Glossary
Acelin Billard- Former Incubus Prince. Lancelin’s older brother.
Alina- Human turned vampire. Erick’s bride and vampire queen.
Ancients- Five of the most powerful mages in the world who had created the dimensions. They were Tuhin, Alexander, Pallatos, Verna and Shinou.
Asmara- Succubus.
Aqua- Immortal water shifters. Species, looks and characteristics unknown.
Chrone- Leader of a Mage coven.
Coven- A group of mages living together, usually consists of thirteen families.
Dark Council- A council consisting of all the Kings and Queens of the eleven dimensions. It holds the peace between dimensions and solves inter-dimensional conflicts.
Dimensions- Parallel worlds/universes. There are eleven and half dimensions in total.
Erick Stayton- Vampire King, Dark Council member and Alina’s husband.
Incubus- Demons that feed on life energy of humans through sex.
Kenna Stayton- Erick’s mother and previous Queen.
Lancelin Eustein- Incubus King.
Mages- Immortals who can draw power from the earth’s resources and cast spells.
Miaka Weller- Demon King.
Nathaniel Eustein- Former Incubus King.
Portals- Magical doorways between dimensions. Can occur naturally or be created by mages.
Sanctium- A peaceful dimension where all the kings and queens of the Dark council reside. Neutral territory.
Scribt- A servant/secretary who works for an Incubus.
Shadowland- An unfinished dimension. No one knows what’s inside or if any creatures live there.
Vampire- Immortals that drink blood.
Valroy Stayton- Erick’s father and former Vampire King.
Valleria Eustein- Former Incubus Queen.
Prologue:
Acelin’s P.O.V
I watched the sun set over the Hudson, the skyline turn from a bright molten gold to a dark indigo as the stars lit up one by one, like fireflies coming to life.
New York City has always intrigued the supernatural. Not only was it filled with overflowing life energy, but the sheer hustle and bustle of the daily life of the commoners left little time for people to speculate. Which was a huge advantage for the supernatural creatures.
No one cared when someone staggered home at five in the morning. No one asked questions when a teenager, barely an adult, got into a fancy car with a stranger, wearing next to nothing and yet still succeeding in sparkling brighter than the sun. And most importantly, there was unlimited supply of fresh feeds. People were drawn to New York like moths drawn to a flame.
“Sir?”
The velvety politeness of the voice turned my attention to the dark haired woman standing behind my desk. She was wearing a white full sleeve shirt with a baby pink pencil skirt, exposing some long, slender legs that stretched for miles. As usual, her hair was in a tight bun on top of her head with not a single strand out of place even though it was seven in the evening. Her golden olive complexion was illuminated under the artificial light glowing on my desk and her lips were devil red, enough to tempt monks into sin.
But as long as I’ve known Sanaya Johnson, she’d never shown interest in me or any of my friends or family members who had visited my company. Maybe because she was immune to our supernatural charm or maybe because she knew exactly what we were and how dangerous it was for her to mix with us. Or maybe she was playing hard to get in the most intriguing manner I’d seen anyone play. Who knows? This woman was full of mysteries that dared men to try and solve them. But as far as I’ve known, Sanaya Johnson had been happily single for the last five years that she’d been working for BlueStar.
“Yes?” I answered when I saw she had her planner in her hands.
“Your dinner reservation is in an hour at your favorite restaurant, and you are to pick your date up in about thirty five minutes. The wine and dinner menu has already been ordered as per your and Ms. James’s taste.” Sanaya used a slender finger to lift up her reading glasses as she continued to narrate the list. “I’ve taken care of any last-minute changes to you schedule, and the penthouse suite has been book at The PinkStone Villa for the weekend. I’ve also informed your housekeeping staff to pack your luggage accordingly. Everything is ready and waiting in your car.”
“Thank you, Sanaya.” I smiled politely at the woman that I had come to admire for the course of the last five years. “It’s truly been a pleasure having you here.”
“I should be the one thanking you, Sir, for trusting me despite my shortcomings.” Sanaya bowed her head slightly out of respect.
Shortcomings? I didn’t think she had any, but I didn’t refute her. Sanaya was one of the few people who knew our secret and worked accordingly to make our life easier. Over the years, I’ve had several secretaries, but none as efficient as Sanaya. It would be tough to watch her go as her term with our company would end next week. But Sanaya has been ordered to transfer to my brother’s company and that was one decision that I was completely okay with.
“Have you read the files regarding my brother?” I asked her as I grab my jacket from the back of my chair, and Sanaya immediately came over to help me put it on.
“Yes. I’ve been very thorough about all the details provided.” Sanaya said as she stepped back. “But I’m guessing there’s a lot more to Mr. Eustein than what the file provided.”
“Remember to observe and study him in person. Lance is known to be quite difficult when he wants to be.” I warned her, remembering the long list of Secretaries that he had fired in the last three months alone.
“Oh, don’t worry, Sir. I’ll be on the lookout for anything and everything.”
That, I had no doubt about. Sanaya was always very observant and was prone to notice the tiniest of details that even I had failed to notice. It’s part of what made her so efficient and valuable.
I smiled as I gave Sanaya an early leave and headed out of my office. It will be interesting to see Lancelin the untamable and Sanaya Johnson clash heads. My brother has been in a sore mood for as long as I could remember but he’d always been very observant of Sanaya, whenever they had had a chance to come face to face, which wasn’t all that often. But now he better watch out for her, because if there was one thing I was sure of, it was the fact that Sanaya was no ordinary woman. She was meant for greater things and her journey has only just begun.
Chapter 1:Lancelin's P.O.V"Hey, handsome! Can I buy you a drink?”I took in the brunette beauty from the corner of my eyes before returning back to my drink. Even in human terms, she was beautiful and she knew it. Her dark curls were tumbled over one shoulder effortlessly to expose her long, bare neck and a butterfly tattoo in shimmering blue shore on one exposed shoulder. The red dress she wore showed a lot of her cleavage and hugged her body in all the right places before ending a few inches above her knee. Her makeup was light except for her cherry red lips and the flush on her cheeks looked to be both from the alcohol she had been consuming as well as being in such a close proximity to me.I gulped down the rest of my whisky and got off the bar stool while grabbing her hand and pulling her hard against my chest. “How about we move somewhere private instead?” I whispered in her ear while slowly movi
Chapter 2:Sanaya's P.O.VI shut my alarm even before it had a chance to complete one ring.To be honest, I hadn’t slept a wink last night. It had already been three thirty in the morning when I’d arrived home and it had seemed pointless to sleep for a mere two hours before I started working as Lancelin Eustein’s Scribt, or as the modern tern goes, Personal Secretary.And it had felt like a good idea to go over the documents that Acelin’s team had compiled on his brother’s habits, likes and dislikes instead of sleeping. Working with Acelin and BlueStar had already prepared me for countless sleepless nights as well as numerous jetlags, but I had a feeling that Lancelin was going to be a whole other story.Getting up at exactly six in the morning, I went straightaway to the bathroom for a warm shower to wake me up from the slight fatigue I was feeling. Once I had showered, I put on my ro
Chapter 3:Sanaya's P.O.V“Going out already?” My mother asked from the kitchen when I came out of my room.For as long as I can remember, my mother, Samira Johnson, had always been an early bird. She liked to wake up before the sun rose and after some meditation and a shower, spent some time in front of the marble idol of Lord Ganesha and pray for our family’s welfare. Even though my father had been a Christian, he had never forced us to follow his religion. Which is why we had a Hindu idol at our house, as well as a statue of Jesus Christ.“Yes,” I told her as I sat on the table and picked up the fork to dig into the sunny-side up, fried eggs and bacon sandwich that she had prepared for me. “I’ll be starting work at a new office from today onward.”“New office?” My mother looked at me horrified. “Honey, did you get fired from your previous office?
Chapter 4:Sanaya's P.O.VThree hours later, I was cursing every known God on the planet for the ungodly existence of the being called Lancelin Eustein.“Do you have any special preferences amongst the women listed in your diary?”“No.”“Do you have any special restaurant preferences?”“No.”“Any favorite food items?”“No,”“Any particular allergies?”That just earned me a look with a raised eyebrow.Right. Incubi = immortal = all kinds of disease resistant…especially STDs.“Any particular kind of gift you like to send your…”“Meals.”What the fuck? Did he just call his mistresses his…meals?I was screaming and ripping out my hair on the inside but outwardly, I just gave him a polite smile and continued. &ldquo
Chapter 5:Lancelin’s P.O.VI sprang out of my seat as soon as the elevator doors shut behind Ms. Johnson and headed for the trash can. Frowning, I debated what to do as I looked at the discarded Starbuck’s cup and my hands. The entire building was regularly cleaned and disinfected by the clean-up crew early every morning, before office hours started but I was still uncomfortable picking up the cup with my bare hands.Ultimately, my curiosity got the best of me and I pulled out a glove from one of the drawers of a cupboard and fetched out the cup. Opening the lib, I found the thick milky beverage staring back at me mockingly as the scent of vanilla tickled my nostrils. So I shut the lid back on the cup and discarded it back into the trash can, along with my used glove.If there was one thing I hated most in this world, it was being proven wrong. And thanks to Ms. Johnson, I had just been proven wrong and on to
Chapter 6:Sanaya’s P.O.V“Thank you for your co-operation.”I slid the envelop across the table at the woman sitting opposite me. Her glossy black hair was pulled back in a high ponytail and her usual bright makeup was replaced with something natural, to make her blend in the crowd rather than stand out on a TV screen. Jaclyn Stonewater was easily one of the most recognizable faces on TV as one of the top fifteen Hollywood news reporters. She was also considered a style icon by many. But the woman who sat opposite from me today was dressed in grey sweatpants and a black hoodie. Her outfit and makeup a camouflage to blend into the crowd.“You don’t have to pay me,” the senior reporter pushed the envelope back in my direction. “Consider this a favor for Mr. Eustein. I’d like to redeem my price another way.”I eyed the woman and realized that she had always had an
Chapter 7:Lancelin’s P.O.V“A red lipstick from my luxury line deluxe edition?” Amber Rose Verborg, the CEO of one of the famous luxury make-up brands in the UA, Esteem Amber, a part-time supermodel and a Succubus, a female Incubus, raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at me from the opposite side of the table.“Is there a problem?” I asked her, trying to give away anything that would raise unwanted interests in my personal life.“Absolutely not.” Amber Rose smiled widely and tilted her head to the side making her auburn curls brush her exposed shoulders. “However, I will need specifics.”I was currently at the La Donna Deluxe Hotel in Queens, New York, on a dinner date discussing business and family matters. To outsiders, it may look like we were on date but we weren’t actually. Amber Rose was my cousin, my maternal uncle’s daughter and
Chapter 8:Sanaya’s P.O.V“I’m home!” I called out as I shut the front door behind me.“Maa?” I asked out loud when I didn’t hear her reply. “Maa, where are you?”Hanging my keys in the key holder beside the door, I took off my shoes and entered the house. The bright neon green sticky note stuck to the fridge was like a huge pop-up sign that I already knew the contents of, but I ripped it off the fridge and read it anyway.Gone to Mrs. Sharma’s for Maata Ki Chowki. Don’t wait up for me. P.S- Mrs. Sharma’s son, Rahul, he’s also going to be there. I heard he’s a civil engineer. I’ll save you a seat.I sighed and threw the note away in the trash can. Only my mom would make a post script longer than the actual message and advertise her friend’s ‘talented son’ all at once. Her