All Roads Lead to Rome

Embers

Antares walked off stage and towards the door to the haven that was their loft, weary from the performance. It had been weeks since Lyra had walked out the door and for all her insistence that they didn't need her, the current situation contradicted her starkly. Nothing was the same as it was before. His performance fed only his most basic need, no longer the balm it had once been.

Antares looked up at the window of Rome's office that overlooked the club. The light was still on even though his beloved had sworn he was almost finished hours ago. Rome was burying himself in the busy work of running the club. A million minor emergencies required his attention, it seemed. He had to re-solidify his position after the incident with the queen. That's the story he kept giving to Antares, while Antares knew the truth. He was afraid of giving in to his addiction without someone that could pull him out. It was an old wound that the situation with the queen had opened, and Antares didn't know how to close it back.

The queen. Antares' eyes hardened in a rare show of anger as they passed over the door where she was kept. The angel had been tending her and was letting no one near her until she was healed completely. Once that changed, Antares knew what Romulus had planned. Vengeance. One he had no need for but would soothe Rome's sense of helplessness.

He moved through the crowd, avoiding contact with effortless ease.

"Hey, incubus!" A female voice called to him and he sighed. Something else out of the ordinary. A month ago, a voice like that would have had him eager for a taste of sustenance. Now, there was simply an empty hunger. He turned when a hot hand was laid on his arm. He looked up at the woman it was attached to. She removed it once she had his attention.

"Can I help you?" he asked coolly. The auburn haired woman smiled freely, though shadows danced in her eyes.

"No. I'm here to help you. I have a message for you from a man long dead. He recently saved my life so I'm repaying the debt."

"And he mentioned my name?"

"Just that you were one of the last pure faery incubi and I would know you if I saw you. He also mentioned that you had a vampiric lover, so that narrowed the field considerably. Great club by the way. It has been a favorite for years." She gave the information freely. She had an honest feel so Antares faced her and reined in his annoyance.

"What do you require to pay this debt? I'm tired and want my bed." Mostly reined in.

She smiled sympathetically and took the hint to cut to the chase. The shadows under his eyes were clearer now that he was off stage. "I was told to remind you that a faery incubus was as powerful as the strength of their heart and that's what made them different from demons. That love..."

"Is the greatest strength an incubus wields when he loves truly and well." Antares finished. "You knew my father. What is your name?"

"Amy, and I kinda knew him," she said with a shrug. "It is complicated. I met him briefly and in that moment, he saved my life."

"He died years ago and you are too young to have known him." Romulus' voice cut in from behind Antares as a hand slid onto his back.

"She says that it's complicated," Antares told him, unconsciously leaning into the man beside him. Romulus' eyes analyzed her in a swift look. The witch's smile didn't falter while she was given the once over.

"It is fine. He's just being protective. Mates do that. I know that much, trust me. I've wanted to brain my own a few times for that habit."

"You're mated?" Antares inquired. She nodded, meeting Romulus' eyes.

"Happily and well. This is just a fun night out with family. I saw you and knew that you were the one he was talking about."

"How?" Romulus challenged. She laughed.