Dark Enchantment (Elvis Presley Story)

Chapter 41

From the corner of his eye Elvis caught occasional glimpses of the indwelling house demons he'd seen on his initial visit as an incubus to the library. They flitted about the place like ghosts, on their best behavior. No phantom fangs and claws tonight.

The magical power he'd felt upon first arriving at the cadre Manor pulsed through the room, surrounded as he was by the cadre initiates who practiced it. But he'd gotton used to the hum of human magic in his body. Surprisingly, he found it quite pleasant. Kind of like a mild caffeine buzz. Drugging. Arousing. Possibly dangerous. But he was feeling reckless.

"You're new," a throaty feminine voice said close to his side. "I'm Elise. Who are you?"

Elvis glanced around to find a leggy brunette in a mini dress giving him a thorough inspection.

"And what are you?" She added in a purr. "Such male perfection can't be human."

He raised a brow. Okay. Not that reckless. "I'm Elvis. Sophia's demon."

The brunette tilted her head. "Really? She's keeping pets now?" Her smile turned just the slightest shade malicious. "Or is it the other way around?"

Suddenly something clicked in his mind. Elise. He'd heard the name before. In Sophia's mind? Hmm. Perhaps. Could this be his next vengeance victim? He sent out a subtle probe and tested the brunettes magic. Nothing.

He turned to her with his most charming smile. "Now that's a matter of opinion, I suppose." Then he leaned in and whispered, "I'm an incubus."

Her lustful gaze turned calculating. "Why, you naughty boy." She gave his body another approving once over. "And what are you doing here at the Manor? That is, in the flesh..." She said the last word with breathy meaning.

A bit pushy, this one. No wonder Sophia didn't like her. If he was remembering correctly. "I'm the one who brought the Demon stone."

"Ah, the great guest of honor. Sorry I didn't realise. I missed the speech." She put her hand on his arm and raised her lips to his ear. "Their father, you know. What an old fool." She rolled her eyes.

Actually, Elvis thought his speech about the recovery of the Demon stone had been quite moving-delighted and heartfelt. Moving away from the woman, Elvis raised his glass in acknowledgement but didn't comment. "What about you, Elise? A cadre initiate?"

"Three years. Still a novice, but I'm advancing to apprentice any day now," She said, preening. "My specialty is the Sidhe."

"Faeries?" Now it was his turn to be amused. All at once the memory kicked in. That's where he'd heard her name before. From Raskin, the renegade court prince he'd bought the faerie wine from. A rather risqué comment, as he recalled. Big suprise there. "I didn't think the cadre was interested in faeries."

He felt Sophia's presence behind him.

"We're not," her voice said. "Not really, other than for research. It's almost unheard of for a sidhe to actually harm humans." She came around and slipped her hand around his elbow. "Elise is mainly a recruiter. She finds individuals of the fey persuasion for us to interview. For our paranormal knowledge."

Elise glared at Sophia's hand. An intense aura of resentment flared around both women. "Which is a very important function," Elise said. "You should appreciate my work."

"True enough. And trouble does occasionally brew between the faerie courts that we arbitrate," Sophia said gracefully. "Elise has proven quite resourceful in that capacity."

The women exchanged a look, all smiles laced with well-disguised antagonism. Definitely something going on there. Elvis wanted to put his arms around sophia and kiss her, to reassure her that he had no interest in the flirtatious Elise. But he knew he couldn't do that here and now. Besides, the other women would get hers soon enough. He'd see to that, now that he knew the score.

"Come, there's someone I want you to meet," Sophia said to him, pulling him away. "Excuse us."

They left Elise and strolled to the other side of the room. "You don't like her very much, do you?" He asked, wondering what the cause was.

"She's talented, but a constant source of trouble in the east wing."

"What kind of trouble?"

Sophia let out a breath. "Her favorite game is to break up friendships and relationships. She's constantly trying to drive a wedge between me and Aurora. She thinks when others are brought low, her own status is raised."

"Not a very good team player." He sensed something else between them, something more sensitive and hurtful. "There's more, isn't there?"

She was silent for a few heartbeats. Then admitted, "There was a man."

"Ah, what happened?"

"Nothing. It didn't get a chance. Elise saw to that. She seduced him and told him lies about me."

"I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter now. I just wish I'd never recommended her as an initiate. Unfortunately, now she's in the cadre there's no way to get rid of her."

He begged to differ. There were a number of ways to get rid of the woman. In fact, he was already working on an idea.

Ah, vengeance. He missed this.

He smiled benignly. "Once a cadre initiate, always a cadre initiate, eh?"

"Exactly." She tucked her arm more firmly through his. "Come meet everyone."

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! And thanks for reading! xoxo