Her Mortal Mate

Chapter Seventy Six: Incubus

Jadea

About an hour into the ride, everyone was asleep. Except for Adam. I encouraged him to tuck himself against my side and use my shoulder as a pillow, but he was far too wound up and getting more excited the closer we got to seeing his children.

“All good up there?” Garret asked.

“Yep. Almost everyone is asleep.”

“That’s not surprising. We haven’t really stopped for weeks now.”

No, we hadn’t.

“How are you doing?”

“Terrible,” he snarked. “Absolutely terrible. You should definitely make this a form of punishment.”

I chuckled at his rambling. “You are such a dork.”

“I am not a whale’s p***s!” He snapped back sounding so offended I about laughed aloud, because I hadn’t been expecting that from him. He sobered. “Honestly, it’s nice. Just listening to the road and being close to the foals.” Losing the horses had been hard on everyone, and we hadn’t had time to really grieve their loss. Not to mention we hadn’t had time to digest and come to terms with everything that happened in the last couple of weeks.

It was going to be nice to take some time at my father’s for some much needed R&R and reflection. “There’s just something soothing and calming about horses,” I agreed. “Try to get some rest too. You deserve it.”

“So do you, Jay. If you need a break, all you have to do is say the word. You know any one of us would be willing to relieve you.”

“I know. Thank you.”

“That’s something I hope Adam helps you with.”

“What’s that?”

“Learning to allow others to help you.”

I smiled, because Adam had touched upon that already. “I’ll get there. It’s just going to take some time.” It wasn’t easy to give over that kind of power, to rely on others with my needs.

“Hey.”

“Yeah Garret?”

“I just wanted to say I’m glad you found me. Thank you for everything.”

“Where’s this coming from?” He paused, hesitating.

“With everything that has gone on, especially when we were in the underground city, I realized we aren’t always promised tomorrow. Hell, all of us are aware of that because of the line of work we hail from. But, it just reminded me of how fragile we all really are. And I don’t want you to forget how much we need each other. How much you are needed and loved by everyone in this pack.”

“I love you too, Garret,” I whispered back, fighting the tears that wanted to spill. “I really appreciate everything you do for me, even if you are a pain in my ass.” I couldn’t help it.

“But I’m a lovable pain in the ass.”

“Always.” After mentally hugging me, he retreated and I felt him drift off to sleep. Looking in the mirror, I saw Chance uncomfortably stuffed in the middle between Blade and Derrick. I had no doubt he would fit right in with us once he was comfortable with everyone.

Adam’s hand was suddenly on my thigh, caressing down the length to my knee and back. “Vanilla?” I asked, reaching out to interlace our fingers.

“I’m nervous.”

“About seeing your kiddos?”

He shook his head and I felt the gears in his head working.

“You’re nervous about starting your training as a wolf?”

“I’m afraid I’m not going to be any good at it,” he admitted.

Oh, my sensitive teddy bear of a mate. I lifted our combined hands to kiss the back of his hand. “You’re going to surprise yourself.”

“Is there a chance you could just work with me, one on one, for a while? So, I don’t make a complete i***t of myself?”

“I’m going to stand my ground with this one. For many reasons. The main one being I need to be present for the rest of the wolves who are training. I need to be available to work with them and train with them so they are familiar with me, because my father will be expecting me to take lead when it comes to combat and high-stakes situations.” While I worked and trained with my father’s pack in the past, it wasn’t the same. I wasn’t an alpha back then and I had no experience leading. It was different now. “I need to give as much time to them as I can, so when it matters there will be a seamless transfer of cooperation and power. I will be there to help you. If it is deemed necessary, I will set up individual training sessions. However, based on how your first hunt went, I doubt you will have a problem.” “

I still haven’t remembered.”

“It will come, eventually,” I assured him.

Silence stretched between us and I knew there was something else he wanted to talk about. “Could we talk about Leila?” He sounded unsure, even hurt, and I cursed her because I felt his past insecurities and traumas flaring.

“Yes, we can. What would you like to know?”

“You said she was an incubus. What does that mean?”

“An incubus is a lower-class demon. There aren’t very many, because procreating is … difficult.” I wasn’t exactly sure how to explain it, because it wasn’t something I knew much about either. “Anyway, like other demons, when their original body is destroyed, they can take over a host body. Well… incubus don’t necessarily overhaul the host’s body like normal demons. They don’t hijack it for their own by killing the soul. They act more like a parasite. Many times, incubi will jump from one host to the next until they find someone who is most suitable to their lifestyle, needs and desires.

“Because of this ability to just jump from one host to the next without needing or relying on a talisman to regenerate, they are very hard to kill and are very versatile. Any living organism can host an incubi.” I explained.

“If an incubus stays in one body for years, is it possible the actual host can survive if the incubus moves on?”

“Yes. They are one of the few demons who do not destroy the host they inhabit. At least not intentionally harm.”

I could feel Adam’s conflict over this, because of all the what ifs regarding him and Leila and their entire relationship. Because we didn’t know when the incubus took over, he could have had a relationship with a sadistic demon instead of the girl he’d initially married. If it had been the demon who wrought such turmoil and chaos, and pushed him to his breaking point, he then couldn’t hate, or condemn, Leila. It was hard to wrap his mind around. Hard for him to come to terms with. “I am worried,” he confessed. “After she was convicted, and was being dragged out of the courtroom, she threatened me. Saying this wasn’t over. That she would come for me.”

The threats sounded more like the incubus, lending credence Leila had been a victim to the demon during their marriage.

“I don’t know why she is with Hans. I don’t know how they met, but I can’t shake the feeling he’s going to help her achieve that goal. That, perhaps, my capture—and subsequently—death was part of her grand scheme to get back at me.”

“I’m sorry you are going through this. Especially after everything you have gone through with her.” His hand tightened around mine.

“I’ll be okay. It’s just going to take a little while to come to grips with it. Are the hosts aware of the incubus? Like, do they remember what is going on? Are they trapped or something?”

“From what I’ve heard, it’s like a dream. When the incubus leaves, they don’t necessarily remember everything and they don’t believe they did all the things people accuse them of doing.”

“Interesting.” He paused before asking his next question. “You said I didn’t kill her, but if she was in a mortal body, wouldn’t I have murdered the human Leila?” It was a great question.

“If she was human, then yes.”

“If she was human?”

“She had been changed.”

“To a wolf?”

“Yes.”

“How could you tell?”

“By the smell of the blood.” I explained. Little details like that were what could make or break the biggest and baddest of us. “What else?” I pressed, knowing there was another, more important question he wasn’t broaching.

“If the incubus was in Leila for the entirety of our relationship, would our children be half incubus?”

“No. The incubus doesn’t change the host's genetic make-up and therefore won’t produce half incubi half human babies. Unlike other immortals.” I then went into further explanation on how most demons implant a part of their dark soul into a host and can, over time, turn the host into a vessel that no longer resembles the initial host.

“This is complicated,” he groused, rubbing his temples furiously.

Yes, it was. “We can stop for now. Why don’t you rest? I can help you.”

“Help me what? Sleep?”

“Yes. I can command you to rest.” At first, he wasn’t for that option. However, as time ticked by, he started warming up to the idea.

“You know, that might be for the best. I’m exhausted, but I can’t shut my mind off.”

“Lay your head on my shoulder,” I commanded. When he was comfortably settled, I wove the command through his mind.

“Thank you, baby girl,” he brushed my mind.

“I love you, my mortal mate,” I whispered on the tails of slumber, as he fell into the land of dreams.