I pressed the vial to my lips. Tipping it back, I downed its contents. The moment the warm liquid touched my tongue, I felt my temperature rise. The heady awareness I expected to feel swept through me. In seconds, I was enveloped by a weightless sensation reminiscent of feeding from someone with an aura the brightest shade of yellow imaginable.
Randal gripped my hand and pulled me back to the couch. He set the case on the coffee table and passed Bloody Marys to his sisters before grabbing one for himself. I watched him twist the lid off and bring the vial to his lips, remembering the last time we had drank these magical drinks together. A snicker slipped from me.
Randal narrowed his eyes on me. “What do you find so humorous?” There was a playful tone embedded within his words.
My lips quirked into a smile. “I’m remembering the last time we drank these together is all.”
“Suffering from a bit of nostalgia?”
“I am.” I leaned into him, placing my head against his shoulder. “And just like then, you’ve brought me drugs again to get me high enough to forget all my problems.”
A laugh rumbled from his chest. The sound of it vibrated through the air. Music started playing, and I realized it was Arabella who had turned it on. The sight of Clara must had been what she needed to pull herself free from her dark thoughts, that and a Bloody Mary.
“And have you forgotten them?” Randal asked.
I shifted to look him directly in the eye. “For the moment.”
His lips twisted into that sexy boyish smirk I’d come to adore. “Then my work here is done.”
“Not in the slightest.” I crushed my lips against his and felt the sensation all the way to my toes. My heart warmed at the blissful moment I was locked in. There was no wraith to gain power from the kiss or fill my head with unwanted commentary. It was just Randal and me. I deepened our kiss and for the first time truly basked in the realization of finally being wraith free.
Epilogue
“You know, I don’t think I ever mentioned it to you, but I hate surprises,” I muttered as Randal ushered me through my apartment. I wasn’t sure why, but he had insisted we swing by before catching our flight. “Especially ones inside my own home.” I squeezed his hand in mine.
It had been nearly a month since the night of my severing, nearly a month since Randal had woke from the spell Sage had paid to have placed on him, and yet I still couldn’t stop touching him. I was locked in some clingy honeymoon phase with him, utterly unable to keep my hands to myself. He didn’t seem to mind though.
“I think you may have mentioned it at some point.” He gripped the knob to my guest room.
Ugh, that room had been the bane of my existence lately. I’d been struggling to find the right furniture to turn it into an office. Designs by Kenna had picked up, and I felt like it needed an actual home.
My lips curled into a knowing smile. That had to be why we were here. Randal must have decorated the room for me. His tastes were sophisticated and chic, so I wasn’t worried about the outcome.
“You seem to have guessed what lies behind this door.” Randal lowered his head, looking at me through his long lashes.
“I think I have.” I folded my arms across my chest. Something pumped through me, dare I say excitement for the surprise?
He turned the knob and swung the door open, revealing Landon standing on a ladder. He was hanging a red wooden cutout that read Designs by Kenna in a fancy font above a desk.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, shocked to see him in my apartment.
“I’ve been working on the final touches for your space.” He stepped off the ladder, the first real smile I’d seen in a while stretched onto his face as he dug into his back pocket. Sage’s death had hit him hard. “Here.” He crossed the room, which now I could see had underwent a drastic transformation.
Everything was done up in rich, dark woods, cherry reds, and slate grays. It was a perfect mixture of Randal and me, sophistication and seduction.
I took the slip of paper Landon held out to me. “What is this?”
“You’re fired,” Landon said without a hint of teasing. “You’re welcome.”
My heart pumped hard and fast inside my chest. I’d never been fired before, let alone had someone tell me ‘you’re welcome’ after the fact. I wasn’t sure that was the way the conversation was supposed to go.
“Umm, okay…” What the hell was I supposed to say to that?
“Look at the paper,” Landon insisted, nodding to it.
I unfolded it. It was a piece of paper with the words ‘You’re fired’ written on it in bold letters.
“Is this a joke?” A goofy grin twisted my lips as I glanced between Landon and Randal, ready for them to explain.
“It’s supposed to be, darlin’.” Dex stepped up behind me. I hadn’t even known he was here. “Landon just didn’t deliver it right. The slip of paper was my idea. Too much?”
“What the hell?” I was so confused. I took a step farther into the room to let Dex through.
“We wanted to surprise you.” Arabella entered the room next, carrying a bouquet of purple flowers. “To congratulate you on owning your own business in style.”
What was she talking about? I didn’t own my own business. Or maybe I did. Did Designs by Kenna count? I guess it could. And where the hell had they come from? Had they all been waiting in the parking lot somewhere? I didn’t remember seeing their vehicles. Then again, I had been preoccupied with Randal for days now. My attention rarely shifted from him, in fact.
“If you ever need any marketing or business advice, please come to me,” Bianca insisted. She was leaning against the doorframe of the room. I hadn’t noticed her either. These people were stealthy. “Contrary to popular belief, I’m the one with all the knowhow in the family when it comes to such things, not my darling brother.”
“I cannot agree with that statement wholeheartedly.” Randal chuckled. He smoothed a hand between my shoulder blades. “We assumed you would like a sophisticated, well-organized place to work from home in.” He handed me another slip of paper, one that seemed more legal and less joking.
I skimmed the print. It was something for Designs by Kenna. It took me a second to figure out what I was holding, but when I did, my mouth dropped open. Randal had taken it upon himself to incorporate Designs by Kenna.
“All you have to do is sign to make your dream job more of a reality,” Randal murmured. There was a hint of trepidation in his words. I wondered if it was because he feared this was something I didn’t want.
He was wrong.
All my life I had dreamed of this moment, but never in a million years had I thought it would come true.
“You did this?” I spun to face him.
“My attorney drew all the paperwork up.” Randal’s hand moved to my hip. “All you have to do is sign, and I’ll fax it back to him. He will take care of the rest.”
“Designs by Kenna will be a real thing, then,” I said. “Not that it already wasn’t, but this…this is big!” My words faltered.
I would be the owner of my own company. Screw being the hero in your fairy tale, I would be my own damn boss, and I would enjoy every second of it. Control was mine in every sense of the word. Life was wonderful.
“Thank you.” I smiled at him.
“You’re welcome.”
“Need a pen?” Dex held one out to me. It was red and gray, matching the color tones in the room.
There was a logo on it—a red set of lips, with the words Designs by Kenna printed next to it. Someone had made me pens with my company name on them!
“Those were my idea. Pens are always useful,” Bianca said.
I wondered then if the book of matches Bree had found after her home was ransacked by Randal’s goonies had been her idea as well.
I walked to the desk and pulled the rolling chair out. It would be surreal to wake up every morning and work in my pajamas all day if I wanted. Spark had been fun, but I was ready for something else. However, I
couldn’t leave Landon hanging. I’d already had his second-best bartender killed.
“Wait, how can you fire me?” I spun to face him. “Don’t you need me behind the bar?” Tanya was a decent bartender, now that she’d had some practice, but Charlie only filled in when things were crazy. Landon didn’t have anyone else. Sage’s position hadn’t been filled yet to my knowledge.
“I’ll make do.” Landon grinned. “Like I’ve said before, I don’t mind working behind the bar. It actually keeps my mind off the nitpicky things of the place, and forces me to stay in control of the hunger. Apparently, I’m stronger at fighting the bloodlust than I thought.”
“Goin’ with the old ‘idle hands are the devil’ sayin’ huh?” Dex chimed in.
“Exactly.” Landon smiled.
“Are you sure?” I wanted him to be one hundred percent positive he didn’t need me. I’d already sent his life into turmoil one too many times.
“Absolutely.”
“I’ve sent a couple bartenders his way,” Randal added. “Spark should be fine without you.”
“Okay.” I turned my attention to the document in front of me and placed pen to paper. Designs by Kenna was now officially a business.
Dex whistled, and everyone else clapped. It was a moment I wished I could bottle and keep forever.
“I should have brought you by earlier,” Randal said, interrupting my thoughts. “I’m afraid we will have to cut this momentous event short or else run the risk of missing our flight.”
That couldn’t happen. I couldn’t be late to Bree’s wedding. We were already cutting the timing short by getting there the day before. She would be a nervous wreck if we got there any later.
“No, you’re right. We should probably get moving.” I stood and glanced around, making brief eye contact with everyone. “Thanks everyone. I love the space! You all are amazing at decorating.” I couldn’t wait until the first morning I got to make a steaming mug of tea and sit at that gorgeous desk to work on a cover. How the hell was this real life now?
After saying goodbye to everyone, Randal and I headed for the airport.
“Are you nervous?” he asked once we had boarded and settled into our seats.
I knew what he was asking. There had been many conversations between us in the days leading up to this trip where we discussed whether I should tell Bree what I was, as well as what he was. I had already decided a while ago that she deserved to know though.
Bree was my best friend; she would understand why I had kept my double-life from her for so long. I knew she would. Same as I knew she wouldn’t view me any different after I told her.
“No.” I reached for the bottle of water the stewardess had brought me. “I feel like the timing is right.”
“When were you planning to tell her exactly?”
“I don’t know. I mean, not before she walks down the aisle or anything.”
A crooked grin formed on his face. “I assumed as much.”
“When I feel it, I guess.” I shrugged.
Randal’s hand moved to find mine in my lap. He gave it a gentle squeeze, and then brought it to his lips. “You will know.” His breath whispered across my skin as he spoke, and then he pressed his lips there for a kiss.
After our plane landed, we took a rental car to Bree’s house. While I had seen pictures through text messages of her new home, I had never seen it in person. It was more cookie-cutter than I’d thought. There were four others on the street that seemed to be exact replicas. It was strange this was the house she had chosen. Nothing about it screamed Bree to me. There were no bold colors or wild, overgrown weeds. I searched for something funky and eclectic, but even the planters on either side of the front door were normal. Everything was prim and proper. It didn’t fit with Bree’s personality. I knew I had changed a lot over the course of the last year or so, but I didn’t think she had. Maybe I had missed something.
The front door swung open before we made it to the steps, and Bree sprinted toward me. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun, and she was dressed in a baby blue tank with a pair of short shorts, and pink fuzzy slippers.
“Oh my God, Kenna!” She thrust her arms around my neck. “I’m so excited you’re here!”
My insides warmed. She had no idea how happy I was to be here. There had been moments when I hadn’t been sure I would get the chance to see this day. “Me too.” I hugged her back.
“And look at you,” Bree called to Randal from over my shoulder. “Looking just as strapping and debonair as always, I see.”
“Thank you.” Randal chuckled. Bree’s bold way with words always did seem to fluster him.
“You gonna let them inside?” Kellen asked from the threshold of their front door. He was leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded across his chest, taking in the scene. There was an amused smile twisting his lips.
“Yes!” Bree released me from her vice-like grip and started toward the door. “Come inside.”
I clasp Randal’s hand, a wide grin on my face, and followed her.
“I am enjoying seeing you so happy,” he whispered as we reached the first step.
“I’m enjoying being this happy,” I admitted. My best friend was getting married, and I was alive to be the bridesmaid. Life was good.
“So, what do you think?” Bree beamed the second Randal and I stepped foot inside her house. “I know it’s a little more traditional than what you’re used to my style being, but I’m actually in love with it.”
Freshly painted walls. Dark hardwood floors. Patterned rugs, and overstuffed leather furniture. The house was picture-perfect.
While I understood the outside needed to be immaculate and sophisticated to live in this neighborhood, I didn’t understand why Bree wanted the inside the same way. The walls were beige. Bree was a colorful soul. While she managed to stay away from tacky things, like animal prints, she always had a knack for colorful décor.
What had happened?
“No, it’s nice.” I tried to put some enthusiasm behind my words. “Not very you, but nice.”
“I know, but I think my style is changing.” There was something off about her words, the way they fell from her lips so carefully.
I was missing something. No. Wait. Bree was hiding something. I could see it in her eyes. Whatever it was, it was big.
Randal shifted on his feet. He had obviously taken notice to the sudden change in mood. “It’s stunning. Thank you for letting us spend the night.”
“Oh, no problem,” Kellen assured us. “I’m Kellen by the way; I don’t think we have been properly introduced.” He held a hand out to Randal.
“Randal. Nice to meet you.”
Bree caught my eye. A secretive smile crossed her lips. Something was up. “Kellen, why don’t you and Randal head to the kitchen, and pour yourselves a drink. I’d like to catch up with Kenna.”
“Sure.” Kellen nodded for Randal to follow him. “What type of liquor do you like, or are you a beer guy?”
“What do you happen to have?” Randal released my hand and followed him.
Bree gripped my arm, and steered me upstairs. “Come see the rest of the house.” She seemed to shout at me. I knew it was a front, something for the guys to hear.
“What is going on? You’re acting weird.” I chuckled.
Once we reached the top of the stairs, Bree placed both hands on my shoulders and looked me square in the eye. “I’m pregnant,” she whispered.
My brows lifted to my hairline. Pregnant. My best friend was going to have a baby?
Holy hell.
“Are you serious?” There was a grin on my face, one I couldn’t dim. I was so happy for her.
She released my shoulders, and her lips twisted into a grin mimicking mine. “Yeah. I took the test two days ago. I think I’m a few weeks along.”
“Holy crap, Bree! Does Kellen know?”
“Not yet.” She shook her head. “With all the wedding planning and dealing with both our familie
s, I think it would be better if I waited to tell him until after. Maybe during the honeymoon?”
This was why she looked strange to me. She had been about to burst at the seams with the news. I couldn’t believe she’d waited so long to tell me.
“This is great! I’m so happy for you.” I wrapped her into a hug.
“Thanks. I’ve been dying for you to get here, so I could tell you in person.” She wiped a tear from her eye, and chuckled. “I can’t believe I’m going to be a mom. It’s surreal at this point, but I’m so happy.”
I gripped her hand in mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Aw, I love you.”
“I love you too.” She chuckled, while wiping more tears away. “Look at us, Kenna. Who would have thought I would have moved across the United States and gotten knocked-up by my high school sweetheart who I’m marrying in a day? And you, dating the sexiest guy alive, and living it up in a big city. Life is perfect. Don’t you think?”
Sadness rippled through my heart, because her montage of my life didn’t involve my being a succubus. She knew nothing about that aspect of my life. While I had thought it was the time to divulge the entire truth of what I was to her, now I wasn’t so sure.
She was happy. There were amazing things waiting in Bree’s future, and none of them had a single thing to do with anything supernatural. Bree had found the American Dream, and I wasn’t willing to pop the perfect bubble she was nestled inside.
“I know, right?” I smiled at her. “It’s crazy how things work out. Life is funny like that.”
Bree wiped away more tears and took in a deep breath. “Okay.” She exhaled. “Let’s take the tour of the place for real.” She started walking toward the nearest door.
I followed her. Prickles of disappointment stabbed through me. It would have been nice to finally fill her in on my crazy life, but now that I knew she was expecting, and I’d seen the picture-perfect life she was creating for herself, I couldn’t tarnish it. She deserved to live a happy life. One free from all of the supernatural baggage I carried. I exhaled a long breath. Being a succubus would continue to be my secret from her, and I was okay with that. I could handle keeping up my double life. Bree and her little family would be my constant normal. They would be the string that tied me to who I had been before, and my reminder to always stay pure at heart.
Succubus Kiss The Complete Series Page 68
