by Beverly Rae
Yet, as soon as she’d said the words, she knew it wasn’t true. The man at the bar—damn, I wish I had asked him his name—was more. They’d shared an amazing connection. A connection she didn’t think had anything to do with being a succubus. He’d stirred another part of her, a better part of her. He’d somehow made her more than a succubus needing nourishment. She hadn’t felt the same way with Steve and she had no doubt she wouldn’t feel anything similar with Jim.
“Sustenance, my ass.”
“Hilly!” Her sister using a word like “ass” meant she was upset. More than upset, in fact.
“You’ve got a crush, don’t you?” Hilly pointed an accusatory finger, emphasizing her suspicion.
“Don’t be silly. A crush? No way.” She averted her eyes, trying to sort out the meaning behind her feelings. Did she have a crush? Could someone develop a crush that fast? Certainly a sexual attraction, but a crush?
“Allie, you’re blushing. Oh, my word.”
“Will you please quit saying that?” She straightened up, determined not to let Hilly push her into admitting anything. Let alone her real feelings. “I just prefer his energy to Jim’s.”
Hilly, however, wasn’t about to let the discussion die. “Look at me, Allison Tristan.”
She couldn’t help it. Years of obeying Hilly had trained her well. She brought her gaze to her sister’s. Hilly, however, didn’t seem bothered any longer. In fact, she seemed almost…understanding.
“Would you like to go on a date with the man at the bar?”
“Seriously?” The word was out before Allie realized the mistake she’d made.
“Ah-ha! I knew it.” Hilly shoved her finger closer to Allie’s face. “And no, I’m not serious. But I proved you do have a crush on him.”
“I do not. Okay, maybe a little one. But Hilly, you don’t understand. I felt something with him. Something special.”
Hilly backed away, a frown marring her smooth forehead. “Special?” She shook her head, denying Allie’s emotions. “No, it can’t be. Come on, Allie, be reasonable. You’re too new to all this. I’m sure that special feeling happens all the time. Not with every man, but with more than just one.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
“You don’t know that.” Hilly crossed her arms over her chest, taking a stand.
“You don’t know it doesn’t.” However, she knew she wouldn’t get anywhere once Hilly decided to dig in. And she was as dug in as Allie had ever seen her. “Look, Hilly, I don’t know how or why I feel the way I do, but I do. If I do this with Jim, it almost feels like I’m cheating on you-know-who.”
“You’re not cheating on someone you don’t have a relationship with. Oh, my word, Allie, you don’t even know the man’s name. I know this is difficult to understand, but you can’t think like that. Until you learn how to control yourself, you can’t get involved with anyone. Promise me you’ll forget about the man at the club.”
Allie nibbled on her lip, unwilling to make a promise she didn’t think she’d be able to keep. But Hilly’s stern expression gave her no choice. “Yeah, fine. I know what you’re saying is right. So, yes, I promise.”
Hilly gave her a quick hug, then held her at arms’ length. “Good. Now get back in there before Jim leaves.”
Hilly spun Allie around, then pushed her out of the kitchen. She stumbled forward, almost tripping, but Jim leapt off the loveseat and caught her, bringing her close to him again.
She couldn’t deny that her sister had a point. Now that they stood in front of Mitch and Meg, she couldn’t tear her gaze away from them. “Oh, wow.”
Meg glanced up, frowned, then waved her hand. The fine blue mist that accompanied most of Meg’s spells floated in the air and a gauzy screen materialized in front of Allie, shielding Meg’s and Mitch’s bodies from her view. Another flip of Meg’s wrist sent blue fog into Jim’s and Mitch’s faces, making them unaware of her spells. Sporting a wicked grin, Meg lay down behind the screen, leaving only shadowy forms for Allie to watch.
Although Allie couldn’t see as much as before, the nearby sexual play swept the all-too-familiar urge through her, igniting from a tiny spark into a burn that threatened to consume her. What would it feel like to go all the way with a man? Her hands moved to her breasts to fondle them while her panties grew wet.
Maybe Hilly was right. After all, she didn’t even know his name. Still, having sex with Jim felt wrong in some indefinable way.
Meg cried out, her body jerking in ecstasy behind the screen. Allie’s mouth went dry and thunder pounded in her ears as her pulse sped up. Her breathing quickened as the burn in her abdomen flared to a full flame. Suddenly, she found it hard to think, to reason, to remember why she didn’t want to do this. The need that sprang from the heat was too strong to resist, blurring all other thoughts except one. Feed.
“Put down your drink, Jim,” Allie demanded.
Jim dragged his attention away from the shadowy forms to study her. “Sure. Yeah. Whatever you say.” He placed his glass on the end table and pulled her onto the loveseat.
“Yeah. Whatever I say.” Swinging her body over his, she pulled up her skirt and straddled him.
Jim’s hot gaze fixed on her breasts.
Sighing, Allie untied the straps of the halter top and let the material drop. Jim let out a moan, grabbed her breasts and buried his face between them. She arched her back, enjoying the way he played with them.
Heat burned within her, leading the way to her core, then outward again. She dug her fingernails into his shirt, ripping it from his body. Leading his hands under her skirt, she rubbed against his crotch.
“Damn, you’re beautiful. And sexy as hell.”
“And you talk too much.” Although she’d never had sex before, she instinctively knew what to do, where to touch to stimulate him more. His cock grew harder, wider under her, straining at the denim of his jeans.
Chapter Four
Allie undid Jim’s zipper and managed to get his jeans and his underwear down to his ankles. Taking hold of his shaft, she stroked him, letting the friction send her growing need higher. She held her breasts for him, fondling them as he suckled first on one nipple, then the other.
Jim moaned and slipped his hands under her buttocks. His fingers dug into her, kneading her flesh, separating her cheeks to run his fingers along the crease of her butt.
The heat, an inferno starting deep inside, blazed upward into her abdomen, turning the need inside her loose. Intense desire swept through her to tear at her very essence like a lion closing in on its prey and unwilling to let its victim escape. And, as with Steve, she let the predator take over even as an inner voice warned her to stay in control.
She tore him from her breasts and brought his mouth to hers. Jim tasted wonderful, filled with a teasing hint of the male life force lying underneath his skin. A life force she desperately wanted. The only thing that mattered now was access to his soul, to everything that made him a man. How she got there and what she had to touch, see or smell was not a concern. He was no longer a mere man, but a vessel by which she would find nourishment.
Whipping her tongue around his mouth, she let the burning whirlwind rise from her stomach, rush past her lungs and heart, and move into her throat. Her skin pulsed with energy, her hair stood on end, her eyes seared behind her eyelids.
I’ll take what I want.
The force filled her mouth, tumbling out of hers and into his. She only wished she could keep the smoky haze inside, but some escaped from the spots where their mouths parted. But no matter, she had more than enough power to do what she needed to do, to take what she wanted to take.
Jim let go of her butt cheeks and stiffened; the first signs that he sensed that something more than sex was happening. She increased her power over him, willing him to continue to run his hands over her body. For a moment, he paused, unsure of what was happening, but she pushed him to go on. He surprised her with his willpower, but soon enough, she won him over and he lost his abil
ity to protest.
Give me what I need.
Allie rocked back and forth, rubbing him as she positioned her crotch against his leg, imagining different ways to draw his strength into her body. She wanted more from him and she wanted it now. Tearing her body away from his and ignoring his shout of dismay, she tugged him to the floor with her.
“Suck on me while I suck on you.” Although she could drain more energy by riding his cock, she wanted to try a different way first. She grinned, her instincts blazing to new heights, thrilling at the power she held over him.
Jim’s glazed eyes blinked, then he did as she told him to do. He offered his shaft to her and she took it, reveling in the texture of his skin in her palm. Wrapping her hand around the shaft, she deep-throated him. Jim jerked, then put his mouth on her lower lips.
Allie spread her legs wide, mewing to let him know he pleased her. He moved her lips apart, pressed his mouth to her nub. The combination of both of them sucking at the same time sent hot waves of lust swirling outward, spreading from her torso into the tips of her fingers and toes. He drank from her as she pulled on his shaft, drawing more from him than he could ever realize. He trembled, hazy smoke pouring from his mouth to float over her mons.
“Allie.” Meg’s voice broke her concentration. “Let’s change it up, okay?” She still lay behind the screen as she pushed Mitch through the hazy blue wall toward Allie. “Besides, we need to be careful. Take a little from Mitch, too. Then you won’t take too much from one man.”
Excitement at having both men’s power leapt inside Allie. She checked Jim, wanting to make sure he was all right, and noted his cloudy eyes. Under her control, he would do as she wished. “Jim, go to Meg. Mitch, come here.”
Jim stumbled his way to Meg, who tugged him through the blue haze, while Mitch scooted over to Allie and gave his shaft to her, straddling her head and running a hand through her hair.
Allie sucked him in, craning her neck to see his face and watch as her power overtook him. Within a minute, his eyes glazed over and the delectable taste of his life energy flowed into her mouth. She sighed, blowing her breath and a fine fog over his length.
Allie closed her eyes, enjoying the sighs of pleasure and moans of delight coming from the others. The intensity of life rushed through her, absorbing their life forces to combine them with her own. Strength made her feel invincible and beautiful, as though she’d been only half a person before. Her body tingled from the influx, sending wave after wave crashing through her, invigorating her.
Surges of multiple releases shook her body but didn’t slow the ever-increasing urge to draw life force where she found it. She closed her eyes, letting the sensual sounds of Jim with Meg wash over her, adding to the hungry murmurs Mitch made. The fire burned brightly within her, the animal of lust gaining more, wanting more.
Opening her eyes, she watched the shadows come together behind the screen. Was Jim treating her sister to the same delights he’d given her? She ached to have more, more sex, more sensation, more life force. As though Mitch knew her thoughts, he spread her lips and blew on her aching nub.
The wave of release surging through Allie sent her skyward. Yet, the same release traveled inward, bringing a rush of Mitch’s life force with it. She leaned her head back, no longer aware of anything or anyone except the desire trembling through her body. A blast of lust erupted deep inside her and The Hunger doubled in intensity.
Allie, like an addict ready for a fix, tugged Mitch onto the loveseat and straddled him. She rubbed against his leg as she’d done with Jim, teasing him.
Meg lifted her head from behind the screen and shot Allie a questioning grin. “Are you all right, little sister?”
She moaned, giving her answer the only way she could manage. The burn inside flamed impossibly higher as Mitch kissed her, then ran his hands along the curve of her buttocks, positioning her to slide his shaft inside her. Her need to drain him spiraled out of her control and she tried to shout a warning, but her words were lost in the need to feed.
Mitch growled and she took his face in her hands, needing to see what was happening within him. What she saw startled her; his eyes were even more dazed than before. Allie cried out, knowing she’d lost the battle for control. The hazy smoke of before was nothing compared to the darkening cloud forming around them. Her eyes grew hot and, with a growl, she yanked his mouth to hers.
I have to have more. Give me more.
She repeated the need, like a mantra, setting The Hunger, the supernatural side of her, free. Allie closed her eyes, gritted her teeth and held on, sucking his energy, bit by bit, into her body. She could no longer stop.
“Allie, no! Hilly, get in here!”
Allie heard her sisters’ shouts but couldn’t, wouldn’t, stop. She moved against him, coaxing him to enter her if he dared. The smoke floated around them, sifting out of her mouth. Her body pulsed with energy as the life-affirming pink hue spread across her skin. And still it wasn’t enough. She rose, took his shaft in her hand and placed the tip of him at her opening.
“Allie, you’re going too far.”
Hilly’s voice was close to her ear, low yet demanding, but she ignored it. No, this time, she wanted all of it. All of him. She stared into Mitch’s wide eyes, studied his parted lips. He was under her domination, his mind unaware of what was happening to his body. Allie touched his hair, silently thanking him for the gift he was about to give her.
An explosion rocked the world around them, shaking her out of her trance. Shock waves rippled through her, pain tore at her, stunning her and quenching the inferno within her. The world wavered, then refocused as her body shuddered.
She sat on top of an unconscious Mitch, their bodies surrounded by the same smoky fog she’d noticed with Steve. His head lolled back, and his eyes were open and blank. Terror gripped her heart. Had she killed him?
Each taking an arm, her sisters pulled her off him. Her body, imbued with vigor, still shook, a strange combination of fear and exultation raking through her as a pink hue covered her skin. “Is he alive?”
Hilly sat next to him and held his chin. She peered into his unfocused eyes and nodded. “Yes, he’s alive. But barely.”
Allie glanced at Jim, nude and sitting upright on the sofa. His eyes were dull, his jaw slacked, in many ways resembling Mitch. Yet Mitch was different. His skin was pale, his body limp. Jim’s body contained a subdued life, a satisfied exhaustion, but Mitch’s seemed devoid of spirit. Allie’s stomach twisted into a knot. “I tried to tell you, but I couldn’t. Please let him be all right.”
Hilly reached over and squeezed her hand. “Don’t go there, Allie.”
Meg, fully clothed, waved her hand in front of Jim. “He’s still out. That gives us time.”
“Time for what?” She couldn’t keep her voice from rising. “Time to bury Mitch’s body? Oh, hell, what have I done?” How could she have gone so far? An idea hit her, frightening her. What would he have thought of her?
Hilly patted Mitch’s face. When he didn’t respond, she checked his pulse. “Allie, calm down. He’s not going to die. Let me work on him and he’ll recover. I’m just glad Meg’s disruption spell snapped you out of it before… Well, before.”
“In the meantime, you get dressed while I get loverboy here—” Meg ran a hand through Jim’s tousled hair, “—back in his clothes.”
Calming down, however, was the last thing Allie thought she’d ever do. “I took too much.”
Her sisters didn’t answer, instead shooting each other a look that confirmed her suspicion. She shivered and, although she hated what she’d done, she couldn’t ignore the vitality spreading throughout her. The men’s life forces were exactly what her body had needed.
“Allie, wait for us in your bedroom.”
“But, Hilly—”
“No, buts. I’ll stay with Mitch while he recovers, and then Meg will put them both under a spell to forget everything that happened here. They’ll think they went on a bender and ended up in
the alley behind the house. Now go.”
Allie left her clothes on the floor and hurried to her bedroom. Slipping on her nightgown, she lay on the bed, stared at the ceiling and blocked the image of Mitch’s hollow eyes. She had to think of something else. If she didn’t…
She sighed, remembering the romantic comedy movie she’d watched last weekend. Even with all the silly obstacles in their way, the lovers had managed to be together in the end. Why couldn’t that happen to her? The answer was easy enough to sort out: She was a succubus.
Would she ever learn to control her needs? If only her mother had lived, then maybe… Her mother’s image smiled at her from the photo on the wall. Unlike so many times before, it gave her no comfort. Instead, she stared at the ceiling and the heavens beyond.
“Mom, if you’re listening, could you please help me?” Her whisper sounded desperate, lonely and afraid. “What am I supposed to do? How did you live this way? Oh, how I wish you were here.”
A tear trickled down the side of her face. If her mother were here, what would she tell her about the man at the club? Would she tell her to forget about him? To leave him alone? Or to find out why he seemed special?
“If I can’t control this, how will I ever have a relationship?” She let her mind wander back to the club. “Mom, am I being ridiculous? Can I ever have a real love like the one you found with Dad?”
Another tear slid down her cheek and she wiped it away. Crying wouldn’t help matters. If she wanted to have what her mother had, what her sisters could have, then it was up to her to make it happen. Why shouldn’t she have the same chance at love that her sisters had? She bit her fingernail, letting her mind wander in search of the answer. Maybe, just maybe, she could have a real relationship. Maybe, if she saw her lover only after she’d fed on someone else, she wouldn’t feel the urge to drain him.
She sat up, smiled at her mother’s photo and dared to dream. “That’s the trick, isn’t it? Making sure I’ve already fed before going to see him?” Stretching out her arms, she liked the strength inside her limbs and was reassured by the energy flowing through her. She’d never felt this strong. Surely she wouldn’t be tempted to drain anyone else’s energy. At least not for a while. But for how long? Maybe a week? A day? Or only a few hours?
