Everything with Godwin felt like a dream. By the time she left from work, she had almost convinced herself that it had been a dream, at least the more…unusual parts of it. Godwin was an incubus? Preposterous.

She laughed at her own thoughts, sure that preposterous was exactly the word Godwin would have chosen. He was so old fashioned, his language and clothing, like he was from another time period completely.

Instead of going home, she went to kill time in a coffee shop until Chip got home from the gym, where he worked as a personal trainer. He lived fifteen minutes from her work, but in the opposite direction of her apartment. She always went to his place, mostly because she really didn’t want him coming to her place. It was hers, separate and private. She never planned on sharing more than sex and blood with Chip. Now…she was in a tight spot.

She had almost gone to her bench in the park but…even though everything with Godwin seemed like a dream, she didn’t want to see him. And…she really, really wanted to see him. But she couldn’t. She wasn’t a cheater. She wouldn’t cheat, yet she knew if she saw him again, her resolve would be strongly tested.

The comment Godwin had made, too, had her hesitating to return to the bench. They hadn’t made plans to meet again, yet he had said he would be joining her date with Chip tonight. She was so confused. It had to have been a dream, him eating her emotions, but she still felt the lingering effects. She hadn’t felt this light, this good about herself and life in general, in ages.

Thinking about him had her core tingling again. She sipped her coffee, closing her eyes as the vanilla in her creamer vaguely reminded her of the taste of his mouth on hers. Of his rich, thick blood.

She shook her head, guilt building up. It had a whole lot of room to fill inside of her, and she allowed it foothold. She couldn’t get Godwin out of her mind, but she needed to. She had Chip. They were going to get married.

The thought had her choking on her coffee. Married! They were going to get married. He probably wanted kids and dogs and, oh god, she couldn’t marry Chip Gibson. She had to get out of this, she had to let him down softly. She could already imagine his kicked puppy look, those big, dumb eyes so wide with grief. The guilt she had given a foothold to, it bloomed inside her.

She hated that it felt normal to be filled with guilt. Everything from last night seemed even more dreamlike as her guilt nestled back into its spot inside of her.

Maybe she could just…maybe it would all work out. One day, though, Chip would want kids. Kids she couldn’t give him, since he wasn’t a Wren. Kids she didn’t want anyway, even if they could have them together. Children who would be vampires, even if she could have them. She had to break this off.

Oh god, how was she going to break this off? She battled herself internally until she ran out of coffee. She felt normal now, full of guilt and self doubt and a tinge of self hatred. This was who she was, and she hated it, her comfortable prison.

She checked her phone and saw that she missed two texts from Chip letting her know he was home and he already had a movie picked out and did she want pizza or chinese delivery. Sighing, she cleaned up her spot, shooting a quick message back to Chip. She didn’t care what they ordered, what they ate. She didn’t want to go at all. Why did she tell him she could come? Why did she let Godwin talk her into this?

She put her mug in the dish bin above the trashcan walked over to the door. She peeked out and frowned, her mood instantly soured even further. Rain poured down, even though it had been sunny, hot and humid when she had come in twenty minutes prior. She sighed heavily as she stepped out under the awning, the sound of the heavy rain drowning out the sound of the door to the coffee shop swinging shut behind her.

The rain was loud, yet soothing. It allowed her to linger, to delay her visit to Chip’s. Her last, she told herself. She had to break if off with him. Even if he cried.

Oh god, she hoped he didn’t cry. What would she do if he cried? Her stomach hurt, the coffee sitting heavily around her guilt.

Then, Godwin’s eyes were on her, she could feel the pleasant tingle of them on the back of her neck. She looked around, her mind dropping the visual of Chip crying into her shirt, hugging her waist pathetically while he cried on his knees, begging her to stay. She didn’t see the alleged incubus, but she could feel him. The rain was coming down hard, obscuring her vision.

Despite what she told herself, she felt her heart rate rise as the butterflies took flight in her stomach. She hated herself that she was glad, no, eager to see him again. Closing her eyes, she focused on the tingling sensation on her neck, trying to get a feel for direction and proximity.

The tingling changed into something else the second she focused on it. She could feel his fingers on her neck, gently resting on her spine. She jerked her eyes open in surprise and the feeling diminished back to just the tingly sensations. He wasn’t here, wasn’t touching her, but it felt like he had been. It had felt real.

She closed her eyes again and reached for him, embracing the sensations on her neck. His fingers were there again. She could feel the heat from them, the gentle yet firm press on the back of her neck. She forced herself to keep her eyes closed, to keep focusing on Godwin’s mysterious touch. His ghostly fingers trailed over the bumps of her spine, slowly pulling down her back as if they were under her clothes. Slowly they drifted lower, between her shoulder blades, down the middle of her back, to just above her butt.

Her face was hot with her embarrassment. What was she doing?! This…she opened her eyes and she felt him next to her now, this time in person. His heat and smell surrounded her and she sighed heavily, turning towards him.

He was leaning up against the building, standing under the awning with her, dripping wet despite the unused umbrella he he was using like a cane. He wore a deep navy suit today, so blue it was almost black, pinstriped with robin egg blue and white stripes. His soaked suit clung to his body suggestively.  He had a matching hat on today, too, water dripping from the edges. There was a robin egg blue scarf tucked into the jacket pocket. He pulled it out and used it to wipe rain from his hands, even as his suit dripped around him.

“Look what the cat dragged in,” she said sassily, trying to hide her embarrassment.

“Cat?” he asked her, cocking his head in confusion. “I do not understand.”

“You don’t…huh?” She wrinkled her forehead. “It’s an expression. You say it when, well, when someone looks like they have had a rough time of things, I guess. You know, they look like something the cat caught, killed and brought.”

A look of understanding crossed his face and he chuckled. “Indeed. The sky opened up whilst I was under it.” He leaned down slowly, his leg very obviously causing stiffness and discomfort, then ran his hands over his body, starting from his neck down to his shiny leather shoes. As his hands moved past, his suit dried instantly. He ran a hand down each of his arms, drying them as well. Finally he took his hat off, shook it twice with a quick shake of his wrist, the hand without the scars, then placed it back on his head just so. “There,” he said, tipping his hat to her, “all better.”

“How!” she exclaimed. Godwin was…it was just so hard to admit. She looked into those silver eyes and knew that he was what he said he was, despite her earlier doubts.

“A little Daeva trick, that is all. I brought you an umbrella,” he said, changing the subject. He proffered her the umbrella and she took it hesitantly.

“Why didn’t you use the umbrella?” she asked, bringing it up to her face to inspect. Now that he was dry, his vanilla smell was stronger, with undertones of something else…something that smelled like…he smelled like sex. She blushed even harder at the realization.

He stepped closer to her, behind her, his scent of vanilla and sex surrounding her. She took a deep breath before she could stop herself. It went straight to her head, and her sex. The tingling in her core began again and she shifted uncomfortably, trying to push it into the imaginary box in which she kept her unwanted emotions.

“Stop, hansa,” he whispered firmly in her ear. “Do not hide your emotions from me. I want them all, all of your reactions. You are beautiful and your emotions, vivid and dynamic, should not be repressed.” His finger hooked under her chin and he pulled her, forcing her to look into his eyes.

“But!” she tried to protest, feeling guilty for allowing another man to touch her before her date with Chip.

Godwin’s face was a mixture of emotion she couldn’t read. “You have reverted, refilled what I ate from you last night. This will take training and time.” He sighed and her heart fell. “No, no, little hansa, do not be discouraged. You felt me today, stronger, yes?”

She shivered under his touch, but she wasn’t cold. She nodded, unable to answer him with words, gulping hard, shivering in his grasp while she waited for him to respond. He smiled his smile, the one that sent all of the butterflies into a flurry, and her heart beat frantically in her chest.

“Good job, Seneca,” he praised her gently. “I am very pleased you allowed yourself to feel me.”

The butterflies were a hurricane of pleasure and nerves in her stomach. Joy bloomed as her core tingled that she was able to please him. She longed to do more, to earn more praise from him.

“I wish to try it again,” he breathed into her ear, barely audible over the sound of the downpour around them. “I will release you, and I will leave-”

She closed her eyes and whimpered at the thought of him leaving, then immediately hated herself for it. She shivered harder against the hand that held her chin, the only part of her he was touching.

He rubbed his thumb encouragingly across her cheek. “Shh, little hansa, I will not go far. I wish for you to feel me again, as you did a few moments before. Reach for me, and allow me to touch you. Can you do that for me?” he asked her sweetly.

She swooned and he steadied her with his other hand in the small of her back. His touch sent a flush of wetness from her. He gently moved her so that she was standing against the wall, leaning heavily on her shoulder. Godwin’s hands left her body, leaving her standing alone. “Open up to me again, Seneca,” she heard him say, his voice a whisper on the wind as he moved away from her.

Her eyes still closed tightly, she felt him go. It was weird but she could feel him move away from her, and the general direction he moved. She opened her eyes, but she did not see him, even though she was mostly sure she was looking in the right direction.

Closing her eyes tightly again, she allowed herself to open up to the tingle on her neck. Faster than before the tingling grew into a pleasant caress. She imagined his fingers trailing down her spine as it moved down, again past her shoulder blades, under her bra strap, down her back. They tickled slightly as they moved down her lower back, the touch so soft and intimate that she swayed against the wall, her knees feeling weak.

The caress stopped at the top of her ass, just above the cleavage there. It lingered, eliciting a shiver that ran the length of her body, then the caress rode back up her spine, more quickly than it descended.

“Godwin!” she squeaked, opening her eyes quickly when the spectral fingers pinched the back of her neck.

“Yes, Seneca?” he whispered into her ear, making her jump. She hadn’t felt him reapproach her, she had been so distracted with his ghostly touch.

“You scared me!” she gasped, panting slightly.

He stood beside her, his body pressed against the brick of the building. He smiled warmly at her, his face full of satisfaction. “Well done.”

She turned away from him, her face burning, her head so light she could fly. The rain had lightened up while they played their little game to just a drizzle. She stared out into the street as cars splashed through small rivers cascading down the concrete and asphalt. The sounds of the city filtered back into her consciousness, horns and brakes and sirens and the hum of activity all around her. She hadn’t realized the sounds had been missing when she had been focusing on Godwin, but now they seemed too loud, too busy. She covered her ears, feeling overwhelmed.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out, grateful for the distraction. At least, until she read text. She was supposed to be headed to Chip’s house. Instead, she was here, flirting with an incubus. Her good vibes vanished like smoke, replaced with guilt and self hatred so violent it made her feel physically ill.

Godwin was there, his body blocking out the city’s noise. The phone was plucked from her hands as she stood in a daze. It seemed to disappear as he took her head in his hands and forced her gaze to his face. God, he was beautiful, his eyes so stunning and alluring. She fell into his silver eyes head first, irises shaped like two bright full moons, the rest of the world falling away. His pupils were so small they were almost not visible, and she was swallowed by those pools of silver.

“Shh, little hansa,” he cooed in her ear as she sank down into his eyes. “All is well. May I consume these for you?”

She nodded, still lost in his eyes, drifting as he leaned in, brushing his lips over hers. She didn’t want to open herself to him, couldn’t do it again, she told herself, but her traitorous lips remembered how good it felt the night before. Her body remembered how good she had felt, during and afterwards.

He pushed his way into her mouth, intentionally licking her eyeteeth again. A shiver ran down her spine at the incredible intimacy she felt each time he did it. She tried to pull away half heartedly, but he pressed forward, kissing her carefully. His hands rested on her cheeks as he kissed her, his tongue exploring her mouth. One of his hands slipped around the back of her neck and she felt her bad feelings coalesce again into a tight ball in her gut. He retreated from the kiss just enough to bite her lip gently, then he sucked and pulled her negativity and guilt from her like a cord of yarn unravelling up her throat.

When it felt like it was almost too much he stopped, returning to the gentle kisses he had been giving her. She let him kiss her, not exactly kissing him back, but drifting pleasantly under his skillful attentions.

The door behind them opened and she jerked back, realization of where they were and what they were doing causing her to slam her head into the brick of the building.

“Shit! Oww…” she said, pushing Godwin away. For a split second he resisted her, but then he moved back, just a step, placing a small space between them. She rubbed her head, sure she was going to have a bump. “I can’t…we can’t do that, Godwin! We are in public!”

“No one saw us, little hansa,” he assured her.

“Anyone could have seen us, Godwin! I’m engaged!” she argued, still rubbing the sore spot.

“Again, you are not engaged. Again, you did not agree. We had this conversation last evening. And, regardless of your position on that matter, I am something most choose not to see. With my…attentions on you, you temporarily gain that gift,” he said matter of factly.

“But! We!” she tried to argue. She didn’t feel like arguing, honestly. Her knees still felt weak and her head and chest were light again. “So, I was invisible because of you?”

He nodded, saying nothing, but standing his ground.

“Fine,” she relented. “How did you know I was here? Was it just coincidence?”

He snorted. “I did mention I would be accompanying my partner today, did I not? Most definitely not a coincidence that I am here with my partner.”

“Partner?” she asked, confused.

He turned his head, looking at her with amusement. “Yes, my new partner. You.”

Her mouth opened and closed a few times without saying anything. “Okay,” she said after a moment. “But…how did you find me?  I didn’t tell you where I was going to be today.” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him.

He nodded his head. “Nothing nefarious. We have started what may potentially be a bond between us when you tasted my blood. It is why you can feel my touch now, and it is how I can find you. If I try hard enough, I can feel my blood in you.”

“You can feel your blood?” she asked, surprised.

He nodded again. “Just a bit. It is not as specific as it could be, if you chose to form an authentic bond with me. There would be…other benefits as well, but I do not believe this is the time or place to discuss those,” he said, turning away from her as a police car sped by, lights flashing and sirens blaring.

“Will it wear off?” she asked uncertainly. She didn’t know how she felt about this little tidbit of information, or what it meant for her relationship with Godwin.

“Yes, if we do not complete a bond it will fade quickly. Only a drop…” he trailed off, his eyes raised to the sky in contemplation. “I would posit two days at most until you feel my touch no longer without fresh blood. I believe it is time for us to be on our way…”

She scowled at him, still uncomfortable with his desire to tag along but confident that he was not going to budge. “What did you do with my phone?” she asked him instead.

His hands danced before her, one tucking behind the other one. He pulled her cell phone from the palm of his hand with a flourish, bowing as he handed it to her.

“Another little ‘Daeva trick’?” she asked him playfully.

“Not at all. Sleight of hand. Street magic, I believe it is called. I learned it recently, from a street peddler,” he said as she plucked her phone from his hand. He beamed, adorably proud of his trick. She shook her head, afraid to encourage him further, afraid her heart couldn’t stand it.

She sent Chip a quick text, then pocketed her phone. “I have to go now,” she said to him, her heart straining as she prepared to leave Godwin for Chip.

“I have told you, little hansa, that I will be attending you. Your paramour will not notice my presence,” he assured her, nodding for them to leave.

“You can’t come, Godwin!” she hissed even as her hypocritical heart flipped that he was coming. She pushed herself off the wall and stepped into the drizzle. Except it wasn’t drizzling anymore. The sun was back out and the rain was quickly becoming a wall of solid humidity. She walked down the sidewalk, headed towards Chip’s flat.

“Whyever not?” he asked as he followed her down the sidewalk in his dark blue suit, looking out of place surrounded by modern cars and people in normal clothing. “Chester Gibson will not notice my presence, and I will be there to support you as we expand your horizons, so to speak, and also as you clarify your position on the engagement.”

“Clarify! I can’t do that, Godwin! He is going to cry, I just know it. I can’t deal with him if he cries. I’ll…he has this look, this sad puppy look that makes me feel horrible!” she whined, quickening her pace as if she could just lose him if she walked fast enough. “I already feel horrible just thinking about it, and he hasn’t even started crying yet!”

He kept up with her easily. She noticed his limp was gone. “It will be fine, little hansa. I will consume those feelings. I will be there to help you through this all. We are partners, are we not?”

She sighed heavily. “Yeah, even though I’m not sure I understand what that really means. I mean, you get to eat my emotions, so I know why you are doing it, but what do I get out of this partnership? It feels good, when you eat my bad emotions, but am I supposed to be doing something else? I really have no idea with you, Godwin. You mess me up. I used to know who I was. Now…all of a sudden I don’t know anymore.”

“You never knew who you were, Seneca, before we met. You will understand our partnership, and why we will work so well together, better after tonight is over. I promise.”

The Game Chapter 3: Mutually Beneficial Arrangement

The Game Chapter 5: Safeword