Courts and Cabals by G.S. D'Moore (best e reader for academics txt) 📕

“That UN agent may have had a point.” The deeper I dove into the cabal, the more I questioned things.

Xamira read my internal debate like an open book. “It’s not that bad,” she gave me a lopsided smile that stole my breath for a second. She definitely had that spark her father and aunt possessed. “All of us are trained to fight and protect those we love. I think everyone should have the opportunity to learn to defend themselves, but after that, the cabal doesn’t make us do anything. We get to choose our own fate.”

That alleviated my fears a little. I also knew certain values instilled in someone their whole life would lead to certain actions. They might get the choice, but it wasn’t much of a choice if one of the options was what they’d been told was “right” their entire lives.

“A lot of us, especially the guys, chose to go the tactical route,” she explained, “but I charted my own path. I just graduated from Abertay University with my Masters in Ethical Hacking and Computer Security,” she puffed up with pride at her achievement, which only made her blazer strain against what god gave her. “It’s in Scotland,” she clarified, “and one of the best schools in the world for cybersecurity.”

“So, you went cyber instead of tactical,” I followed, trying to look at her face instead of her chest.

“It’s the battlefield of the twenty-first century,” she replied confidently. “I’ll join the cabal’s cyber team after this assignment. They like for us to get some practical experience on top of a formal education. Being a VIP bodyguard fits the bill. Plus,” she looked over at Dani, “I’ve always wanted to meet the famous bladesmith. I’ve got some ideas about how rare-earth metals and magic can be combined to supercharge our hardware, and I wanted to run my ideas by an expert.”

Now it was Dani’s turn to puff up with pride, and I groaned as I tried to hide the tent that made me pitch. I utterly failed, but both women just shared a look and laughed.

It hit me at that moment that every woman around me, with the exception of Lilith, was older and more experienced than I was. To take my mind off Xamira and Dani’s bodies, I changed the topic.

“Aden’s an incubus,” I blurted out. “How is that different from a succubus?”

“They’re different sides of the same coin,” Xamira answered. “Both feed on sexual energy, are preternaturally strong, fast, and tough; but my dad is a pure incubus, unlike Aunt Lilith. Succubus are known for taking, while incubus give of themselves,” the imp looked a little uncomfortable talking about her dad like this.

Lilith told me she was half-Fae, but I didn’t understand what that truly meant.

“My dad serves as a fixer for the cabal,” she continued. “He’s been around for a while. He gets sent to hot spots to solve problems. He’s the best at his job, and has been teaching Xander everything he knows. My brother is more of a people person, while I’ve had my face stuck in a computer screen for the last six years.”

“She is not your typical computer nerd,” I gulped. Xamira wasn’t some pimple ridden kid, living in their parent’s basement, with social deficiencies. She was a perfect ten on the hotness scale, and from what I knew about her upbringing, could totally kick ass.

“When Dad isn’t out in the field he’s working with grandma and . . .”

“Being a glorified breeder,” Aden finished as he walked back into the ward.

Xamira blushed, but didn’t shy away from her father. “I was just getting to know my new charge.”

Aden didn’t look upset. “It’s fine. I go where they tell me to go, do what they tell me to do, and after all that, my nature takes over.”

I could only guess what that nature was, but Lilith stepped forward, and I didn’t have to wonder. “Unlike myself, my brother is required to . . . express himself periodically.”

“Express?” it was my turn to raise an eyebrow.

“I’m an incubus,” Aden didn’t look at all ashamed. “It’s my job to incubate. Periodically, I’m set upon by an urge. The urge is unrelenting and unyielding. When this occurs, the cabal recruits a host. I express myself with the host, and depending on the host, nine months later we’re looking at a new imp and supernatural member of our family.”

The incubus said it all so simply, but it all sounded so . . . weird. “Weirder than being in a succubus’s harem?” I asked myself, and was forced to accept that my life was just going to be weird from here on out.

“It’s all very ethical,” Lilith felt she needed to defend the practice to me. “Think of it like a surrogacy. The women are compensated for their time, and all their medical bills are paid. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship.” Her eyes told me it was something I had to accept, and we could talk about it later if I wanted.

I nodded, and Aden smiled. “I’ve been around long enough that I have many children,” he smiled fondly at Xander and Xamira. It was not the look of some stud used to inseminate women to fuel the cabal’s master plan of world domination. “I just go down the alphabet to avoid confusing myself, but that got difficult when I had to start over. Now that I’m on my third time through, I give myself a headache,” he chuckled and gripped his son’s shoulder like he was talking about a plan to throw around the pigskin later.

“He’s gone through the alphabet twice,” I couldn’t stop from gaping. “At one kid per letter that’s . . . and if there are twins like these two then . . .” my suckitude at math hurt