The Demon Queen's Desire

Finding a New Path

— Three Months Later —

[Madison]

I stood outside Perry’s Saloon, trying to ignore the tight feeling in my chest. It was a dim, boxy building with a lit awning bearing the name and logo. Nothing special. In front of the building was a large man on a stool. He looked bored and angry. Serena and I hadn’t been expecting a bouncer at a dive bar.

Pulling my purse to the front, I dug through for my ID as Serena pulled her little wallet from her pocket. The bouncer looked them over while I adjusted my purse on my shoulder and tugged my tight green shirt a little lower on my chest. Since I was short, 5’2”, and cursed with an innocent-looking face, people always thought I was younger than I was.

My outfit was supposed to help. I was wearing a black leather skirt, bullet belt, stockings with garters, and knee-high leather boots with a three-inch heel. Instead of my usual high pony or messy bun, I wore my long, dark auburn hair down.

Indie always said my hair was a big draw for some men. I’d had more than a few tell me exactly what they wanted me to do to them with it. It wasn’t my biggest attractor, though. Once they saw my figure, I usually got a lot more offers.

I was the ultimate contrast to my twin. She’d been 5’9” with strawberry blonde hair, a trim, lithe figure, and striking green eyes with just a sliver of blue that made them look like the most expensive emeralds. She had naturally tanned skin, while I was pale with honey-brown eyes and curves that made almost anything I wore look a little slutty.

She’d told me once she was jealous of my hips. I’d been jealous of the fact she looked like the pinnacle of demon beauty. Just like our mother. Heads turned when Indie walked into a room.

I’d gotten used to being invisible long before Serena came to live with us when we were ten.

Serena stood beside me now, wearing a basic blue t-shirt, black skinny jeans, and heelless ankle boots so she wouldn’t tower over me. At 5’7”, with her flawless hourglass figure and that mix of succubus and siren, she didn’t need to dress up to make men look.

She’d wanted to go to one of her normal bars to find a man, but I’d seen this bar in one of Indie’s journals as a place for an easy meal. She marked it with three hearts and a star. Neither of us knew what it meant, but Indie wasn’t one for absentminded doodling.

The bouncer studied my ID longer than I liked. It made me nervous, even though I was twenty-one and turning twenty-two in September.

Which was part of the problem.

Given the option, I would have waited another year.

I closed my eyes and took a slow breath. Nothing about this should have made me nervous. Not the bar. Not the people. Not even being this close to my birthday.

It felt like I was the only demon in the world who had to deal with anxiety. Confidence was supposed to come naturally to us.

Part of me wished high school and college had been normal. If not for middle school rumors following me to high school, maybe I would have had a boyfriend. Maybe I wouldn’t still be a virgin.

College was rumor-free, but they wouldn’t let me pursue my passion because of my superhuman genes. They said I couldn’t work in any science field involving chemicals, radiation, or anything that might activate those genes.

Since I had to go with another major, I went with something that would help me along as the queen of my people. Something that could help me hide what I was from other. Acting.

That meant I wasn’t around geeky guys all day, which would have been the easiest to access. Instead, I was around actors, communications majors, and theater kids. It was better than nothing, but I had standards.

It seemed like I would never find someone who was even slightly viable to be my first. All the guys who wanted me were cheaters, creeps, or Nathan, Serena’s pervy cop friend.

I could seal my form with a woman, but I’d always leaned more toward men.

Serena and Indie hadn’t had that problem. Indie was a concubus like me, and Serena had been her female mate. They’d sealed Indie’s demon form together at fifteen, when Indie came back from the city and realized her mate had been her best friend the whole time.

I’d been hopeful one of my mates would come along before I had to be sealed, but that never happened.

As a concubus, I am blessed to have two soulmates. One male and one female. When my mother named my demon-self, my goddess told me she knew I would be really happy with my two soulmates.

In the whole time I trained with her, she never told me anything about them, except that they were both supernaturals. I trusted my goddess that they would appear when they were meant to.

The bouncer glared and handed back our IDs.

“I better not find out that’s fake later,” he growled at me.

My eyes widened. Men rarely felt the need to threaten me. He was a fighter, soldier, or some other sort of warrior before he was a bouncer. I could smell he was definitely human, so that limited the options.

Men who’d fought for their lives, faced death, or knew the fear of being hunted by something that wanted to kill them could sometimes feel what I was. I had a greater appreciation for him.

“It’s really not. I swear,” I told him.

He grunted and jerked his thumb to the door. I almost breathed a sigh of relief, but that wouldn’t help with his doubt. We opened the heavy metal door and entered the building.

The signs for beer and the fairy lights strung from the ceiling tinted the barroom red, yellow, white, and blue. The bar itself sat to the right, a square setup with stools on all sides, while the rest of the space was filled with small tables meant for two. A few had been pushed together to make room for larger groups. People milled around with their drinks, a few couples danced near the digital jukebox in the center of the room.

We approached the bar and ordered. Serena had a Jack and Coke, while I had my favorite, a Dirty Shirley with extra cherries. After a quick scan of the room, we picked a table with a good view of everything.

It didn’t take long for men to start looking our way. Mostly at Serena. She was beautiful and half-siren, just speaking gained her the attention of men.

“Think you’ll find something decent to take home tonight?” Serena asked.

I sighed. “I hope so. Someone with strong, filling energy would be perfect. The first one has to be really good. What about you?”

“I’ll probably head home once you hook up. I get enough from work and Nathan. You can give me some tomorrow, too.” She smiled.

“Alright. I want you to be safe though. Call a cab. Not an Uber. Don’t walk.”

“Yes, mistress.” Serena laughed.

I rolled my eyes. It started as a joke when she swore herself to my service. I told her she didn’t need to do that, but Serena never listened. So much for being ever obedient to her queen.

Over the next hour, a steady stream of men came over to talk. Most of them focused on Serena, which was fine by me. Their energy was weak anyway. One or two came as wingmen for their buddies. I wasn’t interested in entertaining men who showed no interest in me.

I barely acknowledged them and kept scanning the room. There had to be something here if Indie would recommend it. All these weak boys couldn’t be worth noting.

A tall, wiry guy leaned in close to Serena, flirting like he thought he actually had a shot. I was bored out of my mind.

Yeah. It was time for a break.

“I’m gonna go freshen up, Rena. You going to be okay?” I asked.

She looked annoyed, and the guy looked offended. In his defense, he looked like he had the nicest trailer in the park and at least two rifles in the back window of his truck. Well-off for his socioeconomic class, but not Serena’s type.

I felt sorry for her and for him. Serena liked more elegant partners. I’d make it up to her by picking a nicer bar next weekend.

“Sure thing, Maddie. I’ll watch your drink. Don’t get lost,” she replied.

‘You owe me for leaving me alone with this guy,’ Serena added through our link.

“Next one’s on me. Be back soon,” I said as I walked off.

I flipped through the song list on the jukebox, putting in a few dollars and selecting some of our favorites. If nothing else, I could listen to good music while gathering what little weak energy I could.

My next chance to find someone was an entire week away. I was busy tomorrow night and the guys at bars on Sunday nights weren’t the kind you really wanted to take home.

I’d rather go full demon.

Once I made it to the ladies’ room, I pulled out my brush and ran it through my hair, smoothing out the waves. Indie got our mom’s curls. I just had this.

Some people probably thought a demon mother wouldn’t be kind to a less-than-perfect child, but mine loved me more than anything. Every time I called myself deformed or ugly, she got mad. She always said all living beings were beautiful in their own way. Didn’t matter if you were demon, shifter, fae, or human.

I missed her.

I missed Indie.

The thought settled heavy in my chest. Things would have been easier if Indie were here. She would have known exactly what I was looking for.

I needed to focus. Serena was counting on me to feed her and keep her smelling human. She was drawing too much attention from me and had to go.

‘Serena, you can leave. I still have a way to go to fill up on energy,’ I sent through our link.

‘No! A guy just came in. He glanced at me and moved on. Totally your type. People act like he’s important. He seems familiar.’

I paused, my brush halfway through my hair.

‘Sounds promising. How’s his energy?’

‘It’s powerful. Like, overwhelming. I can feel it from my seat and he hasn’t come near me.’

A slow smile spread across my face.

‘Damn. Can you go dibs him for me?’

‘Already on it,’ she replied.

I dropped my brush back into my purse and checked my reflection again, smoothing my hair and adjusting my shirt. If I was going after someone like that, I needed to make sure everything was perfect.

Especially if he’d ignored Serena.

Exactly my type? My goddess was surely looking out for me tonight!

“Morrigan, help guide me,” I whispered as I started preening in the mirror.