Page 41 of Incubus with Benefits
Lily blinked like she was trying to clear the fog of seduction from her head. “Did your ex-wife just try to seduce me?”
“Yes,” I gritted. I’d known Gina would try it; she always did. In fact, I’d be worried something was wrong if she hadn’t. To her it was all in harmless fun.
And plus, Gina was the only one I trusted to keep Lily safe. Her, and maybe Prax, now that he was mated to Penny. So why was I so unbelievably angry?
Was it because Gina’s seduction had worked? It hadn’t worked completely since she was still dressed and here with me. But Lily was most definitely affected. Her desire was sweet and clear in the room. And she hadn’t told Gina to get lost, and she hadn’t even covered herself back up.
I wasn’t supposed to care. That was the deal. Friends with benefits. Nothing more.
But watching Gina’s fingers trail across Lily’s skin, seeing her robe fall open just enough to reveal the curve of her breast had stirred something in me. And why couldn’t we share? Gina and I had shared so much throughout the centuries. But the thought of Lily flushed and breathless and caught in the haze of desire that wasn’t for me made me irrational.
She was mine.Mine.
But this was the type of possessiveness that had no business surfacing.
My little Vixen put out a hand, and the moment she touched me, I felt myself calming. Her sharp gray eyes watched me like she was trying to read my thoughts, and after a moment, her gaze softened.
“I’m not going to lie,” she said, “Gina’s gorgeous. But she isn’t you. I think I can only handle one incubus or succubus at a time.”
With her hands still on me, she looked over at the bag of takeout still in my hands. “Let’s go eat. I’m ravenous.”
Her phone took this moment to let out a chime, and she went to check it as I set our meals down on the table in the kitchen.
“It’s Gigi and Penny,” she said, looking relieved. “They assured me they’re safe and promised to stick to their mates like glue until we get this all figured out.”
Once we started digging in, Lily hit me with the news that not only had she gone to check out The Breach site, she’d done so alone.
I set my tumbler down, the clink of glass against the table sharper than I intended. Whiskey on the rocks wasn’t doing much to dull the edge tonight. Not when she’d just told me what she did today.
“You went to the portal site alone,” I said, keeping my voice low to stop a growl from forming in my throat.
She speared a roasted potato, popped it into her mouth, and chewed slowly, trying to delay her answer.
“Technically, I wasn’t alone,” she finally said. “There were tons of people there.”
Because it was a busy intersection. I did not find that funny.
She sighed. “Nothing happened while I was out there. No shadow creatures. No creepy whispers.”
I leaned back, arms crossed, feeling the tension coil tighter in my chest. “And yet, the shadow creatures showed up when you were home. Alone.”
“Exactly,” she said, pointing her fork at me. “Which means the danger isn’t at the portal site. It’s following me.”
I didn’t like that answer, but I couldn’t argue either.
She reached into her bag and pulled out a broken bracelet, setting it gently on the table. “I found this behind the containment building. It’s a protective charm. Or it was.”
I picked it up, turning it over in my fingers. The metal was cracked, but the energy still hummed faintly. “It’s broken.”
“Yeah, but the magic is still there. I can feel it. Someone used it recently, and whoever charged it is still alive. This kind of spelldraws from the caster, and I feel it drawing as we speak. It’s still trying to protect her.”
“It’s not much help if it’s not on her.” I wondered if she’d lost it accidentally or if it was removed on purpose, and by whom. “Do you think it belonged to one of the missing women?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. But I talked to a work-study student named Krista, and I don’t think it belonged to her. She had magic, but it felt different. She seemed nice, but defensive. I had to use my talent to get her talking.”
I looked up, a thought starting to percolate in my head. “Did your talent work without misfiring?”
Her lips twisted, and she leaned back slightly. “Now that you mention it, yeah. It worked fine. And the other day, I used my magic on Shadow to get her to come in when Penny was over. I think it worked then too, but it could’ve just been the tuna. Do you think my magic only misfires when I’m casting active spells?”
