by Jex Lane
“I want this.”
“Good.” He resumed walking.
As she predicted, the estate was stuffy and old. Grey stone. Dark wood. Bold art. All the candles and statues gave it a total gothic vibe. It was spotless though. Seriously, not a speck of dust anywhere.
Every hunter guard they passed had on a leather uniform, but they were in all different cuts and styles.
Darius led them to an elevator. Kat lifted an eyebrow as they waited. “We’re like two stories up. Aren’t there stairs?”
The incubus looked caught off-guard for a moment, but he hid his bewildered expression almost as quickly as it appeared. “But…ah, yes. This way.”
Kat suppressed another amused smile. Darius seemed to have a particular way of doing things and having them challenged threw him off.
They made their way down the stairwell in silence and exited onto the first floor. It was busy. They passed a maid cleaning a vase, and when she caught sight of Darius, she curtsied and darted away. More hunters stood guard in this hall. They all pressed a fisted right hand to their left shoulder as Darius passed. Saluting, it looked like. Would she have to salute him as well? She wasn’t looking forward to that.
An attractive young woman with short bleached hair—she had to be a succubus—wearing tall heels, and a dress that hugged every inch of her perfect body, exited a room. A built male, wearing only leather underwear and a collar, followed after her like a trained dog.
“Lord Darius,” she said, and gave him a bowing nod.
Darius ignored her as he passed. Rude.
As if reading her, the incubus stopped walking. “I’ve upset you somehow.”
How did he know that? “Why did you brush that woman off?”
“Who?”
The succubus was already gone, but Kat motioned to the room she emerged from.
“Oh. She’s low ranking. I’m not required to acknowledge her. She serves the house as a feeder but isn’t part of it.”
Kat’s eyebrows knitted together. She should have read more of that book on incubi. But, it was soooo dry and boring. It had been hard enough getting through the section on hunter/incubi relations.
Darius, who had been keeping a respectful distance, came a little closer. “Social status and societal rank are important to us. They are…part of who we are as a people. If you wish to understand it, you should read that book Commander Lock gave you.”
Kat pressed her lips together to avoid saying something snarky.
“At the very least,” he continued, “you should know that High Lord General Tarrick owns and runs Ashwood and our entire army. There’s no queen or king for this territory, but the High King rules all of us.”
“Alright. I’ll read the dumb book.”
Darius huffed. “This is important.”
“To you.”
“And to you. You will be serving us.” Darius squared his shoulders a bit. Kat did the same to show he didn’t intimidate her.
“No. I’ll be killing vampires.”
A chuckle broke their standoff, and both of them looked over at a hunter guard, who immediately stopped laughing. “Apologies, my lord.”
Darius scowled and exited a side door. The hunter winked at Kat, and she smiled back at him. At least he wasn’t an uptight jerk. She was starting to get worried everything here was stale and formal.
Kat went after Darius, stepping into the snow-covered front gardens. Strings of lights illuminated the area, and the snow glistened in the light. Kat sharply inhaled cold air. The gardens were magical.
Unable to help herself, Kat grabbed a handful of snow.
“What are you doing?” Darius asked. He had to be cold wearing only a suit.
“I’ve never seen snow before.”
“Seriously?”
“I’m from Southern California, and my parents never took me up to the mountains.” Kat packed the snow together in her hands and chucked it at Darius. The snowball burst on his chest. He dusted himself off, unamused. “You’re not a very fun guy, are you? Are all incubi as serious as you?”
Darius seemed lost, his eyes darting back and forth across Kat’s face. “Most consider me fun. I’m an expert on humans and often go to their parties. I’ve never been accused of such a thing.”
Kat had a hard time believing him. “Do you wear suits to ‘human’ parties too?”
“No. I know how to dress appropriately for any situation. I’m often sought after for advice on such matters.”
Drying her hands on her pants, Kat shook her head. “Yeah. Okay.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that I don’t see it.”
“I am fun. It’s just…it’s you. You are—” Darius took a step away from her. “You are making everything spin, and I don’t know how to make it stop.”
Kat crossed her arms in front of her chest, squishing her boobs. “You want to eat me.”
Darius shuddered, and his eyes rolled up, the lids closing, and his horns emerged, ridged and twisting. “Ilertha, help me.”
Kat heated as she studied Darius’ features. His wide shoulders, his sexy muscles, trim waist, his predominate Adam’s apple. So completely man.
Her sexual experiences were limited. Unsatisfying.
She’d had sex.
Once.
Lying on her back, the boy climbed on top and clumsily penetrated her. He hadn’t lasted long. She had expected more. The disappointment only compounded when he dumped her the next day. Said she was too distant. Not what he wanted in a girl. He’d known that before they had sex and used her anyway to lose his virginity. Kat liked to pretend it didn’t still sting.
But now, she wondered what it would be like to ride a man like the one standing in front of her. To push him onto his back. To climb on top. To feel his—
She shook her head, trying to clear some of the fog. “You’re doing something to me. Stop.”
His head lowered as he looked away from her. “I’m sorry, I can’t help it. I’m young, and it’s something that happens when we get hungry. If it’s too much for you, I can take you back to your room.”
“No. I want to see the academy.”
“Alright, give me a few moments and I’ll be able to suppress my pheromones a little better. Can you just…go over there?” He motioned to a marble bench in the center of some edged bushes.
Sitting, she looked back at him. He rubbed his forehead and paced back and forth in the dark. Eventually, his horns receded and he straightened himself out, tugging at the sleeves of his suit.
Kat’s body cooled and, not used to snow, she shivered. Her eyes wandered to the estate. Rising four stories, the impressive stone structure had gargoyles on every corner, each a different design and in various, frightening poses.
“They’re real, aren’t they?” she asked as she heard Darius approach. “The gargoyles.”
“Yes. When I was a child, I used to lay awake at night terrified one would snatch me from my room. But they’re protectors of sorts and have an affinity for this place.”
When Kat shivered again, Darius slipped off his suit jacket and held it out. Seeing that he was wearing only a thin dress shirt underneath, Kat shook her head. “I can’t. You’ll freeze.”
“Incubi run hotter than humans. It takes a lot longer for cold to bother me. Please.” He held the jacket open for her.
She slipped it on and couldn’t help but notice the satisfied look Darius wore.
“Don’t get too excited, this doesn’t mean we’re going steady,” she said.
He chuckled. “No. You’ve made your position quite clear. Come.”
Kat followed Darius down a path that cut through the garden. They rounded a corner, and the well-lit front of the estate came into view.
The building could’ve easily been mistaken for a castle, and with the buzz of activity, she would have never guessed the late hour. She watched as hunters appeared and disappeared with eerie green light. A group of chattering people—both humans and incubi
—descended the stairs and piled into a limo waiting for them at the main entry. The limo pulled away, followed by two black SUVs full of hunters.
It all seemed so otherworldly.
Darius led her to what looked like a second loading area, some distance from the main entrance.
A male hunter teleported in next to them. Kat did her best not to jump at the sudden appearance but failed. The hunter gave her a cursory glance.
“We’re going to VHA, bring the R8 around,” Darius said.
Without a word, the hunter nodded and teleported away.
A caravan of cars drove past them as they waited, pulling up to the estate. The largest man—scratch that—the largest incubus Kat had ever seen exited the center SUV. He had to be at least seven feet tall, and so wide he’d make a lineman look small by comparison. Handsome, too, with ebony skin.
“Wow, he’s huge,” Kat gasped. “Is he one of those warriors Lock mentioned?”
Darius took a step closer to her as if her question was an invitation for him to step into her space. It hadn’t been, but Kat found herself not wanting to move away.
“Yes,” he said. “His name is Lord Vassu of House Reval—the same house Lock serves—and he’s the biggest among us. You should see him in his true form.”
“He gets bigger?”
“Much.”
“That’s…incredible.” Kat tried not to gape as she watched him. And failed. She wondered if there was such a thing as a bad-looking incubus. She hadn’t seen one yet.
“Are warriors your preference?” Darius asked.
Kat turned away from watching Vassu ascend the stairs to the house, and looked at Darius. He wouldn’t meet her eyes. Poor guy. He really didn’t handle rejection well.
For a moment, she considered what it’d be like having him as a lover. Experienced hands mapping her body, warm lips trailing her neck, deep voice whispering in her ear…
Heat pooled in her belly and she chastised herself. She was here to learn how to kill, not get involved. Or become dinner. Or suffer through another empty sexual encounter. Maybe if he assumed she wanted someone else, it’d be easier on him. Or maybe easier on her.
“I don’t know if I prefer warriors. But if I had to look at him for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t complain.”
Vassu, flanked by hunters, paused and looked over his shoulder. He tossed her a sexy smile, then continued into the house.
She leaned over to Darius and whispered, “Did he hear me? From way over there?”
“Yes. Our warriors have exceptional hearing. They’re stronger, too, and have better reflexes than the rest of us. They…” He trailed off, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed a few times. “They fight vampires.”
A blue car pulled up next to them.
Sporty. Sexy. Sleek.
Kat didn’t know much about cars, but she knew this one must have been expensive. Like, hundreds of thousands of dollars expensive. Green glowed around the wheels. Magic maybe?
A hunter exited the driver’s side and tossed the keys to Darius, who caught them and opened the passenger side door for Kat.
Kat paused.
“Don’t tell me,” Darius started, “I’m offending you by holding open the door.”
A mischievous smile lifted on her lips, and she slipped into the car. “Just wanted to make you sweat a little.”
7
Darius
Darius tried his hardest not to growl around Kat. It didn’t work. She frustrated him on every level. Since before he underwent his first transformation, he had never had such difficulties bedding someone.
But Kat…
She challenged him every chance she got. And she made him feel like a fool. It was infuriating and yet he wanted her all the more.
He shut the door and growled louder as he walked around the car. The hunter—pale, young, with orange hair, and leader of the team assigned to be his bodyguards for the night—raised an eyebrow at him. Darius allowed his dark eyes to glow blue with anger.
“Follow on foot, Walla.”
Walla gave a hand signal to the rest of his team, who had been waiting in a warm SUV a respectful distance away. None of them looked happy about the new order. Darius didn’t care. He was at his limit of taking attitude tonight.
Before he got into the car, he forced his eyes back to dark brown and sucked in a breath in an attempt to calm himself. Inside, he found Kat rubbing the leather seat, his jacket folded on her lap.
“Feels nice, huh?”
She stopped rubbing. “This car doesn’t seem very practical.”
Of course she’d say that. Darius shook his head and started his baby; the purr of the engine vibrated through him. “What do I need practical for?” He hit the gas and tore out of the long driveway, accelerating until the estate was far behind them.
The dark, snowy forest blurred past them. In the trees, a green light flashed, followed by another and another.
“Hunters?” Kat asked. “They’re following us?”
“Yes. I’m not allowed to leave without bodyguards.”
“Never?”
“Never.”
“Does that bother you?”
Yes. His entire life he had hunters following him each time he stepped out of the estate. Sometimes they didn’t even allow him to feed privately. At least warriors could go back and forth between the estate and academy without the babysitting team. Not that he could tell her any of that, it would be inappropriate to complain about any of the Lord General’s rules. “I’m used to it. And I would rather not die at the hands of a vampire, even if they’d never attack this place.”
Kat looked back out the window, watching the green flashes. “I’m amazed they’re keeping up.”
Darius glanced at his speedometer; it was over a hundred. He depressed the gas pedal a little more and watched the numbers climb. The runes on his tires auto activated, keeping him from sliding in the snowy conditions. “Hunters can’t maintain this speed for long—their magic has limits—but we aren’t going far.”
From the corner of his eye, Darius watched the woman that sent his mind twisting. He had never before felt such a pull to someone. Her wild hair, her smooth skin, her plump lips…there wasn’t a part of her he didn’t long to run his fingers over. He could spend hours exploring her, tasting her, bringing her pleasure.
Once she knew more about their ways, he had no doubt she’d be more receptive to the idea of him. Incubi were discouraged from feeding from hunters except in emergencies, but nearly everyone disregarded that. Hunters didn’t have a lot of time to meet anyone outside of the corps and often sought an incubus for release. And his people were all too happy to accommodate.
Of course, Darius, being of House Tarrick, had to set an example and found his food elsewhere. But for the chance of a night with Kat, he’d bend any rule. Hell, it took all the self-control he had not to reach over and stir pleasure in her body.
He could have her coming with a few well-placed strokes of his fingers. How beautiful would that be? How sweet would his name sound as it escaped her mouth?
“I can feel you watching me,” she said, breaking Darius from his fantasy.
Busted, he turned his focus to the road. “I’m driving.”
She scoffed.
Nudging the car faster, Darius turned off the road, heading for a grouping of trees.
“Watch out!” Kat yelled, and tried to grab the wheel.
Darius gripped the wheel, not letting her move it. He might not be a warrior, but he was still far stronger than any human.
Out of reflex, Kat’s hands went up to protect her body.
But no crash happened.
The car slid through the trees as if they were holograms.
“What the—” Kat said, an uneasy breath escaping her. Her eyes were wide and she craned her neck to look back at the area they drove through.
Darius continued down the forest road but slowed. They were nearly there. “The trees are an illusion. Permanent—expe
nsive—magic. Placed so that no human finds their way here by mistake.”
Kat laughed. A true, honest laugh. Lyrical and enticing, like the song of a siren. “You’re kind of a jerk, you know that?”
Darius chuckled. “Says the woman who punched my eye and threw a snowball at me.”
She laughed harder. “I lobbed it at you at best.”
“You have a strong arm. I’m certain I’ll have a bruise on my chest.” He wouldn’t. “You should inspect the damage later.”
Kat’s face dropped, and he could feel the sorrow coming from her.
“Now I’ve upset you. Again.”
She gave him a half-hearted smile. “No. The opposite. I can’t remember the last time I laughed. Really laughed. It was a few days before they found my dad’s body I think. We were watching TV…”
Family. An old memory returned to Darius. His mother and father smiling when he’d showed them some drawing he had colored in. He hadn’t thought about them that way in a long time. Most of his memories were filled with blood. So much blood.
And screaming.
And death.
A gentle touch brushed his forearm. He brought the car to a stop and only then did he realize he was gripping the wheel so tight his skin whitened around his knuckles.
Outside of the car, tall leafless trees with long spindly branches loomed over them, as if they might come alive any moment and attack.
Kat tenderly touched his jaw and turned his head. Her gold-flecked eyes wide and beautiful. Full of concern, yet fierce. “Are you okay? You’re…I think you’re…I can feel heartbreak. More than just my own.”
“My deepest apologies. I didn’t intend to sway your emotions.” Kat was having a strange effect on him. Since he’d become a man—since his transformation—he had never once let anyone see the pain he carried. Not the Lord General, not Tane, not even one of the many people he had taken to bed. “I am sorry you lost your parents to a vampire.”
Kat dropped her hand, but he wished she hadn’t. He resisted the urge to reach out and touch her, to feel close to something—anything—right now, but she didn’t know their species. Didn’t understand their desire for closeness. And he couldn’t risk her erecting more barriers.
