When Two Souls Meet (Dragons of Paragon Book 2)

by Jan Dockter

  “I can’t wait,” she whispered. Soon enough, the plane took off, and Isabel couldn’t help but get lost in her own little world. She stared out the window, her eyes following the movement of the foamy clouds gliding across the sky. She flinched when she felt Oz’s hand come over her shoulder. “Sorry,” she said. “I got distracted.” She turned around to meet his gaze, and immediately felt an electric current rush through her.

  “Shall we?” he asked, his head cocked to the side. Isabel laughed at how Oz tended to phrase his words as questions, when all they really were was a continuous series of commands.

  “We shall,” she smiled, her eyes darting from the empty aisle, to the bathroom door, and then to the aisle again. “I don’t get it,” she said. “Most people are still awake, this is a daytime flight… there’s no way all these people will go to sleep at once.”

  “Oh, you underestimate yourself, Isabel,” Oz said, glaring at her. “What did we say about your ability to control the minds of all men?”

  Isabel paused for a second, confused. “Does that entail putting them to sleep?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

  “It entails shutting down certain parts of their brain so they’re somewhat… sedated.”

  “And how do I do that?” she asked, suddenly nervous. “What if I end up putting the pilot to sleep or something?” Isabel had never been so disoriented. This was no joke: they were literally thousands of feet up in the air. What if she fucked up? Her body shuddered just thinking about it.

  Oz chuckled. “You won’t sedate the pilots, don’t worry,” he said, tilting his head towards her. “All you have to do is focus all your energy on the person you want to put to sleep… and remember, you have to look them in the eye.”

  “And what about the women?” Isabel asked.

  “Don’t worry, I’ve got it taken care of,” he said, folding both arms across his chest.

  Isabel nodded. She waited for the flight attendants to finish distributing the lunches, and then she got up and made her way down the aisle. “Excuse me,” she said. “Can I just get a cup of water?”

  “Sure,” the woman said, staring at her for a moment before gesturing for her to go back to her seat. Isabel smiled and then turned around. She stood there for a second, inspecting the men around her. She made eye contact with one and then held his gaze. For a second his jaw dropped.

  No, no, no, Isabel thought. This was no time for a passenger to be captivated by her, not in that way. Okay, Isabel, just focus. She took in a deep breath and let it out through her nose. Suddenly she could feel the energy surging through her. She didn’t take her eyes off his, and then, slowly but surely, his eyelids began to droop.

  “Ma’am, ma’am?” a woman’s voice sounded from behind her. It was as if Isabel was caught in a trance; she wasn’t moving, and neither were the men she tried to fixate. Suddenly they all dropped, one after the other, as Isabel finally pushed her way down the aisle. She averted her gaze to Oz, who just smiled at her, unaffected by the sedative power she had over everyone else. The flight attendant pushed past her, nose wrinkled, eyebrows furrowed.

  “Yep, she definitely thinks I’m a freak now,” Isabel said, shifting in her seat.

  “Now, for the women,” Oz said, clenching his eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Isabel watched as his entire body seemed to twitch. She held onto the back of her chair, her eyes darting from one woman passenger to the other, watching as their heads dropped like deflated balloons.

  “What even?” Isabel said, turning to Oz. He opened his eyes again and looked at her, a wry grin settling over his face.

  “Didn’t I tell you?” he said. “Your transformation is almost complete, you just need someone to guide you through your abilities, because believe me, they’re a lot.”

  Isabel couldn’t resist him any longer. She could feel a warm sensation wash over her like a wave, and she reached down and touched herself, her fingers becoming soaking wet as she made contact with her panties. “Let’s go inside,” she whispered, her eyes fixated on Oz’s.

  Instantly, he got up, took her hand and rushed to the cabinet. It was already dark inside, and reduced to pitch black when Oz locked the door behind them. Isabel had always loved that feeling of utter and complete seclusion with him. He flashed her a little smirk in the darkness, calling her in closer, and instantly her hands found their way round to the back of his neck, her fingers slightly grazing at the base of his scalp. He pressed his lips to hers, and Isabel let the tip of her tongue rub up against the floor of his mouth in rhythmic, controlled motion. Once, twice, and a third time she slid her tongue all the way in, letting it collide with his in between her little moans and his brief gasps for air. When he was done tasting her, he slowly worked his way down the length of her neck, lightly sucking at the skin and exhaling fully in between. She cocked her head to the side, feeling her heart rate escalate and her body stiffen as he briefly slid his tongue into her ear. She could hear the little crackling noises his tongue made once his lips parted. She let out a sigh, and then she let her hands roam his chest, her fingers tracing circles around the buttons of his shirt.

  CHAPTER 2

  “D’you think they’re awake now?” Isabel smiled against Oz’s mouth.

  “I think so,” he whispered. “You go first. We probably don’t have much time before they snap out of it; I’ll sneak up behind you.”

  “Okay,” Isabel said, unlocking the cabinet door and popping her head outside. She caught a glimpse of one of the flight attendants pacing the aisle, looking as though she had just woken up from a coma. The rest of the passengers looked disoriented as hell, and a part of Isabel felt guilty for what they had done. “Have we caused harm to any of those people?” she asked.

  “Nah,” Oz said. “Just some temporary memory loss, they should be okay.”

  Isabel felt her heart drop to her knees. “What do you mean?” she asked, blinking repeatedly. As soon as the sunlight seeped into the cabinet, Isabel winced, feeling a blind spot floating in her vision. “Oz, what do you mean?” she asked again.

  “Ah, Isabel, stop being silly, nothing is going to happen to anybody,” Oz chuckled. “They were just put to sleep, nothing more,” he said.

  Isabel breathed a sigh of relief. “I can’t believe you did that to me,” she said, shaking her head. She slowly slid out of the bathroom, making her way back to her window seat. Oz looked left and right, and then he followed her, the two of them sneaking back to their seats. They leaned back, panting, Isabel gasping as a drop of fluid trickled down her leg.

  ***

  “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Charles De Gaulle airport. Local time is 10 pm, and the temperature is 1 degrees Celsius.”

  “Yikes, it’s cold,” Isabel said, wrapping her arms around herself. Outside she could see the city lights come into view, and the truth was, Isabel was pretty excited. All that apprehension she had been feeling was starting to fade away, and all she could think about right now was where Oz was taking her. The thought excited her, especially after their little episode inside the plane bathroom. Right now, Isabel felt ready to conquer: she felt ready to thrive and to be introduced to this whole new world ahead of her.

  “Alright, let’s go,” Oz said, reaching his hand out to her. The two of them pushed their way down the aisle, and as soon as Isabel stepped out of the plane, she felt her lungs inflate with cold night air.

  “Who’s waiting for us here?” Isabel asked, holding onto Oz’s arm as the two of them made their way through the terminal entrance. Isabel stood there for a second, utterly bewildered by what was going on around her: hundreds of people running around, dragging their suitcases behind them, people reuniting with their families, and their loved ones. Suddenly Isabel felt sorry for herself. There she was, having landed in a totally foreign country, standing amidst a sea of strangers, not knowing what her next step would be.

  Oz looked distracted. It was like he was being bombarded with so many stimuli all at once, that he felt like he
was all over the place. “Wait,” he said, tilting his head to the side. Suddenly he pointed to an obscure point ahead of them, and Isabel found herself being dragged towards the exit. “Analise!” Oz yelled, raising one hand up in the air.

  “Oz!” the woman said, standing on her tiptoes. She had some sort of French accent, which Isabel found endearing. “Oz!” she said again, meeting the two of them halfway.

  “Analise, how are you?” Oz said, raising his eyebrows at the blonde, scantily clad woman. Isabel could recognize a fellow succubus when she saw one. She eyed her up and down, and, realizing she was being a bit too invasive, looked away.

  “I’m alright, what about you? Ah! I see you brought her with you,” Analise said, her green eyes boring into Isabel.

  Isabel opened her mouth but no words came out. The truth was, she was star-struck by Analise. She was probably the most beautiful succubus she had ever laid eyes on, not that she’d seen many of them, but either way she was enchanted by Analise’s flawless porcelain skin, short, choppy platinum blonde hair, icy green eyes, and pearly teeth. Isabel wondered how long she’d been around and how many men she fed on each day? It must be a lot. And they must all worship her. “Hello,” Isabel said finally, feeling the insides of her cheeks dry up like prunes.

  “She’s beautiful,” Analise said, flashing Oz a smirk. “It’s a good thing you’ve brought her to us.”

  “She is,” Oz nodded in agreement, wrapping an arm around Isabel’s waist. She jumped at the sensation, but then settled down again, smiling at Analise.

  “Hungry?” Analise asked, flashing Isabel a coy smile.

  “Not at all,” she lied, feeling Oz’s fingers play at the very tips of her hair and down the length of her back. She thought back to what Moira had said about her loyalties being tested in Paris, and the truth was, she didn’t even feel like feeding on anyone else but Oz. Her mind kept wandering, though. What about all those people— specifically men— she was going to meet? What if they end up starving her? What if they couldn’t be trusted? A million thoughts were racing through her mind, but one thing was for sure; whether she liked it or not, she was going with this Analise.

  “Well, I doubt you’ll feel hungry ever again when you come with us,” Analise said with a sincere grin. Oz didn’t say anything. He just took Isabel’s hand and squeezed it, as if to reassure her. “Well, then, I think we should get going,” Analise said again. “There’s a limo waiting for us outside.”

  Isabel had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. The car ride seemed to extend for an eternity. She couldn’t keep her eyes off the road, following it ever so attentively, taking in all the details. The car took them up to the countryside, where Isabel would be staying. In the distance she caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a mansion, towering on top of a flowery hill. Even in the darkness, Isabel could make out the details of the forest-like landscape. One of the things she liked most about being a succubus was the night vision. She shifted in her seat and smiled to herself, thinking about how wild of a ride this was.

  “So, Isabel, we’re going to take you up to your room, in the tower,” Analise said, pointing to the dome-like roof. The mansion was hidden largely in trees, their flowery vines dangling off the balcony of Isabel’s assigned room.

  “We’re giving you the royal treatment,” Oz said, flashing Isabel a coy smile. She smiled back, but the truth was, she really didn’t get it. She had heard both Oz and Gavin talking time and time again about how special she was, how she was one of the best of her kind. But she couldn’t really wrap her head around the reason behind it all. Soon enough, the limo pulled over in front of a big iron gate, and a bunch of guards opened it up to let them pass through. Isabel was growing more apprehensive by the second, but every time she looked over at Oz for reassurance, he always made her feel safe.

  “You’re awfully quiet, Isabel,” Analise said in one of the sultriest tones Isabel had ever heard. She wondered if this was her normal way of talking, or if there was something more, something suggestive, about her tone of voice.

  “Can you really blame me?” she asked, looking over at Oz. “I literally just landed in the most beautiful city in the world.”

  “Pretty fitting for a woman like you,” Oz smiled. He and Analise exchanged brief glances, which Isabel could only interpret as consensus over her beauty. She basked in that for a moment before realizing they were pulling over again. “Alright, well, let’s take you up to your room,” Oz said, popping his door open and stepping out of the limo. Isabel looked up, star-struck by the architecture of the place; this place she would be staying for the unforeseeable future. She followed Analise up a marble set of stairs and just stood there while the blonde beeped away at a security monitor at the front door. Suddenly, the doors parted, inviting Isabel to step inside.

  “Don’t be afraid,” Analise said, her pearly teeth showing through her smile. “Follow me.” Isabel’s feet moved in the direction of the entrance, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor. “Aden!” Analise said, her voice echoing all over the place. A young man stepped outside, looking Isabel up and down before his lips curved to a smile. He was broad across the shoulders, with short curly hair cascading down his forehead and freckles spread out over his face and nose. “Hello,” he said, not taking his eyes off Isabel. “I’m Aden.”

  “Hi,” she said, her eyes darting from Oz, to Aden, and then to Oz again.

  “You go ahead, Aden’s going to show you your room,” he said, flashing Isabel a coy smile. Instantly, she could feel her feet taking her to where Aden was, the two of them starting up the stairs.

  “So, Isabel, I’ve heard a lot about you,” Aden said, glancing at her briefly in between steps. The tower was so high up Isabel could tell they still had a long way to go.

  “What have you heard about me?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Suddenly she could feel the hunger tugging at her insides. No, now’s not the right time, she thought to herself. As they made their way up, Isabel caught glimpses of incubi going from door to door, rushing down the hallways, making beelines for each other’s rooms. Wow, this is totally the definition of torture, she thought to herself, because the truth was, they were all gorgeous. Isabel let out a sigh, thinking about how hard living here was bound to be. She wasn’t allowed to feed on anyone but Gavin and Oz, and that thought scared her, let alone the reasons behind it. She had grown used to not questioning them, to obeying their orders without much thought, but when something like this popped up, it messed with her head, nipping away at the logic she had structured in her brain. All these men were taking away her sanity. Isabel was going crazy just by the sight of them. Some of them were scurrying about the hallways naked, and she could swear she was this close to turning around and going in for the kill.

  “I’ve heard you’re one of the freshest, most beautiful succubi of our time,” Aden said, turning to Isabel. He dropped her suitcases for a moment, dusted himself off and then picked them up again, gesturing for her to follow him down a red-carpeted hall. “You’re also one of the most powerful ones of our time, too.”

  Isabel let out a polite giggle. “I don’t know what to say,” she admitted. “I don’t feel all that powerful.”

  “Oh, but you are,” Aden said with an all-knowing grin. He stopped at the end of the hall and climbed up another, smaller set of stairs. “We’re almost there,” he said. “Just hold on a little bit more.”

  Isabel sighed loudly. “Am I going to have to climb up and down all those stairs every time I need something?” she asked, her head cocked to the side.

  “You’re going to have everyone— including me— to serve you,” Aden said. Finally, he stopped at a gold-plated door framed with velvet, and he unlocked it, letting Isabel into her room. She couldn’t help but shiver. The room was beyond what she had expected. The furniture was all gold-plated, and she could’ve sworn she caught a glimpse of some rhinestones glittering somewhere on the walls. Aden turned to her, motioning for her to step insid
e. “Come on in,” he said.

  Although Isabel was utterly blown away by the setup, she still couldn’t take her eyes off Aden. Her stomach was growling, and the hunger was taking over her, in all its forms. “Thanks,” she said, pretending to fumble with her luggage. “You can go now, I need to change.”

  “Since when do succubi need to worry about that?” he asked, taking a step closer to Isabel. Slowly, he wrapped both arms around her waist. “Honey, with us, there’s no such thing as overexposure.” Suddenly, Isabel bounced back.

  “No, I don’t think I can do this,” she said, despite the heat that was building up inside of her. It was like she had been programmed, made to believe that she belonged to no one else but her creators, and in a way, she was okay with that. “You’re free to go now.”