The loud music muffled out the voices of the people currently sitting across Iliad. She was sitting rather uncomfortably between two of her friends who had lied and organized the friends night at a popular club.
A few guys she wasn't too fond of, were practically sticking to her two more extroverted friends. They decided to bring a mutual friend, who was brooding while sipping on a non alcoholic beverage.
"I take it you aren't much for fun, are you?" Said Craig, a short muscled guy
With an angular face and blue eyes. She frowned but remained silent. Preferring to drink her own non alcoholic beverage.
The new stoic guy, whose name she overheard from Craig, was called Zola. Looked at them with boredom written all over his handsome pale face.
He rolled his eyes, dropping his head back to sip his drink when he noticed Iliad had seen what he did.
Craig offered her his hand, an invitation to dance. Which she ignored completely, looking him dead in the eye while popping a pretzel in her mouth.
He frowned, looking pissed but smiled as soon as her friend Carla grabbed his hand.
"Come on!" And with that she led him to the dance floor, likely to grind him raw and move on to a dark spot for further abuse.
Masha took the other flirtatious chromosome to the dance floor, leaving Iliad alone with Zola. The man was handsome in a very ethereal way.
His complexion under the multicolored lights appeared unnaturally pale. His eyes were very dark, almost black. A nose with a high bridge and flaring nostrils, its left side pierced.
And full lips. His wide forehead she suddenly noticed had a few markings. She didn't even realise she had asked about them out loud.
"What?" A very deep voice asked. The girl sent the bowl of pretzels flying from fright.
"What do you mean by markings?" He looked at her with an intensity. His body leaning heavily on the table.
"Be serious, it's not that hard not to notice. If anything I first thought it was a headband of some kind." She leaned forward, and rubbed at the skin.
Sitting back down in shock when she realized it was a tattoo. He looked rather offended that she had touched him. Grabbing the end of his collar to wipe at his forehead.
"You're not exactly supposed to be able to see it." Iliad considered the man an idiot.
"It's largely tattooed on your freaking face!" He scoffed.
"What's your surname?" The sudden question threw her frustrations off.
"Why?" He looked affronted, Iliad turned skeptic. "I'm not a flooze for the night, so don't try that flirting thing with me."
"Are you okay? It's just a surname." He looked her over, or whatever could be seen that wasn't blocked by the table.
"Please tell me your level of stupid isn't hereditary." Iliad was too shocked to reply. This left the man the opportunity to smirk.
"I'll give you my number, woman without a surname. Please call me when you get the chance."
He took out a business card with one cellphone number printed on it and nothing else. Iliad took it and inspected it closely, still finding nothing except the number.
"Are you a prostitute or something?" That intrusive thought took the smirk right off Zola's face.
"Woman, that may just be the most bizarre conclusion anyone had ever given me." Kinda impressed, he took another sip of his drink.
"So, you'll call right?" Iliad scrunched up her nose in uncertainty. Then finally shook her head.
"Nevermind, I'm certain you'll be calling." With that he grabbed her hand, using his thumb to gently create a pattern she couldn't see. She retracted her hand with a force, glaring at the offensive man.
"I'm leaving, be sure not to stay too long. Things tend to turn rather heated as midnight grows closer." Iliad swore she saw an unnaturally gleam un his eyes.
Before she could retort, he slid out of his chair and walked away. He soon got swallowed in the mass of dancing people.
Her friends, looking disheveled and blushing brightly came back. Without the males they took off with.
"Where's the broody hunk?" Masha slurred out. Carla giggled. Clearly drunk.
"He left just a few minutes ago." Both girls frowned and looked to the other.
"That's strange." Masha mused.
"What's strange?" Iliad asked. Masha had the tendency to always speak one sentence at a time.
"Craig and Donovan left probably around the same time the hunk did." Iliad rolled her eyes.
"It's not strange. They probably prearranged the time they should leave."
"Is it normal to leave during a kissing session and more?" Masha pouted. "And just when he was done with my neck." Iliad moaned in disgust.
"Wait!" The girls turned to look at Carla who had her hands up. "He left while he did your neck?"
Masha frowned as she nodded. Carla frowned too and gave her reason.
"Donovan left after he finished with my neck too. I still wanted to hold his-" She was cut off before she could finish what she wanted to say. Iliad did not want to know the private details.
"Do they have a fetish or something?" She tried joking. Which got an undesired reaction.
"I'll call him now." Masha called the number Craig had given her. Only for a woman to pick up. Not to be deterred, she asked to speak to Craig, to which the woman replied there was none named Craig that she knew.
Carla had a similar experience. It was then they spotted the card lying near Iliad.
"What's that?" Carla asked.
"A business card." The too clearly pissed women did not look amused.
"Zola gave it, do you guys want me to call-"
"YES!" They both cut her off. She muttered under her breath but dialed the number.
An amused hello greated her.
"I must say the call came way earlier than I expected. Did they bother you this soon already?"
"How did you know my friends would be bothering me?" She genuinely sounded surprised. Said friends mouthed the word bothering with equal annoyed expressions.
"Your friends? No that's not what I meant. Nevermind, what do you need me for?"
"Your friends kinda ghosted mine, gave them fake numbers actually." Silence met her from the otherside of the phone call.
"Hello? Are you still there?" Zola coughed and hummed a yes.
"I can't exactly speak for them..." Realizing this was probably right, Iliad apologized.
"Tell you what, you can come to my house and I'll give you their addresses."
"Why can't you send it over the phone?" Zola laughed the question off. And told her he'll be waiting. Promptly ending the call, Iliad was left listening to the beeping from the other side.
"Well?" Masha stressed out.
"He said he'd give me their addresses." A look of satisfaction graced the two women's faces, only to drop once they heard how they'd be getting the addresses.
A message came through before they could interrogate Iliad.
"It says I must come alone."
"Alone? It seems someone has taken a liking to you." Carla looked devious.
"He looked alright. But keep your GPS on." All the girls nodded and decided to leave the club in separate Uber cars.
Iliad arrived at a large home, a little spooky, but fancy. Feeling underdressed she walked up to the stoop to ring the bell. The Uber driver had honked before leaving.
She waited until the heavy door swung open with an amused looking Zola hanging behind it.
He motioned for her to step inside. She took in the rich decorated passage filled with painting of people she didn't know. The man walking in front of her had changed into more casual clothing. A tracksuit pants and vest. Showing off more tattoos of the same pattern.
She couldn't place a way to actually describe how it looked other than swirls and triangles in a straight line merged together.
Leading her up the stairs, she followed him speechless, until they reached a bedroom. That's when she recoiled.
"Hold on, I agreed to coming here for the addresses, not for any nefarious purpose." Zola gave a throaty laugh.
"No matter how you got here, the invitation was still accepted."
"Invitation?" The girl looked confused
"Invitation to what?"
"Mating of course!" He looked so pleased as Iliad began to be filled with anxiety.
"Are you an animal? What the hell is this mating nonsense!" She walked out the room, only to be stopped by a muscular arm. Dragging her back inside, he shut the door with his free hand. Caving her in against the closed door.
"Get off me!" Iliad began to squirm, his grip tighten each time she did so.
"You're an Seral aren't you?" She stopped.
"How did you know this?" She shrieked.
"Because your family's affiliation with the paranormal is exactly why you can see the markings I bare."
Iliad looked confused but stopped struggling. Zola released his hold and started unbuttoning his vest.
"I'm not exactly human, people may call my kind, immortals." The woman's eyes grew wide.
"A more familiar term is incubus." He continued to remove clothing as he spoke.
"But against popular belief we feed off sexual desire, not really participating in sexual activities unless with our mates." At the mentioned of mate, Iliad sprang into a defensive position.
"I don't care what you are. We're not having this moment." Zola looked amused.
"You don't understand, you have no choice. You see once a woman of your nature sees the incubus markings. You've already initiated the call."
"I can't be the only one to have seen them!" She sputtered out. "They are on your forehead!"
Zola chuckled, now only in his underwear. The woman covered her face to cool it down. Something was wrong, she felt flush and had the urge to undress.
"What did you mean by woman of my nature?" Deciding to distract herself from the sudden raging emotions.
"You've never laid with a man." Iliad's heart rate increased even more.
"I beg your pardon?" She was not amused.
"How about you start begging for something else?" He said with a flirtatious wink. Instead of feeling repulsed. Her heartbeat quickened even more.
"You can only see the markings because you are mate material. Your family was kinda cursed after they hunted and killed quite a few of my kind." He took her chin in one of his hands, slanting it upwards to align with his mouth.
Iliad closed her eyes when she smelled something coming from his breath. A sweet fruity smell. It made her feel calm.
"Craig and Donovan are incubus too. They wouldn't hurt humans, only feed off on their sexual desires." Iliad hummed in understanding.
"Why am I different?" She leaned in more to get a better angle for her nose to breath in more of the alluring scent. Zola stepped away, much to Iliad's dismay.
"Because you have parts of my species blood in you. Your forthfathers under the law of the curse mated my kind and created a mutation"
Iliad was listening, or so she tried. The scent was becoming more stronger with each passing second.
"So what are you saying?" She asked breathlessly. Zola looked at her, amused by her state.
"It means you can only get hot and botherdd enough to sleep with someone if they have my people's blood in them."
Before she knew it, they were both in the centre of the bed. And against her judgement, she was very eager for whatever he had planned.
"So that's why I never really had the urges by friends spoke about." Zola hummed as he ran his fingers across her arms. This motions created shivers all over Iliad's body.
"So what now, I'm not open for a one night stand as my first time." Zola rolled his eyes.
"Have you listened to anything I've said?" Iliad pulled herself back to be able to look Zola in the eyes.
"We're going to be mated, married." He took her silence as confusion and listed off more terms. "Uh, life partners."
Iliad giggled and decided to explore his chest with her index finger. The slight movements coming from the man, excited her.
"Stop, if you don't want this permanent affair." Iliad stopped, and a sound of disappointment came from Zola.
"Why am I this comfortable with you?" Zola hummed unsure if what he'll say would be taken kindly.
"I kinda marked you." He sounded sheepish.
"Marked me?" She felt him nod against the top of her head. "Marked me how?"
"When I grabbed you hand, I drew my crest." When he wasn't interrupted, he continued.
"My crest acts as a warning for other interested men, but it also amplifies your desire for me once you accept my invitation."
"What!" Iliad momentarily forgot her desire and sat up.
"What exactly is this invitation?" Zola nodded and stayed reclined.
"First we need to initiate communication, that's why I asked you to call me, after you've responded, you need to come to my house, which has spells that starts the mating ritual."
"Previously, masters had to be present, similar to a priest or pastor, but these days spells have been invented that doesn't require a master to be present." Zola looked at the woman trying to figure out what she was thinking.
"So I wasn't forced into this?" He tried to use the right words to not get her riled up.
"Though your reason for calling me wasn't what I was hoping for, it still was acknowledged by the laws. You did everything willingly." He could feel her glare even through the dark.
"Look, even though this may not be ideal for the both of us, our feeling are still real. Just amplified with some help."
"What kind of help?" Iliad sounded skeptic but not angry. A good sign the man thought to himself.
"A very strong aphrodisiac." He continued before she flew into a rave.
"Which you had dormant in you because of your lineage. That's nothing I can be blamed for." Iliad released the breath she had been holding.
"So I was born with an aphrodisiac in me. And it got out of control as soon as I accepted terms to your marriage laws?" Zola nodded frantically.
"Alright, I'll accept this." The man beamed with happiness.
"Before we actually do the deed, we need to make a contract." He sat up and rummaged through the bedside drawer until he found the knife.
Iliad moved away, but Zola reassured her by creating a small cut on the tip of his finger.
"Needs to be a blood contract." He took her finger and did the same to it. Holding his finger and hers together.
He muttered a few incantations and further explained the process.
"This is kinda like a lifetime agreement. How much you want to put into this relationship." He looked down, embarrassed.
"You should list things like how many children you want."He continued touse his finger against hers. "If you want to Live here or somewhere else." He continued.
"You can tell me things like life goals and I'd be obligated by a blood contact to fulfill them all." Iliad laughed, surprising the man.
"Wow, and I thought our vows were hard." He smiled and drew her down to lay next to him again.
"Well, I'll want whatever you can offer and afford. Both emotional and physical. As for children. We need to both decide. That's a promise I was myself to keep too." Zola smiled.
He suddenly shifted their positions to be hovering over her. Iliad shrieked in surprise but was thrown into a giggling fit when Zola started nuzzling her neck.
"I know this is all happening fast, but I promise you, you won't regret meeting me."
Iliad was always a thinker, someone who did things first by logic. This situation was something she would have ridiculed.
But she'd admit, aside from the supernatural things at play. She did find him attractive the first time she saw him. What a chore it would be to thank her friends, after they tricked her into going clubbing.
She was happy in the moment, and while they had an awkward first night. She couldn't see herself ever regretting her decision to call him.
This event she replayed to herself for many years,sometimes wondering how lucky her life turned out.
A lesson she learned and something she would later tell her own kids. If something happened that doesn't make sense and still seems worth it. Do it.
Not all decisions should be subjected to logic. Human emotions can never fully be studied and even less mutants emotions.
She was happy, her family was happy. And as she awaited death, she wouldn't mind telling people her story.
Her grandchildren had gifted her a laptop. Using it she had managed to create an account on a social platform that allows people to tell their stories.
She warmed her fingers against the floor heater and went to type the title of her story. The one thing that started everything. A phrase she would come to save her husband's name as a joke.
PLEASE CALL ME...
The End
