Carnal (Her Dark Desires #1)

by Lola Taylor

  Furiously searching for my bathroom utensils, I chanced a peek out into the rest of the apartment. The lack of a paranormal signature said Delilah was already gone.

  Thank Heaven for small miracles.

  I scurried in the bathroom, rinsed down in record time, then quickly got dressed. Giving myself a quick once-over in the mirror, I had to admit I didn’t look that bad. The crimson halter top made my boobs look bigger, and the black leather mini-skirt accentuated my wide hips and long legs, ending in black stiletto pumps. I wore my hair long and wet. What was it Monique always said? Oh, yeah. “Nothing’s hotter than wet hair.”

  I grinned. Maybe Hector would prefer me this way. Heat shot straight to my loins as I remembered the way he’d spoken to those men and women, the way he’d made me feel when he talked to them that way.

  That’s when another devilish thought occurred to me. Reaching beneath my skirt, I tugged my underwear off and tossed them aside. Most of the time I preferred underwear, but tonight I was feeling feisty.

  The stars were already out in the indigo sky as I walked outside. There was something about walking around commando that made adrenaline rush through me. As I followed the throngs of students over to the mess hall in the main building, I noticed several male heads looking my way, along with a few females.

  Score one for the succubus. Who’s inept now, Elias?

  That prick was going to eat his words, if it was the last thing I did.

  The dining hall was grand, with multiple, long wooden tables throughout that could easily seat a thousand people. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceilings and silver sconces lit the room, lending it a warm glow.

  My stomach started twisting into knots at the thought of having to make small talk with strangers when I spotted Angela hovering near the entrance, looking as nauseous at the prospect as I felt.

  “Hey!” I said, walking over to her.

  She looked visibly relieved to see me. “Sally, hi! I was wondering if you were coming.” She glanced around anxiously.

  “Looking for someone?” I asked.

  She made a face. “Sort of. More like I’m trying to avoid someone.”

  “Who?”

  “My roommate,” she admitted with a shiver. “She’s… something else.”

  “How so?” I asked as we walked into the dining hall.

  “I don’t know,” Angela said. “I can’t quite describe what creeps me out about her, because she’s honestly pretty nice. It’s just… something in the way she looks at me, like she wants to eat me.”

  I snorted. “My roommate nearly did earlier.” I went over how Delilah had attacked me and our verbal showdown, which made Angela giggle.

  “Maybe Delilah should be locked up with Mab,” she said. “They’d get along just fine, I think.”

  “Mab?”

  “That’s my roommate’s name.”

  “Odd name,” I said. “Isn’t that the name of the faery queen from the Shakespeare play?”

  “Nah, you’re thinking of ‘Titania,’ but Mab was another faery queen from English literature.”

  “Her parents have a weird obsession with that stuff?”

  “Probably.” She shrugged. “Mab’s part Fey and part incubus.”

  “Freaky,” I said. It was weird enough hearing of a Fey being here. They usually were so reclusive they kept to themselves, in their hidden realm of Faerie. What was odder about Mab, though, was she was a hybrid of two supernatural beings. Usually if bloodlines mixed, it was between a human and a paranormal, not two paranormals. “I can honestly say I’ve never met a hybrid. Well, except you, of course.”

  “Technically, I’m not a true hybrid. My White Magic abilities come from my father’s Nephilim side.”

  I nodded. “Dully noted.”

  Angela frowned. “It’s weird. From what I gather, Mab’s dad was an incubus and her mother was Fey. Guess faeries are fond of spiriting away immortals as well as humans.”

  “Huh.” I didn’t know what else to say to that.

  We got in line and helped ourselves to steaming bowls of soup and salad, along with iced tea. Fresh fruit was also served, along with lowfat dressings for the salad. “Guess they want to whip us in physical shape too,” I observed, wrinkling my nose at the lack of junk food.

  “It’s not so bad when you get used to it,” Angela said, grabbing an apple. “I’ve been dieting for about two months, and I’ve managed to lose about ten pounds.”

  “Nice,” I said. “I’ve started and stopped several times. My sweet tooth always gets the better of me. I have a love affair with chocolate I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to yet.”

  She looked me over. “I don’t see you have anything to worry about. You must be one of those people who has a good metabolism. I bet you can eat anything and not gain weight, right?”

  “Sort of,” I mumbled, remembering how Monique had told me the same thing. “Mostly, I think I burn calories worrying.”

  “Isn’t that the truth,” Angela grumbled. “This look good? I don’t see any other empty seats.”

  She was right. The tables were quickly filling up, and space was somewhat limited. “Sounds good to me.”

  We sat down amongst a group of girls who seemed friendly enough. With all the supernatural energy flying around in here, it was hard to pinpoint what they were. They greeted us with warm smiles. “Hi,” a petite blonde said, extending her hand. “I’m Megan. This is Tanya and Jeremy.”

  I introduced myself and Angela, and we shook each of their hands. Tanya was a mocha-skinned beauty with heavy makeup and crazy-curly hair, and Jeremy looked like a stoner, thanks to his sleepy look and perpetual bedhead.

  “So are you two from around here?” Megan said. “The three of us were flown in from Florida a month ago. It’s not so bad here once you get used to it.”

  That explained her heavy Southern accent. “Yeah,” I said. “Or at least, I am. From around here, that is.”

  “I’m from Omaha,” Angela said. “Go Huskers.”

  Jeremy gave her an appreciative grin, at which Angela eyed him back, giving him a full body inspection.

  Oh, boy. I recognized that seductive smile. It was the same one Monique got when her horns came out.

  “So have you met up with your mentors yet?” Tanya said. “Mine seems pretty lame. And out of shape.” Her lip rolled up in disgust. “You’d think a merman would be in better shape, like something off of a surfer show.”

  Florida - of course. It was a hot spot for merfolk. Our three new companions must be of the fin-flipping variety. “Mine’s pretty cool,” Angela said. “He’s a Nephilim, like me. He rides a Harley, which gives us something to talk about.”

  Megan’s eyes grew wide as she stared at me. “Oh, my gosh, aren’t you the girl who got paired with that hottie incubus?”

  Tanya’s jaw dropped. “No way. I thought I recognized you. How is he? Have you gotten to see him naked yet?”

  I sank down further in my seat, my chin dipping toward my chest so my hair would help hide my face. “Uh, he’s nice.”

  “To look at,” Tanya purred, then she and Megan burst into giggles.

  “Sorry I’m late, guys,” a girl with long red hair said as she sat down. “I was busy catching up with Regan. Get this - they just found another body.”

  Everyone’s heads snapped up at that.

  “What body?” I said.

  She stared at me. “You haven’t heard?” she said, looking at me as if I’d crawled out from beneath a rock.

  “They’re new,” Megan said, waving a hand. “Clarissa, Angela and Sally. Sally and Angela, Clarissa.”

  We gave her smiles and hellos, which she didn’t readily return. She still regarded us with suspicion. Jeez, paranoid much?

  Angela didn’t pay her any attention. She still seemed wrapped up in this new swing of topics. “What haven’t we heard?”

  Clarissa leaned in, keeping her voice low. “There have been three bodies of dead students found within the past month
.”

  A shudder went through me, but I dismissed it to first day jitters. “Well, that’s not surprising. Fights are bound to breakout among the rougher crowd. We are in somewhat of a detention facility.” Sort of. Maybe if we lived in Beverly Hills, for all the glam this place held.

  Clarissa shook her head. “That’s not the weirdest part. All the bodies were found mutilated: hacked up, mauled, pieces missing, the works.”

  Now I felt nauseous. “Then maybe someone has a sick imagination.”

  “Or someone here is a serial killer.”

  The hairs on my arms pricked, like an icy wind just rolled over me.

  “Just be careful, okay?” Megan said. “The teachers don’t like people talking about it because they don’t want to lose their funding if people pull their children from here.” “Children” was a relative term in the paranormal community. It could mean by blood, as in birthed by a couple, or turned by someone.

  “We will,” I said. “Thanks for the heads-up.”

  That killed the conversation for a few moments, before Clarissa picked it up again, this time talking about her latest romp in the sack. Angela leaned into me. “Do you think there’s any legitimacy to this whole serial killer thing?”

  I blew out a breath, a bit shaken. “Dunno. I hope not. I mean, stuff happens, right? And rumors get blown out of proportion all the time. Maybe there’s no connection between the murders, and the students are just making things up as they go. Maybe there aren’t any bodies at all.”

  Angela relaxed, smiling. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s probably just a bunch of stories.”

  The more my brain tried rationalizing with my gut, the more I couldn’t shake the twisted feeling something was up.

  That something wicked stalked these halls, and I was stuck with it for the next few months, or however long it took me to get in shape.

  Chapter 7

  MEATLOAF AND GARLIC MASHED potatoes, while normally an awesome meal for me, had absolutely no appeal. I was too sick at my stomach to eat, thanks to being too strangled by my worries at a potential wacko running around and by my growing anxiety at meeting with Hector shortly.

  Eight o’ clock came, and the bell chimed again to shoo us back to our dorms or any meetings we had. Bidding Angela goodbye, I gulped and made my way toward the elevator to the second story.

  My heart thudded louder as I approached Hector’s office.

  Remember to breathe. You can do this. He’s just a man.

  A very delectable, sexy-as-hell kind of man.

  My nerves turned to anticipation as I quickened my pace, anxious to see him again and to learn what it was he had to offer.

  The hall was quiet, save for my footsteps. I stopped before a wooden door with his name on a plaque slated next to it. Taking a deep breath, I raised my hand to knock when the door opened and there stood Hector, grinning.

  I let my eyes drink in every inch of his mostly naked form. He looked like he’d just come from the gym. His torso was bare and covered in sweat, and the candlelight danced over the most perfectly sculpted muscles I’d ever seen on a male. His work-out shorts hung low on his hips, revealing the smooth lines of his abdominal muscles and the top of dark hair.

  I moistened my lips, wanting to throw myself at him.

  He chuckled darkly. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were imagining me naked.”

  Was it appropriate for a teacher to say that to a student? Never mind he was partially right. I was imagining him naked while slowly lowering himself over me.

  A sigh escaped me before I slapped a hand over my mouth with alarm. “I didn’t - that is - oh man.”

  Something changed in his gaze. It darkened, becoming more feral. He stared back at me with hunger, the type that could only be appeased by hot sex. Lots of hot sex.

  “Um,” Hector finally said, his voice husky. “Would you like to come in so we can get started?”

  He turned around before I’d responded.

  My face burned as I followed him in, sneaking glances at him.

  Did I imagine that look he gave me? For a fleeting moment, it was almost as if he desired me.

  “Have a seat,” he said, sitting in his big leather chair.

  “Thank you for coming by,” he said, smiling and getting down to business. “I’ll let you know I can be a bit of a slave driver when it comes to bringing out the best in my pupils. By the time I’m done with you, you’ll be the top of your game.”

  I sat up in my seat. “I hope so.”

  “Don’t hope - know it.” He got up, coming around the desk, a wicked glint to his gaze. “So what did you think of my assignment?”

  “It was… educational,” I said, handing him my notes.

  He chuckled. “I was hoping as much,” he murmured as he scanned my notes. “These are good. Now to put them into practice.”

  Uh, oh. I didn’t like the smile on his face. Well, I mean, I did, but just not when it promised he was about to do something that would make me uncomfortable.

  He wasted no time. Soon as he sat down, he pinned me with a lustful stare and said, “I want to lick you all over, then see if your cunt tastes as sweet as you look.”

  The logical part of my brain treated this like a puzzle, a challenge that needed to be answered. Picking up on a line from his tapes, I answered, “I hope you have a sweet tooth, because I’m pretty damn sweet.”

  Hector laughed. “Bravo! I only detected a hint of hesitation that time, and you didn’t blush quite as hard. I’ll have your mind rotted in no time.”

  Oh, honey, it’s already there. I smiled back but kept that comment to myself.

  We practiced dirty talk nonstop for another fifteen minutes. The longer we went, the easier it got, though I was still a long way from being what he dubbed “a natural” at it. It was fun, though, kind of like a game to see who could come up with a dirtier line.

  By the time he glanced at his watch, I could feel dampness coating my inner thighs, and I squirmed in my chair. Thank goodness he wasn’t a were, or there was no way he wouldn’t be able to smell my arousal.

  Hector brought out a bottle of water from the mini fridge by his desk, handing it to me. “We’ll practice more tomorrow. I want to move on to the next topic to ensure we have plenty of time to cover it tonight, since it’s so vital to a succubus’s well-being.”

  I gulped down some much needed mouthfuls of icy water, which did wonders for dousing my growing lust. “Oh? What would that be?”

  In a manner that was all too alike Elias, he sat back and crossed his arms. “Tell me, how good are you at seduction?”

  I gulped, the word making my body rigid. A sliver of a memory passed through my mind, and a man’s taunting words, but I firmly shoved them back down. “I’m all right.”

  He studied me. I squirmed, feeling like he was looking straight into my soul. “Stand up,” he commanded gently.

  “Yes, sir,” I murmured, rising.

  “Go stand over there,” he said, pointing.

  I went to the other side of the room, a little confused but desperate to become a better seductress. I really needed this, or my ass was canned.

  “Pretend I’m a client and you’re starting your gig,” he said. “How do you approach me?”

  “Um…” I started at him in a slow gait I hoped was sexy. “Hi handsome.”

  He smiled softly. “Nice, but I believe you’ll find this more effective. Watch.” He penetrated me with his stare, the promise of passionate abandon stealing my breath away and rendering me immobile.

  “You are my client,” he said in a low voice that was close to a growl.

  He stalked toward me like a predator, and I felt myself clench in anticipation.

  “And I hope you’re ready for what I have to offer, Sally, because I’m taking you, one delicious thrust, lick, and caress at a time.”

  I gasped with longing as he took me up in his arms, placing a hand behind my head and forcing me to look up at him. That familiar electric tingle c
ascaded through me at his touch, intensifying as his hands roved my body. His mouth was so close to mine. All it would take to close the distance would be for me to stand on my toes. “You are my prey,” he whispered against my mouth, his hand sliding along the curve of my hip, then my thigh, slowly lifting my leg around his waist. The hardness beneath the thin cotton of his pants rubbed against my aching clit, and it was all I could do not to strip him down and mount him.

  My breathing became harder and faster as he nuzzled my neck, his lips trailing ghost kisses along the sensitive skin behind my ear. “You’re wet for it now,” he rasped, clutching my butt and pulling me closer to him. He thrust his hips forward a bit, rubbing his cock against me, and I moaned. God, my whole body was wired with sensual energy. I felt like I’d jump out of my skin if I didn’t release it.

  As his lips tickled kisses along my jawline, he brought his hand up to knead my breast. “Foreplay is the best part of sex,” he said. “It’s the anticipation, the unquenchable thirst to come, that’s the most tantalizing.”

  That was a fucking understatement. The actual sex part was pretty damn good too, but I couldn’t deny how turned on I was becoming. Having little experience with foreplay from my past lovers, I had very little to go off of. Most of them wanted to get right to it, often coming before I’d had a chance.

  This felt amazing, like he wanted me. I was divine. I was desirable.

  I was a goddess.

  “Let me take you,” he whispered into my ear, nipping my earlobe gently.

  I cried out, pressing myself firmer against him. My hand trailed forward, rubbing over his hardened length. He groaned and rubbed against my palm. My God, he was so thick. What would that feel like, stretching my soft walls and slipping into me, one powerful thrust after another?

  I let my other hand play with the softness of his hair, like ebony silk between my fingers. His lips sucked harder on the gentle slope of my breasts, and I clenched him more forcefully. He moaned and kissed my neck, my jaw, my cheek -