10. Luc
10
LUC
She calls to me like a siren song, drawing me to the space outside her bedroom door. Her magick is odd. I can feel it, taste it, but it lacks something I can’t quite put my finger on. Stunted, maybe, or dampened by the wards surrounding this place, to my annoyance. While I’m still incredibly powerful, I find that my own power is repressed. Part of me gets it. Having beyond-powerful magickal creatures walking around with their full set of powers would be chaotic, if not fucking amusing. I crouch down outside her door, wishing I knew her name and flick my tongue out. Wild, untamed bursts of invisible power that taste like cotton candy and lightning hits my tongue.
“Who are you?” I murmur, rising again and looking around to make sure I’m alone. The hallway is deserted at this hour with either the night students in class or the day students sleeping.
Letting my demon senses extend under the door, her energy signature gets stronger. It’s sweet but with an edge of danger, like a rose dipped in poison. She’s sleeping now, her dreams ripe for the taking.
Perfect.
Dissipating, I slip into the dream realm. It’s as natural as breathing for me. Being half-Incubus has its perks, and dream walking is one of my favourites. This is where you see the real creature behind the mask they show the world, and I want to know what makes Draven’s new plaything tick.
Her dreamscape materialises around me. A garden at twilight, heavy with the scent of night-blooming flowers. She’s sitting on a stone bench, wearing a sheer white dress that shows off her delectable curves. Her blonde hair shimmers with rainbow highlights in the dream light.
“Hello, sweet witch,” I purr, stepping out of the shadows.
She looks at me steadily, with no fear. “Who are you?”
“Someone who can give you everything you desire.” I move closer, letting my power weave around her like silk. Most creatures are putty in my hands by this point, their dream selves eager to submit to whatever pleasure or pain I offer.
But she narrows her eyes, her magick sparking pink in response to my presence. “I already have what I desire.”
“Do you?” I trail my fingers along her bare shoulder, hooking my finger into the thin strap of the dress and pulling it down slowly. Expecting her to shiver and lean in, instead, she stands up and moves away.
“Yes.”
“My brother can’t satisfy you like I can, sweet witch.”
“But he has already. He satisfied me more than words can express.”
Ouch. Okay, this little witch has bite.
“Leave.” The word carries power, her magick flaring brighter. “I’m not interested in your seduction.”
For the first time in my life, I’m thrown off balance. No one resists me in dreams, in reality. It’s impossible. And yet...
I narrow my eyes at her, intrigued by her resistance. “You’re an interesting little creature, aren’t you?” I murmur, circling her like a predator. “Most would be begging for my touch by now.”
She stands her ground, her chin lifted defiantly. “I’m not most people, and I told you to leave.”
Her magick crackles around us, pink sparks dancing in the air. It’s wild, untamed, but there’s something off about it. Like it’s fighting against invisible chains.
“Oh, I don’t think I will,” I say, moving closer. “Not until I figure out what makes you tick.” I reach out and grasp the amethyst pendant. It scorches my palm, and I hiss, withdrawing my hand as she smirks at me.
She takes a step back, her eyes flashing. “Stay away from me.”
But I can smell her fear under the attitude. It mingles with the scent of her power. It’s intoxicating. “No, sweet witch. I don’t think I will.”
Suddenly, the dreamscape shifts. We’re no longer in the peaceful garden, but in a dark, oppressive room. The walls close in around us, and I can hear her muffled scream of terror.
“What the fuck?” I murmur, looking around. This has never happened before. Usually, I would be getting my dick wet by now, not being shunted into a nightmare. I’m not sure if I should take that personally or not.
But when I look at her again, her face has gone pale, her eyes wide with terror, but she isn’t looking at me. “No,” she whispers. “No, not here. Not again.”
Through the haze of the dreamscape, I can see a figure approaching her. A male, tall, quite broad. His power is impressive to the girl, I can feel her fear, but he is nothing to me but a gnat fucking up my seduction.
“Hey, asshole,” I drawl, stepping between him and the girl. “You want her, you have to go through me.” What the fuck am I doing here? My actions surprise me more than her rejection of me. I have never come to any fucker’s rescue before in a dream or otherwise, and I didn’t think I ever would.
The man’s face contorts with rage as he turns his attention to me. “Who the fuck are you?” he snarls, his eyes glowing with malevolent power that doesn’t scare me. I’ve faced down the Devil herself, for fuck’s sake.
I feel the girl trembling behind me, her fear hitting me in the gut and forcing some bullshit protectiveness to the forefront.
“I’m your worst nightmare,” I reply with a smirk, letting my other side bleed through. Half-Incubus, half-Devil, remember. My eyes turn pitch black, horns sprout from my head as black leathery wings unfurl from my back.
The man’s, warlock’s, I’ve deduced, eyes widen in shock and fear. Good. He should be afraid.
“This doesn’t concern you,” he spits, trying to sound tough, but I can smell his terror. “The girl is mine to punish.”
A growl rumbles in my chest. “Not anymore, she isn’t.”
I lunge forward, my clawed hands wrapping around his throat. Dream or not, I can still hurt him. Make him suffer. The urge to protect this girl I barely know, whose name is still unknown, burns through me like hellfire.
Suddenly, I’m shunted out of the dreamscape, my own fucking dreamscape, by the witch and I reappear in her bedroom with her sitting bolt upright in bed, completely fucking naked, her perfect tits jiggling with her heavy breathing.
She opens her mouth to scream, but I’m over to her side in a flash, covering her mouth with my hand and shaking my head. “Don’t utter a sound, or the guards will be here in a second, and we don’t want to explain to them what I’m doing in your room with you showing off your body to me, now do you?” My mother would kick my ass from here to the middle of the fucking Wastelands if I were expelled on my first fucking day.
Her eyes widen further, and she shakes her head.
“I’m going to remove my hand now, sweet witch. You are going to be a good girl and stay quiet? Yes?”
She nods, so I carefully remove my hand.
“Who the fuck are you?” she hisses, pulling her sheets up to cover herself. Her eyes dart around the room, clearly looking for an escape route.
I smirk. “I’m Luc. Your new neighbour. And you are?”
She glares at me, her magick crackling in the air between us. “None of your fucking business. Get out of my room before I scream.”
“Ah ah,” I tsk, wagging a finger. “We’ve been over this. Screaming would be very bad for both of us.” I lean in closer, inhaling her intoxicating scent. “Besides, I just saved you from that nasty warlock in your dreams. A little gratitude wouldn’t go amiss.”
Her eyes narrow. “I didn’t ask for your help. Now leave.”
I chuckle, hovering over her, unable to step back. She scoots away, pressing herself against the headboard. “Not until you tell me your name, sweet witch. It’s only fair.”
She hesitates, then sighs. “Matilda.”
“Matilda,” I repeat, tasting the name on my tongue. “Perfect. I want you to explain to me how you rejected me in your dream.”
The blunt question catches her off-guard, and she narrows her eyes. “Not used to being told to take a hike, Luc?”
Her defiance infuriates me, but at the same time, I like it. It’s like I’m bent over, and she’s got a whip in her hand, but I’m not sure if I want to let her strike me or if I want to turn the tide and spank her ass.
Something primal roars through my veins, something I have never felt before. I will probably go several lifetimes before I feel it again. I place one knee on the bed and lean in closer, my lips nearly brushing her ear. “No one has ever resisted me before, sweet Matilda. You’re a fascinating little puzzle.”
She shivers, but her voice remains steady. “I’m not a puzzle for you to solve. I told you in the dream, I’m with Draven.”
I chuckle darkly. “Ah yes, my idiot half-brother. Tell me, does he make you scream, Matilda, when he drives his cock into you? Does he satisfy that wild magick inside you that I can taste like lightning on my tongue?”
Her cheeks flush, but her eyes flash with anger before curiosity gets the better of her. But she will be fucked before she admits it. She is stubborn and gorgeous with it. “That’s none of your business.”
“Oh, but I think it is,” I purr, trailing a finger along her collarbone and noticing the shiver that vibrates through her body. “I can feel your power, Matilda. It’s caged, begging to be set free. I could help you unleash it.”
For a moment, I see a flicker of interest in her eyes. But then she shakes her head, pushing my hand away. “No. I don’t need your help, and I don’t want anyone but Draven.”
I lean back, studying her. The sheet has slipped, revealing the curve of her breast. My cock goes hard at the sight, but I force myself to focus. “When did you and Draven meet, hm? He literally left the Residence in Hell a few hours ago.”
“I’m sure you can do the maths then, can’t you?” she spits out.
“Oh, like that is it? Did you whore yourself out for a ride?”
The flash of pink magick takes me by surprise as it whizzes past my ear, forcing me back a step.
“Dammit,” she curses and shakes out her hand. “Don’t call me a whore, you bastard.”
“Don’t call me a bastard. I know who my parents are.”
“Oh, you are as infuriating as your brother with your answers to everything.”
“I am nothing like him,” I grit out, hating that statement more than I hate being rejected by this woman.
Matilda glares at me, her blue eyes flashing with defiance. “You are arrogant and entitled, thinking you can just waltz in here and take whatever you want.”
I growl, my temper flaring. In an instant, I’m on the bed, pinning her beneath me. Her naked body presses against mine, and I can feel the heat of her skin through my clothes. “I am nothing like Draven,” I hiss, my face inches from hers.
She doesn’t flinch, doesn’t look away. Instead, she meets my gaze head-on, her breath coming in short pants. “Prove it,” she challenges.
For a moment, I’m taken aback. Then, a slow, wicked grin spreads across my face. “Oh, sweet Matilda,” I purr, running a hand down her side. “You have no idea what you just unleashed.”
I feel his presence before he speaks, “That’s what I said.”
“Fuck off, Draven. This is between me and Matilda.” I don’t take my eyes off hers as I speak to him.
“I told you before to stay away from her.”
“Well, here I am with my cock practically inside her, and I don’t see her fighting it. What exactly do you plan to do about it?” The gauntlet is thrown down as Matilda squirms underneath me, but she isn’t going anywhere. Not yet.