"Told us a long time ago. He said to let you have your secret," Ryn gave me a small smile. "But we thought it wouldn't affect us. Daddy told us we would just be a little different, because we were half human."
"Well, normally that's true. I guess under duress, you can," I said apologetically.
Daniel opened the fridge and pulled out a couple of beers, handing one to Brady. "You knew?"
Daniel nodded. "We were attacked in front of the school. Kara saved me."
Moment of truth time. "I was planning on telling you, but not like this." I nodded toward the towel in his hand.
He set it down and cranked open the beer, taking a long drink and not looking at any of us.
"Is she telling the truth?"
Daniel knew he was talking to him. "Yes. We were actually discussing it right before we left the studio. She's terrified of you not wanting her because she's a demon."
"Well, I can't picture myself ever not wanting her. Little pissed off that I was left out of the knowing club."
"Sorry," I said remorsefully, looking down at my hands in my lap as a tear slid down my cheek.
"Don't feel bad, Coach. Technically we were in the club, too. She just didn't know that we knew." Karl grinned at him.
"So. A demon?" Brady finally looked at me. I nodded and lowered my eyes back to my hands, wanting to be anywhere other than right there, having that discussion. "I should totally be freaking out right now, shouldn't I?"
"You're not?" I asked him without looking. It wasn't until his fingertips gently touched my chin and lifted my head, I finally meet his eyes. Some big bad demon I am. Crying like a human.
"How can I be afraid of you?"
Oh, my sweet summer child… His challenge made me feel a little better, and I gave a little choked sob and smiled at him.
"What?"
"You just think I'm hot. If you saw the real
me, you'd shit bricks."
"I doubt that." He looked at me doubtfully and then shifted his gaze to Daniel. "Have you seen her?"
"Nope."
"Aren't you curious?"
"Nope."
He looked at the kids. They were shaking their heads.
"Really? I'm the only one who wants to see?"
"Well, too bad. I'm not showing you. It fucking hurts."
"It does?"
I nodded.
"Well, what do you look like?" He wasn't going to let it go. I could hear it in his voice.
"Kids, go in the other room for a minute."
"Mom?"
"What, Rynnie?"
"I think we should see." She held up one hand and her nail hardened and slid out from the tip of her finger. She winced in pain, but kept it there for a moment before letting it slide back in. She had way more control than I ever expected her to have, not that I even remotely had an inkling she could change. Cambions who exhibited demonic traits were the rarest of the rare.
"I think maybe you're right. What about you, boy child? Can you?" I motioned at his hand.
He shook his head.
"Be thankful. Mom wasn't kidding when she said it hurts."
"Is it that bad?" Brady looked worried.
"Worse. Ever had a hangnail?" Ryn scoffed.
"Yeah?"
"Now picture your whole fingertip being a hang nail."
"And picture your whole body being a hangnail," I answered with a chuckle.
"Never mind. I don't want to see."
"What?" I was shocked.
"Well, I don't want you to hurt." He frowned at me, and that earned him all the brownie points in the world.
"It's okay. How much do you want to see? All of it? Wings? Horns?"
"What?" He shook his head and chugged the rest of his beer.
"Yes. I can shift parts of me like Rynnie did, or you can see the whole shebang."
"Seriously, Kara. You don't have to. I trust you."
"No." I shook my head and stood up. "All of you were right. I should have told you everything from the start," I paused to look at my kids. "Especially you. You all know what I am, let me show you who I am."
Something clicked inside me. It had taken me the better part of my marriage to build up the nerve to let Ryan see me in my full demonic form. He had taken it in stride and got sort of lost in introspection for a few days, but he was still my Ryan and never once shied away from my touch. Not once. If Daniel and Brady knew what I was but never saw it…it wouldn't feel real between us. Stepping back from the counter, I closed my eyes and called my demonic form.
And then I was afraid. Afraid to open my eyes. Afraid to see the look of utter horror on all their faces, even my kids. The fear seized me to my core, and I almost started hyperventilating. All I could do was shift in the spot I was standing, listening to the sandpaper rustle of my skin as I squirmed.
"Holy shit!" Karl's voice broke the moment. He didn't sound disgusted. He used his excited voice.
I opened my eyes.
Brady had stood and moved away, but I was pretty sure it was so he could take in the whole picture. I flapped a wing nervously, and curled it around me. His shy smile was enough.
Daniel was blinking rapidly, trying to tell if I was real or not.
Ryn kept looking from me to her hand, trying to picture what she would look like shifted.
And Karl just stood there grinning at me like a fool.
"Well?"
"You should totally go like that for Halloween! You'd win all the costume contests!"
"Thanks, Karl." I rolled my eyes.
"You look amazing, Mom." Ryn smiled and gave me a thumbs up.
Brady looked like he wanted to reach out and touch something. I offered him a wingtip. He gently pinched the membrane between his fingers and let them slide over the smoothest skin on my body. "You're still hot. How can you be hot?" He blinked rapidly, not understanding. I was a succubus. If I shifted on top of him while we were fucking, he wouldn't have batted an eyelash. Without the power of sex, though, he should have been at least a little bit scared.
It was Daniel I couldn't read at all. His face had turned into a stone mask, and he was breathing a little heavier than usual. "Daniel?"
He held up a hand, needing a moment.
A little hurt, I backed up another footstep and wrapped my wings around me. It had suddenly gotten frigid in the room. "I'll shift back…"
"No. Wait a moment. I'm just still getting used to it. May I?" He took a step closer.
"Yes."
He walked around me and let his fingers slide from my shoulder down my back, stopping just short of the junction of my tail above my ass. He lightly touched the tips of both wings and then let his hands glide down the first metacarpals of each wing. I shuddered in pleasure. Daniel leaned in and put his lips next to my ear. "Brady's right. You're still beautiful."
Only then, did I start breathing again.
Chapter 13
"Here you go, Karen. Two-dozen freshly baked chocolate chip cookies."
She looked up at me over the long white plastic folding table, mountains of baked goods piled around her. "Kara?"
"Yes?"
"Freshly baked?"
I glanced down at the clear plastic containers housing the cookies, back to her, and nodded. "Yes."
"By whom?"
"I'm assuming somebody in the bakery department. Don't worry, it looked very sanitary. They were even wearing those hair net thingies."
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and I swear I saw her lips moving as she appeared to count from one to ten. "There's still a price tag on the container, Kara," she said calmly after finishing counting.
"Want me to take it off?"
"No! Kara, the whole point of a bake sale is to sell homemade goodies! We can't sell store bought items!"
"Why not?"
"Because, next to homemade cookies, those are garbage!"
"Oh… I'm sorry, Karen. Are you telling me my cookies aren't good enough?"
"No, Kara. They're not!" She humphed, quite perturbed. It was the first time I'd ever seen her angry with me.
"Well, it's not like I can bake. I mean, seriously, did you want somebody to die?"
"Then why did you volunteer?"
"The whole service hours clause of the tuition. You kicked me off the fucking haunted house committee, and I was reminded by Principal Marshall that I needed to have twenty hours in by the end of the first semester. I figured this was a good way to knock out five or six…"
"Hours? For buying Oreos? And I kicked you off the committee because you made me." She pouted, and I could tell she was remembering the noogie I had given her for volunteering me in the first place. It was her fault. Death would have been better than doing anything with Marissa.
"Those cookies you are ragging on so savagely have macadamia nuts in them. Have you ever had a macadamia nut?"
"Yes. Quite often. I'm sorry, Kara, but if you want service hours, get your ass on this side of the table and help with the bake sale." She snarled at me for emphasis.
In her natural habitat, the Karen was quite formidable. She would have made an excellent demon. "Fine. But you're adding extra hours for the fucking cookies."
"That's the spirit!"
She had the audacity to grin at me. Sighing, I walked around the edge of the table and squeezed between her and the wall, taking up my post beside her. "What do I do?"
"See this mountain of crap? Spread it open over the two tables we have for the bake sale while I finish getting the change bin sorted."
"Fine. Where should I put my cookies?" I swear to fuck, she looked at the garbage can before shrugging. Cookie snob.
"Wherever. Just make it look pretty and organized. There's some tablecloths at the end." She pointed two tables down at the stack of orange sitting precariously on the edge.
And with that, I was relegated to busboy on my first day of voluntary slavery. "Need help with that?"
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I grinned at Brady, the day having taken a complete one-eighty in one sentence. "What are you doing here?"
"I work here, remember?"
"Shouldn't you be teaching the kids the finer points of winning their next soccer match?"
"Not today. It's the craft fair. This is how Brentworth Academy pays for the Fall Festival expenses without diving into the tuition reserves, and why you're peddling baked goods."
"They really drag in that much money selling brownies and doilies?"
"Wait 'til you see how much they charge for said items…" He winced as he grabbed one end of the tablecloth and helped me stretch it over the pristine white plastic table.
"Well, I'd buy the whole damn table of crap if it got me out of volunteering." I held up my arm. "Look! I'm getting a rash."
"Oh, come on. It's not that bad. Want me to help?"
I looked over at Karen, busily counting cash. "You'd do that?" I blinked innocently at Brady.
"Hmmm. Spending time with the hottest woman at the school while being surrounded by baked goods? Sounds like a dream to me." He flashed an award-winning smile.
"I'd like that." I put my hands behind me, leaned over, and gave him a chaste kiss on his cheek. "A lot."
"Then consider me yours for the next two hours."
"Karen, if my boyfriend volunteers, I get double the hours, right?"
She looked over and rolled her eyes but nodded. "Fine."
"Sweet." I pumped my fist and started transferring the mountain of baked goods to the covered table. We still needed to cover the other one before we could start arranging everything for sale. What would have taken me three-and-a-half hours to do, the two of us knocked out in ten minutes. It was a good thing, too. As soon as we were done, the doors to the gymnasium opened, and the Twenty-Fifth Annual Brentworth Academy Craft Fair started. I tried to contain my excitement.
My phone dinged.
Pulling it out of back pocket, I smiled when I saw the message.
Coffee?
Yes, please, I answered.
Brady want some?
I glanced up from my phone, looking for Daniel. Where are you?
Drive thru at Dunkin'?
How did you know I was with Brady?
Tell you when I get there lol.
It took him ten minutes, and he walked right around the backside of the table, handing me a coffee as he passed. Brady walked over from the end and got his.
Succubus Soccer Mom: A Reverse Harem Tale Page 12
