Next-Door Incubus

Dani

“Harder.”

Eros shoved me against the wall, one arm wrapped under my leg, his other hand wrapped around my throat. I dug my fingers into the stone above me, looking for something—anything—to hold myself up. He pulled me closer with every thrust.

My cheeks warmed, and I breathed slowly out of my nose, my head in a fog. “More,” I said. I needed more.

I wrapped my legs around Eros’s waist. He thrusted faster and drew my nipple into his mouth, his teeth grazing against it. I clenched around him, ready to release myself, but he pulled out. “I didn’t say that you could cum yet, did I?”

“Don’t stop,” I whimpered.

He sat me on our mahogany bed and grasped my chin. “Did I?” he asked. I smirked at him, eyes wide with excitement. I could devour him for days upon days and never get tired of him. He teased my clit with his fingers. “Answer me, Dani, or I’ll rub your sensitive little clit all day and not let you cum once.”

I rested one of my arms on his shoulder, gazing into his black eyes. The pressure was building in my core, and I could just feel the head of his dick poking at my entrance. I was so damn close.

My lips parted, and he jerked his hand away. I pulled it back. “No, don’t stop, please. I’ll be good.”

“What do you want?” he asked, fingers hovering over my clit. The heat from his fingers radiated off of them, and I ached for more.

“I want you.”

He thrusted back into me quite roughly, and I came almost instantly—not being able to hold off anymore. I took a deep breath and sunk into the velvet comforter on our bed. “How long have we been here?”

“Three, maybe four hours.” He rolled off of me, breathing heavy. “You’re building your stamina nicely.”

One week had passed since the night I found out about my true origins. Eros’s parents and Javier were gone, and we had been living in the palace. To say, I’d adjusted to the way of life down here would be a lie. It was still freaky to walk into the Lust Room hall and see half-naked people, but Eros said that it’d be second nature someday.

I had been visiting Dr. U every day—even on the weekends. Though I didn’t tell her about becoming the Queen of Lust, she knew that something was off that first morning I peeked my head into her office and brought her more Fervor Crisps as a thank you for loving me for years when nobody else had. Unlike usual, she didn’t pry for information, just told me that she would be there for me through anything. And, for the first time in a long time, I felt like her and Mom were truly proud of me for everything that I had become.

I turned onto my side and gazed at Eros. “Was this your plan all along?” I asked. I’d been thinking about how I ended up in Hell and why I was really here for a few days now. The official Commander ceremony would happen next month, and I had realized that I didn’t know much about my journey to Hell. “Was your plan always to get me to rule the kingdom?”

Eros faced me and placed his hand on my bare hip. “Yes.”

“So…” I motioned between us. “Were we part of the plan?”

“No,” he said, cheeks turning a light pink. “At first, my goal was to see if you were ready and to flirt with you a bit. But you were too irresistible. I found myself thinking about you more than I pla

I gri

“The Halloween party.”

“Oh, God.” I playfully slapped his chest. “That was the worst night you could’ve fallen for me. I was sobbing and puking and—”

“And wearing those horns. Sexy, powerful, and strong. Such a bad night to fall in love with you, right?”

I curled into his arm, feeling comfortable and happy for once. “Was Lucifer part of this plan?”

“After my parents banished me, Lucifer had a distaste toward them, so he’s actually the one who suggested that I find you soon.”

“And the threesome?” I inhaled his relaxing ci

He chuckled. “That was my idea. I figured Lucifer would like you and I wanted you to get comfortable with sex.”

“You couldn’t prepare me for Lust by yourself?”

Eros grasped my face gently, some strands of his dark hair falling onto his forehead. I pushed them away and smiled. “I could, but you’re really strong. You took Javier’s life with a single kiss. Nobody in this kingdom can do that. And as you get stronger, you’re going to need to feed off of more sexual energy than I can provide you with,” he said.

I shook my head. “No, I don’t need anyone else but you.” I hoped that it wasn’t true. “My dad did it with Mom—had one mate, I mean. I can too.”

“You are so much stronger than your father, Dani. You don’t understand the power you wield. You will need more than just me, and, when that time comes, I understand that I will need to be okay with that.”

But I didn’t want anyone else. I wanted him, only him.

“What about my angel abilities? Can’t I sort of… stop that feeling with them?”

“I’m not sure. We’ll have to wait and see once they manifest, but I don’t know if they will down here in Hell.” He smiled at me, thumb brushing across my cheek. “But we can worry about that when the time comes. Why don’t you go get ready for the party tonight?”

I rolled out of bed, tied a black silk robe around myself, and gazed out of the window. We were on the highest floor of the castle, amongst the feathery white clouds. On a clear day, I could see everything from up here—the white walkways, the trees with soft pink leaves, the Garden of Passion, even the nearest town that was always bustling with demons from all the kingdoms.

Eros walked up behind me and rested his chin on my shoulder. “I actually have a few things to tell you before you go. Trevon was released from The Chains. He seems to be doing okay, but I’m keeping a watch on him. Zane and Maria will be coming over tonight. And… Kasey is still mad at me for killing our parents.”

I gnawed on the inside of my cheek. She had been ignoring all of my texts this past week. Mycah didn’t say much to me either. When I saw her at Ollie’s yesterday morning, I could tell that she wanted to talk to me, but she didn’t say a word. I hoped we could resolve this because—although the kingdom seemed much friendlier without their parents—many people like Sathanus, were angry that we killed the King, Queen, and one of the Lords of Lust. And, besides that, I wanted a friend in Hell.

“Also…” Eros smiled against my ear. “Before you get ready, there’s an envelope in the throne room for you. Please open it.”

“Who is it from?”

“Your father.”

“From Dad?” I asked, eyes growing wide. I pulled Eros into a hug, pressed my lips to his, and smiled. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” I hurried out of the room, listening to Eros chuckling behind me, and ran down the nearest stone staircase.

The stairs were lit with flaming pink torches and seemed to go on forever. But when I finally made it to the bottom level, I pushed through the doors and navigated the hallway—with the help of some guards—to the throne room.

From the doorway, a large red carpet led directly to a raised red throne. Archways with white candles hanging off of their posts surrounded the room. I stepped in and walked toward the throne, my ring drawing me to it.

A white, tattered envelope laid on the seat. I carefully picked it up, sat down, and opened it. In strong cursive writing, the letter read:

Dear Daughter,

I know I will never get to see you, and that is something that hurts me the most. I wished to watch you command our kingdom with all the supremacy and might I know you will have. But there are people who want our blood and our souls. So, your mother departed to the Heavens to keep you safe. I hope she succeeded.

If you find this message once I’m gone, know that I loved you and your mother—more than I thought a demon could love. I hope you will acquire her gentle heart and forgive those who hurt you. You’re the essence of light and dark, good and bad, saint and si