Signed in Incubus: A Paranormal Monster Romance (Possessive Monsters Book 6)

Chapter 28

Penny

You know how you hear about sweet, kind people who out of nowhere break down and turn into horrible monsters? That was me. Right now. I was fucking losing it.

As I pushed my way over to Deanna, I touched Prax, and a jolt of energy ran through us. I ignored it because there was something else on my mind right now.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, Deanna?!” I yelled.

She took a step back, still pretending to be all innocent.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t you?” I was acutely aware that the bar was suddenly a lot quieter than it had been just moments ago, and I was sure we had an audience. Screw it. I didn’t care anymore. This bitch had fucked with me for the last time.

“Why are you following me around? Why are you trying to mess up my life?”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about. You’re just mad that Praxy-poo here doesn’t want you anymore.”

Deanna tried to hook her arm through his, but Prax shook her off and reached for me instead. I wasn’t ready to deal with him yet. Not while that bitch was still here.

“Don’t you pretend to act all innocent. Travis told me everything. You told him the big family inheritance was going to you because I was freaking barren and convinced him to ditch me so that the two of you could get married instead. Then, after he bailed on the wedding, you dropped him like a ton of bricks.”

“It’s not my fault the guy’s an idiot.”

“That’s your response?” I hissed. Heat rose to my face, and it was everything I could do not to shout. “You never wanted him to begin with; you just wanted to screw me over. And what about the MapLocate app you put on my phone? And following me to Delerium and spiking my drink?”

I didn’t have concrete proof it was her, but after Prax told me it wasn’t Dwayne, I’d come to this conclusion. Her face told me I was right.

She shrugged. “You should’ve watched your glass better.”

“What were you trying to accomplish? Was it just for that photo? Or were you actually hoping that someone would take advantage of me? Because that’s pretty shitty.”

She pressed her lips into a tight line, probably realizing she’d said too much already.

“What do you have against me, Deanna? Every single family gathering, you’re at my throat. Now you’re after Prax? He’s not even your type. I mean, Travis, I can understand, but Prax? You’re not interested in him, you just want to one-up me. Quit messing with my life!”

That broke her silence. “Me mess up your life? You’re the one who messed up mine.”

“What are you even talking about? I try my best to stay out of your life as much as possible.”

“You’re the one they parade around in public while they hide me away. I did everything to be perfect so they’d finally recognize me, but it was never enough. I was never good enough for them.” Her eyes shimmered with tears, and her face was red.

I shook my head, not quite following.

“You still don’t get it, do you? I’m not your cousin, Penny. I’m your sister! Your half-sister that Daddy hid away in plain sight.”

I shook my head. “No. The timeline isn’t right.”

If Deanna was from Dad’s affair, she’d be a lot younger. She was only a few years younger than me. Unless…oh god! Unless the affair had been going on for years by the time we found out about it, or she was from yet another woman.

“Seems pretty right to me,” she said bitterly.

“Does my mom know?”

Deanna rolled her eyes. “Of course not. She’s a dumb bitch like you!”

Movement in my peripheral vision caught my eye. Someone was holding Prax back. He looked ready to strangle Deanna, but magical vines wrapped around him, stopping him.

I understood now where her anger came from, but that still didn’t make her actions forgivable. And there were too many eyes on us. I decided to take the high road.

“Listen, Deanna, I’m sorry you felt unwanted. But fucking with my life won’t change that. Your beef is with Dad, not with me. I’m not the reason why you never got the recognition you wanted. And if you want to know the truth, I never got the recognition you think I got either; I only ever disappointed them. They didn’t even comfort me when Travis left. Instead, they came over to tell me that I’d embarrassed them and told me to fix it.” I couldn’t stop the emotion from cracking my voice. “Anyway. I’m here with my friends, and I would like to enjoy my Saturday night, so please leave before I have you thrown out.”

Deanna could have just left, but instead, she decided to call me a stupid cunt. That was bad enough, but it was her trying to reach for Prax that did it. I concentrated my magic on her, lifting her up off her feet.

Her eyes went wide. “Let me go!”

I ignored her and walked her step by step out of the pub. It had been raining earlier in the day, and I was tempted to dump her in a puddle but decided not to…until she started running her mouth again, that is. That’s when I plopped her ass-first into the muddiest puddle in sight. I hoped that never came out of her Chanel dress.

Sure, it sucked for her that she was never recognized because she was Dad’s illegitimate child, but that didn’t give her the right to be a jerk to me. I wasn’t responsible for my dad’s actions.

Ignoring her insults, I turned and walked back into the pub.

Daryl met me at the door. “That is the most effective way to kick someone out I’ve ever seen. You didn’t even have to touch her. I need to hire you for security.”

I laughed, trying not to let my exhaustion show. The levitation spell had taken a lot more out of me than I’d expected: up till now, I’d never levitated anything heavier than a pencil. “Yeah… That was a long time coming.”

“Well, I suggest you take your incubus upstairs to finish your talk in private unless you want your conversation recorded by every phone in the pub.”

“That was all filmed, wasn’t it?”

“Yup. It’s going to be all over the internet. Sorry.”

I sighed. “Whatever. She’s the one who started it. She wanted my dad’s attention? She’s going to get it.”

Daryl waved to Gigi, and she released the spell restraining Prax as I walked toward the back hallway. I had barely made it through the door to the stairwell when Prax caught up with me. I gasped as he lifted me clean off my feet and held me to his chest.

“Oh god, Penny. I missed you so much. I can’t believe I forgot about you.” He planted kisses all over my face. “But it’s ok now. I remember everything.”

I sent him my frostiest look. “I guess freedom wasn’t as much fun as you thought?”

His brows knit together. “I never meant any of it. I never wanted to leave. Honest. But I needed to convince you to nullify the spell. You weren’t safe—that troll wasn’t going to give up on you, and neither were the others. I realized I was putting you in danger. So I lied to you. I’m so sorry.”

He brought out his phone and showed me the pictures. “I kept these because I was hoping they would help me remember. I kept your number but changed the name, then left a note telling myself not to call it but to pick up the moment you did. I’ve been waiting for your call for weeks.”

Really?

“I didn’t call because I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied with just some fun with you,” I said carefully. “Your note implied that was all you could offer. So I made myself quit you cold turkey.”

“I lied about that, too. I want more than just a good time with you, Penny. I want forever.”

What was I hearing? I wanted to believe him so badly, but a tiny detail was niggling in the back of my mind.

“What about Deanna? You took her out. You were already looking—”

“Yes, I was looking…for you. She looked so similar, and I thought, maybe…? But I knew within minutes that she wasn’t the one. I took her out for dinner, then I dropped her back at her hotel. Nothing happened. But then she kept showing up at Delerium. I’ve been hiding from her in the VIP lounge. She’s nothing to me. You are everything.

“I’ve never been in love before, Penny, so I didn’t recognize the signs. The way the world seems exciting when you are around and dull when you are gone. When you are around, food tastes better, the sun shines brighter, and the birds sing more sweetly. Without you, I lost my appetite for anything I once enjoyed. I need you in my life.”

I was too afraid to believe it. “What if you regret this? What if you get bored?”

“Never! And I don’t need to be single to experience everything this century has to offer; I can do it all with you. Without you, I wasn’t able to enjoy anything. Don’t you see, Penny? You are my freedom.” He held on to me fiercely, like he thought I’d disappear if he didn’t. “I know I hurt you; I promise it will never happen again. Please forgive me, little witch. I love you.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat but couldn’t stop my lip from quivering or the sharp inhale as I fought to hold back the happy tears. “There’s nothing to forgive, Prax. You only did what you thought was right. And I…I love you too.” A tear rolled down my cheek.

He brushed the droplet away, and as he did, the faint, barely-there tendrils of magic connecting the two of us started to glow. I gasped as the magical threads grew, winding around our bodies.

“I think I was wrong about these bindings,” Prax said. “I don’t think they are holding me to you. They’re holding the two of us together.”

“I think you’re right.”

I stared at the beautiful tendrils as they slowly disappeared into us. I wondered if this was the magical mate bond that held so many monsters to their one and only. Maybe the spell I’d cast to bring Prax to me had made it visible somehow.

Prax bent his head and pressed his lips to mine in a tender kiss. The weight of the past two weeks melted away, and I sagged in his arms, letting his presence comfort me. I kissed him back, wanting to memorize that unique campfire-marshmallow scent of him.

Just as every touch between us had done before, the kiss changed and grew, turning more and more desperate and needy until I was rubbing up against him, craving the feel of his hands on my skin. It was only with great self-control that I finally pulled away. There were things we needed to talk about and figure out before we fell into bed again. Because I was sure once we did, we probably wouldn’t leave for at least a day or two.

“From now on, Prax, please talk to me before doing something that stupid,” I said when I finally caught my breath.

He saluted. “Yes, ma’am.”

“So, I guess you’ll be moving back in?”

“No.”

My heart dropped from the cloud it had been floating on.

“You’re moving in with me. This place is great, but my new place is way nicer.”

Oh! That I could do!

“But I signed a three-month lease.”

“You can use this space as your recording studio. You have it all set up already. And we can stay here if we go out and need a place to crash. This is much closer to the clubs and bars. Or, we can bounce between both locations for a while. I honestly don’t care where we live as long as I have you. We’ll figure it out tomorrow. Right now, I need to prove how sorry I am for lying to you.”

“Yeah? How are you going to do that?”

A mischievous twinkle lit up his eyes, and his lips spread into a wicked grin. In an instant, I found myself hauled off my feet again and thrown over his shoulder.

“Prax!” I squealed.

His hand gripped my ass tightly, holding me in place as he took the stairs up to our apartment three at a time.

“You’d better not drop me.”

“Never! You are mine, little witch. For now and forever. And I’m never letting you go.”