by Jill Myles
Or one Zane, whom I was currently cradled against. I looked up at my former lover’s possessive red eyes and touched his cheek again. “Long time no see.”
“Jackie Brighton–” Ethan interrupted, but I ignored him.
A hint of a smile softened the cynical curve of Zane’s mouth. “So it would seem.”
Just the sight of his smile nearly broke my heart again, and I resisted the urge to burrow into his chest and pretend the world didn’t exist. “Oh Zane,” I whispered. “I’ve missed you.”
He smiled down at me, fangs barely gleaming between his lips. His eyes scanned my face, resting on my lips and then studying my jaw as if he were mere breaths away from kissing—or biting—the hell out of me, and my body quivered in anticipation.
Someone clapped—slowly, mockingly. A single pair of hands. My skin began to crawl, and I knew without looking who was mocking us with her applause.
Zane’s loving expression disappeared, replaced by the shuttered, cynical twist of his mouth. It hurt to see it change, but I didn’t blame him.
You didn’t let the queen see your vulnerabilities.
“Can you walk?” Zane murmured against my temple, looking toward the throne. “If so, I think I need to put you down.”
“I’m good,” I said. Though I was pretty sure I’d cracked something, succubi heal fast. He set me gently on my feet, and I hitched my dress back down from where it had crawled up my butt and adjusted my (lack of) top.
The queen lowered her hands, her eerie, entirely black eyes focused on my face. A hint of a smile curved her mouth—no teeth showing. She gestured for me to approach. Oh dear. That felt like being invited to have a seat in the spider’s web. Not that I could refuse her, of course.
I warily approached the delicate woman perched on the large throne. Though the queen looked dainty in her short red dress, I knew she was anything but helpless. An ancient Egyptian who’d made a pact with a demon millennia ago, Queen Nitocris had sucked the essence out of God-knew-how-many immortals to acquire their power, and as a result, she was a little … frightening. She had no respect for life and was the most powerful immortal on the planet, and when she wanted something, she went after it. An aura of malevolence seemed to swell around her, as if she contained far too much evil for her skin to hold in. Just looking at her made me want to run away, screaming.
Yet here I was, mingling at her bizarre party like some sort of vampire groupie. It made my skin crawl to think that she had invited me, and I had taken the risk to see Zane again. Now, looking at her face, I wasn’t sure I’d made a wise decision.
I moved forward with Zane at my elbow until I stood at the base of the dais, mere feet away from her throne.
She tilted her head, watching me with an expectant look.
CHAPTER TEN
“Kneel,” Zane whispered. I dropped to my knees, grateful for the chance to hide the fact that they were nearly knocking together with fear. Zane stayed at my side, his hand on my neck, a comforting, heavy weight, and I wasn’t sure if it was for support, or to keep me down.
He didn’t have to worry—I was pretty much paralyzed in front of the queen. Plus, I’d probably break my neck trying to escape in my four-inch slingbacks.
The queen delicately crossed her legs and tucked them close. “So, my little succubus has returned, and without her lovely angel to protect her. Why are you here, little whore?”
“Oh, um,” I stammered, “I’m looking for Remy.”
The pleased, predatory look on her face diminished, the lines of her mouth hardening in a way that nearly made me wet myself with fear. “If you wish us to protect you from her, little whore, you need to learn to ask better than that.”
“Well, that’s a lovely offer,” I began, my hands twisting in my skirt. “Except I don’t really need to be protected from her just yet. I can’t even find her.”
“I see,” the queen purred, and I felt like she was going to reach over and devour me whole. I couldn’t stop the full-body tremble that took over. She moved forward on the throne, her hands clutching the sides. “Are you mocking me, whore-child? Because I can destroy you in two seconds flat—”
“No,” I squeaked.
Zane’s hand clenched on the back of my neck—a warning.
I shut up.
“My queen,” Zane began, stepping forward and moving in front of me, probably to protect me as much as he could. His wings brushed against my face, and I shivered at the feeling of hundreds of feathers lightly brushing over my scantily clad form. The urge to clutch his leg like a small child was almost as overwhelming as the urge to run my fingers through those feathers.
“My queen, I think it is possible that Jackie does not know what has befallen the other succubus.”
Uh oh. What had Remy done now? I peeked out from behind Zane’s wing, trying to see the queen’s expression.
Queen Nitocris stared at him, stone faced, her fingernails drumming on the large wooden arm of the throne. “Explain to her, then, Zane, if she is so very ignorant.” The indulgent half smile returned to her face, and the queen’s red gaze fastened on me once more. “And speak slowly so she may understand.”
Lovely woman, the queen. If I weren’t so insanely terrified of her, I’d have said something. As it was, I just hid behind Zane’s wing like a big chicken.
To my surprise, Zane pulled me to my feet next to him, holding my hand in his. His dark eyes met mine. Gone was my cynical, playful Zane. The man standing before me was serious as could be. “Jackie, listen carefully,” he said, glancing over at the queen as if seeking permission.
A command, but a minor one. I cocked my head slightly, indicating that I was listening.
“I want you to remain quiet until I am finished speaking.”
It wasn’t a command, but it was rude. He squeezed my hand, giving an almost imperceptible nod toward the queen. Right. This was for her benefit. She had to think that Zane had given me up entirely and was her creature once more, or their deal—my life and freedom in exchange for his—was forfeit.
“I invited you here because I wanted to see you,” he began.
The queen cocked her head to the side, her eyes narrowed and I felt the malevolent heat of her displeasure.
“That is why you are here.” His expression was guarded. “Remy disappeared from New Orleans right after you went to Mexico. I kept watch over her house for a few months, waiting to see if she would return and we could pry the essence of Joachim from her.”
I didn’t like the sound of that, and my face must have shown my unhappiness, because he squeezed my hand slightly.
“Remy did not return home for many, many months. I continued to watch it, and others were dispatched to try to track her down. It seems that she was wearing a charm that blocked all traces of sorcery that could track her.”
Wait. Did the queen not know about the blocking spell on the charm? I frowned up at him.
“She looks unhappy,” said the queen in a dulcet voice. “Perhaps it is difficult for the poor slut to understand.”
This time I squeezed Zane’s hand, my mouth forming a tight, irritated smile. “I’m following,” I said. “Please keep going.”
“Then one day, Remy appeared back in New City,” Zane continued gravely. “We sent a contingent of vampires after her, to capture and bring her to the queen.”
So while I’d been fooling around in Mexico, running up and down old muddy stone pyramids, Remy had been hunted? I instantly felt like the world’s worst friend.
Zane cleared his throat. “The vampires didn’t return.”
My attention snapped back. “What?”
“The vampires were slaughtered. We found what was left of their drained corpses the next day. Remy—or the creature inside her—had drained their essences and left nothing but the husks behind. On all five vampires. We sent seven more vampires after her, and only one was able to return. He spoke of a small woman with wild eyes and impossible strength.”
That sounded like Joa
chim, all right. Much to my dismay.
“And now that Remy has succumbed once more, we fear that Joachim is stronger than ever.” Hand squeeze. “He is ruthless and will stop at nothing to gain more power.”
Hand squeeze, hand squeeze.
Zane was clearly trying to tell me something, but I wasn’t reading between the lines enough. He gave me a meaningful look, but I had no clue what he was hinting at. When he squeezed my hand again I decided to repeat it back to him, trying to lead him into telling me the answer. “If she—he—has absorbed eleven vampires as well as a halo, that makes her … really powerful.”
A painful squeeze on my hand. “Very, very powerful. And she does not intend on stopping anytime soon, from what we can tell. In fact, she has begun to hunt some of the more powerful vampires, in an effort to steal their essence and acquire even greater power for herself. Himself.”
I started to piece things together. If Remy was going after the most powerful vampires, Zane wasn’t safe. My hands gripped his, suddenly sweaty. As the queen’s right-hand man and the second-oldest vampire, he was stronger than all the others. That also meant the queen had a big fat target on her head.
I kept my eyes lowered and glanced over at her on the throne. She sat as casually as ever, her foot moving back and forth. Only the steady drumming of her nails on the wood and the tight, insincere smile on her face showed any reaction.
Was the queen worried that Remy was coming after her?
Oh, this was really weird.
“Wow. Um, well, I don’t need protection from Remy,” I said, pulling my hands from Zane’s. Especially not if it meant being indebted to the queen.
The queen inclined her head regally. “If you wish. Since you do not seek sanctuary with us, I will offer you a deal, whore-child.”
My skin crawled. A deal? “No, wait, I don’t want—”
Too late. Her grin widened, displaying rows of needlelike teeth. “You have three days to track Joachim down and remove him from the succubus and save your friend’s life.”
“Three days? But I don’t know where he is, and I can’t stop him—”
“Three days, or I will kill your friend and take the halo myself.” She raised a hand and examined her nails, and then touched a fingernail to her lip, tapping it as she thought for a moment. “I find that I am quite content with the power I have here and no longer have a need for the halo. I will be pleased if you simply destroy it, and will spare you and your friend. But if the three days pass, make no mistake.” Her eyes narrowed, with enmity. I could feel the malice emanating from her. “If you do not stop your friend, I will.”
I swallowed hard. Some deal.
She took my silence as assent. “I see we are in agreement. As a token of my good faith, I shall loan you something of mine.” She lifted her flat hand into the air, and then made a fist as if gathering something.
Zane made a choked noise and staggered, stumbling to the queen’s feet and collapsing at the dais. His hands went to the rope at his throat, tearing at it.
“You are still fond of this one, are you not?” Her eyes watched me intently.
Shit. What was the answer she was looking for? If I vowed love for him, would she torture him more? If I didn’t, would that piss her off? I watched Zane writhe on the ground, choking, the leash torturing him. “I … I think he’s all right,” I said, my voice carefully bland. “Nice guy.”
The indulgent smile curved her mouth again. “No declarations of love for my sweet prince? Pity.” She opened her hand and made a sweeping motion, as if thrusting him away. Dragged by the magic, Zane flew across the room, slamming into my legs and knocking me to the floor. I heard Ethan shout behind me and the scuffle starting again.
I picked myself up off the floor and my hands went to Zane, trying to help him.
“Zane may go with you. He is the strongest of my children, my chosen heir. He will see this done, for good or for ill,” the queen said, languorously rising from her throne. Her voice was all business, at odds with her posture. “He knows his instructions and will keep in line. And if you are not able to destroy the succubus, he will.” She moved to the edge of the dais, stepping down the marble stairs on dainty, red sandals. “And I am going to give you another present to help you with your task, whore-child. This is indeed your lucky night.”
“Lucky,” I echoed, helping Zane sit upright as he coughed next to me, clearly drained.
“My lovely Zane shall help you track down the halo and dispose of it.” Her predatory eyes focused on me again. “To ensure that he keeps his promise to me, he will bring along his keeper to make sure that he does not misbehave.” She clucked her tongue at Zane and shook her head disapprovingly. “My darling vampire has been a most unruly child. And I fear that if he does not learn to obey, I shall have to destroy him and make an example out of him. I would so hate for that to happen.” Her fathomless black eyes fixed on me.
“No examples,” I breathed, though I didn’t know what I was promising. All I knew was that Zane had to be safe from her.
“I thought you would see it my way,” the queen said lightly and strolled past. “Three days, starting now, little whore. I will be displeased if you fail.”
The queen exited the room and as she slunk away, the music struck up again. The vampires around us grabbed their limp human partners and began twirling around us once more.
Zane staggered to his feet and I tried to help him up, only to be pushed out of the way as Ethan shoved him off of me. “Jackie Brighton,” Ethan declared. “Stay away from this vampire.”
“Ethan, stop it,” I said, trying to move around him.
Ethan responded by pulling me away and starting to drag me across the dance floor. “We are leaving, Jackie Brighton.”
I twisted in his grip, trying to break free. I was sure that he meant well, but I wasn’t going to leave with Zane still weak and barely staggering on his feet. “Ethan, wait a minute. Zane—”
The Enforcer turned back to face me, eyes narrow. “We do not seek the help of vampires, especially not if they wish to destroy your friend. I am ashamed that you even think of doing so, Succubus.”
“Wait just a minute here!” I twisted my hand, but he wouldn’t free it, and we headed to the marble stairs that led up into the house. In a panic, I sent a surge of my succubus powers through to Ethan. His eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped like a rock.
I glared down at him as I rubbed my wrist for a moment, then leaned over and touched him again to wake him up.
He opened his eyes and stared up at me, confused. I leaned over and offered him a hand. “Sorry to do that, but you weren’t listening, and I’m not going to be dragged around like a doll. I’m a person and I can make up my own mind, remember?”
“I am sorry, Jackie Brighton,” Ethan choked out. He closed his eyes and put a hand over them. “I will remember.”
I didn’t like the way he kept his eyes closed. “You okay?”
“You should stop leaning over,” he said in a strangled voice, sitting up.
I glanced down and saw that my breasts were clearly visible. Whoops. I straightened up and put my hands on my hips, surveying the room as Ethan got to his feet. Zane had disappeared in the swirl of dancers, and my heart began to beat rapidly again. Had he left because he didn’t want anything to do with helping me? Surely not. Surely he wanted to see me, to spend time together? Right?
Then I saw a figure in a long black trench coat cutting through the dancers. Zane. With the coat on over his wings, he looked like a regular guy cutting through the crowd, lifting a cigarette to his lips. The rope that had kept him tied to the queen was gone. I glanced back at Ethan with a warning look. “Zane is going to help us, so don’t attack him anymore, all right?”
“I want what is best for you, Jackie Brighton. I am your protector.”
How sweet, if misguided.
“And I appreciate that, Ethan, but I don’t want protecting from him.” My gaze followed Zane as he headed toward me wh
ere I waited on the stairs, almost shivering with excitement.
The grim, world-weary look on his face lightened at the sight of me and his red eyes softened.
“Princess,” he said, regreeting me. I reached for his hand, but he moved protectively in front of me, separating me from Ethan with a glare.
“It’s okay, Zane. Ethan’s my bodyguard.”
“He was dancing with you earlier,” he growled, his sharp teeth flashing. The back of his coat gave a reflexive jerk, and I wondered if the wings were trying to free themselves. “Touching your bare skin.”
Ethan pressed his hands into fists, as if preparing to go after Zane.
I stepped between the two of them, a bit surprised at the fighting … over me. “Zane, he was only dancing with me because I made him.” When the vampire wouldn’t calm down, I added, “I don’t know that he’s even interested in girls.”
This time Ethan gave me an offended look. “I do not like succubi. Your gender does not matter.”
Well, there you had it. I gave Zane a bright smile. “See? Ethan is not into immortal chicks.” I slid my hands to his leather collar and gave him a playful tug when he continued to loom over me. “We can go now, right?”
Zane’s gaze refocused on me, and he grimaced. “Not quite yet. We’re waiting for someone.”
“Oh?” I tried not to worry, though my mind automatically went to the queen. Then I remembered. “Your bodyguard, right?”
“Caleb. And I have to warn you about him—”
A man approached and looped an arm around Zane’s shoulders. He was compact and attractive, with spiky, short blond hair and a facial tattoo that curved around his eye. His nose was pierced, and his bright red eyes gleamed as he assessed me. “No need to warn anyone,” said the man, punching Zane in the gut playfully. “I’m just along for the ride.”
Zane didn’t seem pleased. His eyes met mine, and he gave me a meaningful look, his posture stiff. “Shall we go, then?”
“Sure,” I said, though I didn’t feel extremely confident. There was something off about the dynamic between Zane and Caleb. Even though Caleb was all smiles, it was clear that Zane did not like him being here. I headed up the stairs, the men trailing behind me.
