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Incubus Contracts 1

The Incubus Song

Dante Mathews is a struggling musician in New Orleans with no
time for a social life. He doesn't know that his passion has caught

the eye of some otherworldly creatures who want more from him
than the music he makes.

Eroc Alighieri is a sex demon on probation for showing mercy to a

human. When the King of the Incubi hands him the important
mission of retrieving Dante’s soul, he knows that it is his last

chance. But Eroc never anticipated the pleasure he feels when
obeying the sexy musician.

Can the two overcome their differences and make a meaningful
relationship out of a shady business deal? Or will they both lose

themselves in the roles they've been cast to play?

Note: This book was previously published with another publisher
and has been extensively revised and expanded.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), BDSM, Fantasy
Length: 20,899 words

THE INCUBUS SONG

Incubus Contracts 1

Jana Downs

EVERLASTING CLASSIC

MANLOVE

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic ManLove

THE INCUBUS SONG
Copyright © 2013 by Jana Downs
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62242-460-3

First E-book Publication: March 2013

Cover design by Sloan Winters
All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without
express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance
to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

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thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy

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THE INCUBUS SONG

Incubus Contracts 1

JANA DOWNS

Prologue

Eroc perked up as the announcement came over the speakers that

the live music was about to begin. The hot stage lights were no doubt
blinding as the band took their places and the lead singer picked up
the mike from the cradle. All the musicians were beautiful in their
own way. Each of them had that punk-rock-alternative edge that made
ripped jeans, dirty T-shirts, and safety pins look like haute couture,
but there was one of them in particular which drew the demon’s
attention. No doubt like every groupie in the audience Eroc was
interested in the lead singer…Though perhaps he was interested for
different reasons.

He watched as the music began to play and the singer shut his

eyes tight, most likely to stave off the glare from the hot bulbs
overhead. Eroc knew from experience that they put off more heat than
a tiki torch doused in gasoline. The song was a slow windup, and after
a minute, the man managed to pry his eyes open to look over the
audience. Eroc stared right back at him, aware of the curious members
of the crowd giving a sigh of appreciation as the music seeped into
their minds.

The throb of the bass coupled with the slow strum of the guitar

was like a musical fishing line dangled before them. The hook of the

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song pulled them into a world of dark nights, sex, and maybe a little
bit of danger. The singer opened his mouth and brought the mike to
his lips, pushing the words he lived for out into the crowd. It was the
song of his soul, and his soul was exactly what Eroc was interested in.

“You sure you can handle that one?” his sister, Aria, asked, taking

a sip from her beer bottle. Her gaze never left the sweat-slicked albeit
gorgeous man on stage. Eroc felt the same attraction. The man was
definitely appealing. His tall, muscular frame soaked up the light from
the bulbs overhead. They emphasized the beauty of the softly tanned
flesh and metallic glint of his pierced nipples. His dirty-blond hair fell
into his eyes, hiding them from view and curling around the nape of
his neck in the cutest fashion.

The band Ricochet Romance was opening for another bigger-

name alternative group at the New Orleans club Ecstasy. Eroc’s target
was the front man of the group, Dante Louis.

“The passionate ones are the easiest to ensnare,” Eroc murmured.

He licked his lips in anticipation and eyed a drop of water as it made
its lazy way down the front of Dante’s bare chest then down the
rippling planes of his abdomen. His stomach rumbled in appreciation.
“Besides, he’s a young and desperate musician. How hard can it be?”

“You say that now, but you know what happened to Christoff.

When he hooked up with that little artist in Sicily, the shit hit the fan.
Two years into their agreement, he was human and her soul was
moved into the do-not-disturb pile.” She smiled and tossed her waist-
length blonde tresses over her shoulder and gave a flirtatious grin to
the desperate man buying her drinks. He scampered off to the bar, and
she returned to her discussion. “The passionate ones are the ones you
have to watch out for. That was Incubus 101, little brother.”

Eroc snorted. “I’m not going to fall victim to the pangs of love,

sis. Give me a little credit here. I’m new to this but not that new.”

Aria eyed him, and her demonic ice-blue eyes glowed as she

regarded his stubbornness. “You better not screw your mission up. I
mean it. If the big boss loses another one over your soft heart, you’re

The Incubus Song

the one going to have to pay for it.”

Eroc winced but offered no reply. He knew very well what he

would be paying with if the king of the Incubi, Dominic, ever got the
gumption to make Eroc’s life even more miserable. He was already
on probation for refusing to enter into a contract with a human.
Dominic had been none too pleased with his performance and had put
him on probation. The crap jobs Eroc had been given since then were
enough to make him want to commit suicide had he been mortal.
Dante’s pristine soul was his ticket out of Hell, so to speak. Stealing
the musician’s soul was his last chance.

The sniveling human returned with another beer, and Aria handed

him her empty bottle to throw away. They watched in silence as
Dante cradled the microphone to his mouth and sang in a voice that
would make an angel weep. It was nearing the end of their set, and the
Incubus knew he should be getting prepared, but he couldn’t seem to
tear himself away from the hauntingly beautiful voice.

“I dream of you,” Dante crooned. His voice was a sexy purr which

caused Eroc to shiver in appreciative desire. “I dream of only you. My
rose. My demon. My forbidden love.”

The music throbbed in one last crescendo before falling away

until nothing was left but the roar of the crowd.

“Time to go, Eroc,” Aria reminded him as the humans onstage

waved at the enthusiastic crowd and exited to the left to make room
for the main act. Eroc snapped out of his enchantment with a shake of
his head.

“Yeah. You’re right. I’ll see you afterward,” he said with a wave

of good-bye. It was time to get to work, but he knew this was one job
he was going to thoroughly enjoy. Dante was just too fine not to.

“Don’t lose focus!” Aria called over the crowd as Eroc walked

away. “I mean it, Eroc!”

He mumbled something she couldn’t possibly hear and flipped her

the middle finger over the heads of the crowd in case his message
wasn’t clear. He could do this job. He would do this job. He didn’t

The Incubus Song

Chapter One

“Did you see the way the crowd went nuts?” Jeremiah crowed as

they all crammed into the tiny hallway that led to the rooms which
acted as the dressing area for the stage acts. The owner of Ecstasy
patted Dante on the back as he passed and offered congratulations to
the band on their stellar performance.

“They ate us up!” their drummer, Jacob, said. “You think there

were any label scouts in the crowd tonight?”

Jeremiah grinned and gave Jacob a shove. “Of course there were!

We’ll have the entire industry beating on our doors tomorrow
morning!”

The two high-fived and howled their own praises to the ceiling.

Dante couldn’t help but laugh at them. After a high-energy
performance, his band members were usually wired for sound until
the sun came up. Dante was the complete opposite. He poured his
heart and soul into every sultry note, and doing so was downright
exhausting. All he could think about was a hot shower and a warm
bed.

“We are going to go par-tay!” Daniel, the bass player, grinned and

began to roughhouse with Jacob.

“Confined space, guys! Confined space!” Dante barked. They

jostled him as they rolled along the walls and scuffed their boots on
the cement floor.

“Stop!” Dante barked again, laughing. Jeremiah joined the fray,

and soon they were all scrapping right in Dante’s way. With a roll of
his eyes, he shoved past the pile.

“I’m going to change, and then I’m going home,” he called over

12 Jana

Downs

his shoulder. “I’ll catch you guys later.”

“Aw! Are you sure you won’t come with us?” Daniel pulled free

for a moment to yell the question at Dante’s retreating back. “We’re
sure to scare up a couple honeys for us in this crowd, and I know
there are a couple dudes willing to jump into bed with you.”

“Pass!” Dante said with a grin. He didn’t share his bandmates’

preferences for female companionship, so it was always awkward
when he went cruising for guys with them. They didn’t care that he
was gay. Dante just wasn’t into hunting for a hookup in a pack of
people. He slipped into the dressing room without another word, the
sounds of their disbelieving catcalls following him inside.

Dante grabbed the towel that was hanging on the back of a rickety

black foldout chair and mopped his sweat-slicked face and chest. He
got scorching hot on stage, which was why he never wore a shirt. It
was all he could do to force himself into a dry T-shirt after a
performance. It had led to more than one head cold though, and he
couldn’t afford to be sick right now.

“You were really something out there.”
A soft voice caused Dante to whip around in surprise. He could’ve

sworn he was alone when he entered the room. A man around his own
age, midtwenties at most, leaned against the wall which led into a
small bathroom at the back of the room with the ease of a man who
was used to being in places where he wasn’t supposed to be but not
giving a damn about the forbidden. He wore a pair of ripped blue
jeans that had chains hanging off the back like suspenders, which was
typical of the crowd Ricochet Romance tended to attract. The pants
were tight enough to show off his thickly muscled thighs, and a tight
black T-shirt advertised his sculpted torso and the band Black Light
Burns. He was an alternative fan all right. His body was tight enough
that Dante’s gave a visceral response despite the fact that he’d snuck
up on him so easily.

The corner of the man’s mouth quirked up into a slight smile. His

lips were luscious, full, absolutely made for kissing. A straight

The Incubus Song

patrician’s nose balanced a face which was almost too beautiful. His
features were perfectly proportioned, his cheeks smooth, his eyebrows
perfectly manicured. But it was his eyes that caused Dante’s mouth to
fill with saliva. Unearthly blue seemed to mimic fire-encased ice.
Without a doubt he was the most beautiful man Dante had ever
seen—but why was he here?

The stranger smirked. “You know it’s supposedly rude to stare.”

The man’s voice was filled with warmth and amusement as he spoke.
“Though if you’re the one staring, I don’t think I mind.”

“What are you doing in here?” Dante asked. He shook his head to

try to clear off the fog of lust which seemed to smother intelligent
thought. He took an involuntary step in the stranger’s direction. What
the hell was going on?

The man continued to smile. “I came to see you, Dante.”
Dante shivered as the man’s voice wound its way around his cock.
“Oh, uh, yeah?” Dante stuttered. What is wrong with me? He

wasn’t normally so tongue-tied around a hot guy. Dante knew he was
good looking and had never before had issues with feeling so
awkward.

“Oh, yes.” The man pushed off the wall and approached him with

a slinky sway of his hips. He stuck out his hand in greeting. “I’m
Eroc.”

“Air-rock? That’s an interesting name,” Dante murmured.
He took the hand offered to him, and it was like he’d stuck it into

a light socket. Electric tingles of awareness shot up his arm, down his
body, and came to rest at the base of his cock. Jesus. He snatched
back his hand and rubbed it absently on his leather pants.

“What can I do for you, Eroc?” he asked.
Eroc stepped into his space, coming close enough so that his

cinnamon-and-cloves scent teased Dante’s nostrils.

“I want you to give me your soul,” Eroc whispered with a teasing

smile. He leaned up until their lips almost touched.

Is this some sort of joke? “My soul?” he asked with an uneasy

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Downs

chuckle. Maybe this was some sort of joke. Maybe this guy was a
groupie who was taking a weird, off-beat, humorous approach to
getting into bed with him. That was it. He decided. With the way the
guy was throwing off sexual energy, there was no other explanation.

“What are you going to give me for it?” Dante asked.
He let his eyes fill with lust as Eroc licked his bottom lip. He

wouldn’t mind a roll in the hay with this sexy groupie. He took
another long look up and down Eroc’s lean frame. He had condoms in
his wallet which was in his other pants if the man was game. Though
it was unusual that he took a groupie home, this one was hot enough
to make an exception.

“Well, I’m going to give you your every wicked fantasy for as

long as you can stand it,” Eroc purred. “If you want anything specific,
you need to tell me now so we can add the terms to the list.”

“How about you stay with me as my sex slave until I’m famous?”

Dante returned. If this guy was a groupie, then he could take this as
far as he wanted. After all, they both knew this was just about sex. In
fact, he was flattered that such a sexy man had followed him back to
his dressing room. He’d never had that happen before. Eroc regarded
him with a serious expression for a moment before nodding
hesitantly.

“All right.” He gave Dante a saucy grin. “I’ll be your sex slave

until you sign a contract with a major record label, just so we’re clear
on what defines ‘famous.’ Okay?”

“Sure thing,” Dante growled. He couldn’t wait to get this sexy

groupie under him.

“Excellent.” Eroc smiled. “Shall we?” he asked, opening the top

button of Dante’s leathers with deft fingers.

What a weird guy. He mentally shrugged. This was one of the

perks of being a musician, apparently. He watched in fascination as
Eroc fell gracefully to his knees. He didn’t want to question his good
fortune, but—Dante swallowed hard—was he really going to do this?
In the blink of an eye, Eroc had undone the last button on Dante’s

The Incubus Song

pants and was drawing his already-burgeoning erection from the
confines of his leathers.

“Naughty, naughty.” Eroc tsked. “No underwear.”
Dante wanted to reply, but the air in his lungs left in a whoosh as

Eroc covered his arousal with his mouth.

Dante groaned at the sudden contact. Eroc sucked cock like he

was born to do it. He knew just the right amount of suction to employ
as well as just how long to spend alternating between taking him deep
into his throat and withdrawing to tease the tip. He lapped at Dante’s
cockhead as a pearly drop of pre-cum gathered there.

Dante found his hands tangled in Eroc’s black, silky locks as he

pumped himself between the man’s kissable lips. Damn, the visual
was the sexiest sight he had ever seen. Eroc had his eyes closed,
looking like he was thoroughly enjoying his ministrations as he
hollowed out his cheeks. He groaned around Dante’s thick length.
Dante shuddered at the sensation. He was painfully hard, throbbing
with every pulse of his heart. He felt strong. Desirable. Eroc was
fucking amazing. He felt like he’d never get enough of Eroc’s sweet
lips, and he wanted more. The intoxicating quality of Eroc’s touch
was enough to break Dante down to his basest instincts. He’d never
been with someone who exuded sex quite like the groupie did.

“Touch yourself while you suck me,” Dante commanded. He was

aching to see the cock Eroc was hiding from view. Was he
deliberately teasing him by withholding it, or was he so concentrated
on getting Dante off that he hadn’t thought to take it out? Eroc gave
him the impression of a smile at the order. How utterly sexy was that?

“As you command, Master,” Eroc murmured, drawing back for a

moment before plunging down even deeper. Dante let out another
groan of encouragement. For some reason the title, the continuation of
their role-playing, incited Dante even further.

Eroc swallowed the entire length of his cock, using his throat to

work the tip with the muscles there. The hiss of a zipper drew Dante’s
gaze. He moaned as Eroc drew his arousal out of his blue jeans and

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began to slowly stroke it from base to tip. Eroc’s long, thick cock
provided an intense and delicious visual. The groupie was just as
mouthwatering below as he was above. Dante wondered if Eroc felt
as good as he did. Those ice-blue eyes met his own baby blues. They
seemed to encourage his use of Eroc’s mouth, the use of his body.
Dante’s gaze fixed on Eroc’s pumping hand and the sensation of his
coaxing mouth. He knew it wouldn’t take much more from the other
man’s talented maw to send him over the edge.

* * * *

Eroc was feeding on the intoxicating energy of Dante’s lust. His

eyes were practically rolling in ecstasy as, with each rhythmic pump
of Dante’s arousal between his lips, another shot of lust energized
him. In all his five hundred years of life, Eroc had never consumed
such a pure, enthralling energy.

Oddly, he was aroused by Dante’s enthusiasm for him. As a

creature of lust, he was schooled in every kink, act, and trick in the
proverbial sexual book, but the simple act of giving Dante a blow job
made him hard enough to fuck through wood. He was surprised at
how close to orgasm he was. Usually he could only come when his
partner did. The final consumption of sexual energy threw him over
the edge like nothing else. He panted around the dick in his throat,
having trouble controlling his breathing and cautioning himself to
slow the strokes of his fist along his aching length so that he didn’t
shoot like a teenager with his first skin magazine. Dante’s groans
were giving him goose bumps. Pleasure caused his balls to draw up in
warning.

Lucifer’s wings, that’s so sexy. Dante sighed. His hips were

moving in a more staccato fashion, signaling his nearing release. He
pumped his hips a little harder, using his hands, which were tangled in
Eroc hair, to control the depth of his thrusts. The singer obviously
liked to control the pace of the fucking. Eroc didn’t mind. It was one

The Incubus Song

of his hidden desires. One he’d not indulged since being on probation.

“Come for me,” Dante growled as his cock began to jerk.
The first salty spurt of cum hit Eroc’s tongue, causing him to

make a muffled sound of desire. His hand caressed the tip of his own
arousal as he spurted into his palm. He let out another muffled moan
around Dante’s length. It felt so good! Usually his masturbation was
passable at best, but this…this was luscious. The sultry singer was
becoming an exception to all of his rules.

The demon knew Dante’s head was spinning as Eroc’s mouth

pulled off of him with an audible pop. His muscular thighs were
jumping, and his knees were threatening to buckle. It was only one of
the aftereffects of being seduced by an Incubus.

“That was…wow,” Dante panted.
Eroc agreed completely. He licked an errant drop of semen from

his swollen lips. With a snap of his fingers, Eroc cleaned himself of
the evidence of his own orgasm and stood. His power emitted a spark
of blue flame along his body before dulling to a softer glow.

Dante blinked in confusion. “What was that?” he asked, tucking

himself back into his pants.

Eroc smiled at him with just a hint of evil glee. He was downright

giddy after his feed, the energy thrumming through him taking away
any fatigue or tiredness that he might have been feeling beforehand.
“That was a demon’s way of a quick cleanup, my dear Dante,” he
purred. He reached out and plucked at Dante’s nipple rings. The
human shivered. Eroc’s hands glowed as he traced the planes of
Dante’s abdomen. Dante had to bite his lip to keep from calling out if
the strangled noise emitting from his throat was any indication. Eroc
knew pleasure seemed to follow his touch. It was a natural reaction to
his powers. The human’s hot arousal stirred all over again. Dante
frowned and looked down at his lap.

Fear filled his voice for the first time. “What’s happening?”
“I’m giving you your desire. I am here for your sexual pleasure

until you become famous,” Eroc answered his strangled question.

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“I’m your sex slave from now until our contract is fulfilled.”

“Contract? What contract? What the hell are you?” Dante

demanded as Eroc’s whole body began to glow while he absorbed the
energy from their sex act. Eroc felt the terror as it raced through
Dante’s bloodstream as realization dawned. The connection to his
host after sex was equivalent to letting Eroc into his mind and giving
him carte blanche for what he found.

“What can I do for you, Eroc?” he’d asked.
“I want you to give me your soul.”
Dante paled.
“Are you getting it now?” Eroc smiled softly. “I’m an Incubus

from Hell, Dante. And you just sold me your soul.”

The Incubus Song

Chapter Two

“Stop following me,” Dante snapped as he slammed the front door

of his one-bedroom apartment in Eroc’s face. The bad part about
living in the French Quarter was that it wasn’t hard to figure out
where someone lived if they were a regular. His apartment was his
pride and joy. He loved living in the loft located above the Cajun
restaurant downstairs. The owners allowed him to stay for half price
so long as he manned the kitchens during the day for free. His other
job was being a waiter at the bar down the street at night. Working so
close to home allowed him to get to know the vendors up and down
Bourbon and gave him the freedom to network and expose venues to
his band without going out of his way to do so. Unfortunately, it also
enabled other people to figure out where he lived. Like the demon
groupie who had dropped the bomb on him in the club, Ecstasy, the
previous night.

He knew it wasn’t very manly, but he’d run like all of Hell was

chasing him, which wasn’t far from the truth in his mind. Dante had
been surprised Eroc had let him go. He’d gone home and pretended it
had never happened. He’d showered, shaved, and poured himself into
bed at dawn. He’d been able to sleep in because, thankfully, today
was his day off. He wouldn’t have to think about the otherworldly
man or his claim that Dante had signed over his soul.

Dante jumped as the demon appeared out of nowhere inside his

small living room–kitchen.

“I have to follow you, beautiful. I’m your ‘slave.’” The demon

pouted. “You ran away so quickly last night we didn’t get a chance to
get to know one another.”

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“I thought I told you to stop following me?” Dante asked. He ran

a hand through his tangled hair. He’d been awakened by the loud
pounding on his front door. He’d forgotten momentarily that the night
had happened at all when he had stumbled to the front door in his blue
silk boxers.

The beautiful Incubus looked even better in the daylight. His jet-

black hair was almost blue in the light. His eyes seemed to be an even
lighter ice blue than before. Today he was dressed in a ripped black
muscle tank with another band logo slapped on the front like graffiti,
black cargo pants, and knee-high black Tripp boots. His arms were
decorated with different cuffs, bracelets, and sweatbands. Around his
neck was a spiked dog collar with a single D ring right at the center of
his throat. He really did personify one of the many industrial punk
men who were frequent audience members at their gigs. The fact that
Dante was turned on by it irritated the hell out of him.

“That’s not really an option. The contract was solidified by your

orgasm, and the terms are set. I’m moving in with you as of today.”
Eroc tucked a stray strand of midnight hair behind his ear, a black-
onyx stud flashing as he did so.

“You’re not moving in with me,” Dante protested. Eroc’s scent

tickled his nostrils, teasing and enticing him without working too hard
at it. The guy was a freaking demon for Satan’s sake! He shook his
head. He had to fight this.

“Just think of the situation like this, having a demon around could

be handy when it comes to getting signed by a major label. I’ve got a
couple Imp friends that work in the corporate world that I could call
on.” Eroc gave him a dazzling white smile. “Should I call them?”

“Hell no!” Dante growled. “What is wrong with you? The last

thing I want is another fucking demon in my life!”

Eroc frowned. “Well, getting signed would be easier if I called in

a few favors. If you want me out of your life as quickly as possible,
you’re going to have to get signed.” He seemed to consider the
possibilities for a moment and gave Dante a downright sexually

The Incubus Song

charged look.

“Of course, I don’t mind if the assignment takes longer.” He

licked his lips. “You taste like heaven.”

Heat flooded Dante as he spoke, and his morning wood came to

burning life.

“Stop looking at me like you want to eat me.” Dante’s protest was

halfhearted at best. His erection made a mockery of his resistance.
The memory of Eroc on his knees just hours ago caused his dick to
jerk in the confines of his boxers. It wouldn’t take much to free
himself…

“I can’t help it. Your energy was the best I’ve ever had, bar none.

Since you entered into the contract with me, we’re going to need to
feed the desire between us.” Eroc stepped into his space, wound his
arms around his neck, and brought their bodies flush together. The
contact elicited a hard shiver. “Nothing is more intimate than a
contract between an Incubus and his client. You’ll need to come
together with me every day to keep your strength up.”

“So you’ve turned me into some kind of addict?” Dante’s voice

came out a lot gentler than he intended it to.

Eroc didn’t look offended in the least. The closer the man got to

him, the less Dante could think. He sighed and resigned himself to the
fact he was in over his head. He couldn’t resist leaning down and
kissing the pout off the demon’s lips. Their mouths met, touching
chastely at first. Then it turned into something more. It was
comforting and emotional and all the things that kisses were supposed
to be between lovers. Not virtual strangers. Yet, it felt right. It had to
be because of the damned contract.

Dante sighed and leaned into him until their chests touched.

Eroc’s hands clutched his hips, and his soft lips mated perfectly with
Dante’s. Eroc really was an excellent kisser.

The kiss was over as quickly as it began, and they were left

staring into one another’s eyes. Strangely, the tiredness Dante had felt
before had vanished. Huh. That must be what he means by exchanging

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energies.

“I’m going to make a pot of coffee. Would you like some?” Dante

asked.

Eroc looked shocked, which perplexed Dante. He figured a demon

would be used to anything.

* * * *

Eroc touched one of his fingers to his lips. He’d never been kissed

by a human before. Never. In his five hundred years of service, he’d
given blow jobs, hand jobs, been sucked and fucked in a thousand
different ways, but no one had ever asked for his lips.

“Um…sure,” he said in a less-than-suave manner. It was the first

time he felt even the least bit unsure. Dante maintained eye contact
for another endless moment then turned toward the coffeepot.

“Give me five minutes, and I’ll have some chicory coffee that will

make your toes curl.”

Eroc blinked and wondered, not for the first time, what sort of

man he’d just gotten involved with.

The Incubus Song

Chapter Three

The heady aroma of coffee filled the small apartment with a scent

Eroc knew he’d remember hundreds of years from now. Dante moved
about the small kitchen in silence, drawing down dishes and
silverware from this cupboard and that cupboard. The small fridge
that was pushed into a corner in between the counter and the pantry
opened with a pull of Dante’s hand. He drew out a few oranges, some
grapes, and strawberries from a fruit tray and arranged them on a
china plate which he sat on the cramped table where Eroc sat. What
smelled like sweetbread came next, along with a small butter dish.

Eroc reached out to snatch one of the strawberry slices off the

table. With a movement quicker than Eroc thought possible, Dante
slapped his outstretched hand.

“Wait on the coffee,” he admonished. Next he hooked up some

sort of individual-size deep fryer and began to heat up the oil. It
seemed Dante’s earlier anger had evaporated, and Eroc didn’t know if
he should trust this newfound relaxed atmosphere.

“It has been a while since I’ve had a guest for breakfast,” Dante

admitted. “Would you like a glass of water while you wait?” His
impeccable manners were so at odds with his rock-star appearance
that Eroc was intrigued.

He found himself replying with the same polite tone Dante used.

“That’d be great. Thank you.”

He’d thought to show up in his groupie get-up with a collar as a

reminder of his new “slave” status in order to seduce Dante and try to
convince him that the benefits of being with a sex demon far
outweighed the little matter of losing his soul. He figured if Dante

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Downs

was more relaxed and accepting of his damnation that it would make
everything smoother for the both of them. Let it never be said Eroc
didn’t do his utmost to make sure his clients were happy campers.

This civility wasn’t something he was used to. He’d expected to

fall into bed and spend the rest of his day flat on his back. Having
Dante cook for him, treat him like a guest, threw him off his game. He
honestly didn’t know what to do about the whole situation.

He watched in fascination as Dante threw together a meal of

beignets and fresh fruit. The coffee was poured into two mismatched
mugs, each emblazoned with a different club logo, and one placed
before the demon. The powdered sugar confection smelled delicious.
His mouth watered as the combination of scents tickled his nose. All
the temptations in Hell couldn’t compare to the sheer oral thrill
Dante’s meal promised.

“Ever had beignets?” Dante asked, sitting opposite of Eroc at the

table. He shook his head in the negative. He’d only been in the city a
few days. His sister had been here for a couple weeks now, but neither
of them was really into getting into the human scene. They were here
to work, and that meant going to a lot of bars and clubs with very
little room for much else. Dante rewarded him with a smile. “Good.
Then you won’t be comparing them to the ones from Café du Monde.
Everything else is second-rate at best.” He frowned. “Wait…do you
even eat food? I mean, you’re a demon.”

Eroc nodded. “When I’m on the mortal plane, I eat just like

anyone else.”

Dante nodded, paused, then continued. “So before I go into a

meltdown about the whole ‘my soul belongs to the Devil’ thing, care
to explain the situation in terms I can understand?”

Eroc smiled amicably. “Of course. I would’ve done so last night if

you would’ve stuck around long enough. I’m a Class C Incubus,
meaning, unlike the class A or B types, I am not allowed to pick my
own targets. I’m given a list of potential clients I am supposed to
approach and offer an exchange for their souls.

The Incubus Song

“Normally, they’re quickies. Bastards who are just aiming to get

off. They want a young, virile man in their beds for a night. Someone
who will disappear come daylight or someone they can summon for a
quick fuck whenever their wives, girlfriends, or boyfriends are gone
for an hour. Or maybe they’re too old to get it up with other humans
and want my magic to make the act possible. At any rate, the pleasure
is the only reason they give up their souls.

“You were a special assignment. My king, Dominic, personally

handed over your file to me. Passion is something demons feed off of
but rarely experience themselves. Your soul burns bright with
passion, Dante. We were holding court in Gehenna, my hometown,
when we heard your song. It was…enchanting. You should’ve seen it.
Every Incubus and Succubus looked up and smiled. Dominic
summoned me and told me to go to you. He said if I brought your
soul to Gehenna for him, he’d take me off probation and put me back
into Class A. So here I am.”

Dante was quiet for a long while, sipping on his chicory coffee

and staring at the Incubus in front of him.

“If you’re such a low-class demon, how’d you score the job for

me?” he asked finally.

Eroc shrugged. “Souls like yours have only two matches. An

angel and a demon who each hold the exclusive rights to tempt you
toward one side or the other. When your demon equivalent is
dispatched, your angel match is dispatched as well. It’s a real race to
see who can influence you first. Whoever you make a deal with first
gets carte blanche with you and your pristine soul from that point on.
Imagine my surprise when Dominic told me I was your match.
‘Perfect synchronicity,’ he said.” Eroc shivered at the memory. “You
are my last chance to stop being the fuck-toy for every immoral
pervert in the universe.”

“I guess that sort of self-serving reason is a good one for a

demon,” Dante said a little crossly. “So what happens now? I go on
living my life until I get a record deal, and then you steal my soul?”

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Eroc hesitated before answering. “No. You lose your soul only

after you die. But you get to use me only until you score your record
deal.” He took another bite out of the heavenly beignets. “Under the
agreement, I am only your slave until then.”

Dante was taking this all surprisingly well. Most of the time there

was at least one explosion of temper when a strong guy like Dante got
told they’d been cosmically fucked. Dante stood suddenly, jostling the
table, fury etching his features as he glared at him. Oh, there it is. I
wonder if he’s going to punch me.

“Is there a fucking out clause somewhere?” Dante demanded.

“This may be all happy-happy for you, but going to Hell sounds like a
really fucking bad time for me!”

“There is one way out, but one that’s not available to you,” Eroc

said coldly. “It’s a fairy-tale miracle that hardly ever happens.”

Dante leaned down, a violent energy pulsing out from his body. If

Eroc was a demon of wrath, he would be getting a hell of a feed from
the human.

“What the fuck is it?” Dante snapped. He gripped Eroc’s arms just

shy of painfully.

Eroc winced. “I can’t tell you. If I do, the out clause is null and

void. So since your only hope is if I keep my mouth shut, I suggest
you check your aggression at the door and let go of my fucking
arms.”

Dante released him instantly. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “Didn’t

mean to hurt you.”

Eroc was silent. What a conundrum this man is. He’s so damn

gentle, careful with people, the complete opposite from the
dangerous, sexy man whose voice enraptures entire crowds.

“Your reaction is understandable, Dante—” he began.
“Don’t patronize me, demon,” Dante snapped, anger flooding the

room again. A sort of chilling light filled Dante’s gaze. It wasn’t a
pleasant look. It was one that promised punishment for his anger.

“Then what should I do for you?” Eroc whispered. His voice was

The Incubus Song

tight with fear and no small amount of desire. As an Incubus, he knew
how quickly rage could turn to lust. He prayed for the latter because
he really wasn’t into violence.

Dante gripped the back of Eroc’s neck and brought his head

forward until they were eye to eye.

“You should enjoy my beignets, eat some fruit, and then come

give me a back rub,” he rumbled.

Eroc blinked several times. “What?”
“You’re my slave, right?” Dante asked, his voice lowering to a

growling purr.

Eroc nodded, his mouth going dry. What is this human up to?
“Then you have to do as I say.” The human paused and grinned

with triumph. “And right now I want you to finish eating, do the
dishes, and then come into my bedroom to work out the muscles I
tightened up by worrying over this crap last night.”

Eroc’s mouth dropped open. “Wouldn’t you rather I make up for

being such a bad boy by stripping naked, bracing against the
countertop, and letting you take it out on my ass?”

Dante shrugged nonchalantly and straightened, walking toward

the door behind the couch. “Maybe later, when you’ve earned my
cock. Your punishment for now is kitchen duty.”

He blinked. “I fox you out of your soul, and all you can come up

with as punishment is ‘kitchen duty’?” Eroc asked in astonishment.

“I know you’re a sex demon and all, but I wasn’t aware you

weren’t bright. Sex with me isn’t punishment. It’s a reward. Therefore
you haven’t earned my dick just yet. Do the dishes and I may consider
letting you sleep with me.”

Eroc sputtered. “Consider? Are you fucking serious? I’m sex on

two legs and you’ll consider?”

Dante didn’t answer him and just kept right on walking.

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Chapter Four

Dishpan hands. The damn human had given him fucking dishpan

hands. Eroc fumed as he placed the last plate onto the drying rack.
Who the hell didn’t have a dishwasher in this day and age anyway?
He huffed. He should already be naked by now, not listening to the
muted sounds of a movie playing from Dante’s bedroom. The
bastard.

He’d wrapped the plate that held the fruit and placed it into the

fridge before tackling the dishes. Washing their plates and cups hadn’t
taken long, but without the infusion of sex he’d needed to keep his
strength up this morning, he was tired. He shuffled toward the
bedroom.

“I’m done,” he called.
Dante answered immediately. “Awesome. Come on in.”
Eroc pushed open the partially closed white door. The scene that

greeted him made Eroc think his twenty minutes spent submerged in
suds and water was totally worth it. Dante had ditched his boxers and
lay on top of his plush, dark-blue comforter naked. He was exuding a
comfortable, relaxed vitality which was almost sleepy in its
expression. Hooded eyes met his, and Eroc’s body surprised him by
hardening. His normal control was nowhere in sight as per usual in
the singer’s presence. He’d never get used to his reaction to Dante.

“I figured it would be easier for you to reach me if I was naked,”

Dante supplied, gesturing to his body.

Lord below, what a body. Yesterday, Eroc had only imagined how

Dante’s body looked slicked with sweat from sex and rock hard
without a stitch of clothing on. Last night had given him a teasing

The Incubus Song

glimpse. He licked his lips to keep from drooling.

“Well, what are you waiting for? The oil’s on the dresser.”
Eroc blinked. What was it with this human? He felt like he was

being intoxicated by his presence and not the other way around. Oil?
Did he want him to fuck him?

“I thought you were more of a top than a bottom,” he teased to

mask his confusion.

Dante laughed. “For the massage, dummy.” He rolled to his

stomach to present his back to Eroc. “Your punishment, remember?”

Eroc sighed and did as he was bid.
Eroc’s hands smoothed down Dante’s body, leaving goose bumps

in their wake. Eroc knew the slow glide of his touch would elicit a
purely sexual response. He could’ve pushed for more, but he was
content with just working the tension out of Dante’s tight muscles. He
didn’t even mind he was achingly aroused and his instincts were
clamoring for sex. He was enjoying the act of simply touching this
man. It was a unique experience for him. He was giving pleasure
without taking any, and it made him oddly…happy.

His demon self was nearing the savagely hungry point. His skin

crawled and his body shook with the need to feed off of Dante’s lust.
He was very similar to a hypoglycemic person in a lot of ways. He
needed his version of “food” quite regularly. If Dante didn’t act soon,
Eroc would be forced to go find some alternative form of sustenance.
The idea made him vastly uneasy for some reason.

Dante let out a groan of satisfaction as Eroc hit a particularly

knotted bit of muscle below his right shoulder. Eroc bit his lip to keep
from echoing his moan. All he could think about was grinding his
cloth-covered cock against the bare ass just inches from his fingertips.

“You’re hungry, Incubus,” Dante noted in an amused tone.
“How did you figure that out?” Eroc asked cautiously. The last

thing he wanted was for his contractor to gain some sort of an
advantage over him.

“This whole ‘connection’ between us goes both ways, demon. I

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can feel how much you want to fuck just like you know how much
I’m enjoying getting this massage.”

Eroc was startled at his intuitiveness. Dante’s perceptiveness had

to be a byproduct of the “perfect” match between them. No other
client had ever picked up on the subtle undercurrents of what went on
between an Incubus and a client. Dante shrugged off his hand and sat
up, reaching for Eroc as he did so.

It wasn’t easy for them to maneuver in the full-size bed. The

mattress was barely big enough for two.

“Move there,” Dante commanded after a minute of frustrated

maneuvers that involved them both almost falling off the bed more
than once. Eroc nearly fell to the floor as he tried to do as he was
asked. Dante growled and jerked him back onto the mattress. Finally
they’d moved into comfortable positions, and Dante grabbed the D
ring at Eroc’s throat and forced his head closer. The demon noted
proudly that the human had an erection in addition to lust-filled eyes.

“What about my punishment?” Eroc asked. His voice had gone

husky.

Dante grinned. “Until I figure out a way to get rid of you, I’m

going to enjoy you. You’re hot, demon. If I’m already damned, the
sin of fucking you ’til you scream is not going to add to my sentence.”

Dante’s voice was delicious. He sounded downright edible. It had

to be the command in his tone that got to Eroc. No one had gotten
under his skin with just a few words before. Dante managed it. Eroc
wondered briefly if he’d let him suck him again. A growl of desire
answered his unspoken question.

“Your hands are magic,” Dante noted. “They’re designed to be

pleasurable?”

“Yes,” Eroc whispered.
“So how much better will it feel to fuck you?”
“Do it and find out,” Eroc said.
The challenge caused Dante to grin. “Stand up and strip for me,”

he commanded.

The Incubus Song

Eroc raised an eyebrow at him and stood. The human really was

taking the fact Eroc was his “sex slave” seriously. The game wasn’t
unfamiliar, but to have Dante stick so close to their roles was
something new. Usually his assignments were pretty unimaginative.
Dante was already proving himself to be unpredictable, and damn if
Eroc didn’t find the quality intriguing.

Slowly he drew his tank top over his head and let it fall from his

nerveless fingers. He was shaking in anticipation and nervousness. I
feel like a virgin on his first fuck. He pulled off his leather arm cuffs,
sweatbands, belt, and let them all fall down to clink softly against the
thin carpet. He watched Dante’s eyes darken as he noted the dragon
tattoo that snaked from its place above his heart down his abdomen
and disappeared under the edge of his pants. It was something he and
his sister had gotten on a stint in Japan fifty years ago. The design had
become pretty mainstream nowadays, but then it had been the
markings of someone who lived on the edge, the place Eroc loved to
be. He reached up to take off the collar around his throat.

“Leave it,” Dante commanded.
Eroc let his hand drop from the buckle on his throat and shivered.

He bent from the waist to undo the laces on his boots so he could toe
them off one by one. Finally he reached the button on his cargo pants.
He was panting like he’d run a marathon.

With excruciating slowness, he undid the zipper and pushed them

down his hips. He wore black boxer briefs which hugged his ass and
hard length.

“All of it,” Dante demanded.
That sexy growl caused Eroc’s nipples to harden and his cock to

twitch in answer. Eroc pushed his boxers down his hips and kicked
them across the room. At last he was naked.

“God, you are beautiful,” Dante murmured. He propped himself

up on his elbows and watched as Eroc took two steps toward the bed.
“Wait,” he said suddenly. “There are condoms and lube in the top
drawer of the dresser.”

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Eroc was shaking in desire. “I’ll grab the lube. Condoms are

unnecessary. I don’t carry diseases, and I can’t catch any.”

“I’ve never done skin to skin,” Dante said with a shiver of his

own. The idea of taking Eroc with nothing between them but desire
seemed to really turn him on.

Eroc opened the drawer and quickly retrieved the slick. He poured

a good dollop onto two fingers on his right hand and used the other to
spread the cheeks of his ass.

“W–what are you doing?” Dante asked. Had no one played like

this with him? It seemed like such a waste. Dante was made to be
kinky. That slight tremor in the human’s voice was probably due to
Eroc’s intoxicating touch. Dante’s reaction wasn’t atypical, but the
way he handled it certainly was. The spell Eroc was weaving over
him was overwhelming, and he knew it. His power to overwhelm
wasn’t something he used on all of his victims, but he was pulling out
all the stops for Dante.

“I’m lubing myself up for you, sexy. I’m going to fuck my tight

ass with my fingers so it’s ready to take your hard cock,” Eroc purred.
Without ceremony, he plunged those fingers into his ass as promised
and groaned as he worked them in and out of his body for Dante’s
viewing pleasure.

“Oh fuck.” Dante echoed his groan. Oh yeah. Someone hasn’t had

his lovers perform for him before.

Eroc planned on making this one of the sexiest sights Dante had

ever seen. Eroc rocked his hips back as if he was chasing the fingers
that were plunging and withdrawing from his tight hole. He let out
another moan of desire and screwed his fingers in a little deeper. The
position was awkward for someone inexperienced, but Eroc was used
to being on display. He’d always been an unapologetic slut muffin.
Being an Incubus was the perfect excuse for his appetite. His gaze
went to Dante, and he swallowed hard. The beautiful man was a
pleasure to perform for.

“Fuck that. I’ll get you ready. Get over here, Eroc. Now.” Dante

The Incubus Song

barked the order. It made Eroc chuckle.

“I wanted to give you a good show,” Eroc said in a petulant voice.

He pumped his hand once more before withdrawing it from the
confines of his body. He still hadn’t touched his aching cock. The
anticipation and tension built.

“I want some audience participation,” Dante joked, motioning

toward his own hard arousal.

Eroc grinned and crawled onto the edge of the bed. “As you

command, Master.”

He paused to kiss the instep of Dante’s foot. The singer shivered

under the onslaught of sensual kisses he placed along his legs and
thighs. Eroc gave one lingering lick on the weeping head of Dante’s
erection before continuing up his torso.

The glinting rings of Dante’s pierced nipples presented Eroc with

a fascinating plaything. First he flicked the hoops lightly with his
fingertips, causing the nubs to harden instantly. Dante’s gasp made
Eroc want to do it again. This time he pinched both of them at the
same time, twisting them gently. Eroc knew every touch by his hands
was amplified a hundred times more than a human’s. He leaned down
and took one of those sexy rings into his mouth, playing with the bits
of flesh and metal with his tongue. He’d never had a client with such
fascinating adornments. He switched to the other nipple, nipping it
lightly with his teeth. It amazed him how the metal warmed from the
ministrations of his mouth.

“Ride me,” Dante said. “I want to see you above me.”
Eroc groaned at the admission and scooted his body backward. He

perched above Dante’s arousal, lining it up with his aching hole. He
grabbed Dante and placed the head of his cock against his ass. With
excruciating slowness, he began to slide down Dante’s hard length.

* * * *

“That’s it, baby. Take all of me,” Dante encouraged. He gripped

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Eroc’s hips and pushed upward with his body at the same time,
sliding home into velvety, tight resistance. Dante sighed and arched
his hips.

He’d never felt anything so good in his entire life. With every

rotation of Eroc’s slim hips, Dante was skewered with pleasure.
Fucking Eroc felt like Dante had taken some sort of aphrodisiac to
intensify the sensations.

“Feels so fucking good,” he rumbled through gritted teeth. His

entire body was focused in his groin. He felt delirious.

“The benefits, ah”—Eroc groaned from above him—“of being the

lover of, ah, an Incubus. Oh hell!” Eroc was a vessel of his pleasure.
The Incubus seemed as lost in the haze of desire as Dante was. He
was caught up in the rhythm of their lovemaking, and Dante felt a
feral satisfaction over the fact. If Eroc owned his soul, Dante was
going to own his body in every way imaginable. Maybe it was
punishment or maybe it was Dante’s way of putting them on equal
footing. Whatever the reason, he needed Eroc’s unconditional
surrender.

“Dante!” Eroc cried out as Dante’s dick grazed his prostate with

each rhythmic plunge. The Incubus shuddered. “Never forget your
name. Not in a million years. Feels so damn good.” The whole bed
rocked with the intensity of their fucking. The frame knocked against
the wall, no doubt echoing down the hall that led to the restaurant
downstairs. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to have his landlords
up here checking on him. But he needed Eroc so bad that it didn’t
seem to matter as much. It would be embarrassing, but he would deal.

Dante rolled them so he was on top. He took control of the lunges,

adopting a hard, driven cadence that left them both gasping for breath.

“Come for me,” Dante commanded. “Come with me, Eroc!”

* * * *

Dante gave a particularly hard thrust, burying himself deep into

The Incubus Song

the tight confines of Eroc’s body. Eroc’s head fell back. His body
arched hard as hot pulses of semen hit his insides. The sensation was
all Eroc needed to orgasm. He screamed aloud as it whipped him out
of his body then threw him back down to Earth. It seemed his whole
body was involved in the act as he shuddered through sensation after
sensation of pleasure. It was the most amazing thing he could ever
remember feeling, and that was saying something considering he was
an immortal.

Dante collapsed against him, and Eroc absently stroked his sweat-

soaked back as they regained their breath. He buried his nose in the
singer’s neck to hide his expression. He felt great, he was a sex
demon after all, but this—this felt almost tender. Dante kissed his
shoulder, and Eroc’s heart contracted. Crap. That just wasn’t possible.
He gave himself a mental shake. Perfect connection or not, it just
wasn’t possible. He needed to talk to Aria. Now.

“You’re heavy,” he complained. It wasn’t true. Dante’s weight

felt phenomenal against him.

“Sorry,” Dante offered, rolling to his side and allowing Eroc a few

inches of freedom. Eroc immediately changed to a sitting position and
clothed himself, pulling the pieces of cloth out of thin air, a
comfortable pair of nylon jogging pants and a Nike T-shirt this time.

Dante frowned. “What are you doing?”
“I felt a summons from my sister, Aria. I’ve got to go. I’ll be back

in an hour or so. Feel free to snooze ’til then,” Eroc lied smoothly. He
wasn’t looking at Dante. Couldn’t. His heart had gone all warm and
fuzzy like he was in some sort of gooey Lifetime movie. He rubbed
his chest absentmindedly where his pulsing organ was beating with a
weird candy-heart rhythm.

Dante’s frown deepened. “I thought you were my live-in love

slave from now on. What’s with this ‘leaving me without even a
good-bye kiss’ crap?”

Eroc gave a scathing laugh. “Did you expect us to cuddle

afterward? Come now, Dante, you don’t really expect romance from a

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demon, do you?”

Dante’s anger spiked, and the sensation left him burning. An ache

formed in Eroc’s chest. It hurt to hurt Dante.

“Whatever makes you happy, slave. Just be back in two hours. I

may want a blow job after my nap.”

Answering anger flooded Eroc at the deliberately demeaning tone.

“I’ll be sure to suck your dick really great when I get back, Master.”
Why did this feel like a lovers’ quarrel?

“Awesome. Sounds like a great plan. Afterward I’ll call my

bandmates over, and you can blow the rest of them, too. How about
that?” Dante snapped.

“Great! Fucking awesome! Wouldn’t be the first time someone

has used me for a convenient orgy.”

Dante’s vicious laughter made Eroc cringe. “Why am I not

surprised?”

For the first time in his life, Eroc felt ashamed of his sexual

experiences. That really pissed him off. He wanted to punch Dante in
his gorgeous face.

“Fuck you, Dante,” he snapped. “I’ll remind you of that snarky

comment when I’m encouraging the torture demons to use the worst
ways to rip apart your soul.” With a crack that sounded like a sonic
boom, he made his exit, Dante’s outraged retorts still echoing in his
ears.

The Incubus Song

Chapter Five

“How many of those has he had?” Aria asked the goblin

bartender. Her brother was slumped against the bar with a row of
glasses in front of him. It wasn’t unusual for patrons to be found at
bars on Bourbon Street in the early morning hours. However, the fact
that Eroc had only been here for a little over an hour and a half and
had consumed several bottles of cheap liquor was something to write
home about.

“What is the problem, Eroc?” Aria asked, signaling the bartender

for her usual Bud Light.

“He’s the weirdest fucking contractor I’ve ever met,” Eroc

slurred. He tossed back another shot with a drunken grimace.

“He won’t have sex with you?” Aria asked incredulously.

“Seriously? You’re the hottest Incubus this side of the Mason-Dixon
Line! Not to mention you two have the perfect-match thing going.
Does he like girls or something? I’d be willing to give him a go if
you’re not into him.”

“We had sex, Aria!” Eroc snapped.
She frowned in confusion, her lips so similar to Eroc’s own turned

down into a pout. “Then what is the problem? You have the guy’s
soul. Why are you pouring—oh Lucifer’s left nut, is that tequila?
Why are you pouring freaking tequila down your throat like it’s
water?”

“I…felt something,” Eroc offered inarticulately.
Aria raised her eyebrows. “Well, you’re supposed to get wood

while boinking a hot guy, Eroc. Where did you miss that in training?”

“My erection wasn’t the problem. I fucked him and sucked him. I

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established the terms of contract and have resigned myself to be his
live-in sex slave from now until he signs a major record label.” He
paused to throw back another tequila-filled shot glass. “The problem
is that while I was fucking him, I was enamored with him, and
afterward all I could think about was making pillow talk in his arms.”

“Satan dammit, Eroc! I told you not to lose your focus! You like

him? Are you kidding me? You’ve known the guy twenty-four
hours!”

“I know, okay? It’s not like I’m completely stupid! I had to get out

of the apartment to get some perspective.” Eroc drained another shot
of tequila. “That’s why I called you. There is no way I’m even going
to

risk becoming human over some…gorgeous, sweet,

understanding…passionate…intelligent—”

Aria’s eyes shot wide. “My gag reflex was just engaged! You’ve

got a crush on the rock star the size of Lucifer’s ass!”

Eroc sighed miserably. “What am I supposed to do, Aria? I’ve

already entered into the contract with him. I can’t even get another
Incubus to step in to my place at this point.”

“Go to King Dominic! He’ll know what to do,” Aria suggested

enthusiastically.

Eroc snorted. “I’m sure that’ll go over well.” He gave a mocking

performance of how the conversation would go. “Hey, my king, you
know that special assignment you gave me? The one involving that
passion-filled soul you just can’t live without? Well, I’ve got a huge
crush on him. In fact, I’m afraid I may fall in love with the guy. Do
you mind letting me just call the whole contract off and sending
another Incubus instead? I know he probably won’t say yes again, but
I just don’t think I can finish this mission.” He paused. “Yeah, my
speech would go over real well.”

Aria sighed. He knew she didn’t want to lose her only brother to

mortality any more than she wanted to lose him to yet another failure
in Dominic’s eyes, but she wasn’t being very helpful. Her eyes
widened, and a slow grin spread across her face.

The Incubus Song

“What are you grinning about?” Eroc asked in exasperation.
“What about taking Love Bane? Wolfen shifters use it to keep

themselves from falling in love with their moon mates. The
concoction works the same on demons. It engages your sex drive
without engaging your emotions. It’s the perfect solution!”

Eroc brightened considerably at the suggestion. “That’s a great

idea. Do you know where to get some?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I fucked this wolf down on Canal Street

who’s a real high roller. I’ll go by his office today and pick some up.
Want me to drop the Love Bane by your contractor’s apartment?”

Eroc nodded and stumbled to his unsteady feet, nearly upending

the barstool as he did so. “Absolutely. I have to get back, though.
Dante is expecting me.”

Aria frowned at him. “Sure you can walk in your condition? You

know how unstable your powers get when you’re drunk.”

Eroc waved a hand to dismiss her. “I’m all good,” he slurred.

“The apartment is over on St. Peter. If my magic fails, I’ll walk.”

With a crack he made himself gone.

* * * *

Aria sighed and took the last shot of tequila her brother had left on

the counter. It was five o’clock somewhere. In New Orleans it wasn’t
even necessary to justify the time of day. She winked at the goblin
bartender who waved her on. They’d send the bill to Dominic at some
point. She pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Hold it together, little brother,” she muttered to herself. “Just a

little longer. Hold it the fuck together.”

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Chapter Six

Three poignant notes played in unison on the keyboard as Dante

made another scribble on his paper. He was trying to write a new
song, and up until now he just couldn’t find the right melody. He
played what he had written and began to sing.

Don’t wish for romance when lovin’ is the last thing on my mind,
Don’t tell me you adore me when you’re not one of my kind,
So stop your selfish kisses and your pool of useless tears,
You fight a losing battle, one you have lost for years.

The song stalled there, and frustration coursed through his blood.

It would be a beautiful ballad if he could only find the inspiration.
Then a voice rose up out of nowhere.

I can’t afford to love you, and I can’t afford to die,
Loving you s’like poison, and it’s poisoning my mind,
Don’t misunderstand me, it’s you that I desire,
But doin’ so means loving you, and that’s the path of fire.

Dante’s head snapped up as the answering chorus reverberated

through the apartment. The demon reclined on his sofa, belting out the
notes Dante had been searching over an hour for. The demon grinned
and shrugged at his stunned expression.

“I have been known to sing karaoke upon occasion,” Eroc offered.
“That was perfect. Thanks,” Dante said with a smile. He jotted

down the words, humming the melody Eroc had sung. “I’m sorry

The Incubus Song

about being nasty to you earlier. I just wasn’t expecting you to leave
so suddenly after.”

His temper was like a grease fire. It would flare hot and bright for

a minute but would temper off just as quickly. He didn’t mention he
felt surprisingly whole when he’d held the demon in his arms and
he’d been hurt by Eroc’s adamant dismissal of their lovemaking in
favor of a “more important” engagement.

“No problem. Sorry to run out. Didn’t want you to know how bad

I wanted you.” Eroc slapped his palm over his mouth as if he’d said
too much.

Dante frowned. “Are you drunk? It’s not even one in the

afternoon yet.”

Eroc shrugged. “I’ve never felt like this before. I didn’t know

what to do. Don’t worry, as a demon my constitution is a lot heartier
than yours. The tequila will wear off in another hour or so. You are so
damn gorgeous, you know that? When you sing, everyone sees how
special you really are. When you sang at the club, I felt like you were
singing just for me. You have a real talent, Dante Louis.”

Dante actually blushed at the compliment. Eroc without the filter

was adorable as hell. In the few moments they’d spent together, he’d
realized that Eroc was a combination of saucy and sweet. It was a
beautiful combination.

“You’re incredibly sexy when you blush,” the demon added with

a sigh.

“Thank you,” he said softly. “You know you’re pretty good

yourself. I’ve been stuck on that stanza for hours now.” He paused.
“Want to help me with this while you sober up?”

He never offered to let anyone work on his creations. Not even his

bandmates got to see the songs in production. He wrote them because
they came from his soul. Writing music was like being possessed, for
lack of a better descriptive term. He had to write out the lyrics that
played in his mind or else he grew irritable and had insomnia for
days.

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“You can be my muse, Eroc. Ironic, don’t you think? To have a

demon for a muse?” he asked as he cleared a space by him on the
floor for Eroc to sit. Eroc half stumbled, half crawled to Dante’s
workspace.

“I like you too much, Dante Louis,” the Incubus intoned. “Being

your muse won’t make it easier for me to be objective, you know?”

Dante smiled at his drunken honesty. “Maybe I don’t want you

objective. Maybe that’s part of your punishment for stealing my soul.
Making you love me just a little.”

“Shhh…” Eroc whispered in a conspirator’s tone. “Don’t say

things like that. They may come true.”

Whatever retort Dante would’ve made was swallowed up in a kiss

that was sweeter than honey. Eroc’s lips seemed both apologetic and
forgiving all at once. Dante broke the kiss with a sigh of contentment.

“Better not get started again. I promised myself three solid hours

of work before any more play.” He kissed Eroc gently on the lips and
gave him a smile. “So what do you say to helping me out, slave?”

Eroc laughed at his “slave” reference and gave him a shove.

“You’re such a brat, human.”

“Whatever. Least I’m a ‘gorgeous’ brat.”

* * * *

Two hours later Eroc was completely sober, and they were both

immersed in the song forged from their minds. Dante was mixing on
his synthesizer, and Eroc surprised him once again by picking up the
guitar and playing the melodies as he mixed his music. The lyrics
were babies of their combined talents, and their voices seemed made
for each other. They completely complemented each other and
blended perfectly. It only emphasized the whole perfect connection
between them.

“So the only thing left is the last stanza before the guitar solo out,”

Dante said.

The Incubus Song

Eroc’s brow furrowed in concentration, and a teeth-marked yellow

pencil was clutched between his perfect white teeth. “The song needs
to finish with something hopeful. Rock band or not, singing about
never getting the one you love is depressing.”

“In case you missed it, Incubus, my love life is depressing,” Dante

joked.

“That’s what I don’t get about you,” Eroc said with a stretching

yawn. “You’re good looking, nice, and talented. Why are you alone?”

Dante snorted. “I don’t have a lot to offer a partner. I mean, I have

two jobs and a band that keeps me pretty much slammed all the time.
I’m a twenty-five-year-old musician who lives in a one-bedroom
apartment and whose mistress is his music. On my days off all I do is
work on my songs. Where is the time for romance? Where is the time
for love? I’m a sucky investment. Who wants to spend their whole life
with a nobody with nothing?”

Eroc slapped his hand against Dante’s chest. “Don’t say shit like

that. Love shouldn’t be about names or possessions. It should be
about more than those things.”

“Says the Incubus,” Dante said with a laugh. “Aren’t you playing

for the wrong team to be giving that speech?”

Eroc bit his bottom lip and sighed. “Yeah. I guess I am.” A knock

on the door interrupted their conversation. “I’ll get it,” Eroc said,
jumping to his feet. “It’s probably my sister. She’s supposed to be
bringing something by for me.”

Dante snorted. “Does all of Hell know my address?”
“Nah, just the entire population of Incubi and Succubi,” Eroc

returned. He was really starting to enjoy their playful banter. He just
hoped the Love Bane would actually do as Aria said it would. The
more time he spent with Dante, the more he liked him. The more he
liked him, the more of a risk there was of falling in love with him.
Mortality scared the hell out of him, and hell forbid that Dante didn’t
return his feelings. How sucky would that be? He’d been around long
enough to see what happened to mortals who fell in love without

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reciprocation. It sucked, and they lived miserable lives. No thank you.

He swung open the door without a thought. Aria stood there

dressed in a white skirt which was dangerously close to being short
enough to flash her hot-pink lace thong with every step she took. See-
through four-inch stilettos and a matching pink belly shirt that
exposed her shining, bejeweled navel completed her outfit. The pink
shirt was what had clued him in to her underwear color. She always
matched her top to her panties.

“Hey, sis,” Eroc greeted. “What’s with the pigtails?” he asked,

motioning to the curled blonde pigtails she wore.

“Those? The wolf has a thing for the bastardized version of Little

Red Riding Hood. I ditched the red cape on the way here. Too hot.
Louisiana summers are killer, reminds me of Gehenna year round.
Here is your Love Bane.” She handed him a tiny vial of purple liquid.
“Two drops in eight ounces of liquid. I brought you a Coke to chug
just so I can make sure your stupid ass doesn’t take too much and
poison yourself.” She pushed a bottle of Coke at him. His sister could
act like the cynical temptress all she wanted. She was just as big of a
softy as he was. He dripped two drops of Love Bane into the bottle
and tilted it up to drink.

She smiled as he finished chugging the bottle. “Good boy. Now

that should last for the next eight hours or so. Make sure you wait the
full eight hours before taking it again. Now go get him, little bro.”

“What’s he getting me?”
Eroc jumped as Dante’s arms came around his waist. Damn, he

moved quietly.

Aria looked him up and down with interest. She whistled low. “It

really is true…the best-looking ones are always gay. Have fun with
your new pet, little brother. See you later.” With that she turned and
walked down the hall which led back toward the kitchens. She made
sure her skirt flew up to reveal a flash of her toned backside for
Dante’s benefit. Eroc wanted to growl at her for doing so. His big
sister was such a little tramp.

The Incubus Song

“Your sister is really something. Don’t take this wrong, but she’s

kind of trashy,” Dante observed.

“Yeah, that’s sort of her MO. Dominic uses her for the dense guys

and gals. She sort of screams ‘fuck me’ at them in a manner which is
difficult to ignore.”

Eroc shivered as Dante nuzzled his neck and delivered a soft bite

to his pulse. “Guess saying ‘fuck me’ runs in the family, because that
is definitely what you were screaming the first time we met.”

Eroc swatted at him and rolled his eyes. “Considering we met

literally twenty-four hours ago, I don’t need the reminder, thanks very
much.”

His stomach growled, and Dante laughed. “Insatiable bastard,

aren’t you? If you hadn’t run out so quickly earlier, I would’ve made
us a bedroom snack. I would’ve even let you get crumbs in my bed.”

“Oh, how generous,” Eroc retorted. His heart warmed at the

thought of Dante making them sandwiches to eat in bed. He shook his
head to clear the sensation from his mind. Damn. When was this stuff
going to kick in?

“Come on and sit down. I’ll whip us up a quick lunch.” Dante

kissed him again as they shut the door. Eroc sighed. He could really
get used to this. Dante didn’t treat him like a normal contractor did.
They usually just ignored him when he wasn’t being useful. Dante
treated him more like a boyfriend. The thought shouldn’t have
warmed him like it did.

“Fine, but no pickles. I hate pickles.”

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Chapter Seven

A cold like nothing Eroc had ever known seeped into his soul,

spreading with each passing second. He forced himself to eat another
bite of the delicious ham-and-provolone sandwich. Even food was
losing its enjoyment. He watched the man across from him with the
clinical fascination of a scientist enjoying the behavior of some lesser
species of animal. Dante was beautiful because his features and body
were arranged in an aesthetically pleasing way. His features were well
placed and perfectly shaped. The internal fire which Eroc had so
admired not ten minutes ago seemed vastly unimportant now.

“Do you not like the bread?” Dante asked in concern, giving him a

strange look.

“The bread is fine,” Eroc replied. His body stirred beneath the

barrier of his clothing. He was aroused by the close proximity of the
other male. He wanted to mate, but even the need was clinical. He
wanted a release. There was an available mate before him. It made
perfect logical sense for him to use Dante to relieve the ache in his
loins.

“I’m finished,” Eroc announced. “Come fuck me.” He used the

explicit language to elicit an answering arousal in Dante. The past had
shown Eroc using such language made Dante’s response definitely
more agreeable.

“Uh…I thought we were going to finish the song after lunch?”

Dante asked.

Eroc imagined Dante was noting Eroc was acting a might

strangely. He needed to develop a better poker face. “I am not feeling
creative right now. I want to fuck. Get naked,” Eroc demanded,

The Incubus Song

drawing his own shirt over his head.

“Don’t get me wrong, Eroc, I want you. It’s hard not to. But why

do you want to get naked all of a sudden?”

Eroc frowned in irritation. “If we start having sex now, we can get

off several times in the next two hours or so. After that we can take a
brief break to nap and then start on dinner. My plan will leave us
approximately two hours to finish the song and a quick jerk off
session before bed. I’ve got it all worked out.”

Dante prickled at each subsequent suggestion. “Got it all worked

out, eh? Plans to have sex, plans to eat, plans to sleep, plans, plans,
plans. You’re acting fucking weird.”

“How would you know if I’m acting strange?” Eroc wondered.

“We’ve only known each other a day.”

“You’re acting like a robot, and you wonder why I ask if you’re

acting funny? What did your sister do to you?”

“She gave me Love Bane, of course. I was getting too attached to

you too quickly, and the emotions are simply unacceptable.” He
probably shouldn’t have told the human, but he’d said it all the same.
Oh well. Eroc drained the rest of the sweet tea Dante had given him
after he’d finished his Coke in two gulps. The Love Bane was making
him thirsty.

“Too attached to me? How so?” Dante asked. His frown was

deepening by the second.

“I admire you. Your good qualities are ensnaring me in a web. I’m

dangerously close to falling in love with you and your music.” Eroc
watched Dante’s jaw drop in shock. “So I took the Love Bane to
ensure everything we did was just sex. I’m your sex toy. Use me any
way you want and I can’t feel a thing.” Eroc gave him a self-satisfied
smile.

“A slave feels what his Master wants him to,” Dante reminded

him.

Eroc shrugged. “Sorry. I can’t feel much right now. I really want

to fuck though, Master. Please?”

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Dante frowned and gave a rumble of annoyance. He closed his

eyes as Eroc just arched an eyebrow at him and took a deep breath.
When he opened his eyes again, he seemed to have regained control
over his temper. Eroc cocked his head to the side and wondered what
the human was thinking.

* * * *

“Go sit on the couch and wait on me,” Dante commanded softly.

He shouldn’t care that Eroc had used something to make sure the
demon didn’t feel anything while he was with him. But he did. Didn’t
the silly demon get that his passion was what intrigued Dante? The
music they’d made together had been amazing. He sighed.

Don’t be stupid. He’s a demon. He’s not your boyfriend or even a

fan. He stole your soul. The ache forming in his chest didn’t care.
Somewhere in the last few hours as they’d joked and played and sang
together, he’d formed an attachment to Eroc which defied
explanation.

Eroc was naked by the time Dante had put the dishes in the sink.

He had his hands laced behind his head with his legs spread and half
reclined on the couch. He didn’t look the least bit eager, but his
erection was full and thick on his thigh. Dante’s heart constricted
once more. This felt so—wrong.

“Are you ready?” Eroc’s lazy, uninvolved voice asked. “I’m

hungry, and your energy will be a nice jolt to wake me up.”

Pain shot through Dante’s chest. He logically knew that the

demon considered him food. From what he’d read about Incubi, they
were demons that fed on sex. Eroc had said himself, because of their
agreement, they had to exchange energy, feed off one another. But
somewhere in Dante’s mind he’d thought the passion had to come
from somewhere. Nothing could feel that good and not involve
something other than just the body.

He couldn’t do it. Not like this. “How long does this stuff take to

The Incubus Song

wear off?”

“Um, eight hours?” Eroc said. He tapped his chin thoughtfully.

“Yeah. I believe she said eight hours.”

“Great.” Dante turned on his heel and headed toward the door.
“Where the hell are you going?” Eroc asked, suddenly standing in

front of him.

“You’re my slave?”
“Yeah.”
“Great. Go sit on the couch until I get back.” Dante stepped

around him and grabbed his jacket off the hook before opening the
door.

Eroc made a noise of frustration. “When will you be back?”
“Oh, in about eight hours.”
The demon’s cursing followed him out the door.

* * * *

Dante crashed at his friend and bandmate Jacob’s place. He had to

crash on a hard pallet on the floor and hadn’t slept well at all. He was
near exhaustion and just hoped that Eroc was back to normal so he
could sleep when he got in. After a long night on the floor, his shift at
the restaurant had been excessively long.

He climbed the steps to his apartment after waving to the owners

as he clocked out. He opened his door and made his way inside. He
smelled like grease and antiperspirant. Yuck.

He came into the living room and was surprised that Eroc was still

sitting where he’d left him, staring at the television as Gilmore Girls
played on the screen.

“You left me here all damn night,” Eroc rumbled, leveling a very

hard glare at the television.

“You sucked down some kind of poison that made you an

automaton. We’re even,” Dante said. “Besides, I’m back now.”

Eroc sighed. “I guess I deserved that. But I’m starving. Do you

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think we could…” He looked embarrassed to even ask.

“I’m not really up for penetration. I’m exhausted.” Dante felt a

little guilty for leaving Eroc alone for that long. He forgot that the
Incubus needed to feed on him in order to be healthy. He really
wasn’t feeling too sexual, but he would be up for fooling around. “I’m
going to give you a blow job instead,” he found himself saying. His
mouth watered for a taste of the demon, even if the bastard was about
as involved yesterday as a marble statute. He could punish Eroc in a
variety of ways by doing this instead of letting him talk Dante into
bed. At least orally he’d be in complete control.

Eroc gave him a smile. “Oh? You want to suck me, do you? Well,

go ahead.”

Dante looked at Eroc in suspicion. What was the demon up to

now?

“Anything in particular I should know before I start?” he asked,

falling to his knees in front of Eroc. The demon obliged him by
spreading his legs farther apart to accommodate his wide shoulders.

“Just do what you like.” He still wore that same smug smile.
Dante mentally shrugged. Maybe Eroc was just acting strange

because he was hungry. He was determined to enjoy this. Afterwards,
they could cuddle and talk it out, maybe get some sleep, too. Dante
nuzzled Eroc’s bared thigh, inhaling the scent of his lover. He was an
exotic spice to be sure, cloves and cinnamon. He didn’t think he’d
ever smelled anything quite so intriguing.

“Are you going to continue at any point?” the demon asked lazily.

His voice was filled to the brim with desire, and it was a relief after
the cold indifference from yesterday. Dante almost forgave his weird
distance when Eroc murmured a soft litany of praises and gentle
strokes to Dante’s hair. His empty tone had just pissed him off
yesterday. He bit into Eroc’s thigh as punishment, eliciting a gasp
from his companion.

“Ow! What was that for?”
“For being a dick yesterday,” Dante grumbled, raising his eyes to

The Incubus Song

meet Eroc’s swirling blue ones.

“I’m sorry about that, Dante,” Eroc murmured. The demon

reached down and stroked Dante’s hair back from his forehead.

“Please touch me, Master. I want you so much right now. Punish

me if you have to. Just, please, forgive me.”

Dante nodded. It was good enough for now. They were going to

have a long talk about avoidance issues once they got finished.

He took Eroc’s silken shaft between his fingertips and jumped as

he felt the phantom sensation caress his own length. What the hell?
He moved his hand again, up and down the demon’s length
experimentally. Again he felt like invisible hands were stroking him
in exactly the same manner. He bit his lip to keep from groaning.
Holy shit!

Eroc’s laughter caused him to look up. “You should see your face,

human. What did I tell you about the benefits of being with an
Incubus? Whatever pleasure you inflict on me you get back threefold.
Ever wonder what it would be like to give yourself the perfect blow
job? Here’s your chance.”

Every thought of punishment went out the window at the teasing

admission.

Dante didn’t answer but instead sucked the head of Eroc’s perfect

cock into his mouth. He moaned at the wet, tight suction. This is
amazing. His mind narrowed its focus, forgetting the hurt from
yesterday as he put all his effort into giving Eroc the best blow job of
his life. Dante wasn’t going to last long at this rate. Not at all.

Soon Eroc’s hips were arching up off the couch, chasing the

cavern of Dante’s mouth as he drew out the pleasure.

“Don’t stop,” Eroc begged as Dante swirled his tongue around the

tip, licking the slit and the juices which were gathering there.

His arousal pushed uncomfortably against his pants. Dante used

his own pleasure as a guide to adjust each lick and suck to increase
Eroc’s ecstasy. His eyes were rolling in pleasure, and Dante felt the
telltale signs of orgasm tingling at the base of his spine as his sac

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drew tight to his body in warning.

“Eroc.” Dante whispered the name like a prayer in between licks.

“Come for me.”

He sucked the demon’s throbbing length to the back of his throat

and moaned as he felt the sensation on his own body. With a cry of
pleasure, Eroc erupted, spilling his seed down Dante’s willing throat.
Dante continued to suck to keep up with the flow, making sure not to
miss a single drop. The sticky proof of Eroc’s desire was the sweetest
thing Dante had ever tasted. If he hadn’t known Eroc wasn’t human
already, he would’ve known by his candied taste alone.

Dante’s cock jumped, spilling the contents of his balls into the

confines of his pants. He moaned around Eroc’s length, which elicited
more squirming cries from the demon. Dante never would’ve
imagined he’d be able to give himself the best blow job of his life, but
he’d managed it.

Eroc collapsed back onto the couch with a sigh of contentment.

Dante pulled back to reveal that the front of his pants was stained with
his own release.

“That’s some trick,” Dante panted. Little aftershocks were still

making him twitch.

Eroc grunted an inaudible reply. His eyes slid closed. Dante

couldn’t help but smile. For an Incubus, his power for multiple
orgasms was seriously lacking. However, if the pleasure was a third
as good as what Dante had felt, Eroc was justifiably tired.

The demon didn’t even stir as Dante picked him up and carried

him to his room. Nor did he move as he was tucked into bed and
given a chaste kiss on the cheek.

“You know, Eroc, this arrangement between us might not be so

bad,” Dante whispered, slipping under the covers to spoon behind
him. “What do you say? Fall in love with me and we can make music
together for my lifetime. I won’t even hold it against you that you’re
going to drag me to Hell.” A soft snore answered him. Dante
chuckled. “I’ll take that as my proposal is under consideration. When

The Incubus Song

you get up, we’re going to have a long chat about the Love Bane
stuff. I don’t like it. You’re going to have to just learn to love me.”

Eroc grunted and snuggled closer, seeking Dante’s warmth in his

sleep.

“Now that’s more like it. Sweet dreams, Incubus.” He kissed

Eroc’s forehead gently. Within minutes he was asleep.

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Chapter Eight

Hmmm…Eroc’s thoughts swirled inarticulately as he came

awake. He was so warm. He snuggled deeper into the covers and the
veritable heater under his cheek. His hand curled over the warm flesh,
and his leg snaked around a limb that was in between his own.
Wait…He frowned in his half-asleep state. Limb? Flesh? Uh—His
eyes popped open, and he was momentarily disoriented as to where he
was.

“Well, good evening, sleeping beauty,” a hard voice rumbled from

above him.

The evening came rushing back in miniscule detail. Damn. He had

a lot to make up for, but that seemed to be a good start. That had been
a disaster. Love Bane was awful. He’d felt like some sort of pod alien
had taken over his body. Ick. Dante touching him was so much better
when he felt everything. His human was amazing.

“Evening,” Eroc returned. His voice was as scratchy as it usually

was when he first woke up. He must’ve been asleep for a few hours.
“What time is it?” he asked, using his free hand to rub his eyes to try
to get the sleep from them.

“Almost eight.” Dante smiled that sweet smile of his and kissed

Eroc’s lips. “I hate to wake you up, but my guitarist called and said
some label wants to hear us at the Dredges tonight. I’m thinking about
using our song as the final ballad. You could stand in on the guitar
and play with me while I use the synthesizer. I think it’s the song, you
know?”

A label wanted to hear them? Tonight? But it was too soon! Eroc

processed Dante’s words. He had no doubt in his mind Ricochet

The Incubus Song

Romance would be signed. Dante was far too talented not to be. But,
he’d wanted more time with him. More time to be held in his arms
and feel Dante’s touch. More time to laugh with him and write with
him. Hell, he’d even do the dishes without complaint! If Dante got
signed tonight, then Eroc would be shipped off on a different mission,
and he’d never see the beautiful musician again.

“I’m thinking about calling the music we wrote ‘The Incubus

Song.’ What do you think?” Dante asked, oblivious to his distress.

“I think that’s a great name,” Eroc said quietly. He was not going

to cry. This was his big chance. He was not going to sniffle like a
child because Dante would be taken away from him.

“I told you I’d help out in any way I could. I’ll bang out a few

notes and sing along with you if it’ll help get you signed.”

I could sabotage this. He could use his magic and keep Dante

from getting a deal. But getting signed was Dante’s dream. That was
what Dante had been striving for for years now. He couldn’t ruin the
chance for him. No matter how much he wanted to stay with him.
Besides, Dominic would kill him if he thought he’d deliberately
delayed getting Dante’s soul. The human’s wide smile made Eroc sick
to his stomach. Dante really shouldn’t be so happy. After the music
contract was signed, his soul belonged to Dominic in Gehenna, and
Eroc would be long gone. What the hell did the human have to be so
cheerful about?

“Thanks so much, Eroc. I’m so excited! Let’s get ready for the

show, and I’ll get you set up backstage. The label guy is supposed to
be showing up around eleven, so we don’t have much time.” Dante
gave him a brilliant grin and kissed him hard on the lips. “Go ahead
and hop in the shower. It’s through that door. I’ll join you there.”

With a heavy heart, Eroc did as he was bid.

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Chapter Nine

It had taken them longer than was necessary to get clean in the

shower. Dante held him under the spray with a cloud of steam
surrounded them, his cock shuttling in and out of Eroc’s willing body
with a precision that said Dante had done this before. Eroc groaned at
the feeling. He loved Dante’s touch. Every single brush of his lips
against Eroc’s throat and the firm grip of Dante’s hands on his hips
just seemed to sink deeper into Eroc’s soul.

“Dante!” he gasped as the man fucked him under the warm

cascade of water. “So good. Everything is so good with you.” Dante
knew it. He had to. Eroc couldn’t keep him mouth shut when it came
to how good the man felt inside him.

Dante chuckled, slowing his thrusting down to a level that drove

Eroc insane. “Are you ever going to take that crap again in order to
remain separate from me?”

“No,” Eroc promised, pushing back against him. “Please, need

you.” The muted feelings of before had been washed away by Dante’s
touch, and he didn’t see any way for him to shove his emotions back
in a box now. It was both terrifying and exhilarating to know that he
had somehow tied himself to Dante and the pleasure he brought with
him quite by accident.

Dante made love to Eroc slowly, gently extracting more promises

that he’d never separate himself from their lovemaking again and
maybe, just maybe, they could approach their joining as something
other than a job. Dante had obviously been thinking the same thing
about their connection. It was emotional and intense and much too
soon, but Eroc could no more deny it than Dante apparently could.

The Incubus Song

Eroc moaned as Dante scored a particularly sensitive spot inside

him. “Love when you fuck me.” He wanted to say more than that but
refrained, barely.

“Love fucking you, Incubus. Eroc, damn, wanna keep you

forever,” Dante rumbled, pounding his thick cock into Eroc’s willing
passage. The waterproof lube Eroc had brought was certainly getting
its use.

Dante paused and grabbed the bottle of bodywash off the narrow

shelf to their right and drizzled it down Eroc’s needy body.

“What are you doing?” Eroc asked, already suspecting the answer.

Dante put the bottle back down and began to lather him up as he
fucked.

“Gotta clean you up, Eroc. That’s what a shower is for,” Dante

teased, his voice sounding more than a little strained. He was enjoying
making them both wait for it and Eroc knew it. Two can play this
game, human. He concentrated on squeezing Dante’s prick inside
him, milking him of the pre-cum that he knew dripped in a steady
stream from Dante’s cock. He was rewarded by Dante’s groan of
surrender. “Imp!”

“Incubus. Higher up than an Imp,” Eroc said, shuddering as

Dante’s soapy hand wrapped around his dick. His mind short-
circuited as the musician pistoned his fist up and down his length,
forcing him into a higher plane of pleasure. The dual stimulation of
Dante inside him and his fist working his prick sent him into orbit.

He groaned. “I’m gonna come, Dante. Please.”
“Savor it,” Dante whispered, his hips moving forward with a little

more speed now. “This is making love, Eroc. Not fucking. We’re here
together, and there is more here than sex.”

No. Please, don’t say that. It was too late though. Eroc felt the

words sinking into him. If he hadn’t been born an Incubus, he
could’ve seen himself spending forever with this man. He liked him,
maybe even more than liked him. He gasped as his balls drew up
painfully.

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“Come for me, Eroc,” Dante commanded. “Come for me and

show me how much you love my touch.” Eroc’s mind blanked, and he
cried out at the command. He spent himself against the tiled wall as
Dante stiffened behind him and emptied himself into Eroc’s clenching
passage.

Their joining was the single sweetest experience of Eroc’s life,

and as he’d cried out in release, Eroc had to bite his tongue to keep
from shouting out words of love as Dante emptied himself into his
willing body. He’d had so many firsts with this wonderful human. So
many new experiences that he was loathe to give up. He felt
extraordinarily sad as they exited the shower after a quick wash. It
seemed the honeymoon was soon to be over.

Still, Dante remained a kind and attentive lover. He took the clean

towel off the little shelf behind the toilet and ran it over Eroc’s skin,
wiping away the moisture and kissing a trail of fire down his body
with each patch of skin that was dried. No one had been this nice to
him or shown as much consideration. Eroc grabbed the other towel
off the rack.

“You don’t have to—” Dante began.
“I do. I’m your slave remember? I get to dry off my Master. It’s

my pleasure,” he hastened to add. He needed Dante to know that
being with him wasn’t a chore and neither was playing slave to him.
If anything, the experience had shown him what it was like to be a
real lover to someone for the first time in his existence.

Finally Dante nodded his assent and spread his legs

accommodatingly. Eroc knelt at his feet and toweled him off with
slow, steady motions. He was normally a selfish creature, but serving
Dante was no hardship. Something about the way the man appreciated
the small things made Eroc want to do them. It was very odd.

In no time at all, Eroc had finished drying him off, and Dante gave

him another sweet kiss before pushing him toward the door and then
into his bedroom. Eroc huffed, dragging his feet. It wasn’t fair. He
should’ve had years before he had to face the band getting signed. He

The Incubus Song

crossed over to the bed and flopped down on its surface. It still
smelled liked sex and Dante, a wonderful combination.

He lifted his head as Dante opened his closet and took out a bunch

of different outfits before discarding each one in turn. “You should
wear something more befitting a rock star,” Eroc said as Dante fussed
over what sort of outfit he should use for the stage. “You’ve got to be
shirtless, that’s your signature thing, but you need to be properly
accessorized.”

Dante turned to glare. “That’d be great, but I can’t just conjure up

an outfit like you, little miss prince. I have to work with what I have,
and with my salary, it isn’t much.” Not much was about twenty pairs
of identical-looking pants, all in black, some leather, some cotton, all
rather drab when considering the occasion.

Eroc tsked. “Temper, temper, human. You forget you’re a lover of

an Incubus now. My power is your power.”

With a wave of his hand, Eroc sent his magic to swirl around

Dante’s body. Black PVC pants with red accents stuck to Dante’s legs
like a second skin, like-new combat boots with red laces wound
themselves around Dante’s feet, and finally a new pair of titanium
hoops with black onyx accents filled Dante’s pierced nipples.

Dante blinked, and Eroc smiled. “Now you look like a rock star.”

Another snap of his fingers and Eroc was clothed in a similar fashion,
except his pants were accented with green and he wore a tight black
T-shirt that was lettered in green paint which advertised Ricochet
Romance in a dripping font.

“Huh,” Dante commented. “Nice shirt.”
Eroc grinned. “I thought so. I figured since I was posing as a

groupie, I might as well dress like one.” He paused then giggled.
“Plus I feel kinda hot wearing PVC and chains for you with a collar
around my neck, Master.”

Dante snorted. “You say that now. Wait until you’re under the

stage lights. You’ll think they stuck you under a heat lamp at Burger
King. These clothes aren’t like Cinderella’s magic carriage are they?

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They’re not going to leave me naked like a pumpkin when midnight
hits, right?”

Eroc sniffed. “Of course not. You’re talking about ‘glamour,’

which is a fairy magic. Fairy magic? Puh-lease. I’m a demon, for
Christ’s sake.”

Dante laughed at his offended tone. “My bad, Sleeping Beauty.

You have to understand a poor human like me can easily get
confused. After all, don’t you both have wings?”

Eroc sputtered indignantly, speechless. “Where do you get your

bad information from?” Dante grabbed his hand and dragged him out
the door, laughing.

The Incubus Song

Chapter Ten

They were not playing their best tonight, Dante noted in irritation.

The partying from whatever bar they’d piled into the night before was
affecting the band more than they realized. They knew better than to
party two nights in a row. They were halfway through their second
set, and the label scout was chatting it up with his waitress instead of
paying them attention. He needed something to grab the moron’s ears
now.

The song ended, and instead of gearing up for another of their

usual anthems, Dante signaled for Eroc to come onto the stage. His
bandmates backed off as the beautiful man glided into their presence.
Even the audience quieted as he came to stand beside Dante. Eroc
made a few adjustments to his guitar strap and fiddled with his frets,
oblivious to the looks of awe he was getting from some of the
audience members. An odd feeling of pride filled Dante as they
watched him. That man was his.

Finally Eroc was ready, and he nodded at Dante. Their sound man

started the recording of the synthesized music, and the first sultry
notes of the song had the crowd sighing in appreciation. Dante
growled in triumph on the inside, picked up the mike, and began to
sing.

Instantly a hush fell over them all. Dante’s voice rang strong

through the first and second chords. The stanzas flowed out like he’d
sung them a thousand times instead of a few times over the last day.

Don’t wish for romance when loving is the last thing on my mind,
Don’t tell me you adore me when you’re not one of my kind,

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So stop your selfish kisses and your pool of useless tears,
You fight a losing battle, one you have lost for years.

I can’t afford to love you, and I can’t afford to die,
Loving you s’like poison, and it’s poisoning my mind,
Don’t misunderstand me, it’s you that I desire,
But doin’ so means loving you, and that’s the path of fire.

The guitar seemed to caress the listeners. Eroc was so skilled at

the craft Dante found himself enchanted by the notes that flitted
through the air. The guitar solo they’d discussed but never actually
gotten around to writing lifted in achingly beautiful tones to the
rafters. Eroc sang the chorus with him the last time through, and
Dante realized too late that they’d not really written an ending.

Eroc’s voice rang out alone in the club.

When you’re holding me, it’s heaven, the life I’ve never known.
When you’re loving me, I cannot see all the seeds that I have

sown,

It doesn’t really matter, whether it’s below or up above,
Sink down inside me, baby, poison me with love.

Eroc played the ending notes on the guitar, and the music slowly

faded into nothingness.

The crowd went insane. They cheered and yelled, screaming for

more. The record label jockey with his cheap suit was talking into his
cell phone excitedly from the back of the club. They’d done it, Dante
realized as the guy started making his way toward them. They’d done
it! He looked around to grab Eroc up and kiss him senseless at the joy
he was feeling, but Eroc wasn’t on stage.

“Oh my God! Duuude!” Jeremiah screamed over the roar of the

crowd. “That was fucking fabulous, man!” The others were slapping
him on the back, congratulating him, telling him what a good idea it

The Incubus Song

was to bring the other “cool cat” in to do a duet.

“Where is Eroc?” he asked as his bandmates dragged him

backstage. “Where is he?” he asked again.

“Oh, the guy you were singing with? He skated out of here as

soon as the crowd erupted. Took off like a pistol shot, even left his
guitar on stage. He must’ve gone out the back exit,” Daniel offered.
“Who cares, man? You got his number, right? He’s your boyfriend or
something?”

“Or something,” Dante muttered, pushing past them and into the

hallway. He was way more than a boyfriend now, more than his slave.
He was the man he loved. Dante had made peace with loving Eroc the
second he’d joined him on stage. Eroc belonged beside him. Demon
or not, he was his.

“Mr. Louis?” a familiar face questioned as he came up the steps

that led to the ground floor of the club. It was the label rep.

“Yeah?” Dante’s heart started pounding. Was this it? Was this

their big break?

“My name is Thomas McKane from BlackCherry Records, and

I’d like to talk to you about possibly signing on with us.” His
bandmates jumped up and down, not even bothering to play it cool.

Thomas smiled and handed Dante a card with his personal cell

number on the front along with two entwined black cherries before
handing one to each of his bandmates. “I think we can make a deal.
Would you care to join me at my offices tomorrow at four o’clock so
we can discuss details? I’d really like you to come.”

Dante nodded and said his thanks. He had to remind himself he

would have to call out of work tomorrow to make the meeting.

After Thomas McKane had shook hands with each of the

members of Ricochet Romance and made his exit, the others couldn’t
contain their excitement anymore.

“Come on, Dante, you have to come out with us tonight! We have

a lot to celebrate!” Daniel demanded.

Dante was not in the mood. He wanted to find Eroc and tell him

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everything. Tell him he loved him. “No thanks, guys.”

“Does this have something to do with that good-looking dude you

sang with up on stage? You in love with him or something?” Jeremiah
demanded bluntly.

Dante smiled at the challenging tone. “Yeah. Yeah. I think I am.”

He pushed his way toward the exit. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow at
Mr. Rep’s office. I’ll catch you then.”

“All right.” Daniel laughed. “Don’t let him wear you out too much

tonight! Wouldn’t want our star dragging ass on the day of our big
signing!”

“Same goes, Dan! Y’all be safe.” He pushed opened the exit door

and stepped out into the night.

The Incubus Song

Chapter Eleven

Tears cascaded down Eroc’s cheeks in a steady stream of misery.

He’d done it. He’d sealed the deal and made sure he fulfilled his end
of the bargain he’d made for Dante’s soul. He felt miserable. He sat at
the bottom of the steps of the back alley exit and wept. He didn’t want
to lose the gorgeous man who’d come to mean so much to him. Nor
did he want to send him to Gehenna because of his own selfishness.
Didn’t the king have enough beautiful souls to entertain himself with?
Why did he have to have Dante as well? This wasn’t fair. He
hiccupped as he was racked by another round of sobs. He hated
himself for this.

“What are you crying for, Sleeping Beauty? Someone poison your

magic apple?” a soft, gentle voice asked from the darkness. He’d
know it anywhere.

“That’s the wrong fairy tale, you moron. Poisoned apples were

Snow White’s deal,” he grumped. He wiped at his eyes, trying to hide
the fact he’d been crying. He didn’t look up as a pair of combat boots
came into view, and he didn’t react when Dante sat beside him on the
step.

“You have a habit of running off after important events, you

know?” Dante asked. There was only an inch of space separating
them, but Eroc felt like he didn’t have the right to cross it and ask for
comfort from his contractor. Dante saved him the trouble by looping
his arm around Eroc’s shoulders and pulling him into the shelter of
his chest.

Eroc sighed and snuggled against Dante’s bare pecs. He inhaled

his scent, trying to commit it to memory.

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“What’s wrong, Eroc?” Dante asked in concern, rubbing his

shaking back in slow, comforting circles.

“Nothing,” Eroc denied. “How’d it go with the label?”
“We’re supposed to be meeting with him tomorrow to negotiate

terms for a deal.” He paused. “It’s really happening.”

Eroc sighed. “That’s what I thought.”
“What’s the problem?” Dante asked in confusion.
“No problem. Really.” Tears choked him. “It’s just that now I

have to go back to Gehenna for my next assignment.”

“W–what do you mean? I don’t want you to leave!” Dante

protested. “Why do you have to leave?”

Eroc shrugged, miserable. “The terms for our contract are met. I

was supposed to be your lover until you got signed on with a label.
Tomorrow I’ll be out of your life forever.”

“But you can’t leave yet! I can’t lose you. I love you!” Dante

yelled, putting his hands on either side of Eroc’s head and kissing his
tear-stained face.

“You what?” Eroc asked, freezing suddenly. Every muscle in his

body was tensed in preparation.

“I love you, Eroc. I don’t care if you’re a demon or if you have

my soul. I don’t even care that you’re sending me to Hell. I love you,
and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know it’s fast, but
who gives a damn? I read somewhere that it takes six seconds to fall
in love with someone, and I’ve known you a hell of a lot longer.”

Eroc was stunned at the admission. It was too soon, wasn’t it? No.

The perfect connection didn’t lie. He looked into Dante’s baby-blue
eyes, and he knew without a doubt what he had to do. It was what his
heart had been telling him to do all along.

“I love you, too, Dante. For better or for worse, I love you.”

* * * *

A crack that sounded like a pistol shot went off, lighting the sky

The Incubus Song

with a purple glow. Dante jumped as Eroc screamed. From his lover’s
mouth poured the same blue, electric energy Dante had experienced
their first time together. Another crack sounded, and a hellish red light
lit up the entire alleyway.

“What fucking madness is this?” a cultured male voice growled

from the shadows. He stepped into the light, and Dante gasped.

An auburn-haired gentleman at least six inches taller than Dante’s

own respectable six-two frame stood with his hands on his hips,
glaring daggers at the two of them. Eroc let out a whimper and fell to
his knees on the dirty pavement.

“My king,” he gasped.
“Not your king any longer, you little whelp!” the man screeched.

Dante winced at the sound. “What have you done? Look at what
you’ve become!” The guy looked like he wanted to shake Eroc until
the world started making sense to him again.

“You stop talking to him like that!” Dante snapped. He came to

his feet and stood protectively between his lover and the man yelling
at him. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

“I’m Dominic Natalya, the king of the Incubi,” the demon replied

haughtily. “This is none of your concern, human.” He turned his
attention back to Eroc. “What were you thinking, falling in love with
your contractor? For Lucifer’s sake, Eroc! You’re human now!”

Dante wheeled like he’d been struck. “What?” He turned so he

could look at his love. “You’re human now? How?”

“You found the loophole,” Eroc offered weakly. He was still

looking at the other Incubus like he was a large reptile fixing to eat
him. “If an Incubus falls in love with his contractor and admits that
love, it nullifies the contract and the human is freed. You have your
soul now, Dante. You’re free. No strings, no contracts, no nothing.
Your soul is on our Do-Not-Touch list from now until you make
another deal with the Devil.”

“What he’s not telling you is the fucking price of getting your soul

out of the contract is a loss of immortality. He’s human now, thanks

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to you,” Dominic snapped. “What were you thinking, giving up
eternity for one silly human?”

“I love him, my king. I love him more than I’ve loved anything in

my entire life,” Eroc said. “I welcome death, knowing that I have
experienced it.”

“And you?” Dominic turned to Dante suddenly. “How do you feel

about Eroc?”

Dante stood straight as he addressed the Incubus king, strength

intoning every word. “I love him, and I’m going to spend the rest of
my life making him happy.”

Dominic considered the pair of them and gave a soft sigh,

pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingertips.

“There is a test if you want to make that a reality, Dante Louis.”

The Incubus king didn’t seem too happy about Dante’s desire. “I warn
you, though, it could cost you your life.”

“My life?” Dante asked. Fear poured into his body with a shot of

adrenaline. These were demons he was dealing with here.

“Yes. Your life.” A wicked grin lit up the king’s face as he

seemed to have an epiphany. “However, I will offer you a deal.”

“No, my king!” Eroc protested.
“Be quiet, Eroc. You’ve done quite enough for him already,”

Dominic said.

Eroc whimpered.
“If you talk to him like that again, I’m going to bust your fucking

mouth,” Dante retorted before he could filter himself. Dominic raised
his eyebrow in a perfect imitation of Eroc. It was probably an Incubus
thing. A surprisingly wry smile spread across the king’s face.

“You have remarkable bravery considering I could kill the both of

you without a thought. You may be able to pass the test after all.” He
tapped his chin thoughtfully. “There is a price for your union with
Eroc. If you choose to take on the challenge, you must enter into it
with no knowledge of what is to come and be prepared to live without
him forever if you fail.”

The Incubus Song

Dante considered him. “Why do I have to pass the friggin’ test at

all then? He’s mortal, right? Can’t we just tell you to fuck off?”

The Incubus blinked. “No one has ever made the suggestion

before.” The king pondered for a moment. “The challenge is designed
to test the authenticity of the relationship. There have been times in
the past when clients have figured out the pattern and exploited the
Incubi vulnerabilities.”

Demons stole people’s souls and some humans “exploited” them?

Was that guy serious? After a moment, the Incubus king shrugged. “I
suppose you could, in all honesty, tell me to ‘fuck off.’ Of course, in
exchange for not putting you through the test, I’ll have to bind you
two together for the rest of eternity. That means that in every
incarnation from now on you would be together.”

“Done,” Dante growled before Eroc could open his mouth to

protest. Dominic waved a hand, and the fine hairs all over Dante’s
body stood on end. The Incubus king actually shot Dante a wink as he
joined their hands and the energy transferred to the place where they
were joined.

“So that’s the way of it then?” He looked again at Eroc. Eroc

nodded hesitantly. “You’ve always been different, Eroc. Never
would’ve made a good Incubus in the long run. Go with my blessing.”

Eroc looked at the king, stunned. He clearly hadn’t been expecting

this. “T–thank you, my king,” he said in hushed tones.

“And you”—he looked Dante dead in the eye—“take care of

him.”

Another loud crack returned the sky to its usual hazy black

countenance. The king of the Incubi walked into the shadows without
a backward glance. “Take care of yourself, my son.”

The red light disappeared next, along with the demon.
“Son? The king of the Incubi is your father?” Dante demanded as

soon as the world had returned to its familiar rhythm.

Eroc shrugged with a smile and stood to loop his arms around his

waist. “What? Are you disappointed you’re no longer sleeping with a

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prince?”

“Not at all. I much prefer sleeping with the man. Princes and

kings and demons are better left to fairy tales.”

“So does this mean we get to make our own happily ever after?”

Eroc asked in a teasing voice.

“Absolutely. It’ll read, ‘The Incubus and his lover made music

which rocked the world, and they promised each other to live happily
ever after.’”

They kissed. It was a promise of forever and a pledge of their

love. A mortal life lay ahead of them, and all Eroc wanted to add to
the end of their fairy tale was, “And they did.”

The Incubus Song

Epilogue

One Year Later

The city of angels seemed an appropriate place to settle. Eroc

rested his hand on the window glass on their recently purchased
twelfth-story high rise and looked out at the bustling city that never
seemed to sleep. It was a lot different from New Orleans, but the
majority of their work was here, so it only made sense that they would
live here. This was the first place they actually owned though. They’d
rented until their commitment ceremony and papers had gone
through. Dante had insisted on that. The rock star was a traditionalist
who was of the mind that they needed to be in a permanent
relationship if they were going to buy a house together.

The silly human had hounded him for months for the marriage

thing. Eroc maintained that it had been a moment of weakness after
their first show at Ozzfest when Dante had asked in front of a crowd
of ten thousand people for Eroc to stop being a stubborn ass and
marry him already. Eroc had been understandably reluctant to jump
into anything too soon, but Dante had a valid argument. After losing
his immortality to stay with him, it made even less sense for him to
delay the permanence of their union. But Eroc had wanted to be sure.
He never understood how sure Dante was about everything all the
time.

“Have I mentioned how much I love being a professional

musician?” Dante asked, coming up behind him in the glass and
nuzzling the side of Eroc’s neck.

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“Hmm, only every day since you signed with the label and got

your big, fat advance check,” Eroc teased. Dante was no longer the
struggling musician he’d been when they’d met, and he’d achieved
his dream all on his own.

“Well, it bears repeating.” Dante pressed a kiss to the shell of

Eroc’s ear. “Did you call for Chinese?”

Eroc nodded. It was always strange to him the normalcy with

which he now lived. Getting used to being human was something he
was still working on even a year after his conversion from demon to
man. “Yeah. They said it would be twenty or thirty minutes before the
delivery guy gets here.” The new Chinese restaurant that they favored
lately was on speed dial. They had long days at the studio, and more
often than not they didn’t feel like cooking once they were home. Of
course, Dante still insisted on making them breakfast on the weekends
whether they were home or not.

“Was it worth it?” Dante asked, holding him tightly from behind,

his head resting gently on Eroc’s shoulder.

“Was what worth it?”
“Giving up immortality for me?”
Eroc considered the question. There was no hesitation in his

answer. Of course it was worth it. However, Dante preferred when
Eroc really thought about his questions before he blurted out the truth
of things. His life had been pretty meaningless as a demon, but the
powers had been awesome, along with the inability to catch colds.
The first one he’d had a few months previously had made him
downright miserable. Things were harder as a human. There was no
doubt about it. However, Dante gave him so much more than what
he’d gotten as an Incubus. He’d given him love and had proven those
first few days of passion had been sustainable in the long haul with
his commitment and steadfast devotion. All of which was something
out of Eroc’s wildest fantasies. No Incubus expected love.

“I am the luckiest man on the planet,” Eroc said. “Immortality is a

small price to pay, beautiful man.” He turned from the window and

The Incubus Song

wrapped his arms around Dante’s waist to bring their hips flush
against one another. “How can I convince you that I’m happy,
Master?”

Dante kissed him, and as usual it took his breath away. The rocker

drew back with a sigh. “I don’t know. You’ve seemed a little
overwhelmed lately.”

Eroc shrugged. “The world is an overwhelming place. I’m having

to learn it all over again.” He winked. “You’re the only thing I’m sure
about, Dante. Don’t question it.”

“I just want to make sure you’re happy, Eroc. You mean

everything to me.”

“Aw, I love you, too, human.” Eroc loved teasing his rock star.

For all his bad-ass imagery, Dante really was a kind soul. Eroc would
know. He’d stolen it once.

“Imp,” Dante rumbled, his hands sliding down to clutch Eroc’s

ass. “You are trouble.”

“Have been since I was born, oh beautiful boyfriend of mine.”

Husband. He’s my husband now. The thought made Eroc grin. “You
know, I’m the first one in my family to get married.”

“Oh?”
“Oh yeah. Incubi and Succubi typically don’t get hitched. Did you

see their faces at the ceremony? My father looked like he was going
to cry.” He snickered at that. It had been a source of endless
amusement to him. He’d wondered at Dante’s family’s reaction to his,
but they’d seemed to mingle quite well. None of them had stepped
even a toe out of line. “I was surprised they showed up at all. I
wonder how they knew where we were.” It had been a very private
affair. Only Dante’s immediate family, the band, and a few other
members of the record label had been invited to attend. The fact that
Eroc’s family had shown up at all was unusual.

Dante frowned. “Your family was there? I didn’t see them.”
Eroc blinked. “Um, they were sitting in the entire back row.”

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Dante shook his head. “I didn’t see them. I thought the producers

and studio guys were sitting on the back row.”

“They were in the row behind them.” Understanding dawned.

“The king even gave me a present at the reception.” He pulled out of
his arms and went into their bedroom. He knelt on the floor beside the
bed and fished under it for the box his father had given him.

Dante must’ve followed him, because he was leaning against the

doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest when Eroc
straightened with his box. “Eroc, you’re acting really strange.”

“No,” Eroc said, sitting down on the edge of the bed and

motioning him over. “You don’t understand. I think they were trying
not to be seen by mortals. If that was the case, then I shouldn’t have
been able to see them either. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Dante’s frown deepened. “Then what does it mean?” he asked,

crossing the carpet before sitting beside Eroc on the bed.

“When I opened the box when we got home, it was empty. I didn’t

get it then, but I think I do now.” He untied the red ribbon and opened
what he’d thought was an empty box. Inscribed in the bottom of the
box wasn’t a logo like Eroc had originally thought. It was a script
written in Gehennan.

“What is going on, Eroc? This is weirding me out.”
He took Dante’s hand and placed it in the box against the words.
“Where mortal life was laid ahead and a mortal ending:

slumbering dead.

“What was taken, now undone. Two souls split, made mortal, one.
“Love has joined in infinite desire, cast aside their bonds with

fire,” Eroc read. The room lit up with blue flame as the final words
were spoken.

Dante yelped and pulled his hand back. “What the fuck was that?”

he asked, rubbing his hand like it had been burned.

“Something I thought was just a little ditty about us as a couple

but was really our wedding present. I hadn’t seen magick like this
before. The king was apparently testing us the whole time we’ve been

The Incubus Song

together, watching us and making sure we kept our word when we
said we loved one another. If either of us had been lying, the spell
would’ve killed us at the reception. It was the test he was talking
about at the beginning of our courtship.” Eroc closed the lid of the
box and beamed up at him. “Though I didn’t know there would be a
reward for passing.”

Dante shook his head. “I still don’t understand.”
“The test he would’ve given us tests our love. If it isn’t pure, the

spell kills. It’s his sneaky method of still getting his way despite us
telling him to shove it. If we pass the test, then the spell grants
immortality.” He grinned at his lover. “So how do you feel about
living forever?”

Dante blanched. “Um, I hadn’t really thought of it. Why didn’t

you say something when I told him to fuck off?”

Eroc shrugged. “In case you missed it, I was a little in shock

during the whole thing.”

“So we’re immortal now? As in, never going to die?”
“That’s the long and short of it, Master,” Eroc said with a wink.

“Is that okay?” He didn’t want his lover stuck with something as big
as eternity if he wasn’t okay. Not that Eroc knew how to undo it, but
he’d figure out a way.

Dante smiled that soft smile of his that made Eroc know that

everything was going to be just fine. “All rock stars want to live
forever. How cool is it that I actually get to do it? It looks like happily
ever after just got a whole lot longer.”

Eroc leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Dante’s lips. His lover

was so accepting of things that would freak most humans out. It made
him proud to call this man his own. “Is eternity long enough to satisfy
you?” he teased, pulling Dante down on the bed beside him.

His lover ran his hands reverently down Eroc’s chest. “As long as

it’s with you, yes. I’ll need that long to figure you out, baby.”

That was just fine with Eroc. The former demon let the box the

king of Incubi had given him fall to the floor and wrapped his arms

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around Dante’s neck. “We should get up before the Chinese gets
here.”

“Hmmm, last I checked we had twenty minutes.”
Eroc laughed, and his lover’s will carried them both into the realm

of ecstasy he’d only experienced with the man beside him. The
prospect of forever seemed infinitely better when he thought about
Dante being by his side. The familiar crackle of energy inside him let
him know that immortality wasn’t the only gift that the king had
given them. He did an internal happy dance as he embraced the
remnants of some of his more prominent powers. With a snap of his
fingers, their clothing was gone. Oh yes. I missed that. Life was going
to get a little easier now that Eroc didn’t have to learn how to be
completely human. Dante laughed, the sound joyous. As their lips met
and his lover’s familiar taste invaded his mouth, Eroc couldn’t help
but think that happily ever after had never tasted so sweet.

THE END

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jana Downs lives in the beautiful mountains of Western North

Carolina with three cats, one dog, several dozen fish, and a very
understanding partner in crime who hates to read but makes
exceptions for her stories.

You can usually find her either watching bad reality TV, buying

way too many books on Amazon, or dreaming up another man or two
to occupy her time, because life is good, but several drop-dead
gorgeous, nonexistent men is just better.

For all titles by Jana Downs, please visit