In this scene, originally published at Literary Escapism in July 2015<\/a>,\u00a0Cairn, an incubus, has just been accidentally summoned by a woman, Mary, who needs his help to protect her brother, a soldier stationed half a world away. Originally\u00a0this scene is told from the point of view of Mary so it was fun to take a look at it from\u00a0Cairn’s\u00a0perspective.<\/p>\n Enjoy \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n Though Cairn could tell from the gray light which trickled down through the cellar door that it was daylight, she carried a lantern with her as she descended the stairs. Its flickering light bathed her, emphasizing the warm tones in her red-gold hair. She\u2019d changed into a dress rather than the cotton nightgown she\u2019d been wearing when she summoned him, but her feet remained bare and she curled her toes around the rough wooden stairs with each step.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is the date?\u201d he asked as she reached the bottom of the steps.<\/p>\n She hung the lantern from the pillar just outside the circle which bound him. \u201cApril 7th, 1917.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c316.\u201d It had been three hundred and sixteen years since he had last been summoned\u2014since Ferenc had cursed and exiled him. Just over three centuries. Funny. It had felt much longer.<\/p>\n \u201cPardon?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing,\u201d he said with a shake of his head. Ferenc was just a man and would be long dead by now\u2014he was no longer a priority. Keeping this red-haired witch happy enough to avoid banishment until he could find a way out of the circle? That<\/em> was what he needed to worry about. Later, when he was free, he would find Ferenc\u2019s grave and piss on it. \u201cWhat did you bring?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI brought his pillow. I thought he might have left hair on it, and, well, he dreamed on it every night.\u201d<\/p>\n The girl looked embarrassed, but the soldier\u2019s pillow would make the perfect focus to help Cairn target his spell. He told her as much as he took the pillow from her fingers\u2026mmm her fingers\u2014they were callused and warm with small, slightly-chewed fingernails. While his lips kept moving only part of his attention was focused on the words coming out of it, the other was distracted with images of all the places he would like her to touch with those fingers. He imagined how it her palms would feel pressed against his chest, the look on her face as she moaned in pleasure and her nails scraped down his back\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cPardon?\u201d she said again, and he wondered if perhaps his proximity was having more of an effect on her than he had imagined.<\/p>\n \u201cI said,\u201d he replied. \u201cThis will work perfectly. Now I need you to join me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? I don\u2019t know what kind of\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Cairn resisted the urge to laugh. He was an incubus. Where did she think his power came from? Instead he held his arms up, palms out, to stop her protest before it could build too much momentum. \u201cYou are asking me to cast a powerful spell on a target far away. My powers are weak from centuries of banishment and disuse. I need to recover them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that\u2019s very well and good,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I don\u2019t see\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m an incubus,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Her thoughts were written across her face as clearly as the arcane symbols she had etched into the packed earth floor around him. He watched, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning as confusion was replaced by understanding, then shock, and finally anger.<\/p>\n \u201cYou want me to have sex with you, or you won\u2019t save my brother.\u201d Anger simmered beneath her words and her eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n \u201cOr I cannot<\/em> save your brother,\u201d he corrected. \u201cUnless you know someone else who would join me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d she snapped and Cairn arched an eyebrow at the vitriol in her voice.<\/p>\n \u201cHow do I know you\u2019re not just trying to trick me? That you\u2019ll keep your word?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe circle binds me. So long as it remains intact, even when I am at full power, it will not let me lie, leave, or break my word.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you say.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA test, then. Kiss me. Kiss me, and it will restore enough power that I can protect your brother a short time, at least until sundown. After that you can decide about the full spell.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd how long does the full spell last?\u201d She shifted her weight from one foot to the other while her fingers clutched at the folds of her skirt. Poor thing, she looked terrified, but he would bet his life she was no virgin.<\/p>\n \u201cUntil the next blue moon.\u201d He suspected his girl would keep talking, keep asking questions, until she talked herself out of this. He could not have that. This was so frustrating! In addition to his magic being weakened from spending so long without sustenance it felt dampened, dull as an old sword. Something else was definitely going on with this girl, increasing her resistance to his powers.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s a\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKiss me,\u201d he said low in his throat, putting all of his will into the words. Her pupils dilated and she stepped toward him, pressing her bare toes against the salt circle that constrained him.<\/p>\n \u201cKiss me,\u201d he repeated.<\/p>\n I enjoy telling a story or scene from a single point of view and later revisiting it and telling the same story or scene from the point of view of a different character. It’s not just being lazy, I promise, … Continue reading ![\"DEMONS-IMPS-INCUBI-cover-art\"](\"http:\/\/www.corividae.com\/shiny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/DEMONS-IMPS-INCUBI-cover-art.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nDemons, Imps and Incubi is available at all the usual locations \ud83d\ude42<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"