Cherry Creek

by Dani Matthews

  If I weren't worried about his sanity, I'd stand up and walk out right now. It really ticks me off that he's going to try to use Brad's attack to benefit his stupid motives. “I'm guessing you have an answer as to why he went crazy?” I can't keep the hint of sarcasm out of my tone.

  His eyes tell me he doesn't miss it. “You're only half-succubus, but even that is enough to cause issues for a human if you feed off them for too long of a period. The pheromones you secrete, they become a bit of an addiction for the human. Like a drug. Once they have too much of it, they want more and more. That's what happened with Brad. Especially if you were having sex with him. It eventually escalated to the point that his body would start going through withdrawal if he wasn't with you enough. It causes obsession and eventually insanity.” He believes everything he's saying. It's right there in his expression, it’s in those unfathomable, dark blue eyes of his.

  “Did you tell my mom this?” I'm assuming not, or she wouldn't have put me on the plane. Unless she was somehow blackmailed. I need to find her. As soon as I can escape this place, I'm going back to Missouri to track her down. There's a chance she may have left the state, but even so, I can try to follow her trail.

  “No. I figured she's react the same way you're reacting. Livvy, this isn't something we just go around telling people. There are rules to follow, and one of those rules is secrecy.”

  “I bet,” I murmur. He's totally delusional.

  “Let's move on to your headaches,” he says as he rubs the nape of his neck as if he’s growing wary of this conversation.

  “What about them?” I ask. Obviously, I'm not going to believe anything he says. But I’m guessing now he's going to tell me it's my supposed succubus genes that are causing them.

  “You can feed through a kiss. You don't have to steal as much energy as a full succubus, so you can take what you need through a kiss, and the human will be non-the-wiser. When any of us grow weak and need to replace the energy we're losing, we get headaches. Kind of like when people sometimes get headaches or stomachaches when they are hungry. We show symptoms as well. The longer we go without feeding, the more severe the headache. We also start getting aggravated more easily, and our tempers become more prominent. If we ignore the signs too long, we get to where you're at. The headaches become debilitating, and eventually they'll put you in a coma.” His eyes sear mine. “Once you're in a coma, you die. There's no coming back from it, and the only way to survive is to feed. You need to be conscious to feed.”

  “I need to kiss someone to steal their energy,” I murmur as I force myself to stay calm. Am I taking any of this seriously? Nope.

  “Yes. You haven't lost consciousness yet, but it won't be much longer before the headaches begin to knock you out cold. Once it starts happening, there's a good chance you won't wake up from one.” He looks at me regretfully. “I wasn't expecting yours to escalate so fast. I put you in this predicament, and I'm sorry, Livvy. Maybe I should have tried to talk to you earlier, but I knew you'd reject me and everything I tell you. Perhaps I should have just told you anyway, seeing as no matter when you learned it all, you'd still react the same.”

  What does one say to all that? I have no idea, so I keep silent. I feel beyond uncomfortable hearing him talk about demons, especially since he believes everything he's saying. So, I look at my clasped hands on my lap and try to hold myself together. Eventually, he'll be done talking, and at that point, I'm going to calmly ask if I can have some time to process it all. Then, I'll go up to my room and wait for a while before trying to leave. I'm pretty sure Khristos will be expecting me to bolt, so I have to be careful. I just need to make it to the garage. Yes, there is a chance I could be followed, but I'll risk it. I can't stay here tonight.

  “Tell me what you're thinking, Livvy,” Khristos says quietly. He scans my expression as if it might hold the answers as to what’s going on in my mind.

  I shrug. “It's a lot to take in.”

  “But you still don't believe me.”

  “I don't know. The suddenness of my headaches is confusing, I'll give you that. Right now though, it's all a bit hard to process,” I say carefully. I'll give him a little hope that I might be coming around to his craziness. It'll make it easier to leave the office.

  “I can prove everything I say, and it'll take away a lot of your confusion.”

  My voice is firm as I say, “I am not kissing Nathan.”

  Irritation flickers across his face. “It's the only way to prove that what I'm telling you is true.”

  “Look, you can't just dump all this on me, then expect me to test out your...theory.”

  “You don't have much time, Livvy.”

  “The least you can do is allow me the day to process it all before you try to shove some guy I don't even like down my throat,” I say tightly.

  Khristos is silent for a long moment. “You're right.”

  “I am?”

  His lip quirks in the corner. “You're not going to believe me just because I want you to. If you need time, I'll give you time. But only the day, Livvy,” he warns as his expression turns deliberate. “After that, we're testing out my 'theory' as you so eloquently called it.”

  “So I'm free to go?” I ask, needing clarification.

  He exudes an unsettling calmness that sets me on edge. “I'm sure I don't have to point out that I'd prefer you stay on the premises.”

  “You just did.”

  “Then there shouldn't be any confusion. Should there be, and I'll be very disappointed,” he says as he holds my gaze longer than necessarily.

  Prepare to be disappointed by a lot of things, I want to say, but I keep my mouth shut. I give him a tight-lipped smile. “I'd like to go up to my room now.”

  He nods. “Very well.”

  I rise to my feet and instantly turn wary as Khristos does as well. He doesn't come near me. Instead, he calmly takes a hold of the chair and pulls it back towards his desk. Without a word to him, I turn and walk out of his office. In the hall, I am tempted to make a run for the garage since the hall leads to the back patio, but I refrain from it. If Khristos has been having me followed, he'll have someone watching the garage.

  I manage to make it up to my room without running into Adelaide or Roman. Once my door is shut firmly, I walk to my bed and sit down as I stare numbly at nothing in particular. Khristos Deveroux believes he's a demon. I’ve known right from the start that they’re keeping something from me, but I didn't expect it would be this... I expected it to be something real. Like maybe the Deveroux's are mixed up with the mob or something like that. But demons...

  “Oh my God,” I mumble as I press my hands against my face and flop back on the mattress. “This can't be happening to me,” I mutter. The need to get away from these people is incredibly strong, but they'll be expecting it. I'm also betting it's going to turn into a foot race to my car. There's no way I'd make it there without someone noticing. But I'm fast, and if I can just get in the car and make it down the driveway...

  The gate.

  What if they've got it shut down to guarantee I can't go anywhere? Is that something they’d do? My mind races as I try to sort out an escape plan. But the more I try to come up with a solution, the more my head begins to hurt.

  I press my hands to my throbbing temples and try to calm down, because it's the only way these headaches seem to go away. I don't believe for a second that anything Khristos tells me is true. He's psychotic.

  A knock on my bedroom door has me tensing on the bed. “Go away!” I yell rudely. My door opens anyway, causing me to abruptly sit up as Roman enters my room. “Go away isn't some sort of code for 'come in,' you know.”

  He fixes me with a look. “I know you well enough by now to know that you're freaking out. You might look calm on the outside, but inside you're a mess, aren't you?”

  I rise to my feet and give him an annoyed look. “Your dad just called himself a demon. He thinks I'm one, too. What part of that wouldn't cause someone to freak?” The pa
in in my temples intensifies, and I know what's coming. Dread fills me, because I’m sure it won’t be too long before I’m writhing on the carpet, clutching my head.

  Roman’s lips tighten as his eyes turn oddly troubled. “I wish there was some way to make this easier for you, Vee.”

  “There is. Tell me you don't believe him,” I say simply as I stare hard at him. “Tell me, Roman. Tell me you know he's messed up in the head.”

  “I can't,” he says quietly

  “Not you, too,” I whisper. “Addie? Does she believe him?”

  Roman sighs. “There's ways to prove it to you, Vee. If you'll just—”

  “NO!” I yell with frustration. “I am not a stupid succubus!” The pain intensifies, and I clutch my head, fighting back a whimper.

  Roman curses. “Damn it. You need to feed. You're too low, and this isn't normal—”

  “You really want to talk about normal?” I ask through clenched teeth before black dots dance across my vision. My legs buckle as imaginary knives stab at my temples. It's so painful that I can hear my screams echoing throughout the room. I’m barely aware of Roman's arms wrapping around my waist as blackness envelopes me.

  ***

  I wake up slowly, and it takes me all of one second to figure out that something is wrong with me. My limbs feel unusually heavy, and I feel weak. There's something worrisome dancing on the edge of my memory, and I know it's important. Unfortunately, the incessant throbbing in my temples is a distraction. It's hard to think when your head feels like it's being splintered into two.

  “Livvy?”

  Dread fills me as I pry my eyes open to find Khristos staring down at me. He looks pale, and his eyes are dark with worry. I see that I'm in my room, on my bed. I lick my dry lips and say, “I think I need a doctor. It hurts. Really bad.”

  “I know.” His eyes turn grim, and there’s a hard glint within them. “We're going to get you better, Livvy. You just have to trust me.”

  Our conversation from earlier unfolds within my mind, causing me to tense up slightly. “I will trust you when you take me to the hospital,” If I can get him to take me somewhere public...

  “The hospital can't fix what's wrong with you. Livvy, it's time to test my theory.”

  A dry laugh escapes me. “That's right. I'm supposed to kiss Nathan, and it'll miraculously make me better.”

  His eyes pin me to the bed. “You'll instantly feel better. I promise.”

  “I am not kissing him just because you insist I'm a succubus,” I say flatly, then I wince as the pain intensifies slightly.

  Khristos looks me dead in the eye as he leans over me almost threateningly, and I find myself shrinking back slightly. “You are fading too fast,” he informs me in a deceptively calm voice. “There's something in your genetics that is making you deteriorate faster than normal. You were unconscious for almost twelve hours. As time wore on, we've been afraid that you've succumbed to the coma. I don't think you'll come back from another episode, Livvy. I need you to just stay calm and find a way to compromise with me.”

  “You're crazy,” I whisper as I stare up at him.

  His face hovers several inches above mine, and a hint of desperation is apparent on his face until fierce determination replaces it. “Fine. I'll give you what you want. Kiss Nathan, and if you're not instantly better, I'll call for an ambulance, and we'll get you to the hospital. Once you're released, you're free to go, and you never have to come back,” he says curtly as he straightens up, his hands slipping in his pockets as he goes back to being the cool, almost impassive Khristos that I’ve come to know.

  My eyes narrow. “Now, you're just lying.”

  “You're so determined to prove me wrong. So just prove it. Kiss Nathan.”

  “I'm not going to just kiss him because you tell me to. I don't even know him.”

  He gives me an annoyed look. “Be grateful you are only part succubus, or you'd be looking at sex instead of just a kiss.”

  “This is ridiculous,” I mutter. And it is. I've kissed Trace twice and nothing happened. No one knows I've kissed him, and I'm not about to tell Khristos simply to prove him wrong. Trace had seemed worried about his job, and I'm not about to put it in jeopardy.

  “Prove me wrong,” he taunts.

  “I hate you.”

  His eyes close briefly, and I can tell he's close to losing his patience. When he looks at me again, his eyes are grim. “Hate me all you want, but a single kiss will save your life. Will you keep denying it just out of spite?”

  “Spite?” I sputter, then wince as the headache shifts in intensity.

  “Do you want to die?” he asks with brutal bluntness.

  “Of course not.”

  “Prove me wrong.”

  “Fine,” I grumble as I give in. It's taking too much out of me to continue this conversation anyway. I need to try to calm down. “I'll kiss Nathan,” I say reluctantly.

  Relief flickers across Khristos's features before he promptly walks away to open my door. He says something to someone, and he's back a second later. “It has to be an open-mouthed kiss. Use tongue,” he says curtly.

  I gape at him with disbelief. “Are you seriously giving me suggestions on how to kiss?”

  “It's how we feed, through the mouth. Trust me on this. You'll also feel it when you start to feed. It'll feel like you've swallowed something fizzy, like soda, but it'll feel much better. It'll be warm, and you'll feel really good while you feed. What you'll be doing is taking some of his energy, the very thing that keeps him alive. You don't have to worry about taking too much. You'll only be taking a quarter of what we usually take.”

  He seems serious. It's weird knowing he believes all this. I'll humor him and kiss Nathan, then he needs to take me to the hospital. There's a knock on the door, and I turn my head and watch as Nathan steps inside. I can't help but frown. At the club, I'd found him super attractive, but now I just feel annoyed. I scowl up at Khristos. “You've had him on standby?”

  “Yes.”

  “Get out. I'm not kissing him with you here.”

  “I'll just be right outside.”

  “Yeah, that so does not get me in the mood,” I grumble under my breath. He must hear me, because I see his lip quirk up in the corner before he turns and leaves.

  Now, I'm all alone with Nathan.

  He walks over to stand by the bed, and his eyebrows furrow as he looks down at me. “You look really pale.”

  “Killer migraines will do that to a girl,” I quip.

  Nathan looks uncomfortable, and he tucks his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “Do you have enough strength to sit up? I don't want to feel like I'm forcing myself on you or something. You've made it pretty clear you're not into me,” he says with a crooked grin.

  “Do you really believe I’m what Khristos says I am?” I ask as I study him.

  His eyes don't pull away from mine as he says, “Yes.”

  Is everyone in Cherry Creek crazy? “What makes you believe him?”

  “I've let Tate feed off me before,” he says simply.

  “Tate? You mean Tatum?” How many of these people believe they are demons?

  Nathan nods.

  I'm silent for a moment. First Khristos, then Roman, and now Nathan and Tatum. There can't possibly be any truth to any of it.

  Nathan sighs. “Your doubt is written all over you face. Why don't we just kiss, it'll clear up a lot of the confusion.”

  I'm actually in agreement. Let's just get the kiss out of the way so we can move on already. They are placing all their faith in some stupid kiss, and all I want to do is go see a doctor. It's a struggle, and I manage to sit upright, but it takes a lot out of me. I am so incredibly tired.

  Nathan pulls his hands out of his pockets and motions to the bed. “Is it okay if I sit next to you?”

  “Yeah.”

  He sits near me, and I gaze at him warily. This is just so weird. Nathan doesn't give me much time to dwell on the awkwardness of the situation. H
e reaches out and touches the side of my face before leaning in and pressing his lips to mine.

  I'm not the type of girl that goes around kissing guys I don't know, so I keep my lips firmly shut. But then I remember Khristos telling me that I need to use tongue. I can feel myself pulling back from Nathan as I think about my certifiably insane uncle.

  Nathan's free hand reaches for the other side of my face until he holds me in place, not allowing me to escape. His lips push against mine, his tongue seeking entrance. I still don't believe any of this, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I know that if I don't kiss Nathan like Khristos wants me to, he'll claim I didn't even try. After a brief hesitation, I part my lips and let him in. I'm not exactly enjoying the kiss. It's not what I'd like to be doing right now, so it takes Nathan a bit to coax an honest response out of me.

  Everything changes the minute I begin to enjoy it. An odd feeling comes over me, and suddenly, I need more. I deepen the kiss, searching for something—but I'm not sure what. I just really, really need that unknown. I reach up and grip his head as I kiss him with an intensity and desperation that would embarrass me if I weren't so busy devouring him with my mouth. A warm feeling slides down my throat and sweeps throughout my body. I begin to feel tingly sparks, and they feel crazy good as they too slide down my throat and enter my body. I've never felt anything like this before in my life. It's not sexual, it's just something that feels so right and so good that I want to revel in it and make it last forever.

  Nathan growls low in his throat, and the rumbly sensation enters my mouth, making me shudder. My hands begin to tingle, and I feel like I'm experiencing an adrenaline rush. There's so much energy swirling around inside me now. I feel like I could easily run a marathon.

  Oh. My. God.

  Reality crashes in, and I tear my lips from Nathan's to stare at him with shock. His eyes open, and he blinks dazedly at me as his arms drop away from where they'd been wrapped around my body. He gives me a loopy smile right before his eyes roll back into his head. His body promptly slumps over the side of the bed and onto the floor with a loud thud.