Chapter Ten
“Maggie, could you bring me the reports for the Vandeline project and a Diet Coke?” Dominick’s mind was buried under an avalanche of new projects and planning. He’d been awake since four trying to get his work under control. There was no way he’d be putting off the call to Victoria. Eight thirty p.m. looked mighty close and there was no end in sight to the fires he needed to put out.
The memory of their time together the night before had his cock twitching and his palms sweating. He hadn’t meant to take her. He had wanted to feed her and show her that he could be what she needed without sex being involved, but something had snapped when she’d playfully hinted that she wanted him. A deep, dark part of him had cut loose and taken over. He’d taken her in a fury of lust and passion unlike anything he’d felt before.
“Here you go. Anything else I can get you before lunch?” Maggie bustled into his office with a stack of folders and a cold soda in her free hand, breaking into his thoughts. His secretary’s aura was tinged with reds and oranges from the stress, but whose wasn’t at this point? She stared at him pointedly until he realized she’d asked him a question.
“Um, no, I’m good for now. Can you put an ‘out of office’ on your phone so it doesn’t ring while you’re gone?”
“Sure thing, boss. Oh, and there’s a box for you in the front office. I can bring it up when I come back from snagging some food or I can send it over now.”
A package? He wasn’t expecting anything from anyone. Anticipation flared. Would she send him something? They hadn’t spoken for two days and he was ready to explode. He’d wanted to call and talk to her, find out how her day had gone. Gynger had kept him from calling, but barely. Now that he’d found his mate he didn’t want to be separated from her by anything. Even silence hurt him. But she wanted space, had agreed to meet him for the night, even if it was still in his head.
He noticed Maggie still standing by the door with a bemused expression. He sighed. “Sorry. If you don’t mind getting it sent up that would be great.”
“Sure thing. Maybe she’ll have sent you a present this time.”
With that his faithful employee snickered and wandered toward her desk. They’d all been ribbing him since that fateful meeting. He’d come back to the office drawn and weak. He’d expended so much energy trying to get through to her that he’d sapped his own reserves. Then in a fit of stupidity he’d admitted that he thought she was his mate. Since then his employees, coworkers, janitorial staff and anyone else who heard the story had picked at him. Most of the time he could let it go. Finding a fated mate was both a blessing and a curse. If the other person didn’t accept the mating, the poor sap was destined to live a long life pining after that lost soul. But if the person accepted the advances, became a true mate, then, then both their lives were blessed with never ending love and understanding. Or at least a life of sharing the ups and downs with someone who would always be there.
He shook his head and tried to clear out all the metaphysical bullshit that had him pondering fate and her twisted sense of humor. No one would’ve believed him if he’d announced that he, a techno-wizard, would find his mate in a turned succubus who shunned the rest of the world. He was a social person, enjoyed hanging with his friends, going out to enjoy the richness life offered. It seemed that he’d been paired with a hermit, or at least a closet hermit. Victoria didn’t seem the type to go out and mingle with her fellow supernaturals.
That was the thought that started him on the plan for the night. If he couldn’t get her out of her head and building in a real situation, then he’d take her there in his head. The date he’d been designing for the last two days was all about getting her out of her comfort zone, which meant leaving the bedroom.
“Mr. Danforth, I’ve got your package. If you can just sign for it?” The quick knock on the doorjamb didn’t even slow the delivery kid down. He’d entered the room, stepped around the organized chaos and was juggling a bunch of boxes. Multitasking was definitely a strength of the kid’s, but the chomping of the gum between his molars wasn’t an endearing feature.
Taking the proffered pen meant assisting the boy in getting the right package from the pile he was balancing. Dominick offered a quick smile before dismissing him. “Thanks.”
Without taking his eyes off the small cardboard box, he strolled to his door and shut it tight. No sense in allowing anyone to see what was snugly packaged in that small box. He walked back to his desk, staring at the return address label. Within a few feet of the desk he could finally make out the elegant scroll and his heart rate doubled. The flash of adrenaline had him slightly lightheaded but grinning. She’d sent him something. His Victoria had found him and sent a gift.
That thought stilled his movements and his breathing. If she knew who he really was she’d be able to check him out and find out his association with her company. Not that what he was doing was illegal or even wrong. He could date her or even use Sin Incorporated’s services without a conflict of interest, but still the thought of her finding out how their paths had already crossed gave him instant stomach cramps. Maybe that was why she hadn’t called the day before.
Disgusted with himself, he grabbed the letter opener on his desk and carefully slit the packing tape. No point in “what if-ing” when he could just open the box and see what was nestled inside. Even with that in his mind he still opened the flaps carefully, pressing them up and out of the opening with gentle fingers.
His breath caught in his chest when he finally caught sight of the little present inside. Fluffy folds of tissue paper pillowed the most intricate glass dragon Dominick had ever seen. He didn’t even want to take it from its home, afraid to shatter it. With shaking fingers he lifted it slowly from the paper and gasped anew. The creature he held in his hand was heavier than he’d thought it would be. Made of spun glass of iridescent blue, the dragon shimmered with inner light. The scales were so small that they looked like tiny dimples but they had the smooth texture of blown glass. He turned it repeatedly, trying to find how it was illuminated. Perhaps it was magical in nature, although he couldn’t feel any aura at all surrounding it. With a humph he set it gently on the desk and peeked into the box, looking for instructions or a note.
Below the imprint of the dragon sat a small piece of folded paper. Dominick gently removed it from the box and unfolded it slowly, savoring the idea that Victoria had taken the time to put perfect creases in it instead of haphazardly putting it in the gift. Her scrolling script was so beautiful on the creamy paper that it took a moment to concentrate on the actual words.
Dominick. As I sat trying to find a gift to send that was not only befitting of you but spoke of my happiness in meeting you, I found this treasure. He’s now yours although he has been my companion for the last thirty years. You will find that he enjoys eye ridge scratches the most. Yours, Victoria
Eye ridge scratches? Is she serious? He turned and stared at the small figurine again. He could have sworn that its head had been turned the other way when he’d set it down. A shiver of understanding skated down his spine. Could she really have sent him a Crystal Dragon? He hadn’t thought to ever see one in real life. They were rare and very fragile.
Only one way to find out whether he was looking at a living, breathing dragon. With steady hands, he reached out slowly. Cupping them around the dragon and settling it into his palm felt funny. He watched it, looking for minute movements, but saw none. Maybe he’d been wrong about the head. He scowled but figured he’d test out the theory. He stroked down the head and very slowly over the eye ridges, concentrating on his magic. Did he feel a slight tremor in the creature?
Another pass down the critter’s head brought a tangible shift in the dragon’s stance. Its tiny tail swished and he could feel needled claws digging slightly into his palm. Don’t scare it, don’t scare it. He tried to keep his breathing steady, not stare at the tiny perfection resting lightly in his hand. His mind raced for other things he’d learned about wild animals
. No fast movements, keep it feeling safe. Food. Shit, what do you feed a glass dragon?
He squeaked, a real girly sound, when the little thing unfurled transparent wings and stretched. He watched the small creature turn twice, like a cat readying itself to curl in a sunny spot. The dragon sniffed his hand, looked him in the eye with shining, brilliant blue, multifaceted eyes, then sat. Its tail twitched continuously while it cocked its tiny head back and forth on a serpentine neck.
“Hey, there. Aren’t you the coolest thing I’ve ever seen?” Dominick kept his voice low, afraid to startle it. But it was the dragon’s response that made him jerk. It opened its mouth wide, yawned and produced the highest, clearest keening chortle he’d ever heard. It sounded like the crystal-clear note you’d get from rimming a half-full glass. Its voice went through a few notes before it bent forward, moving its face closer to his other hand, which was still hovering just over its back.
“Oh, you want me to pet you more?” He stroked its back and chuckled at how the little creature arched its long back just like a cat. “So, little one, do you have a name already? Perhaps I need to read the note again.”
Another quick perusal of the note didn’t net him a name for the dragon or any other information. The lack of delivery information stumped him for a moment, but then he understood. Someone from her office had delivered the little guy. He looked at his present and grinned. “Seems we need to call your past mommy, huh?”
Before calling Victoria he set the little dragon on his desk, fashioning it a little bed from a cloth napkin he found stuffed in his cabinet. He’d make it something better later, but first he needed to thank his lovely mate for such a wickedly awesome gift. Seemed he’d get to talk with her before their date after all.
* * * * *
“No, Tabatha, I’ll be back in the office later. I needed to run some errands today.” Victoria sighed, listening to her assistant question her health. “Yes, I’m feeling fine. I just needed to take care of some things by myself.”
“No offense, Victoria, but you don’t go out to do anything, ever. I’m just worried about you, that’s all. Did you need to find someone to feed from?”
“Gods, no. If you must know, which honestly you don’t need to… I ran a gift to Dominick’s office. I didn’t trust the courier service to do it.” She looked both ways before crossing a busy street. The city park was not far ahead and she craved some living things for once. Even if those were just trees and bushes. She needed to feel the flow of energy.
“Oh…oh. Well, then, I won’t keep you. I just wanted you to know that he actually has called your office. If you’d like I could give him a message or transfer him to you.”
“Wow, that was fast,” she said under her breath. To her nosy assistant she spoke more loudly. “Go ahead and put him through. Thanks, Tab.”
“No problem, and tell Nick I said hi, okay?”
A couple of clicks let Victoria know that her assistant was already gone and she only had a couple of moments before Dominick was once again speaking in that wonderfully deep voice. She’d spent way too many hours thinking about him after figuring out who he was. Once she’d had a real first name and a general idea of his talents it hadn’t taken too long. But even with the information, the knowledge that they had been in the same room when she’d scented her mate, she was leery to approach him in person. Delivering Sedric to him was the closest she’d let herself get. She wished she could have seen his face when he opened the little box and found her Crystal Dragon snugly cocooned in tissue paper.
Another click in her ear brought Victoria from her thoughts. She cleared her throat. “Hello?”
“Well, hello there, yourself. How are you, love? Still feeling better?”
She loved how he said that. How easily the endearment rolled off his tongue. “I’m good. Did you get your gift?”
“He’s gorgeous. Does he have a name?”
“He does, but you can rename him. He’s very smart and will learn his new name fairly quickly.”
“Victoria. What is the name that you called him?”
“Sedric.”
“Beautifully strong name for such a unique creature.” He paused. “How did you know where to send him?”
“You told me your name and I had your phone number traced. So I knew where you worked. It didn’t take more than a wink and smile to have the assurance of the front desk that I had the right building.”
“Hmm. Very resourceful. Where are you?”
“I’m walking back to my office by way of the park. Why? Where are you?”
“I’m standing in my office, staring at my present, wishing you were here so I could thank you properly.”
His voice always took on a rough sensuality when he spoke to her. The image that her mind conjured after he growled about thanking her had her belly quivering. Would he have wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a scorching kiss? Or would he want to bend her over his desk and take her from behind? Her demon woke with the spike of her arousal. The swift intake of breath on the other end of the call didn’t help her keep the succubus side from crawling forward in her mind.
“Oh, what is that wicked mind thinking, dearest Victoria? I heard you gasp and the low rumbled growl tells me that your demon was piqued.” He hummed and her panties dampened. “If you are in the park I could be there in five minutes and you could feed.”
“No, I’d hurt you.” The words slipped out before she could call them back. She gritted her teeth in frustration. A demon who admitted weakness was already sealing her fate in the eyes of other supers, but to then admit to caring about the welfare of another super was a double slap of “pansy” across her name. She sucked in a breath then tried to salvage the conversation any way she knew how. Lowering her voice and purring with a hint of seductress she whispered, “I mean, I’d probably ravish you until you were aching and sore. But I want your cock ready for later. Wringing you of every drop of cum now would leave me wanting. Not what I had in mind seeing I have an entire night with you, lover.”
There were a couple of heartbeats of silence. “Oh, sweet. Why do you always do that? You don’t need to hide behind the sexy voice and the bullshit. Be yourself with me, not this simpering female that you portray.” He sighed. “I have to go. I’ll talk with you this evening. Be well.”
She didn’t get her muddled thoughts back together in time to stop him from hanging up. She wanted to be angry that he’d hung up on her, but she deserved his upset. When was the last time she’d interacted with a male as herself? The question stumped her for a moment. She lowered herself to a park bench.
After long minutes of trying to sift through her jumbled thoughts, Victoria came to a conclusion. She’d been running for long enough. Either Dominick was getting under her skin, which she was fairly sure he was, or she was finally coming out of her depression. She’d hidden behind her succubus nature and her supposed failures for long enough. Time to step out of herself just a little, and she could do that for Dominick. Maybe.
Chapter Eleven
Victoria sat for over an hour staring across the green lawn, watching children play in the midday light, carefree and innocent. She could feel the crossroads, the proverbial fork in the road. Ahead of her was the chance to try something different, to reach for some semblance of happiness. Fear of the unknown and fear of her past slowed her movement along her path.
Memories of her first feeding and kill invaded. They were never far from her thoughts. She’d been a succubus for less than twenty-four hours before she attached her first victim. In the scheme of things, that made her exceptional, powerful, gifted. In her mostly human mind that had made her a murderer. She’d woken in the hospital, hooked to all sorts of equipment. Tubes had been in her arms, down her nose, in unmentionable places. Her mouth had tasted of acidic chemicals, smells had stung her nose. None of that was what caused the greatest amount of grief. It was the human man who had smelled delectable. The poor man who’d happened to be helping the nurse to prepa
re water for a sponge bath. The slight amount of lust he’d been leaking from his pores had sealed his fate.
Victoria didn’t even remember moving, but from one moment to the next she’d sprouted wings large enough to wrap around her victim. She’d jumped from her bed, naked and leathery, at the man, grasping him around the head. Her demon had latched on to him, delving her long forked tongue into his mouth. He’d tasted sinfully good, like coffee and peppermint. Using her newfound pheromones, she’d brought him instantly to orgasm, shaking on unsteady legs. He’d wrapped his arms around her, lost to the pull of her succubus. Moans of pleasure had turned slowly to whimpers of pain as her demon had drained him of every last ounce of energy. She’d watched, like a voyeur, as his aura had changed, dimmed and finally winked out.
Without a concern for the shrieking nurse or the body that fell heavily at her feet, she’d launched out of the window and flown home. It had taken her days to realize that someone else must have paid to have the staff’s minds erased and the man’s body taken care of. It had taken even longer to realize that it hadn’t been a dream, that she had actually killed a man by absorbing his essence.
The scream of a little boy as he chased a Frisbee broke her from her macabre thoughts. Those thoughts wouldn’t help her to solve her dilemma. They’d hold her back as they’d done since that horrible day. As had the other kills she’d made in the first few weeks of her new life.
Conviction and a new direction had her standing and striding toward her office building. She’d prove that she deserved to have something more than emptiness. But first she needed to get some of her work-related stuff in order. She wanted to be completely ready for her date and that meant clearing up a few things in her office. A shiver of anticipation warred with nervousness in her stomach and she swallowed a few times to ease the nausea. An all-powerful, supernatural succubus getting sick to her stomach over the idea of a date. Pathetic. She laughed at her own inner thoughts and walked with purpose into the foyer of her building.
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