Chapter 6

Chapter

Six

Adrian darted out of the apartment, heart pounding, the crisp morning air wrapping around him like a cold shroud. Sadly it wasn’t enough to snap him out of this nightmare he was having—because it had to be a nightmare.

Any moment now, he would wake up, and Knox would be gone, and he’d be left with nothing but a broken skylight and a lifetime of therapy bills.

The absurdity of it all hit him in waves. The reality that Knox—a creature from his favorite series—was here in flesh and bone, complicated by the fact he needed to regain his magic by visiting an establishment Adrian had never dared enter, felt like something straight out of an unpublished fanfic.

Ahead, Adrian finally spotted Knox’s tall figure, head bent over Evelyn’s hand-drawn map. Adrian slowed his pace, catching his breath while watching Knox tilt the paper this way and that.

Knox’s brow furrowed in frustration as he traced lines with his finger. "This makes no sense," he muttered.

Adrian stepped up next to him. "You’re lost already?" His voice came out steadier than he felt.

Knox glanced at him. "Your grandmother’s cartography skills leave much to be desired."

Adrian couldn’t help but chuckle despite the situation’s absurdity. "Let me see." He took the map from Knox’s hands, smoothing out the crumpled paper. "Here," Adrian pointed, "We need to turn left here, past Lenny’s Liquor Emporium. Then we follow Oak Lane."

Knox made a point of taking in the concrete cityscape around them. "There’s an Oak Lane here?"

"These days it’s less trees and more bars and coffee shops," Adrian admitted. He looked around too. They were drawing stares from the passersby, and no wonder; Knox was wearing pajamas and horns and he still managed to look ridiculously handsome somehow.

He wouldn’t need to enter a brothel to find what he was looking for.

Someone snapped a picture.

Adrian took a deep breath.

Knox had to be noticing the attention he was attracting too, but for some reason, he seemed oblivious to it all. "Left down that road?" he asked, pointing ahead.

"Yes." Adrian didn’t know what else to say, what else to do. The incubus was on a quest now, and he wouldn’t be dissuaded.

Adrian could do nothing but follow.

Finally, they reached the establishment Evelyn had pointed them to, its modest exterior betraying nothing of the world within. The sign read "Serenity Now," elegant letters promising discretion and indulgence. Adrian’s steps slowed as they neared the door, a heavy realization sinking in.

"Wait a second," Adrian blurted, grabbing Knox’s arm before he could push open the door. "How are you planning to… you know… pay for… services?"

Knox turned to him. "Pay?"

Adrian sighed, feeling a headache forming between his temples. "Yeah, you usually have to pay for… these kinds of services. Money."

Knox’s brows knit together. "In my world, I never have to pay."

"Well, it’s not like that here," Adrian explained, his voice dropping to a whisper as a couple walked past them, casting curious glances. "The people of this club expect compensation."

Knox seemed to mull this over, his eyes narrowing slightly as if trying to dissect an unfamiliar concept. Finally, he turned to Adrian with a resigned expression. "I see. Would you be able to provide me with money?"

Adrian’s thoughts spiraled out of control.

Had Knox really asked him that?

Was he going to pay for Knox to have sex with someone else? Was he insane?

It should be me he takes his power from, but it can’t be. I can’t … He glanced at Knox, who stood there patiently waiting, oblivious to the turmoil raging in Adrian’s head. God, he was beautiful.

Impossible and beautiful.

Adrian’s heart twisted in his chest as he weighed his options.

It was the fate of the world at stake here, wasn’t it?

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his wallet and handed over some bills. His hand trembled slightly.

"Here," he muttered, feeling a strange mix of relief and jealousy wash over him.

Knox took the money, his fingers brushing against Adrian’s hand briefly—a touch that sent an electric shiver down Adrian’s spine.

"Thank you," Knox said simply.

Adrian nodded, unable to form words as Knox turned back toward the entrance of Serenity Now.

Adrian watched Knox step into the establishment, the door closing with a soft click that echoed in the pit of his stomach. The incubus moved with a confident stride, unaware of the turmoil he left behind. Adrian’s hands clenched into fists at his sides, nails digging into his palms.

He couldn’t follow. His legs felt like lead, rooting him to the spot. His mind raced with images he couldn’t banish—Knox with someone else, feeding off their desire. It was wrong. All wrong.

The bile rose in his throat, and Adrian swallowed hard, fighting the urge to retch right there on the sidewalk. He pressed a hand against his stomach, willing the nausea to pass.

Why hadn’t he offered himself? Why had he let Knox walk in there alone?

Bitter regret clawed at him, and he fumbled for his phone, needing something—anything—to distract himself from his thoughts. He opened his group chat.

While he had been busy, Daniel and Leon had chatted about the news reports. Apparently, they were mostly convinced now that Adrian hadn’t been bullshitting them last night.

Good.

Because Adrian really needed to discuss his bizzare adventure with someone.

TheRealisticRomantic: He just walked into a brothel.

LiteraryLion: Okay, I knew this was going to get weird, but I didn’t think it would get brothel weird this fast.

BookBoyfriendLover69: Wait, hold on, rewind. You’re talking about Knox? Why is he in a brothel??? Are you seriously pimping out your book boyfriend?

TheRealisticRomantic: I’m not pimping him out! He needs… a way to regain his magic. Because of the Shadow King. It’s complicated.

LiteraryLion: Yeah, "complicated" is one word for it. "Apocalyptic" is another. Did you see what happened to that bank downtown?

BookBoyfriendLover69: It’s like all our "what if the characters were real" fantasies just came true… and then went horribly, horribly wrong.

TheRealisticRomantic: Tell me about it. I’m freaking out here!

LiteraryLion: So you took Knox to a brothel? Are you sure that’s a good idea?

BookBoyfriendLover69: Hey, if the world’s ending, might as well go out with a bang, right? Get it? Bang? (laughing emoji)

TheRealisticRomantic: Not helping, Daniel.

BookBoyfriendLover69: Sorry, sorry. But seriously, you okay with this? I mean… You worship that man. Why did you send him to a brothel instead of helping him regain his magic yourself?

TheRealisticRomantic: I do not worship him.

Adrian glared at his phone.

It took less than two minutes for Leon to send three links into the chat, all pointing to different blog posts Adrian had made over the past month. ‘ 10 Reasons Knox from Monsters of Veridia is the best incubus ever written ,’ and ‘Sinful things I would do if incubi were real’ and ‘ Why monsters are the better boyfriends. ’

Adrian cursed under his breath. He’d written those blog posts back when Knox wasn’t real. Wasn’t that the entire point of having a book boyfriend? That he wasn’t real?

It was only imaginary people who could be hot and perfect in every way all the time.

Reality always disappointed.

Reality was scary.

Adrian started typing again.

TheRealisticRomantic: This is real life, not self-insert fanfiction.

BookBoyfriendLover69: I would totally bang Knox in real life. You can send him to me if you won’t do it yourself.

LiteraryLion: I don’t often agree with Daniel, but in this case I do. Why did it have to be a brothel?

Adrian let his phone sink, unsure how to explain. It was too embarassing to explain, really.

"I’m not…" he started typing, then stopped again, deleting the words.

Leon and Daniel wouldn’t understand. They knew that his ex, Chris, had cheated on him, but they didn’t know why. They didn’t know that it had been Adrian’s fault. That Adrian had not been able to satisfy his own boyfriend, the man he’d loved, who had claimed to love him.

How would he ever be able to impress someone like Knox?

He turned to look at the door of the ‘establishment.’ The incubus was somewhere in there right now, getting down with some stranger, paying with Adrian’s money.

Fucking hell.

Adrian glanced at his phone again, at the messages his friends had sent him, wondering why he was acting this way.

"Because I’m messed up," he murmured—but in his fantasies, Knox never cared about his issues. Unlike Chris, Knox knew how to take what he needed from Adrian, made Adrian want it too, with his incubus charms.

Adrian bit his lower lip.

Could things work out like that?

Could he risk never finding out?

Knox pushed open the door of "Serenity Now" and stepped inside, his senses immediately assaulted by a heady blend of perfume, sweat, and desperation. The brothel’s decor was a garish mix of red velvet and gold trim, the walls adorned with tasteless artwork that left little to the imagination.

A woman approached him. She wore a tight-fitting dress that clung to her curves, her hair piled high atop her head in an elaborate updo. "I’m sorry, sugar," she drawled, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "We’re closed for the night. You’ll have to come back tomorrow."

Knox fixed her with a steady gaze. He wasn’t about to let himself be turned away so easily. "I’m afraid this is a matter of utmost importance," he said. "Surely you can make an exception."

The woman gave him a once-over and a flicker of interest sparked in her eyes as she took in his appearance. "Well, you certainly seem horny," she said glancing at the top of his head as she took a step closer. "I suppose I could see to you myself." She trailed a perfectly manicured finger along his jaw. "For an extra charge, of course."

Knox studied her in return, his incubus instincts probing, searching for the telltale signs of a suitable power source. But to his surprise, he found nothing. It was as if she didn’t exist, a hollow shell devoid of the delicious energy he craved. His thoughts drifted unbidden to Adrian, the human whose very presence set his senses alight with hunger.

"Is there perhaps someone else I could see?" he asked. He didn’t want to offend, but this was important. He needed his magic back, and fast.

The woman’s eyes narrowed, her lips twisting into a displeased frown. "I assure you, I’m more than capable of satisfying your needs," she said, her voice taking on a sharp edge.

"I’m looking for something particular," Knox said and waited.

After a long moment, the woman sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Fine." She turned on her heel. "Follow me, but it’ll cost you."

Knox followed the woman deeper into the brothel. She led him to a room where a handful of scantily clad women lounged on plush couches, their eyes appraising him with a mix of curiosity and boredom.

"Take your pick," the woman said, gesturing to the room’s occupants. "Any one of these ladies would be more than happy to attend to your needs."

Knox let his gaze wander over the assembled women, his incubus senses reaching out, probing. But just like before, he found nothing. No spark of desire, no tantalizing hint of energy to feed his starving magic. It was as if they were all closed off to him.

He approached the nearest woman, a blonde with a pretty face and bright green eyes. She looked up at him through heavily mascaraed lashes, her lips curving into a practiced smile. "Hey there, handsome," she cooed. "Looking for a good time?"

Knox reached out with his power, trying to establish a connection, but it was like grasping at smoke. There was nothing there for him to latch onto and draw from. He moved on to the next woman, and the next, but each time the result was the same. Empty, inaccessible, like trying to drink from a dry well.

Frustration mounted within him, mingling with a growing sense of desperation. He needed to regain his magic, needed it to face the threat of the Shadow King. But without a suitable source of energy, he was powerless.

Maybe magic was just so weak in this world that he wouldn’t be able to forge a connection until he was naked with another person?

Maybe he should just proceed and see what would happen?

But if that was the case, how could he explain the draw he felt toward Adrian?

Adrian didn’t need to be naked to tempt Knox.

"See anything you like?" the woman who’d greeted him at the door asked, cutting through his thoughts.

Knox was about to pick someone at random to get to the bottom of this mystery when he heard someone call his name.

Startled, he turned to see Adrian standing in the doorway, his face flushed, though it didn’t seem like he had been running. He marched up to Knox, ignoring the curious stares. "Whatever you need," he said with an air of determination that belied the nervous energy he radiated, "you can take it from me."

Knox blinked, caught off guard by the offer. "Adrian," he began, but Adrian cut him off.

"I mean it," the human insisted. "If it’s going to help you stop this Shadow King or whatever, then I’m willing to… to help."

"This isn’t a decision to make lightly," Knox said, stepping closer until they were mere inches apart. "You need to understand what you’re offering."

"I do understand," Adrian replied, his voice steady despite the flush spreading across his cheeks. "I’m not a kid. I know what I’m saying."

The woman standing behind Knox cleared her throat. "If you nerds are not here for business, you need to leave," she said sharply.

Knox nodded absently, his focus entirely on Adrian. He could feel the energy radiating from him, raw and potent, calling to him like a siren’s song. So different from the emptiness he sensed in the other humans.

Why?

Knox didn’t know, but he was hungry for it.