by Debra Dunbar
Mr. Wilcox seemed in favor of that too. His eyes darted to me with a tiny glimmer of hope. The vampires stared at me as if I’d gone insane. Irix put a reassuring arm around my shoulder.
“Darling, we can’t let him go. You must put your household ahead of this stranger’s life. Besides, he said he wasn’t afraid to die, and all I vowed was that I wouldn’t Own him.”
Irix sounded eerily regretful at the prospect of not Owning the man. I shivered, moving out from under his arm with the pretense of examining the man closer.
“We can just drain him,” Eloise added cheerfully, looking like a young child eager to head off to the circus. “We’ve got a gland that activates when we feed that makes the process enjoyable for the human. He’d die without pain.”
Mr. Wilcox didn’t look any happier at that prospect, but he stiffened his shoulders in a show of courage.
“Are you kidding,” Guy argued. “The nasty bag of blood nearly killed Ourson with a spelled athame. I say we take our time and pull him apart over the next few days.”
My stomach turned, and I struggled to think of some alternative that would make sense to them, that they’d respect as more than the sentimental emotion of a young succubus.
“He’s … mine. I want him.”
Eloise’s lovely violet eyes widened in shock. “Of course. Would you like a private room to enjoy your captive?”
“Amber, perhaps you should allow the vampires to have this one. I don’t think he’s a good candidate for you to Own.”
Irix came closer but didn’t touch me. I knew what he meant. Half–breeds couldn’t Own, and I hadn’t a really good idea what it entailed anyway. I just figured claiming the man would give me the opportunity to get him out of here and time to figure out what to do with him. I turned to face Irix and saw the table with the human’s belongings strewn across it. In two steps I was there, picking up a rectangular object.
“You’ll call your contact.” I waved the phone at him. “And tell her that all was clear on your rounds, but you had a sudden death in the family and had to leave town for a few days. If you cooperate, you’ll have your freedom by next week. If not, then I’ll give you to the vampires and let them do as they please.”
Mr. Wilcox nodded enthusiastically. “Deal. Everyone knows my mother in New Jersey has been ill, so it won’t be suspicious if I suddenly have to go away.”
We watched as the human made his call. Irix leaned over me, his lips nearly touching my ear. He was so close, I could smell the warmth of his skin.
“And where do you intend to keep your new pet, darling?” His voice was full of amusement, and his hand skimmed my lower back. “Chain him to our bed, perhaps? He already views you as his savior. He’ll happily tie to you as deep as you wish.”
Ew. The very thought of having sex with a guy that reminded me of my high school chemistry teach was repellant. I had a better idea. Hopefully I could trust the vampires to go along with it.
“Ourson, I will leave Mr. Wilcox in your care for the next few days. You’ll be allowed to drink from him as much as you want, in compensation for your injury. Just don’t take so much blood you endanger his life.”
The vampire’s brow wrinkled as he looked around the room. “You mean the human? I thought his name was Mullins or something.”
Oops. He’d forever become Mr. Wilcox in my mind. “Yeah, him. Can you vow to me that you’ll not mistreat him? That you’ll keep him safe from harm until I reclaim him?”
Ourson cast a disappointed look at the bound man. “Okay, but you owe me big time, Amber. Babysitting your pet, a man who stabbed me with intent to kill, isn’t high on my list of fun activities.”
The other vampires started at his familiar tone toward me, but I smiled, giving my friend a quick hug. “Done. I appreciate it, buddy. And coffee is on me tomorrow.”
Irix and I left, assured by Ourson that no harm would come to Mr. Wilcox beyond a slight bit of anemia. Eloise led us through the security into the club and left us with the groups of beribboned, mostly–naked people, gyrating on the dance floor.
“Do you want to stay here, or go back to the house?” Irix asked, looking around with interest at the dancers.
I hesitated, not sure how to voice my thoughts without offending him. “If you could drop me off at Darci’s, I’d really appreciate it.”
The whole interrogation of Mr. Wilcox had unsettled me, and the side of Irix I’d seen had more than unsettled me. I’d imagined him as a powerful and stern incubus with a sexy, playful side, but I’d somehow ignored the fact that under it all he was a demon. Irix wasn’t human, and part of him gloried in the ultimate control of others, in pain and pleasure that he could dish out as he wished. I hadn’t quite come to terms with my own monster. Irix’s sent a spike of fear through my heart.
“You are not going back to Darci’s,” the demon snarled. My blood ran cold, and the perverted monster in me was even more attracted to him.
“I don’t need sex, I just need sleep.” I stuttered, backing away a few steps. His hand shot out and grabbed my upper arm with a vice–like grip.
“Fucking hell you don’t need sex. And I’m not letting you go back to Darci’s tonight. You’re mine, and you’ll sleep in my bed. Do I make myself clear?”
How could I want someone so much and be so terrified at the same time? “I don’t think… .”
Irix yanked me toward him before I could finish my sentence and tossed me over his shoulder. His arm clamped my hips against his body. I felt like a dead deer being hauled out of the forest as he strode through the crowd of dancers, pushing them out of the way with his shoulders. A few cheered, giving him a thumbs–up, and I felt my temper flare.
“Put me the fuck down!”
None of my protests or attempts to kick and hit did any good. Once we reached the stolen Audi, Irix paused. The second he put me in the car and let go, I’d turn into a ferocious hellion. He could hardly drive with me biting and punching him the whole way. I squirmed against his grasp, confident that in a few seconds I’d be able to either make a break for it or defend myself appropriately.
Imagine my surprise when he turned away from the car and strode down the street with me over his shoulder. The asshole meant to walk ten blocks through the busy city with me like this. I screamed in frustration and kicked, managing to land one square to his balls.
Irix hesitated, and I felt his entire body tense with pain. His grasp on my legs became excruciatingly tight. After a few seconds, he continued walking.
“I told you once, little half breed, that if you did that again, you’d suffer the consequences. Never let it be said that I’m not a man of my word.”
Pheromones flowed from the incubus in a thick wave, coating me and filling all my senses. My struggles halted, and I was embarrassed to find myself arching against him, trying to maximize our contact.
The next ten blocks were a blur. I rubbed myself along Irix’s muscular shoulders, kissed down his bicep as far as I could reach and inhaled deeply, taking in every bit of him that I could. I was wet, and I knew he was fully aware of that fact. By the time he lowered me down in front of his door, it was all I could do to keep from dropping to my knees and taking him in my mouth.
“Wait.” His voice was husky and raw with need as he unlocked the door with a shaking hand. It seemed my staircase fantasy was going to become reality because we’d hardly gone two steps through the doorway before our mouths sealed together, and hands gripped each other with frenzied hunger.
Somehow we managed to make it up the stairs and to his bedroom. I had no idea if any of the orgy crowd were still in the house or not. The faint aroma of opium and cannabis lingered, but all I knew was Irix. I half tore the clothes from his body, and he did the same. Before I could take a breath, I was naked on the bed with him on top of me. His amber eyes met mine, and I gasped, desperate with hunger. I needed him inside me, all around me. I needed his hands on my breasts, his mouth on my skin. I wanted him to possess every inch of me, a
nd I wanted it now.
“No.”
I could hardly believe my ears. I arched my back, bringing my pelvis against his erection to show him how much I wanted this to be a “yes”.
“No.” He pulled away, looking down at me with stormy eyes, his mouth a tight line. The level of pheromones dropped like a stone, and I found my thoughts muddled — desire fading into confusion. Was this his revenge for my kicking him in the balls? He’d threatened the first day I’d met him that if I did it again, he’d chain me to the wall and leave me unfulfilled, tortured by his pheromones, but from our staircase ascent, I’d gotten the idea he was just as crazed with lust as I was.
“I need to go out for a while. Please stay here, at least until I return?”
He was definitely leaving me frustrated, but “please” was a far cry from chaining me to the wall. And what in hell did he have to do in the early hours of the morning with a willing half–succubus in his bed? I swallowed hard and nodded. He rewarded me with a charming, crooked smile, and a brief kiss on the forehead. I pulled the rumpled comforter over my naked body and watched him dress, dozing off as he shut the bedroom door behind him.
It became crystal clear what Irix had been up to as soon as he crawled naked back into bed and pulled me to him. Energy flowed into me with every stroke, lighting me up as much as his caresses. Sleepy sex made everything seem so much more intimate, and when we came, I held his hips to me, refusing to let him withdraw, wanting to prolong that feeling of union as long as possible.
The thought of how many humans he must have fucked sent a spike of jealousy and fear through my heart. Had his activity put him at risk of being detected by the angel? At least he had that scroll with him in case he needed to get away quickly, although I’d freak not knowing what happened to Irix until he managed to get a message back to me. It scared me that he’d taken this chance, and I felt guilty that I hadn’t remained with him at Bliss and picked a partner or two.
Finally he rolled to the side, adjusting my position and holding me against his warm chest. I felt his breath stir my hair and kissed right where his heart beat. He smoothed my blond locks from my face and murmured a short phrase in another language before kissing the top of my head.
“Sleep well, my elf–girl.”
And I did.
* * *
28
Only one thing could have gotten me up at six in the morning and forced me to drag my butt to a graveyard. I’d woken to the ‘quack quack’ of my cell phone and nearly flew from the bed when I read that Ourson had finally scored a meeting with Nathanial Basteau of Crimson Moon.
“I gotta run,” I shouted to Irix as I scrambled around looking for clothing.
Damn, it looked like my choices were sweaty, dirty shorts and t–shirt from yesterday, and half–ripped silk dress from last night. If only I had time to swing by Darci’s.
“Make sure Ourson sticks with you.” Irix was reading the text and climbing out of bed at a more leisurely pace than I’d managed. “This could be a trap.”
That slowed me.
“Do you think they suspect we have Wilcox?”
“That, or they discovered we disabled the levee spells. You’ll find out when you get there.”
‘You’? I paused, holding up my filthy t–shirt. “Aren’t you coming with me?”
“You may only be twenty, but you’re a grown woman, and this is your project. You can handle a human mage.”
He turned to rifle through the endless array of shirts hanging in his closet.
“Which is why you want Ourson to stick with me?”
“It’s always good to have a vampire at your back.”
His words were light and casual, but there was something tense lurking behind them. I watched as he pulled out two shirts, tossing them onto the bed.
“I’ll meet you at the levee when you’re done.” He shrugged into one of the shirts.
It hurt that he wasn’t coming. I really didn’t want to do this without him by my side, but I was too rushed to argue. Instead, I pulled on my dirty shorts, wincing at the thought of wearing them another day.
“Okay. Text me and let me know which location you’re at, and Ourson and I will meet you there.”
In the end I wound up wearing the dirty shorts sans underwear, and one of Irix’s shirts knotted at my waist. It smelled like him, even though it had been freshly laundered. I wondered if I could steal it.
Ourson met me right outside Irix’s house and drove me there, unlocking the cemetery gates with a large metal key. This wasn’t one of the old graveyards, but a newer one up by the lake. Instead of tall tombs, these interments were buried partially underground with a raised slab. Step tombs, Ourson called them. I followed the vampire along the pathways, weaving down the rows to a spot at the rear of the cemetery. There stood a man, face hidden by a wide–brimmed hat. Nathanial Basteau. I wondered how he’d managed to get past the locked gate. Did he too have a key, or a more magical means of entry?
We stood beside him for a few long moments before he acknowledged our presence. Ice–blue eyes skimmed over Ourson dismissively before Basteau turned to face me.
“Whatever they’re paying you and the other demon, I’ll double it.”
The man didn’t beat around the bush, which was fine with me. We had eleven more spells to break before nightfall. I hardly wanted to waste the entire morning in a cemetery making small talk.
“They’re not paying us. Look, I understand why you’re doing this, but there has to be another way.”
“They’ve summoned you and demanded service? I had no idea Wiccans would do such things. They’ve always turned up their noses at our path and methods.”
I hesitated, not sure how to explain our cooperation to Basteau. Full demons wouldn’t selflessly volunteer to help a bunch of humans. “All that matters is we can’t leave until this is resolved. None of us want to spend the next few decades making and breaking spells. Surely there can be some compromise?”
Basteau pushed his hat backward with an index finger, giving me a hard look. “So Bev is willing to talk?”
Not likely. I’d hoped I could find out how much Crimson Moon was willing to budge on this, and then go back to Bev with a proposal. Half a loaf had to be better than none at all — which was what she was facing if that storm coming up the gulf hit the shore with any force.
“Would you agree to a schedule where Crimson Moon and Bon Nuit share access to the ley line?” It still left out all the smaller groups in New Orleans, but it was a start.
The man laughed. “That old harpy must be really scared if she’s proposing a share, and sending one of her summoned demons to meet me instead of coming herself. Tell you what, let Bon Nuit know that we want full and exclusive access by midnight, or we move forward.”
Shit, this whole thing had gone nowhere. “And what would that leave them? They’d have nothing at all.”
Basteau shook his head, smiling. “They’d have the satisfaction of knowing their actions saved lives, prevented damage to the city. That should be enough for those tree–huggers.”
“It wouldn’t be enough for Bev,” I retorted. Sad, but true. Control of the ley line would come before protecting the city. It didn’t escape my notice that Bev and this man shared several moral defects.
He shrugged. “Oh well.”
“We can break your spells faster than you can replace them. Any advantage you have now will soon be gone. I’d suggest you reconsider negotiating.” I was so pissed off that I could hardly keep my voice calm and steady. The monster inside me really wanted to kill both Basteau and Bev and be done with it, but I pushed her back.
The man gave me a sharp look, tilting his hat forward again. “We’ll see about that.”
I watched him walk away. Basteau’s last words sent an uneasy chill down my spine, and I was grateful that Ourson was by my side. “This meeting was a bad idea. I think I may have made things worse.”
Ourson shook his head. “No. Whatever they have plann
ed, you didn’t contribute to it. The reason they agreed to this wasn’t to negotiate, it was to show us their power and issue a threat.”
“Well, I got the threat loud and clear.”
“Me too.” The vampire grimaced. “I’m going to suggest we either double up a vampire and witch at each site, or pull the witches off watch tonight.”
Jordan would have a cow. I winced, thinking of what she was going to say when I told her. I couldn’t help but agree with Ourson, though.
“I’m also going to ask if Eloise will take a shift. She’s powerful, and if she thinks our magic–user liaisons are in danger, she’ll step in.”
I nodded then remembered something I’d been meaning to ask the vampire. “I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but what is her story? She seems to be very young for a vampire.”
Ourson laughed. “Her human appearance is child–like, but, as a vampire, she’s a mature woman. She’s actually over six–hundred–and–fifty–years old. Her father was an alchemist and had business interests with a prominent vampire family in France. When Eloise contracted the plague, he asked to have her turned.”
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “That’s pretty much what I’d thought. She must have been ten or twelve?”
“Eight. Far younger than we usually consider for candidates, even back then. It’s a miracle she survived. The process of becoming a vampire is very taxing physically, and her body was still fighting the plague at the same time.”
I made a mental note to tell Darci and put her mind to rest. The ride back to the river was uneventful, but I kept thinking of Basteau’s vague threat. What did Crimson Moon have planned? I was relieved to pull up to the grassy knoll and see Jordan and her friends standing with the group of vampires.
“Where’s Irix?” I asked her, gratefully taking the coffee she offered me. We’d been so rushed to get to our meeting at the cemetery, that neither Ourson nor I had been able to stop for a cup.
“He’s not here yet.” My Wiccan friend was practically hopping with excitement. “Fifteen more people have left Bon Nuit in support of us. Isn’t that awesome news?”
