Prologue

Helena sat on her couch staring into thin air as countless thoughts raced in her head faster than she could keep up with. Most of her ideas ended with her dead, along with her beloved. They both knew the risks they were taking by getting involved with each other. Except how could she not? She loved this man more than words could describe. The rest of the underworld would call it disgusting; unprecedented even. An incubus had fallen in love with a succubus?

It is true that a succubus could seduce just about any mortal they came into contact with, but not with another supernatural being. They were both demons designed to lure in unsuspecting mortals with their serene beauty. She fed on blood where he fed on souls. They seemed so similar but neither of them were meant to fall in love.

But now...

Now they were both in a situation neither of them could have seen coming. Helena’s hand shook as she held the test that showed a blue plus sign in the ring under her thumb. She had to tell Zander as soon as possible, which is why she’d called him five minutes earlier saying they had to talk about something. The fact he hadn’t just hurried into the living room of her one‐bedroom apartment in downtown Boston meant he was nervous and wanted to take the time to walk.

He was cute that way, and even though he was an immortal demon; he almost seemed human around her. In truth she was much, much older than he was, and inexplicably more powerful. Yet that didn’t matter to him. To him, she was the only woman in the world. The fact that she could erase his existence in the blink of an eye didn’t matter to him. In fact, he’d likely prefer death by her hand than any other.

The door quietly knocked twice, and she knew it was him.

“Come in, Zander.”

He opened the door slowly and stepped in, keeping his bright blue eyes down as he closed it behind him. He must really think he’s in trouble if he is acting so sheepish, she thought to herself, while a small hint of worry burned inside her mind. His shoulder‐length jet‐black hair gleamed in the overhead light in her living room. He wore his favorite pinstripe pants with a white dress shirt, his gray vest over the top of it, and his charcoal-gray overcoat to complete his appearance.

Zander always loved to be the best looking man in the room when he walked in, and he always succeeded, especially amongst mortals. He made his way to her and sat down without making a sound. She put her pointer finger under his perfectly pointed chin and lifted his head up to meet her eyes.

 A pair of thick black rimmed glasses sat on his nose beautifully complimenting his hair, and it set the focus point of anyone directly on his gorgeous eyes, not that anyone could miss them. If anyone ever got this close to him and looked into his eyes, they’d notice that the blue color was actually rippling ever so slightly; like water in a pool.

Those were the eyes of the man she’d fallen in love with fifty‐seven years ago. Back then, she was singing part time in a cabaret club in Soho when she realized that being a demon feeding on blood in an alleyway did not provide a very good living. She had just begun walking off the dimly lit stage when she saw a gorgeous dark haired man sitting in a corner booth staring at her.
           He immediately caught her eye as he sat against the dark red leather seat underneath a low light. He stared at her with hunger she’d never seen in anyone else’s eyes other than her own after a week without blood, and at that moment, she was going on day five.

He definitely looked good enough to eat.

She made her way off stage and went behind the bar in the middle of the club, pulling a damp rag from an empty wine bucket, sensually dabbing her neck with it as she tilted her head back. Looking back to him, she saw him get up and head for the door.
          Either he wasn’t interested, or that meant, “Come to the alleyway.” She happily obliged as she headed after him. Stepping out into the street she felt the sting of the cold on her fingertips; as it was snowing on a cold evening in December. Looking to her left, she saw fresh tracks on the sidewalk leading straight into the alley, which meant she had been right, he wanted her to follow.

She turned the corner to see him standing there, looking suave yet seductive. She advanced on him as a cheetah stalking an antelope does in the desert, putting one foot in front of the other in her brown leather high-heeled boots, tight fit jeans, and red blouse open to see just enough cleavage to make any man go wild as her blonde hair bobbed with each step.

“I saw you staring at me in the club,” She placed a hand on his chest and leaned in closer, glancing at his bright blue eyes. “Did you see anything you like?” She asked, trailing her hand down. Before she managed to get to his belt, he caught her hand.

“No offense, miss, but normally I like to make the first move.” He said with a devilishly handsome smile. With a flick of his wrist, he spun her around so she was the one against the wall, and he leaned in and planted a kiss on her so deep it took her breath away. She started to feel a pain in her chest that turned to immediate pleasure as he pulled away. His face was riddled with confusion, and before he could speak, she tore her teeth into his neck.
           He struggled at first, but gave in after a few seconds. And when she’d had her fill, she let him go, expecting his body to fall lifelessly to the ground. When he didn’t, panic shot through her. She couldn’t afford a struggle in the middle of Soho, middle of the night or not, he’d shout out or try to call for help and she’d have to haul a*s before anyone came to investigate. But he wasn’t moving, not even screaming. He just stared at her, his eyes shimmering in excitement.

“Well, then. This just got interesting.” He said, smiling with the same wolfish grin he’d had when he was sitting in the back of the club. He took her face in his hands and kissed her again, and in that instant, neither of

them wanted to go their separate ways. So here they sat, all these years later and still madly in love. They did have their ups and downs just like any other couple, sure, but in the end, things always seemed to work out.

She held up the little white stick and kept her thumbnail pointing towards the dark blue plus so he could see it clearly. His eyes widened as a smile crossed his face. He snatched it from her hand and shot to his feet.

“Is this real?” He shouted, like a child who’d just unwrapped the biggest present he could find underneath the Christmas tree. She felt the same joy when she saw it at first too, but the reality struck her faster than it did him. His smile almost hurt her, as she knew what would be his mournful reaction.

“Zander, what the hell are we going to do? You and I both know the moment Adrian finds out about this that we’re both going to be eviscerated.” Adrian was the demon lord; the closest thing to Lucifer that the demon world had to offer. And he was not fond of anyone going behind his back. Those who did turn on him often ended up contributing what in‐tact bones they had left to the construction of his castle in the underworld. Last Helena heard, he was looking for some good femurs for a new set of table legs.

“I’m so happy I could rip my own heart out!” He said grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her into him and spinning her around. He let her go to see she still wasn’t smiling. “Sweetheart, Adrian won’t find out a single thing, he doesn’t give two s***s about us, and even if he does, we can find somewhere to lay low while we wait for the baby to come.” He assured her.

“Babe, I don’t doubt that we could, but what about when the baby is born? Nine months we can skirt, but we can’t raise this baby in secret. Hidden away from the world? What kind of life is that?” His eyes lost their shimmer as the reality he hadn’t considered hit him. So this was why she wasn’t jumping for joy like he was.

“We can think of something, we always do. We still have friends.” He said regaining some hope inside.

Helena and Zander manifested outside the back door of a small house in queens with a white picket fence that encompassed the whole property. The lights were on inside, but they were dim. The house looked normal enough. No one would even guess there was a Romanian witch inside.

Helena knocked on the glass window pane of the door softly, anxiously waiting to see her old friend with slight hope that she could count on her as much as she thought she could. Alina’s eyes lit up the moment she saw Helena. She opened the door with a bright smile, her dark brown hair shimmering in the moonlight.

“Helena! Oh, I’ve missed you!” Her thick Romanian accent fit her beautifully. As a siren, it reminded Helena of a soft melody.

“I’ve missed you too, Alina. I wish I could say I was just visiting, but I have a favor to ask you, and it’s not a small one.” A look of worry appeared on Alina’s face as she gestured for them to come inside. She’d known about Helena and Zander for a while but she believed that everyone deserved a chance at love, especially two demons that were never meant to feel love in the first place.

“What do you need, Helena?” She asked sitting on a stool in the kitchen. Helena took a seat beside her but Zander stood. The room seemed warm with a soft, pleasant tone.

“I need you to read my essence and tell me what you feel.” Helena said, with complete seriousness. Alina was slightly baffled. That was an extremely simple request, yet she felt the nature of their visit went deeper than that. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were completely black.

Alina extended her hand toward Helena and felt her essence, but there was a problem, she could faintly feel another.

“Zander, could you take a step back? I think I’m getting some interference.” He nodded and immediately obliged. She refocused herself and began reading Helena’s essence. Her face became frustrated as she dropped her hand again. “I don’t understand, I can still feel another…” Alina’s face went pale as she finally realized what it was that she was feeling. Her dearest friend Helena was pregnant. They had signed their own death warrants.

“You see now why we need your help. Adrian will kill us if he finds out that we’re together, but if he finds out about this...” Helena knew she didn’t have to tell her friend the consequences of her pregnancy and how dangerous it was to not destroy it before it would be too late.

“So what exactly is it that you need from me? Name it and I will do my best.” She said taking her friend’s hand. Helena’s heart was instantly warmed by her friend’s commitment to her.

“Zander and I can stay hidden until the baby is about to be delivered, but when the child is born, we can’t afford to raise it. If we’re discovered, they’ll destroy us all, including our child. We need you to take it. Seal the child’s essence enough so that it can’t be discovered before it reaches maturity.” All demons reach maturity at age twenty‐three, then they stop aging. Which means they are young enough to still be physically fit and attractive, yet old enough to blend in with the mortal world.

“Let me get this straight. You want me to raise your child and risk my life for twenty‐three years until he’s old enough to meet mom and dad?” Her cold stare pierced Helena and Zander both. Helena’s throat seized as she couldn’t find the words to convince her friend. Alina’s cold stare immediately turned to a loving one as a smile crossed her face. She let out an excited squeal as she started clapping her hands together.

“Oh I can’t wait to start dressing him and playing with his little toes!” Helena laughed with her as Alina grabbed her hands. Zander stepped forward, a look of confusion shrouding his face.

“Wait, him? How do you know it’s going to be a boy?”

“Zander, I’m a witch. I read his essence, it’s a boy!” Everyone smiled then. Hope was renewed and now they just had to plan the next nine months very carefully. At any given moment, a demon broker could show up and see that Helena was pregnant, and then no force on earth or in the underworld could keep them safe from Adrian.

          Alina would be the only one who could take care of him after Helena had her baby. She knew she would have the responsibility to raise him and keep the largest secret ever kept from him. But yes, she would do it, even though she would have to lie and never let him know the truth while his parents watched from the sidelines.

          Until then, Helena would have the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful phases of pregnancy while Zander suffered her side effects. Helena decided it would be best to stay home during this time; she couldn’t imagine stepping out and being caught. All she could think of was her excitement for when her baby would grow up and mature into whatever demon it would be born as, so she could see him, talk to him, love him. Her plans seemed perfect; flawless.