Page 20 of Snowed In with an Incubus

Sam glared at him. He was never the guy to go into his sexual exploits. He used to, but it made him feel weird and exposed,so he stopped. The idea of telling Reg about finally feeding made him want to crawl into a hole, even if Reg had done it ahundred times.

Reg held up his hands. “Okay! God! I’m just glad you finally fed from someone.”

Sam snorted derisively. He looked around the living room as if afraid one of his parents would pop out from under the coffeetable to berate him. His mom with big, disgusted eyes. His dad looking betrayed, the giant hypocrite.

Reg grabbed him by the shoulders. “Hey! Wherever you’re going in your head, get outta there. It was good, right?”

“I’m not …” Sam hesitated. “Some incubi never feed from humans. They just keep drinking the potion.”

“Sure,” Reg said dryly. “But when you have a buffet through one door and bland porridge through the second, you don’t keepgoing for porridge. Especially because in this metaphor, the buffet has a really good time getting eaten!”

“I’m not like that,” Sam snapped. “Alright? So quit it.”

He shoved Reg’s hands off his shoulders. Reg didn’t resist. His fiery eyes filling with a horrible pity that made Sam’s hacklesgo up.

“Shit, Sam,” Reg said quietly. “No one got hurt, right? You stopped before it got too much. She had a good time. You had agood time. Quit beating yourself up because of some stupid crap your parents drilled into you. Your dad’s a dick because yourdad’s a dick, not because he’s an incubus.”

“I know,” Sam said, too fast.

“I don’t think you do,” Reg replied. His tail swished gently behind him, his red wings flaring. He has no shame, Sam’s mom used to say when Reg started coming around with his horns out. It had been a point of contention between theirfamilies, and for a few months, Sam had been banned from going over to Reg’s house. Then everything happened with his dad,and his mom had bigger things to worry about than a cousin she disapproved of.

Sam averted his eyes, and Reg sighed. “Okay. Fine. Is she coming to the party tonight?”

“I don’t know,” Sam said. “I’ll ask.”

Only then did he realize why he was nervous about her coming. He didn’t want people to know how they met. Didn’t want anyonepicturing him with horns and a tail, crouched over her. Taking what he wanted. Didn’t want them to see him as anything otherthan the sarcastic tattoo artist who loved his dog and played Warhammer on weekends.

The bathroom door opened. Xena came skittering into the hall, racing right to Sam and butting her nose pointedly into hisknees.

“Hey, girl,” he said, stroking her head. “Did you have a good time keeping Jaz company?”

Xena whined, giving him another pointed nose-bump.

“Hey,” Reg said as Jaz padded out. “Would you want to come … ?”

He trailed off. Sam didn’t blame him. He recognized that expression: bright, incandescent rage. Her hand shook around herphone, her teeth clenched. Tears gleamed in her eyes.

“Uh,” Reg said. He gave Sam a panicked look.

Sam took over. “Is everything alright?”

Jaz growled so deep she could rival some of the local werewolves.

“Brandon Malcovich,” she hissed, “is scum.”

Chapter 8

“Oh my god,” said Lilian, her voice echoing around the tiny bathroom. “With Brandi?”

Jaz nodded miserably. She was hunched inside the bathtub, fully clothed, phone balanced on her knees as her best friend gapedout of the screen at her. Lilian and Jaz had grown up in Chicago together, gone to the same college, and even worked togetheras office clerks before moving on to bigger and better things. She was closer to Lilian than either of her siblings. Not thatshe didn’t like her big brother and sister, but they were more than ten years older than her. Lilian was right there nextto her through things her siblings couldn’t be around for. They’d called every week since Jaz moved, and hearing Lilian ragemade Jaz feel like it was all going to be okay.

“That asshole,” Lilian seethed. “And with Brandi! What the hell? You guys watched Love Island together! She brought you that beautiful farmers market cheese that you told me about! It’s my favorite charcuterie cheesenow! Cheese lady, why?”

“I know,” Jaz said. “I just … I feel so stupid.”

“Well, don’t,” Lilian said, the comforting sounds of the L train in the background. Lilian was pressed up against the stationwall, raging in a way that would make most people who knew her startle. Lilian was very reserved until you got to know her,and Jaz had known her longer than most.

“He’s stupid,” Lilian snapped. “People love the sun! We would literally die without it! Sunshine is a term of endearment.”