"How so?"

 "She was a shape-shifter."

 I nearly dropped the book. "What?"

 Doug nodded. "He approached her, and she turned into all sorts of shit to scare him off—wild animals, forces of nature, monsters, whatever."

 "What...what'd he do?"

 "He held on. Grabbed her and wouldn't let go through all of those terrible transformations. No matter what she turned into, he just held on."

 "Then what?" I could barely hear my own voice.

 "She finally turned back into a woman and stayed a woman. Then they got married."

 I had stopped breathing somewhere around the word "shape-shifter." Still clutching the book, I stared off into space, a great winged feeling swelling in my chest.

 "You all right, Kincaid? Christ, you've been weird lately."

 I blinked, tuning back in to reality. The feeling in my chest burst out, launching into glorious flight. I started breathing again.

 "Yeah. Sorry. I've just had a lot on my mind." Forcing levity, I added, "I'll do my best not to be too weird from now on."

 Doug looked relieved. "Coming from you, that might be a long shot, but here's to hoping."

 "Yes," I agreed, smiling. "Here's to hoping."

Reading Order

1. Succubus Blues

2. Succubus On Top / Succubus Nights

3. Succubus Dreams

4. Succubus Heat (coming June 2009)

5. Succubus Shadows (coming March 2010)