An incubus is only half as powerful as it should be, while in another Realm.
-Fact

Chapter 3. What To Expect When You Enter The Dragon's Lair.

     Levi's eyes are painfully groggy when he wakes up a few hours later. With barely any sleep—and all of it accredited to paranoia—he leaves his bed to freshen up, looking over his shoulder every now and then. He still cannot shake off the feeling that he is being watched, like the sinister presence is still hanging around in the deepest crevices of every room he walks into.

He decides that coffee will be his last saving grace in this trying time of sorts—it is unfair for any innocent person to go through such a thing. He is running on barely any sleep and he has work to go to. He knows that the dragon who hired him will not think twice about firing him for being late on his first day, and he'll be damned if he let some mythical creature be the cause of that.

Levi likes his coffee black—something Archie couldn't deal with because it was illegal for something to be so bitter. He pours the rich dark liquid in a mug, reveling in it's smell as he sets his phone down in a position that will show his face when Archie answers the video call.

Just as Archie's face fills the screen, Levi pulls his bread out of the toaster and onto a plate. His best friend is as audacious as the universe was when inventing him. He is naked and laying on his stomach with his legs folded up behind him. He does not bother to hide any inch of skin or body part, leaving Levi to gape at the mounds of flesh that rose like twin peaks—a very nice butt if he is being honest. Archie seems to have just picked up his call right out of sleep.

"Archie! Jesus, do you not know what pajamas are?" Levi complains. "I'll buy you some if you need. Even underwear would do, what is this?"

"Too stuffy," Archie replies in a voice full of sleep while the hand that isn't gripping the phone goes on to scratch his chest. "I like my balls free."

Levi groans and angles the camera better. "Of course you do."

"You look like crap!" Is Archie's startling realisation after seemingly looking at his friend closer.

Levi takes a sip of his coffee and focuses on Archie. "I guess we're twins now."

"Damn Lev, take another sip of that coffee because your comebacks are improving...can't have that." His bed voice is really sexy.

"I barely slept last night," Levi admits while he gets distracted by his own thoughts; the night before being a big haze and at the same time clear as day. He finally remembers to ask Archie the question he wants to ask. "Hey, did you leave a book here yesterday?"

"And why would I do that?" Asks an innocent Archie.

"You always have a book with you at the least convenient time. Like helping your best friend move into a new apartment."

"Well...I decided yesterday was a day solely for you, so no. And what was that late night call yesterday about? I mean today... you know in the wee hours of the morning."

Levi sets his mug down and looks around just for good measure. "There's someone here Archie," he almost whispers.

"What?" Archie looks skeptical as he carefully asks his next question. "What do you mean?"

"There really was someone–" He abruptly stops.

Levi goes quiet at the sound that comes through the phone. It is a loud spank on Archie's naked butt that causes him to moan pleasantly. "Hello Levi," Katya says as she keeps her hand firm on her fiancé's ass, her thick accent filling out every part of her two worded greeting.

"Hi Katya," Levi says while trying not to look, he tries to focus on his toast instead. "So much nudity in one videocall." He says this because Katya is completely naked and not even bothered that he could see her.

"You are gay, solnishka," says Katya. Levi absolutely loves it when she calls him that—her sunflower, but he does not admit it often.

"Yes I am."

"Which is why I must teach my love here what happens when he shows naked buttocks to gay man," she says as her other hand travels up to Archie's throat. "Have lovely first day at work solnishka."

"Call me when you need anything," Archie yells before he can end the call.

"I don't want to bother you the entire time, so I'll just–"

"You better call me Levi!" Archie says and Levi is glad he leaves enough room for loopholes. He would call him, but he just might do it during a lunch break or something of the sorts.

"Fine," says Levi. "I have to go."

"Bye!"

"I'm so jealous of you both. Bye!"

After the call, Levi then realises that he didn't even finish what he wanted to tell Archie about the creature that appeared and somehow vanished into thin air. If he doesn't know better, it definitely is just a part of his imagination because it sure does not feel real, and there is almost no proof to support it.

It is a wonder that he isn't late to his office, after it takes him a precious forty-five minutes or so, to figure out at least half of the public transport system. Levi does have a car, in fact, he has cars, but he decided he'd only use one. And that one car would only be delivered to him after two weeks of figuring out things on his own. He is hell bent on pushing it to  three, or possibly a month if he hasn't yet mastered the art of public transport.

This morning, he didn't say anything to Archie because it felt like he owed him some sort of peace. He does not want to be too reliant on him, and Archie of course will not listen to him.

"You were almost late," said Dragon. Edith. Her name is Edith Lancaster and everyone would refer to her as such. He has to remember that.

"Except I'm not..." he replies and is immediately mortified by his response. He quickly adds, "...ma'am."

Dragon raises her eyebrows, no smile on her face, no frown. Nothing. He wonders if this is how the firing process goes.

"What is this?" She asks while holding up her cup.

"A coffee mug?" Levi answers.

"Wrong," she replies sternly. "It is an empty coffee mug. Fill it, and bring it to my office."

Levi takes the cup away from her. "I don't know where your office is."

Dragon is already several steps away from him. "Figure it out," she says without stopping, like her company would lose a few hundred thousand dollars if she didn't walk away that fast at that moment.

Levi is already frustrated and cannot think of anything that can help him. Even if he calls his best friend, it isn't like he will know where everything is—he doesn't work here and he doesn't have the blueprint of the area. He gathers all of his guts and decides to approach a random employee, figuring he has to find out where the kitchen is.

"Good morning," he says to the first person that comes walking his way. She is a fiery looking woman in every sense of the word. Her red hair uses the light pouring into the building to reflect flames and their crackling energy on her face. Levi has red hair, but his own red hair was no such red as this stranger.

"Good morning, person I've never seen before," she says, pausing to assess Levi as best as she can.

"My name is Levi, I'm new here," he replies nervously. "Could you tell me where the break room is?"

"No problem," she says, perking up when her eyes zero in on the mug on my hand. "Right there," she points to an empty space, and Levi turns to only be met with an extremely huge window. "Exactly there, but two floors up."

He exhales in relief. "Thank you."

"Uh huh, no problem. That impossible woman did the same thing to me when I was new here, so I feel your pain," she explains before her gaze is once again transfixed on her tablet as she walks away to wherever she was headed to before being interrupted. Levi then remembers that he forgot to ask her name.

He finds the kitchen area exactly where he'd been directed. What he notices first in the break room is the kitchen island with a smooth marble surface. There is a sink and several cabinets which he is sure if he checked, would be fully stocked. Levi's gaze sweeps past the coffee machine briefly to a fridge, a microwave and his most shocking find; an oven. Like what for?

While he makes the coffee, he takes in the layout of the rest of the room. Tables with either one or two chairs on either side of them, a long sofa at the end of the room and a window seat, beautiful low hanging lights and a huge television. They must have invented 30% of the entire budget to this room.

Now, because Levi has no idea what Dragons prefer to drink in the morning, he decides to go with what he knows best. The only coffee he is more than good at making. He makes it smooth, rich, strong and black...exactly like he likes it.

Feeling proud of himself for no particular reason, Levi almost drops everything to the ground and his future along with it, when a voice pipes up next to him. Miraculously, there isn't even a spill.

"Hi!" The voice says elatedly.

"Hey," Levi smiles politely at her, pretending that he has everything under control.

The girl that decides to give him a scare has a tiny face and scrunches her nose in the cutest manner. She has deep brown skin, narrow eyes that make him wonder if she is part Asian, small brows and very soft makeup on her face. She looks so angelic. Her petite frame makes Levi look like his build is larger than it actually is.

"I'm Aiko," she says happily.

"Levi," he replies then remembers he still has an urgent task at hand. "I have to take this to Dra- Edith, I'll see you around I hope." He turns to go, trying to look as polite as he can. He almost makes it out the door.

"Yeah, if you'll last long enough," she replies softly.

By the time the words have finally registered, Levi quickly looks back to where Aiko is and finds no one, almost like he has just imagined her. It is the meanest thing he has ever heard coming from someone who looks so kind, happy, bright and cheerful. The contempt in her voice didn't match the adorableness on her face.

Levi makes it to the dragon's lair just fine. The dragon's lair that isn't dark or scary as he would like to think. It is actually so full of light it's almost blinding. (A mild exaggeration but oh well...)

The Dragon sits on a white leather office chair behind a smooth ebony desk, overlooking a low round table and green sofas on either side of it. The large windows bathe the room in sunlight, accentuating the very simple and yet classy decor details. Behind her chair is a huge marble wall and on the edges of it are beautiful shelves. On the far right are bookshelves from the ceiling to the floor, and on the far left is shelves filled with trophies and framed pictures. Beautiful. Just beautiful.

Dragon reaches her hand out to Levi and he remembers that he still has her coffee in his grip. He walks towards her and finally notices that she has been speaking to a man seated on the green sofas. Dragon takes the coffee from him and puts it to her lips, her watch glinting in the morning light.

Levi expects ridicule, because there is a ninety percent chance he made the wrong coffee. But he holds his breath for the other ten percent. After she takes a sip, she finally looks at him. "Perfect," she says much to his surprise, and relief. "If you don't mind Lukas, could you show him his workstation?"

"Sure," Lukas replies, already getting up.

Levi admits that he has never seen hair look so soft before. Lukas is relatively taller and wider than him as he notes while he brushes past him, leading the way to wherever. He is sure the man is at least five years older than he is. They walk in quietness for a while until he hears his voice suddenly. "What is your name?" He seems so gentle and kind.

"Levi," he replies.

"Levi," Lukas repeats in a low voice, and then he is quiet again. Levi also notes that it doesn't make him uncomfortable at all.

The cubicles have numbers, and he is led to number 9. Levi cannot thank the heavens enough that it is more spacious than he imagined it to be. It is four cubicles stuck together in stations of four workspaces each and close to zero privacy.

"You can just set up here and then get to work," Lukas says before pushing his chair out for him.

"Set up?" Levi asks.

"Yeah. Framed pictures, a potted plant, a calendar...maybe an action figure?"

"I don't have any of...I didn't bring anything..."

Shit, what will Dragon think?

Lukas shrugs and taps the chair. "Get to it then," he says and makes to go.

"Thank you," Levi says and gets only a nod in response. He takes a seat and gets to it as said, nodding and responding briefly to his co-workers' greetings and welcoming words.

>>><<<

"You do know that it's your lunch break right?" Levi hears Lukas say from nowhere. "You can take a break."

"I know, but I don't want Dragon to fire me," Levi says then looks up quickly after what he says. "Did I say that out loud? I meant Edith."

Lukas's lips twitch. "Take a break," he says while getting up. "I promise, she wont fire you."

He doesn't want to take his word for it but takes the break anyway, because Archie is already calling him.

"Hey heyyyyy! I hope the house has not burned down yet," says Archie.

"I'm managing. It's been meh, so far."

"I totally believe you Levi. Have you met your gossip squad yet?"

"Gossip squad?"

"Yeah, it's usually the people working closest to you. Anyway, you'll meet them sooner or later...just wait for the smallest sign of a scandal at your workplace. Have you eaten?"

"Not yet, have you?"

"Just had breakfast now...or is that brunch? Whatever. Katya just made the grandest and most delicious breakfast. I think the sex left her in a good mood," his lips then twist into a sleazy smile. "We've been fucking for hours."

"Jesus Archie! I'm at work!" Levi looks around to make sure no one was paying attention to him and his best friend. The space seemed empty enough thankfully.

"I know," says Archie. "Are you sure you don't want to watch us? Even once?"

Levi shakes his head before his mouth can form the words. "No thanks."

Archie and Katya have tried to convince him several times to watch them being intimate--apparently one of the kinks they wanted to explore and couldn't think of a better candidate than him.

"Fine, whenever you change your mind."

"Not anytime soon."

Levi spends the entirety of his lunch break speaking to Archie. He only notices this after everyone has started coming back and resuming wherever they had left their work. Shit. There was no time to find any food, so he would just have to settle for eating after work.

Just as he makes his conclusion in his head, a package is placed on top of his desk. "I didn't order any food," he says to the delivery lady.

"This is cubicle 9," she confirms like Levi does not know what he is talking about, which he sort of doesn't.

Levi ignores the few stares his way and decides not to argue as he is sure his stomach will growl at any moment's notice. He shoves down as much of the food as he can down his throat in the shortest amount of time possible then gets back to work, grateful for the food. There is a moment he stops eating and looks at the food strangely, thinking what if it was sent by Aiko and is actually poison. His hunger out-rules this notion and he shrugs and goes back to the food.

It is late by the time Levi decides to stop working, he doesn't know this until he actually glances outside. It is dark, and there's almost no one else left at the office. He gathers his things and gets up. He almost flinches at the sudden contact on his back.

"Not bad for your first day," says Aiko. This demon.

"About what you said earlier..." It is shocking even to Levi, that he takes the confrontation approach.

"What did I say?" She asks innocently.

Levi studies her for a moment before finally shaking his head. "Never mind."

"I heard someone got you lunch," she says and Levi could swear he heard the contempt ooze back into her voice. "Who was it?"

Levi shrugged. "Honestly, no idea."

She narrows her eyes before deciding that he isn't worth her time. "Hmm," she says before she turns to go. "...get too comfortable..." Levi catches before she completely disappears, he almost doubts he heard right.

He decides to ignore it once again. He barely knows if he is even doing anything right and there comes this cross between a demon and an angel...he just couldn't and would not deal with it at the moment.

After re-organising his workspace and pushing his chair in, Levi turns to go, super-proud of being in one piece by the end of the day. He cannot help the small smile on his lips before he leaves the office and exits the building.

It has taken an entire day of being busy to forget about the situation inside his own house, his entire spine-chilling and sleepless night and the events that concurred within it. He has forgotten so much of it that it now feels like a distant dream and nothing to worry about.

This is where he is wrong. Because all it takes is one look at the broken plate on the floor and he is reminded that his fears are as real as his confusing first day at work. Forcing himself to move, Levi cleans every last piece of broken glass and disposes of the rubbish.

He checks every single corner of every room he enters. Again.

If this was any normal situation, he'd shower, make himself food (more like order) and just relax before going to bed. But this is no normal situation. He cannot even fathom the notion of taking his clothes off, much less doing any other thing. He stands by the window in his living room, fingers tapping restlessly against his forearm, thinking of what to do.

Gathering all of his bravery, he speaks. "I can feel you," says Levi out loud. He feels him everywhere; in the prickling of his skin, in the silence encasing the room without his words, in the thickness of the air in the room and in the forefront of his mind. He almost thinks he sees the flickering of a shadow. "Show yourself."

The creature does not show itself, making Levi feel like he held his breath for no reason. Maybe he isn't here anymore. Maybe he finally left just like he asked him to. Maybe this weird and unconventional episode of his life has finally run its course and come to an end.

Except for one thing.

"Human," the soft growl is right into his ear, making goosebumps break out onto his arm. rendering him both speechless and motionless, and driving him mad with anticipation.