A Ride of Peril (A Shade of Vampire #46)(9)

“You’re right, Vita. There is something going on between Anjani and me, but I’m not sure exactly what it is, if that makes sense.”

“More than you might think.” I smirked as I opened one of the boxes, thinking of Bijarki.

My relationship with the incubus wasn’t exactly clear either. There was something, but it was difficult to pin it down beyond the point of attraction. It went further than lust but was still undefined. I understood Jovi perfectly. I crinkled my nose at the sight of an old pair of men’s shoes, worn down by the passage of time.

“Whatever it is,” Jovi said, “it has the potential to be the most extraordinary thing that I could possibly experience. Anjani is fierce and always on the defensive. It’s a cultural thing, mostly. But I want to get through her defenses. I swear I have never felt like this before, and I’m positive that the feeling is mutual. Her body, her reactions, don’t lie, no matter how cool she tries to play it.”

I nodded slowly, moving to the second dresser.

“I’m surprised by your courage,” I replied. “I mean, the incubi, the succubi, their nature is designed to be seductive, to attract. How do you know for sure that these are genuine feelings that you’re experiencing for Anjani and not the effects of the succubus influence?”

I had asked myself the same question about Bijarki before, so it was interesting to get insights from one of my own about this peculiar race of Eritopians. I was hoping that it would help shed some light on my own situation, to get some kind of confirmation that feeling like this could genuinely be just me, and not the incubus influence.

“It’s all me, Vita,” Jovi replied, moving to look under the bed.

“Aren’t you afraid you’ll get hurt?”

“You mean, get my heart broken?”

He looked up at me for a moment, amused, before he resumed his search.

“Well, yes. You’re not made of stone.”

“I’m positive that I’m not under her succubus influence,” he replied.

“How do you know for sure?”

“At first, she wasn’t really aware of her succubus effect being on all the time, and yes, I was under her spell. But the moment she realized that she was affecting me, she tried hard to reign it in. She was quite frustrated about it, actually. Slowly but surely, she got the hang of it. Anjani’s a young succubus. Even her sister says there’s so much that she still has to learn,” Jovi explained.

I found nothing in the second dresser either and moved to the vanity table, while he looked through the bedside tables, which were beautifully carved in red mahogany with gold inlays.

“I can definitely tell whether I’m under her influence or not by now. She’s given me her word that she doesn’t want me under her succubus spell,” he added, the shadow of a smile flickering over his face as he seemed to remember something. “She said that if I was ever to come to her, it would be of my own volition.”

I stood up, processing all the information he’d given me. A lot of it made sense and resonated with what Bijarki had already told me. But I still found myself in awe of Jovi. He was much braver than I was when it came to his feelings. Personally, I worried about getting my heart broken in the end.

“How can you tell?” I asked, ready to check potential symptoms off my list.

“First of all, the one thing I’ve learned so far, with absolute certainty about both succubi and incubi, is that their word is their bond,” Jovi smiled. “If they tell you they’re not using their ability on you, or that they’re trying their best not to, it is the absolute truth. They’re genuine. Well, at least the succubi and one incubus I’ve met so far.” He pulled the bed covers aside, checking under the pillows and the mattress.

I was finished with my search, so I stood at the foot of the bed, waiting for him to finish.

“Second, Anjani used her succubus nature intentionally once, and believe me when I tell you, I felt the difference. Your head gets light, you’re off balance, your body tingles, and your heart beats at an alarming rate. You can feel it, Vita. It’s something so intense, it’s impossible to ignore or mistake for something else. Your mind stops listening, and all you can think of is touching, kissing, and feeling everything.”

“So, it’s basically more intense than pure physical attraction?”

“It’s like hugging the sun, Vita. You burn and you can’t do anything about it. Putty in their silvery hands.” He chuckled. “Anjani used her nature on me once at full power, just to prove a point. Trust me, you can tell if Bijarki ever uses it on you. No doubt about it.”

I nodded, feeling a wave of relief washing over me. At the same time, my heart twisted into knots, as I got the confirmation I needed—I had feelings for Bijarki, all of them mine, not a single thread fabricated by the incubus, not even a smidge to sway me in his direction. And Jovi had noticed. The realization smacked me over the head, making me gawk at him.

“You know about Bijarki?” I managed to ask.

“It doesn’t take a scientist, Vita.” He smirked. “There’s clearly something going on between the two of you.”

The way he took my words and used them against me merited a round of applause. I nodded my appreciation with a faint smile.

“That being said…yes, of course I’m afraid I’ll get my heart broken, Vita.”