The Torch Read online

  As I suspected, Julian had been too kind in his description of them. They’re tiny, under five feet tall, and androgynous, with delicately squared jaws and lips neither plump nor thin. Flat chests gave way to uncurved waists and narrow hips. Even their stick straight, brown hair ends at an ambiguous length, brushing their shoulders. At least most of them mastered a natural brown tone to their skin, but one off to the left is ashy gray, a color not found on this plane.

  My gaze skitters from them to the human in the room, but Slater seems unfazed, his focus leveled more on the dancers.

  I nibble my lip for a moment. “Julian, I’m not sure—”

  He cuts me off. “One-seventy five each.”

  The show of desperation makes me even more unwilling to take the group on. If he wants to get rid of them that badly, something is seriously wrong with them.

  I shake my head. “I don’t think I can—”

  He abandons Kellen to hurry over, his hand curling around my arm as he pulls me off to one side. “Adie, please, I need them out of the office.”

  Never once in eighty years has Julian ever asked a favor of me. I study my cousin and notice the bruised sallow skin beneath his eyes, the powdered blush on his cheeks that hides an unusual pallor. Concerned, I lean closer to inhale his scent, shocked when he barely registers as demon. I should have noticed right away, and I would have, if not for Kellen’s overpowering energy that fills the club.

  I grab his arm, his skin paper thin beneath by palm. “What’s going on? Just spit it out.”

  When he licks his lips, some of the gloss disappears to reveal cracks. “Cousin Cassandra’s still in town. She keeps coming by the office. I can keep most of my imps out on jobs, but this group…”

  My throat tightens in fear. “How many has she devoured?”

  His eyes skitter away from mine. “Three so far.”

  “And you?” The energy in my belly rolls, thin tendrils creeping through my limbs, ready to pass through my palm and into him.

  “Never better, darling!” He shakes off my hand, his smile tight. “I just need these imps out of my office until she gets bored and leaves town again. Take them for a trial run.”

  “Yeah, okay.” I glance at the gray one. “If nothing else, I can keep them in the kitchen.”

  “Fantastic!” Clapping his hands, he spins and strides back to Kellen. “Mr. Cassius, what do you think of my dancers? They work great next to DJ booths or on bars, and they know how to mix drinks if needed.”

  Over my cousin’s head, Kellen’s gaze meets mine for a long moment, his expression contemplative. Did he hear my conversation with Julian? Does he think I’m too soft?

  Then he turns to the human. “Slater, what do you think?”

  Surprised that Kellen would ask for advice, I also turn to the human.

  Slater hooks his thumbs in his front pockets. “Put them in white, throw the black lights on them, it could be eye catching. But can they really dance? They look like strippers.”

  Julian snaps and the imps instantly start dancing to music only they can hear. Their choreographed movements shift around my little group, who huddle closer together, their eyes wide with confusion.

  Slater’s head bobs in time, as if he, too, can hear the music, and memory kicks into gear. He’s the club’s DJ, the one who yelled at me to get out of his booth, when I came here in hunt of Kellen after he filed a claim against me that jeopardized all of my worldly possessions.

  “Yeah, I think it’s a good idea,” Slater says at last and the imps stop dancing. “We’ll need to get the stage brought up from the basement.” He lifts an arm to check the watch strapped to his wrist. “There’s time to get it set up if you want to start tonight.”

  Kellen focuses on my cousin. “How much per dancer?”

  “One-twenty a night.”

  Kellen’s eyes narrow. “Twenty-five.”

  While they drop into intense negotiation, I walk over to my new employees. They shrink back as I near with little chirps of fear, and I stop with three feet still between us. “Do you all speak English?”

  Heads bob on narrow necks, but they stay silent.

  I lean forward to get a whiff of what type of imps they are, but the coconut oil the others wear masks their scent. “Do any of you know how to use a cash register?”

  One in the center, slightly taller than the others, raises a tentative hand.

  “Cleaning?” I tilt my head. “Can you all clean?”

  They stay silent for a long moment, and the gray one seems to shrink in on itself as it stares at the others. At last, it raises its hand, brows crease with worry.

  “What about baking. Do any of you know how to bake? Have you ever made cake?”

  They all shake their heads in the negative, which doesn’t surprise me. It would have been too good to fill all of my employment needs in one go. “What other skills do you have?”

  When their lips stay clamped shut, I step closer, annoyed at the distance between us. They cower back.

  This will never work out if they think I’m evil, like Cassandra, and will munch them down to dust at the first hankering for energy.

  How can I get them to trust me in time to make them useful?

  My Food

  I stare at the terrified imps a moment longer before spinning on a heel and marching over to Kellen. “I need you for a moment.”

  Without waiting for a response, I grab his arm and unceremoniously drag him away from my cousin, who trails off mid barter. Sparks of electricity burrow into my skin, and my breath catches for a moment as a hungry ache opens inside me, desperate to be filled. Fine tremors shake my limbs and I release him as we stop in front of the imps. They bleat in fear, and one tries to drop to its knees, but its neighbors keep it upright.

  Facing them, I pat Kellen’s muscular chest. “See this? This is mine. I don’t need you for food.”

  Kellen chokes back a laugh and slides an arm over my shoulders. His head drops, his lips close to my ear. “Is that right?”

  I quake at the contact, my senses flooded with a rich roll of ozone and the bite of lightning. My hands curl into fists to stop myself from throwing him to the ground and having my way with him. It doesn’t help that I know he’d let me, that he’d even welcome it.

  My head turns toward him, lips parted to drag his taste across my tongue. It takes all of my will to not close the distance between our mouths as I lift my gaze to his. “Thank you, you can go back to your negotiation now.”

  Instead of leaving, his hand curls around my neck, his stubble rough against my cheek as he nuzzles his face against mine. His voice comes out as a quiet growl. “You’ll give in soon. And when you do, I’m going to spend hours with my face buried between your legs. I’m going to lick every inch of you. Your toes, your ankles, your knees, you luscious thighs...”

  Lust fills his voice, igniting an answering heat between my legs, but his words confuse me. I pull back from him. “None of that’s needed for feeding.”

  He frowns down at me. “Are you joking?”

  “Do I look like it?” I tug myself away. “Succubi serve, not the other way around. My pleasure isn’t necessary, I get enough from the energy released during orgasm.”

  “You’re actually serious.” He folds his arms over his chest, then seems to remember where we are and that we’re not alone. “We need to have a talk when I get home.”

  “I don’t see why.” My foot taps with impatience. “This is how it works with succubi. Incubi, too. Ask Julian.” I nod at my cousin.

  “Oh, I’m definitely going to have a talk with your cousin.” He glances at the other man. “I’d like to finish our negotiation in my office.”

  Julian perks up with interest, a hand rising to fluff his curls. He licks his lips in anticipation.

  When Kellen spins to leave, panic shoots through me, and I grab the back of his shirt. Instantly, I feel stupid and release him, my face flushing with embarrassment. Kellen turns back around, his eyebrows raised in quest
ion.

  My eyes drop to the ground. I hate the uncertainty that fills me, that drives me to whisper, “Just to talk, right?”

  After the words leave my mouth, my heart hammers. When they’d first approached me with their offer to become their live-in succubus, I’d offered to set them up with a list of my willing family members. But now that I live in their home, share meals with them, and have grown closer to them? I no longer like the idea of them allowing another of my kind to taste their energy.

  While I refuse to fully be what they need me to be, I can’t stomach the idea of them going to someone else, either. I’m selfish, and I know it.

  Kellen’s expression turns considering for a moment as he studies Julian, as if he hadn’t thought of the idea until my fear put it out there. With a cringe, I wait for him to use it against me. To be a proper asshole demon and use my vulnerability to force me into his bed.

  Instead, he skims a hand over my arm in a brief caress of static electricity. “Just to talk.”

  I turn my face away to hide my relief. “Make sure you negotiate shuttle service for the dancers.”

  His fingers squeeze my hand before he releases me to join my waiting cousin. Julian points at the imps. “Sit and wait for me.”

  As a group, they all drop to the floor, their legs crossed in front of them. Even my imps follow suit. Guess they don’t see me as their new boss yet.

  Kellen and Julian disappear down the hall, and I exchange an uncomfortable glance with Slater. I want to leave, but I need to make arrangements for when the imps should come to the shop. I’d just call Julian later, but the likelihood of him ignoring me keeps my feet planted.

  At last, the silence gets on my nerves. “So, you’re the DJ?”

  “Yep.” He rocks on his heels for a moment. “You’re the boss’s woman?”

  “We’re roommates,” I hedge.

  Being someone’s woman means something in the human world. Like being a girlfriend or something. While Kellen and I are together, it’s not romantic between us. Rather, we’re friends by circumstances. I have no real claim to any of them. Which makes my boundless worry that much more stupid.

  I want to kick myself.

  “You’re opening a bakery, right? One block over?” Slater crooks a thumb over his shoulder in the general direction of my new shop.

  “Yep! Boo’s Boutique Bakery.” Thoughts of my shop fill me with happiness and I walk closer to him. “I’ll be selling flower cupcakes, as well as espressos. It will be open until three in the morning to cater to the night crowd.”

  “Oh? That’s a good idea. People are always hungry after dancing all night.” Interest fills his voice, and he points to the five imps who sit slightly apart from the others. “And those are your new employees?”

  My lips purse for a moment. “Yeah, I’m going to try them out for a bit. But I still need a second baker. And someone with management skills would be nice.” I stare at the gray imp for a moment before adding, “Someone who isn’t bothered by...foreigners.”

  He arches a brow at my word choice. “Yeah, I get that. You have to be careful.” His gaze drifts to the back hall. “I have a new roommate looking for work. She’s...unusual.”

  It would be nice to hire someone I didn’t need to be so secretive around, but I also can’t afford to take on another employee I’ll have to hide in the kitchen. “How unusual?”

  In answer, he pulls a cell phone from his back pocket and swipes through the screen for a moment before holding it out for me to see. It’s a picture of a young woman. She smiles as she stands between two skinny men who look similar enough to be related. While on the short side, the only thing super unusual about her is her cotton candy pink hair and the scrolling tattoo that peeks over her shoulders from beneath a tank top.

  I shift my focus to Slater and shake back my white hair with its blue tips. “I obviously don’t mind colored hair. Can she bake?”

  “She’s been making the dinners at our house.” He tucks the cell phone away. “She’s a fast learner, and she’s friendly. If you show her what she needs to do, I’m sure she’d pick it up right away.”

  Do I want to be stuck training someone on how to bake? But even if I find someone who already knows how to make cupcakes, they’d still have to learn my recipes and decorating style. Maybe starting with a blank slate would be better. No bad habits to unlearn.

  “I’ll meet with her.” I open my briefcase and pull one of my few business cards from the inside pocket. “Have her come by tomorrow afternoon, around two. I’ll be at the shop testing out the ovens. It will be a good time to evaluate her abilities.”

  He takes the card and tucks it into his pocket. “I appreciate you giving her a chance.”

  I bounce on my toes in excitement. Everything’s finally coming together. All I need to do is train everyone, and in two weeks, the dream of my bakery will come to life.

  Torch

  With the rest of my day open, I swing by the bakery to check on the ovens. When Tobias came by to fix one for me, I’d learned that these weren’t regular, run-of-the-mill human ovens.

  Apparently, the previous owners were also demons, and kept a tiny ignis demon to power the ovens. Left to starve after the old shop closed, the poor thing had been nearly dead when Tobias arrived. The oven farthest from where the creature lived had stopped working first. The demon must have really liked its job, to hold out so long in an abandoned store and keep the remaining three ovens warm.

  I use my keys to enter through the alley, directly into the kitchen. The scent of fresh paint and leather fill my nose. The passthrough reveals the walls in the front, newly painted a soft, honey-brown with dark leather settees and arm chairs dispersed around the cozy room.

  The ignis demon’s presence had nixed my plan for a fireplace. It would only have encouraged the small creature to grow bigger, and then all my desserts wouldn’t cook right. Besides, the store flowed better without a fireplace taking up space.

  Pocketing my keys, I turn left down the short hall, past the walk-in refrigerator, and to the pantry at the back. A soft glow filters around the edges, and I slow in confusion. Did one of the workers leave the light on?

  I pull my sunglasses off and spindle out a thread of energy, suffusing my limbs with speed in case I need to flee. While I might be stronger than the average human, my corporeal form can’t withstand a gun shot. And with my inability to return to dreamland, I’m not sure what will happen to me if I lose this form.

  The door swings open before I reach it, and I freeze in shock. Tobias’s eyes widen in surprise before his expression shutters. He still wears his suit pants, but his jacket is missing, and the loose tie around his neck reveals an undone button on his at the collar of his shirt. A few strands of brown, wavy hair hang across his forehead, out of place for his normally refined style.

  His head turns away as he flips off the pantry lights. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was about to ask the same thing.” I pull my cellphone out to check the time. Barely after five, which means he left work early. “Is Emil here, too?”

  “He had a meeting.” Tobias shrugs as if it’s no big deal. “I’ll go back for him in a little bit.”

  The two carpool to and from the bank every day, so it’s surprising to see Tobias here without the ice demon.

  “A meeting he didn’t need you for?” When his lips tighten in annoyance, my gaze drops to the box of pellets in his hand. “Did you come here to feed Torch?”

  He winces. “Didn’t I tell you not to name it?”

  “What’s the harm?” I walk backward as he strides forward. “He seems to like it.”

  “It’s not big enough to have emotion, and you want it to stay that way.” Tobias’s free hand lifts to fiddle with his tie, as if uncomfortable to be caught less than perfect.

  I squash the bud of warmth that fills my chest. It’s not cute that he cares. Not at all. Besides, I’ve seen him far more disheveled. Once. The day I barged into their house to mak
e a deal.

  Even on the weekends he dresses nicely before coming downstairs. I assumed it was just his personality, but maybe there’s more to it.

  We enter the kitchen, and I step to the side of the far right oven, crouching to open the little hatch on the side. Torch flickers in greeting, glowing neon blue for a moment before settling back into red and yellow flame.

  “Hey, buddy, how you doing?” I coo at him. “Excited to start baking tomorrow? Are you going to keep my ovens a nice, even temperature?”

  “Stop that. It doesn’t understand.” Tobias’s leg nudges me to get out of the way.

  “I think he does.” I push against his knee. “Don’t you, little Torch? You understand.”

  The tiny ignis flickers in response, blazing white hot for a brief moment. When Tobias crouches next to my side, the flames drop back to a steady orange. Even when Tobias shakes out a handful of charcoal pellets and refills the metal dish inside the door, the ignis remains motionless.

  I glance at Tobias’s stoic profile. “I don’t think he likes you.”

  “Stop putting your own emotions into a creature without feelings.” He adds another half handful before closing the latch and standing.

  Bewildered, I spring to my feet. “Do you think I don’t like you?”

  He sets the box on the nearby counter and straightens his tie. “It doesn’t really matter how you feel toward me.”

  Sniffing, the prickly scent of ash fills my nose. I peek up at him through my lashes. “Do you want me to like you?”

  He stares down his long nose at me. “You’ve made it abundantly clear that what I want doesn’t matter.”

  Now the weight of avalanches fills the room. Tobias doesn’t like to talk about emotions. Such things are beneath a big, powerful demon like him.

  I drag the taste of lava over my tongue and needle him further. “If you’d been nicer in the beginning, I would have cared more. Unlike some people, I don’t start out instantly disliking people.”