by Beverly Rae
Romance? Allie had never given the idea much thought, never imagined that it was a possibility. Her gaze flitted to her parents’ wedding photograph on the fireplace mantel. Could she find someone who would love her no matter what she was? Could she find a way to love someone without hurting him? Hadn’t her mother found the love of her life? So why couldn’t she? A flicker of hope fluttered in her chest.
“But what if she goes ape-shit like she did with Steve and loses control?” Meg dodged as Allie tried to smack her arm. “Not that I’m saying you would on purpose, mind you.”
Hilly cast a soft smile. “We stick around to make sure she doesn’t take it that far.”
“But how would you stop me? Who knows what kind of power I could wield if I got enough energy in me? I mean, if the man is strong and virile, I might become one supercharged powerhouse in a sexy little body.” Allie batted her eyelashes and tossed her hair, trying to lighten the mood.
“Gee. Modest, aren’t you?” teased Meg.
“Oh, I think we could take you. We tore you away from Steve, didn’t we?”
“Hilly’s right. Between my magic and her shape-shifting into the Incredible Hulk, we could pry you off anybody. Especially if we’re prepared to do so.”
“Still, to make sure we don’t have to resort to magic or shifting, the men she feeds on will be, shall we say, less than your average brute.”
Was Hilly saying what she thought she was saying? “You’re talking about my making out with a wimp, aren’t you? A nerd? A brain-but-no-brawn kind of guy?”
“Not exactly.”
“Whew. For a minute there—”
“He doesn’t have to have much of a brain.”
“Oh, my God. She’s talking about a lonely Pee-wee-Herman type.” Meg clutched her stomach in a fit of laughter. “Ooh, how sexy! Allie’s going to jump Pee-wee Herman’s bones. Hey, Allie, be careful not to break him. You know how brittle he is.”
Allie shot her sisters an if-only-looks-could-make-you-fat-and-bald stare. “You, Meg, are just so funny I forgot to laugh. And you, Ms. Hillary Tristan, need to have your head examined. I am not attracted to skinny dumb men.”
She could see, however, that Hilly was growing fonder of her scheme. “Whether or not you’re attracted to him is irrelevant and, frankly, I doubt it’ll matter to you anyway.”
“Hey!” protested Allie.
“You know what I’m talking about. As I said before, you’re not looking for love, so the fact that he’s less than appealing to you is a plus. What matters is that you have someone to feed from. And, once you start taking his life force, we have to make sure that you don’t get too strong for us to pull you away from him.”
Allie flopped back against the sofa cushions. “This just sucks. I’m finally going to get what I need, but I have to make it with a geek. A weak-willed, no-muscles simpleton, to boot. Remind me to thank you, big-time.”
Meg and Hilly glanced at each other before doing as they always did—trying to make her feel better.
“Come on, Allie, cheer up. This won’t be as bad as you think. Right, Meg?”
“Oh, uh, of course not. I mean, even some of the scrawniest men I’ve had have been surprisingly good in bed. Not that I’ve had that many scrawny ones, mind you.”
“I guess.” Allie pouted again, hoping that pooching out her lower lip just a fraction more would push them over the edge. Surely they wouldn’t make her take a wimp, would they? Although at least she’d get to feed. “But I still don’t see why I can’t have one decent-looking guy. Sort of an average-Joe-on-the-street kind of dude?”
Hilly rose and took her hand, pulling her out of her seat and out of full-pout mode. “Okay then, let’s give this a try. How about we head down to the Sundowner and find our first donor?”
“The Sundowner? But that’s a local bar. A dead local bar.” Meg took Allie’s other arm and helped Hilly lead her to her bedroom. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to go out of town?”
“It would. Except that I happen to know that there’s a convention in the city and our small town’s hotel is catching a lot of the spillover. I bet the Sundowner’s packed right now with strangers in town for only a few nights. Our perfect choice is a strange man in a town where he knows no one.”
Allie caught the slinky red halter top Meg threw at her and obeyed her gestures to put it on. The silky material flowed down her skin, forming to the curves of her breasts. A short black skirt that accentuated her shapely legs completed the look. Her reflection in the full-length mirror gave her a thrill and she stepped into the four-inch heels Hilly offered her. “I can’t believe this is finally going to happen. Maybe not in the way I thought it would, but it’s happening all the same.”
“Yep, your date with a ninety-pound w—”
Allie snapped her fingers in front of Meg, silencing her. “Don’t even think about finishing that sentence.”
“Okay, okay. Take a chill pill, baby sister.” Meg chuckled and pretended to lock her mouth with a make-believe key.
“If you two are finished with your witty repartee, then we can get going.”
The Sundowner had changed since the last time Allie had visited the place. Granted that had been a few months earlier when she’d celebrated her twenty-first birthday—with just her sisters in attendance—but the old place had been nothing like this. Instead of the dingy room with outdated lighting and peeling paint, tiny bright lights cascaded around the black and gold decor like shooting stars bouncing off the dance floor. Sleek colorful booths flanked the walls while mirrored tables welcomed guests. Head-pounding music made it difficult to think, much less talk. Young men and women crammed together, gyrating their bodies in spaces too small for real dance moves. A throng three-people deep formed along the counter where several bartenders hurried to keep pace with the thirsty partiers.
Allie smiled and led the way into the crowd. “Wow. This is awesome,” she shouted.
Hilly’s frown told of a different reaction. “Uh-oh. What happened?” She scanned the area, her frown deepening. “I expected to find a few older men and some business travelers nursing their drinks. Nothing like—”
“Like a real club? You got me, but I think it’s terrific.” Meg’s grin grew wider. “And I don’t care how it happened. The only thing I want to know is why didn’t someone tell me? I could’ve partied here instead of that lame bar across town.”
“Come on, Allie. We’re leaving.”
Allie, however, had no intention of letting Hilly drag her away. She hurried toward the bar before Hilly knew what hit her. Too bad Meg was hot on her tail.
“Hey, hold on a sec.” Meg grabbed her arm, tugging her around to face her.
“No, let me go. I want to drink and dance, then drink and dance some more.”
Men turned toward the sound of Allie’s voice. Jaws dropped and eyes glazed over. Two of the more aggressive men moved closer, closing in on the girls like wolves ready to attack two vulnerable deer. Allie reached out and took the bigger man’s hand, drawing him next to her. “Hi. What’s your name?”
“Michael. And what’s yours, babe?”
She leaned closer, ignoring Meg’s warning. “Ooh, I like that name. My name is Allie. Do you like my name?” Catching movement to the side of her, she noticed more men leaving their dance partners to come her way. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all. She let go of Michael and tried to step back toward her sister. “Meg?”
“See? I told you to hold up a sec. But don’t worry, and cover your face. I’ll handle this.” One sweep of her hand and a blue mist settled over the room to float gently down from the ceiling. People lifted their heads to watch the mist, dreamy expressions on their faces. Once the mist had evaporated, the crowd returned to dancing as though nothing unusual had happened. Michael and the other men stayed quiet a few moments longer, confusion etched on their faces, then returned to the women they’d abruptly left.
Hilly pushed through the crowd to slide beside Meg. “Oh, my word.
If I hadn’t known what the mist was and covered my nose and mouth in time… Well, never mind. Like I said, we have to leave. Now.”
Allie couldn’t keep her eyes off the people around her. Their excitement, their energy, their raw sexuality drew her, calling her name as though they’d waited for her for a thousand years. The familiar excitement started in her abdomen and swirled outward in slow tendrils of desire. “No, please, let’s stay. It’s okay now. No one’s paying any attention to me.” She swayed with the music and closed her eyes, willing her sisters to disappear. If only she had Meg’s gift of magic!
A yank on her arm had her stumbling to stay upright. Hilly dragged both girls to the far wall and into a corner. “This is not the right kind of place. No, we need to find a quiet bar. A bar that has the type of men we’re looking for.”
Allie slumped against the wall, trapped by her sister’s glare. “You mean the old, the ugly and the imbecilic? Are those the kinds of guys I can have? That’s so not fair.” She couldn’t help it. Usually her pouts were mostly for show, but this one was all real. “Why does Meg get to dance with a cute guy and I don’t?”
“She doesn’t.”
“Apparently she does.” Allie huffed and pointed at Meg, who had scooted away to sway her bottom at a handsome blond man.
Hilly made a grunting sound and extended the length of her arm seven feet, then changed her hand into a hook to snag her wayward sister. Meg came back, protesting as she waved goodbye to her dance partner. “Good thing everyone here is either too drunk or too self-involved to notice my shift. Both of you should remember why we came here.”
Meg snatched a drink off a passing waitress and took a sip. “Oooh, yummy. Want me to get you two a drink?”
“Meg, focus. We’re here to help Allie. Not to have a good time.”
“I don’t see why we can’t do both.”
“Yeah, she’s right. Let’s have fun while we’re searching.” Allie and Meg tried to blend into the crowd, but Hilly clutched their arms, keeping them with her.
“Not on your life. We’re leaving and finding a different bar.”
“No I’m not.” Allie planted her feet and fisted her hands on her hips, blatantly defying her sister. She didn’t stand up to Hilly often, but now seemed as good a time as any. Her body tugged at her mind, calling for her to choose one of the many men moving their bodies in enticing dances.
“What did you say?”
Allie swallowed and pictured steam pouring from Hilly’s ears. “Uh, I said no?” Shoot, she hadn’t meant for her answer to sound like a question. She held up a hand, cutting off the harsh retort she expected from her oldest sister. “Why can’t we find a man here? I think it’s the perfect place. Don’t you see?”
She glanced around and licked her lips. Yes, this was the place with perfect, handsome, hot men. Men with powerful auras, drawing her to them like a salmon swimming upstream. Although her mind warned her to take care, to heed the possible consequences, she couldn’t ignore her instinctive urge that demanded more with every moment that passed.
“But they’re not the type of men we decided on.” Hilly searched the room before landing her gaze on Allie. “Okay, I know I’m going to regret this, but what are you thinking?”
“Well—” she paused, knowing she had only one shot to make her case, “—it’s like you said. These people are either drunk or self-absorbed and won’t notice anything out of place. I mean, no one even batted an eye when you stretched your arm.”
Although Hilly looked like she was about to burst with arguments, she kept her silence, giving Allie more time. “Think about it, Hilly. What’s more likely to get noticed? A beautiful girl talking to a lonesome man at a quiet bar with a few nosy patrons? Or just another beautiful girl among other beautiful girls talking to one man in a room so crowded you can’t see two feet in front of you?”
Meg raised her glass in salute. “She has a point. And although most of these guys are hunks, I bet there’s one or two nerds around. All we have to do is find the right one.”
“Seriously, Hilly. We’re already here, so why not give it a chance? If it doesn’t work, we can always go to another place later.”
Spinning on her heel, Allie motioned for them to follow her, not waiting for Hilly to disagree. She took the long way around the room, sticking close to the walls and moving slowly to search each male face. If she could find a man Hilly would feel comfortable with—someone who wasn’t a wimp or bad looking—then maybe, just maybe, her sister would let her stay. She could hopefully dump the victim, er, gentleman once she was through with him and return to the club for some real fun. The normal kind of fun.
She pointed at a nearby table. “Ladies, I think I’ve found Mr. Right for Tonight.”
Chapter Three
Hilly followed Allie’s direction and studied an attractive man chatting among a group of people. “He’s no good. He’s with friends.”
“You don’t know that they’re friends. Maybe they just met tonight.” Allie bit her fingernail and tapped her foot. The ever-growing compulsion tested her, commanding her to find the right guy and take what she needed. She moaned, too low for her sisters to hear. No, she had to stay in control. She couldn’t, wouldn’t let The Hunger, as she’d begun to think of her succubus instinct, hurt someone else. Still, if her sisters stopped her in time, then where was the harm?
“Hilly’s right. Even if they don’t notice us, they’ll notice his absence. Especially if they see him leaving with us.” Meg downed the last of her drink and snatched another one off the tray of a different waitress.
“One of these days, you’re going to get caught.” Nonetheless, Allie tried to do the same, and knocked over two of the five drinks on the tray. The waitress fumbled with the tray and shot her a dirty look. “Sorry. Here’s something for your trouble.” She smiled and shoved a twenty-dollar bill her way.
“Ya gotta have the touch, sister, and you just don’t have it.” Meg easily picked off another drink from a different tray and handed it to Allie. “Or use a little magic to help.”
“I wish.” Allie sipped the pink liquid and let the heat from the drink slide down her throat. A little magic would help a lot. Unfortunately, she was saddled with being a succubus. She took another sip to drown her envy, hoping the fiery liquid would somehow ease the knot in her stomach. If only she could squash her need, just a little. Yet she knew there was only one way to stop The Hunger.
Meg lifted her drink, saluting her as though she’d heard her thoughts.
“Okay, then. We’re looking for a man who is by himself in a crowded club where no one will notice when he leaves. Of course, it would be best if he didn’t walk out with us and instead met us outside, but we’ll sort that out once we find the right guy.” Hilly scanned her surroundings, reminding Allie of a lioness in search of prey.
“How about we split up and cover more of the room in less time?” She didn’t miss Hilly’s suspicious glance and mentally crossed her fingers.
“Fine. But this is all business. No fooling around just for the fun of it. Understood, Meg?”
Meg nodded and splintered away from them while Allie shifted from one foot to the other. “Can I go?”
“Just be careful. And let us know before you start doing anything, okay? Can you promise to do that?”
“I promise.” Allie nodded, wanting to believe her own words and yet she couldn’t shake the sensation that she might not be able to keep her promise. That the gnawing need clawing inside her wouldn’t let her. She swallowed, almost tasting the energy she’d soon drink.
“Good. Then I’ll go this way and you go that way.”
Allie pivoted and hurried off before Hilly could change her mind. She’d find a donor. Of that she was certain. However, until then, she would enjoy herself.
Thanks to Meg’s magical mist, hardly any of the men paid attention to her. In fact, for once in her life, she felt like any other ordinary girl. Trouble was, she wasn’t like any ordinary girl and could
never forget that. Gulping down the last of her drink, she elbowed her way to the front of the bar and crooked a finger to signal the bartender. “Hey, bartender.”
The too-slim-to-have-muscles young man swiveled in her direction, the expression on his face anything but pleasant. In fact, if his nose stuck up any higher, he’d drown during the next rain. “I am not a bartender. I’m a mixologist.”
“Oh, excuse me. I didn’t know.” Sheesh, who did he think he was anyway? No matter what name he called himself he was still just a guy pouring drinks. And she was just a girl on the prowl. “I’d like a domestic light beer, please.” She managed a polite smile.
“I would’ve thought a sweet drink like a strawberry daiquiri would be more your style.”
The aroma of musk accented with the perfect amount of male hormones drifted to Allie’s nose and she inhaled, wanting more of the intoxicating scent. Fingers of lust spiraled outward, searching for his essence. “Not really. I like beer better.”
She forced herself to study the wood grain of the counter instead of glancing at the mirror behind the bar to see who owned the delicious voice. Let him finish checking her out before she did some checking of her own.
“Are we talking domestic? No, that’s not good enough for you. I think imported is more your style. Marin, give the lady our best imported brew. On the house.”
On the house? Maybe Meg’s mist hadn’t disguised her appeal after all. Someone wanted to buy her a drink. Someone with a deep masculine voice that made her nerve endings stand up and shout for joy. Someone who smelled like heaven but with a solid mix of hell thrown in. Someone who was leaning against her back just hard enough to let her know of his presence, but not so hard as to be rude. She closed her eyes, letting the rush of desire wash through her like a flash flood. Her pulse quickened, her breath shortened, her need spun into high gear. If ever she’d wanted a man…
She warned herself to stay in control. Allie licked her lips then counted to ten before opening her eyes and, tossing her hair away from her face in a practiced flirtatious move, pivoting to face the charming stranger.
