“Isadora,” I pleaded, “let me try to reason with the hob. Maybe I can convince it to come back to the house.”
Isadora raised a brow, then slowly shook her head. “I can’t risk you going too far away from me and that creature having the opportunity to muddle your mind against me.”
I chuckled softly. “Nothing could ever muddle my mind against you, Isadora.”
Her laugh was brittle.
“You know,” she said, “the hob was the only reason I came to this shack in the first place.” She reached out and pinched the head of a forget-me-not, the flowers I’d picked for her earlier. I’d spent half an hour arranging them, time I probably should have devoted to something more useful, I thought, as she pushed the vase aside. Still, at least she’d noticed them today.
“This place isn’t much use to me if the hob won’t look after it.”
“Please, Isadora,” I begged.Please don’t leave this house. Please don’t end this job. Please don’t leave me.
Her gaze dropped to mine, and only then did I realize I’d sunk to my knees in front of her. She didn’t seem surprised. If anything, she looked pleased.
“Don’t worry, Ambrose,” she said, and my chest loosened at the melodic warmth of her voice. “As it stands, you’re the only creature here worth anything to me.”
Chapter 7. Caitlyn
My mouth opened, closed, and opened again.
I’d never been entirely sure what meeting your mate was supposed to feel like. I’d imagined something like a quiet knowing. Two souls recognizing each other and thinking,Ah. There you are.
What I hadn’t expected was for my usually calm succubus side to lose her ever-loving mind.
The wordmateslammed through me, echoing from somewhere deep and instinctive, radiating through to my very bones. A sharp hunger flared, coiling low in my gut, demandinghimwith zero interest in subtlety.
And all I could do was stand there, dumbstruck, as he held the car door open for me like this wasn’t the most destabilizing moment of my life.
He was stunning, the most handsome person I’d ever seen. The evening sun caught in his golden hair, setting it alight, his eyes practically glittering as he looked down at me.
I suddenly felt ridiculous in my burgundy cord overalls, floral top, and battered Converse—especially when he was dressed likethat. Crisp white shirt. Black tie. Leather gloves. Pants that clung to the curve of what promised to be a truly unfair ass.
Come on, Caitlyn. Words. Use them.
“I... you're... I mean... you're—” I started, helpless.
Sentences,Caitlyn.Try full sentences.
“An incubus demon?” Blaise supplied, his lips tilting into a goofy grin that did absolutely nothing for my ability to think. “We don’t usually advertise it on our website—it discourages the weirdos with kinks. But if you read the small print in the contract, it does mention—”
“—mymate,” I blurted.
Blaise blinked once. Then again. His gaze sharpened as something guarded flickered behind his eyes, disbelief creeping in where amusement had been a moment before. Or was that annoyance?
His lips pressed into a thin line as he tilted his head slightly skyward, as if sending a silent prayer to the heavens. My gaze betrayed me, sliding down the thick line of his throat as he swallowed. Just above the collar of his shirt, a sliver of silvery scar tissue caught the light.
I gulped.
Incubus demons were almost indestructible. For one to carry a scar like that, whatever had done it must have come terrifyingly close to killing him.
A heartbeat later, Blaise lowered his head. The scar vanished beneath his collar, his expression smoothing into careful neutrality.
“Ms. Myers,” Blaise said, every trace of humor stripped from his voice. “I appreciate that meeting an incubus demon for the first time can be disarming. And while I don’t necessarily mind a little light flirting on the job, I do expect to keep things professional. What Idomind,” he continued evenly, “is joking about fated mates.”
Joking? He thought I wouldjokeabout something as monumental asthis?
“Okay, so you’renotfrom a clan of incubus demons who are all fated to witches born into the Briar Coven?” I asked, irritation bleeding straight through my tone.
