Soul Tied to the Incubus King [Book I]

We Shall Be Friends

Cassidy POV--

Silence. All I hear is deafening silence. I want to open my eyes, but I'm afraid of what I might see in front of me. Daniel he..he succeeded. He finally got what he wanted. Was I dead? I shift my weight a bit. No...I think I'm still alive...but how?

Cassidy, you have to open my eyes

I coax myself. I do, and instead of my living room, I find myself in a completely different place. Black silk sheets cling to my body, and I try to sit up. My eyes adjust to the light, and I take in my surroundings. It's beautiful. Large windows hidden behind black curtains allow just a small amount of light inside and I can tell that it's morning. The furniture is modern but still different...Gothic. I like it. I want to look at more, but I still feel pretty weak, and before I realize it, I collapse back onto the bed. I look up at the ceiling and see my reflection staring back at me. A mirror...on the ceiling? I look at myself. My clothes are different from the ones I had on when Daniel... a tear falls from my eye and quickly wipe it away, wincing at the pain of moving. I look back down at the sheets that are draped over me. They look familiar.

"Where have I seen these before?" I mutter out loud. "I've transported you here a few times when you were dreaming." Electricity shoots through me when I hear the voice in the corner. I knew who it was without even looking in his direction. My voice catches in my throat. Miccoli sits in the chair in the corner with one leg over the other. "Of course you would have mirrors on your ceiling," I say at an attempt of humor. He doesn't laugh. I try to hold it in, but I can't anymore. Tears flow from my eyes, and I no longer attempt to wipe them. In an instance, Miccoli is beside me. He puts his muscular arms around me and holds me close. I inhale his scent. A mix of cedarwood and aftershave. It was a smell I had grown quite fond of. "You came for me," I say into his chest. Miccoli runs his hand through my hair. It calms me. "I'll always come for you Little One." My heart skips a beat hearing that.

"Daniel-he"

"He didn't Cassidy...he tried but he didn't."

A feeling of relief washed over me upon hearing the revelation. He didn't finish. I tried hard to remember what happened, but I couldn't. "Did you stop him?" I ask Miccoli. He raises one brow in confusion and then stares at me. He's silent for a while, and I begin to fidget. "What do you remember Cassidy?" He finally says. "I-I remember Beth, my sister in law Andrea, and Addeline-my daughter- leaving the house. There was a knock at the door, and I thought it was Beth telling me she left something, but it was Daniel. He-" My lip quivers and Miccoli rubs my back. It soothes me. "He stormed in the house, held me at knifepoint, and tried to r**e me." I looked up at Miccoli's eyes. They flashed from pale blue to red. "I remember...wishing you were there to save me...y-you said I summoned you once. I guess I was hoping I could again." He remained quiet still watching me.

"Is that all you remember?"

"Yes...I- I think I blacked out."

Miccoli's face hardened. He looked deep in thought, and I wondered what was on his mind. "I'm glad that you summoned me." He said, pushing some of my hair behind my ear. "Daniel-where is-" "I took care of it," Miccoli answered me sternly, giving me a look that made it clear that I shouldn't press further. I bite my lip and look down at my shirt.

"Where did I get these clothes?"

"I bought them and had one of the maids change you."

"Thank you," I say quietly. There was so much I wanted to say to him. I wanted to apologize to him, to thank him, to beg him to forgive me. A surge of emotions hit me all at once, and I began to cry again. Miccoli scoops me into his arms. "Please don't cry Little One. "He says, his voice dripping with concern. I pull my head from his chest and look at his face.

"I want to say something to you, but before I do I need you to do me a favor."

"Anything"

"I need you to change into...you." Miccoli stares at me silently. Moments pass, and I continue to look at him, without breaking eye contact. His eyes shift to pure white, and he slowly begins to transform in front of me. I take a deep breath. I reach up and run my hands over one of his horns. It has a few deep gashes on it, and I can't help but frown. "You can't be king without a few battles," Miccoli says sheepishly. I put my hand up to his face. He was unlike anything I had ever seen. He was beautiful.

"I'm so sorry for what I said to you."

"And I you."

" I need you to know that I don't think you're a monster, and you don't disgust me."

"I know Little One" The room felt like it was spinning Electric pulse and electric pulse surged through my body and I fought to keep from falling over. What was happening to me? "I missed you." I blurt out much to Miccoli and my surprise. He takes his hand, carefully as to make sure not to scratch me with his claw, and slowly rubs my hair. "I missed you more Little One." Heat surges through me again. "I want to start over...I-I want to be friends. I want to know all about you" Not having Miccoli in my life these past few months were hell. Although we hadn't had many conversations, I had grown to value him. I needed him to understand how much...I needed him, and I wanted him to need me too. Miccoli's eyes flashed an emotion I wasn't quite sure of. "Are you sure you want to be friends with me?." I can't help but smile at his question.

"Absolutely!"

"Then we shall be friends."

At this point, I knew I was probably grinning like a damn fool, but I didn't care. Miccoli was back in my life, and that meant so much to me. My eyes reluctantly left him, and found a new home on the alarm clock on the table beside the bed, 9 AM it read. "Oh my God...I need to be at Mark's parent's house in three hours." I hope off the bed and begin to panic. I didn't have any clothes, my hair was a mess, and my body was a wreck. As if in my thoughts, Miccoli interjected. "I can take you," he says. I ponder over the suggestion. If I went home and attempted to get my car, get dressed, and pack, I knew I would never arrive on time.

"I don't have any clothing I-"

" I had a friend of mine go and get some of your belongings." Miccoli looks down at the ground slightly. "I- I originally thought you may feel more comfortable if you stayed..with me." I immediately felt a tinge of guilt. Not only had he saved me, but he had gotten someone to change my clothing, and another person to fetch some of my things.

"You're amazing."

"And you're gonna be late," Miccoli responds, smirking at me. "Your clothes are in that suitcase over there. I had her pick out a few belongings. The master bath is straight through that door." My thoughts immediately went to the statement he made. Her. He had her pick out some things for me. Who was this mystery woman? Was she another maid? Jealousy crept into me, and I tried to immediately shake it off. It was none of my business who the mystery woman was, I was married! Refusing to damage our newfound truce I decided to let it go. "Thank you," I respond a little bit too sweetly, causing Miccoli to slightly smirk at me. "You're very welcome..I'll have the cook prepare breakfast while I wait." With that, he leaves the room.

I walk to the corner of the large master bedroom to look for where the case of my clothing could be. After finding it, I make my way to the bathroom, and almost die when I see it. It's stunning. Much like the bedroom, it was Gothic with a modern feel. There were two large mirrors encased in silver etching. One hungover top of the sink area, and the other directly over the tub. The bathroom held a black and white motif, the floors being white marble, with a matching white chandelier that hung right above Though I had come accustom to showers, the tub was huge, and I couldn't wait to sink my sore body inside. I ran the bath, and quickly undress, taking great care to be gentle with my body. I looked in the mirror. Bruises painted my ribs, stomach, and back, and I immediately looked away. I sink into the hot bath and allow myself to cry once more. How could he have done that to me? Over the years, Daniel flirted with me, but he had never been so blatantly bold. I would have never thought that he would have attacked me...twice. I wash my legs, and stomach and then proceed up to my arms, and wince when the soap hits my right one. I use the cloth to pour water over it, removing the soap curious as to what caused the pain. I stare at my arm in disbelief...my tattoo had changed. Where once was just the scenery of the woods, now laid something right in the middle that I didn't quite recognize. It looked less like a tattoo, and more like an etching, it's deep markings scarring my skin. I stand in the bath and look directly in the mirror and try to figure out what it is. After a few seconds, the imagery finally becomes clear.

In the scene of woods, was an etching of a wolf howling at the moon. Under it was a word written so small I initially missed it: Alpha.