Chapter 1:
Lancelin's P.O.V
"Hey, handsome! Can I buy you a drink?”
I took in the brunette beauty from the corner of my eyes before returning back to my drink. Even in human terms, she was beautiful and she knew it. Her dark curls were tumbled over one shoulder effortlessly to expose her long, bare neck and a butterfly tattoo in shimmering blue shore on one exposed shoulder. The red dress she wore showed a lot of her cleavage and hugged her body in all the right places before ending a few inches above her knee. Her makeup was light except for her cherry red lips and the flush on her cheeks looked to be both from the alcohol she had been consuming as well as being in such a close proximity to me.
I gulped down the rest of my whisky and got off the bar stool while grabbing her hand and pulling her hard against my chest. “How about we move somewhere private instead?” I whispered in her ear while slowly moving my hand around her thin waist.
The woman giggled and wrapped her arms around my waist tightly. Looking over her shoulders, I locked eyes with one of my people and he nodded his head. Good. My room at this club was unoccupied.
“Let’s go.” I escorted the woman upstairs.
****
“You’re not staying…” the woman asked sleepily.
“No." I answered curtly, running a hand through my black hair to neat it out as much as possible. I hate it when women mess it up. They think it pleases me. I hate it as much as I hate staying the night. I never do.
I bent down over her naked body and pulled the sheets to cover her as she slowly dozed off to sleep and then I whispered into her ears:
"Forget about who you slept with. You had a one-night stand with a stranger. You liked it but it wouldn't turn permanent so you sent him away. That's all you'll remember."
One thing I always made sure of after I’d fed was make sure that the woman didn’t remember my face. It would be a hindrance if someone showed up at my clubs, looking for me or tried to bind me into a relationship just because I used her as my feed a couple of times. It was much easier to erase my face from their memories and make it seem like some random Tom, Dick or Harry.
Once I was done buckling up my pants and straightening my shirt, I strode out of the room without a second glance. Robert, one of the club’s bouncers, was waiting outside for me with a tablet in his hand, giving me the detailed report of the total earnings and profits my club had made this past week.
“Good.” I nodded and returned the tablet to him after a quick glance at the report. “Tell the manager to give the staff a five percent raise this week and make sure to escort the lady home once she wakes up.”
“Understood, Sir.” Robert replied in his deep, booming voice over the blaring of the sound system.
My car was waiting for me right outside the club. Martin, my chauffeur, held the door open as I got in. "Where to, Sir?" He asked, fixing his cap over his sandy blonde hair, starting the engine and putting the gear in reverse.
"HQ." I answered, looking out the window at a sleepless New York City. Even at 2.30 in the morning the city was alive and breathing, people crowding the streets, vendors selling different mouth watering snacks and drunken friends supporting each other as they staggered home. The night had only just begun for some of us.
"What is it?" I asked Martin.
"Sire?" He appeared startled for a second as he glanced at me through the rear view mirror but shifted his eyes back on the road as we approached a red light.
"You keep glancing back nervously. What's wrong?" I asked again, never taking my eyes off the energetic, enthusiastic people on the streets. They made me hungry. I wanted to devour their energy. Snuff out the candle of their lives, brighten mine.
Martin was one of the few humans who knew about our existence. But then again, every supernatural being in every dimension needed a human(s) who they could trust. No one survives in this world without allies, no matter how powerful.
"Your brother is waiting." He said just as we pulled into the parking lot of Reefwood HQ.
My eyes snapped to Martin's light blue ones in the rear-view mirror. "What!"
"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before, I had orders." His nervousness increased. I knew something was wrong the instant he opened the door for me but it was too late to turn back now.
"The only orders you take, are from me. No one else." I got out and slammed the door before he could react and headed inside my office.
Truth was, Martin is one of my most trusted men and he's used to every one of my moods. He'll get over it and make sure never to repeat the same mistake. I hated incompetent people around me, no matter who that was.
"Brother."
I winced and came to a stop a few feet from the elevator. "Acelin."
"Little brother." Acelin came to stand in front of me, all blonde hair and blue eyed beauty. It was clear to everyone that we bore no resemblance to each other, since we were conceived from different fathers. I even towered a foot over him.
"You're not with anyone?" Acelin observed, looking back as Martin reversed the car and drove it into the garage.
"I've had my meal." I sidestepped him and pressed the elevator button and waited for the doors to open with teeth gritting patience.
"Wha-meal?" Acelin asked, disappointment clear in his voice. "Dear God! Have some respect, Lance! They are living, breathing people. Women!"
"A meal is a meal. Doesn't matter if you have to eat it or sleep with it." Finally! I stepped into the open elevator with Acelin hot on my heels.
"We're Incubi, not monsters," he said, exasperated.
"Wow! Didn’t know there was a difference." I sighed and rubbed two fingers on my throbbing temples. "Why are you here, brother? Certainly not to discriminate between Incubi and monsters at this hour of the night?"
"No." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's about your new secretary."
I turned to face him sharply. "I don't need a new secretary. I think I'd told you and everyone else that specifically."
"Brother... please. At least have a look at her! She's already waiti-"
"You've called her here? At this ungodly hour?" Acelin's innocent look though, told me a whole different story. I was beyond outraged. How dare he barge into my office and try to control my life! "Acelin?"
"Ummm..." Ace scratched the back of his neck nervously.
A light 'ping' noise indicated that we'd reached the sixteenth floor, and as soon as the doors parted, Acelin's reasons for being nervous, became crystal clear.
He hadn't only brought a secretary to my office, he'd appointed her.
The impact slammed into me on a wave of raw emotions. Desire unfurled in my gut; spreading its wings with slow deliberation throughout my system as I got accustomed to the sight and scent of her. My eyes would’ve glowed from the inside if I didn’t have such iron clad control over myself. The visceral reaction startled me enough that I paused on the doorway to stare at her.
She wasn’t the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, not by a long shot. But she’d honed her beauty to perfection and something told me, it was all natural. From the kohl rimmed chocolate brown eyes to the stiletto she wore to gain height over most men. She wore a full sleeved blouse in light grey and a pencil skirt of darker grey, neutral colours to make sure she didn’t stand out and yet, she did. Something about her just made a man’s attention snap towards her the instant she walked into a room.
She was a professional through and through. And from what I’ve heard about her from Acelin so far, she was damn good at her job. Overall, she would’ve been the perfect choice for a secretary…if I didn’t feel this overwhelming urge to have her naked and writhing beneath me. It was the oddest behavior on my part. I did not mix business with pleasure, that rule was absolute. And yet…when it came to Sanaya Johnson, it made me want to break all rules and throw rationality out the window.
"What is your secretary doing here?" I snapped at Acelin, fuming at the thought that he must be testing my patience.
"Haven’t you read the notice? Ms. Johnson’s term expired at my office and you recently fired your secretary, so she was ordered to transfer to your office." Acelin sighed and turned to me. "Lancelin, give it a try. She's the best we've ever had. She'll be perfect."
I looked her over carefully, making sure to make eye contact with her chocolate brown orbs. But instead of squirming, like most people did in my presence, she held my gaze as if she was immune to our power. Was she really immune? Is that why Sanaya Johnson had managed to work for BlueStar for a whooping five years, as Acelin’s secretary nonetheless, without any complaints and a spotless record?
"Little brother, just consid-"
"You're hired."
"Wha-" My brother seemed to be lost for words. He hadn't thought I'd accept so easily. He had been ready to defend his little secretary at any cost. Watching his eyes widen and mouth gape open was a treat indeed. "Office hour starts at eight a.m. A second late and I'll fire you immediately. No questions asked."
"Of course, Sir." Sanaya spoke for the first time, and her voice sounded just as husky and mesmerizing as I remember hearing it for the first time four years ago. “It is a pleasure to be able to serve you.” She bowed low in a perfect courtesy and rose with equal grace, her posture something even models couldn’t perfect.
I gave her a small nod as she walked up to me and Acelin, her heels clicking on the marbled floor. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Eustein, sharp at eight o’ clock.” Then she turned to Acelin and bowed low before handing him a planner. “Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Sir. I’ve made a list of all your meetings and dinner plans for the next couple weeks. Unless there’s an emergency, things should go exactly as scheduled. Good night, Sir.”
"Good night, Ms. Johnson." I smirked as she headed past us to the elevator.
"Good night Mr. Eustein, Sir." She bowed her head a fraction as the elevator doors closed shut.
"Goodness brother!"
I winced at his outburst. He didn't wait long to pounce on me. He started as soon as Ms. Johnson was out of sight.
"She's human for God’s sake! She needs rest and she's already done enough by waiting for you till 3 in the morning! What on Earth were you thinking?"
"You wanted her to work for me so I hired her. And why exactly are you complaining when Ms. Johnson had no problem with the scheduling?" I raised my eyebrows at Ace as loosened my tie. I was tired and I didn't want to deal with Acelin's drama right now.
"There you go again, twisting my words into something else! I really hope that this isn’t some sick game you’re playing and you genuinely give her a chance, Lance, because if I hear that you’ve fired Ms. Johnson on some baseless ground, you’ll be dealing with me personally!” He turned and stormed out of my office.
Saved me the trouble, I thought to myself.
Sighing, I turned off the lights in the lounge area with a voice command and ran a hand through my hair. I moved past my office door and down the hallway through a camouflage door to my apartment. The moon shining through the huge glass walls of my living room greeted me with a warm welcome.
I took off my jacket and shirt and threw them into the laundry basket. A maid comes two days a week to clean everything, so I don’t have to worry about the menial tasks. I then went to the bathroom to wash off any trace or scents left by my last meal. Mixing with mortals was one of my least favorite tasks and even tiresome was keeping the mortal world from finding out about us.
Gone were the days when humans worshipped us as Gods and threw themselves at our feet to be our feed. To be selected by an Incubus was once considered a great privilege. People used to fight to become our Scribts, our disciples. And women erected and prayed in temples to be of service to us. But with the increase in numbers of the humans and the advancement of science and technology, we, the hunters are now the hunted.
If any researcher or scientist found out about us, then the only result will lead us torn apart on a table top under a sharp knife. That wouldn’t be the end though, because then the humans would hunt for more, until we became a slave to their thirst for power. Oh, how the roles have been reversed?
It’s not that the immortal world is scared of the mortals, but it’s better to avoid a war and conflict than to enforce power by force.
After a steaming hot shower, I came out of the bathroom in my robe and stood by the glass wall that overlooked the city. Several people in New York would kill to have this view in their daily life, but only a few get to witness this.
As I looked at the silver glow of the moon, the clock struck four in the morning and Sanaya Johnson’s face came to my mind.
The best day in the world for me would be the day my family stopped interfering with my life. But that day certainly wasn't going to be today and definitely not tomorrow.
"Let's see how long you last... Sanaya."