Page 28 of Incubus with Benefits
It was time to pay my friend a secret visit.
Then I did what demons did best: I faded out into almost nothing, making myself nearly invisible. Without substance, we could sit like a fly on the wall, barely detectable. It was good for people-watching. In this case, I needed answers, and I was about to get them.
Chapter 14
Lily
Myapartmentlookedalmostnormal again. I’d cleaned up most of the mess from the break-in, thanks to a body-doubling cleaning spell that mimicked everything I did several feet over. It was like having two sets of hands to sweep and two sets of hands to tidy. Shadow had finished everything in the food and water bowls outside, so I refreshed those as well, hoping to catch a glimpse of her today.
But even with the shattered glass gone, the furniture upright, and Shadow’s bowls refilled, the place still felt… off.
It felt like everything was out to get me. I wanted to crawl back to Julian’s place, especially after the lazy Sunday we’d just had, but I’d probably already overstayed my welcome. He wasn’t the relationship type, and we’d already spent the whole weekend together. Sure, it was because my place had been unlivable and he was being a good friend, but it still smacked a little too close to relationship territory.
I wanted to keep things between us casual, and I couldn’t do that if I accidentally caught feelings. I’d hate it if I had to avoid Delerium because things were complicated between us. There were other nightlife choices in Darlington, but nothing was quite the same. I tried to ignore the fact that it might already be a bit too late to avoid feelings. I shoved thoughts of the sexy incubus aside and focused on my home.
Unlike Griselda’s place, which practically dripped with personality and witchy charm, mine was a sad little shrine to procrastination. I’d lived here for years, always telling myself I’d make it my own… one day. Just like I kept telling myself I’d start my own business. Spoiler: neither happened. The furniture was cheap, mismatched, and about as inspiring as a soggy saltine. The only thing I’d ever taken pride in was my shoe collection. At least my heels had flair.
I’d just finished resetting the last of the wards when my phone buzzed. Penny.
“Open sesame,” she said, and before I could respond, a portal shimmered into existence in the middle of my living room.Through it, I could see her living room and Prax waving at us. I waved back. She stepped through alone, which was perfect. I needed some one-on-one girl time with my friend.
She had a T-shirt with a cartoon hammerhead shark on it and the wordsIt’s Hammer Timewritten in bold across the back.
“This place looks so much better than the picture you sent me earlier. But you look exhausted,” she said.
“I am,” I muttered.
I’d already laid down a new ward, channeling the energy I’d put into Julian’s gold chain into the spell. But I knew it wasn’t enough. My old one hadn’t stopped whoever had broken in. In fact, I hadn’t even known until I got home that it had been breached.
That was why Penny was here. Our magic compounded when working together. Add Gigi to the mix, and we bordered on formidable. But Gigi was still at her café, so it was just us for now.
As we worked, Penny glanced at me. “So what’s the plan? You going to fix up your resume? Apply for something in your field? Or finally start that business you keep talking about?”
I winced. “I don’t know. I’m not sure I want to continue doing what I do, but I also don’t know what else I could do to make a living. I mean, it was easy for you and Gigi. You struggled with learning magic when you were younger, so you’re the perfect person to help those struggling now. And Gigi brews the best coffee in the city. I don’t know what I’m good at. I mean, I likemy tech and gadgets, but I’m not sure that’s something I want to make a life out of. And besides, I’m kind of scared.”
“Of what?”
“Failing. Not being good enough. I already screwed up the whole witchcraft thing by ignoring my magic talent for years. That’s why I buried myself in tech. It was easier to be good at something that didn’t care how I felt.”
Penny frowned. “That wasn’t really your fault. Your parents made you suppress it as a kid. And when we met I was a lot weaker than you were. You had to help me a lot. If it weren’t for you and Gigi, I would’ve quit trying to control my magic years ago.” She kept weaving her energy into the ward, her fingers glowing faintly.
“Helping you figure out your magic helped me a lot,” I said quietly.
We kept working, tossing around job ideas while channeling magic into the protective barrier, layering our magic into the spell until it pulsed with quiet strength.
“Tech consultant for magical security,” she said. “You could help witches connect tech with their magic. Kind of like what you did with me and Gigi’s place.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I couldn’t even protect my own place. How can I help someone else? And what if my stuff failed? I don’t wanna be responsible for someone getting hurt.”
“You could freelance for the EA,” she added. “They’re always short on people who understand both tech and spell work. And helping them solve cases and mysteries is fulfilling work.”
That could work. I already had an in since we’d helped them control The Breach. And that had me thinking of Julian, Delerium, as well as all the missing witches again. “Did you find anything useful on the forums about the missing women?” I asked.
“Aside from the fact that the witches were all there that day, which you already figured out? All the missing witches lived alone. And one of the missing witch’s friends said she started talking to that EA rep from Rome who’s researching the contained portal.”
Interesting. “Does she know what they talked about?”
“Something about improving the containment spell, without draining any more magic.”
