by L. L. Frost
SUCCUBUS STUDIES: THE TORCH
Copyright © 2017 by L.L. Frost
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the writer, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Cover design by L.L. Frost
Book design by L.L. Frost
Printed in the United States of America.
First Printing, 2017
The (un)Lucky Succubus
Succubus Bargain
Serial Parts
The Offer
The Deal
The Terms
The Rules
The Gain
Succubus Studies
Serial Parts
The Torch
The Blaze
Table of Contents
Stripper for Hire
Interviews from Hell
My Food
Torch
(un)Encouraging
Tricked
Strippers for Hire
“Julian, just give me the password,” I pace back and forth in the kitchen, my cell phone on the counter with the speaker on. “I need to invite people to my bakery opening.”
“I don’t know why you think I’m the one who stole it.” My cousin’s voice sounds entirely too self satisfied to make his protest believable. “Have you asked Landon?”
My hands open and close in frustration. “Landon’s too lazy to steal my password, set up a party, and send out invitations.”
Tac’s head lifts as I near the dining table he currently lays in front of. When I spin on my heel to march back to the other side of the kitchen, he blows out an exasperated breath, ruffling my hair. I promised him belly rubs an hour ago, but my cousin continues to be obstinate in his refusal to return my Evite account to me.
Julian tsks quietly into the phone. “Should you really be focusing on your soft opening right now when you haven’t even hired help yet?”
I freeze mid-step, my wings grating against my spine in agitation. The last two days were spent interviewing a horrible slew of humans, none of whom were trustable enough to leave alone in the store. I need friendly sales clerks who don’t mind being at the store until three in the morning. And a second baker for the kitchen, because as much as I want to be at the store, I can’t be there every morning, seven days a week. The baker needs to learn my recipes quickly and know how to make flowers with frosting. Or can at least learn the technique quickly.
My cousin’s voice gently breaks the long silence. “Darling, are you sure you shouldn’t push back the opening another month?”
I twitch with irritation and glare at the phone. “The shop is almost ready to go. The sign is being installed tomorrow. I can’t wait another month.”
“Then hire some of my imps,” he conjouls. A quiet murmur of voices comes through the line before the snick of a door closing cuts off the sound. “I’d be happy to give you a discount if you hire five of them.”
Suspicious, I lean my elbows on the counter and stare down at the phone. “What’s wrong with them?”
“So distrustful!” His office chair creaks, and I picture him propping his feet up on his desk. “Can’t I help out my needy relative without there being something wrong?”
“No.” While Julian is one of my nicer cousins, he’s never lost out on a way to profit. Even when I was desperate and starving, he still charged me more than I could afford for a meal delivery.
He hums quietly for a moment before he admits. “The latest batch to come through don’t entirely understand the concept of boobs. They’re not going to work out for HelloHell Deliveries’ image.”
I tap my fingers in consideration. “Do they understand how to look human?”
A lot of demons don’t even have the choice of what their corporeal form looks like. Imps are different, though. They’re more malleable, like clay. But they can also be dumb, so sometimes they lose form, growing extra limbs, or putting body parts in the wrong place. It means they have to be sponsored to be allowed on the human plane, to prove they won’t giveaway our existence to the mortals around us.
“One of them is a little…gray,” Julian hedges.
Interest peeks through me, and I still my fingers before I give myself away. “So what you’re saying is that I would be doing you a favor taking this bunch off your hands.”
“That’s not what I said,” Julian hedges.
Dragging my bottom lip between my teeth, I consider the offer. Imps aren’t a bad idea, as long as they can be trained. Once they latch onto their task, they become good little workers. But I’d be responsible for making sure they stayed in human form. It would be a gamble when I can’t be at the store thirteen hours a day, seven days a week, to monitor them.
I tug on a strand of blue tipped hair before pushing away from the counter and grabbing my cell phone before I resume pacing. “How long are you contracted with them?”
Julian’s voice takes on a business quality. “The standard three months.”
“You’d continue to support their living expenses?” While there was plenty of room in the basement to shove a handful of imps, I didn’t think the guys would go for it.
“It’s in their contract.” He sounds annoyed at being locked into supporting a group of imps he can’t fully utilize.
Which is always the risk when sponsoring imps on the human plane. But they’re practically free labor when compared to the recent hike in minimum wage that human’s now demand.
“You’ll also provide transportation between your office and my bakery?” I certainly don’t have the time to shuttle them back and forth.
“Yes, yes. Philip will shuttle them around.” His voice turns sly. “And if you’re feeling a little peckish, you can always use Philip as a snack.”
I snort in disgust. Desperation may have made me give in to using Julian’s service once, but never again. “Thank you, I have plenty to eat at home.”
Tac’s tail thumps the floor as I near him once more, and I stop to rub a palm between his ears. His saucer-size green eyes close in pleasure as his chainsaw purr fills the kitchen.
“How’s that going, by the way?” Julian coos. “Broken any headboards yet?”
“Get your voyeuristic fantasies filled somewhere else.” I move up to one of Tac’s tufted ears and the purr increases until it rattles through my bones. “I won’t kiss and tell.”
“I’d be sad if I actually thought you were fucking any of them.” His disappointment comes clearly through the speaker. “It’s a good thing you trapped them in a contract before they found out what a dysfunctional little succubus you are, darling.”
“Unless you’re in the mood to answer my questions, we’re done talking about this.”
Anger simmers through me. It circles around the pathetic ball of energy inside my belly, reminding me of how little I gain from skimming off the guys through touch and the occasional kiss. It becomes less satisfying as the weeks pass, to the point where I hold my breath when I pass humans, worried I’ll give into temptation and devour one of them down to a husk.
My roommates have all made it obvious I’m welcome in their beds at any point, but so far I’ve continued to resist. We’ve only just started to like each other, and I’m a stupid demon for wanting more than feeding fucks.
Julian clears his throat. “So we have a deal
on the imps?”
“How much, weekly?” Tac nudges his nose against my stomach, and I resume my pets.
“Two hundred per imp, and you provide them with lunch on the job and their uniforms.”
That’s an incredible deal on labor. So incredible it makes me instantly suspicious. “I want to meet them in person first.”
“This is a limited time offer.” Julian’s voice becomes brisk, a sure sign he’s trying to pull one over on me. “There are others I can source them out to. I’m only giving you such a good deal because I care for you.”
“I’ll come by today.” I check the clock on the wall. “I need to go by Fulcrum first.”
“You don’t say?” His chair creaks again, followed by the thud of his boots hitting the ground. “How about I pack them up, and I’ll meet you there?”
The offer surprises me, and I instantly feel bad. If he’s willing to bring them to a human club, then that means the imps aren’t as bad as I’m envisioning, right? “You don’t have to go out of your way—”
“I’m always willing to help out my favorite cousin.” His office door slams against the wall. “I’ll meet you there in twenty minutes?”
“That’s okay, I’ll come to the off—”
His shout cuts me off. “Rows six and nine, pack up!”
“Now wait a minu—”
“See you soon, darling!” He hangs up before I can argue further.
When I frantically call back, it goes straight to voicemail.
“Shit.” I tuck my phone into my back pocket before leaning my weight against Tac’s head. “Why do I feel like this is a horrible idea?”
Interviews from Hell
I luck out and get a spot directly in front of Kellen’s nightclub, Fulcrum, but my shoulders tense when I spot the HelloHell Deliveries’ van farther down the block. He must have left as soon as he disconnected to have beat me here.
Snatching my briefcase off the passenger seat, I shove my sunglasses on as I leap out of my ancient sedan, slam the door closed, and rush for the front entrance. At four in the afternoon, the club hasn’t opened yet, but the knob turns easily beneath my grasp.
I should never have mentioned my plan to come here. Julian has been trying to meet my roommates since I moved in with them. That stupid house warming party he planned, using my Evite account, is a complete sham for him to wiggle his vinyl covered ass through the door. I haven’t broken the news of our imminent invasion to the guys yet. Hopefully, there’s still time to talk everyone out of coming.
The dimmer lights make it hard to see, and I push my sunglasses to the top of my head as I follow the sound of Julian’s quiet coos, which come from down the entry hall. I hurry forward, afraid of what I might find.
A small herd of imps hover behind my cousin, cowering as they stare up at the demon glyph above the door with rounded eyes. Without the usual crowd, its swirling cloud pattern glows against the dance floor. Tingles ghost across my skin as I pass through it to where my cousin stands, his sneakers carefully not connecting with the mark. It makes a statement to any demon who enters the club. This is Kellen’s territory and any who enter here must obey the rules or face his wrath.
It hadn’t been active the first time I visited, but that didn’t stop the annoying storm demon from filing a claim against me, which eventually lead to my bargain with Emil, Tobias, and him to become their roommate.
Now, his power nips along my skin with the crackle of sparklers left to burn too long. It seeks to burrow inside, but it drags along the residue of human passion left from years of drinking and letting their primal urges loose. While Kellen signed away claim to his own energy, the emotions of his club patrons remain protected, even in their abandoned form.
“Julian, I’m here,” I stop in front of him and he pauses mid gesture.
The muscle under his eye ticks as he mews in displeasure. “I worry about your safety, darling. Did you speed the entire way here?”
In fact, I’d run more than one stop sign. I plaster a smile on my face. “I know your schedule is busy. Didn’t want to keep you waiting.”
His voice drips sincerity as he coos, “I always have time for you, darling.”
Liar. Over the last month, he’s been an evasive shit. My attention shifts to the imps behind him. They wear black, mesh tops without bras, and Xs of bright pink tape criss-cross over their nipples, matching the faux leather pants they each wear. The entire bunch of them have a similar look, as if they all studied the same human before molding themselves into their current form. Long black hair, large boobs, and tiny waists that flared out into hips meant to be grabbed.
Did Julian throw porn magazines at the poor creatures?
Dread rushes through me. “Are you on your way to one of the strip clubs?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Adie dear.” Julian’s bright-blue eyes shift over my shoulder. “Ahh, here’s the man now.” He licks his lips as his voice drops to a whisper. “Tasty. How are you resisting that?”
I twist around. Kellen strides from the back hall that leads to the employee break room and his office. His fiery red hair gleams under the overhead lights, and a frown twists his lips. A familiar looking human follows on his heels. He wears a dress shirt that strains at the seam, ill fitting and obviously not purchased with his muscle mass in mind.
Kellen’s lightning gaze shifts to me, and his face softens for a brief moment as he teases, “Adie. Come to see the new office?”
He hadn’t wasted any time in remodeling his office after Emil, Tobias, and I had painted it rose pink and replaced all his masculine furniture with a hideous, fuchsia set they kept in their basement. Kellen had left furniture catalogues on the coffee table in the living room for a week, with pages dog eared. I already had a pretty good idea what he had done to his new space.
I shake my head. “I came to deliver proof of insurance.”
His expression becomes chagrined. “You could have given it to me at home.”
“I was leaving the house anyway.” I fumble the briefcase open and pull out the sheet of paper. “I already signed, so as soon as you acknowledge receipt, it will be filed.”
His long fingers brush against mine as he takes the piece of paper and electric sparks jump between us. They burrow into my skin, seeking the ball of energy in my stomach, and I shiver with pleasure. Storm season firmly settled over the city last week, and his energy levels fill faster than I can skim.
He reads over the policy quickly before his gaze meets mine. “Looks good. Did you bring a pen, or do we need to go to my office?”
“I have one.” It rattles around in my briefcase, and I fish it out, checking the needle sharp tip. Then my focus shifts over his shoulder to the only human in the room. “Or maybe we should go to your office?”
Kellen barely glances back before he shakes his head. “Slater’s been with me for a few years now. He knows how to keep his mouth shut.”
The other man stares ahead, his gaze stony as he stays silent. Uncertain, I pass Kellen the pen and watch as he stabs it into the meat of his thumb, drawing blood before he scrawls a messy signature next to mine at the bottom of the paper. It vanishes in an instant, transferring to the demons clerk’s office.
Kellen passes the pen back before sliding his hand up my arm. “The club doesn’t open for another hour, and I have time if you’d like to stay?”
The sparks flood through me, and I sway toward him. Is this his way of asking for me to skim off his excess energy? He’s never come out and told me he needs to be drained, but maybe the storms are becoming too much for him to handle. The original purpose of me moving in with him and the others was to syphon off their powers. As destruction demons, they have to be careful or risk city wide destruction and the weight of the demon realm striking them down.
I drag in a shuddering breath and taste his ozone against my tongue. His fingers gently pull on my elbow, drawing me forward.
Behind me, Julian clears his throat loudly before his
shoulder bumps against mine, breaking the mood.
My hackles rise in an instant, and I choke back a hiss as I remind myself Julian isn’t trying to poach my meal. Lightning skitters across Kellen’s eyes, as if he noticed my territoriality and likes it.
Reluctant, I step to the side. “Kellen, this is my cousin Julian. He has some prospective employees for my bakery, and he met me here to cut back on time.”
My teeth snap close to cut off the flow of words. I’m way over-explaining the situation, but Julian invading Kellen’s club before the business opens rubs me the wrong way. Pre-opening is a private time for a business, the calm before the storm, and Julian forced his red-vinyl covered ass in the door with no regard to Kellen’s busy schedule.
Guilt rolls through me, I’d done the same. Kellen was right, I could have waited on the insurance thing. Excitement got the better of me. It was one of the last steps before I could finally open my bakery and I wanted it checked off right away.
Julian skips forward, white curls bouncing. Somehow, he manages to stay out of the stream of the pattern of clouds as he stops in front of my roommate. “A pleasure to meet you! I hope my services to your company have been satisfactory.”
Confused, I stare at him for a moment before realization dawns. In addition to owning HelloHell Deliveries, Julian also manages my old apartment complex. When he’d said the order to lock me out of my home had come down from the higher-ups, he meant they’d come from Kellen, who owned the building, along with half of the property in city.
Kellen nods slowly, his expression cool, before his focus shifts to the gaggle of scantily clad imps. “These are the employees you want Adie to hire?”
Julian twists around. “Dear god, no. Those are dancers I thought you might be interested in, to source out for your club. They’re skilled in keeping a crowd going.” He flaps a hand at them and the circle parts to reveal five smaller imps huddled in their center. “Those are the ones for my darling Adie.”
