Falling for the Shifter

2

This morning for the grand opening, she had made sure the skies were blue and full of sunshine. It was hot enough to strip down to your swimsuit but not enough to get swamp-ass-sweaty.

It was the perfect weather to meet a cute stranger and get into some naked situations.

From the bar, the patrons could walk off to the beach and go directly into the water, which, not so coincidentally, could also be controlled from Portia’s office.

Lucifer had given her a whole lot of power, and she wasn’t about to do anything to mess with that. He gave her a mission, and she would do it.

Portia continued to take stock of her surroundings, ready to make any necessary adjustments.

A tall man with a goatee stood behind the bar, shaking a steel shaker with an even bigger dopey grin on his face. His eyes lit up when they caught hers.

“Lou,” Portia gasped. “What are you doing here?” She looked around, half expecting to see the rest of his usual crew lurking nearby.

“Making drinks,” Lou answered like it was the simplest thing in the world to mix a Screaming Orgasm or Zombie Reborn. (Quick tip: do not drink Lou’s Zombie Reborn unless you want to spend some private time with the floor.)

“You’re making drinks? Really? Couldn’t tell. Seriously, what are you doing here?” Portia refused to believe he was checking up on her. That was impossible.

Lou continued to shimmy behind the bar. He only stopped to pour a murky black liquid into a massive glass. With a smile, he slid the beverage to a particularly slimy, greedy demon.

“Can’t a guy come to the grand opening of his own resort?”

Portia slid into one of the barstools and wrapped her knuckles against the bar top. “Might as well make me a drink.”

“You got it. Any special requests?” Lou asked, but there was no point. He was already mixing something. Portia trusted him, but only with drinks. Lou was an interesting character.

As he worked on her drink, Portia spun her seat around, surveying her domain. A beautiful, curvy red-head stood at the bar's entrance, wringing her fingers nervously together.

“As I live and breathe!” Portia gasped, leaping to her feet.

Lou snorted. “You’re not really living or breathing, cuz.”

Portia pulled her tongue out. “Whatever, Lou. You know what I mean. But look! It’s Ruby.” Portia nudged her chin toward one of the high bar tables where her niece had settled.

Ruby had the classic Flemming red hair. Classic because it was a trait of all the succubus in the family. It was so long that the wavy tips of the crimson strands touched Ruby’s waist. She was gorgeous, of course.

She had to be. It came with the territory.

“That’s Stella’s little girl?” Lou asked.

“She sure is. Can’t you just see the resemblance?”

Lou nodded. His goatee was positively twitching with mischief. Portia recognized the look immediately. “Oh, no, Lou. What are you planning?” Portia had her own plans, and she didn’t want anything interfering.

He shrugged, nudging his chin to the left. “A few hundred different things are playing through my mind, but that’s the latest.”

Portia turned to see one of the other bartenders bring a very elaborate drink to one of the lonely vampires at the end of the bar. The bottom of the cocktail was sparkling orange, the jeweled tone darkening to a bright red all the way to the very top of the drink, which was almost burgundy. There was a steady stream of vapor rolling off the drink. Not ominous, but not entirely cheerful either.

She recognized it immediately and giggled. “Still playing that old trick on people, I see.”

Lou joined in the giggling. Of course, it looked a little more devilish on him.

Everything Lou did was at least a little bit devilish.

“If you’ll excuse me, dear cousin, I’ve got to see a woman about her s*x life.” She winked over her shoulder before making her way over to Ruby’s table.

“Let the games begin,” she heard Lou encourage from the bar.

RUBY

Hellscape Holiday Resort wasn’t exactly what Ruby expected. It was a tad classier and a bit more upscale than what she had imagined. Not that there was anything wrong with that.

Better for the place to be nice than a nightmare dump. This would do just fine. Besides, Ruby had some serious thinking and soul searching to do. At least she could do it on a magical beach where there was guaranteed sunshine and an endless stream of drinks that could actually make her tipsy.

She needed this vacation. So much. Not just because it was her first in almost a hundred years. Nope. Ruby had some tough choices to make, and she needed to be away from her mother and sisters to think clearly.

A little time away was just what the doctor ordered if the doctor was a masochist demon with a penchant for torture and drama. She was going to be roasted by her family for this.

That’s probably why Ruby didn’t really know how to relax. Her weird knowledge hole was stressing her out. She wasn’t exactly built for relaxing, but she would have to figure it out. This resort was new, and if the brochure she got in the mail was right, there would be no humans here. Only supernatural creatures. In other words, she would have peace and quiet. Absolutely zero chance of her running into a possible mark.

“Hello, there, stranger,” a familiar and musical voice sang out, pulling Ruby out of her thoughts.

Ruby looked around the bar and immediately spotted the voice’s owner. She was hard to miss with the shock of red hair that her family was known for. “Aunt Portia,” Ruby’s aunt smiled warmly at her.

This is fine. This means nothing. She doesn’t know why I’m here.

There was no time to think about any of that. Ruby’s aunt gracefully pulled one of the chairs out from the table and sat in front of her. Aunt Portia clicked her fingers at one of the bartenders and, without having to speak a word, made two drinks appear in front of them.

The simple gesture was enough to make Ruby suspicious. How did Aunt Portia already have so much sway over the staff? Wasn’t this place new? Weren’t most supernaturals at least a bit protected from the succubus pull?

This is fine. I can always lock myself in my room. Who needs a beach to relax?