Chapter 15: How To Catch That Fade

Buck

CW: Physical violence

Finding a Voaremont wasn’t hard with two brothers living in town. And Trevor was one of them. This tiny detail pleased Buck to no end. He loved the idea of this bitch being close by. It’d be easier to keep an eye on him as well. Everybody knew where this particular Voaremont lay his greasy head because he was a prodigious braggart.
The second largest Indigo Plains estate sat on the east side, five minutes from town center. The brick and mortar pre-fae manor was a monstrosity.
Buck posted up a block down from the Voaremont estate with four stale bear claws and a steaming cup of sweet sandalwood mint tea. It was decent for a gas station blend, but still tasted like a dollar twenty-five. He didn’t complain in a crunch.
Accepting a long wait time, Buck eased his seat back and turned on something nice. He tore into his first bear claw and sipped, wondering what his wife and Jasper were getting into. He thought to text her when them gates cracked open.
“Okay now, where you off to, boy?”
Buck stuffed the second pastry in his mouth and started the engine as an SUV rolled onto Birch Drive. He had no idea where the bastard was going, but stayed on his behind. Ten minutes later, their trip came to a halt near Rackers Bowl.
He figured Voaremont was in the mood for a few strikes the moment he pulled into the parking lot. Everything was pretty normal aside from the fact that Nieema’s pick-up was in the same god damn lot.
“Son of a bitch.”
Buck snapped his gum and bristled. Parking in the back, he killed the rumbling motor and hopped out. With his eye twitching, he beelined for Trevor but stopped short as a familiar face appeared. They pointed to Nieema’s truck and were rewarded with a handful of big bills.
He’d been right, Voaremont had eyes on Jasper. It was always odd how people who claimed to be family were the first ones to stab you in the fucking face. Her cousin was a god damn rat. This wasn’t anything new, and it was a note he’d save for later. Trevor was his main concern, and when Juel left, Buck rushed for the man.
He was tall, wide, and built like an oak, everything Buck loved in a man. Despite his stature, the bitch was homely with ragged, deep-set scars across his cheek.
Now, on a normal day, a gentleman with battle scars turned Buck on, but tonight, he’d add to the canvas if shit got rocking steady.
No preamble or warning, Buck sidled up to the human and punched him in the liver. Trevor doubled over, and Buck locked an arm around his neck, smiling at a passerby.
“Evenin’ ma’am. He’s a lightweight, them long islands did his poor soul in.” The woman frowned and hurried into the bowling alley. “You and me gonna have a little talk, Trevor.”
He gasped for air and gagged.
“If you even think to hack it on my boots, I’ll make you clean every last drop with your tongue. Look at me, now.”
Buck pushed the wheezing, red-faced man into his truck, the door warping. He waited impatiently for Voaremont to breathe and recover.
“Who—“ Trevor paused to cough and spit. “Who the hell are you?”
“Me? I’m a daisy pretty boy, but I hit harder than a cinder block. Imma tell you this one good time. And I hope your dense ass hears me well, stay the fuck, away from Jasper Marrow.”
That got the young man’s attention. Trevor may have had graying temples, laugh lines, and dry skin, but Buck had him by six hundred years. Mr Voaremont was a sapling. A dead and dying sapling cursed with a ferocious fungal infection.
“Wai—how—who are you to her?”
“The last thing you need to be worried about is me. Motha fucka worry about your health and well-being. Don’t make me tell you twice.”
Buck slapped the shit out of the fragile human, drawing blood. Trevor smelled like an abuser. And yes, they held a scent. The bone-deep odor gave them away every single time. As dark fae connected to organic matter on a base level, Buck sensed these things. Nature as a whole knew a leeching parasite when they saw one.
Cracking his gum, Buck stepped over the slumped wretch and hustled into Rackers. A couple of sets was just what he needed right about now.
Music, neon lights, and fried food hit him first. That nostalgic aroma stained flat, retro carpet and leather booths. Rackers had been a part of Indigo Plains for seventy years. They were known for ice cold tap, grease-dripping chicken strips, and frothy blood. Folks all around town decompressed by picking a lane.
The atmosphere was thick with happiness and fun-filled vibes. He loved cosmic night and wanted to join whatever game Nieema had going. Maybe he could even raise the stakes.
“Look who it is!” Karl slapped the faded counter covered in stickers. “Don’t you look riled.”
“I ain’t, not yet.”
“Mmhm, lie to somebody else, cowboy. I got lunch in an hour if you need something.” Karl’s dark, sateen wings fluttered as he went to sucking on a rod of rock candy. Cherry was his favorite.
Karl snickered and piped, “A big ass thirteen!”
“How you know my size, Kay?”
“You forget how I tied your hefty behind to the bed?”
“When? Last year?”
“We need to jog that memory of yours, handsome.” Karl accepted the shoes and offered them. “Call me.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Grabbing his shoes, Buck winked then spotted his group on lane fifteen. Lady Luck was already on his side with their choice destination. Fifteen had won him well over ten grand thus far.
As Buck donned his shoes, he kept tabs on Nieema and how she admired Jasper. He knew the woman better than anyone; there was more to her grin than amusement. She wanted something quick and tough. Jasper wouldn’t be the one to give it, not yet.
Before he tied the last knot, Nieema lifted her nose and caught his scent. Her glowing focus flared the moment she found him. Buck tipped his hat. Nieema smiled and tapped Jasper on the shoulder.
On his swift approach, the succubus pivoted and startled. “Oh my undergods, who invited you?”
“I don’t need no invite.”
Buck gripped Nima’s nape and tugged her over. His greedy, hungry kiss was welcome and returned. The lovely vampire devoured him on the spot. Stopping his heart, she supplied the same love and affection. After a hundred years, them pesky monarchs in his belly waged war the moment their lips touched.
Roe clapped and grumbled, “Okayyyy, can we get back to the game?”
They shared a laugh, smiles ending their lip action.
“It’s good to see you, boy!” Buck pulled Roe into a hug. “You gotta get out more. Why, when something happens, you wanna show your face, huh? I invite you to every tea party I have.”
Roe slipped away and grimaced. “I hate tea, you know this. We got over it every—“
“Yeah, and the last time I nearly knocked ya god damn fangs out. Who don’t like tea?!”
The haughty vampire flipped his hair and went for a ball. “Anyway, let’s focus.”
“It’s not gonna do you any good,” Jasper said. “I’m cleaning house. So far, I’ve won two hundred dollars and a free meal.”
Buck popped gum, slid back, and skimmed the scoreboard. “Oooooweee! You lighting ‘em up.”
“Take it easy,” Nieema warned. “She ain’t that good.”
“Please, woman, she handed you that ass, and I do mean quick.”
Roe rolled his eyes and examined his claws. “But who’s in second place?”
“I’ll give you that.” Buck shook his head and tapped the screen to wipe the slate clean. “And my baby died last. It’s all good, you a champ where it counts, suga.”
“Fuck outta here! Start the game, you old oak.”
“She’s scary competitive,” Jasper said.
“It was worse when we were younger, but bowling has never been her game.”
Buck glanced at Jasper and considered her posture. Relaxed and arrogant, the spark in her copper eyes burning.
“You wanna put something on it?” Buck asked, watching her and checking for the right ball. “Up the stakes? I got something better than money.”
Her full, plum-stained lips twitched and lifted into a wry smile. It was a predatory promise,
“Sure.”
Jasper rose with grace only a succubus possessed. Her confident stride emboldened him to inch closer, testing her mettle. Jasper reached for the ball behind his, forcing herself into Buck’s personal space.
The perfume unique to a flirtatious succubus wafted. He fell victim to her intoxicating demon magic and growled.
“If you win,” Jasper started, her lilt like chords in a symphony, “you’ll have one chance to impress me. If I win, you never try me again, and you will leave me the fuck alone. Both of you. Like I said, I know what men want.”
Buck chuckled and snapped gum, their eye contact holding. She was a sentient fire. Living and breathing to burn all asunder. He wanted to stoke her flame.
Feed it.
“I’ll take that bet,” Buck whispered, a hairsbreadth away from physical contact. “When you start crying, I want you to remember this moment.”
Jasper snatched her ball and cackled. “Yeah, okay. Tired, played. Men make the same vows. You are simple-minded. All have failed to sway and shock me. You’re one of many, Buck. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“Chilllleeeee.” Nieema wagged a finger and said, “You know what? Let me be quiet, cause—Jasper, the last thing you wanna do is piss this man off. Dial it back. He gon’ need to break somebody back, and I ain’t in the mood.”
His wife knew how them words were a quick way to get tied, strung up, and fucked into a coma. Buck glared and grabbed his lucky ball. Nieema threw up hands and allowed him the first break.
He didn’t want to intimidate Jasper, but she was full of shit, heat, and bluster. As their eyes locked once again, he stepped to the line and pulled back. Buck released the ball with the roll of his fingers. The green, shimmering orb was an extension of his irritation.
Seconds later, pins clattered on pine. Jasper’s jaw hung loose as she blinked, staring at the lane. At her side, Buck stopped with centimeters between them and whispered in her ear. “You ain’t the first succubus who has doubted me. I know where allat hubris leads.”
She made certain not to meet his gaze and shivered. He liked how Jasper went for her necklaces and flicked at them. This was a good sign, and he’d celebrate these small victories by winning a date with the petty demoness.

I wanted to take this time to once again thank you. Y’all are so patient with me, and i love that most. I want to start leaving author’s notes just to let you know how thankful I am that you took the time to read my little story. With that being said, we are moving along, and let me tell you, Buck is steadily surprising me. I’m about eight chapters ahead, and he is shining. He’s falling for the demon and quick. The old man isn’t afraid to speak his mind or disturb the peace. He will burn the world for the people he cares about.