“So what?” I said, daring him to pull some of that possessive crap he was known for.
He sighed, as though my reaction was unjustified. “I’m guessing you didn’t invite him into your room through the door.”
“I didn’t.”
Andre’s mouth was grim. “Did you dream about him?”
I really didn’t want to have this conversation right now.
“I’m taking your silence for yes,” Andre said. As we drove onto campus, the lights that illuminated the grounds moved over his face. He was breaking about three school rules by dropping me off. And no one stopped him. Chickens.
“I think I know what he is.”
“And what’s that?” I asked.
Andre squeezed the wheel. He was brooding again, his expression dark and dangerous. “An incubus.”
***
“What is an incubus?” I asked.
The car crept past the men’s dorms. “Remember the doppelganger that attacked you two months ago?” I nodded. “It’s worse than that.” Fantastic.
He stopped the car in front of my dorm. Andre angled his body to face mine. “Promise me you’ll be careful,” he said.
“I promise I won’t munch on anyone before I see you next,” I said dutifully.
If eyes were windows to the soul, then his soul was vast and filled with so much pain. “I wasn’t talking about other people. I was talking about you.”
I studied Andre’s features. The concerned crease between his brows, his dark eyes that held so much emotion in them, his welcoming lips. So few people had cared about what happened to me that his expression almost undid me.
I breathed in sharply through my nose. “I promise I’ll be careful.”
He leaned forward and slid a hand to the back of my head. He pressed a kiss to my lips. It was warm, gentle, and filled with all sorts of longing.
I was already a goner.
***
I Googled the word incubus on my smartphone as I headed up to my room, partially so that I wouldn’t mope as the current between Andre and me slipped away. His goodbye kiss was still warm on my lips.
I clicked the first link I saw, which directed me to a Wikipedia article.
Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California.
I wish that was what landed in my bed last night. I scrolled down and clicked a link to a second Wikipedia article.
An incubus is a male demon who slips into dreams in an attempt to have sexual intercourse with the sleeper, usually for the purpose of fathering a child. Repeated intercourse with an incubus can result in physical deterioration and death.
I was officially going to barf. Why didn’t Andre tell me this? This was problematic, considering that I had no idea why the demon appeared, which meant that I had no idea how to prevent it from appearing again.
“Sexy mama!” Oliver shouted as I opened the door to my room. As soon as I saw my favorite fairy clad only in a pair of hot pink boxer briefs, I forgot about the incubus.
“Guess who’s your new roommate?” he squealed.
“What?” I tried to keep the alarm out of my voice.
Behind him a mattress sat between my bed and Leanne’s, covered with furry throw pillows, silk sheets, and a fluffy crimson comforter. Hands down it was the gaudiest thing I’d seen in a while.
Oliver followed my gaze to his makeshift bed. “Isn’t it gorgeous?” he gushed.
“Uh huh.” If I formed actual words, I didn’t think I’d be able to lie as convincingly.
Leanne sat at her desk, typing away at the computer. “Gabrielle, don’t sugarcoat it. That’s got to be the most hideous piece of furniture I’ve seen in a long time.”
Oliver sniffed. “I’m not going to let that get to me since I know you’re just upset about the candy.”
“You ate an industrial sized bag of chocolates!” Leanne said, swiveling around in her computer chair to face him. “That candy should’ve satisfied a group of twenty.”
“Now you’re just exaggerating. That’s like two chocolates per person.”
“Yeah, normal people eat about that much.”
Oliver shook his head. “That’s not nearly enough—not even for a pixie. And do I need to remind you just how small pixies are?”
“Why exactly are you going to be living with us?” I asked. It’s not like the school okay-ed this. In fact, I’d bet heavy money that Oliver got his roommate Paul to conjure the mattress, sheets, and pillows into existence.
“Because he wants to catch a glimpse of the guy with the big man bits,” Leanne said.
Oliver huffed. “No. I’m here to protect you two from any naked guy who might just show up.”
“So,” I said, “you’re here to catch a glimpse of the guy with the big man bits.”
He folded his arms. “You two need to get your minds out of the gutter,” he said.
I had to bite my lip not to laugh. Oliver couldn’t pull off looking offended when all he wore was a pair of hot pink boxer briefs.
I dropped my belongings next to my desk. “In all seriousness, Andre mentioned that this thing might be an incubus.”