Chapter Thirteen

Drinking with the guys was like drinking with a bunch of brothers. There would be laughter, there would be serious conversations, but best of all, there was familiarity within the group. It was the ability to talk about everything and anything between us that I loved. But, at this moment, it was now the thing I hated the most.

In Tartarus, our cell phones still worked like they did on Earth side. This was how I was staying in contact with my father and grandmother. It was, also, how I stayed in touch with Zane when I did not see him. On the days that he was actually in the office, he had a special room where he did all of his work. Because of his transportation powers, he could leave and appear whenever he wanted, there were times when he wouldn’t even come to say goodbye before he was gone.

Today was a horrible day. I had the worst hangover from the night before with the guys. I had drank a lot more than I should have. What made it worse was the today was one of the days that Zane was actually in the office. So when my phone beside me buzzed with a message, I grumbled in pain as I lifted it up to look to see what it was.

I froze as I realized the message on my phone was from Zane. In glaring letters, it was like a giant black flag raising above my head. Memories from the night before flooded my brain and I groaned aloud.

I had triggered something last night that I could never take back, hadn’t I?

Sure enough, as I walked through the office doors, he was sitting at his desk typing furiously on his laptop. I gulped down my nervousness and hit lightly on the door.

“You needed me?” I asked, trying to hold in my nervousness. From the other side of the desk, Zane stopped what he was doing and looked up with his bright silver eyes. He was still the type that all the female customers swooned over. Even, I, as a man, realized that my boss was the epitome of all handsome men. Square jaw, bright eyes, and beautiful long eyelashes. He stood up from his seat, and tapped on his desk.

“You know why I called you here, right?” His fingers tapped all the while as he navigated around his desk. He went over to his coffee maker, glanced at me, and then began to busy himself. Knowing I was stuck in a corner, I breathed out and answered honestly.

“Because I accidentally sent you a dick pic.” By the coffee maker, Zane froze, and looked over at me. The coffee was still pouring into the cup, not stopping as it spilled all over the counter top.

“Accidentally?” His voice quivered with surprise. I sat there with my hands in my lap, hoping to god he would not ask me for the full story. How could I tell him I got shit faced drunk with the night before and Teyan had dared me to send that picture to the person I liked? That, well, it did not seem like that answer would go over very well.

Over by the coffee maker, Zane finally noticed the coffee was beginning to fall onto the front of his suit pants, staining the fabric. Quickly, he grabbed some napkins and began to pat furiously on his front. Daring not to move, I watched as my boss, and the man I loved, suddenly became a bit more human.

“So it was an accident.” I heard him mutter beneath his breath. I tensed in my seat and still watched him as he patted his front.

“If that’s everything, I’m going to go back to my work.” I stood up and began to leave, but I heard the sound of shuffling behind me. Zane caught my arm as I turned to leave.

“Tonight the guys decided that we will all have a meal together in the palace. They wanted me to make sure you would be there.”

I eased my arm away from his grip. “It doesn’t matter to me, Zane, who is there.” I breathed in and thought of everything that I had done in the last 24 hours. From this moment forward, I decided I would do what my heart demanded. No matter the outcome, no matter the cost. So as I blinked, I looked him straight in the eyes and said, “As long as you are there, that is all I need to make me happy.”

Zane’s head came up, surprise flaring in his silver eyes before they flashed to ink black. Surely after this he would realize how I felt.

“I’m happy being with all of you too.” Zane responded with a smile.

Then again perhaps he was an oblivious idiot.

Suddenly angry, I reached out with my hand and yanked hard at Zane’s lapels. I pulled him down until our noses were touching, just like I had that first time my powers had flared. His eyes widened again and before he could open his mouth to say anything, my lips were on his. His lips were soft and his heat transferred to mine. When I pulled away, his eyes were nothing but black, his pupils completely gone.

“Is that enough explanation?” I whispered, my lips fluttering across his with each word. When he made no response, I dropped my hand and turned away, storming out of the room.

I could almost feel tears pricking at the corner of my eyes.

An idiot would always be an idiot.

I didn’t know if I was referring to Zane…or myself.

~~~~

“Keiran.”

Internally I groaned at the sound of my name, but I turned around and smiled at my grandmother. Today she was wearing bright reds and blacks, they offset her blonde hair and made her seem even more voluptuous. She was walking toward me with a bright smile on her face and even though I knew I was in a horrible mood from what had just happened, I mean come on, I could still feel the warmth of his lips on mine. It was drowning me in emotions, that simple sensation. I was glad for my grandmother’s appearance at that moment. Without even letting her come to me to finish what she was saying, I grabbed her arm and dragged her through the Tartarus portal, transporting us into the world of demons. All she did was give me a confused look, but went along with it.

As we touched down in the middle of a busy square, she laced her arm through mine and gave me a knowing grin.

“Matters of the heart are more complicated than you once thought, hmm?”

I groaned aloud and rubbed my face with my hand. The mysteries of the Succubus race still eluded me but what my grandmother had once told me was that Succubus could read lust while Incubus could not. So for her to know how I was feeling at that moment, was no surprise.

Her grin was wide as she asked, “So who did the attacking? You or him?” we began leisurely walking through the square, her arm linked through mine as if we were old friends not grandson and grandmother.

“Grandmèreeeeee.” I groaned, wanting to hide in the deepest parts of the Styx River.

“What?” She laughed, “I’m genuinely curious.”

“Can’t you be curious about something else?” I muttered, more to myself than her.

“But it will tell me how close you are to being in control of your powers.”

“Liar.” She gave me an offended look, then put her free arm over her heart.

“I do not lie, mon fils, it’s the truth.” My grandmother swore as she lied through her pearly, white teeth. I shook my head, exasperated with this conversation.

“I kissed him.” My grandmother’s grin got wider and I knew what her next question would be so I continued before she could start. “Then I ran out the door.”

“Noooo!” It was my grandmother’s turn to groan. “You’re not suppose to run away! You should have pushed him down and stripped him!” That, I realized, was actually sound advice coming from a succubus to an incubus. But, pushing him down had never even crossed my mind, I had been too afraid of what he would think of me had I gone farther than a kiss.

Now that I thought about it, what would the difference really be, had I pushed him down? I mean, he could have teleported us to who knows where, abandoned me then took off. But that would have made my dad mad. So really, what had I been thinking when I had only gotten away with a kiss? I could have done so much more.

Next to me, my grandmother was muttering in a mix between French and English. I could only catch a few words, among them being something about raising an incompetent incubus who has no talent.

“Hey!” I yelped, “I resent that!” She just shook her head, reached out and slapped the back of my head.

“Am I going to have to send you to a brothel?” She asked, irritated, “Do you really need to be taught how to use yourself?” I felt myself blush at the innuendos in that comment. The images that flooded my mind were no where near PG rated. My grandmother smirked, “I know some lovely incubus that can show you the ways of men. They can teach you everything you need to know. From sucking to stroking to thru-” My face was beet red by the time I reached out and covered her mouth with my hand. Her eyes danced merrily and I could feel her smile beneath my palm.

“Please stop.” I begged, my hand slipping back down to my side. “I’m not going to do that.” As she grinned at me, suddenly her face turned serious, her eyes narrowing.

“Keiran, I came to find you to warn you.”

Confused, I felt her arm grip me tighter to her. “Warn me about what?”

“He’s found you, love. He knows you’re here.”

“Who?”

“Your grandfather.”