Free Incubus by Jennifer Quintenz Page A

slam, Hale turned back to me, eyes heavy. “It’s your
    choice, Braedyn. But Thane isn’t wrong.”
    “No,” Dad said again.
    “Dad, it’s okay.” I took Dad’s hands in mine, willing him to listen to sense. “There are things I can
    do to help as a Lilitu that I wouldn’t be able to do as a human.”
    “Those things put you at risk,” he whispered.
    “I’m at risk anyway,” I said. “We all are.” I glanced around the room. Gretchen and Matthew still

    had their arms looped around Lucas, but they were watching us with solemn expressions now. Lucas’s
    met my eyes and nodded grimly.
    “There’s something else,” I said, taking a deep breath. “A caveat.”
    Dad stiffened, drawing back to get a better look at me. “Which is?”
    “I can’t harm humans.” I glanced at Matthew unintentionally. His expression hardened as our eyes
    met, and I knew he was remembering our kiss. I’d fed off his life energy, drawing enough to weaken
    him badly. That he’d volunteered to give me that energy to find and save Lucas didn’t matter. It was
    after that kiss that I’d discovered the deep red petals on all the roses in my dream garden. “Every time
    I feed off someone’s energy, I lose another bit of my humanity.”
    “I didn’t know,” Matthew said.
    “Me neither.” I smiled a thin smile and shrugged. Dad put a hand on my shoulder, drawing my
    attention back to him.
    “Braedyn, think carefully about this. The longer you go on as a Lilitu, the more you’ll face
    temptation.” his eyes flickered to Lucas before he could stop himself.
    “I know,” I whispered. “But this is something only I can do.”
    After a long moment, Dad nodded. I could tell he wasn’t convinced, but he held his tongue. Lucas
    met my eyes with a warmth I could almost feel.
    “So,” he said into the sudden quiet. “School. I think we can manage that.”
    The group chuckled, and returned to their seats at the table. As we continued with dinner, I saw
    Lucas staring wistfully at Hale and Dad. I could see how much he wanted to be included as a full
    member of the Guard, but for my part, I wasn’t in a hurry to take on more responsibility. Deep down I
    knew Lucas would be getting his wish sooner rather than later. And even if I became human
    tomorrow, I didn’t have that much longer to pretend to be a normal girl.

    Finding the seal affected Lucas more than I would have guessed. When I went over to the Guard’s
    house the next morning, Gretchen, sifting through a handful of mail in the living room, pointed
    wordlessly into the kitchen.
    I found Lucas leaning against a cracked tile counter, picking through a bowl of dry cereal
    listlessly.
    “Hey,” I said gently. “You ready for school?”
    He looked up and I felt my stomach twist a little. His beautiful eyes were drawn, tired. His hair
    even more tousled than normal. He didn’t have to tell me he hadn’t slept all night. I’d waited for him
    in the dream, but he’d never materialized.
    “How do you do it?” he breathed. “How do you act like everything’s the same as it was
    yesterday?”
    “Because it is,” I answered, my voice harsher than I intended. Lucas winced at me, raw emotions
    coursing through his features. Softening my tone, I moved to the counter beside him. “The seal was
    there yesterday. It was there the day before, too. If we’re right, it’s been there for centuries. That
    hasn’t changed. The only thing that has changed is now we know.”
    Lucas nodded, letting his eyes drop to the floor. “I guess you’re right.”
    “Lucas?”
    “I don’t know,” he said, anticipating me. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
    “Besides being exhausted?” I asked. “What kept you up last night?”
    “We’re practically living on the doorstep into the Lilitu world.” Lucas looked up at me, eyes
    drawn with exhaustion. “That doesn’t creep you out?”

    “Sure it does,” I said.
    “I guess there are some benefits to being able to