Half asleep, I rolled to my left to cuddle with my incubus. Instead of his ripped, warm body, my hands landed on the cold sheets. My fingers searched for him around my bed but couldn’t find him.“Desmond,” I called for him in my morning woolly voice.Still, no response came.Once I opened my eyes, I found the space next to me empty and unwrinkled. There wasn't a trace of anyone having laid on the sheet. “Where did he go?” I yawned and covered my gaping mouth.The needles on the clock gave me a reality check. It was noon. I had slept all morning! My silly self was expecting an early morning hour.“Oh no, Mom!” What kind of daughter was I who had left her fresh out of a coma mother to care for herself?!After putting on a long, baggy tee shirt, I rushed downstairs without touching anything else.It was hard to believe what I saw downstairs. Mom was cooking in the kitchen all alone.“What are you doing, Mom?” I snatched the spoon from her hands. “I know I am a terrible daughter for slee
Fear and dread are small words to describe my emotions. A lump of painful anxiety was stuck in my throat. Eventually, my tightened chest muscles would give out, bearing one astonishing news after the other.My stomach turned. I am not sure which of the following disturbed me the most:I shared a few nights of passion with an imposter, possibly a demon.Or, the man who had protected me and I had begun to grow fond of was a malignant spirit.“Cass, are you okay?” Becky touched my arm.“Yes, of course,” I lied through my teeth. “What were you saying about your great aunt, Elaine?”“Madame Meredith Long is one of the oldest white witches alive. She is the only one I know capable of detecting an imposter correctly. If Desmond is an incubus with some special ability, then she is the only one who can confirm,” Elaine answered.“Is she still practicing at eighty? She must not be able to travel a lot, so when can we leave to meet her? Or perhaps we can call her?”Elaine pursed her lips. “She l
“Ouch!” Desmond wiped his face with a sleeve. The holy water was all over his face and shirt. While my aim had not failed me in that chaotic situation, it was a disappointment at carnivals and bowling. “Aha! It hurts, doesn’t it?” I pointed my finger at him. “Yes, Cassidy, it hurts.” Desmond’s tone was a bit aggressive. Swallowing my saliva, I carefully slid back in my seat until my back hit the door. My fingers gripped the car door handle, preparing myself to flee if things got out of hand after my next question. “Desmond, holy water only burns malignant spirits. Then how come you are affected by it?” Desmond’s pupils fixed on me. Under the sunlight, his iris’ looked almost golden. However, that time, instead of hypnotic seduction, they were burning with anger for me. That was my cue to execute my escape plan. I pulled on the car door to get the heck out of there, but it wouldn’t open. No matter how many times I tried, it wouldn’t budge. “Why are you doing this to me?” My voice
To be sure, I unrolled the scroll to check its contents. It was the real deal.Becky stopped the car. “Cass, have you been pranking me, or did our little begging session work?”“It wasn’t in my purse before. Desmond must have put it in here,” I replied. The scroll felt unreal in my hands. Why would he give it back if he were guilty of being an imposter? There was more mystery surrounding Desmond than my aunt. At least I knew she was evil, whereas my incubus’ motives remained unclear. He was like a puzzle that I was working on solving by putting together each new piece I found. Only the complete picture could tell what he was. Madame Meredith Long was my only hope to speed up the process. I rolled the contract and put it in my purse, hoping it wouldn’t magically disappear.“My idea was foolproof. I am not surprised it worked,” said Becky.“Why would he steal it and put it back? Someone afraid of having their secret out would never do that.” I said.“Maybe he wants you to find out, o
Oh no, I had brutally insulted Madame Meredith Long within ten seconds of our first meeting.“Cassidy. What are you saying?” Elaine rebuked me. “Pardon her language, Madame Long. She is unfamiliar with the rich culture of our people. Your markings are a symbol of power. She must have mistaken it for evil.”“Yes. Madame. Forgive me for my ignorance. Your markings are a work of art. They are exquisite. The blood and other related stuff drove my mind off the edge, not you,” I said.To my defense, her eyes lacked iris’ and pupils a minute ago. The hunchback might be a birth defect, but her cultural markings resembled the insane body modifications one would see on social media. What regular person wouldn’t be scared when a witch presented herself in such a way?Madame chortled. “These weaklings, or humans, whatever you modern witches call them nowadays, never fail to entertain me.”“Uh, I didn’t know you find her comment amusing,” said Elaine.“I pulled a trick on her by making my eyes all
I was panic-stricken by the sharp points of the two daggers so close to me. It was a miracle their shiny, reflective metal was in the air and not inside me. One was aimed right at my face. I could have lost an eye if the attack hadn't halted midair. The gravity-defying weapons dropped to the ground before my eyes. Had that deranged hag come to her senses? Or was it Desmond who had saved me from irreversible damage?Madame Long’s hysterical laughter filled the room. “It has entered the hut. Quickly guard the door. No one must come inside while I force it into the fire.”The door was triple-bolted, and her men stood before it with military-like posture."Did you just try to kill me? One of your daggers could have taken out my eye!" I tried to slip my hands out of the shackles, but it only caused more pain. “Little duckling. It was all part of my controlled plan. Due to your bravery in taking daggers at yourself, he has made the mistake of entering the hut out of emotion.” Her face glea
The desert winds were howling. I watched them gracefully carry sand from one place to another under the luminous glow of a striking full moon. It wasn’t the only thing that had my attention. My eyes were oscillating between the golden sandy lands and Madame Long’s hut.Elaine and I were to stay at her friend’s hut while Madame Long was crashing with someone else. As I couldn’t catch a mere second’s worth of shut-eye, I had just exited the hut to arrange my thoughts and make sense of the day’s events.Madame Long’s words about Desmond being protective of me were stuck in my head like a song. He cared for me regardless of my awful behavior. By now, he had saved me multiple times. Protecting me from Madame Long wasn’t even part of our contract. Why was Desmond going out of his way to take care of me?There was something more meaningful than just a contract between us. Unrecognizable and unnamed feelings were playing a game with our minds and hearts.An apology was in order before we could
Sex on the sand? Desmond’s naughty ideas made me nervous and excited at the same time.“Wouldn’t our clothes get sandy?” I asked.He looked at me questionably. “What clothes? Only our bare bodies shall touch the sand.”Excitement surged through my body at the thought of being naked with him. I bit my lip, looking at the campfire. “Sand would get everywhere. Can we at least do it on a blanket?”“Yes, anything for you.”The moment he answered, I gaped in utter stupefaction. A red carpet appeared close to the fire. How could something come into existence out of thin air? “Oh my god. How did it get there?!”Desmond grabbed my chin, making me face him, but I turned to the phantom carpet. It didn’t look like an illusion. “Look at me.” He seized my face using more strength. “Only look at me tonight, Cassidy.”“Alright. So, you can make things appear with magic?” It was hard to talk as my cheeks felt like inflated balloons with his fingers digging into them. He remained silent and removed