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Kandi, Electric Desert Nights
Copyright © 2016 by Jewel Quinlan
Edited by Eva Hartmann
Cover art by Dar Albert, Wicked Smart Designs
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by Jewel Quinlan http://jewelquinlan.com
Table of Contents
Also by Jewel Quinlan
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Also by Jewel Quinlan
Title and Publication Date
Rock Star Ex – October 10, 2013
Stealing Cupid’s Bow – February 12, 2014
Surrender Sweet Succubus – April 11, 2014
Extreme Heat – April 3, 2014
Man Candy, The Cougar Journals Book 1 – January 9, 2015
Boy Toy, The Cougar Journals Book 2 – May 20, 2015
Eternal Oath – September 29, 2015
She’s Got It All – October 24, 2015
What I Would Give to See You Again – March 28, 2016
DEDICATION
Because you are never too old to discover something new about yourself.
Kandi
Electric Desert Nights
By
Jewel Quinlan
Chapter One
Somer dug his hand through the container of beads, sifting past various colors like neon blue, green, and purple in search of a pink one.
“Are you done yet?” Scarlett asked. “I want get over to Wasteland. Everyone is talking about this new DJ, and he’s about to go on.”
“In a sec,” Somer said, shooting a smile at his ghost pal.
She was solid right now. But yesterday, before the sun had set, she’d been just a whisper of a wraith. That’s how it was with Scarlett. Ever since she’d died twenty years ago at the very first Electric Daisy Carnival in Los Angeles, she was stuck haunting it. In 2011, the venue had changed to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and she’d gone with it. That’s where Somer and his vampire friend, Wade, had run into her a few years ago.
“You have twenty of those things on your arms already. Let’s go.”
“I can’t,” Somer said. “This one is extra special. It’s for my carnival queen. You know, for a ghost, you don’t have much patience.” He finally found a bead the right shade of pink and poked the elastic string through its center. “There, done.” He tied the ends off and stuck his hand through it so it could rest on his forearm with the rest of his creations. He’d arrived at the carnival with some from past years. In the VIP area there was a table with trays full of beads where you could make them for free, and he’d enjoyed creating a souvenir. This newest addition had been strung while Scarlett sighed and tapped her foot as she waited for him.
She rolled her brown eyes. “Was that singular? I thought plural was more in line with incubus preferences. Since when have you ever had a carnival queen?”
“Since now.”
“Like she’s going to care about some cheap ass bead bracelet.”
He fixed her with a serious gaze and pointed a finger at her. “Hey, these aren’t just cheap ass bead bracelets. They’re kandi, and they symbolize love and kindness.” He gave her his best cheeky grin then said, “You know you want one,” in a taunting tone.
She laughed and stuck out her wrist. “All right. Give me one.”
He pulled a blue and beige one from his wrist. Square white beads with letters on them spelled the word transcend in the center. “I think this one is perfect for you.”
“Thanks.” She put her hand through it then fingered the beads. “Nice work. I never knew you were so crafty.”
“I have many gifts.”
“I can see that.” She arched a brow at him. “You aren’t hiding much in that getup.”
He looked down at his outfit. Neon green briefs shone through white mesh shorts. He’d also found a pair of neon rainbow socks to match. He’d decided against wearing a shirt tonight. Why cover up perfection? As an incubus, he was blessed with a face and body humans would kill for.
“What’s wrong with my outfit?”
“Nothing. If you don’t mind gay guys hitting on you, that is.”
His green eyes sparkled with mischief. “I don’t mind at all. Wouldn’t be the first time.” He ran a hand through his sandy blond hair and puffed his chest out.
Scarlett snorted delicately.
“You’re just jealous because you’ve been stuck in the same outfit for the last twenty years,” Somer said.
“No I’m not. I like this outfit.” She wore a bikini top with fringe, white shorts, and sandals.
They started walking in the direction of Wasteland, the next stage over from Kinetic Field where they’d been hanging out in the VIP section. Not all the stages had a VIP section, but Somer didn’t mind. He loved being packed in the general admission section with all the vibrant young humans. In fact, it was time to pick another winner for this evening’s energy suck.
Normally he and Wade, his vampire friend, liked to chat about which humans they would feed on. In human terms, it was like choosing a steak or a fine wine. But the vampire had disappeared last night into the crowd and neither he nor Scarlett had seen him since. Somer had managed to get him on the phone earlier this evening, but it had been a short conversation. Apparently he’d met his soulmate, as predicted by the psychic they’d met with in Miami earlier that year, and he’d been vague as to when he’d meet up with them again.
“I can’t believe Wade ditched us for some girl,” Somer said.
“Not just any girl, his soulmate. I’m sure they’ll be here.”
“Yeah, if they ever make it out of the hotel.”
Scarlett sighed. “I would give anything to see mine just one more time.” Then she gave him a strange look with those soulful brown eyes and her lips quirked.
“What?”
“Nothing. I was just wondering what your soulmate would be like.”
“Soulmates are overrated. Besides, you’re forgetting I’m an incubus. My kind prefers variety. We don’t have soulmates, not that I’ve ever heard of anyway.”
“Everyone has them,” Scarlett insisted.
“If you say so.” He rubbed his hands together. “But you know, maybe you’re right. I feel like a snack. I think I’ll just choose a soulmate for tonight.” He made air quotes with his fingers when he said the word soulmate and grinned.
Scarlett groaned. “That’s not how it works.” She looped her arm through his. “Can’t you do that later, after we find Wade? I’m going to be all alone if you go off with some girl. Usually one of you keeps me company.”
“No problem. I can make it quick,” he said.
“Oh, ge
ez. I don’t even want to know what that means.”
He laughed. “She won’t mind. I guarantee it. Who doesn’t like a quickie? And a naughty one in the shadows with an incubus is ten times better than any sex they’ll have with a human.”
“Ugh. You’re so romantic. Poor girls. I’ll make sure not to ask you any questions when you disappear for a while.”
“If you’re not comfortable with it, that would be best,” he said, patting her hand.
Chapter Two
“I thought you were hungry,” Tyler said.
Mya picked at the hamburger on her plate. “I am, starved actually. But I guess I’m just not in the mood for hamburger.”
“We can find you something else.”
“No. That’s okay. I’ll make do.” Tyler was such a sweet guy. He always looked out for his friends. She and Tyler had grown up together on the same street along with their friend Yesenia, who was currently nowhere to be found. They’d gone to the same high school, too, and that’s about all they had in common. But friendships had been forged nonetheless. Their bond had lasted after graduation into college. All three of them had saved up over the course of the year so they could come to Electric Daisy Carnival together.
“You think Yesenia is okay?” asked Tyler. “It’s kind of unusual for her to disappear with some guy. Should we do something?”
Mya had been thinking the same thing herself. They’d lost Yesenia last night at Kinetic Field. A large group had pushed their way to the front of the space and, in the sudden shifting of the crowd, Yesenia had gone down. Both Mya and Tyler had been worried sick that she might have been trampled to death but when she’d fallen. They hadn’t been able to find her or contact her for hours because she’d lost her cell phone in the fall. She and Tyler had spoken with security and checked the first aid tent as well. But it wasn’t until after midnight that Yesenia had caught up with them at Circuit Grounds, one of the seven large stages at Electric Daisy Carnival.
She’d shown up radiating happiness, her eyes glassy. Because somehow, during that gap of a few hours, she’d met the love of her life, a guy named Wade. He looked like the classic tall-dark-and-brooding kind of guy, but he’d been lit up with joy just like Yesenia. They’d danced together as a group for a while and then Yesenia and he newfound love had taken off together. Mya hadn’t heard anything from her until just a few hours ago. She’d sent a text on her new cell phone to let them know that she was okay and that she would see them later at the carnival.
Mya had been a little stressed out since then. She wasn’t the kind of girl to just let her friend disappear with some strange guy, but Yesenia had seemed so crazy happy. “Nah. Let’s leave her alone. I’m sure they’ll catch up with us later.”
Mya herself had been wishing she would meet someone. It was hard not to be jealous watching Yesenia and Wade together. They acted like they’d been together for years. It would be nice to have someone like that for herself. Oh well, maybe she would. They still had all of tonight and tomorrow night at Electric Daisy Carnival. Anything could happen.
She took a small, reluctant bite from the hamburger, vowing she would finish it all. If she did, maybe the nagging hunger she’d suffered from for months would finally go away. Though she’d made every effort to eat as much as she could, she was becoming more and more gaunt. It was almost like thee harder she tried, the more repulsive food became. It was now to the point that her parents thought she had an eating disorder. The doctors had run every test they knew but nothing had turned up. Her mother watched her with a sharp eye on the weekends when she came home for dinner, making Mya feel guilty, even though she wasn’t doing anything wrong. She herself wanted to get to the bottom of it.
It had been going on since freshman year in college, and had grown worse in her sophomore year. She was just plain hungry all the time, and tonight it was especially bad. Had she picked up some kind of worm, one that didn’t show up on any of tests? Because of that, her parents were now begging her to get psychological help, thinking she had an eating disorder.
Mya forced herself to take a big bite from the hamburger, chomp it a few times, and swallow it in a big gulp. Ew. What had happened to her appetite for hamburgers? She used to love them.
In the dorms at school, girls often glanced at her figure jealously and asked her how she kept herself so thin. But she had no answer for them and was more embarrassed than flattered that they noticed. She didn’t want to be so horribly thin. Her ribs were beginning to show and her biceps now looked unnaturally skinny. She would rather have the lush curves that Yesenia had. She turned heads everywhere she went with her full bosom and backside.
That’s what guys really wanted, she thought, not a rail thin body and flat chest. She often joked with Tyler and Yesenia that she had the chest of a twelve-year-old boy, but in her heart she felt the pain of it. Without breasts, clothes and swimsuits didn’t fit on her the way they did other girls. To top it off, she was tall. Exactly five feet and ten inches in height, which seemed to make guys uncomfortable. Ugh, she really had to get out of her own head. She was getting paranoid about her looks. I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong with me.
“Why don’t we head over to the next show? It’s going to take me a while to finish this,” she said to Tyler.
“Okay, let’s go.” He rose from the table with her. Then they left the concession area and wandered along Rainbow Road toward Wasteland.
In that time, Mya decided that didn’t want to waste her time worrying about her health. Not at the twentieth anniversary of the Electric Daisy Carnival, or EDC for short. Whatever was causing her hunger, it couldn’t last forever. She was sure the answer to her problem had to be discovered eventually.
*****
Somer and Scarlett pushed their way into Wasteland and lifted their hands in the air in appreciation of the music the DJ was playing along with everyone else. Green laser lights crisscrossed overhead and flames shot up through pipes from the stage. Wasteland was always decorated to look like the annihilated remains of a great city. Obviously they’d chosen New York this year. From the middle of the stage jutted the Statue of Liberty’s hand holding the torch. Over to the right, half of her massive head was visible on its side. Trashed police cars were parked randomly around the stage to complete the look.
Scarlett beamed in pleasure. “Isn’t this great?” she yelled up Somer. “Woo!” Her wavy blond hair whipped from side to side as she danced and the fringe on her bikini top flipped wildly.
Somer grinned at her. It was nice to see the ghost enjoying herself. Being stuck in limbo all the time really had to suck. At least once a year she had the chance to feel what it was like to live again. He and Wade had asked Scarlett to describe limbo before, but she could never seem to find the right words. She also had no idea how to move on. Somer wondered how she could be trapped there for twenty years and still have no answers. What did she do in all her spare time?
“Isn’t there another ghost you could ask?” Wade had asked her once.
She’d laughed. “They don’t know either.”
Somer hoped, for her sake, that she would soon find the remedy to her predicament. She didn’t deserve to be stuck. She was as nice a soul as he’d ever met.
He glanced around at the crowd as he danced. Totems poked up overhead. They were basically poles decorated with flags, signs, lights, and whatever else people could think of to adorn them with. Some had funny sayings. He personally enjoyed the crazy outfits people wore when they came. Women wore things like tutus and bikini tops adorned with lights or neon flowers. And they complemented the look with wild makup and hair. The gay crowd put in as much effort as the women did and wore similar scanty and embellished attire. Straight guys in general weren’t as creative as everyone else. For the most part they wore shirts and shorts and carried backpacks.
Late in the evening, like now, people got even bolder. Somer spotted several women whose breasts were exposed save the pasties covering their nipples, others sported only thongs
as their bottom half.
Over to the side, Somer appreciated a gay guy who was extra bold. A red thong and brightly colored socks and sneakers made up his entire outfit. But he had a great body to show off, which Somer appreciated. Perhaps tonight he should feed on some males. The guy noticed Somer checking him out and gave him a flirtatious smile. Somer smiled back and waved. As an incubus, he could play for whichever team he wanted. He preferred women for the most part, but he’d dallied with men before. It didn’t really matter what the gender was. As long as they had a tasty life force, he was happy.
Suddenly, a girl with long platinum-blond hair drew his eyes like a beacon of light. She was gorgeous in an Amazon kind of way, tall and lean with mile-long legs that belonged on a runway. She had innocent luminous blue eyes that contradicted the sex appeal she radiated. As he watched her sway back and forth to the music, he felt drawn to her.
At the moment, she was talking to a lanky guy with dark hair. Her boyfriend maybe? Somer doubted it. Suddenly, the guy turned and left. Perfect. That’s my cue. He made a beeline for her, casting a, “Be right back,” in Scarlett’s direction, not knowing whether she heard him or not.
Chapter Three
Mya downed the last swallow of her beer. She didn’t enjoy the taste all that much, but fluids were easier to get down than food, and alcohol took the edge off of the hole in her stomach.
“You want another one?” Tyler asked.
Mya nodded.
“Be right back,” he said. Tyler had a fake ID and so was always in charge of getting the drinks.
“You want me to come with you?”
He shook his head. “It’ll only take a second. Don’t move though, or I won’t be able to find you.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
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