SCORCH: An Incubus versus Succubus Demon Romance

by Carlisle, Lisa

  “Women. Who knows why they do the things they do?”

  I glanced up. A trio of college-aged boys were milling out of a pub. One was staring at me with a knowing grin.

  Ah, shit. Now I sounded nuts talking to myself. I gestured by raising both hands palms up. “Not me.”

  “Good luck, man.” He raised his chin in the way young guys did to acknowledge each other.

  Damn, I couldn’t prowl the streets like a madman. I needed to get some rest and then I’d resume the search. Tomorrow, I’d find her and demand she undo whatever magic she had used to bespell me.

  The next day, nothing had changed. After I woke late in the morning, the symptoms were worse. That damn succubus and her seductive charms. A twisted game.

  I returned to her place. Still no sign of her. Had she come home last night? Seduced another victim and made him ache for her as I did? My chest tightened and pulse quickened. I sniffed for her scent, but it was as faded as my own.

  After another day of a fruitless search through Salem, night finally fell. I teleported back to the warehouse district where the club Vamps was hidden. Since she’d gone there before, maybe someone knew Selena’s other haunts.

  The blond gargoyle was on duty again tonight. I scented another one with similar features but black hair tending bar. I’d avoided them the other night, but this time I could use their insight. A human wouldn’t be able to provide the information I sought.

  I ordered a godfather from the bartender and tipped him well.

  “I’m looking for a woman who was here last week.”

  “What does she look like?”

  “Long black hair and straight bangs. About this tall.” I motioned before my chin. “Killer body.”

  The gargoyle smirked. “Sounds like half the women here.”

  I leaned across the bar. “She’s like—me.”

  The gargoyle eyed me with suspicion. Surely, he’d detected what I was by my scent—the equivalent to a “Hi, my name is __” sticker of the supernatural world.

  “What do you want with her?” He raised his chin.

  I gave a conspiratorial smile. “We got together the other night, but, I lost her number. She’s not going to be happy if she thinks I’m blowing her off.” I shrugged. “She seemed pretty into me.” I paused and waited for his reaction. Would he buy it?

  The gargoyle studied me for a few seconds. “You can ask her yourself.” He pointed to the dance floor. “She’s right over there.”

  What? My pulse stuttered. I spun and searched the crowd for her. Too many bodies dressed in black were out there, highlighted in flashes of movement under strobe lights.

  Sure enough, Selena was out there, dancing with slower, sensual moves among the frenzied dancers around her. She wore a long black silky dress with spaghetti straps that laced up loosely across her full cleavage, offering a tantalizing peek. When she danced, the slit on the dress revealed a flash of her toned thigh. She swayed amid three men, who were practically begging for her attention. Was she searching for tonight’s meal? Alternating her attention between each one, she gave them each a spark of hope.

  My ribs tightened in my chest. I curled my hands into fists. No way. She was not taking one of those humans home with her.

  “Like I warned her,” the gargoyle added, “No feeding.”

  Distracted by Selena, I merely grunted in acknowledgment. I pushed my way onto the dance floor and forced myself close to the seductive circle she’d been spinning. Selena still hadn’t noticed me yet. She swayed with eyes half-closed as if weaving a trance. Her scent washed over me and I suppressed a moan.

  A growl roared through my chest and I released enough to warn these humans to back off. She was mine.

  Mine.

  What the hell? Where did this possessive rage come from? With countless women in the world all too willing to play, why was I getting territorial over a succubus who had played me?

  One by one the men backed off and scattered. I wrapped my arms around her from behind. An intense sensation of relief washed over me. For the first time since I’d left her, the tension finally dissipated. She was back in my arms and the universe was back on track.

  She squirmed out of my hold and faced me. Her mouth dropped open.

  “Trying to capture three men at once?” I teased. “You must be ravenous.”

  Selena snapped her jaw shut and pushed at my chest, backing away from me. Her eyes narrowed to accusatory slits. With each measured breath, seething fury appeared to rise in her like a tsunami.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Her voice edged higher with each word. She raised her hand and slapped me across the face. “You bastard!”

  Chapter Six

  Daron

  “What was that for?” I hadn’t expected such a violent reaction. Selena caused a scene that had caught the guards’ attention. Two of them took our arms and warned us not to make trouble as they escorted us out of the club.

  “Damn it, Daron!” She stormed up the alley, the heels of her strappy black sandals hitting the concrete and echoing in the otherwise quiet of night. My gaze fell to her ass as she strode, the tightness of her dress displaying all her killer curves to my advantage. “You got me kicked out by those damn gargoyles. Again.”

  “Me?” I pointed at myself and fell into stride next to her. “Why did you slap me?”

  Her eyes widened. “Natural response. You deserved it.”

  “For scaring off your prey?”

  “Right.” She waved a hand. “That, too. How the hell am I supposed to feed with you interfering?”

  We headed up to the main road. “What on earth are you talking about, succubus?”

  “Because of what you’ve done to me.” She pointed at her chest.

  I scrunched up my face. “I haven’t done shit. What have you done to me?”

  She snorted and glanced up at the sky. The waning moon cast a golden glow amid wispy clouds. “Oh, funny. I love how you’re turning this around on me. Why are you following me?”

  “To find out what the fuck is going on. Did you put some sort of enchantment on me when we were together?”

  She scowled and released a doubtful sound. “Why would you think that? I’m a succubus, not a sorceress.”

  A lone SUV drove by and the headlights passed over her. The driver rubber-necked dragging his eyes on Selena for as long as possible.

  “Right, but…” I assessed her body language for signs of dishonesty. Her lips were tight, and her expression twisted with frustration. Her arms hung loose at her side and her body faced me. No indication that hinted she was lying. Then again, she could be adept and sneaky. “Then what is this pull on me?”

  Despite my anger, her presence soothed me. Yet, it wasn’t enough. I wanted more of her. To grab her. To kiss her. To take her again like the last time—but slower. Slow the pace to savor each sensation. Drive us mad with desire until we couldn’t resist each other any longer.

  She glanced over her shoulder with a discomforting expression. “Do you mean this utterly maddening connection?”

  My cock throbbed, urging me to pull her into my arms. I commanded it to shut the fuck up so I could deal with this urgent situation. “Yes. A connection. That’s what it is. Are you saying you didn’t do it?”

  She rolled her eyes and sighed with exasperation. “Daron, are you as blockheaded as one of those stone gargoyles? I already told you the answer. Shall I spell it for you? N-O. No.”

  All the blood drained from my head, pooling in some sorry puddle near my feet. “Shit. That means…” I shook my head refusing to believe it. “Shit. Shit. Shit.”

  She planted her hands on her hips. “Exactly.” Her tone rose with a twinge of panic, similar to what was swelling through my chest.

  “It can’t be possible.”

  Selena sighed with dread. “I wish it wasn’t.”

  “Are you saying—” I couldn’t finish the sentence.

  “I’m not saying anything. Unfortunately, I know it’
s true.”

  I rubbed my eyes. “How—how did it happen?”

  She shrugged and threw her hands out to her sides. “I don’t know.”

  My pulse shot up and breath came quicker. “You had to have done something.” I pointed at her. On hearing how loud and accusatory my voice rose, I lowered it so as not to draw attention from humans in the apartment building as we strolled by. “Maybe something powerful happened and all your succubus mojo went haywire.”

  Her lips curled with revulsion. “Check your ego and your accusations, incubus. You were good, but not that good that I’d want to make us permanent.”

  “Permanent,” I repeated. My heart pounded like an echo in my brain. I shook my head from side to side as if dragging it through sludge. “It can’t… we can’t.”

  A startled tuxedo cat darted out from behind some trash bins on the side of a building and dashed across the road, disappearing in the shadows.

  “You think I want this?” She snarled and motioned between us.

  “I’m guessing no.”

  “Of course not. Eww. In case you didn’t realize, there were two sex demons doing the horizontal tango. Since I know I didn’t cast a spell,” she paused while circling her hand, “you must be the one to blame.” She pointed dead at my chest.

  Raising both hands, I protested. “I certainly didn’t generate any freaking magic that would set this kind of bond between us.” I groaned. My skin turned so hot, a fine sheen of sweat coated me. “It’s a trap. I don’t want to be captured.”

  “Captured,” she repeated at a higher pitch. Under the glow of the streetlight, the look of horror that passed over her features rang clear, so different from that ecstatic expression she had in bed. “If we didn’t do this, how did it happen?”

  “I don’t know.” This couldn’t be real. I crossed my arms, released them, and then steepled my fingers to my mouth. The universe must be playing some sort of sick joke on us.

  My muscles tensed. I leaned against the brick wall and sagged. It wasn’t true. Because what I felt between us was deeper than I wanted to admit. I closed my eyes, trying to blink the truth away. It didn’t work. I reopened them and tried to control my quickened breaths. The realization was far too potent.

  Scary. Terrifying. And holy-terror-of-terrors real.

  “You know what this means?” Her expression mirrored my dread as if we simultaneously released an internal scream.

  I dropped my hands to my sides and summoned the courage to state the horror. “We’re bonded?”

  She nodded and dropped her head into her hands.

  My brain decelerated to slow-motion, circling around that vicious life sentence. “We’re fucked.”

  * * *

  Selena

  Daron paced before me on the pavement in a quiet, commercial area. With all the stores and restaurants closed at this late hour, we stood out there alone. Dark clouds hinted of a passing summer storm as they obscured the waning moon and stars.

  “We’ll figure something out.” His tone indicated he was as clueless about how to do that as I was.

  “How?”

  “I’m thinking.” After a few more paces, he said, “You say you didn’t do this. After that vicious slap, I believe you. And I know I didn’t. But, something is clearly here.” He motioned between us. “Maybe it’s some weird demon sex thing.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You might be some weird demon sex thing.” It was a childish retort that didn’t help our complicated situation. I blamed it on frustration, which had risen by multiple levels, and was exacerbated by the enticing demon before me. “I’m not going to let a little bit of hot sex derail me.”

  “Derail you how?”

  I had to search for reasons. It was difficult to think clearly when my body reacted to him in an all-too-dangerous way. I wanted to curl against him, feel his body against mine once more. Scent his irresistible aroma. I forced myself not to inhale it and refocus on why I was so pissed at him.

  Right. He’d gotten me kicked out of Vamps, ruining my chance at a satisfying meal.

  Again.

  “You’re a threat to me.” I raised an index finger. “Raising unwanted attention.”

  “Getting us kicked out tonight was all your doing.” He gestured at me with a roll of his hand.

  “Semantics.” I gave a dismissive wave. “It was instigated by your presence.”

  He cocked his head and teased, “Does my mere presence stoke such strong emotions in you?”

  I grimaced and then raised my chin. “Yes. It’s not good for me. And neither are you.”

  A look of disbelief passed over his features. “Okay now, it’s not the end of the world.” He ran a hand through his rich, black hair, which shone beneath a streetlamp. Why did he have to draw my attention to it? I bit my lip while trying to ignore an image of me running my fingers through his hair while we had sex.

  “It’s pretty bad,” I emphasized.

  “We’ll have to find a way to cope while we figure out what to do.” He gestured like it was a simple task.

  “Figure it out?” I echoed at a higher pitch. “What’s there to figure out? We’re an incubus and succubus. Two sex demons. If we don’t feed, we’re screwed.” I groaned. “Bad choice of words.”

  Daron stared out onto the road, keeping his gaze fixed on an approaching car. Once it passed, he cracked his knuckles. “Whatever this thing is attracting us is just sex. It’s not like we’ve never been horny before. We’ll let it ride for a few days and see if it subsides.”

  A hint of uncertainty rang clear despite his reasonable tone. Who was he trying to convince—both of us?

  I grunted. “It’s well beyond being horny.” I glanced around and my gaze fluttered up to the stars. Those fuckers. I scowled and stared at Daron. “I can’t sit around and wait for the universe to give me signs. If it’s screwing with me, I want to deal with it head on.” I raised my fist for emphasis.

  His one-sided grin was all too mischievous and could charm the frock off a nun. “Are you always so headstrong and impatient?”

  Don’t fall for his allure. You know what he is. You know better—you’ve got the same magic!

  “Are you always so cavalier?”

  He drummed his thigh and then shrugged. “Probably.”

  I moaned. “Enough. We’re done.” I turned and walked up the sidewalk.

  In two steps, he’d caught up to me. “Are you so dismissive of all your lovers?”

  We walked by an apartment building. Through a window with the shades up, a couple danced. The faint strains of the music drifted out. That wasn’t my style. Love was a negative human trait. It brought them heartache and painted them as fools.

  “Lovers?” I laughed. “I don’t take on lovers. Just meals.”

  From the corner of my eye, I spotted his amused profile. “So, I was merely a meal to you?”

  I rolled my shoulders back and glanced at him. “What else would you be?”

  He stroked his chin. “Some have said sex god. Although, we know technically that sex demon is the more accurate description.” He covered his gut as if I’d stabbed him there. “But, to you, I’m nothing but a conquest.” His voice changed to one of mock pain.

  I grunted. “You’re not a conquest. You’re a—” I gestured, searching for the right word.

  “I’ll accept sex god.”

  Resisting an eye roll, I said, “Threat.” I quickened my pace. “Whatever the hell it is connecting us, we need to sever it. Pronto.”

  “Agreed. But, I don’t see the rush. We can have a little fun like we did the other night.” That suggestive smile was back.

  I stopped and pointed at his chest. “You’re supposed to be leaving town, remember?”

  He searched the night sky as if the stars would provide insight, then turned to me with a what-are-you-talking-about expression. “I don’t recall ever agreeing to leave immediately.” The feigned ignorance in his tone warned me that convincing him to leave wouldn't be easy.


  “You can’t stay here, Daron. You’re messing with my livelihood. Do you know how frustrating it was to see all the available options on the club menu tonight and being unable to dine on any of them?”

  “No. I hadn’t tried. In fact, you’re the only one I’ve been with since I saw you in the graveyard.”

  “What about the human?”

  “She left after you teleported.”

  “Why?”

  “I was no longer interested in her.”

  My muscles relaxed when I exhaled. Why did him not sleeping with her please me? Why did I care?

  But, then he’d come to me and we’d set this whole entanglement in motion. I wasn’t going to let him undermine me.

  “Sure, it’s only been a few days, but monogamy sucks.” Unfortunately, the only one I craved was the demon beside me. I wouldn’t admit that to him, though. He was already cocky enough. “Think about it—I like pizza, but I wouldn’t want to have it every day.”

  “Mmm.” He rubbed his belly. “Pizza. I could use a slice. Why don’t we talk about how to deal with our predicament over pizza? I’m sure we can find a place open this late.”

  I sighed with enough dramatic flair to be nominated for an Academy award for melodrama. Then, my stomach piped up. Pizza sounded good. It might deter me from my sexual appetite, which was fixated on the damn incubus before me.

  “Fine.” I huffed the word like a sullen teenager, and then raised my index finger to emphasize my reluctance. “It’s only pizza. Not a date.”

  He laughed as if I’d made the most ridiculous suggestion. “Of course not. Demons don’t date.”

  Right. We seduced. We screwed. We sucked—energy.

  But sex demons like us definitely did not date.

  If I could ignore his allure, maybe we’d figure out a way to undo the damage we’d done with this bond.

  If not, we were unmistakably, epically screwed.

  Chapter Seven

  Daron