Chapter 23
Prax
Just as I’d expected, Penny loved the apartment above the pub, and we signed a three-month lease on the spot. It was spacious, well-maintained, and close enough to most things that she could walk if she wanted instead of taking the car. Most of all, she loved that it was a blank slate without any negative magic to hinder her work.
I borrowed a museum truck from Mateo, and we moved in the next day.
For the next two weeks, we fell into a comfortable rhythm of me leaving to do whatever work Desmon had for me and her staying home to work on her spell tutorials. Now that we were above the Howling Wolf, I felt better about leaving Penny on her own. Daryl considered the building part of his territory, and Griff was protective of his mate. I was confident that Penny would be safe here.
Her concealment spell must still be working because we never had any unwanted visitors. Nor did I ever see the real estate agent again. The video of him “sneaking into a woman’s room” had gone viral, and the last I heard, the asshole had been dropped by several of his clients. Penny’s parents had been awfully quiet, too.
She converted the second bedroom into an office with a filming area set up on one side and a desk on the other for her to edit. She’d given herself six months and a shoestring advertising budget to see if she could grow her side hustle into a full-time business.
Her excitement and energy were infectious, and I had no doubt she would succeed. But ever practical, she kept her eyes open for job openings in her field as well, just in case.
I met with the auction house, got myself set up as a seller, and selected a few items I wasn’t particularly attached to for the first sale.
I also had an interview with the EA. But I asked just as many questions as they did, and in the end, I agreed with Mateo. It just wasn’t something I was interested in doing, especially since they were looking for something full-time. The only thing I was ready to commit to full-time was Penny.
After the auction, I planned on asking her to help me invest the earnings so it would always be making more for us, even when we were off exploring the world. This was another reason I encouraged her to focus on her business; she could take it on the road if she needed to.
I took the stairs up to our new apartment two at a time, even though I could just as easily have floated up to the door. Tonight was the Curio Collectors’ Dinner Auction, and I had something special for her from my stash. I couldn’t wait to see her in it.
She wasn’t in the living room, where several spell books were scattered on the coffee table. She wasn’t in her office, either.
I nudged open the bedroom door and stepped inside. Penny stood in front of the mirror, already in her dress for the event.
Her smile lit up the room like a ray of sunshine as she twirled in place, letting the skirt swirl around her legs. “What do you think?”
She was a vision of pure elegance, that’s what I thought. Her dress fit her to a tee, highlighting every dip and curve on her beautiful body, drawing my eye to the places I yearned to explore. The scattering of crystal embellishments on the skirt glinted in the late afternoon sun streaming in from the windows. Their reflections danced across our bedroom wall, giving the whole room an ethereal feel.
She’d already done her hair and makeup, too. Two streaks of blue framed her face, contrasting with the rest of her dark hair. It was different but suited her very well. Part of her hair was swept up in an intricate ’do while the rest cascaded down her back, a wavy, shiny waterfall. Her makeup was done impeccably and tastefully, and showed off her delicate bone structure.
But it wasn”t the makeup, hair, or even the dress that caught and held my attention prisoner. It was the way she practically glowed. All the stress and heartbreak that had dulled her eyes when I first met her were gone. Happy energy radiated from her instead, and that was infinitely sexier.
“Ravishing,” I murmured. Penny was beautiful even in sweatpants and t-shirts, but I liked her like this too. “I can’t wait to peel it off you later tonight.”
“Oh, is that so?” She backed her ass right up against me and met my gaze in the mirror.
I slid a hand around her waist. “Or I can do it now if you like.”
She wriggled out of my arms. “Don’t you dare!” She waved a hand at her face. “This isn’t magic. I’m not reapplying all this again.”
I sent her my best devilish grin. “Did I ever tell you why I like real makeup better than magic illusion?”
“No. Why?”
I pulled her back into my arms and cupped her breasts in my palms, giving them a squeeze. “Because with real makeup, your mascara smudges around your eyes when we fuck, and your lipstick gets all over my cock. Illusion doesn’t do that.”
She inhaled sharply. “Ooh, you’re bad!” She danced away again, slapping away my hands. “After the auction. Then you can mess up my hair and makeup all you want.”
I laughed. “Deal.”
When I’d first decided to go to the event, my sole reason had been to meet possible buyers for future sales and to get a feel for the players in the market. But now, I just wanted to spend a nice evening out with Penny.
“I’m a little nervous,” she admitted. “Excited, but nervous. It will be my first time at an event like this as myself, and not just as ‘Senator Davis’s daughter’. I can just be me. Wear what I want, say what I want. Is it stupid that a little part of me still worries that my family is going to judge me, even though I’ve already made the decision to be true to myself?”
I reached out to touch the blue strand that framed her face. I was glad she’d decided to keep her highlights for the event. She had been worried it wouldn’t be “proper,” but I loved how they looked on her and told her so.
“Not at all. And anyone who says anything negative about your choices tonight is fucking blind. You”re going to be the most beautiful woman there.” They might also get a private meeting with my fist. I didn’t tell her that part.
She grinned. “You always know the right thing to say. Thanks.”
“Honestly, gorgeous, I’m the one who won’t belong tonight.” Collecting art and artifacts was a pastime for either the rich and privileged or for scholarly types. Your average Tom, Dick, and Harry didn’t bid tens of thousands of dollars on centuries-old curiosities.
“No way! Some of the rarities on auction are yours, remember? You’ll fit in perfectly. They’ll just think you’re some eccentric rich dude. Trust me, they’re all a little weird.”
“Was that your way of calling me weird?”
“Yup!” she giggled. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way. But seriously, some of the strangest people I’ve met in my life have been filthy rich. It’s like they’re so rich they don”t know how to act like a normal human being. You’re not awkward like that. You’re charming.”
Well, that was a part of my natural talent as an incubus. But the only person I wanted to charm the panties off tonight was already standing right in front of me.
“I have something to finish off your outfit,” I said.
I dug into my pocket and brought out a diamond necklace I’d found the other day in my collection. The pendant was supposed to be reminiscent of a dragon’s tooth but was actually shaped more like a shark’s, and that had reminded me of her fondness for sharks.
She didn’t just have one shark robe. She had two, one gray and the other pink, though I’d never seen a pink shark before. And the other day, she was getting excited for something called “Shark Week,” which she’d explained was when documentary makers all streamed specials on the underwater predator.
“Ooh, it’s so sparkly. And it goes perfectly with the dress, too. Thanks for letting me borrow it.”
“It’s a gift,” I said. “I think it looks a lot better on you than it does on me.”
She turned around and planted a delicate kiss on my cheek, leaving the barest trace of lipstick on my face. “Thank you. You didn’t have to. But thank you.”
“I have ulterior motives,” I admitted.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yes. You’re wearing my necklace, so that means you’re mine.”
“I’m not going home with anyone but you.” She turned back around to face the mirror and leaned in to inspect the necklace more closely.
Then she met my eyes in the mirror. “So, what crazy vintage outfit are you going to wear tonight?”
“I hate to disappoint you, my darling witch, but I was thinking of going modern.”
“So, no swashbuckling pirate?”
“No.”
“No long-dead poet?”
“Nope.”
“Not even a cowboy?”
“Not even that.”
I concentrated, trying to recall all the details of the tailored suit I’d seen earlier as I recreated it on my body. The charcoal gray wool jacket was cut to show off my wide shoulders and trim waist. It had a notched lapel that framed my face. The matching pants were just as perfectly fitted. The shirt underneath was crisp with a structured collar. I went silver with the tie to match the silver-blonde hair I’d given myself.
I’d decided to masquerade as a human today, hiding my red skin and horns and other details that would give away my true nature. Partly, it was because there would be lots of wizards there, and throughout history, wizards had thought of demons and incubi as nothing more than entities they could control. But also, the press would be there, and I’d already been photographed with Penny in this form.
For a final touch, I slicked my hair back and added gold cufflinks to the ensemble. I looked in the mirror. I quite liked it. Except something wasn’t quite right. The plain leather dress shoes just weren’t my style. They disappeared and were replaced by a pair of cowboy boots.
Aha! Much better.
“Damn, you clean up good!” Penny looked me up and down with raw sexual appreciation in her eyes.
She licked her lips as I turned to her.
“Still want to wait until later tonight? Or do you want me to fuck you now?”
“Gah! You know what, screw the makeup.” She grabbed my tie and pulled me down to her face.
“I’d rather screw you.” With a growl, I grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off her feet. Her legs came to wrap around my hips as my mouth crashed to hers.