Seducing the Succubus

by Cassie Ryan

  Jez frowned. “What about payment?”

  Raphael turned back from examining the fallen leader. “I’ll find you when I require payment.”

  After a long moment of digesting the surprise that surged through her system at the Archangel’s sudden dismissal, Jez turned and ran.

  16

  Noah opened his eyes as he was suddenly slammed down hard against something cold and metal. He found himself strapped to some type of rack, spread-eagled and naked. Shackles bit into the skin at his wrists and ankles holding him tight against the unforgiving circular frame.

  Pain still surged through him with every labored breath and he held on to consciousness by a thin thread.

  He tried to glance around despite the searing pain but found he couldn’t move.

  Anger snapped through him. He needed information, and he needed it now. “Where is Jezebeth? Did she escape?”

  “I think ‘escaped’ is too hasty a term at this point. Let’s just say I haven’t acquired her . . . yet.” The cultured, male voice was almost conversational, and slow footsteps echoed around Noah as he waited to see who the voice came from.

  A tall man with a medium build, dark hair, and calculating blue eyes edged into Noah’s line of sight, and Noah couldn’t miss the dark power pouring off the man in waves.

  “What are you?” Noah clenched his teeth against the pain as his vision grayed and vertigo swirled through him.

  The man chuckled, sending a shudder of pure revulsion through Noah.

  “What indeed. I think you know me better as ‘who’ for this discussion.” His eyes glittered with evil amusement. “I am Semiazas.”

  Noah clenched his jaw as he studied the demon in front of him. Semiazas was rumored to have been Lucifer’s right-hand man, so to speak, for the rebellion against God. Maybe that’s why he’d been given enough freedom to start the Black Plague even though it was against his new master’s best interests.

  “I see by your reaction that you know of me.” Semiazas smiled and bowed with a flourish as if they stood inside a seventeenth-century ballroom. “I’m glad. That will make our time together so much more enjoyable.” He stopped and cocked his head to the side. “At least for me.”

  Noah’s first reaction was relief that the demon didn’t know how to find Jezebeth; just behind that was cold, hard fear. Not of the torture itself—he was absolutely terrified about that. After all, he’d never been big on pain, and didn’t think of himself as the He-Man, Rambo type. He was more scared of not being able to withstand the torture and ending up betraying Jezebeth.

  The demon walked around Noah in a slow circle. “Now, why don’t you make this easy for me and tell me where the succubus is headed, and we’ll kill you quickly. We both know you’ve been caught up in something larger than you’re able to handle.” He laughed. “Imagine my surprise that Lilith assigned a writer of trite horror fiction to escort one of her prized whores as opposed to a warrior.”

  Noah remembered his own surprise at the assignment, but somewhere along the way he’d stopped looking at this as some punishment for summoning Lilith, and instead as an opportunity that allowed him to meet Jezebeth.

  Semiazas continued in his calm, amused voice. “I have had millennia to perfect the art of torture, and I’m more than willing to show you all my expertise, but I think it would be much easier, and quicker, on both sides if you just went ahead and gave me the information I need. So how about it, Noah. I can call you Noah, can’t I? I think once I’ve seen someone naked, it gives me the right to use their first name.”

  Noah mustered all his strength to return Semiazas’s gaze. Steel-hard determination slid through him and his fingers tightened together into fists as he prepared to do the stupidest thing he’d ever done in his lifetime. “No.”

  Semiazas raised dark brows. “No, I can’t call you Noah, or no, you won’t tell me the information I need?” His voice was sweet and cajoling and made Noah wish to drown the damned demon in a vat of holy water.

  Noah licked his dry lips. “Both.”

  Semiazas sighed dramatically. “Then I guess we’d both better get comfortable.” He gestured and the demon still inhabiting Don’s body stepped forward.

  “Did he refuse?” it asked with a hopeful note in the gravelly voice.

  Semiazas nodded. “Let’s see what you can do. I’d like quick and thorough results.”

  “Yes, sir,” came the gravelly reply as a very sharp-looking knife with a hooked end appeared in the demon’s left hand. “This is going to be fun.”

  A brief thought of memorizing what the knife looked like for a future book spilled through Noah’s mind, and he chided himself for thinking like a writer when he was about to be tortured.

  Then the demon advanced on him and stabbed the knife deep into Noah’s thigh.

  Crippling pain shot through him and then dulled until he was floating. Calmly bobbing in a sea of blackness that lulled and comforted him.

  He had a moment to wonder where he’d been whisked away to when he gagged. Something thick and hot was being poured down his throat. It tasted almost metallic and he tried to cringe away from the flow, but found he couldn’t move.

  Panic grabbed at him, and his lungs began to burn as they ached for breath. Finally, he swallowed and sucked in a quick breath before his mouth was filled again with the odd liquid. He swallowed again and then greedily sucked in a large breath of air even as his stomach roiled, threatening to bring back up everything he’d swallowed.

  Waves of burning spread through his body in searing waves until he thought this would be his constant state of being.

  What seemed like hours later, all the pain receded and his awareness returned in a rush. He found himself still strapped naked to Semiazas’s circular metal rack with Don the demon standing in front of him with the now blood-soaked knife he’d stabbed him in the thigh with.

  “Welcome back, human. I hadn’t realized the extent of your injuries from our fight. You nearly died. You’ll have to thank Semiazas for gifting you with some of his blood and fully healing you. Now we have plenty of time to start from scratch and see if you’re willing to tell us where the succubus is headed.”

  Noah cringed as he remembered swallowing the thick, metallic liquid. That was Semiazas’s blood? His stomach clenched and he tasted bile on the back of his tongue at the thought that he’d just drank blood.

  Not that he could argue with the results. He was fully refreshed and healthy, but a quick glance up at the dripping knife made him wish he could’ve died. If they could heal him this fully, they could conceivably keep him here forever. If he had to endure torture for eternity, could he? Even for Jezebeth?

  True terror spilled through him, and he swallowed hard.

  Please, God, let me not betray her . . .

  Lilith woke as Gabriel bolted upright in bed.

  “Gabriel?”

  Gabriel turned a sleepy smile on Lilith. “My apologies. I’ve been summoned. I must go, but I’ll return later?”

  Lilith nodded and raised up on her elbow to meet Gabriel halfway. As their mouths came together Lilith parted her lips and welcomed Gabriel’s gently probing tongue inside. She reveled in the slow, deep kiss until Gabriel reluctantly pulled back.

  “I enjoyed our time together.”

  Lilith couldn’t keep the smile from curving her lips. “Me too.”

  Gabriel dissolved away and Lilith sighed, running her hands over the warm spot on the bed the Archangel had just vacated.

  She hadn’t spent a night only sleeping with anyone ever. In fact, the only time she’d slept through the night with someone in her bed was back with Adam and Eve, and there was always sex involved.

  And the night with Uriel—well, there had been no sleeping done at all that night.

  She flopped onto her back and laid her arm over her forehead as memories of Uriel tried to surface. She ruthlessly pushed them away and pulled the warm sensations of being with Gabriel around her.

  Loud knocking sounded
against her door, and she closed her eyes tight, wishing the awful sound away. When it came again she huffed out a breath and sat up, the sheet pooling around her waist, leaving her bare nipples to harden in the cool air. “Come in.”

  “My queen, I’m sorry to disturb you so early.” Evelin slipped inside the door, closing it softly behind her. “There is a guest who refuses to leave until he sees you.”

  Lilith frowned. Why would someone want an audience with her this early? Her internal body clock told her it had to be around four A.M. Whoever it was, the matter must be urgent. “Who is it?”

  “My lady . . . it’s Semiazas.”

  Lilith stiffened as different scenarios of what the demon wanted flitted through her mind. He couldn’t hurt her here in her lair, although she’d be damned if she let him anywhere else besides the throne room, which existed in both dimensions. Giving him access to other parts of her lair would give him the location so he could find her and pop in on her at any time. However, the throne room was sort of a halfway point between the human realm and the other side.

  Even inside the throne room if Semiazas tried to harm her in any way, Uriel through his vow would rain down all kinds of retribution on the demon, and would bring the full force of Heaven with him. But there were a million other ways Semiazas could make things difficult or uncomfortable for Lilith and her followers, so there was no reason to totally snub his request for a meeting.

  She sighed and pushed her hair back away from her face. “Tell him I’ll see him in the throne room.”

  “He wishes to see you right away, my lady, and asks for an audience wherever you currently are.”

  “I’ll just bet he does,” she mumbled under her breath. Lilith stood, shivering against the cold air after being so warm in bed next to Gabriel all night. She cut Evelin off with an impatient gesture. “If he seeks an audience with me in the middle of the night, he should expect to let me have time to dress. If he does not, then he’s a fool.” Showing any kind of weakness or fear in front of the demon wasn’t an option. Lilith had learned well over the centuries that it was often attitude and confidence that carried the day even over competence.

  Evelin bowed her head once. “Yes, my lady. I’ll show him to the throne room. Should I offer any refreshment or sustenance to him during his wait?”

  Lilith stopped in midmotion of selecting a dress from her wardrobe. The idea of giving any of her followers—even the humans—to Semiazas for his pleasure even for the duration of the time it took Lilith to ready herself sent revulsion churning through her. “No. He isn’t an invited guest. Show him to the throne room, and he’ll damned well wait until I arrive.”

  Evelin bowed again and backed out the door, closing it behind her with a click.

  Lilith closed her hand around a simple, elegant black dress, and paused. Even with Semiazas here, her mood was still buoyant from her time spent with Gabriel, so she skimmed her fingers over to a soft, yellow dress with a tight bodice and a long, flowing skirt instead. She smiled as she pulled on the dress, making a mental note to find some lingerie for the next time Gabriel came to visit. Lilith had never bothered with undergarments of any type since her body would stay firm and supple for the entirety of her existence, but she was in the mood to try something new and seductive with Gabriel.

  She buttoned up the bodice of her dress, slid her feet into comfortable leather shoes, and brushed her long, dark hair until it flowed over her shoulders in silky waves.

  Last, she stopped, feeling naked without her jewelry, she ran her fingers over the places they had sat for millennia—the ring, the necklace, the bracelet, and the earrings. She’d done the same thing every day since she sent the four imps to warn the succubi sisters about Semiazas.

  “I’ll have them back soon, safe and sound,” she reminded herself, although she wasn’t sure if she referred to the jewelry, the succubi, or both.

  A quick walk down the hallway took her to her personal entrance to the throne room, and she laid her hand over her stomach to try to quiet the herd of butterflies that had suddenly taken up residence. She squared her shoulders, raised her chin to a regal height, and stepped forward into the lion’s den.

  Semiazas lounged on Lilith’s throne, his back leaned against one arm while his legs draped over the other, his feet kicking idly. He glanced up as she entered, his smile feral and predatory. “Lilith,” he said, not bothering to move. “How good of you to join me.”

  She kept her voice calm as she approached him. “You’re in my way.”

  He smirked. “Oh, is this your chair?” Semiazas made a showy production of sitting up. “I would’ve thought as queen of the whores, you’d have a bed or something tasteful like a gynecologist’s chair, instead.”

  Lilith had long since become immune to the taunts of others, so she ignored the comment and raised one brow, accompanied by an intense gaze.

  He smiled slowly and stood, gesturing with a flourish for her to sit.

  As she brushed past him, he turned toward her and sniffed at her hair. He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and pulled her close. Burying his face into the crook of her neck, he inhaled deep.

  Lilith reacted instinctively, planting her left foot and raising her right knee with all the force she could gather in this close-quarters position until it connected hard with the demon’s balls.

  Semiazas made a strangled sound in the back of his throat and crumpled, loosening his grip and allowing her to slip away.

  “I’ve been manhandled many times since my creation, Semiazas. But to seek an audience with me first is not an act of a peaceful meeting request.” She clenched her fists, holding her panic and anger at bay until she could make it back to her quarters.

  Semiazas stood with his hands on his knees, sucking in large breaths of air before he slowly straightened to face her. “I apologize. You surprised me, Lilith, and that’s not easy to do.”

  She knew she should leave but curiosity made her turn back. There had to be a reason he’d come to see her, after all, and she’d rather know what it was than find out about it later when it was too late.

  “Gabriel has been here.”

  It wasn’t a question, so Lilith didn’t bother to answer.

  Finally Semiazas took one step forward with a small wince. “Gabriel and I were once very close. I knew when I spoke to her a few days ago that she’d taken a female lover; I just didn’t realize she’d gone for the most experienced one she could find.” His smile was anything but friendly.

  “Do you have a point?” Lilith forced herself not to cross her arms in a protective gesture.

  Semiazas seemed ready to snap back at her, but slowly composed himself, the anger and hatred in his expression leaking away to be replaced by a mask of charming calm. The only thing that stayed to remind her of his previous expression was the cold calculation in his blue eyes.

  “I wish to offer you a deal, Lilith. You have something I want, and I have something you want.”

  “I can’t imagine you having anything I would want.”

  “How about the ring Adam made you?”

  Semiazas’s words were like a sucker punch to the gut. Everyone assumed Adam had made her the jewelry, but those pieces she treasured had actually been from Uriel. She kept her composure and raised her brows.

  If he had the ring, did that mean he had Jezebeth as well? And what of her sisters? “If you have my ring, show me.”

  Semiazas pursed his lips. “I don’t have it with me. The human who was wearing it wouldn’t give it up so easily.”

  Which meant Semiazas had found out the hard way that the ring had to be willingly removed. He wouldn’t even be able to cut off the human’s finger to retrieve it, since his intentions would be known and the inherent Archangel energy in the ring would thwart any such attempt. Most beings assumed the jewelry gained such powers because Adam had made them during his time living in the Garden. Since Uriel had given the set to her the night he’d broken his vows, neither of them had ever bothered to diss
uade people from their assumptions. And with Adam and Eve long since dead, the story had become “well-known” lore.

  “You’ll have to do better than that to keep my interest in this discussion.” She turned to walk toward her personal entrance to the throne room.

  “I’ve seen Uriel’s downfall.”

  She froze and turned to face him. Semiazas was many things, but his visions were always accurate, and even though Lilith knew it would be a twisted account, she couldn’t walk away without hearing it. “You have my attention . . . for the moment.”

  “I’m not ignorant of your plan, Lilith. You sent those four bitches to petition Lucifer to cage me all those years ago, and now that I’ve escaped, you’re looking to do the same thing again. I won’t allow it.” His voice was a low hiss of warning.

  “You’ve now lost my attention.” She shrugged with a smile and started to turn away again.

  “Uriel will fall. He will join our ranks of those who rebel against God, and all to protect you, queen of the whores.”

  “You’re late to the party, Semiazas. Uriel has already carried out that revolt back when he refused to kill me at the Garden.”

  “So you mistakenly think repeated violations won’t try God’s patience?” Semiazas laughed. “Where will you end up when the end comes, Lilith? You’re a being without a side, which means you’ll be left standing alone when the music stops.”

  She didn’t miss his clear reference to Armageddon, and she narrowed her eyes. “What are you trying not to tell me, Semiazas?”

  “Uriel will betray God again, and it will be for you, and the world will fall.”

  Lilith’s blood ran cold, but she tried to hide any visible reaction from the demon. “Uriel’s choices are his own.”

  Impatience snapped in Semiazas’s gaze. “Give me the four succubi and I’ll ensure you have a place in the new hierarchy once the humans are no longer an issue.” He smiled and stepped forward. “You have plenty of other followers. What will these four matter?”