My mouth hung open, my total shock chased quickly by the rush of embarrassment that followed. For all the time I’d spent reading up on monsters in the Bay, I hadn’t bothered to delve much deeper than what I’d considered the necessary facts—their strengths and weaknesses, common hangouts, and most importantly—how to kill them.
Questions flooded my mind. Was that typical of incubuses? Incubi? Was that even the right word? Were they all born that way, or just Asher? Were his parents demons as well? Is that how it worked? Had he always known, or did they sit him down for “the talk” the way human kids learned about where babies came from? Did all of them stop aging in their thirties? Could he have children? Did hewantchildren?
And who was the woman I’d seen in his memories? Was she a succubus? Or was she a human who—
Oh, no…
“Don’t,” he said firmly, his voice breaking just a little. He faked a cough to cover it up, then said, “Look. I know where your mind is heading, and I’m asking you—tellingyou—just don’t.”
“Ash—”
“I can’t,” he whispered, not bothering to hide the pain in his eyes.
I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath, his scent still lingering all around me.
Asher had just cracked open the door on his past, and everything in me wanted to step right in and make myself at home. But that tiny opening was still just a crack, and the last thing I wanted to do was slam it shut again by invading his privacy and scaring him off.
I still wasn’t sure how much I actuallylikedhim, but I respected him enough to honor his wish.
“The point is,” I said, eager to get us back on track, “witches who use magic just have to be aware that there are lots of other forces at play, and things rarely go according to plan.”
Asher folded his arms across his chest, his brow furrowed in concentration. “So that night at Norah’s, when you—”
“Saved your ass from eternal oblivion?” I shot him a half-smile. We seemed to do better with teasing, especially when we got anywhere near the serious shit. “Is that the night you’re referring to?”
Asher nodded, the tips of his ears turning red. “That was your magic, right?”
“Yes, but it wasn’t a spell. That was Shadowborn magic. Removing your soul was the only way to get you out of that trap. There were no other options.”
“Wrong.” Asher shook his head. “You could’ve just left me, Gray.”
“Yeah,” I whispered, my stomach lurching at the thought. He’d been so bruised and beaten, so close to death. “I could have. But I didn’t.”
“Thank you.”
It was so soft, I wasn’t even sure I’d heard him, but I didn’t want to ask him to repeat it. We sat side by side, no longer touching, no longer teasing, no longer even looking at each other.
The fire had dimmed, the last few embers glowing red as the logs turned white with ash.
I felt him shift beside me, and when I turned to face him again, his ocean-blue eyes were cloudy with concern.
“You said all magic has consequences,” he said. “and they’re not always predictable.”
I nodded, my gut already churning in anticipation of what was coming next.
“So here’s the million-dollar question, Cupcake. What are the consequences of messing with a demon’s soul?”
I’d been so caught up in saving his life, in getting him out of that damn trap, I hadn’t thought about the consequences atall. Not that night. Not after. Not until right this moment.
Forcing a casual shrug, I cocked my head and smiled, hoping he couldn’t see through it to the real fear beneath. “For starters, I was forced to kiss you. On themouth.”
I faked a shudder.
Asher waited a beat, then rolled his eyes, some of his earlier playfulness returning. “You think that’s aconsequence? I got three hundred years’ worth of sleepover dates who’d beg to differ.”
“Three hundred years’ worth? Sounds like fake news to me.”
“You keep telling yourself that, Cupcake.” Asher leaned in to poke me in the ribs, and my book tipped forward. A photograph slipped out from between the pages, landing on the table.
