Page 2 of Zodiac Demons

But I was still… soft? Inconvenient.

I willed my body to stiffen. To… respond at all to my normal feeding cues. While my cock responded to arousal, it was never any more necessary to feed than it was for a vampire to lengthen his fangs or a werewolf to extend his claws. It was as much a controllable limb as any other. This was the basic function of my goddamn species.

But my body wasn’t listening, as if I was paralyzed in the one place I’d never been paralyzed.

“Do you need some help?” Jessica offered with a concerned half smile. “I thought you were an incubus?”

“I am,” I answered, as I sat back on my heels. I was starving for magic and energy, to the point I was shaking, and yet my body was refusing to feed? I’d not tried to have sex with anyone outside Lila since the Capricorn moon, but I assumed it was still an option. Just because I was permanently bound to her for taking her virginity, that didn’t mean that I could only feed from her.

It didn’t…

It couldn’t…

Fuck.

“Can you turn around? I think the eye contact is overwhelming my psyche.” I tried next, desperate to be wrong at this point.

“Sure…” Jessica’s tone was doubtful, but she still obliged, getting on all fours, and presenting herself with impressive patience. But all of the patience in the world wasn’t going to help me. I was completely incapable of doing anything with her at all. I even tried closing my eyes and picturing Lila. As much as it pained me to admit it, I had a whole portion of my mental database completely dedicated to the too many compromising positions I’d imagined her in. I even attempted to use the video of her riding a fountain—which I would definitely delete one day— to get myself in the headspace.

But my body refused to respond, because my mind knew what, and who, I was trying to do instead of the one I was allowed to have.

This… this is seriously my life now? By the devil, this wasn’t fair.

I stood from the bed with a frustrated exhale. “Apologies, Jessica. You’re absolutely lovely, but I don’t think I can do this after all.”

She turned to face me, her nose scrunched and a pout on her lips.

“Married?” She asked.

I shook my head. “It would be much easier if that were the case.”

“Oh.” She immediately picked up on my meaning. Succubus were bound by the same magic I was, but not even I had realized it was this restrictive. We could lose our own virginity freely, so long as our partners weren’t of the same experience level. I couldn’t say if I’d have more freedom if I’d been full blooded, but as my monster stood, I was completely fucked. “Looks like you need a lot more than what I can provide.” She shrugged, as she got off the bed and started straightening her clothing again.

“You wouldn’t happen to know a good exorcist, would you?” I tried to make myself laugh in spite of my mortification.

“I think you’re going to need a lot more than that, too.” She laughed with me, and I wished either one of us was doing so out of amusement. “Although, if your problem is what I think it is…” She paced over to a dresser, and opened the top drawer. She removed a card and presented it to me. “I know a witch who might be able to help. No promises, but it’s worth a shot.”

I accepted and pocketed the card, though it didn’t give me much hope right now. “I’ll leave a good tip. I appreciate your understanding.”

Jessica glanced down, her eyes settling below my belt with a look of pure pity. “Give her a call, and I’ll be happy to give you freebie when you come back.”

I left the den in a daze. I’d felt trapped and at a total loss for a while now, but this was the first moment I’d realized the extent of which I was completely and utterly bound. Maybe this witch could help, but that was only a maybe. Magic that could break curses for full blooded monsters wasn’t likely to be the same for a hybrid. And if it did work, what would that mean for me and for her? How would this play against our incomplete pact? The risks were high, but what other choice did I have?

There was no way I was going to make it two more months completely celibate, even with that trickle of energy from her escapades with my brother. And if by some miracle I did, what was I going to do the second we were alone together in a classroom again, and my monster was on the last thread of its breaking leash?

Maybe I couldn’t reject our mate pact even if I wanted to.

Chapter 2

I chewed on my lip as I sat across from my mother at a small café in town. Marcus’ mate mark was hidden by the draping of my hair, while Ceto’s mate mark, which we still hadn’t addressed, was secure beneath my high-waisted leggings. Adrian’s mark was much more difficult to hide, though I wore thick enough lipstick to visibly mask it.

Mom could probably sense my marks regardless of superficial barriers. Apparently everyone else could tell, so whatever my mother was, she was surely just as intuitive.

I held in my questions as the waitress approached. Why my own mom was suggesting we meet in a public place, like she was afraid I might be a serial killer or something, was beyond me.

“Miss Rodanthe?! Is that you?” The waitress lit up as she spoke to Mom, and I stared at the woman in confusion. I’d never heard anyone address my mother by her maiden name before. This woman looked to be maybe Adrian’s age at the oldest, so it seemed pretty unlikely that she went to college with my mother twenty-something years ago.

“Emily! It’s been a long time.” Mom beamed. “How are your parents doing? I was hoping to get coffee with Lottie while I’m in town.”