Page 10 of Incubus with Benefits
“I was a cobbler in another life. It was honest work to hide what I was,” I admitted.
“Huh, I would’ve never guessed.”
Mr. Kim was still pacing in the hallway, muttering under his breath about broken locks and bad omens when we stepped out of Lily’s apartment. Lily’s landlord must know a thing or two about witchcraft, because he paled when she pointed out the broken charms and talismans.
“Could it be...” He trailed off, eyes darting to me.
Lily waved her hand. “He knows about the missing witches.”
Mr. Kim was more than he seemed to be. But that wasn’t uncommon here in Darlington.
Seeing the confused look on my face, Mr. Kim laughed, the first lighthearted sound he’d made this whole time. “My wife is a mudang. Think of it like a Korean shaman.”
“That’s how I found the place,” Lily explained. “I met Mrs. Kim on theLet’s Talk About Hexforum.”
Ah, that explained why the unassuming older man was privy to things happening to witches.
Lily motioned to her rolling bag. “I’m going to stay with Julian for a while until we can get everything cleaned up and my wards back in place.”
“Yes,” I said, solemnly. “I’ve got her. My place is well-warded.”
That seemed to settle Mr. Kim. He nodded. “Good, good. I will message you when your door is fixed.”
Lily took one last glance at her home. “Thanks for checking on me, Mr. Kim.”
Then we were back in my vehicle, and heading home.
Troublefoundusinfront of my club in the form of a police cruiser and two boys in blue. It was the same pair who had visited on Monday. If I recalled correctly, the taller one played the good cop, and the shorter with the lobster sunburn was the asshole.
They’d parked in front of my garage door, blocking my entrance, so I parked in one of the external parking spots instead. I owned the whole building anyway; it didn’t matter where I parked.
“What the hell?” Lily asked.
Shit. I’d told her I knew about the witches going missing, but I hadn’t said anything about the cops showing up. I quickly caught her up. Then I went to the trunk to grab her bag as she quickly wove a spell. Or at least that was what I thought the mumbling of words were.
Lobster Face spoke first as we got out of the vehicle. “There he is with the missing woman.” He crossed his arms over his chest, a smug look on his face. “I knew you had something to do withit. You incubuses are always up to no good. Never had a doubt. Ain’t no denying it now. We caught you red-handed.”
I flipped my palms up next to my hips to show that I was not armed. I knew full well that my video cameras were pointed this way and there would be no claiming that I had a weapon. Not that a demon like me needed a separate weapon. Iwasthe weapon.
The idiot didn’t seem to grasp that though as he stomped toward me, insufferable cocky smirk on his face.
But I didn’t get a chance to stand up more for myself because Lily was already stepping in front of me.
“A missing woman?” she asked innocently. “Who went missing?” Then she blinked twice, looking for all the world like the fake dumb blonde, or was that dumb pink, she was going for.
The two officers shared a glance.
“Me?” she asked with a gasp. “But I’m right here. I’m not missing.”
Lobster Face seemed at a loss for words. So his partner spoke instead.
“Miss,” he started with a slight nod.
“It’s Lily.” Lily stuck out a hand before he could continue. She batted her eyelashes at him, and was it just me or did her clothes look a little tighter than before?
The moment her hand touched his, something happened. I didn’t quite know what though. I was too busy trying to resist the urge to growl at the man for shaking her hand. Lily was a conquest. Conquests came and went. There was no need to get all possessive over her. This wasn’t like me.
But as Lily leaned in, pouring on the charm, I recognized the insidious feeling growing in my chest. There was no doubt about it. I was jealous.
