Diary of an Incubus

by Diary of an Incubus (lit)

  “I don’t want to offend Matthew. Not just yet anyway.”

  Neither did I.

  “I’ll see you there in a bit,” I said.

  As soon as he was gone I went into the bathroom to finish my makeup. I was wearing black slacks and a dark gold sweater. My hair had been left to dry naturally the night before and it hung in almost perfect ringlets down my back. At least I was having a good hair day. Like that mattered when I might be executed by the vampire council.

  While I stood there in front of the mirror I had an idea. It wasn’t long before I worked up the nerve to do one of the stupidest things I’d ever done. I didn’t want to see Alucard again, I swear. But I felt compelled to contact him.

  I felt silly trying to imitate the same gesture Vincent had made in front of the mirror last night, but I did it anyway.

  “Alucard,” I said with as much confidence as I could muster.

  “Jewel.” His voice floated around the room and the lights went out. Icy fingers seemed to grip my shoulders from behind and a moment later he came into focus on my large bathroom mirror.

  He was nothing like I had expected. In fact, he was almost handsome. Last night I couldn’t see his face clearly, only his eyes. Now he was wearing small dark oval glasses. He had the pale skin you’d expect a vampire to have, but his almost glowed from the inside out. He had high cheekbones and a large full mouth. His bottom lip was much fuller than his top, making it look like he was pouting. I could see the signs of crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes and a few slight creases on his brow. His hair was so black that it looked blue when he moved just right. It hung in long glossy layers to just below his shoulders. He was wearing a long red robe and his chest was completely bare. It looked like he was getting ready for bed.

  “How did you know my name?” I asked weakly. I hated how pathetic I sounded.

  “I have known who you are for a long time now and I’ve been wondering when you would work up the nerve to contact me. Especially after last night.”

  “You knew I was there?”

  He shrugged and his image grew larger as if he were moving toward the glass.

  “Of course. I could feel your fear. Now, why is it you have summoned me?”

  His voice made me expect dark corners to come alive with creepy crawly things. I wanted to run screaming from the room and tell Vincent how stupid I was and that I would never do this again. Why had I done this?”

  I took a deep breath and mustered my courage. “I felt compelled,” I answered honestly. “So I suppose I should ask you what you want with me.”

  He laughed. “Very clever, Jewel. Tell me, did you know that I can sense lies as well?”

  Good thing I had told the truth. “It doesn’t surprise me. Look, I’m sure I’m breaking all sorts of protocol by speaking to you without Vincent present ….”

  “But?” he prompted.

  “But … well, I just had to. I didn’t want to.”

  He leaned even closer to the glass and seemed to examine me for a minute or two.

  “Alright.” With that word my lights came back on. “I’ll play human for a while with you if that’s what you want. And to answer your concerns, there is no specific protocol where humans are concerned, only vampires. Now if you were his human and you were speaking out of term … well, then we might have a problem.”

  “What do you mean his human?”

  Alucard rubbed his hands together, like a super villain plotting his next scheme for world domination.

  “I’m sure you’ll come to understand this in time,” he said. “So, what troubles you?”

  Chapter Ten

  “Can I really speak freely without worrying that what I say will get me or Vincent killed?”

  “Free as a bird,” he said, making a flapping gesture.

  “A bird in a zoo has limited space to fly.”

  “Fine then, as free as a bird in the wild on a wide open fucking plane. There, happy?”

  I nodded. Alucard waited patiently for me to speak again and finally I worked up the nerve. “When you say there’s no protocol for humans, what do you mean exactly?”

  “I mean that you can speak to me without an appointment for one thing. Vampires, who are governed by vampire laws cannot. Of course we do have laws regarding humans. You however have no laws regarding us. So, say what you like. Who knows, I might enjoy actually talking to someone after all these years.”

  “What’s the matter, scaring the shit out of people starting to lose its luster?”

  “Something like that. See, that’s what fascinates me about you, Jewel. I know that you are frightened of me.” He licked his lips. “I can taste it. Fear has such a wonderful flavor, it’s unlike anything you’ve ever known.”

  The way he spoke about it made me realize something. “It get’s you off.”

  “Yes,” he answered, smiling his evil smile. “Yes it does.” He moved across the room and I watched as he made himself comfortable in a large armchair before turning his attention back to me. I was definitely looking through his bedroom mirror. He crossed his legs and rested his hands in his lap. The vampire looked like a most unlikely therapist waiting to hear my latest dark secret.

  “Were you watching me this morning?” I asked suddenly.

  “Of course.” There was that smile again, only it wasn’t as frightening as it had been a moment before. He was turning down his creep-appeal for me. I would understand later what a huge favor that was.

  “But, it was after dawn,” I protested.

  “In your time zone. It was barely dusk here.” I could feel my cheeks starting to flush. I had walked completely naked in front of the mirror that morning. “That’s a nice tattoo,” he said suggestively. “Would you like to see mine?”

  From what I could tell he had some sort of strange markings on his hands and they did intrigue me. But what I said was, “No I would not.”

  “Suit yourself. If I’m not going to frighten you, at least not on purpose, and we’re going to pretend like I’m human … what do you people talk about? I’ve been out of touch for far too long.”

  “I wanted to ask you about Vincent.” I told Alucard about how he’d auditioned for his own part and won the role. “He’s already starting to get a lot of publicity. Is that going to make things worse?”

  “It shouldn’t. If people start to speculate about his origins, use it as a promotional gimmick. Let them think what they will, just don’t give them proof.”

  His last words were unmistakably an order and his eyes temporarily flashed red, even through the glasses.

  “I didn’t take the story from him on purpose,” I said.

  He watched me again for several heartbeats before responding. I knew he was trying to sense if I was telling a lie. “So you didn’t. Tell me, how is it you know Vincent?”

  I fidgeted uncomfortably under his scrutinizing gaze. His words seemed to examine me even more closely than his eyes.

  “I think he should tell you that.”

  “But I’m asking you.”

  “He visited me in a dream when I was eighteen.” There, that was the truth. It just wasn’t the whole truth.

  “And in dreams since?” he asked.

  “Some.” But not nearly enough.

  He waved his hand dismissively. “Very well. Vincent can fill me in on the rest during our meeting.”

  He turned away and I called to him, “Alucard?”

  “Yes?”

  “Can you look through any mirror anywhere?”

  He only smiled in response to my question. “Good night, Jewel. Oh, and don’t tell Vincent about our little conversation. He wouldn’t like me pulling your strings.”

  “Pulling my strings? So you did call to me somehow?” He nodded. “I knew it. I knew I didn’t really want to talk to you.”

  He laughed and this time it sent terror over me in waves. I shook uncontrollably for a moment. He was warning me.

  “It’s a shame you can’t pass this along to him really.
I would love for you to take a message to him.”

  “And if I could, what would you say?” I asked through chattering teeth.

  “I’d tell Vincent that he’s a motherfucker too.”

  My lights flickered again and Alucard was gone. I was left staring at my own terrified reflection. With considerable effort I pulled myself together, finished my makeup and drove to the theatre.

  * * * *

  Over the next three days Matt nearly drove me crazy with questions. It seems Vincent had a number of odd stipulations added to his contract. Not only that, but he represented himself in negotiations. I was still coming to terms with all that had happened. My emotions were in a complete whirlwind and I was having a hard time focusing on what Matt was saying. We were sitting at a coffee shop downtown and Brea was supposed to meet us any minute.

  “Who is this guy?” Matt asked for at least the hundredth time. “He doesn’t have an agent, but he negotiates like a lawyer.”

  “What are his stipulations?”

  Matt stirred his coffee. He was avoiding the question.

  “He doesn’t want to work during the day for one thing, only dusk or later. Plus, and this is really weird, he won’t give us his real name. He keeps insisting that he is Vincent Marcellus. When I told him that we would need a name to put on the contract in order for him to get paid he said and I quote, ‘Give my salary to charity.’ When I asked which one he said, ‘pick one.’”

  “What?” Brea asked. She put down her purse and scooted up to the table. “Say that again.”

  Matt repeated what he’d just told me about the stipulations in Vincent’s contract.

  “There’s something else,” Matt said. “He wants you to play the part of Emily.”

  “Me?”

  “I know it’s ridiculous. I mean, you’re the author, not an actor. You can’t just--”

  “I’ll do it,” I said, cutting him off. “I’ll play Emily.”

  * * * *

  Before I knew it casting was complete and we were ready to begin filming. Vincent had moved in with me, though we’d managed to keep that a secret from everyone but Brea, and probably Alucard. Every time I walked past a mirror I flipped it off just in case he was watching.

  The press had already begun to speculate wildly about who Vincent really was. It wasn’t a wonder since they didn’t have the name of a real actor to announce as receiving the roll. I passed along Alucard’s suggestion as my own. Vincent as a promotional gimmick was becoming our best advertisement. A real live vampire playing himself. Who wouldn’t want to see that?

  I had forgotten all about Brea and the test results until she came by the set for lunch one day. Even though Vincent couldn’t work during the day, that didn’t mean I got to stay at home.

  “I’m sorry this took so long,” she said, pulling a slip of paper out of her purse. It was always a shock to see her in business attire with her hair neatly arranged. She looked positively elegant. “James got called to another district to help them solve a double murder. What are the odds, right? Anyway, here it is.”

  I glanced at the paper. “What is this saying exactly?”

  “It’s saying that the results are definitely not human and they’re not from any known animal either. He’s a fucking vampire and this is proof!”

  “Shh, keep your voice down.”

  Alucard’s warning kept running through my head, “don’t give them proof.” What had I done?

  “Does anybody know about this?” I asked quietly.

  “Of course not. This is just between us. James doesn’t even know. He’s been driving me crazy to find out where I got the sample.”

  “Whatever you do don’t tell him.” Something about the way I sounded made Brea take a step back.

  “Is Vincent in some kind of trouble?” she asked.

  “If this gets out he will be.”

  She pulled a lighter out of her purse and set the page on fire right then and there, only dropping it into a metal trash bin when she couldn’t hold it anymore.

  “That was the only copy,” she said. “I made sure of that.”

  I hugged her. “Thanks, Brea. This means a lot to me.”

  “Me too.” She smiled. “I’ve waited years to find something like this.”

  * * * *

  After a grueling two and a half month production schedule the first movie in The Incubus Chronicles was finally complete. We were officially in post-production and I was getting ready to take a much needed break. The thought of having a vampire for a boyfriend had been surprisingly easy to get used to. Vincent was surprisingly easy to get used to. I was completely captivated by his subtle power, his unassuming grace. I had never been so in love with anyone in my life. The rumor mills had been working overtime during filming, churning out headline after headline, speculating about Vincent and our relationship. We hadn’t addressed the comments at all, not even to people on set. And thankfully, Matthew hadn’t asked.

  We were just getting ready to get in the tub when Vincent hung a sheet over the mirror. I hadn’t told him about my conversation with Alucard. Actually, I was afraid to. But I did express my fear of him being able to watch me take a bath. Vincent said that my fears weren’t entirely unfounded and as he hung the sheet he said, “Just in case.”

  He stood with his back to the now covered mirror and began to unbutton his shirt. It was the palest shade of gold I’d ever seen and it went well with his dark hair and alabaster skin.

  “There’s something I’ve been wondering about,” I said.

  He opened his shirt and an involuntary gasp escaped my lips. Alright, there were a couple of things, but one I meant to clear up first.

  “What’s that?”

  “When you contacted Alucard before you said you used a two-way mirror. Isn’t that supposed to be the only kind he can watch through?”

  Vincent sat on the closed toilet seat and began removing his shoes. “Unfortunately, no. I need a two-way mirror in order to contact him, but he can look through most anywhere.”

  Vincent stood up again and the muscles of his abs rippled with the movement. Damn. I had to close my eyes to focus on what I really wanted to know. “So, you couldn’t call him through the bathroom mirror or anything?”

  “I could. But he would only appear to me if he wanted to. You see, with a two-way mirror, he has to show himself if he is there. He can’t just spy on me or speak and not be seen. Does that make sense?”

  I nodded. “I think so. I’ve still got a lot to learn about vampires.”

  “Yes,” he said, smiling. “But not about Alucard.” At the mention of his name Vincent made a face and I laughed. “Stop worrying about him. I honestly think if he was going to have us put to death he wouldn’t make us wait four months to discuss the particulars. That’s sick even for him.”

  “Then why so long?”

  “He’s trying to figure out what’s in it for him.”

  “Don’t you mean for the council?”

  “No, I mean for him. But enough questions.” Vincent opened his shirt wide and I practically drooled. “Look what I’ve got.”

  I closed my eyes again and my voice came out as a moan. “But I wanted to know one more thing.”

  “Fine,” he said resignedly. “But make it fast.”

  “Why don’t you ever use your powers on me? Your full powers I mean. I know you couldn’t bite me during filming because it would leave a mark. People would ask questions, blah, blah, blah.”

  “Do you want to be bitten?”

  With those words my eyes flew open. “I’m not sure. But there’s one thing I want for sure.”

  “What is that?”

  “I want to know what it’s really like to be with an incubus. Sex with you is fantastic, but I want it all. I want to know what you’re really capable of, because I’m tired of just having a taste here and there.”

  I moved from where I’d been standing by the door and it felt like my feet weren’t even touching the floor. His eyes began to glo
w again like they had that first night. Even though they were dark, they shined from the inside out and if I looked close enough, I could see stars sparkling in the darkness.

  “Have I starved you for my touch?” he whispered.

  Though he spoke softly his voice carried throughout the room. Unseen hands ran up and over my back, bringing a helpless cry from my lips.

  “Come,” he said, opening his shirt wide again, “and have what you have hungered for.”

  “Yes.” So much emotion was in that one word of acceptance. I didn’t need to say anything more.

  Vincent began to speak to me in French. The moment he spoke I was instantly aroused. It felt like fingers were lightly plucking at my nipples and my panties were nearly soaked through in a matter of seconds. I didn’t understand the language, but I understood the emotion behind the words. I didn’t care what he said, just as long as he kept talking. He touched me with his voice in ways that would require others to use their hands. My nipples grew hard and when I looked to see the hands that teased them, Vincent was still standing across the room.

  My knees were trembling by the time he said something I could understand again.

  “Take off your clothes.”

  I removed my pants and sweater with a speed that surprised even myself. My shoes had already been discarded in the bedroom. I reached to unclasp my bra and he said, “Leave it.” His gaze roamed up and down my body and where his eyes looked I felt his hands. “For now.”

  The weather was still cool and so was the temperature in my house. But I was starting to sweat underneath his stare. I wanted him to touch me. Why wouldn’t he touch me? And then I understood. He liked to watch what his voice did to me.

  Chapter Eleven

  As I watched Vincent, watching me, his hair began to move as if he were standing in a breeze. I knew it was being moved by his power, because there were no open windows in my bathroom. The air fairly crackled with electricity. He spoke to me again and as his voice grew more urgent I felt indescribable pleasure coursing through my body. I staggered toward the tub and held onto the rim.

  “Look at me,” he commanded and I obeyed. “How badly do you want me inside of you?”