Betrayed by the Incubus

His prey drove away. Their headlights illuminated the desolate cliff side as night encroached, the sun setting in crimson fire. Assured they wouldn't return, Phillip Devlin Moreau banished the illusion of a silver Miata convertible parked in the driveway.

Gazing at the unfamiliar stars overhead, he remembered a time spent patrolling the skies of Rhira as a winged member of the Harmonian race. When the rapture of flight meant more than the gratification gained from sex. Before his wings were sacrificed in pursuit of revenge. Before he became a vessel for the Incubus's dark soul.

A seagull's cry brought his thoughts back to Earth. He released his grip on the front porch as his strength returned. Crafting the house and surrounding landscape from the threads of illusion siphoned away most of his power. He'd be vulnerable until Fiona Nightengale Richardson and her husband Lance moved in and he could feed.

Phillip descended the porch steps and strolled around the side of the house to the backyard. Memories cascaded in time with the crashing waves, as Fiona resembled Miranda enough for them to have been twin sisters. Seven hundred years he searched for the descendants of Miranda Nightengale. His love, his mate.

The woman who should have been his.

He lost her to the Harmonian TriCouncil's machinations. They'd panicked at the idea of a Nightengale-Moreau union. The council had convinced her to mate with another and leave their homeworld, Rhira. He'd abandoned his place within the golden palace and forfeited the air currents in order to pursue her.

Four hundred years ago he found her descendants. He waited another three hundred before a daughter with an incomplete mating-bond and enough power to mate with him came of age.

His plan for revenge began with the birth of a child from his and Miranda's bloodlines. A son could bring down the corrupt council and free the Harmonians from the council's tyranny. A daughter could be taught to rule from the bedroom.

Phillip peered into the dark forest shadows, seeking a predator among the trees. Waist high, two amber eyes regarded him with a burning hatred.

"There you are, my dear. Come to me, Cassandra." He added a touch of power to enforce the command. All succubae carried the taint of his incubus blood even if he didn't sire them directly.

This one required careful handling. She craved her independence. A lot like him. He knew once she produced the child required of her, she would leave Rhira and his dominion. Sadness engulfed him each time a daughter of his heart departed.

She leapt across the yard. Her wings spread open to encompass their full span. She landed next to him on all four limbs. Her hair billowed out behind her, a cascade of burnt red. Her bare skin glowed in the moonlight, a pale silvery gray.

He examined her with a critical eye. Her breasts were nicely rounded, her nipples pert from the cool air. Her hips were wide enough to bear children and attract the attention of a male. She was indeed ready to progress to the next stage.

"Fiona's husband carries Harmonian blood. You can fulfill your obligation to me earlier than expected."

"My pleasure," she murmured. Her wings vibrated like a humming bird and the high-pitched lilt in her voice betrayed her impatience. And her contempt for him.

Phillip absorbed the negative emotions radiating from her. Ice-cold power coursed through his body. He raised his hand and forced her to bow her head. "You will only get your chance at freedom if you follow my orders. This mission is not about you. It is mine. Do not thwart me."

"Yes, my lord," she gasped. Her head sagged, and her wings brushed the ground.

Satisfied with her submission, he ordered, "Go, find a place to rest. We must wait for them to take possession of the house."

Wind brushed his face as she flew into the air. Graceful, she arced in the sky around the home. She hovered near the second-story bathroom window before dissolving into mist and penetrating the house. She could have walked through the walls, but that wasn't this daughter's way. She preferred to push the boundaries of power and his patience.

 The roar of crashing waves drew him to the cliff's edge. Seven hundred years weighed upon him—a bitter, empty existence that should have been more. Tendrils of obsidian power snaked from the inner core of the incubus soul and wrapped around his heart.
"You are not alone,"
it whispered in the night.

His thoughts refocused on the revenge within his grasp. Fiona Nightengale Richardson would pay for her many-times-removed grandmother's betrayal. She'd provide the child he desired.

He removed his shirt and reveled in the caress of the ocean breeze against his skin. His heart filled with a longing for the sky. Even the unquenchable hunger of the dark power within him could not match the thrill of gliding between air currents. But in the end, his revenge would be worth the forfeiture of his wings.

His knees buckled. He dissolved into a fine mist and entered the locked house. To survive he leeched the emotions of others. At night, he gorged himself on their dreams, reveling in the loss of control by the subconscious mind. Soon enough he would indulge in the seduction of his main target.

For now, he corralled the lust for revenge coursing through him like a wild stallion. It would have to sustain him until Fiona arrived.

Only in the ecstasy of sex could his fantasies come alive.

Spasms wracked his body as hunger drove Phillip to the edge of his control. Lance and Fiona settled into the house two weeks ago but the platonic nature of their relationship unnerved him. Each day as Lance left for work, Fiona kissed him. But the man avoided touching her. Lance never groped Fiona's breasts, squeezed her ass, or rubbed the sweet spot between her thighs. He did nothing to stoke the passion languishing within his wife.

Unless Phillip absorbed an intense wave of fear, passion, or rage within the next day, he'd lose the ability to maintain his invisibility. Already his body manifested when illuminated by sunlight. Forced to cling to the deepest shadows in the corners of rooms, his voyeuristic plan to learn the couple's intimate behaviors crumbled like the triple chocolate brownies Fiona ate to cope with her loneliness.

Then the phone rang.

As Lance answered the shrill cry, Phillip would've ignored the call except airy feminine laughter caught his attention. He followed the other man into another room and discovered the reason for Lance's disinterest in Fiona.

An affair.

His blood boiled on Fiona's behalf, but he wouldn't hesitate to use the breach of trust to his advantage. Observing Lance with his mistress would provide him with the insight needed to mimic Lance's behaviors in order to seduce Fiona.

Concealed within threads of illusion, Phillip rode in the passenger's seat while Lance drove into town. The car stopped in front of a typical two-story, two-car-garage suburban home. A warm and inviting front porch and white picket fence completed the family dream home atmosphere. Philip's intuition insinuated whatever happened tonight would lead the family far from their ideal dream.

A localized wind drew his attention to the roof as Cassandra landed. She would prove useful tonight.

No one met them as he trailed Lance through the house. Professional portraits of two children and crayon art decorated the walls. They stopped before a door he assumed led to the master bedroom.

"Be strong. You can tell her no." Lance braced himself before entering the room.

A couple sat on opposite sides of the bed. Phillip ignored the ordinary human male with sandy-brown hair and brown eyes. The striking woman with white—blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes made his cock hard and enflamed his hunger. She possessed more Harmonian genetics than human.

Already betrayed by one angelic female, he fought his body's instinctual response to the desire she raised. In his current state, he'd likely kill her rather than satisfy his lustful cravings. Jealously, impotent rage, and desire swirled around the room compressing the already tight quarters.

Her innate power drew men to her, no matter what she asked of them. He understood how Lance fell under her spell and why the human male allowed his wife to become pregnant by another man. Only a male with Harmonian DNA could give her the children so proudly showcased around the home.

"I told you last time was the end. Why did you call again?" Lance's voice squeaked, his aggressive stance belied by a pitiful whine.

Anger lit the woman's eyes a second before she regained control. She circled Lance, placing a hand on his chest. "I…" She glanced back at her husband. "We'd like to have a third child. As the father of Marc and Helen, you're the natural person to ask."

Philip shivered as her power passed through him. On Rhira, she could have been one of the cherished Princesses. He thanked the Wind God Ventieolus her powers were restrained here on Earth. Taking advantage of the unexpected boost, he fed upon the dark energies swirling around the room.

Lance stepped away from her. "I don't know. Things have changed." His fingers ran through his hair. "Fiona wants a child, and I should focus on my wife. I've enjoyed our time together, Trevor and Rachel. And I don't regret your kids, but I want to give Fiona the family she desires." He stared at the ground and whispered, "I owe it to her."

Phillip couldn't allow Lance to reconnect with Fiona. Taking advantage of the bond between Rachel and Lance, he seeded the air with tendrils of seductive heat and the lure of true love. Each breath would deepen that connection and lead them to their downfall.

The married couple eyed each other, a silent communication passing between them. "Lance," Trevor spoke quietly, "Rachel and I appreciate all you've given us. But we were hoping for one more child." He watched his wife for cues and only continued when she nodded at him. "We can't have a baby on our own. Please, this one last time."