In Fair Verona

“Good morning, Sir Galfridus, sir. I mean, Warden. Um, First Knight.” Nico’s voice sputtered, embarrassingly high and squeaky. He cleared his throat, tried again. “We’re honored to service you … I mean, serve you.”

This wasn’t going well.

Sir Galfridus craned his neck and then smiled. His perfect white teeth seemed to sparkle under the light from the magic shop’s gilded sconces.

Nico’s knees grew weak.

“I say, you’re a gorgeous fellow. An incubus, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sir, that’s me.” Nico saluted. What was the correct way to greet a warden, anyway? As a rule, incubi avoided wardens whenever possible. Talk about a buzz kill. “Nicodemus Azertiran at your service.”

Fire and brimstone! He needed to shut up.

“I’ll bet you are.” Sir Galfridus winked and leaned closer so Nico could smell his spicy cologne. “I apologize for gawking. I didn’t realize your kind worked. Other than at sex clubs, I mean. But I bet that doesn’t feel like work.” He laughed, his hearty chuckle sounding loud in the shop. “We should all be so lucky.”

And this is why you should never meet your heroes. Nico sighed, deflating. “That type of work has never appealed to me.”

An incubus’s innate magic stirred other creatures’ lust, and then incubi fed on all that yummy sexual energy. The male version of a succubus, Nico should by all rights work at a sex club. He’d tried. It had been an unmitigated disaster, and he’d been fired. With prejudice. Because he had this teensy, tiny little problem: He was a die-hard romantic.

Sex without love just didn’t do it for him. His magic didn’t turn people on. It caused them to fall in love. An irritating problem for a sex club when your patrons suddenly decided to pair off and marry.

He’d dialed his innate magic back as much as he could, but since he’d started working at the magic emporium three weeks ago, Sizul and Dhotrik had hooked up, another clerk ran off with a customer, and several of the other clerks—most from different worlds—had taken to bringing flowers home to their loved ones on an almost-daily basis.

“Ooh, hard to get. I like it.” Sir Galfridus smirked, giving Nico the once over. “Makes the payoff more rewarding.”

“If you’ll please follow me,” Nico said, his voice going frosty. “We’ll find what you need, and you can be on your way.”

“You’re sexy when you act aloof. As your kind are meant to be, I suppose.” Sir Galfridus took a step closer.

Nico managed not to roll his eyes and took a step back. Yes, nature designed incubi to be tempting. Just simple genetics, really. But he was a creature with feelings, too. “Let’s go get what you need, okay, sir?”

“And what could I possibly need from a magic shop? My latest case requires a more direct approach.” Sir Galfridus grinned and patted the pommel of a short sword that nestled in a scabbard at his hip.

How was this guy the best the wardens had to offer?