Incubus Among Us Box Set (Shifter Romance) Page 21

  A knock came from that very door.

  Tiffany threw her arms into the air. "Come on! Really?"

  I dropped my arms and raised an eyebrow as I glanced at the entrance. "Yes?" I called.

  "Delivery service," a young man's voice replied. The tone was unusually flat.

  I furrowed my brow, but pocketed the locket and walked over to open the door. My friends turned and looked over the rear of the couch. On the other side of the entrance stood a handsome young man of twenty-five. His blond hair was cut short and his skin was unblemished with hard work. He stood erect at a height a smidgen taller than mine, and he had muscles in all the right sizes and places. He stared straight ahead without blinking and his stance was very stiff, almost unnatural. The stranger was dressed in street clothes without any sort of identification as to his delivery service employer.

  I waved my hand in front of him, but there was no reaction. Not even a blink. "You okay?" I asked him.

  "He will be fine," a voice piped up. David stepped out from behind the young man and smiled at me. "That is, after we are finished with him."

  "Finished with him? David, what the hell's going on?" I questioned him.

  "Nothing you need worry about," he assured me. He grabbed the young man's shoulders and guided him past me and into my apartment.

  I reluctantly shut the door behind them and scrutinized my unexpected guest. He walked like a zombie, looked like a zombie, and talked like a zombie. "David, what did you to do him?"

  "Merely a little dreaming," David replied. He stopped them in the middle of the floor between the kitchen and living room. David released the stranger and stepped away from the man. The man didn't move an inch. I could barely see him take breaths. My friends jumped to their feet and gawked at my handsome lover and the stranger.

  Ann walked to the rear of the couch and just a foot away from David. She set a fist on her hip and wagged a finger at him. "You have some explaining to do, young man! You tricked me into giving you that date with Liz!" she scolded him.

  He smiled and bowed his head. "I did, but nothing I told you was untrue. I truly wanted to meet a woman just like Liz."

  "That's pretty low giving her that curse and then sticking yourself into her life like that," Tiffany spoke up.

  David's smile faltered a little. "I admit I have much to apologize for and that is why I have brought my new young friend." David patted the young man on the shoulder. "He will help me train Liz."

  I moved so I stood in front of the stranger. I waved my hand in his face, and he didn't even twitch. "How? He's like a zombie."

  "Now, yes, but even a male zombie can be susceptible to the wiles of a succubus," he told me.

  Ann raised her quivering hand. "There aren't really any zombies, are there?" she squeaked.

  David chuckled and shook his head. "None that I'm aware of."

  "Not on my watch. . ." I heard Mo murmur.

  "So how's a guy going to help Liz?" Tiffany spoke up.

  "A very good question, and one best answered by a demonstration." He turned to me and held out a hand. "If you would step over here, Liz, we will begin."

  I frowned and pointed at the stranger. "David, did you kidnap him?"

  David waved away my question. "I am merely borrowing him from his life. He will be returned when we are finished," he promised.

  I looked to Mo and jerked my head towards the stranger. "There's no APB put out for him yet, is there?"

  Mo shook his head. "No, and his roommates won't notice him missing for quite some time."

  I sighed and returned my attention to David. "All right, what do I do?"

  "Stand in front of him," David commanded me. I walked over and stood so I faced the zombie man. My friends scurried back onto the couch and leaned over the back like this was some form of theater entertainment.

  "I swear to God if I hear one word about popcorn. . ." I warned them. They shook their heads, but the twitching of their lips told me they were amused.

  David stood behind and to one side of the stranger. "Good, now focus your eyes and concentrate on his looks. Study his soft, smooth skin, his muscles, everything that makes him a male."

  I narrowed my eyes and scrutinized the guy. He was cute, I gave him that. Not quite my type with that blond hair and blank expression, but not bad. Maybe a little coaxing could get out a wilder side to him that'd be worth the fun. A little teasing here, a little playing there, and he would be jumping me for a chance in bed.

  Which, coincidentally, was exactly what he did. He sprang at me so fast that I only had time to yelp before he crushed me to the ground. His eyes were wild with lust, and his lips were everywhere. His hands weren't far behind, and I had a hard time keeping them at bay.

  "Liz!" I heard my friends yell.

  The frenzy lasted two seconds before he stiffened. His eyes took on the blank expression and he climbed off me. My friends rushed to my side and Tiffany glared at the stranger and David. "What the hell did you do to her?" she snapped at him.

  David shook his head. "I did nothing. She attracted him to her."

  I sat up and rubbed the back of my bruised head. "Lucky me. . ." I grumbled.

  "You must learn to control your thoughts when you see a member of the opposite sex. If you can control your thoughts then you can control the succubus energy you exude," he explained.

  "That's easier said than done," I retorted as Ann helped me to my feet.

  "That wasn't a bad try for your first time. He didn't remove any of your clothes," David pointed out.

  Tiffany marched up to him and jabbed a finger into his chest. "Listen, bub, you can't help Liz if she's knocked out cold by your little zombie here."

  David looked her in the eyes with a steady, firm gaze. "And nobody can help her if she doesn't keep trying."

  "It's fine, Tiff," I spoke up.

  She turned to me with pursed lips and pointed an accusing finger at the zombie. "But he could have done a lot more than just tear off your clothes!" she argued.

  "But he didn't, and that was thanks to him," I pointed out.

  Tiffany bit her lip, but her shoulders slumped and she sighed. Her narrowed eyes flickered to David. "All right, we can keep doing this, but snap to it a little faster next time, got it?"

  David bowed his head. "I will."

  "Good. Now let's get this teaching over with."

  Chapter 3

  It was a long night with a hard floor. After the second concussion against my hard floor I lost count of how many times the guy jumped me. By the time the clock struck midnight I was bruised, battered and exhausted. My head hurt, my bones creaked, and the most progress I could make was glaring at the guy and hating his very appearance.

  "Ah!" I yelped as he took me down like a horny linebacker. In a moment he was back up, but I lay stretched on the floor. "Uncle," I croaked.

  David's face came into my view along with those of my two friends and Mo's. The incubus' lips were pursed as he looked over me. "You have made little progress," he pointed out.

  "No, I've made great progress on shattering every bone in my body," I argued.

  Ann bit her lower lip and looked to David. "She doesn't look too good," she commented.

  "She is fine," he argued.

  "No, I'm not," I groaned.

  "Give the girl a break," Tiffany growled at him.

  "She wished to learn," he reminded her.

  "Not about this much pain," I moaned. Tiffany helped me sit up and I rubbed my aching arms and head. "I think we need to call it quits for tonight before I'm blacker than Mo."

  The feline twitched its tail. "Your coat looks rather more uneven," he retorted.

  "Yeah, and it feels that way, too," I quipped.

  David sighed, but nodded his head. "I suppose the hour is late, and I have duties to attend to."

  "And you have to take the guy back," Ann spoke up.

  David stood and looked over his captive. The stranger stood as still as a statue, but I could see a few bruises on
his face where he'd collided with my hard head. "Yes. I will have to find another suitable young man for tomorrow evening."

  I cringed. "I think I need one night's vacation. You know, so the bruises don't get bruises."

  David bowed his head. "If that's what you wish."

  I rotated an arm and winced at the pain. "That's what I need."

  "Very well. I will return the night after tomorrow. Until then." He bowed to us and left with his captive.

  A small part of me was sad to see him go. It was one of the few parts not bruised to pieces by his unorthodox training method. Ann and Tiffany helped me over to the couch where I collapsed on the cushion.

  I leaned against the back and groaned. "This is a terrible way to die. . ." I muttered.

  Tiffany plopped herself beside me and glared at the door through which David had gone. "He's a real psychopath," she commented.

  "I think he's just very patient," Ann argued as she sat on my other side.

  "The crazy ones always are," Tiffany retorted.

  I shifted atop my cushion and winced. "Anybody mind getting me an ice pack for my body?" I pleaded.

  "No problem!" Tiffany agreed.

  "I'll help!" Ann chimed in.

  With their powers combined I was soon covered from head-to-foot in packs of ice stuffed into plastic bags. My bruised body numbed below the neck, but I sighed in relief. I closed my eyes and sank into the cushion.

  "You gonna be okay?" Tiffany spoke up.

  I nodded. "Yeah, I think so. Not much good for work tomorrow, but I think I can make it."

  "Lenin would probably fire you if you didn't show up," Ann agreed.

  "You shouldn't go, anyway. He can just stuff it," Tiffany argued.

  I sighed and leaned forward. Some of the ice packs fell away. "I may be turning into a succubus, but I still have to eat and pay rent," I reminded her.

  "If you're turning into a succubus then you can at least enjoy your time as a human," she insisted.

  I cringed and looked away. Ann scowled at me other friend. "Tiffany. . ." she whispered.

  Tiffany shrugged. "What? It's true. That's why we just watched her get pulverized by a zombie guy for the last six hours."

  I sighed and stood. "I think I need a long sleep. Can you let yourselves out?"

  "Did you want us to stay?" Ann offered.

  I shook my head. "No, I'll be fine. Nothing internal, just tired."

  They reluctantly stood. "All right, but I expect you to be at work tomorrow," Ann insisted.

  "And if you need anything just bang through the wall," Tiffany added.

  I managed a small smile for them. "I'll be fine, thanks."

  They each gave me a hug, a look of pity, and a final farewell before they left. I sighed and shuffled my way to my bedroom with Mo by my side.

  "You weren't being entirely truthful with your internal injuries," Mo told me.

  "Why do you say that?" I asked him as I dug into my drawer and tossed out my night clothes.

  Mo hopped onto the foot of the bed and twitched his tail at me. "Your heart still doesn't know what it wants to do."

  I paused over my opened drawer and sighed. "I think I'm a little too tired for this talk."

  Mo hopped off the bed and walked to the closed entrance door. "All right, but you have to decide sometime, and I suggest you do it soon."

  I frowned and spun around to the fiendish feline. "And what's that-" Mo walked through the closed door and out of sight. I raced after him, flung open the door, and stuck my head into the hall. No sign of the hairball. "Mo? Mo?" No answer. I rolled my eyes and closed the door. I'd have to ask him about that tomorrow.

  I slept through the night undisturbed and woke up feeling exhausted and aching. My body went through the motions, and somehow I made it to work with ten seconds to spare. Ann met me at my cubicle. There was a frown on her face. There was never a frown on her face unless someone died or there was big trouble. I wasn't sure which one I hoped for.

  "What's wrong?" I asked her.

  "Do you. . .do you know any priests?" she wondered.

  I tilted my head and blinked at her. "No, why?"

  "Well, it's just that-well, I met one last night after I left your apartment and he-well, he told me he was looking for someone in your apartment building and gave a description of somebody who looked like you," she explained.

  I froze as a memory surfaced. The color drained from my face and my blood ran cold in my veins. The priests from the church. The warning from Madam Curie telling me to beware of people in black clothes. I grabbed Ann's hand and dragged her into my cubicle and onto the floor in front of my desk.

  I lowered my voice to a strained, hushed whisper. "Where'd you meet this guy?"

  "J-just down the block from your apartment. I couldn't find any parking nearby, so I-"

  "What'd he look like?" I persisted.

  She shrugged. "Kind of young, maybe our age, and he wore those black robes priests wear. That's how I knew he was a priest." I shuddered, and she clasped her hands in mine. "Liz, what's going on? What's wrong?"

  I took a deep breath and shook my head. "Maybe nothing, maybe something. You said he asked you about me? Did you tell him anything?" Ann cringed and turned her face away from me. Not a good sign. I grabbed her shoulders and gave her a shake. "Ann, please tell me you weren't your little honest self! Please!"

  She bit her lower lip. "I did kind of tell him there was somebody in that building."

  "And?"

  "And that she lived at your apartment number."

  "And?"

  "And maybe I told him your name."

  "Aargh!"

  The whole floor grew deathly quiet. I cringed when I heard the stomp of footsteps approach my cubicle. I grabbed Ann and pulled her to her feet just as Lenin made his appearance in the doorway to the small space. His narrow eyes swept over us with intolerable cruelty.

  "What is going on here?" he questioned me.

  "I-um, I-" My eyes flickered to Ann. I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her partially in front of me. "Ann just told me she was pregnant."

  "What?" she squeaked.

  "Yeah, that's what I thought when you told me," I agreed.

  Lenin's narrowed eyes grew thinner. I expected him to erupt in a tirade against lazy workers that finished in a grand finale of firing me. Instead his lips curled up in a smirk that made me shudder. "Another outburst like that and you're suspended," he warned me.

  I vigorously nodded my head. "Yes, sir, it won't happen again." He marched off, and Ann spun around with a bewildered look on her face.

  "I'm not pregnant, am I?" she asked me.

  I sighed and patted her on the shoulder. "No, but I'm in trouble. That guy you told my life story to is probably not trying to get a hold of me to award me a million dollars."

  "Maybe half that?" she suggested.

  "Oh, to live in your world. . ." I mumbled.

  "It is nice."

  "Ann, I'm trying to tell you you did bad."

  "Oh. . ."

  "Yeah. What else did you tell the guy?"

  She shook her head. "Nothing. He thanked me and walked away to a black car."

  "A black sedan?" I questioned her.

  She nodded. "Yeah, why? Who is this guy?"

  I grabbed my purse, brushed past her to the hall, and paused for dramatic effect in the cubicle doorway. "He's trouble, Ann, a lot of trouble."

  Ann held out a hand to me. "Where are you going? We're supposed to be working right now," she reminded me.

  "Home. I have to ask a certain cat and incubus what I can do to shake these guys. If Lenin asks for me tell him I went into a fit of hysterics and had to leave."

  I hurried down the hall and to the elevators. My mind swirled with thoughts of black robes and cars, and the warning from David about what they would do if they caught me. That pair wouldn't hesitate to dunk me in holy water and force me to do a rendition of the Wicked Witch scene from the end of the movie where I was just a puddle of food
coloring. My only hope lay in a spirit feline who was miffed at me, and an incubus who wanted to drag me into his world.

  Chapter 4

  I drove back home and parked my car on the curb. My suspicious mind forced me to do a sweep of the stoop and alley. Nothing there. I stepped out of the car and froze when my new spider-er, succubus senses went crazy. There was a tingling at the back of my neck like something was wrong. My eyes swept over the area. Nothing but the usual light foot traffic on the road. It was the work hours, after all. There were a few cars parked along the curb. Some vans, a beat-up old truck, a really nice black sedan, a Volkswagon bug-oh shit. A nice black sedan. Just like the one I'd seen at the church.

  The vehicle sat on the curb just a little ways past the entrance to the alley. The windows were darkly tinted, but I could just make out two people in the front, but not their faces. They were dressed in dark clothing. Black clothing.

  My heart went rat-a-tat-tat on the drums of my nerves. I whipped my head away. Don't make eye contact. Don't let them know you know. I heard a soft rumble of an engine, and glanced over my shoulder. The vehicle crept towards me like a shadow monster threatening to swallow me. I took long steps and sailed up the stoop stairs. The damn door lock stood in my way. I fumbled for my keys. The car moved closer, never stopping, never slowing. I snatched my key from my purse and jammed it into the lock. The car parked behind mine. I grabbed the handle and turned the key. A car door opened. I flung myself inside and slammed the door shut with my back.

  A shadow appeared at the door. There came a knock just to the side of my head. I stumbled back and turned to face the door. Someone stood on the other side. Someone in a frock. There came another knock. Oh hell no. I turned away and ran to the stairwell. No time for the elevator.

  "No running in the lobby!" Ackerman yelled from his desk.

  I ignored him and raced up the steps to my hall. My footsteps pounded the floor and Tiffany peeked her head out of her apartment. Her hair was rumpled and she was still in her pajamas. "Hey, Liz, where's the fire? Your boyfriend doesn't come tonight, remember?"