“What the hell is going on?"
Time to bring him up to speed.
"The worst kind of incubus is loose in our city. He feeds on people and doesn’t stop.” Rob sucked in a sharp breath and I nodded. “Since he can handle more energy than a regular incubus, there’s no moment where he reaches his limit and must stop.”
When desire waned but hunger got the best of us and we kept feeding, we took whatever we could, weakening our partner until their body’s ability to keep functioning was compromised.
However, it never went that far.
Sex demons only fed on certain things, so taking more energy without being able to absorb it properly soon overwhelmed us. The strain this put on the charmed and charmer meant the connection broke long before becoming life threatening or truly lethal.
“I encountered Lex before,” I continued. “A long time ago. I believed he’d been dealt with. Then the killings started. He isn’t a normal incubus, so the DSA doesn’t know how to deal with him. My contact there is counting on me to stop him.” Now for the delicate part. “You’re connected to Lex but not under his influence. Do you remember how the connection formed between you two?”
"Hey, everybody wants a piece of Rob," he said weakly.
Sage bristles rested near his right hand. The spellcasting ingredients scattered everywhere in the chaos. He reached out, grasping a few buds tightly like he’d smudge this all away and call it a bad dream.
I almost wanted to reach out, but the burn mark separating us wasn’t the only divide between us and I wasn’t sure he’d appreciate the gesture.
I also didn’t want to risk it. He wasn’t entirely wrong. For a moment there, I had wanted him.
We needed to confirm my suspicions, but it was just a formality. I knew we had little chance of actually tying our blood together. Though instead of satisfaction at confirming my conclusion, the first thing I felt was a stab of disappointment.
When the intensity ratcheted up between us as we casted, and his eyes locked with mine… he was breathtaking when he gave himself over to the spell and ended up becoming aroused. It affected me too.
But I had a job to do. I was finally making progress and we needed to focus.
“Rob, there’s one more detail. When the bodies are found, they’re grey and withered. He’s draining them of everything, including life, but he’s after something in particular. He’s after magic.”
"What?" Rob’s hand jerked, sending some of the sage flying. "So, we’ve gone full cray now?"
"Yes. Nobody issupposedto have this power. But he does, he’s found a way.”
Rob rolled the sage between his fingers for a long time. His foot tapped on the floor. A few shades paler than normal, who knew what went on in his head? Did Rob think he was trapped in the ring? Or maybe he feared crossing over, coming into contact with the person on the other end of the connection.
“I met him, God, a long ass time ago. Before I was even a mage.” His eyes widened. “Oh God.” Rob curled into himself, hugging his knees to his chest. “You think he tried to steal power from me? I’m supposed to be his victim.”
Some people did have magic inside them long before they realized it so that was most likely the case here.
“You’re a mage now,” I reminded him. “You’re more experienced and aren’t alone. We can use your tie to find and stop him.” I pressed my shoe over the burned mark separating us, breaking the divide. “Rob, you might be the key to stopping him."
Clutching the sage in one hand, his other reached out towards the burn mark on the floor, inching closer, afraid of what might happen. He hesitated right by the charred ring, then sneered, threw the sage at my shoe and watched it bounced off.
Fuck it,he seemed to decide with a shrug, rising up off the ground and basically throwing himself over the line.
Nothing happened. The fiery reaction earlier and the cause of it were gone now.
He shook his head to clear it, like he could finally think again. “Sorry, what were you saying?”
“Rob, you might be the key to stopping Lex."
“Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, that ain’t happening.”
The struggle and anguish Rob fell victim to inside the circle lifted. Just like that, he was Rob again, shifting from still to a storm of activity tearing across the room and barreling out the door without looking back.
What the hell?
That… I hadn’t expected that. A small part of me felt grateful for his reaction. It gave me a reprieve from telling him the rest. But was he… was he leaving? I chased after him.
