by Shona Husk
Attention snapped back to Kearn. He’d been accepting their goodwill and now they thought he was the liar. “There were no deaths from the fight.”
Tavor walked forward. “More lies from this unsuitable leader.”
The gathered Incubi didn’t know who to believe, their previous leader or the new upstart. Kearn could hear their questions and sense their confusion.
“You need to prove you have a host and child,” Tavor said.
“No, I don’t. I am the leader.” But he could see that people were already starting to defer to Tavor. He was safe and familiar. They didn’t believe that he would start a fight, while they knew he had started an orgy.
“You won the breeding rights because you’d been training at a gym. You’d been associating with others in defiance of our traditions. You break the rules as you see fit.”
“I have broken no laws. But you have. Inciting violence is a crime.”
Tavor laughed. “And it was delicious. But the Climintra can’t prove it was me, the same way no one could prove it was you who started the orgy.”
“You attempted to kill the surrogate mother of my child so you could walk in here tonight and challenge my leadership.” Kearn wanted everyone to know what Tavor had done.
The confusion was spreading. Incubi glanced at Tavor then Kearn. They knew about the fight, but they knew Tavor. Or they thought they did. There were mutterings of disbelief.
In that moment he wished Phoebe was here, so he could prove Tavor wrong. But he didn’t want him to have a second chance at killing her.
“You aren’t fit to lead us,” hissed Tavor.
“Neither are you.” Kearn drew in a breath. “You are to be banished from the clan for starting a fight, for threatening a host—which is most serious.” It was unfortunate that Kearn didn’t have the power to throw Tavor out of the Complex. Only the Climintra could do that.
“You can’t prove it. If I leave, I will take my supporters with me. You are splitting the clan.”
Several Incubi had already moved to stand with Tavor. Did they know about the deal Tavor had made with the elders before coming here? Or were they so threatened by change that they were happy to follow blindly?
Kearn looked around the room at the familiar faces. He swallowed hard. “If that’s what has to happen, so be it.”
“There will be war between us. We will not take this quietly.” Tavor’s voice was full of menace.
“First you tried to kill me, now you threaten your own people. What kind of leader are you?” Everyone turned at the female voice.
Kearn’s heart froze. Phoebe was here. She didn’t look at him though, she kept her gaze firmly on Tavor—which was probably very wise. And with her were two Climintra officers. She’d brought them here. How did she even know where the clan met and gathered? They didn’t share that information. If people knew, it would make it far too easy to attack the Incubi when their guards were down.
Alroi. Kearn glanced at his mentor. He was standing to the side with a shocked expression on his face as though this was new to him. Kearn wished that Alroi had told him that Phoebe would be here—he’d have protested of course. It wasn’t safe.
“You saw an Incubi in a uniform. It could have been any one of us.” Tavor swept his arm out to encompass the crowd.
Phoebe shook her head. “Your ley lines are unique. I saw you there. I watched you walk away. I have identified you from the footage taken nearby. The ley lines on that man will match yours.”
“Being in the area isn’t a crime. Nor is feeding on a fight.” Tavor looked at her as though he was wondering if he could kill her now.
Kearn took a step toward Phoebe. He would get there first.
“Failing to break up the fight is as serious a breach of duty as is failing to report. You are to come with us, Tavor Varad, so we can question you about the fight that suspiciously affected only Metas.” The tall lanky officer said.
Both the officers looked Human, that had to be deliberate. Phoebe wasn’t just brave, she was smart.
Tavor’s friends were distancing themselves now that they sensed trouble.
“And you just threatened this man, your clan leader, with violence. That is a threat we take seriously inside the Complex. Come peacefully.” The officer’s lips pressed together, but didn’t become a smile.
The tension in the room thickened.
Kearn glanced at Tavor. There was no way he could come back from this. He saw the moment that registered on his face. No matter what the Climintra decided, Tavor was banished from the clan and maybe the Complex. Panic flitted across Tavor’s face.
If it had just been a fight, Kearn would have been more generous, but Tavor had gone too far in threatening Phoebe. This ended now.
Kearn walked into the center. “You are banished.”
“I challenged you. You’re too scared to fight me.” Tavor wasn’t backing down. He was acting out of spite, not the good of the clan, but in doing so he was damning himself. Even the traditions he’d claimed to love meant nothing, as he was willing to break them and openly challenge the leader.
“I have no need to fight and nothing to prove.” He opened his palms, expecting Tavor to charge at him.
Tavor drew his Climintra issued weapon and fired.
12
The Climintra officer who had dived in front of her fell unconscious to the ground. Phoebe looked up from his prone form, expecting to see Tavor aiming for her, but he was falling. Kearn had tackled him to the ground.
The other Climintra officer drew her weapon. She radioed for assistance and then cuffed Tavor without pause. Kearn stood, his face a mask of fury.
Phoebe’s hands were shaking. That was twice he’d attacked her, if he was allowed to stay in the Complex, she had no doubt that he’d try again.
“If anyone would like to leave this clan and the Complex, now would be a good time to make that decision. If you supported Tavor in any way, you are now on notice that one infraction will get you banished. No one is to go near Phoebe, am I clear?” Kearn’s voice was loud and strange. She’d never heard him speak like that. All cold, contained rage.
She half expected the Climintra officer to tell him that he had no power, but she didn’t. When no one spoke up, though, the officer did walk over to Kearn and say something. He nodded and Phoebe wondered what the fallout would be from Tavor’s ill-fated coup.
There were still far too many eyes on her. While it was true they did look similar, they weren’t identical. Their hair was different shades of brown through to black. The gray of their skin varied. As did the shade of blue of their ley lines. Their eyes were everything from gold to blue to black. Nor were they a uniform height or body weight.
She smiled, starting to feel more than a little nervous. Sure they wouldn’t drain the life out of her, and they had to be touching her to feed, but it was still unsettling being the center of attention.
Kearn turned to look at her, then he walked over as though there wasn’t a problem. The anger had faded, replaced by concern. “How are you?”
She wanted to rail at him for not being there when she needed him, for letting Tavor turn the crowd so they attacked her—but Kearn wasn’t an officer and he wasn’t an official leader. And she knew why he hadn’t come to her. If he had, Tavor would’ve known where to find her.
“I’m good. We’re both good.” Phoebe was relieved that he hadn’t just asked after the baby. She wasn’t just the host to him. “What now?”
“I can introduce you if you’d like, since you are here.” He leaned in close and whispered in her ear. “Thank you for being here.”
“Is that a done thing?”
“No, but we’re experimenting with some new traditions.” He smiled and offered her his hand. “I love you. When I thought you were dead I wanted to die. I don’t think I can live without you.”
She put her arms around him not caring if everyone was watching. Somehow she’d fallen for an Incubus. She’d been trying to deny it, but
here she was. When she’d seen him talking to his people she’d known it for sure. He was a good man. A good leader and he’d make a good father. “I love you too.”
13
Phoebe curled up against Kearn. They lay on the sofa, unwilling to move having finished watching the news. He’d go soon. He always did. as though he were unwilling to spend the whole night with her. When she went to his place, he insisted on seeing her home so it made more sense that he came here.
He placed his hand over her rounded stomach. “He doesn’t move when I’m here.”
“He moves all night once you’re gone.” She tilted her head to glance up at him. “You could stay.”
He was quiet for three breaths, before speaking softly. “I could.”
“You won’t be missed?” She knew that he didn’t always sleep alone, but she also knew that he loved her, and that to him being in the same bed as someone wasn’t the same as it was for her. She wanted him in her bed because they were together. And while he touched her and kissed her, she wanted more.
“They will be fine without me. I want to stay.” He kissed her. “I know you want me to stay.” He had slid lower.
Her breath caught. “You don’t have to.”
She wanted him to, but could do it herself. Had done it herself over these last few months, but it was different when it was someone else’s hand.
“I like touching you.” He cupped the mound between her legs. “To me, it’s still touch, and if it makes you happy, then that’s good. It’s in my best interest to keep you happy if I am to convince the Humans that having an Incubus clan around is a good thing.”
“Do you think they really will let an Incubus clan set up on Wreston?” Wreston was her planet and at the moment no Metas were allowed. While Kearn was hopeful, she wasn’t sure. She was trying not to worry about what would happen when everyone left the Complex and returned home. However, they wouldn’t be the only couple trying to work out where they now stood. She wondered if the creators of the Complex had thought that through. Did they have an exit plan in mind?
His hand slid into her pajama pants. “I hope so. I’m putting together a good case.”
It was something that he planned to put to his elders when the experiment ended. She hoped they would approve and that the President of Wreston would also agree. Right now it was something they had no control of. They just had to play their part in the Complex.
His fingers brushed over her mound, and his ley line grew brighter as if he were already feeding off her lust.
He may not want to, or be able to have sex with her, but he wanted to be with her. He wanted to have a family as well as his clan. They were in this together and they would make this work. For the moment that was enough.
They had to make the most of now. She closed her eyes and let herself sink into his caress, each stroke increased the beat of her heart and the need in her blood. She was immune to his powers but not his touch, or his kiss. Somehow she’d fallen for him. And he for her. He’d risked everything with his clan to include her, and gradually she was becoming more accepted by them. She cracked her eyelids open. “Are you going to feed?”
“Only if you let me.”
She nodded. If she was going to get a climax, he should get something out of the exchange.
He nuzzled against her neck. “You already taste good.”
She came as he fed on her desire and for a moment it was so much more. They were bound together in a way that was for more intense than anything she’d ever experienced. He didn’t stop kissing her or touching her and the need swelled again. “You learn fast.”
“I love feeling your lust and the way your body responds.”
His touch felt far too good. She would always be hungry for more.
Epilogue
Kearn had no idea what he should be doing. There didn’t seem to be much for him to do in the medical center delivery room. Phoebe was pacing and breathing heavily. When anyone got close to her , even the nurses, she fixed them with a glare.
Giving birth seemed to be a solitary activity. He had done some reading, so he was prepared for it to be messy. He’d gone to some classes with her, but nothing had really prepared him for seeing the woman he loved doing what she was doing.
Phoebe grimaced. “Get the doctor.”
“Is something wrong?”
That look. Kearn stuck his head out the door and grabbed the first person he saw. “Something’s wrong.”
“Nothing’s wrong.” Phoebe yelled. “The baby is coming.”
The nurse rolled her eyes as if he were an idiot. Maybe he was. Incubi didn’t get involved with the mothers or the births and he was doing both. Was he doing the right thing?
The nurse helped Phoebe onto the bed and checked to make sure the baby was on the way. Kearn couldn’t tell, but when the nurse scurried off to get the doctor he figured the baby was actually coming.
“Are you okay?” He wanted to hold her hand, but wasn’t sure that she’d want that, so he settled for pushing sticky strands of hair off her face.
She responded by grabbing his hand. “You’re never fighting again.”
“Okay.” He really thought he should, but if having a baby was this traumatic he would step aside at the end of his term.
Medical staff flooded in, all wanting to see the first Incubus-Human baby.
A few minutes later his first cry broke the air of expectation. The nurse handed the baby to Phoebe. He was gray skinned with no visible ley lines and looked rather squashed and wrinkly.
He was perfect.
Phoebe was smiling for the first time since contractions had started. She stroked the baby’s tiny head. Kearn breathed a small sigh of relief.
“Do you want a hold?” She grinned up at him.
Him? He’d seen Tavor’s babies but had never actually touched one. “Sure.”
A nurse helped because it was pretty clear neither or Phoebe or him had a clue. This was their baby and they were going to have to work it out. The baby didn’t realize how lucky he was having two parents who wanted him.
“I didn’t mean it. If you want to try again, you can. Your clan needs you.”
But he knew what she was saying. They would have to be together outside of the Complex if she were pregnant again. The baby would need his other Incubi. They’d always talked about as maybe and if. Now it was reality. He’d have to start training.
Kearn kissed the baby’s forehead, then placed a soft kiss on Phoebe’s cheek. He couldn’t speak because the emotion was swelling in his chest. For once it was him drowning in an emotional tide of his own making.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my novella from The Complex!
All reviews are appreciated.
If you would like to read more from The Complex series, please click on the link below:
The Complex Website
About the Author
Shona Husk lives in Western Australia at the edge of the Indian Ocean. Blessed with a lively imagination she spent most of her childhood making up stories. As an adult she discovered romance novels and hasn’t looked back. Drawing on history and myth, she writes about heroes who are armed and dangerous but have a heart of gold—sometimes literally.
With stories ranging from sensual to scorching, she writes paranormal, fantasy, sci-fi and contemporary romance. You can find out more at
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Excerpt
Lunar Exposure (Decadent Moon book 1)
“The purpose of your visit, bounty hunter Brax?” The man with the plex screen looked at him as though he was a spore that had fallen off the nearest fungus while the security guard scanned his body looking for concealed weapons. People had breached the tight security here before by smuggling weapons through in their stomachs or butts.
“Pleasure.” Why else would anyone come to the mo
st expensive orbital resort that catered to every desire possible? Certainly not because the well-known environmental terrorist Noga Tindel was planning on blowing it up. Nope. He wasn’t here to stop that from happening and claim the bounty. Because if he said that, he’d be kicked off and Decadent Moon would be shut down and Noga would slip through his fingers, again.
Then Noga would pick another target just to get the body count and prove he couldn’t be stopped. That was the way he worked. Callen knew because he’d been on the cruise liner Solar Bird when it was destroyed, taking thousands with it, including his team.
“Mmm, what kind of pleasure?” The man made notes on the screen as he spoke.
Did it matter? Gambling, drugs, sex, it was all legal here. If you were into tentacles, they had it, preferred to dabble with the Ferreg, who secreted a hallucinogenic when excited, they had it. Cruise liners stopped here to let their well-to-do patrons walk on the wild side. Many had never left their home world before coming to Decadent Moon.
“Sex and a glimpse of Haliday Fisher. I heard she’s going to be here looking for a something short and sweet.” Callen grinned as if he meant it. Personally, he found gossip about the vacuous socialite more boring that delousing cruiser hulls—a favorite punishment of the Allied Planetary Military—but she was hotter than pulse fire and burned through men just as fast.
“I can’t disclose who will be visiting Decadent Moon.” The man with the plex scanned Callen’s wrist and took note of his chit balance.
If he failed to collect the reward posted for Noga’s capture, he was going to owe the chit loaner a kidney and possibly an eye. If he’d been smart, he would’ve taken a whole bunch of low paying easy collect cases. But he’d heard a rumor and couldn’t pass it up. After the Solar Bird incident, Noga was his.
“You may dress.” The plex man and the security guard made a few more notes on their screens, no doubt they had already pulled data on him. Of course, there was a ten year chunk that had been sealed while he’d served in the APM, but before that he’d been a cop, and now a bounty hunter. He played on the right side of the law. Most of the time.
