Next-Door Incubus, page 15
part #1 of Becoming Lust Series
If I could protect someone, it was going to be Eros.
Maria rushed back into the living room with a container of salt. She created a circle around us with it. I didn’t know if this would work. Hell, I didn’t know what we were doing. I just wanted the old Trevon back. I’d take Trevon the Cheater over Trevon the Demon any day.
We huddled closer to each other, and I wondered if we were supposed to put the circle of salt around us or around Trevon.
Maria was pressing her face into my neck, tears streaming from her eyes. “I’m sorry I haven’t been to church in months, but, God, please don’t let us die.”
After hours of watching Trevon struggle with himself: pacing around the apartment, tearing apart furniture, slashing his skin with his claws, he finally let out an ear-piercing scream and collapsed onto the ground. His claws disappeared into his fingers, and his teeth transformed back into his pearly whites.
Maria sucked in a breath. “What was that?”
I swallowed hard, heart racing. “A demon?”
We stayed in the circle for a good twenty more minutes until Trevon eventually sat up. He leaned against the couch, breathing heavy. Everything seemed to be back to normal—for now.
I cautiously stepped out. “Trevon,” I asked lowly.
“I’m sorry, Dani,” he said, gazing up at me with sorrowful eyes. “I couldn’t control it.”
Maria stepped out and rushed to the front door. “I need to get out of here.”
“Maria,” Trevon said. “Please don’t tell anyone!”
She hesitated, but then nodded. “Okay.” She disappeared behind the door and closed it.
There was a long pause, and Trevon looked back up at me with tears in his eyes. “I’m scared.”
“Me too.”
He took one of my hands, squeezing tightly. “Thank you for staying with me.”
I took a deep breath and knelt next to him. I wasn’t okay, but I’d have to be. We would have to find out how to fix this, because I would not let Eros get hurt.
“What happened last night?” I asked. “Why were you covered in blood?”
He gazed at the ground, his lips trembling. “I—I hurt someone.”
“Who’d you hurt?”
“I don’t know. I brought him to the hospital…” His voice cracked. “I nearly killed a man last night, Dani! What’s wrong with me?”
I wrapped my arms around Trevon’s trembling body and held him close. I didn’t know what was wrong with him or how a demon could possess someone like him, but I was going to find out.
“We’ll figure it out,” I said.
“What if we don’t?” he whispered.
“We have to.”
Chapter 29
“It’s your turn to watch him,” Maria said when I got home from work. The room was about 95 degrees Fahrenheit—just the way Trevon needed—and I almost immediately broke a sweat. She hopped onto the stool at the counter and rubbed her tired eyes.
For the past two days, we’d been watching Trevon non-stop. During the day, throughout all hours of the night, he hadn’t left the apartment. He also hadn’t shifted into that monster again, but one wrong move and he would snap.
Trevon was sitting on the couch, clenching and relaxing his fists. “I need to go out. I hate being cooped up here.”
I placed takeout from Ollie’s on the coffee table. “Eat.”
He ripped it open and clenched his jaw. “I need real food.”
“Well, that’s too bad,” I said—snapping. All I wanted to do was fall into a deep sleep on the couch and enter Cinnamon Heaven with Eros. Not spend the rest of my night with whatever Trevon was.
“That’s it,” Maria said. She sat up and scrolled through her phone. “I’m calling someone.”
He jumped up from the couch, eyes turning black. His food fell into pieces onto the ground. “No! You can’t tell anyone!”
“Well, I’m not dealing with your angry ass anymore.” She typed on her phone. “How to get rid of the demon in your apartment.”
“Mari—”
She tapped on the screen. “Hmm, look at this. Exorcism.”
“NO.”
I took a deep breath and placed my hands on his chest. “Trevon,” I said as softly as I could. “We’re just trying to help you.”
He grasped my wrists, and I was afraid that he was going to unintentionally hurt me again. But instead of digging his claws into me this time, he took a few deep breaths—eyes fading to their normal brown color—and sat back on the couch. He rubbed his legs harshly, trying to stay relaxed.
Maria sighed. “There are a few people around here that perform exorcisms. I’ll start calling.” She hopped off her stool. “Oh, and Dani…” She pointed to my phone as it buzzed on the counter.
I swore under my breath and snatched it. Six unread messages from Eros and three from Kasey. I scrolled through the notifications, not bothering to even unlock my phone.
I sat next to Trevon on the couch and sighed. I hadn’t looked at it since the other day. It buzzed in my lap again, and Eros’s name popped up on my screen. I hated being a hypocrite for scolding him for ignoring me and then ignoring him. But I couldn’t risk him coming over. Hell only knew what Trevon might do to him.
“Answer the phone!” Trevon said. “I’m sick of the buzzing.”
I turned off the phone. Maria walked back into the room with a half-smile on her face. “I called three people and explained our situation. One refused to come over, one said that she’s busy until tonight, and the other is on his way.”
About fifteen minutes later, I was resting my head on Trevon’s shoulder—forcing myself to stay awake. I should’ve picked up Eros’s call or texted Kasey back, but how was I supposed to explain this? Eros always knew when I lied. He’d definitely see right through another Maria-got-her-period excuse.
Someone knocked on the door, and Maria hopped up. I wiped the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand. She gazed through the peephole and opened the door. An elderly man, dressed in a full white collared shirt and a cassock with a gold cross around his neck, shuffled in and bowed his head. “You’re the woman who called about the exo—”
“Shush it,” Maria said, shutting the door.
“So, where is—” The priest took one look at Trevon, eyes widening. “Oh, dear God.” He grabbed the cross and held it between his fingers. “Have mercy on me, Lord.”
I raised a brow. This guy was supposed to help us?
His hand was trembling as he stumbled back to the door. “This isn’t a demon! He’s the Devil himself. The Devil himself!” The man swung the door open and hurried out.
Maria, Trevon, and I stared at the open door—lips parted. The man ran down the hallway, screaming to the Devil and reciting prayers. I blinked a few times, in absolute shock. Well, that was a total flop.
Trevon wasn’t that bad right? That guy must’ve been an amateur or maybe he was just paranoid.
Maria giggled and then Trevon chuckled and suddenly I found myself clutching my stomach and laughing uncontrollably. Maria whipped a happy tear from her cheek. “Wow, that guy… loads of help.”
Trevon sat back down on the couch, still chuckling lowly. “He was terrified.”
“Imagine if he actually saw you as a demon,” I said.
He bumped my shoulder with his, like he used to, and smiled. “He’d probably shit himself.”
For a single moment, everything felt normal again. Like we were laughing at a stupid movie with white wine and three pizzas. Trevon sitting next to me, his head resting on my shoulder, leg bumping into mine every so often. Not sitting in the scorching heat, terrified of my ex-boyfriend because he was a demon from Hell that could snap at any second.
“He was supposed to be the best around,” Maria said, laughter dying down. “I don’t know how much help this lady will be tonight.”
“She’s our only hope,” I said, grasping Trevon’s wrist and squeezing lightly. Our only hope.
~~~
By 8pm, I had twenty messages from Eros asking me where I was and eight from Kasey inviting me over to her apartment. I reread them for the fourth time and pushed Trevon’s feet off of my lap. He grumbled to himself and shifted on the couch, placing them back on me and falling back to sleep.
Someone knocked on the door, and Maria answered it. Trevon blinked a few times and sat up. A young woman with silver hair stood in the doorway. She had black chalky markings on her skin, and her eyes were a piercing blue.
Without a word, she pushed past Maria and walked into our apartment. Trevon stared at her, eyes wide, and stood up.
“This is the man with a demon?” she asked with a thick Russian accent. She walked around him, looking him up and down. “Hmm.”
“Can you fix him?” Maria asked.
“I can,” she said. “But you two need to leave. I need space.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. He’s dangerous.”
“Nonsense, nonsense.” She waved me off. “I’ve been doing this for years. Nobody hurt me yet.”
Maria and I gazed at each other. I shrugged my shoulders and walked to the front door. I didn’t want to leave her alone, but we needed a couple hours to relax, and she was our last hope.
~~~
“This is going to be so bad. We should’ve never come here,” I said, fiddling with my fingers. We stood in front of Kasey’s door, and I already could smell Eros’s faint scent.
Maria knocked twice. “It’ll be fine if you would just act calm,” she said, leaning closer to me.
Kasey opened the door, eyes wide. “Dani, I didn’t think you’d make it,” she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. Her gaze shifted from me to Maria, and she smiled. “You must be Maria.”
Eros stood by the window with a glass of red wine in his hand, talking to Zane. Soft classical music was playing over everyone’s chatter. Eros inhaled deeply and gazed over to the door. I walked into the room with Maria, trying my hardest to think of an excuse that he would believe.
“Dani,” he said, hurrying over and grabbing my hand. Maria awkwardly walked over to Zane and sat next to him on the couch. She hadn’t mentioned him since she told me he wanted an open relationship.
Kasey placed a hand on my back, ushering me in. “Where have you been? You’ve been ignoring us. And…” She scrunched up her nose. “Why do you look like someone straight out of Satan’s kingdom?”
Damn Trevon. Making me look like Hell in front of Eros.
“I’ve been busy,” I said.
“Busy with what?” Eros asked.
Think, Dani. Think. I avoided eye contact with him and said the first thing that came to mind. “Trevon stuff.”
His grip on my hand tightened. “What do you mean ‘Trevon stuff’?”
“Um…” I peeled my hand out of his and rubbed my neck. Damn, it felt as hot as our apartment in here. Kasey narrowed her eyes at me while Eros waited—quite impatiently—for my answer.
If Eros found out that Trevon was staying with us on his own, he’d think that something was going on between us. Hell, he probably already thought that.
“Kase, can Eros and I talk in your spare room?”
She raised a brow. “I expect to hear this at some point.”
I nodded and walked with him to the other room. The moon was gleaming through the windows and hitting the side of Eros’s face. He was staring at me, so intensely with his piercing green eyes, that I couldn’t think straight. I fiddled with my fingers. “Trevon is—uh staying with Maria and me.”
“Why? You two broke up.” He shook his head and moved his ring around his index finger with his thumb. “I thought we were… a thing.”
A thing. We never officially labeled our relationship, and I wasn’t sure what being “a thing” meant to him. Friends with benefits? Boyfriend-girlfriend?
I grabbed his hand and squeezed it lightly. I couldn’t tell him the truth, but I didn’t want to lie to him either. “He’s not well,” I said.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“I—I can’t tell you.”
“Why not?”
“I want to, I just can’t.” I swallowed hard. Trevon trusted us with his secret, and I knew that he didn’t deserve it, but I wasn’t going to blab to everyone about it. This wasn’t his fault. “You have secrets too that you don’t feel comfortable telling me.”
“I don’t have secrets that involve ex-lovers.”
My fingers grazed against his ring, and I looked him in his eyes. “I promise that nothing has happened between us.”
He forced a smile—which looked more like a grimace—and I felt like shit. Trevon just had to ruin this thing I had with Eros with his demon problem.
“Okay,” he finally said. He grabbed my hand and led me back to the living room, then he grabbed my waist and sat me next to him on Kasey’s couch. While everyone drank and talked and laughed around us, we sat in dead silence.
His arm was around me, but all I could think about was Trevon. I hope to God that the lady could help. I didn’t want to come home to a bloody mess that I’d have to clean up. And—if I had to dispose of a body—I didn’t know how I’d do that.
Eros leaned closer to me. “Tell me what you want me to do to you.”
“What’re you talking about?” I asked.
He grazed his hand against my knee, then up the inside of my thigh. And, with his other hand, he brushed a hand over my bra through my shirt. “Tell me what you want me to do to you right now.”
My cheeks flushed. “Nothing,” I said, pressing my knees together. I took off my grey cardigan, trying to cool myself off. Here I was thinking of a hundred different ways to hide a murder and Eros wanted to tease me.
“Tell me,” he said.
“I have too many other things to worry about. I don’t need the stress of being caught fooling around with you,” I said. But that didn’t mean I didn’t want it. Three days and two nights of non-stop Trevon had done more than stress me out.
His fingers brushed against my inner thigh. “I think you like the idea of something.” He leaned in closer, his breath fanning my neck.
I gulped, eyes fluttering closed. “No.” Yes.
“Trying to hold back your moans as I make you cum over and over again.” His fingers trailed up and down my thigh.
Oh, God.
“Tell me, Dani, do you fantasize about being fucked in public?” he asked. My only response was a shaky breath that I couldn’t hide if I tried. He brushed his fingers against the front of my pants, touching my wetness. “You do, don’t you?”
Damn. I needed to get out of here.
“I’m going to get something to drink.” I hopped up and hurried to the kitchen. A bottle of red wine was sitting on the counter.
Lord, this was my best excuse to drink. Trevon was a demon. Eros was trying to get into my pants. And I was terrified that there was a dead woman lying on my living room floor.
After one long gulp, I rested my elbows on the counter and closed my eyes. Calm yourself, Dani. Don’t think about all the things he could do to you, all the things you need him to do to you—just so you could relax for a fraction of a second. Now is not the time nor place.
When I finally thought that I could control my desires, I reached into my back pocket for my phone, so I could check on Trevon, but it wasn’t there.
“Looking for this?” Eros asked from behind me, voice chillingly quiet. He placed the phone on the counter in front of me. “You told me you weren’t seeing Trevon.” He stepped closer, so he was pressing against my backside—trapping me.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.
“I’m not,” I said.
He wrapped an arm around the front of my waist and slipped his fingers under the waistband of my leggings. Oh, God. Not here. Not now.
“Why the fuck does he want to take you out for dinner then?”
Cinnamon.
“What—what are you talking about?” I asked. He began to rub fast, rough circles around my clit.
I grabbed onto the side of the counter to steady myself and gazed down at my phone. Trevon’s last message read: Thanks for the other night. Everything is taken care of. Can I take you out to dinner to repay you for everything you’ve done for me?
“What is he talking about, Dani?”
“I don’t know why”—he plunged his fingers inside of me—“he wants to bring me out.”
Eros gently grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled it back. “Don’t lie to me. You’re terrible at it.”
He thrust them harder into me, and I gripped the counter for dear life. “I—I’m not.”
“Tell me or I’ll make you cum so fucking hard that you won’t be able to stop yourself from moaning in front of everyone here.”
Pressure built in my core, and I clenched around him.
“I—I told you… I just helped him because he was sick.” I squeezed my eyes shut and bit my lip. It felt so good. I didn’t want him to stop.
He tugged harder on my hair.
“I promise, Eros. Please, stop. You’re… you’re going to make me cum.” My legs trembled underneath me. He continued thrusting his fingers into me. “Please, you have to believe me. I’m not lying.”
After another moment of absolute torture, he smirked against my neck. “I know.”
He knew? He knew, but he didn’t stop.
With each thrust, my core continued to tighten. So good, yet so damn wrong.
“Then stop, Eros! You said you wouldn—” I parted my lips, brows knotting together. Fuck. I was going to cum.
Eros pounded his fingers into me, shoving me against the counter with each thrust. He slapped his hand over my mouth. I buckled forward and moaned into his hand, eyes rolling back.
Holy Hell.
My core was pulsing over and over as I released myself onto him. Waves of ecstasy were rolling through my body. I inhaled deeply. “What was that for?” I asked. “I told you the truth.”
He pulled his hand from my pants and pushed himself off of me. “That was to make sure you knew that you’re mine.” And, without another word, he grabbed my wine, walked out of the kitchen, and stared at me from the couch.
