￼The Ride (Mild Version)

Part One

Chapter One

The Voyage

I needed to get away. Everything had been pressing down on me for too long. I felt like I was just moving from one thing I HAD to do to the next. And the more I thought about it, that had been going on for years.

I had just been endlessly trudging forward with no destination in mind. I’m not even sure I was moving forward. Maybe I was just trudging in place. Maybe that’s why it felt worse and worse with every week, month, and year that went by.

Hoping to stave off what seemed like an increasingly inevitable mental breakdown, I took two weeks off. Not a complete plan in mind. A destination. Some supplies, in case I decided to hike nearby.

I’m no survivalist but I’ve taken a fair number of emergency and survival type courses. The area I was planning to stay in wasn’t terribly hazardous, but it never hurts to be prepared.

I made some hotel reservations and flew out to Palm Springs. After I checked in and got my things settled in my room, I decided to get to know my way around, since I was going to be staying a while.

I threw on my bikini in case the pool beckoned and admired my curves in the full length mirror by the door. Then, I covered up with a short robe so I’d have pockets for a few necessities, which I grabbed, stepped into some flops, and set off.

Most of it had your typical hotel layout. Lots of amenities clustered around the center of the first floor, where the main desk was located. The hotel offered golf and gambling. The entrance to the course was on one side of the property and the casino entrance was on the opposite side. There was a row of shops in between them with a decent spread of shopping options. I made a mental list of the shops I wanted to spend more time in later.

I did not bother to check out the spa. It was just not my bag. The pool however, I was delighted to discover, was on the roof. A detail I had somehow missed prior to booking. Olympic sized pool. A large hot tub. Lovely views all around. Man, I chose well.

It was a bit crowded on my first pass but I knew I would make my way back there after the sun went down. There were no hours posted for the pool, which I thought was odd but I was on vacation and a 24 hour pool worked fine for me so I filed the information away for later and carried on.

I wandered around the property another hour or so but ultimately decided to head back to my room and dine in for the night. I don’t get waited on often and hotel stays are the one time I treat myself to this luxury. It was early but I ordered a decadent sandwich off the snack menu.

Peanut butter pumpkin banana honey sprinkled with cinnamon on sourdough. I also ordered a tall glass of milk to wash it down. The sandwich was huge but I couldn’t help myself, I ate every bite of it. Washing it down with milk may have been the kiss of death because after that, I passed out.

I don’t remember what or even if I dreamed but I woke up feeling…randy, which was new and odd for me. While not a prude, I was not the most sexually active, nor the most sexually experienced person out there. Far, far, far from it.

I checked the clock, 10 pm. Perfect. Time to freshen up and hit the pool. I took a quick “touch up your shave” bath. Then I fluffed up my hair and put on some waterproof mascara and lipstick. Made sure everything was tucked away properly in my bikini. Grabbed my robe and other necessities and headed back out towards the pool. It was late but that was my plan. I was really hoping the whole balcony would be deserted.

I saw him on the way there. He was just leaning up against the wall, next to a cleaning supply closet. He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen and I had to have him. Right then. I’d never been so consumed by something before. I walked up to him and told him I wanted his body. Before he could think or respond, I opened the closet and pulled him inside.

I closed the door using both hands, one on either side of him, trapping him between my arms. My robe fell open, putting me fully on display. I went ahead and dropped the robe to the floor.

I leaned in and whispered in his ear, “I need you right now,” and I flicked my tongue out, tasting his earlobe.

I thought he would push me away and scream. But he didn’t, so I flipped the lock on the door. I couldn’t believe what I was saying and doing. But I could. not. stop. either.

We made quick work of our clothes, trading places in the process. His hand went straight for my honeypot so I returned the favor. But we were both ready quickly. He moved for a condom but I beat him to it, bending over. Presenting an opportunity he couldn’t resist.

Once he was sheathed, there was no more teasing. There were no words. Just decisive action. His entry was swift and complete. A hiss of pleasure. A squeal that was equal parts surprise and delight. And then the frenzied moves of two people. Overtaken by lust, unable to slow down.

In no time, I was smoothing my robe down, checking my pockets to make sure I hadn’t lost anything in the fray, and heading for the door. He still hadn’t said a word. I couldn’t determine exactly what the look on his face meant. Glee, satisfaction, shame? I didn’t know what to say. I was still in shock. I decided to leave things ambiguous.

“I’m around for the next two weeks,” I purred, as I walked by him and back out into the hallway.

I’m not even sure my brain was really processing the whole event. Some part of me seemed to be skipping those minutes in time.

When I made it out to the pool balcony, I decided to hit the hot tub. Swimming laps didn’t sound good to me at the moment. As I soaked in the hot water, I let my mind wander.

‘Sex.’ I was going for blank but really, anything that wasn’t work was fine for the moment. Why is my hand stroking my breast? That is quite enough of that. Distract, distract, distract.

That delicious sandwich. The combination of the peanut butter and pumpkin, something I never would have considered, had been divine.

‘Need sex.’ What? The sourdough bread, another choice I might not have made but again, it had been perfect. I was going to have to explore the rest of the menu. I had a feeling…

‘You need sex to live.’

What the hell? Sandwich, peanut butter, honey, pumpkin…

‘Stop trying to ignore me.’ At that point, I looked around. I knew I was alone up here. My plan to hit the pool late for a less crowded experience had worked out perfectly. There had been no one out here when I arrived. Not even a life guard. Enter at your own risk, indeed.

I was pretty sure I had not heard the door open since then. I saw no one.

‘You aren’t powered up enough to see me. You’ll only be able to hear me until you aren’t so starved.’

“I’m not starved. I could go for another sandwich though.”

Delicious.

‘Not food you ninny. Sex. You are so starved for it, you couldn’t control yourself when you smelled that wolf. Your powers are depleted.’

Perhaps I fell asleep and this was a dream or I passed out in the hot tub and I was drowning. My brain shutting down was causing this weird hallucination. I pinched my arm. Ouch!

‘Why would you do that? You aren’t dreaming, hallucinating, or crazy. I’m your guide.’

“Guide?”

Whatever was happening, I was going back to my room. Being put on a forcible psychiatric hold did not seem like a good way to spend my vacation. I got out of the hot tub and put on my robe and tried to look like I was not running back to my room like a frightened puppy.

‘You don’t have to run. Or whatever you call that weird speed walk almost jog thing you are doing. You can’t get away from me.’

“Look, Guide,” I hissed, pulling my phone out to pretend I was talking on it, “let me ‘guide’ you on something. Whether I am actually crazy or not will be irrelevant if people see me talking to myself. And since no one can see you and I’m guessing no one can hear you except me, that is what it will look like. So I am hustling back to my room to complete my mental breakdown in private.”

‘Please chill. If you would just shut up for a minute, I can explain. I’ll talk. You don’t have to keep up the conversation. You can take a leisurely walk back to your room and then you can ask me all the questions you want. Deal?’

I had stopped walking, still keeping up the phone call pretense.

“Feels like I don’t have much of a choice here so, deal,” I said and ‘hung up’. I put my phone back in my pocket, blew out a breath and walked the rest of the way back to my room. While I walked my Guide explained.

‘You’re an incubus. Just ½ actually but that isn’t important right now. Clearly, your parents told you nothing so we have a lot to cover. I suggest you let me give you the first layer before you start asking questions.’

“Fine.” We were nearly back to my room anyway. I like staying on the top floor when I can and this trip was no exception.

‘An incubus awakens at the age of 25. This generally comes with in intense need for sex. They can get nourishment from food or sex but only sex fuels the incubus attributes and abilities. An incubus can go for a while after awakening without sex but if they go too long, their powers will be depleted until they die.’

Back in my room now, I went straight to the minibar. I didn’t bother with ice, or even a glass. I just tore open all the vodka they had in tiny bottles and began downing one after another.

“I thought incubi killed their sex partners, draining their life energy and taking it for themselves?” I asked between gulps.

‘There are a lot of myths out there but most of what people think they know is either inaccurate or totally made up. Also, you are wasting your time, now that you’ve been awakened, alcohol won’t affect you the same way anymore.’

Well, damn. I flopped down on the bed.

“Okay, Guide, first things first. Talking to you without being able to see you is weird. How do we fix that?”

‘How about my first things first? I am a guide, in particular, I am your guide. My name is Zandar but you may call me Zan if you like.’

“Oh, sorry. I…”

‘It’s fine. You didn’t know and you were really weak. It took me a while to clear up the connection and then you were understandably freaked out.’

“Is there some way for me to see you? Can I power up with something besides sex? Not that I didn’t enjoy my romp in the supply closet but I don’t know that I’m ready for a repeat performance.”

‘It won’t take much more, especially if you find another wolf. Foreplay might do it but, girl, you are starved. I don’t think you’ll be able to stop anything that gets you started right now.’

“Fuck me.”

‘Oh, I totally would if I could but, I’m a Sprite. I am a total hunka, hunka burning love. I even have wings. Kinky, kinky, winky, winky. But I’m only about 7 inches tall.’

“Damn. It’s just a saying though, you know?”

‘I am not perfectly accustomed to your slang but I’ll adapt quickly. We do need to find you someone to fuck though. You turned 25 a little over three months ago and that wolf was your first sex since then. You don’t even touch yourself. What is up with you, woman?’

“Um, I don’t know. I don’t think I’m that different from other women. A little repressed maybe,” I hedged.

‘A little?!? You are an incubus. I have never heard of, or come across an incubus, especially newly awakened and untrained, who wasn’t a walking sex machine. They power up quickly so they can see their guides more quickly and easily. Maybe you should tell me about your parents?’

I blew out a breath. I so did not want to go through this right now.

“I’m going crazy, right? Was that sandwich laced with something and I’m hallucinating? Maybe I never woke up.”

‘Don’t fall apart on me now. You’re not crazy. I have a feeling you just know even less than I first thought. What did you think of when I told you I was a Sprite?’

“I THOUGHT I WAS GOING CRAZY BECAUSE I THOUGHT SPRITES WERE MADE UP!” I shouted. “Myths. Stories to teach, amuse, or frighten,” I continued in a more reasonable tone.

‘Calm. Deep breath. How can I convince you that you aren’t crazy?’

“You said I couldn’t control myself when I smelled the wolf. You’ve mentioned wolves a couple of times. Do you mean…” I trailed off.

‘Yup. Werewolves exist. Not the full moon equals mindless killer kind. Real werewolves shift, at will, into something that looks very similar to a wolf, but larger and with all their intelligence in tact. Some can speak in that form. We’ll cover more basics later. For now, know that the incubus in you can smell them and, as you experienced, finds them very irresistible. Don’t fight it for now.’

I started to protest but I could practically hear him hold up his hand to stop me from arguing.

‘Babe, I can see now that you’ve had a different upbringing than most of the incubi I have guided in the past, but please try and trust the super handsome, disembodied voice. Please? You need to be fully powered up as soon as possible. It won’t be so urgent to feed after this first power up but this is an important one. The wolves have a hard time restraining themselves around an incubus. Especially the young ones. It takes them years, sometimes decades to gain that control. You noticed he didn’t seem alarmed or resistant in any way?’

“You were watching?!?” I screeched.

‘Guiiiide. Your guide. Been with you every day since you turned 25. I can tune out if I want to but I mostly can’t in the early days. You do suck out some energy through sex and you can hurt or kill your partner…’

“But I thought you said…” I whimpered.

‘It is a possible outcome of having sex with you, not a certainty. It generally has to be intentional, that is, you have to go in planning to suck out all their energy and or completely drain their life force.’

“But I can do it on accident too, that’s what you’re trying not to say, isn’t it?”

He sighed. ‘Yes, you can do it by accident. But not with a wolf. You can drain a wolf some, or even hurt them, but you can’t kill them with sex. Not on purpose and not on accident. I didn’t watch you too long with the wolf because I knew it was safe enough and we’d finally be able to connect when you were done.’

“Okay. So I’ll just have sex with werewolves until I figure shit out. You said I would be able to smell them but, I don’t remember smelling anything particular about that guy.”

‘It was the incubus that smelled him.’

“Is this like some kind of possession?” I questioned.

‘No. There is one you. Your two sides just aren’t quite unified yet. Usually, at least some of the incubus senses have been in play before an incubus turns 25 so, the awakening is less of a shock and struggle. You don’t seem to have done that and, I’m not sure why but, I am sure it will be fine. I’m pretty sure a full power up will bring everything together.’

“Great, because this autopilot feeling is getting old in a hurry. So, how will I be able to tell? To be sure it is a werewolf and not just, like, a human who really cranks my tractor?” the questions tumbled out of me.

‘Now that you’re finally powered up enough to hear me, I can tell you. I doubt you’ll need me to though. But don’t worry, I’m not gonna let you make a mistake.’

I took a few calming breaths. Once I felt like I had digested the bomb of weird that had just been dropped on me, at least to the point I thought I could handle a bit more, I exhaled slowly and asked, “okay, what else comes in with this layer one of new information about myself, and apparently the whole world since myths are, to some degree, true.”

‘Aye, some parts of some of them are true. I’m not going to be able to sort that all out for you tonight. I’ll go over the species you’re most likely to encounter in this area and we’ll add as we go, okay? I think this is probably overwhelming enough as it is.’

“I’ll buy that for a dollar,” I agreed.

‘Beg pardon?’

“Ah, that’s my way of saying, I agree, I’m down with that plan. Please proceed.”

‘Well, we’ve covered a lot on werewolves already. You’ve probably never come across one in Florida. They don’t like it down there. Out here, all across the West really, you will find them, mostly in places that are remote or in some way removed from society. They don’t dig big cities. They don’t have to live in nature but I think they like to be nearby somewhere they can shift and run free.’

“How does shifting work?” I asked.

‘That’s level two. Some aspects of other super natural’s lives are private for a variety of reasons. Best not to ask them questions about their species directly, too easy to offend. Hence, guide. Anyway, moving on. There are gnomes in this area. Mainly rock gnomes but some other types of gnomes might be in the nearby woods.’

“Gnomes. Sure. Why not?” I said flippantly.

‘Don’t scoff. They grow more magical as they age. Some of them have the power of prophecy. You should always be respectful of gnomes.’

“I didn’t mean…” I began but Zan just kept barreling on.

‘You can never tell how old a gnome is by looking either. They age and mature incredibly rapidly after birth and reach full maturity around 4 years old. After that, their appearance doesn’t really change. And they can live hundreds of years.’

“And they look like…?”

‘Actually, some of the myths aren’t far off on that one. Those little statues people put in their gardens? Real gnomes can hide among them. Well, not the ones that have gone all cartoon crazy these days. But a small, wizened appearing, pudgy old man smoking a churchwarden pipe or a smiling old woman with long gray braids, holding a basket of flower blossoms, each standing 10 to 15 inches tall, not an inaccurate representation. Since they can also transform - based on what type of gnome they are, sightings are really rare. Should you befriend one, their loyalty is unwavering.’

“What kind of magic do they do? Are they dangerous?” my questions continued.

‘Let’s cover that in layer two. The short answers are lots and it varies. For now, I think we should both get some rest. The wolf powered you up a little but, until you are fully topped off for the first time, we might lose the connection if you get too tired, physically.’

“Sounds good. I am pretty out of it. Plus, there is always a chance I’ll wake up and discover this all really was a dream.”

Talking about sleep brought on a yawn and I stretched.

‘Girl,’ he paused. ‘Ah, just get ready for bed.’

I wasn’t sure what he had planned to say but, he had clearly changed his mind. There was too much swirling around in my brain for me to try to puzzle it out. I went and got my silk jammies. It was just a simple tank with spaghetti straps and some matching, drawstring pants. But the fabric felt nice against my skin and I thought I looked super cute in them. I don’t remember much after crawling into bed and pulling the covers up to my chin.

Again, if I dreamed, I didn’t remember it when I woke up.

Chapter Two

Barnstormer

The next day Zan said I had to go shopping for bikinis before anything else. I tried to protest but he reminded me he was my guide and he was going to help me bait a werewolf into meeting up with me ‘accidentally’ for a late night tryst. And, he was going to continue my education on the supernatural world.

That part very much interested me so, I agreed to his plan. I was too jumbled up to eat a proper breakfast but, I snagged a donut and a bottle of water from the breakfast bar. An hour later, I went back and grabbed two more. The first one had been divine and, Zan was a shopping task master extraordinaire. This was going to be a long day.

He would direct me to pick up about 15 suits. Then he would demand that I leave the dressing room and do a full runway strut. If I refused, he would flit by my ear and away, or at least, that is what it felt and sounded like. It was like having a seven-inch gnat, that you still can’t see, fly up to your ear and make that eerie buzz noise with their wings, but then zoom away before you can stop them. He annoyed me into putting myself on display.

He had also continued to fill me in on some supernatural species that might be nearby but probably not in Palm Springs. More types of gnomes. I was going to have to make a list because I kept getting them mixed up. Whether or not they were dangerous was based on the individual, not the subspecies.

Vampires? Also real. However, unlike most myths and stories I had read, alive, somehow - those details were still fuzzy to me, day and night walking, and they only drink blood for power and to fuel their brand of magic, details also fuzzy. It had been a lot of details.

After that I had asked Zan if there were any species to be wary of nearby that he hadn’t already covered. He was quiet for half a minute. I sort of imagined him hovering in the air, scratching his head while he thought. He had conceded there was not. I think he was relieved. I had wanted to know everything at first but I was overwhelmed. I figured as long as Zan didn’t abandon me, I’d be fine.

I had shopped for a bikini at all the various hotel shops I had scoped out the day before. As I shopped, I occasionally mused aloud about a late night trip to the hot tub. I felt like a big fake hussy but I needed to power up.

I needed to be at one with myself. Being taken over by someone more experienced and aggressive was embarrassing. I was trying to not let it show but I knew I was failing, badly. And I wanted to see Zan. It would help me believe I was not going crazy.

When Zan paused his lecture from time to time throughout the day, I had a minute to reflect on things. Maybe this is why I had been feeling progressively worse and more bitchy, especially over the last few months. Maudlin reflections aside, I had carried on with my baiting.

I did enjoy the attention I had gotten as I was trying on suits. I ended up getting one in each shop I went to. Why not, what the hell? My life seemed to be on a crazy roller coaster I had little to no control over. Might as well throw my hands up and scream ‘wheeeee.’

After breakfast, I had eaten in the room. Both meals. Zandar didn’t like it but I could only do so much being out and about and among people. I had spent a long time prior to this trip avoiding people.

Now it was time to see how my scheming had worked. I was waxed and shaved and lightly made up. I had decided to pull my curly hair up into a messy bun. I went through my new purchases trying to find just the right one.

It was the second or third one I had bought, because Zan made me. It was hot pink and really tiny. And it made me feel powerful. I had never worn anything so bright in my life. Good thing there were only 3 small scraps of the garish fabric, strung together with equally bright strings. The scraps and strings were artfully arranged to push my breasts together and highlight my tight ass that topped off long legs. Wow, how did I not notice this shit about myself before now? Don’t care. I’m damn hot.

“What do you think, will this snag me a wolf?” I asked as I held out my arms and did a little twirl.

‘Very fuckable.’

“Do you have to be so crude?”

‘Fine. You look hawt, like you might get laid. That’s the best I can do. I’m a Sprite, not a church lady.’

“Fine. Thank you. Let’s go,” I capitulated.

We didn’t chat on the way to the pool. I think Zan could sense I needed some silence to work on my courage on the journey. Whether he did or not, that is what was happening.

This time, I brought my own condoms. No relying on chance since I was actually planning this. It was after 11 when we got to the hot tub. The place was empty. Score! Zan said he was going to sit nearby and give me the go ahead if a werewolf approached.

I sat there, enjoying the hot water, beating against me, working the little knots out of my muscles. Stress was leaving my body and I felt light. And horny. I noticed a soda machine I had somehow missed before. It was on the other side of the balcony, across from the doors. I went over and bought a Diet Coke.

As I took it out of the machine, the icy cold bottle accidentally brushed my nipple and I moaned, involuntarily. Wow. I really was in need. Fortunately, I was out here alone. Or so I thought.

I heard a low chuckle from a far corner of the pool balcony. It was a well lit corner but I hadn’t noticed anyone there when I came in. I froze, total cliché deer in headlights moment.

‘He slipped in while you were focused on the machine. Skulked right over to the corner to watch you. Definitely a wolf. You can tell, right?’

“I don’t smell anything but, all of a sudden, I’m wet,” I admitted.

‘Yeah, chicka. That’s good. A typical reaction to a strong werewolf from a starved newbie. Be cool. Go back to the hot tub. He won’t take long to join you.’

“Are you sure? He probably thinks I’m a moron after that display.”

‘Chiiiiiil. You smell just as good to him as he does to you. Or would, if you could smell it. This is a token hunt. He’s going to observe his prey. Wait for you to be in a somewhat compromising position and then he’ll make his move.’

“I hope you’re right. I’m starting to ache.”

‘I’m tuning out. I’ll be back when you’re done.’

I made it back to the hot tub and decided to use the cold bottle to my advantage. First, I purposefully touched it to my nipples. Slowly rubbing a small circle on each nipple in turn, until they were both hard enough to cut glass.

Even knowing it was coming, each cold touch still elicited a small gasp from me. I brought the bottle towards my mouth but before taking a drink, I used my tongue to lightly skim the side of the bottle, following the trail of a bead of moisture that had been making its way down the side. That was all it took.

He stepped down into the hot tub across from me as I was taking a sip.

“I locked the doors. We have privacy.” His voice was low.

For some reason; I decided to try to tease him. “And what would we need privacy for, stranger?”

“I think you know. You painted a pretty clear map.”

I shrugged. “I have needs. Don’t we all from time to time?” I asked innocently, as I let my hand brush across my erect nipple.

His voice dropped even lower, “wants, needs, desires. Do you want to know what I desire, ma’am?” He had a delicious Texas drawl. The only people allowed to call me ma’am have a Texas drawl.

“Why don’t I show you what I desire and you can return the favor, cowboy?”

He gave me a finger gun and a wink. I nearly creamed on the spot. He wanted a hunt, I would give him one.

I put down my soda, got out of the hot tub and made a show of getting out a condom and snapping it down on the table.

“I need to cool off,” I purred, as I reached up and untied my top, letting it fall to the ground. “Skinny dipping has always sounded like fun to me,” I simpered.

Then I untied my bikini bottom and dove in the pool. He should be able to pretty easily guess my desire after that show. What I was saying and where it was coming from, I still had no idea. But I went with it. I barely had a choice. I practically felt like I was on autopilot. I had a throbbing between my thighs that was growing intense.

I broke the surface of the water and flipped over, floating on my back, my breasts buoyed by the water. Another minute of paddling around and he joined me. I trailed my finger down his side as we went by one another.

He ducked under the water and came up under me. He scooped me up in his arms and kissed my neck. I wrapped my legs around his waist. He was already sheathed and ready for action.

“Enjoying your swim?” he asked.

“I think the question here is, are you enjoying my swim?” I taunted.

“And now, we were speaking of desire,” he intoned.

He lifted me up and held me there, just above his manhood. Displaying his strength and control. Taunting me with what he had to offer. Bringing my need so high, I was thrilled when he finally joined our bodies. He howled and I found my voice joining his. A call to action.

The sex was incredible. I don’t even remember how made it to the steps that spanned the end of the pool. I was still in his lap and trying to catch my breath.

Suddenly embarrassed by the whole thing, I backed off of him and began working to untangle my legs to push away completely. I turned my back to him to swim off but before I could escape, he pulled me back.

He had managed to discard the condom and pull me back to him at the same time. I ended up sitting across his lap, somewhat laying in the crook of his left arm.

His voice was low and soft, “don’t run away now, little incubus.”

My eyes widened and I blushed and tried to look away.

He grabbed my chin and gently turned my face to look at his. “Don’t be embarrassed. I’ve been around the block more than a few times. There is nothing wrong with what happened here.

When did you awaken?”

“Um, about three months ago,” I breathed, mortified.

“But you haven’t had much sex since then? I’m guessing one time, before today.”

“Yeah, how did you know?”

“Pack history. Incubi are rare. Werewolves crave them in a way we can barely fight. You need us from time to time, to really be able to let loose and power up without fear. In our library, there are several books that collect all we know about your kind, so we can be ready to help, if the need should arise. Your behavior fits a story we tell about another young incubus.”

“What happened to her?” I whispered, fear and trepidation obvious in my voice.

“Actually, in that case, it was a male. The details aren’t important now. But I knew you needed help so I did my best to be what you needed.”

My cheeks flamed again. “I’m a freak. That’s what you’re not saying, isn’t it?”

“Now now, little missy. None of that. The reason we tell that story, in fact all the packs I know of tell that story, is because that incubus was a very special man. His destiny was

intertwined with that of all werewolves.”

“I’m nothing special. I just had a weird childhood. I couldn’t um, contact my guide.” I barely breathed out the last part of that sentence, expecting recrimination but he just nodded.

“We don’t have to go into it now. I knew the story, I knew what you needed, I wanted to help. We can leave it at that.” He paused for two beats. “And you have a super hot body and I thoroughly enjoyed fucking you.”

He winked and I blushed again. Half at the compliment and half because my nipples were suddenly hard again.

“Um, thanks. For everything. Sincerely. But, um, could I maybe bail now? I appreciate your understanding and…everything, but this is still pretty much day two and I think I need to give my brain a chance to catch up.”

He picked me up and carried me over to a couch. He laid me down and then went to gather my things and piled everything up beside me.

Then, he kissed my forehead and said, “I’m in 207 if you get hungry. Or want to chat. Now, go talk to your guide, you still have a lot to learn.”

When he stood up, it disturbed the air and suddenly I could smell him. The incubus was powered up and awake. It was a good thing he was walking away and, while my incubus side may have been juiced, my muscles were slack. I didn’t really want to go for another round.

But the incubus considered it. That smell! Now I was starting to understand what Zan had been talking about. Intoxicating. That wet dirt smell that happens at the beginning of a spring rain, an earthy mossy smell layered with the smell of freshly cut grass, and one more scent I couldn’t quite place. Something that reminded me of being in an old forest. Whatever it was, it all swirled together into the most alluring cologne I had ever smelled.

I heard the doors open and close and realized he had gathered his things while I was sorting through his scent and he was leaving. Good. I was still having a little bit of trouble with…everything.

‘Would you get dressed already so you won’t freak out when I appear?’

Eep. Shit. I forgot he was there. “I thought you weren’t going to watch me with the wolf?” I asked angrily.

‘I didn’t. But I also noticed you are done fucking the wolf.’

I saw tiny hands appear making a hurry up motion. I grabbed my robe and put it on and stuffed everything else, including my bikini, in my pockets. As soon as I finished tying the sash I looked up and there was Zan. Hovering in the air in front of me, hands on his hips, scowling.

“What?” I threw my hands up. “Wait, I can see you now but just me, right?”

“Others can if I want them to but mostly I don’t. The same as whether or not they can hear me,” the little winged man explained.

“Why are you so upset? I thought you’d be pleased. I’m all powered up now, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re powered up all right. Not 100 percent charged but enough for now. I thought you were just going for a quick ride. That was…longer than I was prepared for.” There was anxiety underneath his words that didn’t match his anger but I was way too mixed up to try and sort it out.

“I wasn’t exactly planning all of that. Shit just keeps happening and I don’t seem to have much control,” I complained.

He blew out a long angry breath. “You’re right. It’s fine. It’s hard for me to adjust to your…level of experience.”

“Sorry,” I offered as I hung my head. I felt naive and dirty all at the same time.

“Stop. Just pull out your phone. I’m gonna sit on your shoulder on the way back to the room. Pretend to text me your answers.”

I did as he suggested and got out my phone as I began walking to the doors and back inside.

“Sorry, babe. I think I’ve been a dick to you here and there.”

[Here and there?]

“Give me a break, I’m trying to explain here. I feel out of my element.”

[You feel out of your element?] Was he catching my sarcasm on that one? I didn’t care. This was rich. He felt out of his element? I was on day fucking two of a paranormal truth bomb. And the fucking part had been literal. I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

“I do,” he said indignantly. “I’ve been a guide a really long time. I know what to say and when to say it. I’ve never had an incubus so green before. And stop beating yourself up about it. I’m trying to tell you I feel bad that I’m letting you down. You would never feel like that if I wasn’t falling down on the job. I had to visit my mentor while you were fucking that wolf just now. That’s really why I was pissed. Do you have any clue how old I am?” After a short pause he added, “how embarrassing that was for me?”

I had no idea what to say so I just let him continue his rant all the way back to the room.

“I was worried about you. Especially after I spoke with my mentor. I was shook. I haven’t been out of sorts like that since I was a newbie myself.” His voice got a bit shrill and shaky on that last sentence.

Fuck. He’s lost. I have to be living in a nightmare. I’m such a weirdo, not even my guide knows what the hell is going on.

Chapter Three

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

I was glad to be able to put my phone down when we were once again tucked away in our little private oasis. Zan left my shoulder and flitted over to perch on a lamp on the night stand.

“Look, you have to tell me what is so different about me. I know I not handling this well. I’m trying but, you have to admit, it’s a lot. And the werewolves seem to know something about

me…” I trailed off in uncertainty.

“I don’t actually know. That’s why I went to see my mentor,” Zan admitted.

When my eyes went wide, he made a placating gesture. “We are going to figure it out. He had some ideas. There are some old legends.”

“The wolf mentioned a story also,” I began. “Something about a male incubus whose destiny was intertwined with werewolves. He didn’t say so but, it almost sounded like they half worshipped him. He said the way I was acting reminded him of the story. He, um, knew I needed help. Getting powered up.” I could not stop being embarrassed when talking about powering up through sex.

“Interesting,” Zan responded, stroking his chin in thought. “We may have to have a chat with that wolf. There may be something in there that might help us figure out why you haven’t gotten your first full charge.”

“You keep mentioning that. What’s the big deal with the first one?” I questioned, my trepidation again on the rise.

“Partially, it’s helpful to understand the full extent of your magic reservoir. A lot of the rest of your training will be at least partially based on how much you can hold. I’m guessing your reservoir is big and that is part of why it hasn’t been fully filled yet. And,”

He paused, I looked at him but I couldn’t read the expression on his face. He took in a deep breath and blew it out.

“We won’t be fully bonded until then,” he admitted.

“What?!?” I blurted.

“See, I didn’t want to worry you, that’s why I didn’t want to go into it.”

“So, what does that mean? Is it dangerous or something if it isn’t completed now or soon or whatever?” more questions I couldn’t contain burbled out of me.

I was trying not to panic. But, seriously, the hits just kept coming.

“Chill, chicka. The most useful part of the bond is location. Once we’re bonded, I can find you and you can find me, anywhere. We’re going to be connected at the proverbial hip for the foreseeable future so let’s not worry about that one for now. The rest of the bond is about your other powers. I can feel your use of them through the bond. Normally, it wouldn’t matter because I would have several years to work on your powering up and control before ever even tapping into your other powers,” Zan explained.

“But there is something weird going on and that makes it more urgent,” I grumped.

“Aye, all of it is more urgent. We need to start at the beginning. Your beginning. I’m sorry, babe. It’s time for you to tell me about your childhood.”

“I don’t think my story is so unusual. I don’t know anything about my birth parents. I was put up for adoption the day I was born. I was in state care for a while. I don’t remember but, I’m told I went to a few foster homes. Then I was adopted. My parents were very religious and very strict,” I recited, trying to hold in the pain.

“Interesting. No one ever said why you were moved a few times or why your adoption took so long?”

“When I was younger, I never asked. I didn’t even find out I was adopted until I was 5. I barely understood what it even meant but, my parents would fly into a rage if I asked questions. So I didn’t,” I said bitterly.

“And you never went searching for your birth parents on your own, after you left their home?”

Zan’s questions were thoughtful and reasonable.

I still sighed before answering. “One of the last times I asked about my adoption, I think I was maybe 7 or 8. They told me my birth parents were most likely dead. That they had been bad people who had sex before getting married in front of God. That they were punished with poverty and illness due to their sins. They said my father was missing and my mother was sick when I was born and that is why I was left at the hospital in the first place. I believed everything my parents ever told me at that point in my life.” I paused for a beat.

“After they explained what bad people my birth parents were, I figured I was better off without them. At that age, I also thought their brand of religion was the only way to live,” I finished.

“Okay, well, none of that is true. Beyond being adopted by religious whack jobs that is. That part is clearly true,” Zan soothed.

“At some point, I started to realize their brand of religion was fanatical. But I could never question anything in their presence or I would be punished. I played the role of their pious daughter until I went to college and I could search for answers without them breathing down my neck, telling me everything I did was a sin.”

“That has to be the most horrific childhood an incubus has ever experienced,” Zan said, his face drawn into a frown.

“It wasn’t that bad. I’m sure lots of kids went through exactly what I did. Deep religion is common in the South.”

“Aye, I’ve noticed,” Zan began kindly. “But my dear, you’re an incubus. You have a spirit that needs to be fed, needs to dominate, needs to be free. Even before your awakening, there should have been some differences in between how you and a human perceive the world. Their strict control didn’t just suppress your incubus nature, it strangled it. This is why none of your senses were awake at all. It’s why you feel divided between your two natures,” he explained.

“That’s why I feel possessed when I’m around a werewolf?” I questioned, I was so bewildered.

“Totally chicka,” Zan enthused. That’s why you couldn’t restrain yourself when you smelled that wolf in the hallway. Had to be the first werewolf you’ve ever come across. Your incubus side saw an opportunity and took it. Since then, your body and mind…”

“Have been in a huge struggle,” I finished for him. “My mind keeps throwing my religious upbringing at me and my body, well, you know what it is doing. I don’t, I don’t even know that much about sex. I’m not a virgin but what I have done before this trip is really vanilla compared to, well, pulling a stranger into a closet and screwing another one in a pool on the roof.”

Zan offered me a crooked smile. “I imagine your whole life has been pretty vanilla compared to the last two days.”

“That is a truth,” I intoned.

“Okay, this explains a lot.” He had been flitting back and forth across the room while we talked but now, he stilled, hovering. His shoulders sagged, his wings slowed, and he dropped a few inches. “This is going to take some work,” he said, half to himself.

“But you always knew that didn’t you? You said you’ve been a guide for a long time. You must have worked with others who had at least some of the problems I have,” I said hopefully.

“Oh, my baby incubus.” Zan flew over and laid a little hand on my cheek. “I am sorry, but, no, I have never had to work with anyone who had to overcome all that you do.”

I sagged.

“Do not despair. We know more now. I can handle this.” The last was said with great conviction. But I hung my head still. I was a freak. Everyone kept trying to tell me I wasn’t but this just confirmed it.

Zan planted a tiny fist under my chin. I raised my head and he flitted back a few inches. “Adette, sweet child. I can practically hear your thoughts. You are not a freak. You are special. You want to know something that just occurred to me? Something that demonstrates you are actually awesome?”

I knew it was childish but I sullenly nodded yes.

“The combination of your incubus nature being starved and strangled, and the split nature of your two sides, would have caused any other incubus I’ve ever known to harm those two wolves. Not purposefully. It would have just been due to the split incubus nature having nothing to shackle it. Unrestrained feeding during sex is dangerous.” He held up his hands again, knowing I was worried about hurting someone on accident. Or on purpose for that matter.

“What I’m saying is, you managed to get the sex you needed to power up without any of that happening. I don’t know if it was your subconscious, chastising yourself for having sex, or instinct. But you did it. No help. No guide. No training. You should worry less about hurting someone, not more.”

“Okay,” I squeaked as my cheeks brightened, “it does sound better when you lay it out like that. I’m a good freak.” I gave him a half smile.

“That’s right, kid. You’re a good freak. The first wolf? He was really young. He knew what you were but I don’t think he had any idea what kind of dangerous situation he was in. Yet, you didn’t hurt him.”

“Okay, you can stop going on and on. Now I’m getting embarrassed for a different reason,” I said.

He flipped me off. Wow. The insult hit differently coming from a seven inch Sprite.

“Where does this all leave us?” I asked. “The more time I spend with you, the more questions I have. Isn’t there some kind of, ‘so you’re a supernatural, now what? quick start instruction book’ or something. The idiot’s guide to being an incubus, maybe?”

Zan smiled. “We are on a different timeline for, well, lots of stuff, then I thought we were. Take a shower. Then we’re going to get some rest. Tomorrow, you’re going to pack up some shit and we’re going to look for a gnome.”

“Okay, I’ll bite,” I began. “Why a gnome? Please tell me I don’t have to get freaky with a gnome.”

Zan rolled his eyes. “Knowledge. Like I said before, gnomes have an incredibly long life span. If we want to find out more about incubi, or any other supernaturals really, their origins, the stories that have been lost, the things that might help us discover more about your mysterious past, there is a good chance a gnome can lead us to it.”

“What about the wolf?” I asked. “The second one,” I clarified as I blushed again. Yeah, maybe I needed to get over my shame but I had done it with two different guys on two successive days. I didn’t even know their names. “You said you wanted to talk to him about their legend or whatever,” I finished weakly.

“I’m going to pop over and check with my mentor while you shower. Now that we have a few more deets, he may have more ideas. Just, please stay in the room. No room service. I’m only planning to be gone 5 minutes, tops. You’ve done incredible so far but let’s not court danger, hmm?”

I hung my head again, actually worried. “Yes, Zan,” I whispered. I got up and headed towards the bathroom.

Zan flitted in front of me again. “Hey, you’ll be fine. Pinky swear?” he offered.

I wasn’t sure how this was going to work but I held up my hand and extended my pinky. Zan flew up to it and wrapped his wings around himself and my pinky for a moment. I guess that sealed the deal.

“Just, let me get the water started and get in before you take off.”

He flew up and swept his hand to the side, as if to say, carry on. I turned the shower on, dropped my robe and stepped in. Zan took a second to peek in the curtain, give me a thumbs up, as if he hadn’t been seeing me naked for the past few months, and disappeared.

I stood in the hot water. Robotically going through the motions of taking a shower. I lost track of how long it had been when I heard a high pitched giggle. I looked up and Zan was sitting on the shower curtain rod, shaking with laughter. That was when I noticed I had completely lost track of my shower and had been just rubbing soap around on my breasts with particular attention to my nipples, for who knows how long.

“Not. One. Word.” I gritted out.

He made the ‘zipping my lips’ motion. He was still laughing but as long as he didn’t say anything, I could take it. I flipped him off and went back to trying to remember what else actually needed to be cleaned on my body.

I decided I was clean enough. I took the shower wand and gave myself a thorough rinse. Then I shut off the water, stepped out, wrapped myself in a towel and grabbed another one for my hair.

I got myself situated in the middle of the bed and, after towel drying my hair, I began working my comb through it, trying to get the tangles out.

Zan flew back and forth across the room a few times before finally settling on the lamp again. “I talked to my mentor. He said your upbringing explains some of your…difficulties but, it isn’t the whole picture. We need to see what we can find out about your birth parents.”

“About that, I keep meaning to ask, but can you tell me more about incubi in general? Why are we so rare? And why are we so important to the werewolves?”

Zan didn’t seem to mind my endless stream of questions. “The rarity we’ll get into later. Incubi are sort of the sheriffs and enforcers among the supernatural community. Some species will only respond to the dominance of an incubus. Werewolves are strong and proud. They police their own communities and keep strict order within each pack. They have their own enforcers and generally like to keep to themselves. Most other supernaturals leave them alone, probably because they know a werewolf can tear them apart. There is one species that the wolves can’t counter. If there is an issue, only an incubus can help.”

“And that would be?” I prodded.

“Are you sure you are ready for this?”

“Spit it out, Sprite. I’m tired of being in the dark.”

He swallowed before answering. “Dragons.”

“Fuck fire,” I spat, the curse slipping out of me without thought.

“I don’t recommend it. Dragon fire isn’t…”

I cut him off. “Saying, Zan. That is a saying of mine. For situations that are really fucked up. And before we have more misunderstandings, I also use fuckballs, fuckton, fuck shit fuck, and several other variations of the expletive. I never mean actually fucking.”

“Yeah, I hear you, I get it. Religious childhood, sex is a sin and all that garbage. Humans,” he said the word with disgust. “You know what, try feck. It’s a Sprite word. A Sprite expletive to be precise. I think its meaning is similar to what you are trying to convey.”

I blew out a breath. “Back to dragons. Are you sure alcohol no longer can give me a buzz? I could really use something to take the edge off.”

“Sorry, chicka. The incubus just burns through it. Due to your position in the supernatural world, losing control in that way can be…dangerous to deadly. I know of a fruit from Faery that will get an incubus high but we aren’t trying that any time soon. Sorry not sorry,” he explained with a shrug.

“Fine.” My one-word utterance came out childish but I didn’t care.

First, I randomly grab a guy and fuck him in a closet. Then I find out I’m not even human and what’s more, I’m not your run of the mill supernatural, but an incubus. (Also, supernatural species are real, surprise!) Then, I baited a werewolf into fucking me so I could see my incubus guide, who is a Sprite.

I felt like I was allowed a little leeway in my reactions at the moment. I couldn’t even spare any excitement or wonder in hearing that Faery was a real place.

“So, dragons are real and what, they hunt werewolves?” I asked, trying to piece it all together. “Yes, and yes,” Zan nodded . “It doesn’t come up often but when it does it’s a big problem. And not just for werewolves. The werewolves are also enforcers in the supernatural community. They might be below incubi, but there are more of them. Just having them spread around in certain areas helps keep the other species in line. If the werewolves suffer a loss in numbers, order breaks down across the entire supernatural community. We risk humans learning about us. All of us. Humanity isn’t ready for that. No one wants to have to exterminate or enslave them just because they aren’t as evolved as the rest of us. Better for us to keep them ignorant. And as long as we do, they are no threat to us.”

“Feck,” I offered.

“Feck indeed,” he agreed.

I held up a finger, asking Zan for a minute. Then I buried my head in my hands. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out slowly. I continued the pattern for a minute. Then two.

“Adette?” he asked worriedly.

I held up one finger again. I was almost ready. 30 more seconds.

I looked up. I knew my eyes had to be wild.

“Incubi fight dragons?”

“Not exactly fight, more like tame, Zan soothed. “Normally, I would say you won’t have to worry about that for many years but we seem to be in uncharted waters. We are going to put your training in over drive. And we will get to dragons but, that is about level two thousand based on where we are now.”

I think that was when he finally noticed all the color had drained from my face.

“You gotta trust me. I can do this. We,” he gestured emphatically between us, “can do this. Every time you get discouraged, I want you to remember all the things you have done really well. And the deck has been stacked against you for about 25 years. And now you got the most handsome Sprite that ever existed by your side.” He rose an inch higher in the air at that. “Smart.” He rose another inch. “Funny.” Another inch. “Humble.”

I lost it and burst out laughing.

“That’s better,” he praised. “Now, we have a new plan for tomorrow thanks to my visit with my mentor. We’re going to go over it in the morning. I am fecking exhausted.”

“Fine by me,” I said.

I went to get rid of the towels, and put on some pjs. Yeah, I went with another silk set. I had always loved it for sleeping. I was grateful that another dreamless sleep completed my day.

Chapter Four

Defiance

I slept in the next day. Not really on purpose, Zan just didn’t bug me and nothing else stirred me from sleep until about 9am. Well, it was late for what I was used to.

“Let’s have a big breakfast in the room today. We can chat about our plan for the rest of the day as we eat,” Zan enthused.

“A, are you really going to eat with me because, it has just occurred to me, I have never seen you eat? And B, it must be bad because you are 100% buttering me up with this offer. I know you like to be out and about, even if no one can see you. You are such a people watcher,” I said, trying to uncover his motives.

He shrugged.

“Sprites don’t have to eat food when we are with an incubus. You radiate power that nourishes us. It’s one of the reasons we make good guides. But food is optional. We eat what you would consider regular food when not hanging with an incubus. We can eat the food here and in Faery,” he explained.

“Alrighty then, what do you want?” I asked, hungry enough to let things play out for now.

“Just get whatever sounds good to you and some fruit.”

I wasn’t sure so I got out the room service menu. There were plenty of decadent choices but that wasn’t calling to me this morning. I was looking for something more, simple.

Something that always said comfort to me. Corned beef hash with home potatoes and eggs. Perfect.

“Zan, have a look at this fruit salad. It has a crushed walnut, honey, and lime drizzle. Is that okay?”

“Sure, babe. A little extra something, something never hurt anyone,” he said with a wink.

I called in and ordered. I added a side of corn tortillas and orange juice and that seemed like more than plenty. Then I set about getting dressed and ready. Nothing special, especially since Zan was changing the plan and hadn’t clued me in yet. Jeans, a T shirt, and my hair in a messy bun. Done.

“Okay, start talking, Sprite. I know I’m not going to like it so let’s just get it out there so I can start trying to wrap my mind around things.”

He took a deep breath.

“We are going to go looking for a stalagmite gnome,” he stated.

“And I take it that is different from a rock gnome?”

“Aye. They have a reputation for being incredibly hard to find. As their name implies, one of their favorite transformations is into a stalagmite. So we have to go caving.”

“Oh, I have done some light spelunking. I like it,” I burbled, exited for the first time.

Zan rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know if you are going to like this. My mentor said there is a place a few hundred miles away with a cave system tucked away, where the humans have never gone. Faery legends suggest there is a stalagmite gnome living there. She’s unimaginably ancient and her magic has grown so powerful, not even the Faery texts know what all she might be capable of.”

“And?” I queried, feeling as though he was leaving something out.

“And as far as we know, she hasn’t spoken to anyone for about 500 years.”

“Feck.”

“Feck indeed.”

A knock at the door announced the arrival of our food. That was damn fast. I asked the waiter to leave the tray on the table. Then, I handed him a $20 bill as I walked him back to the door. He thanked me, bowed and left.

I went back over and sat down at the table and surveyed the spread. Zan was sitting on the back of the other chair. He had already snagged a slice of kiwi, which looked hilariously huge in his tiny hands. I held back a laugh but I couldn’t help the smile. I tried to hide my amusement by making a little hash taco with one of the tortillas.

“Don’t laugh at me, woman. I’ve been feeding off you for months. Just because I don’t need to eat when I’m around you doesn’t mean I don’t like food.” He licked the fingers on one hand. “Plus, that honey whatever drizzle, that shit is delicious. It has potential for other uses, if you’re pickin’ up what I’m putting down.” He nodded towards the bowl of fruit salad.

I grimaced. “I’ll get to it. Let me enjoy a few bites of this first.”

We were both quiet for a few minutes, just eating. After I had taken the edge off my hunger, I set down my fork and speared Zan with a look. He was grabbing a blueberry from the bowl and he raised his eyebrows in question.

“I know there is more,” I accused.

He took a moment to finish off the blueberry and wiped his hands before settling on the back of the chair again. “You should be fully charged after the werewolves. You’re not even close. There are a couple of reasons why that could be. The first wolf was young, so he wouldn’t have been enough for a full charge unless you had done some freaky tantric stuff with him.”

I was putting together another corned beef hash taco but at that, I stopped and stared.

“It’s the second wolf we need to know more about. And we need to see how much of that pack history he can share with us,” Zan expanded.

“I think he knew I’d need to know more after I talked to you. He gave me his room number,” I offered.

“Yeah, I caught the end of your conversation when I noticed you were done and I tuned back in,” Zan said nonchalantly.

“How?” I asked, somewhat alarmed.

“How what?”

“You said you can tell when I was done. How?”

“Oh, your aura changes. I can sense it, see it in my mind’s eye, even if we are separated for some reason. It brightens and kind of splits into a rainbow, and when you orgasm, it’s like a super nova. Yours is especially beautiful,” he explained, his expression a little dreamy.

I had no response. I was starting to grow numb to all the new information. In the span of 2 days, I had gone from thinking I was possessed and or going crazy. Now, I was somewhat calmly having breakfast with a Sprite describing my aura during sex.

Oh, how the tides had turned. I finally started poking my fork around in the fruit salad. I found a big juicy strawberry and bit into it. Heaven. Zan was right about the honey lime drizzle. The sweet and citrus came together with crushed walnut and complimented the strawberry.

Zan had gone silent again. Uh oh, danger, Will Robinson. I looked up at him again and braced myself.

“You are going to have to practice powering up with the wolf,” he stated.

“What?” My heart had plummeted to my toes. “I thought you said I was doing great. I didn’t hurt them. I got some juice. Is it because I’m not that good…at sex?”

Zan shook his head emphatically. “No. Well, I don’t know if you are or not. The wolves seem plenty satisfied.”

He sliced a hand through the air. “Anyway, that’s not what I meant. Since you aren’t getting fully juiced, you are going to need to um, snack, so to speak. A bit more often than is usually needed by an incubus.”

I groaned. Zan ignored my discomfort and went on.

“And we need to travel. We can’t be sure there will be a werewolf handy when you need it.”

I pushed the food away, crossed my arms on the table in front of me, and let my head fall onto my arms.

Zan’s expression softened. “I’m sorry, I know this is all really hard for you. You may have to seduce a human. We need to work on your control. So far, it seems your instincts or something have kept you from any accidents but, I think the wolf might be able to help you work on that control. Make sure when things get really heated, that control doesn’t snap.”

I wanted to protest. I wanted to say no. I wanted to invent a Time Machine and go back in time and never book a flight to Palm Springs. But that wasn’t my life. I wasn’t going to run from this. I looked up, caught Zan’s gaze. Made sure he was looking directly in my eyes and nodded. Once. Seeing my acceptance, he flew up and headed over to the phone.

“Call him,” Zan directed. “Time to rip off that band aid.”

I took a deep breath. Then another. I dialed.

“Hello?” I was a bit surprised he was in his room. But I recognized his voice from just that one word.

“Um, hi. This is Adette. I’m, um. I’mtheincubuswhobaitedyouyesterday.”

I blurted it all out before he could say anything.

“Well, good mornin’ ma’am. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Actually,” I swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in my throat, “I’m here with my guide, Zandar, may we put you on speaker phone?”

“I don’t see any problem with that,” the wolf responded easily.

I hit the speaker button, and put down the receiver.

“I suppose I should thank you, wolf. You helped my baby incubus,” Zan said grudgingly.

“My name is Flint. And I think you knew I would help. You flaunted her all over like she was an old hag, incapable of attracting a lover any other way,” he chided.

“Shut it, wolf. I know my business, Zan retorted.

“But you missed a step with Adette, didn’t you?” Flint asked pointedly.

“Don’t test me wolf, you know which side your bread is buttered on. Yes, I missed a fecking step. We are moving forward, give me a fecking break, okay?” Zan huffed.

“I’m reserving judgment on you for now. You know as well as I do that Adette is special,” Flint stated.

“Um, guys, I’m right here. I can hear you. I don’t know what the hostility is about right now but, can you please both just drop it? I would very much like to understand what is going on with me. Especially before the universe winds up and throws another curveball at me. I don’t even play softball.” My voice had gotten a bit shrill at the end of my statement.

Flint cleared his throat.

Zan had the decency to look chagrined. “Truce?”

“Yes,” Flint readily agreed.

“Great, now that we have that settled, you’re an alpha, right?” Zan quizzed.

“Yessir.”

“Knew it. How many packs?”

“Southwest region. Seven states.”

“Feck,” I exclaimed, ending their verbal ping pong.

“Feck indeed,” Zan agreed. “You’ve studied extensively, yes?” he directed his question at the werewolf.

“I have,” Flint agreed.

“Have you ever worked with an incubus on control before?”

“No, I have powered up several over the years. Done some other instructing for power, healing and, the, ah, more punishing aspects of their nature,” Flint said.

“Well, damn,” Zan swore.

I was so glad we were on the phone. I knew my face had to be flaming.

“Hold your horses. I’ve never had the opportunity to train on control, but I know the theory. I’ve worked out several lesson plans, just in case,” Flint clarified.

“You are one prepared werewolf, Flint, I’ll give you that,” Zan allowed.

Finally, he was warming to the werewolf. I wasn’t sure why, but it inspired some confidence in me.

“I take the safety of my people very seriously. And personally. I have a lot of family spread throughout the area,” Flint explained. Why don’t you go ahead and drop the dime?” he asked.

“Drop the dime?” Zan responded, his eyebrows drawn down in confusion.

“Spill the tea. Tell me why you need to do this. Not that I am not agreeing to help, that is a given. But, the safety of my people demands I get more details. It is between us for now. If I need to take it to my superiors, I won’t do it without your permission, on the honor of the magic in my blood,” Flint stated with great solemnity.

I was still new to all this but that sounded like a pretty serious oath. I checked Zan’s face. Yup, slapped with shock. He sat down on my shoulder.

“By the power of the weft and weave, Flint, your word is accepted,” Zan intoned, his sincerity matching Flint’s.

That sounded pretty damn serious too. Thanks, roller coaster life, I needed a dark tunnel with a loop in the middle of it.

Zan drew in a breath. “We are looking for Stella,” he said.

“Feck,” Flint breathed.

“Feck indeed,” Zan agreed.

“And can I ask why, keeping in mind, this is all included in my oath.”

“We need information,” Zan disclosed.

“You’re seeking Stella, that goes without saying. Elucidate, please,” Flint coaxed.

“I was adopted. I don’t know who either of my parents are,” I blurted out.

Zan shot me a dirty look, like I had given away the location and launch code for a nuke. But, it was my life, dammit. I could share that bit if I wanted to.

Flint sucked in a sharp breath. Oh, maybe I had made a mistake.

“Since that particular cat is out of the bag, no, we don’t know who her parents are. And you have clearly guessed we don’t know what either,” Zan grumped.

“Wait, wait, wait. Wait. I thought you said I was ½ but that it didn’t matter. I thought you meant one was an incubus and one was a human and that was why it didn’t matter,” I fretted.

“Chickens in church. You haven’t told her yet?” Flint exclaimed.

“I was getting to it. It’s day 2.5 and we are in a unique situation. There has been more to overcome than parentage, okay? We are talking about trying to condense information about the entire supernatural world into a few short discussions and we had other shit to deal with too,” Zan fumed.

“Understood,” Flint allowed.

“Um, still here. And I don’t understand,” I complained.

Zan flew up and away and faced me.

“Humans can’t impregnate an incubus and vice versa. One of your parents was an incubus but we don’t know which. And one was some other species of supernatural. And we don’t know which,” Zan said kindly.

“Freak. I am a freak. You keep saying I’m not. But I am,” I lamented.

“Adette. Damn you. No. We just need to know. It’s just another piece of the puzzle. It doesn’t matter what the answer is, but knowing helps us understand how to move forward, yes?” Zan soothed.

I nodded. Once.

Flint cleared his throat. “I’m mowin’ what you’re growin’. And I can tell why you need to move fast and get in some training too. Give me an hour to get ready” he said. “Adette?”

“Yes,” I whispered.

“Here is how this is gonna work. Think of having sex with a human as having a snack. They don’t have a lot of power and even fewer defenses. Sex needs to be very simple or you’ll take too much power without meaning to, there is always some transfer,” Flint counseled.

“Okay.”

At my acknowledgement, Flint continued, “for this meet up, you are gonna let me lead. You are gonna let me control everything. I’ll explain some things as we go. There will be a little foreplay and then simple sex. No fancy positions. You can’t get too freaky with a human.”

“Okay,” I repeated.

“That’s about it. My room. One hour.”

“Yes, sir,” I responded, hanging up the phone. There was a command in his tone on those last four words and it had turned me on. Feck me, this was going to be a long hard morning.

“That went well,” Zan remarked.

“If you say so,” I groused.

“I do,” Zan said with satisfaction. “Now, eat more if you want to. Then you are gonna shower. As soon as you are dressed after that, we’ll head out. His room is a ways from here,” he instructed.

I pretended I was riding a roller coaster into the bathroom, holding onto the bar in front of me. Chugging up a hill. When I got to the shower, I threw up my hands and said, “wheeeee!”

Chapter Five

Maverick

Zan had just finished walking me to Flint’s door. The werewolf smell had hit me as soon as we got off the elevator. This was going to be hard. Zan was quiet now. He was invisible to all but me and he had promised to tune out at the appropriate time as usual. Now I was standing there, trying to work up the courage to knock, going over the plan in my head.

Quick, simple, sex. Just a little power up. Like having yogurt and granola for an afternoon snack, right? Right. I got this.

Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out slowly. I knocked.

Flint opened the door, nodded in greeting, and stepped aside to allow me to enter. I walked a few steps into the entryway and turned to face him.

“Are you sure about this? It feels, wrong. Like I’m using you. Manipulating you even. I don’t even need the power right now, I’m just practicing,” I demurred.

“Adette, we’ve been through this. Besides which, look at me.” He gestured from his head to his feet. “I’m a big boy. Capable of making my own decisions. You are still learning about werewolves but you should know, we age slow. I’d wager I’m quite a bit older than you think. I know exactly what I’m agreeing to,” he assured me.

I licked my lips nervously. “Okay. Um, how do we, you know get started…simply?”

Flint walked up and took my hand. He led me deeper into his room. He had a suite, a really big, really nice suite. I tried to pay attention to the details but holding back was proving harder than I thought. That delicious werewolf scent was everywhere, I had rested and my muscles didn’t feel like jello. I wanted to rip his clothes off and ride him on the floor right there.

I was trying to control my breathing but it was hard. Thankfully, we made it to the bedroom pretty quickly. He maneuvered me to a sitting position on the edge of the bed.

“You just let me lead, ma’am. This here is simple sex lesson one. With your average werewolf, I guess it would amount to a small or maybe medium power up. The more powerful the werewolf, the more you get. With a human, it’s a snack, nothing more. I’m going to take off my clothes and then yours. You just go with the flow and try to let me keep leading, okay?”

I nodded. I was afraid to open my mouth. I was breathing deeply, trying to keep my cool.

Flint wasn’t putting on a strip tease or anything but still, seeing his body, out of the pool, right in front of me was, gulp inducing. I didn’t care how old he was.

The man was over six feet tall. His head was shaved. His skin was the color of coffee, wrapped over corded muscle. His chest had a fair bit of hair on it. Yum. Milk chocolate brown eyes looked out of a face that held both wisdom and humor. Full lips.

Full lips that were smirking at me. I snapped back to the moment. His shirt was already off and his belt lay on the floor as well. I was mesmerized as he began unbuttoning his jeans. I almost touched myself but realized at the last moment. I blushed and looked up with a shy grin and a shrug.

Flint’s low chuckle told me he noticed my almost slip but he carried on stripping. Stepping out of his jeans and, oh boy, here came the big test. He was going to drop his boxers.

“Wait.” I panted the single word out. He stopped and looked at me, a question in his eyes.

“Can you, can you please just leave them on until…a bit later?”

He chuckled but shrugged and moved on. Oh shit, now he was going to undress me. Oh, I made my request just in time. I broke out in a light sweat. My breathing started to pick up.

Flint kneeled down in front of me and kissed me. Full on the mouth but no tongue, gentle. His hands settled on my shoulders and he began to rub soothing circles into my tight muscles. I couldn’t help but relax. When he felt me calm down, he moved his hands to my waist, the kissing keeping my attention fairly rapt, he was throwing in a few nips. Shiver.

Ever so gently, he untucked my t-shirt. Then he slowly lifted it up, only breaking the kiss to get it off my arms and over my head. I made the tiniest gasp when the cold air hit me but I was still holding it together.

The ache between my thighs was another story but, I was trying to ignore that for as long as I could. As it turned out, that wouldn’t need to be too much longer. Flint gently guided me back until I was laying on the bed with my legs dangling over the edge at the knee. All the while, the kissing was the same gentle caress. He unbuttoned my jeans and finally broke the kiss.

Then he finally dropped his boxers and I blushed at his state of arousal. When he dipped his head between my thighs, I nearly lost it. His mouth quickly moved up my body, his hand taking over, filling my void.

But I was aching for more. I reached for his manhood. He growled in response but didn’t move away. Emboldened by his response, I teased him until we were rolling across the bed. We paused just long enough for him to sheath his sword. Unable to restrain myself, I had my way with him.

It started with oral sex and ended with me saddling up and riding him like a racehorse. What I had just done hit me and I untangled myself and turned away. I curled into a ball and started crying. I was never going to gain control. I was supposed to let him lead and I had taken over.

“Adette?” His voice was a little panicked.

I stopped my crying and choked out, “I’m sorry.” I took a shaky breath and tried to calm down and continued, “I didn’t mean to. I tried so hard but I lost it. I just. Your scent. And when you touch me, it ignites all my nerve endings. I, I hurt you this time, didn’t I? I accidentally sucked out your power because I couldn’t control myself.”

He was chuckling. I rolled over to look at him. He had disposed of the condom and put on some boxers. He was propped up on his side. He looked relaxed. Satiated. And amused.

“Feck. You’re completely fine, aren’t you? But…I lost control,” I spluttered.

“You took control,” Flint corrected. “That is different from losing it. You fucked

me, you didn’t drain me, you controlled that part.”

“I was supposed to let you lead,” I grimaced.

I grabbed my T-shirt and panties. I didn’t care how comfortable everyone else was with nudity, I wasn’t.

“That was the plan, yes. Incubi are very dominant by nature. The lesson was designed to help you work on control by using your control to fight your own dominate nature. That is why I did all the undressing,” he assured.

“And I let you, so I did okay on that part,” I postulated.

“Correct. You really have to stop being so hard on yourself. Besides which, I pushed you. I had to make you uncomfortable to see where your tipping point was,” he comforted.

“How do you know so much about all this? I mean, not just incubi in general but you designed this whole lesson…” I trailed off.

“Pack history. And experience. I’ve been around the block a few times, remember? I’ll admit, your needs are a bit unique. But all werewolves study incubi. We kind of have to be ready for anything. Or, we try to at least.”

“No one’s ever, that is to say I’ve never. Um. The thing is, I, I’ve never had oral sex before.” I said the last in a rush. Why did I have to blurt out every humiliating thought I had?

“I figured that out. I’m sorry. That one is on me too. I should have asked you a few questions when we were going over the plan.”

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

“Dammit, Adette. Stop apologizing.”

“Um, yeah, we are trying to overcome a lot of mental conditioning reinforced with physical punishment. Around 20 years of that,” I explained.

He took my hands gently between his, “Oh, my dear. That is especially cruel for you.”

“I know. Zan told me,” I said sourly. I sat up and pulled my knees up to my chest. Flint moved behind me and started rubbing my shoulders.

I sighed. “Don’t, please. I’m sorry. I can’t handle getting turned on right now and I’m not ready for another lesson.”

He backed off and moved away and I was grateful. “I do need more lessons though, don’t I?”

“That’s really up to you. I’m trying to be what you need. You should talk about it with your guide though.”

“Sure, why not? What’s better than having a humiliating sexual experience? Talking to someone else about it,” I griped.

“Guide.” There was a gentle rebuke in that one word.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Zan? I know you’re listening. Could you please come out?” I pleaded.

“No.” His voice came from near the end of the bed.

“No?” I questioned, completely befuddled.

“The wolf doesn’t get to see me.”

I huffed. Flint just shrugged.

“Will you at least, you know what? Don’t even explain. I don’t care right now. Do you want to at least participate in this conversation?” I queried.

“I’m gonna need a figurative pinky swear from you that you won’t get embarrassed,” he hedged.

“That is the scariest thing you have ever said to me,” I noted.

“Adette!” he half yelled.

“Fine, I pinky swear. Figuratively,” I conceded.

“Tell her about your son, wolf,” he commanded.

“No,” Flint responded, suddenly uncomfortable.

“Just rip the Band-Aid off. My girl doesn’t like being kept in the dark,” Zan goaded.

Flint sighed. He looked at me, sympathetic, resigned. “Lucas, the first werewolf you took into that closet, he is my youngest.”

“Feck,” I sighed, scrubbing my hands down my face.

“Oh, it’s no big deal, that’s why I made him tell you,” Zan admonished. “We all gotta have all our cards on the table. Stop equating sex with love or even feelings. You are basically eating. They are feeding you. Everybody gets off, that part is a bonus,” he lectured.

“How did you figure that out?” I asked.

“His son is in the room next door, I can smell him. I recognized his scent.”

“You can tell a difference in scent between each werewolf?” I added to my seemingly non-stop stream of questions.

“You’ll be able to as well, in time,” Zan responded.

I was making heroic efforts to keep a straight face and not let my embarrassment show, I had pinky promised after all.

Flint finally spoke up. “I have to apologize for my son, ma’am. You’re his first incubus. I had no idea there was going to be one in the area, at least not any that I don’t even know about. Your adoption outside of the supernatural community kept you off the radar. We keeps tabs for obvious reasons. Anyway, he caught your scent before I did or I would have had a talk with him. He baited you. He had followed your scent all over the hotel and he was so overwhelmed by it, he wasn’t thinking straight. He waited in that hallway for you for hours.”

His tone had been soft and regretful. I was still mortified.

“Oh, um, it’s okay. I enjoyed it. I think the incubus was almost fully in control anyway. I don’t know any,” I stopped and cleared my throat. I could stop telling them the incubus knew stuff about sex that I didn’t. “And it let me finally hear Zan,” I offered instead.

“All the same, he could have handled it better. He’s only 30. In werewolf terms, a mere pup. He got lucky you’re such a little prodigy. He’s restricted to his room until he can get control of himself,” Flint reassured.

“Moooooooving on. We all have a problem and I actually think your son might be a part of the solution,” Zan said.

3 beats passed in silence.

“Yes.” Flint said, at the exact same time I said, “no.” I realized I didn’t understand something. And it was probably going to happen anyway. Feck.

“Adette, my dear, if Lucas travels with us, you can train without fear. You probably won’t even have to do a human. At least not any time soon. And he can train too. He’s gonna have to smell you and watch your hot ass all day long and not stop every five minutes to hump your leg,” Zan cajoled.

Flint shot a dirty look in Zan’s general direction for his crude remark. “It’s kind of trial by fire, for both of you. It sucks, but it is the fastest most efficient way to achieve many goals,” Flint advised.

“And you are telepathic with your son, so you will still have a link to us, and vice versa, isn’t that right, wolf?” Zan sneered.

“That is true. I can check in on any wolf in my pack but the link with my family members is the strongest,” Flint affirmed.

“Good. Glad that’s settled,” Zan said, sounding rather pleased.

I folded my arms across my chest.

“Don’t pout,” he chided. “It’s settled.”

I could sense something ahead on the tracks of the roller coaster. I straightened up and got my hands on the imaginary bar in front of me.

“And we need to talk about those pack histories,” Zan added.

I threw my hands up.

“Wheeeee.”