Counterpart: Succubi & Incubi Assn., #1

By K.J. Hunter-Brown

For twenty year old Maya Simmons, being a succubus wasn't much of a worry. It was when she needed to fulfill the demon inside her that annoyed her. The lifestyle of drugs, alcohol and sex wasn't one she bragged about, especially to the one guy she knew she could never have, Tristan James.

Much of Maya's college life consisted of flirting with Tristan, seeing Tristan, watching Tristan, but never once did she ever attempt to taste the empowering energy that consisted inside him. She wouldn't dare. It almost helped that he had a girlfriend.

But when a threat of Tristan's life comes into play, and a rogue succubus is out to kill, Maya must play detective with her fellow succubus and incubus, Melinda and Daniel, before it's too late. Not only does she need to find out who's killing people, but Maya needs to make sure no one finds out, especially Tristan, and especially the SIA.

Sometimes, secrets become too much to handle. And the one thing Maya always wanted may be within more reach than she thought.

But it could be too late, because the clock's ticking and the heartbeat's slowing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: K.J. Hunter-Brown
• Release date: May 21, 2013
• ISBN: 9781497715806

Book preview

COUNTERPART

A SUCCUBI & INUCUBI ASSN. NOVEL

By K.J Hunter-Brown

Copyright © 2013 K.J Hunter-Brown

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This book is a work of fiction. People, places, events and situations are the product of the author’s imagination.

Written, edited and published by K.J Hunter-Brown

Cover Design by Redbird Designs

Follow K.J on Twitter & Goodreads

Dedication

To anyone who's everyone, be free, be real, be you.

Table of Contents

COUNTERPART

Copyright

Dedication

April 14th, 1878

Succubi & Incubi Rules

One – Friends with Benefits and Complications

Two – Am I The Only One That Can’t Stand College?

Three – Misinterpreted Distraction

Four – Drunk Maya And Alcohol Do Not Work Well Together

Five – When Things Turn To Shit, Just Call Daniel

Six – Reality Check

Seven – My Demons Reflection

Eight – Early Morning Drama

Nine – Maybe I Need Therapy

Ten – Detective Melinda

Eleven – A Lion Stalks Its Prey

Twelve – Are All Males Irritating?

Thirteen – I Really Should’ve Seen It Coming

Fourteen – Just Another Thing To Add To My List Of Dramas

Fifteen – Meet Bethany and Conrad

Sixteen - Guilt

Seventeen – Taste Of My Own Medicine

Eighteen – Just Give Me My Tequila, I’ll Be Good

Nineteen – Sometimes I Hate My Own Thoughts

Twenty – Blank Space

Twenty-One – People Get Crazy When Obsessed

Twenty-Two – Chilling Shadows

Twenty-Three – When The Truth Comes Out

Twenty-Four – Trust

Twenty-Five - Honesty

Twenty-Six – No Handcuffs

Twenty-Seven - Secrecy

Twenty-Eight – Still Friends with Benefits and Complications?

EXCLUSIVE PIECE FROM TRISTAN'S MIND

Acknowledgments

About the Author

April 14th, 1878

Dear Beloved,

It has become one of my deepest regrets to not be there, standing by your side. I apologize in advance for the lack of ink quality but I am in a rush.

You are perhaps wondering why you have found this letter amongst your robes. The town has demanded my head on a stake. Unfortunately, it is not something I can face. I did not have time to brief you on my plans and do not have much time to tell you on paper. There is also the chance of another receiving this.

I have to leave, my love. I can not be here. I did not know that the people would find out about me, and now I have put a damper on our relationship.

The truth is I am what I am. You accepted me with open arms and I will never forget that, as I hope you will never forget me, but that is entirely your decision.

I am going in to hiding. Please do not look for me and please do not try to find me. I will never forgive myself if you get caught in the middle.

You must remember, Conrad, I love you. I will always love you. You are a part of me as I am a part of you.

I will find you, my love. When things calm down, I will find you.

Affectionately yours, Bethany Judith Smith

Succubi & Incubi Rules

Written and assigned by the Succubi and Incubi Association.

Let it be known that the one chosen to be a succubus/incubus must follow the rules:

He or she must be part of a neglected family. That way the secret will be kept between themselves and themselves only.

If a human is told about our secret, they will be watched over a short period of time. It is then up to the SIA if they want to terminate or bring the human in for questioning.

If a human finds out the secret and they are considered a threat, he or she along with the incubus or succubus will be terminated by the SIA immediately.

If a succubus or incubus is to kill a subject, they must make sure none of their DNA is upon the dead. If they are caught, the SIA will have to clean up the mess. So please, don't kill a human.

A succubus and incubus must not be involved romantically. There are consequences if you break this rule, and there are no exceptions.

Lastly, if you break any of the rules, watch out.

Dear newly born,

You have been chosen among billions of people to carry on the succubi and incubi legend. The reason of your choosing is basically because you're alone.

You will start feeling changes among you. A sexual charge will run through your body when it's ready. You will start seeing the opposite sex as a bunch of desperate people.

You must keep your secret quiet. You will meet other incubi and succubi like you as you discover the world. One of them could be your neighbor. They are the ones you can talk to freely about this.

There are no exceptions. This is a gift, one that will live with you forever. Well, that is until you screw up and decide to not follow the rules.

We'll be watching.

We are always watching.

Rosa Marina

Succubi and Incubi Association

One – Friends with Benefits and Complications

One thing a succubus like me hated was when a guy didn't know how to wake up and get the hell out.

Hey. I pushed against a broad shoulder. You need to leave, man.

A grumbled incoherent response followed and I rolled my eyes. I don't care. You need to go.

Brown messy styled hair finally moved, and the male lifted his head, causing me to smile. He was cute—no scratch that. He was completely and erotically sexy, and that was the truth, especially his eyes. They were like looking into a small, smooth, clear piece of aquamarine teal quartz, shadowed by dark lashes. I know that sounds very dramatic, but the fascination I have with them is there and pretty strong. It was hypnotizing.

Let’s not forget the sun-kissed tanned body that went with it, everything from ripped muscles to lip biting abs that made your insides melt instantly.

He was literally the dictionary definition of flawless and sexy.

But sadly, this definition had a girlfriend, which kind of makes the scene we were currently in so much more erotic and satisfying.

What time is it? his husky voice asked, the words still a cross between murmur and clear.

I knew from the time that I woke up that I was going to regret kicking him out, and I was already starting to feel it coming. But he needed to go. I had class, and I probably won't go if he stays. He had this hidden talent that seemed to make convincing me that much easier.

I looked over to the clock on my dresser, a sigh threatening to escape my lips. 6:30AM. you need to go. My voice held impatience towards him. That was only because if he didn’t leave soon, I was fucked. I would be staying in. I wouldn't even care about class and neither would he.

This is why he needs to go.

Fuck, Maya, he groaned and buried his cute little face in my pillow. You really know how to ruin something. Slowly crawling off the bed he retrieved his jeans from the floor and proceeded to put them on. To my advantage, he kept his back to me, so it was obvious where my eyes were locked on. Watching him pull the jeans over his hips was starting to roll the regrets into my head.

Why did he have to have such a nice ass?

This was bad.

It wasn't as if we had sex last night—because we didn't—but the way a pool of heat was building inside my stomach was starting to annoy me. It was like I knew what it would feel like to have him inside me, his sweaty body pressing closely against mine. It was like he was projecting the image into my head with the way he was slowly moving to button his jeans up. I knew this was just my imagination making these images, creating the fantasy that I wished I could do, because that's all I can rely on right now.

My stupid imagination.

He started to turn and my eyes quickly moved away. Using the packet of cigarettes on my dresser, I pulled one out and lit it, all while keeping my facade up. I’m sure you’ll survive, Tristan.

Tristan James had been in and out of my life for the past two years—give or take a few months. We weren't the pair that was in those stupid 'Oh, I love you. No, I hate you now' relationships. We were in that 'Oh, you're so sexy, but no, I'm not sleeping with you' relationships—if you can really call that a relationship. It was more like close-friend-non-sex-ship... if that's even a thing. Then there was the obvious sexual tension between us that had grown and expanded over the months. It was pretty fucked up if you asked me.

If this was Facebook official, we'd be under 'It's complicated'. Then again, we'd be under nothing because I don't even have a Facebook account... and he has a girlfriend.

I seem to always forget that she exists.

My bare stomach was the only place I could stare without thinking about the guy next to me. The blanket that was so securely wrapped around me last night had been pushed down, and now the only thing between my sexual fantasy and I was about five feet of empty space.

Even I knew that Tristan was getting quite a view right now. Black lace was his favorite. I knew this, and in all honesty, that's why I wore it. I was almost at the point of regretting that too when I felt the bed dip down. I pulled the cigarette from my lips when the heat of his body started to wash over my skin. Soon enough, blue eyes were the only thing I could see.

It should be a crime to have those eyes.

So I'll call you some time? he asked, his eyes shifting down to my lips and I almost called off class altogether.

Move your eyes away, Maya. Do it.

I cleared my throat and shook my head. Nope. I did as my head told me and I went back to not looking at him. This was a one-time deal, Tristan. I only did this because your girlfriend ditched you on your birthday. I'm sorry, but that's it. I sure as hell wasn't here to make this harder for me—for us. It had already gone too far.

Come on, Maya, Tristan’s voice teased. My breath threatened to exhale raggedly when I felt his soft lips run along my bare shoulder. They trailed their way up the side of my neck until they settled below my ear, where he placed a light kiss that went straight to my sweet spot down below. You know you want to.

The fact that I could feel him smirking was the only thing keeping me sane. I knew exactly what he wanted. He wanted me to succumb to him. He wanted to finally see me want him—need him—just like he had been with me all this time.

No. I moved my head away before dirty images could form inside my head. Unless you sort your girlfriend out, I'm not ready to be a boyfriend thief.

And the award for biggest hypocrite goes to...

I risked a look in his direction and he was kneeling on my bed, wearing only the pair of jeans while his chest remained bare. It was such a distracting sight. Seeing every single inch of that perfectly worked out body was killing me by the second. Then I remembered how they felt last night, when my hands slid over them, taking their sweet time at feeling what they had been dying to feel.

Stop, Maya.

My eyes moved up and I swear my breath hitched the slightest. The smallest amount of space known to man-kind was between our noses, and the temptation to close that distance was prodding at my brain.

I felt his eyes wander over my face, leaving a trail of heat along with it. There was even a point when they watched my lips momentarily. But as quickly as they were there, they were gone and staring back at mine. If it wasn't for the smirk still playing on his lips, I'd think I had won.

Funny. His fingers found my thigh and the tips of them tickled the skin up the side until they reached the fabric of my panties, where he lightly played with the material. At least I had the decency to put them on. You didn't seem to think that last night.

Exactly why I think I'm a hypocrite.

Last night is something we won't talk about, ever, I said. The last thing I needed was more rumors.

The room fell silent. I knew for a fact it had only been a few seconds that we were staring at each other, but it seriously felt like an hour. The smirk on his face had fallen down and the lips, that I adored so much, were pressed into a thin line.

I had won.

Planning to take my win to the next level, I almost broke the eye contact, but Tristan beat me to it. He didn't say anything, but his fingers had moved away from me, leaving the lingering feel of them ghosting on my flesh. After a brief nod to himself, he sighed, running a single hand through his messy short cut hair.

Alright. He pushed himself off the bed.

I watched him lean down and pick his shirt off the ground, his back muscles tensing with every step. Then he did something unexpected. He just walked out of my room, without a single glance back. I wasn't even sure why I was surprised by this—he wouldn't be the first guy to do that.

But still, he didn’t even say goodbye.

Rude. I sighed, letting my head fall back against the wall behind me. At least I could breathe now.

Hey. A single knock on my door sounded and I looked over to see my dorm-mate grinning widely.

Jamie Moore was considered my human best friend, due to the fact that she actually put up with my shit. For the past three semesters she never once judged me, or even asked why I was such a whore every second weekend. So I kept her around. She was safe. She was open-minded. Two things I wished I was.

The reason I say that she's my 'human best friend' is because that’s what she practically is. She knows nothing about my sexual desires, or the fact that I suck the lives out of men that fuck me off. The only thing she knows, is the fact I’m some reject from the Simmons family and have parent’s that don’t give a single shit about their children. So yeah, I didn’t think bringing up the demon thing would do any favors for anyone except make me the campus freak.

Jamie was gorgeous though, and sometimes I even thought she would make a good succubus—if she ditched the glasses and maybe curled her stick-straight brown hair—but there was some potential.

Who am I kidding? Jamie was the exact opposite to me. She was a classic nerd. She defined the stereotype for 'book worm' and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. She was fun most days, but when it came to essays or exams—well, anything that could hinder her life the slightest—she wasn't much fun.

Actually, if you disturbed her during those times, she can be a real bitch.

But that's why I love her.

Good morning, sunshine, I replied, a matching grin showing on my face. You all packed and ready to go?

Summer had started and that means goodbye to half the college population. Thank God.

Not that I was happy to see Jamie go—because I wasn't—I envied her right now.

The light green of her eyes brightened and she looked like a cartoon character as she nodded. Of course, who would have thought I'd be cruising around the Caribbean for summer, huh?

That's why I envied her. Because Jamie was such a top student, and she never let her parent's down, they decided to take her on a cruise around the Caribbean, while I was stuck at campus until my sister, Delilah decided to show up—which was a long stretch. She had called earlier and said she was going to be a couple of weeks late. Translation: I'm sorry, Maya, but I just don't care enough to travel all the way to hang out with a sister I hardly see anyway. Seriously, I don't even remember how that phone call started. It was a waste of time and it practically ended with me telling her to just not bother, and that was that.

Yeah, well, I'm sure you'll have fun in the sun, I said in my most I'm so happy for you voice, which admittedly wasn't that happy.

Jamie noticed the flatness in my tone and took a seat at the end of my bed. What are you doing through break?

She didn't know about the phone call between Delilah and I, and I had no intention of seeing her sympathy—I had already caused her to feel guilty for going away.

Oh, you know, hang out with the parents—eat sushi as I do every other holiday. It wasn't a full lie. That's what I had been doing. Last summer I was at the house in San Francisco, eating sushi outside. That was pretty much it though, and the reason I was even there was because I needed to get away. It was a stupid decision, but I hardly saw my parent's the whole time, so it was good.

This summer however, my parents made sure they let us know that they were going away for six months. That meant no visits from children were allowed. Last time I heard, they were basking in Italy. After that phone call, I really had no interest in hearing the rest.

Sounds like fun. The look she was giving me was one that knew there was something I wasn't telling her, but she didn't push it further, instead she changed the subject. I saw Tristan leaving, without a shirt. Her eyes narrowed. I thought he was with Tori.

Busted.

He is. I put the cigarette out in the ashtray beside me, avoiding her gaze. It was amazing how an object so small, could be a great distraction. She ditched him last night at the party, so I thought I would make up for her loss and give him a good birthday present. You only turn 21 once, right? I shrugged as if it wasn't that bad but even I knew it was sort of bad. I pushed my blankets off and got out of bed, not caring if Jamie saw my lingerie choices.

So you slept with Tori's boyfriend? That's a good image you're putting on yourself, Maya, she said.

Yeah, well I can't regret it now. It's already done. I grabbed a pair of faded skinny jeans, pulling out a light top to go with it. Besides, I said, placing the clothes on my bed and pointing my gaze towards Jamie. We didn't have sex. It was just a make out session and then his drunken ass passed out.

Biggest semi-lie ever.

Lucky she didn't pick that one up. "You should be careful, Maya. You and Tristan may be friends, but you guys have a very, very different definition of friends than most people, actually, than everyone. What you guys have is called FWBAC."

FWBAC?

Friends with Benefits and Complications.

The complications thing I could understand...

We're not friends with benefits. I was positive about that. That would involve me having sex with him, and that hasn't happened.

Jamie cocked a single brow. Touché, I’m waiting for that day to come.

I rolled my eyes, waving my hand in the air. You'll be waiting a really long time. As much as I would've loved for that to be a lie, it wasn't.

Tristan = off limits.

Jamie went silent after that and she stayed in my room for a bit before she went back to packing. Needing another form of distraction, and making sure she was out of my hearing range, I picked up my phone and dialed one number I knew by heart.

I smell something that involves sex, a familiar male voice teased on the other end.

Well if it isn't my favorite incubus. I grinned. How are you doing, Daniel? Please, do tell me how Florida is treating you.

Daniel Bradshaw was pretty much the male, more sexual version of me. He classed himself as the epitome of sex appeal, which was understandable. You could see it everywhere.

Hell if it wasn't for Tristan, Daniel would probably be my go-to guy, the one that would hear about my problems and then make it better—then again, he was actually doing that because Tristan didn't know about me either. Daniel just didn't know how to make me feel better without bringing up sex as an option. Nonetheless, he was a great friend and someone who had grown close to me—just not as close as he wishes. He was fun and trustworthy.

I walked around the room while he explained the amount of girls he had been with in the past few months. Every encounter was detailed the same way I would detail mine: sex, booze, boobs, grinding, tongues lashing, hands grabbing... it was basically an erotic novel.

But if he asked me how L.A. was, I was going to have to lie. Truth be told, I hadn't been out in a while. The last time I had my release was a few weeks ago, after one of Tristan's fighting events.

I remember that night all too well.

Shot! Shot! Shot! Shot! the crowd cheered. A row of us sat in front of the bar and raised our glasses in the air.

Here are to the wins tonight, boys, I said, before downing the whole shot. The burn that trailed down my throat didn't bother me one bit. I embraced it. It gave me satisfaction, and half the time it was relaxing. Who wants another round? I shouted, only to receive a holler of cheers in reply.

I could feel him before he showed up. Tristan walked up to my side in all his winning glory. You couldn't miss the wide grin on his face, success swimming through his head. He had a good fight tonight—which wasn't new. He seemed to be a big winner around here.

And he definitely looked good, sporting a freshly washed shirt and dark jeans.

Maya, how much have you had to drink? he asked, like a parent was asking their child how much cookies they stole from the jar. It only caused my lips to pull up in smirk.

Then the mood disappeared.

Tori Matthews, Tristan's girlfriend, appeared out of nowhere then. Her blonde hair had been put through the curler and spiraled over her shoulders like the fake extensions that they were. Large amounts of make-up were applied to her face and the scowl—which I had gotten used to—appeared at the sight of me.

Apparently not enough, I mumbled and took the shot the bartender had laid out. Congratulations. I slid one of the others to Tristan—purposely ignoring his bimbo's presence—and he took it with no hesitation.

Tori didn't seem at all phased which wasn't normal. She stayed away from me, and I stayed away from her.

This is why I knew I needed to get away.

I'm going to go see what's out on the dance floor. I pushed off the bar before anyone could stop or distract me, and moved down to the large area. The heat in the back of my neck prickled against the skin. I knew Tristan was watching me. I couldn't even find it in myself to look back.

The thing with Tristan and I is that we have a connection that no one sees or knows about. Not even us. Well we know about it. We just don't understand it sometimes.

It's like we like to be near each other, and I know deep down that he would take it to the next level, but I can't. I refuse to do that to him. For the first time, since I even turned 18, Tristan was the first guy that intrigued me. Something about him seemed to always pull me in. Even my demon loved him.

Yet, I was ignoring her cravings for him, because I cared.

So he started dating Tori. It wasn't the best relationship in the world, but he was happy. Sometimes, he'd occasionally come over to my dorm and talk about how she doesn't want sex. You would think after being together for the past few months they would at least get past first base. But no, she stuck to kissing and that was it for her. She had some big thing where she wanted to wait for the right guy to come along and she'd lose her virginity to him.

It was understandable.

But saying that to your boyfriend wasn't one of the best things you could do. It was an ego-killer.

So I was there, to listen to his relationship crap. I listened because it's what friends do.

If there was anything I learned from listening to him though, it was that I was glad I was a succubus. I don't think I could ever handle being in a relationship. I would probably kill my partner with my hands before my sex did.

The dance floor was packed with people from college. A lot of faces I knew. A lot of faces I had slept with. I maneuvered around sweaty bodies until I was right bang in the middle. The techno song blasting through-out the club was a hit, making everyone look like they were on ecstasy. The atmosphere just screamed crazy.

I danced in my own world. I didn't need anyone to dance with. I closed my eyes and let the music take control of my body, sending me to another realm, where there was nothing but me and the music.

Like all good things, my realm soon vanished when I felt a body press up against mine. My eyes snapped open and they met with a nicely shaped chin, a decent amount of stubble forming and instantly, I was being pulled into him. I didn't flinch away. I wasn't even pissed that he just interrupted me. I could feel his hands making themselves comfortable on my hips, a set of large fingers brushing against my light dress. Slowly, my eyes moved up until they met with dark smoldering ones. Lust and intoxication was his all-round scent.

I didn't recognize him from college, but he was around the same age as me if not a few years older. Our bodies had started moving together without any hesitation, my hands finding his shirt when his tongue flicked over his bottom lip. He was watching my lips with pure hunger. A hunger I was starting to feel grow inside me. I was due for another hit and he came at a perfect time.

For some reason, both of us seemed to know what the other needed. No talking, just touching.

My arms traveled up the wide space of his broad chest until they slid around his neck. I could feel his nose trail along my cheek, the warmth of his breath tickling my skin.

As I was looking over his shoulder, I saw an image I couldn't handle. Tristan smiled down at Tori, playing with a piece of her hair before placing it behind her ear and leaning down—

I closed my eyes, and without even thinking, I found myself burying my face into the crook of this guy’s neck. I couldn't bear to watch something so intimate happen between them. It was a stupid thing for me to say. I really didn't have a right to be like this. Tristan was happy with Tori. It didn't matter what I thought. It didn't matter that I would love to have someone just smile down at me, play with my hair, whisper things into my ear—great, I'm going to be an emotional wreck soon. I've drank way too many.

I needed a distraction and this guy in front of me was willing to be that.

My head moved and as if we had the same mind, my lips met with soft ones. They weren't the perfect lips that I imagined, but they were enough. His fingers pressed against my back and I arched into him, pressing myself closer. He took my top lip between his and tugged gently, causing a soft sigh to pass my lips. I needed more.

I could feel my demon awaken inside me, starting to spread her lust and capture her prey. She was as hungry as me.

And who was I to deny her?

Don't tell me, you're imagining me in bed again? Daniel's voice pulled me out of the memory.

Please, I scoffed, if anything, you're the one trying to get his self in my pants, remember? PS: I'm not wearing any. He went silent and I knew I got him good. Don't tell me, you're imagining me in bed again, huh?

Well how could I not when you're going around telling me what you aren't wearing? he exclaimed.

Want to know something else? I teased.

He cleared his throat, he knew what was coming. What's that?

I'm about to go for a shower, naked.

Two – Am I The Only One That Can’t Stand College?

Last day of college was finally here, and boy was I glad. The campus crawled with all the students, bustling away to their final classes for the next few months. That is unless you're going to summer school, then you're fucked. Not that there's anything wrong with it. I just hate class, except for English. English was good.

I had even been forced into signing up for summer classes, just so I could have a reason to stay on campus. I’m sure Melinda was in on it too. It was stupid of us, because not only are we not intending to go, but it'll probably affect our grades more in three months than a year.

No one told me college was going to be so complicating.

I had picked up a coffee from a nearby cafe before arriving in the madness. It was lucky too. I wasn't a morning person and unless people wanted to deal with my short-temper, then I needed my coffee. I wasn't in any rush getting to