Heart of the Incubus

by Rosalie Lario

  Genevieve motioned to the phone on her desk. “Use mine.”

  “Thanks.” He headed over and pressed the intercom. “Will, it’s Dr. Taylor.”

  After a moment, Will responded. “Dr. Taylor, you have some visitors down here.”

  “Visitors? Who?”

  “A Mr. Meyers and a Ms. Flores, sir.”

  The lines on Cresso’s brows flattened as he broke into a wide smile. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

  Chapter Six

  After promising Genevieve he’d be back to check on her shortly, Cresso took the lift to the lobby. When his stomach let out a grumble, he ignored it. He’d have to take care of his hunger problem soon, but now wasn’t the time.

  Cresso hadn’t expected his old friend Taeg to show up, but he was sure as hell glad he had. The doors opened and Cresso sauntered out. His friend stood by the security desk with his arm around Maya, his pretty, petite fiancée. What she lacked in height, she made up for with her other more-than-generous assets. In other words, the woman was stacked.

  “Well, well,” Cresso drawled. “Look what the cat dragged in.”

  “Sh-i-i-i-t.” Taeg broke out into a big grin. “Still playing like you’re a real doctor, huh?”

  “They keep paying me, so I keep showing up.”

  Taeg let out a loud laugh and released Maya, then strode toward him. Cresso pulled him into a one-armed hug and clapped him on the shoulder. The two of them had been tight for years, but they’d gotten closer after they worked together to defeat and capture Taeg’s sadistic demon father, Mammon. Getting tortured and almost killed together would do that to you.

  Cresso snatched Maya into a hug. The feisty human had met Taeg several months ago, back when she’d thought all demons were evil. Since Taeg was firmly in the demon category, she’d tried to kill him a couple times before realizing he was just about perfect for her. The two of them couldn’t be better matched. “What are you still doing with this asshole? I figured you’d come to your senses by now.”

  Taeg gave him a good-natured punch in the arm. “Hands off. She’s mine.”

  Maya laughed and pulled away to wind her hand around Taeg’s. “Couldn’t get rid of me if you tried, demon.”

  “What the hell are you two doing on this side of the Atlantic?” Taeg was an interdimensional bounty hunter for the Elden Council, and he lived in New York City with Maya.

  When Taeg rolled his eyes in Will’s direction, Cresso motioned them toward the lift. “Let’s talk upstairs in my lab.” As they walked, he turned to Taeg. “How’s Keegan and Brynn’s son doing, by the way?”

  Brynn, the wife of Taeg’s older brother, had given birth to a boy last month.

  “He’s good,” Taeg said. “Round like a butterball. He’s got a set of pipes on him, too.”

  Cresso let out a laugh as he stepped through the doors. Taeg and Maya piled into the lift after him. “I’ll bet. I plan on stopping in to see him as soon as things get a bit more settled with my project.”

  “You’ll love him, man.”

  “What about Ronin?” Ronin was Taeg’s younger brother. “Everything good with him and Amara?”

  “They’re doing awesome. Eternally grateful to you for creating that vaccine. Devil knows, they put it to good use.” Taeg grinned at him and waited until the doors closed before adding, “We’ve got a lead on the maliki demons who murdered Maya’s parents. They were spotted at a club on the outskirts of town late last week, so we’re gonna see if we can track them down.”

  Maya was an immune, a rare breed of human who could see through glamours. When she was a young girl she’d witnessed her family being slaughtered by flesh-eating demons. She’d spent the next decade-plus trying to track them down, and after she’d gotten together with Taeg he had joined in on her quest.

  Cresso briefly squeezed Maya’s arm. “That’s great news. Good luck, and let me know if there’s anything you need me to do.”

  The lift doors slid open and he led Taeg and Maya toward his laboratory. They passed Tom, the shifter maintenance man, and Dr. Harris, a friendly nagora demon who resembled Yoda in his unglamoured form.

  Maya observed them in silence, waiting until they were inside his lab before speaking. “This place is weird.”

  “I guess it is.” Cresso had forgotten just how many people in this building were Otherworlders, since they all wore human glamours.

  Taeg took a seat in his rolling chair and twirled it around a couple of times before crossing his feet on top of the desk.

  An unexpected wave of hunger crested over Cresso, and he leaned back against his steel countertop to steady himself. The knot of need in his stomach slowly eased. “Watch the papers.”

  “Whatever you say, Dr. Jekyll.”

  Cresso rolled his eyes. “Where are you staying? I have a houseguest, but I could always find some room for you two.”

  Maya strode to his counter and hopped up on it, swinging her legs out in front of her. “Thanks, but we already got a room at the Four Seasons. Taeg insisted.”

  “Yup. I love terrorizing the stuffy Brits who work there.” Taeg shot him a grin. “They never know quite what to make of my T-shirts.”

  Cresso couldn’t fault them for that one. The one Taeg wore now said, Hold My Beer While I Snog Your Girlfriend.

  Taeg swiveled his chair from side to side. “So spill. Who’s this houseguest of yours? Hot new girlfriend, or four?”

  The comment—which was so similar to something he might have expected Genevieve to say—stung. But he couldn’t blame his pal. He had been like that once. Before Genevieve.

  “Ha ha. No, she’s a coworker. Dr. Russell has a stalker who’s been leaving her frightening notes. Just yesterday he dropped off a package here containing a dead rat, and then left some more on her doorstep.”

  Maya whistled. “That sucks.”

  Taeg stilled and met his gaze. “Dr. Russell?”

  Shit. He’d almost forgotten that he’d confided in Taeg just a few weeks ago about how he’d stupidly gone and fallen for someone who didn’t return his feelings. Taeg knew exactly who Genevieve was, and knowing his bud, Maya probably did, too.

  “Yes.”

  Taeg slipped his feet off the desk and leaned forward in the seat. “That blows, man. Any clues who might be doing it? Someone here at work, maybe?”

  “That’s my best guess. Problem is there have to be close to fifty men who work in this building, and at least half of them are weird. How the hell do I narrow that down?”

  “Don’t forget women.” When Cresso glanced at Maya, she said, “It could be a woman, too, especially if we’re talking about Otherworlder suspects. There are plenty of female freaks out there.”

  Damn it, she had a point.

  Maya pushed off the counter, landing squarely on her booted feet. “Why don’t I go talk to her? Maybe she’s got a clue about the stalker and she doesn’t even realize it.”

  Cresso straightened. “Works for me.”

  “Which door leads to her office?” When he told her, she nodded. “I’ll head over there now.”

  She made it to the door before stopping and turning back to him. To Cresso’s surprise, her cheeks had turned pink. “By the way, you need to get laid. You’re putting off some crazy Fuck-me vibes.”

  His mouth dropped open and he watched in utter mortification as she left.

  Taeg let out a chuckle. “Much as I hate that she noticed it, I’m glad she told you instead of leaving me to do it.”

  Cresso coughed into his fist. “Sorry.”

  “No, I get it. After I met Maya, I didn’t want to sleep with anyone else, either. That’s how I knew it was love.” Taeg hopped to his feet. “While Maya’s meeting with your female friend, we can take a walk around, see if we could narrow down the list of suspects. If there’s anything I’ve learned from bounty hunting, it’s that shifty people are usually doing shifty things. Can’t help themselves.”

  “Let’s do it.” Cresso straightened and shot Taeg a grin. “I
t really is good to see you again. Been a while.”

  Taeg nodded. “I know it. Don’t get around as much now that I can’t flash anymore.”

  Taeg was only half demon. His sadistic father had raped an air sylph, then taken Taeg from her as an infant. As a demon-fae hybrid, Taeg had been born with the ability to instantaneously travel from one spot on this dimension to another, but he’d been forced to give up that gift in order to get the coordinates for the location of Excalibur, a powerful magic sword.

  “Guess I can’t complain, though,” Taeg added. “Much as it sucks, that damn sword I got out of the deal has come in handy on more than one occasion.”

  True, but Cresso knew how much it had to burn Taeg’s ass to be without his favorite ability. “Imagine that, a flaming faerie without his wings,” he quipped to lighten the mood.

  “Fuck off.” Taeg punched him in the arm, but he couldn’t hide his grin. “Come on, buddy, let’s go play detective.”

  …

  This time, when the knock sounded on Genevieve’s door, she didn’t assume anything. She turned away from her data. “Who is it?”

  “Maya Flores.”

  The woman stepped directly in front of the window and gave her a small wave. She didn’t look at all familiar. Frowning, Genevieve headed for the door. “Come in.”

  Maya walked inside and held out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Dr. Russell. I’m a friend of Cresso’s.”

  “Oh.” Of course, who else would she be, looking like that? Maya was small but very curvy, and her dark, wavy head of hair tumbled midway down her back. She had the sort of exotic good looks Genevieve had always envied.

  Ignoring the sudden knot in the pit of her stomach, Genevieve shook Maya’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Cresso tells me you have a stalker.”

  While her straightforwardness was refreshing, Genevieve couldn’t help but be surprised. “He—he told you?”

  Maya lifted a brow. “Yes.”

  Why did that make her so upset? Maybe because he’d been so quick to involve someone else, and a woman who had to be one of his lovers at that.

  No claims on him, Gen. You don’t even like him. Remember?

  “I’m afraid so,” Genevieve said. “He’s been leaving me letters for weeks.”

  “That’s tough.” Maya’s hand clenched, as if she were remembering something she didn’t like. “Mind if I take a look at them?”

  “I suppose not.” Genevieve headed to the desk and retrieved the stack of letters. Maya read them one by one before meeting her gaze.

  “You’ve got no clue who could be sending these to you?”

  Genevieve shook her head. “Not really.”

  “Former lover, perhaps? One-night stand?”

  Genevieve couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her mouth. As if. She hadn’t gotten laid in over a year. Not since Jeffrey. “A big hell, no to both.”

  “Hmm…” Maya rubbed a dainty hand over her face. “Well, you were right to confide in Cresso. He’s a smart guy, so I’m sure he’ll figure it out. And you’re staying with him, so that’s good. You probably couldn’t find any better protection.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure he’s good at a lot of things.” The bitter words popped out of Genevieve’s mouth before she even realized she was thinking them. Horrified, she bit down on her lip.

  “I’m sure he is.” Maya blinked and her gaze grew appraising. “Do you want to know how we met?”

  Oh God, did Maya think she was interested in Cresso? She hoped to hell not.

  Genevieve folded one of the letters and slid it back in its envelope. “It’s not important, is it?”

  “We met through my fiancé.”

  “Your…fiancé?” The envelope in Genevieve’s hand fell to the ground. Flustered, she bent to retrieve it, but Maya beat her to it. When she snatched up the envelope with her left hand, Genevieve saw the ring on her finger. A platinum band, with a fiery red stone in the place of a diamond. Heat flaming her cheeks, she accepted the object from Maya. “Thank you.”

  Maya nodded with a grin. “Got a pen and paper? I think we should make a shortlist of potential suspects—people who make you the most uncomfortable.”

  “Good idea.”

  Genevieve snatched a pad from her desk. They spent the next several minutes going over all of the employees in the lab. By the time Cresso arrived with his friend, a handsome demon named Taeg who had terrible taste in T-shirts, she’d found she liked the assertive, confident Maya.

  After the introductions had been made, Taeg said, “We cased the place. Definitely a lot of weirdoes here, but no one stood out.”

  Cresso clapped him on the back. “I still appreciate the help, man.”

  “Anytime, bro. We’ll be around. Call if you need anything.” Taeg glanced at his watch. “We need to head out. Got a meeting with my contact in an hour.”

  “You guys head downstairs,” Maya said. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  Once Cresso and Taeg had left, Maya turned to Genevieve. “Cresso’s a great guy. A girl could do worse than to have someone like him in her life.”

  Genevieve’s mouth fell open at her less-than-subtle inference. “Me? I…no, I’m not interested in him that way.”

  “Really?” Maya cocked her head. “Why not?”

  To Genevieve’s surprise, her chest grew tight. She turned away with a hollow laugh. “I… I’ve been burned before. No more playboys for me.”

  “Ah.” Maya was quiet for a moment before saying, “Let me just say, I was burned once, too. Not in the same way, but in a way that made me distrust all demons. If I hadn’t gotten over that, I would’ve missed out on the best thing in my life.”

  A lump clogged Genevieve’s throat, and she cleared it before meeting Maya’s gaze again. “He could never commit, and I could never accept that.”

  “You know, he might just surprise you.”

  With those words, Maya left. Genevieve numbly took a seat.

  He might just surprise you.

  Could Maya be right?

  The problem was, Genevieve didn’t know if she had the courage to find out.

  …

  At close to eight o’clock in the evening, Cresso gave up on his fruitless attempt to identify the stalker. Mac had stopped by several hours before and cased the building with him, but the detective hadn’t picked up on any odd scents around, or from the letters Genevieve had in her possession. Bottom line, they didn’t have enough clues to support solid suspects.

  When he sought out Genevieve, she sat at her desk, staring at something written on a notepad. The forlorn look on her face practically broke his heart. Perhaps she wasn’t holding up quite as well as he’d thought.

  Part of him longed to stalk inside and sweep her into his arms, no matter how much she protested. To hold her until she felt safe and protected. Loved.

  But no…that was a bad idea. For so many reasons.

  He knocked on her door before sticking his head inside. “Ready to go?”

  “I suppose. Not getting much work done anyway.” She let out a sigh and tore the top sheet of paper off her notepad, then stuck it in her purse. He held the door open for her and then matched her pace down the hall. She looked worn around the edges, and now that he thought about it, he hadn’t seen her eat lunch.

  They stopped in front of the lift, which Tom was wiping clean with a rag. Cresso nodded at him and the maintenance man pressed the down button.

  “Thanks, Tom,” Genevieve said.

  The man flashed her a brilliant smile. “No problem, Doc.”

  Though she sounded the same as always, her shoulders were slumped over. Cresso gave in to the urge to rub his hand along the small of her back. “Why don’t we grab a bite to eat before we go back to my place?”

  When her back stiffened and her eyes widened, he followed her gaze to the lift. He’d been so caught up in how exhausted she looked that they’d opened without him even noticing. A crowd of about eight people stood inside, and all of
them stared out at Genevieve and Cresso with undisguised interest.

  Genevieve shrugged out from under his hand and stepped into the lift. Dr. Summers, who stood next to Dr. Benedict and the scholarly Dr. Jessup, shot her an angry glare. With a heavy heart, Cresso realized they’d all heard his words and had assumed the worst. And why wouldn’t they? After all, he was an incubus. He had a reputation, which he’d never bothered to fight. What had been the point in denying it?

  Shit. You stupid fuck.

  Cresso entered the lift and tried his hardest to quell his guilty expression. He snuck a peek at Genevieve, who held her head high, even though she had to feel Dr. Summers’s livid gaze boring into her back. Dr. Summers must be upset about his earlier rebuff of her, and she was taking it out on Genevieve.

  The ride was the longest of his life. When the doors finally opened, Genevieve calmly slid out and walked toward the exit. Cresso fell into step beside her, and they quietly headed to his car. He waited until they were inside before speaking. “Sorry about that. I’ll tell them it wasn’t what they thought.”

  “Don’t bother. They’ll only assume we’re trying to cover it up. Best to ignore them and let it blow over.”

  Damn it, she was right.

  “Sorry,” he said again.

  Her cheeks slowly returned to their normal color. “Where do you want to go for dinner?”

  The knot of tension in his back loosened. If she could let it slide, then so could he. “Your choice.”

  Forty-five minutes later, they were seated at a secluded table inside a popular Italian restaurant, with a feast laid out in front of them consisting of salad, roasted chicken and potatoes, and sautéed green beans. He tried his best to ignore the fact that what he hungered for wasn’t the food on the table, but the woman who sat on the other side of it. Her lush jasmine scent filled his nostrils, and his body reacted by throwing out waves of allure she surely must’ve picked up on. The female patrons at the neighboring tables certainly did, if their heated glances were any indication. When he lifted the fork in his hand, it shook. Inwardly cursing, he bit down hard on the utensil, ripping clear through his bite of chicken.