The Incubus's Heart Ch. 03

Everything with Godwin felt like a dream. By the time she left work she had almost convinced herself that it had been a dream, at least the more... unusual parts of it. Godwin was an incubus? Preposterous.

She laughed, suddenly sure that preposterous was exactly the word Godwin would have chosen.

Instead of going home, she killed time in a coffee shop close to Chip's flat. He lived fifteen minutes from her work, and in the complete opposite direction of her apartment. That was fine by her, she didn't want him to know where she lived, and he'd never asked.

She almost went to her bench in the park but... Even though it seemed like a dream, she wasn't ready to see Godwin. She really, really wanted to see him, but she couldn't. Not yet. If she saw him again, her resolve would be strongly tested. Though they hadn't made plans to meet again, he said he'd be joining her with Chip tonight. Again, preposterous.

Thinking about Godwin had her core tingling again. She sipped her coffee, closing her eyes as the vanilla creamer vaguely reminded her of the taste of his mouth. Of his rich, thick blood. It had to have been a dream, him eating her emotions, but she still felt the lingering effects. She hadn't felt this light, this good about herself and life in general in ages.

She shook her head, guilt building up. It had a whole lot of room to fill inside of her. She couldn't get Godwin out of her mind, but she needed to. She had Chip. The thought had her choking on her coffee again. Married! He probably wanted kids and dogs and, oh god, she couldn't marry Chip Gibson. She'd never be able to give him kids, anyway, he wasn't a Wren. And she would never tell him what she really was.

She had to get out of this, let him down softly. She could already imagine his kicked puppy look, those big, dumb eyes wide with grief. Guilt bloomed inside her like a corpse flower.

She felt normal now, full of guilt and self doubt and a tinge of self hatred. This was who she was and she hated it, her comfortable uncomfortable prison.

She checked her phone and saw that she missed two texts from Chip letting her know he was home and he already had a movie picked out, and did she want pizza or Chinese delivery.

Sighing, she cleaned up her spot, shooting a quick message back to Chip. She didn't care what they ordered, what they ate. She didn't want to go at all. Why had she let Godwin talk her into this? He was very convincing.

She frowned as she stepped outside, her mood souring further. Rain poured down, even though it had been sunny, hot and humid when she had come in twenty minutes prior. She sighed as she stepped out under the awning, the sound of the heavy rain drowning out the sound of the door to the coffee shop swinging shut behind her.

The rain was loud, but also soothing. It allowed her to linger, to delay her visit to Chip's. Her last, she told herself. She had to break it off with him. Even if he cried. Oh god, she hoped he didn't cry. What would she do if he cried? Her stomach hurt.

A weird sensation drew her from her thoughts. Somehow she could feel Godwin, could feel a pleasant tingle on the back of her neck. She looked around. She didn't see the alleged incubus through the downpour, but she could feel him.

Despite what she told herself, her heart rate rise and the butterflies took flight in her stomach. She wanted to hate that she was eager to see him again, but couldn't. Closing her eyes, she focused on the tingling sensation, seeing if she could feel direction or proximity.

The tingling changed into something else the second she focused on it. She could feel his fingers on her neck, gently resting on the top of her spine. She jerked her eyes open and the feeling diminished back to just the tingly sensations. He wasn't here, wasn't touching her, but it felt like he had been. It had felt real.

She closed her eyes again and reached for him, embracing the sensation. His fingers were there again. She could feel the heat from them, a gentle yet firm pressure on the back of her neck. She focused on keeping her eyes closed, trying to understand Godwin's mysterious touch. His ghostly fingers trailed over the bumps of her spine and slowly pulled down her back as if they were under her clothes. Slowly they drifted lower, between her shoulder blades, down the middle of her back, to just above her butt.

Her eyes flew open, her face instantly hot. He was actually next to her now, driving her heart into her throat. His heat and smell had her turning towards him like a sunflower.

Godwin leaned against the building only a few feet from her, dripping wet despite the unopened umbrella he used like a cane. His soggy suit was a deep navy today, so dark it was almost black, pinstriped with robin egg blue stripes. Not even the best male model could pull off how well it clung to his body. His trilby matched today, too, water dripping from the edges. He pulled out a robin's egg blue scarf from his jacket pocket and wiped the rain from his hands.

"Look what the cat dragged in," she said, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Cat?" he asked her, cocking his head in confusion. "I do not understand."

"You don't... huh?" She wrinkled her forehead. "It's an expression. You say it when, well, when someone looks like they have had a rough time of things, I guess. You know, they look like something the cat caught."

A look of understanding crossed his face and he chuckled. "Indeed. The sky opened whilst I was under it." He moved slowly, favoring his left leg, then ran his hands over his body, starting from his neck down to his shiny leather shoes. She watched curiously. He ran a hand slowly down each of his arms, took his hat off, shook it twice with a quick shake of his wrist, the hand without the scars, then placed it back on his head just so. "There," he said, tipping his hat to her, "all better." He was completely dry, though the suit now had white stripes instead of blue ones.

"How!" She looked into those silver eyes and knew that he was what he said he was, despite her earlier doubts.

"A little Daeva trick, that is all. I brought you an umbrella," he said, changing the subject. He offered it to her and she took it hesitantly.

"Why didn't you use the umbrella?" she asked, inspecting it. It seemed to be a normal umbrella. Now that he was dry, his vanilla smell was stronger, with undertones of something else, something that smelled like... He smelled like sex. She blushed.

He stepped behind her, his vanilla and sex scent surrounding her. She took a deep breath without thinking, and it went straight to her head, and her sex. The tingling in her core began again and she shifted uncomfortably, trying to push it into the imaginary box in which she kept her unwanted emotions.

"Stop, hansa," he whispered in her ear. "Do not hide your emotions from me. I want them all, all of your reactions. You are beautiful, and your emotions are vivid and dynamic. Delicious." His finger hooked under her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"But!"

Godwin's face was a mixture of emotion she couldn't read. "You have reverted, refilled what I consumed last night. This will take training and time." He sighed and her heart fell. "No, no, little hansa, do not be discouraged. You felt me today, stronger, yes?"

She shivered under his touch, but she wasn't cold. She nodded, unable to answer him with words, gulping hard, shivering in his grasp while she waited for him to respond. He smiled his smile, the one that sent all of the butterflies into a flurry and her heartbeat frantic.

"Good job, Seneca," he praised. "I am very pleased you allowed yourself to feel me." Joy bloomed as her core tingled that she was able to please him. She longed to do more, to earn more praise from him.

"I wish to try it again," he breathed into her ear, barely audible over the sound of the downpour around them. "I will release you, and I will leave-"

"Godwin," she whined nervously. She didn't want to let him down, and at the same time hated herself for thinking that.

He rubbed his thumb encouragingly across her cheek, his touch intimate. "Shh, little hansa, I will not go far. I wish for you to feel me again, as you did a few moments before. Reach for me, and allow me to touch you. Will you try?" he asked, stroking her cheek again.

She swooned. He steadied her with his other hand in the small of her back, his touch sending a flush of wetness from her core as he gently pushed her against the wall. "Shut your eyes, Seneca." She did, and Godwin's hands left her body, and then she was alone. "Open up to me again, Seneca," he said, his voice a whisper on the wind.

She felt him go. It was weird but she could feel him move away from her, and the general direction he moved. She opened her eyes, but she didn't see him, even though she was mostly sure she was looking in the right direction.

Closing her eyes tightly again, she allowed herself to feel the tingle on her neck. Faster than before it grew into a pleasant caress. His imaginary fingers trailed down her spine, between her shoulder blades, under her bra strap, down her back. It tickled as they moved down her lower back, the touch so soft and intimate that she swayed against the wall, her knees feeling weak.

The caress stopped at the top of her ass, just above the cleavage there. It lingered, eliciting a shiver that ran the length of her body, then the caress rode back up her spine, more quickly than it descended.

"Godwin!" she squeaked, her eyes flying open when the spectral fingers pinched the back of her neck.

"Yes, Seneca?" he whispered into her ear, making her jump. She hadn't felt him re-approach, she'd been distracted with his ghostly touch.

"You scared me!" she gasped, hand to her heart.

He stood beside her, leaning against the building. He smiled warmly, fully satisfied. "Well done."

She looked away, her face burning while her heart was so light she could fly. The rain let up to just a drizzle. Cars splashed through small rivers flowing over the concrete and asphalt. as the sounds of the city filtered back into her consciousness, horns and brakes and sirens and the hum of activity all around her. She hadn't realized they'd been missing, but now they seemed too loud, too busy. She covered her ears, feeling overwhelmed.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out, grateful for the distraction. At least, until she read text. She was supposed to be headed to Chip's place. Instead, she was here, playing with an incubus. Her good vibes vanished like smoke so violent it made her feel physically ill.

Godwin was there, his body blocking out the city around them as he plucked the phone from her hands, making it disappear. God, he was beautiful. She fell into his silver eyes and the rest of the world drifted away. His pupils were so small they were almost invisible, and she was swallowed by those deep silver pools.

"Shh, little hansa," he cooed as she sank deeper. "All is well. May I consume these for you?"

She nodded, lost in his eyes as he leaned in, brushing his lips over hers. She shouldn't want to kiss him again, couldn't do it again, she told herself, but her traitorous body remembered how good she had felt, during and afterwards.

He pushed his way into her mouth, intentionally licking her eyeteeth. A shiver ran down her spine at how intimate it felt. She tried to pull away halfheartedly, but he pressed forward, kissing her carefully. He held her cheeks as he kissed her, his tongue exploring her mouth. One of his hands slipped around the back of her neck and she felt her bad feelings coalesce again into a tight ball in her gut. He retreated from the kiss just enough to bite her lip gently, then he sucked and pulled her negativity and guilt from her like yarn unraveling up her throat.

When it felt like it was almost too much he stopped, returning to the gentle kisses he had been giving her. She let him kiss her, not exactly kissing him back, but drifting pleasantly under his skillful attention.

The door behind them opened with a ding and she jerked back, slamming her head into the brick of the building as she realized where they were and what they were doing. "Shit! Oww..." she said, pushing Godwin away. For a split second he resisted, but then moved to the side a step, opening a small space between them. She rubbed her head, sure she was going to have a bump. "I can't... We can't do that, Godwin! We're in public!"

"No one saw us, little hansa," he assured.

"Anyone could have seen us, Godwin! I'm engaged!" she argued, still rubbing the sore spot.

He sighed. "Again, you are not engaged. Again, you did not agree. We had this conversation last evening. And, regardless of your position on that matter, I am something most choose not to see. With my attention on you, you temporarily gain that gift," he said.

"But! We!" she tried to argue. She didn't feel like arguing, honestly. Her knees still felt weak and her head and chest were light again. "So, I was invisible because of you?"

He nodded, saying nothing, but standing his ground.

"Fine," she relented. "How did you know I was here? Was it just a coincidence?"

He snorted. "I did mention I would be accompanying my partner today, did I not? Most definitely not a coincidence that I am here, with my partner."

"Partner?" she asked, confused.

He turned his head, looking at her with amusement. "Yes, my new partner. You."

Her mouth opened and closed a few times without saying anything. "Okay," she relented. "But, how did you find me? I didn't tell you where I was gonna be today." She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him.

He nodded his head. "Nothing nefarious. We started what could potentially become a bond between us when you tasted my blood. It is why you can feel my touch now, and it is how I can find you. If I try hard enough, I can feel my blood in you."

"You can feel your blood?" she asked, surprised.

He nodded again. "Just a bit. It is not as specific as it could be, if you chose to form an authentic bond with me. There would be... other benefits as well, but I do not believe this is the time or place to discuss those," he said, turning away from her as a police car sped by, lights flashing and sirens blaring.

"Will it wear off?" she asked. She didn't know how she felt about this little tidbit of information, or what it meant for her relationship, her partnership, with Godwin.

"Yes, if we do not complete a bond it will fade quickly. Only a drop..." he trailed off, his eyes raised to the sky in contemplation. "I would posit two days at most until you feel my touch no longer without fresh blood. I believe it is time for us to be on our way..."

She scowled at him, still uncomfortable with his desire to tag along but confident that he wasn't going to budge. "What did you do with my phone?" she asked him instead.

His hands danced before her, one tucking behind the other one. He pulled her cell phone from the palm of his hand with a flourish, bowing as he handed it to her.

"Another little 'Daeva trick'?" she asked, amused.

"Not at all. Sleight of hand. Street magic, I believe it is called. I learned it recently, from a young man near where I reside," he said. He beamed, adorably proud of his trick. She shook her head, afraid to encourage him further, afraid her heart couldn't stand it.

She sent Chip a quick text, then pocketed her phone. "I have to go now," she said, her heart straining as she prepared to leave Godwin for Chip.

"I have told you, little hansa, that I will be attending you. Your paramour will not notice my presence," he assured, gesturing for them to leave.

"You can't come, Godwin!" she hissed, her hypocritical heart flipping that he was coming. She pushed herself off the wall and stepped into the drizzle. Except it wasn't drizzling anymore. The sun was back out and the rain was quickly becoming a wall of solid humidity. She slipped on her sunglasses and walked down the sidewalk, headed towards Chip's flat.

"Why ever not?" he asked, following behind her. Somehow his suit didn't seem out of place at all, and it irritated her. "Chester Gibson will not notice my presence, and I will be there to support you as we expand your horizons, so to speak. Also, you can clarify your position on the engagement."

"Clarify! I've been freaking out about it all day, Godwin! He's gonna cry, I know it! I can't deal with him if he cries. I'll... He has this look, this sad puppy look that makes me feel horrible!" she exclaimed, quickening her pace, as if she could just lose him if she walked fast enough. "I already feel horrible just thinking about it, and he hasn't even started crying yet!"

He kept up with her easily. She noticed his limp was gone. "It will be fine, little hansa. I will consume those feelings. I will be there to help you through this all. We are partners, are we not?"

She sighed heavily. "Yeah, I guess, but I'm not sure I understand what that really means. I mean, you get to eat my emotions, so I know why you're doing it, but what do I get out of this partnership? It feels good when you eat my bad emotions, but am I supposed to be doing something else? I really have no idea with you, Godwin. You mess me up. I used to know who I was. Now? I'm not sure I know anymore."

"You have never known who you were, Seneca. You will understand our partnership, and why we will work so well together, better after tonight is over. I promise."

She wanted to argue, but found herself too distracted to continue the conversation, worrying about Godwin and Chip in the same place at the same time. Godwin followed behind her silently, perhaps lost in his own thoughts.

"We should set some ground rules," Godwin said when she hesitated at the door to Chip's flat.

"Ground rules?" she asked , trying not to have a full blown panic attack at entering her not-quite-fiance's flat.

"Yes, of course. For tonight. We will treat tonight like a game," he clarified.

"Like what?!" she snapped. She didn't mean to be rude, but this whole thing was getting out of control. Godwin took her hand, but she tore it away quickly, cringing. "Not here, Godwin! I can't do this with you in front of his flat! You can't come in!"

"I am coming in, even if you balk. You cannot deter me, not on this. One time, Seneca. Allow me once to work with you, and if you do not agree to our partnership after this, I will relent." He paused, watching her closely. "And, you will need me there," he added. "I can help you through this night. Do you trust me, Seneca?"

It wasn't fair when he said her name like that. It really wasn't. "I shouldn't, but I do," she admitted. Why'd she tell him that? "I just met you, Godwin, but I, shit, this is stupid," she muttered, running her hands through her hair. "I just feel right with you. Safe, like I finally fit in, or something. I dunno..."

He smiled and she longed to kiss it off of his lips. She had never been this out of control, this... slutty. Her shame sparked to life, turning her stomach.

"You can trust me, Seneca. All will be well. Tonight, we are playing a game together, that is all. There are two rules, and you may add to these rules however you wish, with the exception of barring me from accompanying you into Chester's flat. Rule one, you do what I tell you, no questions and no arguments. Rule two, at any time if you cannot do something, or it goes beyond what you are comfortable with, say a safeword and the game will end," he said, taking her hand, holding it tightly when she tried to pull it away. He looked into her eyes, forcing her to sink into those shiny silver moons, calming despite herself.

"A game?" she replied, feeling overwhelmed. "Safeword?"

"Yes, a game. A safeword to ensure you never press beyond where you are comfortable. What word would you choose? It should be a word you will remember, but will not be said by accident," he said, squeezing her hands. The warmth of her hands helped relax her a little.