Page 35 of Incubus with Benefits
It turned out she had no idea because Alfonzo wouldn’t let her help at all. But she had to keep coming every day to get her credits.
“I don’t even get paid either.”
“Man, that sucks,” I said with genuine sympathy. “I hope you get your credits.”
I thanked her before making a quick getaway before Alfonzo could get back.
Later that afternoon, I was at the library doing some research on innate talents to see if I could undo the damage I’d done by ignoring it most of my life, when I found myself staring at Julian’s message again between the stacks.
Gah. Why couldn’t I stop thinking about him? Technically, I had an excuse to see him now. The bracelet in my pocket suddenly felt heavier, like it was begging me to find out if any of the women had been wearing it when they disappeared. I also still had Julian’s necklace at home.
Oh, screw it! I knew that the bracelet and the necklace were just excuses. I missed Julian already. Before I could overthink, I typed back a message.
Me:Is the offer for dinner still open? BTW, I still have your necklace.
To my surprise, he replied almost immediately.
Julian:Yes. I’ll pick you up at six?
Me:Sounds great!
Julian:One more thing.
Me:What?
Julian:I fixed your shoes. Wear something to match.
I grinned. The man had great taste.
The last time I’d seen those shoes, they’d been hanging on a wall over his desk, smelling of glue. They looked great and he’d even managed to fix up the leather, though I’d been sure damage like that couldn’t be buffed out.
According to Julian, it was hard to find shoes nowadays that were built to last. Many modern shoes were meant to be thrown out rather than recobbled.
No longer able to concentrate on the titles in front of me, I called myself aSpeed Demon Caband headed home.
I wasn’t even home for an hour when I found Shadow pawing at my balcony door, meowing urgently. That was strange. She’d never behaved like this before, demanding to be let in. The moment I opened the door, she shot inside and hid under my couch like something was after her. Even stranger still. Was she being bullied by another stray? I peered around but couldn’t see anything.
Then I sensed it: The sudden feeling like I was being watched and hunted. Behind me, Shadow had crawled back out from under the couch. She faced the balcony door and hissed like she thought she could protect me. Brave little kitty! I quickly shut the door, making sure all my wards were intact.
“I feel it too, Shadow. Come here.” I reached for the cat, and she instinctively jumped into my arms.
And then they were there, appearing from out of an invisible fog: humanoid shadow creatures. With Shadow in my arms, I backed away from the window, even as they started to pound on the door. I was surprised their smoky fists actually made contact. But that was a good thing, right? It meant they couldn’t phase right through.
Then they were at the windows too. And my door!
I had no idea where they’d come from, but one thing was certain: they were here for me.
Chapter 17
Julian
Imust’vechangedmyoutfit at least half a dozen times before settling on a midnight blue suit with a silver and pink tie that matched Lily’s hair. There was no reason for me to be this excited about dinner.
Would you believe I’d never actually asked anyone out on a date since opening Delerium? I felt like a young squire polishing his armor to escort the lady of his heart to the midsummer festival.Which was ridiculous, considering I was a centuries-old incubus who’d been around the block more times than I cared to count.
I arrived at her apartment almost half an hour early. I was going to wait in the car like a normal person and give her time to get ready, but something in my gut told me to knock on her door. I tried to ignore it, lasted five minutes, then gave in and headed up the steps.
The second I reached her front door, I knew something was wrong.
