Greed (The Damning Book 1)

by Katie May

  “I thought Incubi were supposed to be graceful?” I couldn’t stop the

  laughter that slipped out. His lips twitched at the sound.

  “I’m not like the other Incubi,” he admitted, as if that answer should’ve

  been obvious.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well I have a stutter for one.”

  I raised an eyebrow at him, as if eloquently asking why that mattered.

  Once again, his cheeks flames.

  “And I’m also not the most..articulate...around other people.”

  “You just used the word ‘articulate’,” I pointed out. “That’s a pretty big

  word for someone who struggles with speaking.”

  I didn’t know why I was entertaining the idea of having a conversation

  with Killian. It wasn’t as if I was automatically anti-Nightmare, but those

  who lived in the Capital were inherently evil. This was the same group of

  people that supported human segregation and work camps. They were

  disgusting, but at the same time, I couldn’t deny that the shy smile on

  Killian’s handsome face nor his anxious chuckle made my heart hammer.

  “Kill! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

  We both spun towards the intruding voice, and my jaw practically

  dropped to the ground. It was a female who had spoken. One look confirmed

  that she was an Incubus.

  I had never been attracted to females before, but hot damn. Her Incubus

  allure was strong, nearly staggering, and only made me think that she was of

  a noble family to have a power that strong. She was almost ethereal in beauty

  with caramel highlighted hair and large blue eyes.

  Those eyes were currently locked on Killian, lust darkening her features.

  My hands clenched into fists at her blatant ogling of him. The

  possessiveness and jealousy came from nowhere. And yet…

  I wanted to claw her eyes out.

  “Hi Tessa,” Killian stuttered, offering her a warm smile.

  “I just wanted to see you,” she purred. Actually purred. I didn’t know

  whether to punch her or vomit. Or both. I had a WhyChoose type of

  mentality.

  “See me?” Killian quirked his eyebrow adorably. He seemed honestly

  confused by the various sexual innuendos behind that one statement.

  “It’s a shame that you weren’t one of my mates,” she cooed, her lip

  pushing out into a pout. Grown women shouldn’t pout. Never. It was

  disgusting and demeaning to all women everywhere. “But that doesn’t mean

  we can’t still have some fun.”

  She reached a perfectly manicured hand out and touched his bicep. I saw

  red at that diminutive gesture. Killian gave her an awkward smile,

  sidestepping her greedy hand. That bicep she was touching? It was mine.

  “Shame,” Killian said with a forced smile. His eyes flickered anxiously to

  me, gauging my reaction. I wasn’t sure what he saw, but his lips crooked

  upwards at the expression on my face. “Tessa, this is my... friend, Zara.”

  Tessa reluctantly turned to face me. She couldn’t even bother to hide the

  distaste from her face.

  “She’s human,” she pointed out. Rather obviously, if you asked me. She

  wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.

  “Yes.” Killian’s voice was suddenly tight. “She is.”

  “You can’t possibly believe that this will last?” she continued, ignoring

  the penetrating glare he directed her way. Tessa’s expression was almost

  pitying as she stared at me. I, however, struggled to understand what “it” she

  was referring to. “What are you going to do when you find your mate, Kill?”

  I knew that every male Nightmare had one fated mate. Females, on the

  other hand, could have up to two. I once heard of a female Shifter having

  three mates, but anything higher than that was unheard of. The female

  population was significantly lower than the male population, especially since

  the Nightmares came into power. Humans liked to believe that it was God’s

  way of punishing the monsters.

  I had thought that Devlin and S were my mates - though I wasn’t sure if

  humans were even capable of having some. I had loved them both in two

  entirely different ways. S was my heart, and Devlin was my strength. But

  they had both left me, albeit unwillingly in S’s case. Mates were supposed to

  be infinite, and yet we had been torn apart as if our bond was nothing at all.

  I shook my head, focusing once more on Tessa.

  “You’re sadly mistaken,” I said, unable to hide the laughter in my voice.

  “I just met Killian like an hour ago. We’re not... anything. ”

  Killian’s face briefly flashed with hurt at my words, but he schooled his

  expression quickly. It was replaced by careful indifference.

  “Practically strangers,” he said, tone clipped. I glanced sideways at,

  stunned by his change in behavior. Tessa eyed the two of us.

  “Whatever. I’m going to visit Bash. I heard that he’s having lots of fun.”

  Woah. I did not want to know what type of fun she was referring to. My

  type of fun was stabbing a Nightmare in the neck. Her type? It probably

  involved penises. Lots and lots of penises.

  “Great! We’re looking for Bash too. I need to borrow his car keys.”

  Killian’s smile was once again radiant on his face. He changed personalities

  quicker than I changed knives.

  “Ahh...I’m pretty sure that isn’t a good idea,” I mumbled thinking of what

  a man like Bash would do for fun, just as Tessa said, “Whatever. It’s not like

  I actually wanted to get stuck with a retard like you.”

  Time stopped. The world stopped. Everything tilted sideways, balancing

  precariously on an axis. My vision was obscured by a red sheen.

  How. Dare. She?

  I lunged forward, she squealed, and Killian grabbed my arm.

  “Are you kidding me?” I asked, spinning towards him. Why wouldn’t he

  let me stab the bitch?

  “She’s a high-ranking noble,” Killian hurriedly said, confirming what I

  already suspected. “If you harm her, you’ll be thrown in prison for the rest of

  your life, if not killed.”

  “She insulted you,” I hissed. My reaction was irrational, but it consumed

  me. Red. Red everywhere. Red like rivulets of blood.

  Killian placed his hands on my shoulders, lowering his head until his

  forehead touched mine. His breath caressed my face, and I trembled in his

  embrace.

  “It’s okay. I’m okay. Her words don’t matter. Only you matter. Only

  you.”

  His words didn’t make sense in my incoherent mind, yet they calmed me

  instantly. In the little cocoon of our own making, only we existed. Only us.

  “Holy shit!” Tessa’s voice brought me out of my daze. “The crowned

  prince and a human? Holy fucking shit.”

  Prince? Killian?

  And why was Tessa so shocked?

  Killian’s face was positively livid as he leveled a glare in her direction.

  She blanched under the intensity of his scrutiny.

  “Not a word to anyone. You got that? If anyone gets word of this, I will

  know it was you who had told. And you will not like the consequences. Do

  you understand me?” When Tessa didn’t answer straight away, he took a

  threatening step forward. “Do you understand?�
�

  She nodded. I was almost afraid her head was going to fall off.

  I gaped at Killian wordlessly. The change from a shy, timid boy to a

  prowling tiger was shocking. And sexy, if I was being honest with myself.

  There was something immensely appealing about Killian threatening her.

  Without another word, she turned on her heel and strutted towards where

  this Bash person apparently was. I wasn’t even aware that “strutting” was an

  actual thing, but that was the only word I could use to describe her long

  strides and the subtle shake to her hips. I glanced towards Killian, suddenly

  afraid that he would be staring after her very large butt on display, but he was

  looking at me. His lips curled up into a gentle smile.

  “Ready?” he asked, offering me his arm. I hesitantly linked mine with his.

  “Who’s Bash?” I questioned as we walked down a long, unfamiliar

  hallway. There were numerous paintings adorning the wall, each one

  representing the seven deadly sins. I stumbled over my feet at the painting

  depicting Greed. In it, a purple Genie floated out of a lamp, a reminisce of the

  old movies. Gold was everywhere - on the walls, the floor, even in the form

  of intricately crafted jewelry for the Genie. Still, the Genie had a scowl on his

  face as he stared at his possessions. Always wanting more. Never happy with

  what he had.

  I scoffed as I thought of Lin, of Devlin.

  All Genies were the same apparently.

  Before I could study the painting further, Killian began to speak.

  “Bash is my best friend. My brother. We grew up together.”

  I wondered what creature Bash was, but I didn’t want to come across as

  rude by asking. Was asking what species he was taboo? Killian, however,

  must’ve seen the question on my face, for he said,

  “He’s a Mage.”

  Ah. A lazy son of a bitch.

  The name Bash sounded familiar, but I quickly shook my head to keep

  my brain from making the connection it wanted to. What were the odds that I

  would meet another prince? The Mage prince? I didn’t believe in

  coincidences. If Bash proved to be a prince, I would stand to believe that it

  was fate.

  To do what, however, remained unclear. To kill them all, perhaps? That

  didn’t seem right, especially after meeting Dair and Killian and coming to the

  realization that Lin was a prince as well.

  Tessa stopped in front of a heavy, wooden door. Turning around to glare

  at us haughtily, she pushed it open, and we all stumbled inside.

  The sight I saw...there were no words.

  It was a tangle of limbs and bodies and hairs and holes. In front of me,

  two girls were making out while a man screwed one from behind. Her breasts

  bounced as he pounded into her. Another couple was a mesh of limbs and

  breasts and penises. I saw one man giving another a blowjob. Two guys were

  pleasuring the same girl, one in each hole. And two girls were grinding

  against each other, sucking on one another’s breasts. I had to give them

  credit: that took considerable flexibility.

  “So many holes,” Killian whispered, stunned. “What do you even do with

  that many holes?” Face flaming, he spun towards the doorway.

  I watched a naked Tessa strut - again with the damn strutting - towards a

  handsome man sitting on a leather chair. He looked like a king on a throne,

  overlooking his filthy peasants.

  He was a beautiful man. Finely sculpted cheekbones, arresting gray eyes,

  a mop of blond hair. His body was lightly muscled with a scatter of blond

  hair leading down to his dick. His limp dick. Despite having one woman

  sucking on his neck and the other fondling his balls, the appendage continued

  to hang there in all its glory. He was glaring at his dick, as if it had personally

  offended him.

  He finally turned fully towards me, and his eyes captured mine. I was

  held in his gaze, one tortured soul calling to the next.

  Mine.

  The thought came to me with an almost blistering speed. Pinpricks of

  desire ghosted over my skin.

  He pushed both girls away and scrambled to his feet. His once flaccid

  dick was now rock-hard and twitching. I licked my lips as I stared at the

  throbbing vein. What I wouldn’t give to lick and suck-

  No! I mentally berated myself for my lust-filled thoughts.

  “Everyone out.” Though his voice was quiet, it seemed to innately

  demand attention. Every person stopped in mid-activity. Tessa actually had

  the nerve to pout. “Everyone out now!”

  The blast of power that accompanied that statement sent goosebumps

  down my arms. Despite how terrifying the amount of power he wielded was,

  I felt safe in his presence. I knew that he would never harm me. I knew that

  as surely as I knew my name.

  As surely as I knew that he was made to be mine, along with-

  Nope. It’s just the lust speaking, Z. Snap out of it.

  “What the hell Bash?” Killian asked, aghast.

  “What are you doing here?” The man, Bash, I assumed, yelled, his gaze

  flickering from Killian’s back to my face. I tried really hard to focus on his

  words. I honestly did.

  But his thing was nearly poking my stomach from how close he was, long

  and proud.

  “Ahh…”

  “What were you even doing, Bash?” Killian continued, finally turning

  around. He kept his eyes carefully averted and put his arm around my

  shoulders to pull me closer against his side. Bash’s eyes locked on that

  movement and narrowed.

  “What did it look like I was doing? The fucking tango?”

  “No need to be a dick about it,” I quipped. “I know this is a hard

  situation. We really should’ve orgy-nized our schedules better.”

  Killian, beside me, began to chuckle. Bash’s eyes narrowed further, as if

  they could physically penetrate my skin. Or my clothes.

  “And you?” He spun towards Killian, jabbing an accusatory finger into

  the Incubus’s chest. “Why would you bring her here? How did you even

  know who she was?”

  Killian brows furrowed in confusion.

  “We talked about this.” He glanced shyly at me and then lowered his

  voice to a whisper. “The whole dick issue.”

  “Don’t fucking talk about my dick,” Bash hissed.

  “Your dick?”

  “I’ll have you know-”

  “Look,” I cut Bash off. “You apparently were balls deep in something

  when we arrived. We wouldn’t have cum if we knew you were busy. We’ll

  just be heading in the opposite erection.”

  Bash glared down at me.

  “Don’t expect flowers or shit like that. Don’t expect me to actually care

  about you and your fucking tight ass.”

  Um...okay?

  Bash began shaking his head erratically, simultaneously backing out of

  the room. He didn’t seem to care that he was still as hard as a rock, nor that

  he was going out into public butt naked.

  “Nope. That is a whole lot of nopes. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope.”

  He was still chanting “nope” as the door slammed shut on his face.

  TWENTY

  Z

  W e didn’t speak as Killian led me out a backdoor, down a steep,

  stone st
aircase, and underneath the drooping canopy of the

  nearest cluster of trees. Back at home, the forests had been

  leafless, their branches mere skeletons. The beauty at the Capital was

  unparalleled to the despondency of my hometown. There was no comparison.

  Everything was extravagant, from the polished windows to the white pillars

  to the various arcades. There was an opulence here that a town like mine, a

  town that lived in poverty, couldn’t recreate no matter how hard they tried.

  It was disgusting that these Nightmares lived in such wealth while the rest

  of us struggled to make ends meet. Even the gardens looked as if they were

  plucked straight from a storybook. I was in awe as I surveyed row after row

  of perfectly planted tulips mixed in with roses. Bushes lined the siding of the

  building, each one sprouting a flower I couldn’t quite identify. I couldn’t

  deny how beautiful the garden was nor how safe I felt beneath the shield of

  leaves.

  Killian sat beneath the boughs. Evidently, the initial plan to leave the

  Capital was no longer in play. He patted the spot of grass beside him, now

  dry from the morning dew. I sat crossed-legged beside him and leaned my

  back against the rough bark of the nearest tree.

  “I’m sorry about...him,” Killian said at last. His long fingers absently

  pulled at the grass, one green strand after another. The movement was oddly

  mesmerizing as he placed the slate of grass between his thumb and pointer

  finger. His attention was focused on his leg, the grass, the trees. Anywhere

  besides my questioning eyes. “I don’t know why he was behaving like that.

  Bash has always been an asshole, but he has never been so…” he trailed off,

  unable to find a word that adequately described the blond-haired Mage.

  “It’s fine. It actually was sort of entertaining. I mean, my first orgy, and I

  wasn’t even participating in it.” I had tried to make light of the situation, tried

  to make a joke out of what we had seen, but the blush coloring Killian’s

  cheeks clued me in that I may not have said the correct thing. Apparently, the

  sexy Incubus was embarrassed when it came to talk of sex. Changing the

  subject, I rubbed my stomach and asked, “What’s for lunch? I’m starving.”

  Smiling gratefully, Killian waved his hand. A young human servant

  bustled towards us.

  “Yes, Your Highness?” The servant asked, reverence evident in his voice.