SCORCH: An Incubus versus Succubus Demon Romance

by Carlisle, Lisa

  It didn’t matter. How could they help? This hunter was using magic that humans wouldn’t recognize, let alone be able to stop.

  We moved into a more residential neighborhood. My skin turned clammy. The longer we drove away from the safehouse, the slimmer my chances of survival.

  “How did you find me?” If I kept him talking, maybe I’d buy time before my extermination.

  “We’ve been tracking you since you left New Orleans.”

  Since he was alone, I assume he meant the person on the other end of the phone and ‘Maguire.’

  He turned over his shoulder and sneered. “We heard of a demon feeding at an underground club, and knew we were close.”

  My stomach sank. That night when Daron had fed at Vamps. What I had feared had come to fruition.

  He pulled over on a dark part of a street far from streetlights. Then he lifted me out of the car and dragged me over the pavement like he was pulling an invisible rope. Gravity released its claim on me, and I floated like a ghost hovering above the concrete. I stared at the back of him as he pulled me along through the empty residential neighborhood. If he worried about anyone watching us on this strange walk, he didn’t show it.

  “That filthy club is full of unnatural monsters like you. We’ll eradicate them after we’re done with you.”

  “Why? Because they’re not human? I’ve met plenty like you, and you have nothing to be proud of. Top of the food chain? Ha. I have news for you.”

  The hunter stopped and turned back. He slapped me with his creepy hand. “Don’t talk to me that way, you pathetic slut.”

  The slap stung with echoing pain, but I wouldn’t let him see how it affected me. “How did you get this magic, you mortal fuck? You’re human. You shouldn’t mess around with spells. You’re not deserving of it!”

  He punched me in the gut. I gasped from the pain and then tried to breathe through it.

  “How funny it is then since you led us to the sorceress where we got it.”

  A sinking sensation eclipsed the pulsing pain. Had Eloise betrayed me?

  Or, was she forced to reveal her secrets?

  He dragged me in between some trees and into the woods. Away from streetlights and beneath the trees, the surroundings turned dark almost as quickly as turning off a light switch. It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust. Once we passed from under the foliage, the moon sliced down, as if eerily lighting the way.

  My breathing turned shallow and a fine sheet of perspiration covered my body. “What did you do to her?” I demanded.

  “Took what I wanted.”

  Shit. I pictured Eloise’s calm face. What had happened when this sick fuck found her? “Meaning?”

  “We found a way to capture you. You can’t slip away from us this time, demon.” He sneered with slick satisfaction.

  I ignored the cruel smile. “A spell?”

  “Naturally.”

  “There’s nothing natural about it!” My pounding heart rammed against my ribs.

  Eloise must have faced a horrid fate. I’d seen hunters murder demons, reveling in their victory. A sorceress was just as disposable in their eyes.

  And I was next.

  The hunter pulled out a headlamp and mounted it on his forehead. I sneered at him. Humans and their weak senses.

  He dragged me up a hill as easily as if guiding an animal by a leash. Discarded beer cans and junk food wrappers lay scattered about. A strange sensation of being watched fell over me. Were there teenagers drinking in the woods? Or other witnesses? The poor women who had been accused of witchcraft had been hanged in this area. Could their spirits see us? Or had terror twisted my imagination?

  He still hadn’t told me what had happened to Eloise. “Where is she?

  “Gone.” His smirk reeked of pride. “Disposed of like trash.”

  The gut-clenching despair plummeted. “Why?”

  “She’s as unnatural as you are. Magic like that should not run unchecked.” We reached the top of a hill. He dragged me to the trunk of an oak tree.

  “And yet, you’ve stolen her magic,” I cursed. “Twisting it to suit your demented quest.” My regrets ballooned—regrets for seeking the sorceress, for severing the bond.

  He walked behind me. I couldn’t see what he did, but felt my body being bound to the tree.

  “It was dangerous in her hands. Too much of a threat.” He returned to stand before me.

  I twisted against the invisible bindings, but couldn’t budge. “How was she a threat? She did nothing to harm you. Nothing to harm anyone!”

  “Magic that powerful can only lead to evil.”

  “The only evil I see is you! You’re worse than all that you claim. A true monster. Killing in the name of your precious righteousness.”

  He sneered. “You’ll learn all about that first-hand soon.” From underneath his trench coat, he pulled a weapon out of a sheathe—a large and threatening scythe.

  My eyes widened as the glint of moonlight reflected like a morning light in the shine of the metal.

  He narrowed his eyes. “I’m going to slice you in so many pieces, you’ll have no chance of regenerating.” His voice lowered with his threat.

  Fuck. A severed limb or two would be painful, but not fatal. Even multiple stab wounds wouldn’t kill me. But, severing a demon’s head from its body clouded the concept of immortality.

  He raised the weapon with both hands. “Third time’s a charm, succubus.”

  Instinct drove me to raise my arms to brace my neck, but I couldn’t move. Nothing would prevent that blade from slicing me.

  “No!” a voice hollered.

  Someone plowed into the hunter, knocking him off his feet before he struck me. As he fell to the ground, my gaze traveled over the burnished red skin. The curved horns. A forked tail that almost reached the ground.

  A demon.

  I’d never seen him in this form before—hadn’t seen a demon in true form since I’d entered the realm. After my mother and aunt had been murdered, I’d stayed in human form, realizing the danger of being discovered by humans. Now, I couldn’t stop staring. He was magnificent. His body was massive, radiating with raw power, and his eyes glowed with a red-gold sheen as he glared at the fallen hunter.

  I sucked in a breath and released it on a sigh. My overworked heart swelled. “Daron,” I whispered in awe.

  My demon had come for me.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Daron

  Selena was in danger. How had I sensed that? No time to analyze it.

  I’d teleported to her on the hill near Proctor’s Ledge. The connection to her was a mystery, since I’d felt her sever the bond. Yet, something was still there. Something faint—and—new.

  New? How could that be? Now wasn’t the time to ask her about it.

  “Look out!” Selena cried.

  Selena’s attacker quickly recovered from my blow and adjusted into a defensive position. This had to be one of the hunters who had terrorized her. I inhaled to sense what I was facing. He was mortal. However, I scented something else that made him far more threatening than the scythe he raised.

  Dark magic.

  How the fuck was this mortal able to wield something so powerful?

  The imprint of it singed the air with an acrid burning scent, wrapping around Selena. Was that why she appeared bound to an old maple tree and hovering above the ground? This site had been the location of the hangings. The hunter bringing Selena here had some sick significance, likely justifying his modern-day witch hunt.

  I kept my eyes pinned on him as we circled each other, limited by the density of the trees. His jaw was clenched, eyes glazed. His nostrils flared and short breaths turned audible.

  How would I disarm this mortal fool? Although I eclipsed him in size in my demon form, that blade could be as sharp as a raven’s talons. It would slice—and it would hurt.

  We parried in the narrow space between the trees, assessing each other’s response as we moved on light feet. I slipped on
wet fallen leaves, but quickly recovered and moved onto dry dirt.

  I stared at him, searching for his weak spot where I could attack without giving him the chance to slash at my neck. The blaze in his eyes spelled out his intentions to annihilate me.

  “Who the fuck are you?” I demanded.

  He sneered. “Your demon whore hasn’t told you about me?”

  She had, more than once. I hadn’t taken her fears as seriously as I should have. Seeing her in such danger now announced it as clear as if it had been advertised in lights in Times Square.

  “She mentioned something about human excrement,” I taunted as I squared my stance to face him. “Something insignificant that should be flushed away and forgotten. Nobody would notice or care that it’s gone.”

  His lip curled. “You’ll notice and care about me soon enough.”

  He lunged for me dead-on, roaring as he raised the scythe high over his head. I moved to the side and ducked, swinging my tail out at his legs. It knocked him off balance and he fell again.

  “The weapon!” Selena cried.

  It had been knocked from his grip. I wouldn’t reach it before he did.

  I leaped onto the hunter, ready to tear out his throat. “Arragh!!” Something sliced my side and a piercing heat gashed my skin.

  “Daron!” she cried.

  The scorching burn radiated deeper, capturing my roar before it could escape.

  Selena

  Blood spurted out of Daron’s side like a fountain. He had landed on the hunter as he reached the scythe and slashed in a frantic swing of his arm. They struggled on earth strewn with fern, moss, and fallen leaves.

  Rage poured out of me with an exasperated shriek. I unleashed my demon side, one I’d repressed for thirteen years. Power pulsed through my veins as I grew taller and my muscles hardened. My skin darkened to a reddish hue, horns curled from my head, and my tail emerged with the forked end. Claws extended from my fingertips and I attempted to stretch them out.

  Still nothing.

  Despite the greater power and ferocity, I struggled against the magical restraints. Futile. The more I fought, the weaker I became.

  When I’d first seen Daron, tremendous emotions rocked me. He’d come to save me. With him wounded, my chest cleaved. I couldn’t help him if I couldn’t disarm this spell. Despair clawed up and clamped my ribs.

  He yanked the weapon from the hunter’s arm and threw it into the woods. He pinned the hunter down. Blood poured from his wound, spattering the hunter and nearby fern.

  Too much blood. It shouldn’t have affected Daron like that. He was immortal!

  “What did you do to him?” I asked.

  “Fuck off, whore.” The hunter’s lip curled with revulsion. “Look at you now, a despicable monster.”

  Daron punched the hunter so hard, blood sprayed from his mouth.

  “Release her.” Daron demanded.

  “Fuck you, too, demon.”

  Daron shoved the hunter against the trunk of an oak tree. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”

  “You can torture me all you want, but it won’t change anything. I can’t free her even if I wanted to—and trust me, I don’t. I only learned how to set the trap.” The hunter threw his head back and released a cool laugh. “So, burn in hell, demons!”

  Daron exhaled, puffing his red chest out. He spread his wings wide and they brushed against the trunk of a spruce. “Since you bestowed my love with the courtesy of revealing exactly how you planned to take her life, I believe I will extend the same to you.”

  My love. Did he mean that? My heart panged at those words.

  Daron bent over the hunter. “I am going to crush your throat. As each harsh, precious breath leaves your body, I’m going to watch your eyes bulge with fear. Fear because you’ll be in acute pain knowing your insignificant life is about to end.” His voice was so low and seething, it amplified the threat. “Once your pathetic mortality has ended, I will decapitate you with your own weapon and hurl your remains. Vultures and insects will feast on your rotting corpse.”

  The dark promise in Daron’s words worked on the hunter. He struggled under Daron, crying out for help—a mirror image of how the hunters had bound and threatened me.

  Daron’s laugh signified no reprieve. “This is for what you’ve done to Selena.” He closed his large red hands around the hunter’s throat.

  Satisfaction swelled within me—vengeance was finally at play.

  The hunter clawed and kicked at the forest floor to no effect other than scattering dirt and dried leaves. The scent of life in the soil reached my nostrils as his eyes bulged wide with fear. He thrashed as he fought for his life, but soon his limbs fell still. Daron squeezed for several more seconds.

  Then he stood, walked over to the scythe, and retrieved it. He returned to the hunter and swung the weapon down with such tremendous force, the ground vibrated. The hunter’s head rolled down the hill toward me. I tried to scoot from it as if it were as repellent as a web full of spiders, but the binding reminded me how I was still screwed.

  “Daron!”

  He dropped the weapon and rushed to my side. “Are you all right?” He cupped my cheek. “Did he hurt you?”

  “No. You saved me. But you—he cut you!”

  Daron brushed it off with a wave like it was nothing, although the gaping wound clearly affected him. “What matters is getting you out of that. You were able to escape it last time, right?”

  “This time is much more powerful, Daron. I’m too weak. They forced the sorceress to help them with this spell and they killed her. The magic is dark. So dark. It’s draining me.”

  “Hold on, Selena,” Daron encouraged.

  To what? False hope? I pursed my lips, hating to give voice to the next words. It meant the decapitated hunter might still have won, even beyond the grave.

  “Daron, others might be coming. You need to get away from here fast. I don’t know how much longer I can hold out.”

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Daron

  Fuck, this situation was bad. Trapped out here in the forest with our energy dripping away like sap from a tapped maple tree.

  “I’m not leaving you,” I told Selena. “I don’t care if a hundred more hunters come.”

  Selena sighed. “Oh, Daron.”

  She didn’t look good. She was too pale. The usual fiery spark in her brown eyes had faded, leaving them dulled. We had to get her out of these bonds and back to safety.

  “How did you escape last time?” I asked.

  “Unraveled each layer of the spell,” she said in a softer voice. “Like untying a knot.”

  I stumbled. My legs were unsteady, muscles softening as if atrophy started to claim them.

  Focus. I searched her aura around her, trying to seek how to reverse the spell, but didn’t have that insight. I attempted one counter spell after another. This dark magic was potent. I detected a silver alloy with iron chips mixed into it. No wonder it was draining her. Each of my attempts to work with it left me weaker as well. Combined with the lack of blood, I’d be as useless as that hunter’s corpse in short time.

  She was fading and so was I. I’d been on the road to recovery with Selena caring for me, but the scythe must have been coated with that same dark magic that drained Selena. Scorching heat pulsed through me like a heartbeat as the darkness penetrated each layer of skin.

  I dropped the scythe and took both of her cheeks in my hand. “I can’t lose you.” I tried to keep the desperation out of my voice. “How can I help you?”

  I kissed her, desperate to sense her life spark still. Know that she was okay. Alive. A frisson of heat singed my lips. My energy, zipping from me back to her.

  “Yes.” She purred. “That helps.”

  Of course. She’d already been weakened by nursing me to help, and this darkness drained us like a sieve. I searched for any nearby humans. We needed to feed before we wasted away.

  It was useless. There was nothing. Only this decapitated monster
with his life force long gone.

  Ah, that was stupid of me. In my rage, I’d destroyed him. I blindly followed a path for vengeance to repay the hunter for how he tormented Selena. He would have been more useful if I’d kept him alive and drained his energy to nourish our malnourished bodies.

  A quick glance at that headless corpse killed that regret. Nothing about that monster’s vile life would have provided nourishment.

  She dropped her head back. The weakness was overcoming her.

  “Selena, stay awake!”

  She was weak. Too weak. She moaned and her head lolled.

  Fuck it. I had to give her what I had. It wasn’t enough for both of us, but it was enough for one.

  I took her head in my hands and steadied it. “Stay with me.” I stared into her half-closed eyes. She couldn’t keep eye contact in this state. “I said stay with me, Selena,” I commanded with more authority.

  That startled her enough to make eye contact. She was still conscious. I bent down and kissed her. The heat rose as the energy shifted between us.

  As I transferred more to her, my already tapped energy emptied out. She moaned and gulped at the energy. The more she tasted, the deeper she reached. It restored her strength in a slow circle while depleting mine. My body sagged as the muscles in my legs weakened.

  But she was more important. I’d sacrificed whatever I had to keep her alive. For the first time in my life, I realized something was more important.

  Someone was more important.

  It might have taken a long time for me to discover that what was between us was more than sex, but I had no doubt. I wasn’t like my father, just hopping from one screw to the next. I’d found love with someone I could spend the rest of immortality with.

  If we made it through the night.

  I remembered what I’d planned on giving her before she’d left the safehouse. Pulling the amulet out of my pocket, I draped it over her neck. It might have been too late to protect her, but I’d do anything to save her.