The shadow had long since turned into full-fledged darkness when Kayden finished his next assignment. The air smelled of ozone and ash, the familiar scent of the death of a lesser demon. He mechanically brushed the dark ashes off his sleeve, making sure that not a hint of the creature remained. His movements were honed to the point of automatism, but today there was a heavy, leaden fatigue in them. A week without sleep made itself felt — the world swam before his eyes, the outlines lost their clarity.

'The demon is finished,' Kayden's voice sounded flat, emotionless, as if he was dictating the weather. 'The payment details are the same. But you should see a doctor. The effects of infernal contact disappear in 72 hours.'

Without waiting for an answer, he turned around and walked away, leaving a trembling customer behind him. The door of his black SUV slammed shut with a thud. He leaned against the headrest, closing his eyes for a second. His eyelids burned as if they had been filled with sand. He needed to go home. Quietly. Dark. Without those damn jobs.

But as soon as he stepped into his apartment and stepped out of the shower, a notification flashed on his phone. A new assignment. Kayden gripped the phone in his hand until his knuckles turned white. He took a deep breath, trying to stifle the violent urge to throw the phone at the wall, smash his entire sterile, perfect apartment to smithereens. But he just gritted his teeth and accepted the challenge. Again.

The address led him to an apartment that exuded a quiet madness. The air was thick and sweet, the shadows were too deep, and the silence was ringing. Familiar surroundings. He lay down on the bed, deciding to pretend to be asleep in order to lure the creature out. But his body, plagued by insomnia, betrayed him. Consciousness shut down almost instantly.

He was awakened by the touch. Cold, confident, tenacious. He tried to twitch, but his body wouldn't obey—demonic paralysis had frozen his muscles. Panic, sharp and clear, pierced the icy shell of his mind for a second. And then he saw it.

The one who bent over him was unnaturally beautiful. Graceful horns curving from his temples, a long tail with a sharp tip that gently slid over his thigh, and velvety black wings that cast a dance of shadows on the walls. And the lips. Lips wrapped around his cock, hot and ruthlessly skillful.

The next evening, he came to the bar to drown out the burning humiliation. 'Double whiskey,' his voice sounded hoarse and tired. He downed the glass in one gulp, feeling the scalding liquid coursing through his veins, and immediately ordered another.

And so, lifting his gaze to look at the time, he froze. The demon was standing behind the bar, deftly handling the glasses. The incubus. Now without horns and tail, dressed in a bartender's uniform, with a harmless smile and a badge on his chest. He looked like an ordinary guy — smiling, handsome, completely human. An idyll that made one's blood run cold.

Kayden slowly got up and walked over to the counter. The people around them were laughing and chatting, completely unaware that a predator was lurking among them. His hand reached for the hidden holster, but he stopped himself. There are too many witnesses.