Logan (Chosen Champions #1) - Macy Blake Page 0,47

and succubi over my lifetime, and this energy isn’t what they project.”

Having never met one himself, Logan couldn’t agree or disagree. “Explain.”

“It’s the difference between having a glass or two of wine and being a little loose and relaxed to pounding twelve shots of tequila and getting sloppy drunk. They don’t need to resort to this level of violence to feed. In fact, they don’t need violence at all. Hell, I’ve met some of them who can get their energy restored from nothing more than a make-out session.”

“Speaking from experience?”

“Hell yeah. You’ve not lived until you’ve spent a weekend in bed with an incubus and a succubus. Now that was a good time.” Aleron grinned, and Logan groaned.

“Is there anything you haven’t fucked?”

“A few things, but not for lack of trying.”

Logan shook his head, grateful his teammate had the ability to keep him from getting lost in dark thoughts. Aleron might tease and fake a smile, but Logan had no doubt the griffin was having a similar angry response as well. Logan took a breath and calmed his wolf. “So this isn’t normal behavior for an incubus?”

“Not even close. I mean, human myths have them as these horrific creatures who suck humans dry—suck? Ha. See what I did there?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Logan moved around the building as they spoke, and Aleron used his enhanced vision to scan the area as well.

“Right, but that’s not really what they’re about. They’re lovers, not fighters. If someone’s not interested, they move on. I’ve never met one who wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous, and it normally doesn’t take much for them to find someone willing to fool around a little bit. Their magic doesn’t drain from their partners. It’s not an act of violence at all. Seriously, you’ve never made love until you’ve had sex with an incubus. It’s the act that restores them, and to bring violence into it goes against everything I’ve ever learned from the ones I know. There’s absolutely no need for it. Once they’ve found their partner, their scent does the rest.”

“So this isn’t about feeding? This isn’t some desperate attempt to… what? Gain more power?”

“Not that I know about. I mean, I can make a couple calls if it would help.”

Considering Aleron was the definition of the “love ’em and leave ’em” type, for him to offer to contact a previous lover showed Logan how much he wanted to stop the incubus they sought.

“Let’s talk it over with the team later,” Logan said. “For now, we need to focus on the scene. This thing left something behind for us. All we have to do is find it.”

They kept out of the crime scene unit’s way and studied the surrounding areas first. By the time they were allowed into the actual alley where the attack occurred, Logan and Aleron had developed a pretty clear idea of what had gone down.

The victim—Jeff Seevers, according to the oracle’s information—had been walking from the club to his home. The streetlights would have lit the way for him, until he reached the stretch on the block where the attack occurred. Two lights had been broken, one on either side of the street.

It probably wouldn’t have caught Jeff’s attention. Logan would have to come back at night to see for certain, but a couple of lights out, leaving a dark spot between two buildings, wouldn’t have seemed completely out of place, especially if Jeff was either a little tired from being at the club or if he’d had a few drinks.

The attacker had given himself a place to hide where he wouldn’t be seen. It made sense, and Logan could even visualize where the attacker had crouched to remain out of sight while still having a clear view of his intended target as he approached.

The problem? No scent.

And not just the lack of scent of something other. No, there wasn’t any smell at all in the area, almost as if the attacker had realized someone with a supernaturally enhanced nose would be hunting him down.

“What?”

“How much do you know about incubus magic?”

“I mean, I couldn’t write the Wiki on it, but I know enough,” Aleron said.

“What is it?” the oracle asked.

“No scent. At all. Not even the normal ones that should be in the area. It’s as if pockets of this area were wiped clear of scents, which I’ve never heard of. It’s not everywhere, though. Only certain spots.”

“Any runes like the last scene?”

Both Aleron and Logan searched the area but came up empty. “Not this