"Oh god," I said, stepping back quickly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"It's okay," Amelia said, though she was still breathing hard. She straightened her clothes, which had somehow become disheveled. "That was... informative."
"Informative?" I repeated incredulously. "I just—I attacked you!"
"You didn't attack me," she said, regaining her composure. "You fed on me. There's a difference."
"That doesn't make it better!"
Amelia ran a hand through her pink hair, smoothing it back into place. She still had a heated look in her eyes. "Actually, it does. An attack would mean you wanted to harm me. You didn't. You wanted my energy. And interestingly, you were right—you weren't draining me in a harmful way. It was more like... an exchange."
I sank back into the chair, my legs suddenly weak. "What am I?"
"I told you. A hybrid." She touched her throat where I had kissed her, her expression thoughtful. "Part human, part incubus, from what I just experienced."
"Incubus? Like the demon that... that has sex with people?"
"That's the simplified version, yes. Incubi and succubi feed on sexual energy, but it's more complex than that. They create a connection that allows them to absorb life force and demonic energy from their partners." She studied me with new interest. "But you're different. You didn't just take—I could feel my energy flowing into you, but also something flowing back. Almost like a circuit."
I buried my face in my hands. "This can't be happening."
"The blue in your eyes," Amelia continued, as if I hadn't spoken. "That's a sign of your incubus heritage becoming active. And the way you could see my energy points—that's an incubus ability. They can see erogenous zones and energy concentrations. Makes them more efficient feeders."
I looked up sharply. "Those glowing spots were erogenous zones?"
A slight blush colored her cheeks. "Some of them. Others were just energy focal points. The fact that you could distinguish them at all is remarkable for someone with no training."
"So I'm some kind of sex demon," I said flatly. "Great."
"Part sex demon," she corrected. "And that's just one aspect of what an incubus is. They're also incredibly persuasive, naturally attuned to emotions, and often possess unique abilities related to illusion and mental influence."
I touched the necklace, now back in its familiar place against my chest. "And this thing has been suppressing all that?"
"Yes. Which explains why you've never shown any supernatural abilities before." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "It also explains why those demons at the club attacked you. When your necklace came off, they would have sensed your awakening power."
"But why would they attack one of their own kind?"
"Politics," Amelia said simply. "Demons have hierarchies too. A new player suddenly appearing would be seen as a threat. Especially one as potentially powerful as you."
"Powerful? I didn't do anything except kiss you!"
"And in doing so, you nearly overwhelmed my defenses—and I'm one of the strongest shamans alive." She raised an eyebrow. "That's not nothing, Isaiah."
I stared at her, trying to process everything. "So what happens now?"
"Now we have options." She leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. "Option one: I put you back where I found you, you keep wearing your necklace, and you try to go back to your normal life—though after being exposed to demons once, they'll likely find you again."
"Not loving that option. What's number two?"
"I take you to the higher-ups, explain what you are, and hope they decide you're more valuable alive than dead."
"Even worse. Option three?"
A small smile played at the corners of her mouth. "I enroll you at New Pacifica Shaman College as my personal student. You learn to control your abilities in a protected environment, and I get to study a unique supernatural specimen up close."
"You make me sound like a lab rat."
"More like a rare book I'd like to read." She pushed off from the wall and approached me again, though she maintained a safer distance this time. "The college would offer protection, training, and answers about what you are. In return, you'd let me study your abilities and help me understand this new type of hybrid."
I considered my options. Going back to normal seemed impossible now that I knew the truth. Going to the "higher-ups" sounded like a death sentence. That left Amelia's offer.
"If I go to this college," I said slowly, "would I have to keep wearing the necklace?"
"In public, yes, at least until you learn control. But in controlled environments, under supervision..." Her eyes gleamed. "We could work on gradually building your tolerance without the suppression."
The memory of what I'd felt when the necklace came off—the clarity, the power, the connection—tugged at me.
I want to do that again.
And again.
And again.
"Okay," I said finally. "I'll go to your college. But I have conditions."
"Name them."
"I want to know everything—no holding back information about what I am or what I can do. I want a say in how my abilities are tested. And I want your word that if things go sideways, you'll help me get away from these higher-ups who want me dead."
Amelia studied me for a long moment, then nodded. "Agreed. On one condition of my own."
"What's that?"
"You never tell anyone that I let you kiss me." A mischievous smile spread across her face. "I do have a reputation to maintain."