Rise (Camille Bishop Book 3)

by Ravin Tija Maurice

  “Ok, well,” I took a business card out of my purse and handed it to her. “Here’s my number. Let’s have coffee or something. Then we can discuss what you want to do about Lorcan. If you don’t want to see him, maybe we’ll make a video or something. But we shouldn’t do that when you’re....naked.”

  She laughed. “I agree. Thanks for understanding.”

  “Anytime.” I smiled and nodded, turning to head out the door. “If you don’t call me I am going to come back looking for you. So...call me.”

  Back in the main room, I noticed a tall female looking figure leaning over to talk to Eric. From this far away I couldn’t get a good look at her, but the hair on the back of my neck stood up.

  Rushing over, the lime green bra and panty set became more visible. Bliss turned and smiled at me when I approached, but the eyes were not her eyes. Looked like her demon house guest took over priority. Hopefully Eric didn’t notice.

  He looked up at me; his eyes were glazed over like he got wasted in my absence. He blinked a few times and it disappeared, back to his normal self.

  “Ready to go?” I asked him, holding out my hand.

  “Absolutely.” He grabbed on and I pulled him up. Bliss looked oddly at us both, her head tilting to one side.

  “Can I help you?” I asked her.

  It. Whatever you’d want to call it.

  A maniacal smile curled up across her face, her eyes wide. “No. You already did. Thank you.”

  “Whatever. Let's go.” Linking arms with Eric, I pulled him out of Ren and back onto the street.

  3.

  “Well, that was weird.” Eric shook his head a few times when we stepped out on the sidewalk. The sun just went down, and in typical Canadian fashion the weather became really windy and cold. Grabbing his arm I dragged him down the street towards his car as he stumbled around for a few minutes. We parked in the pay parking lot a short distance away, the cost outweighing the hefty ticket if we'd parked on the street by the front door.

  “Sorry. She’s fucked up.” I pulled him closer to me for warmth. “I think Tobias is giving her drugs. Did she do any weird bruja shit to you?”

  “I don’t think so.” He kissed my hand. “But I’m starving. Let's go get something to eat.”

  We quickly got back to his car and got moving. I tried to fix my hair in the tiny mirror and make myself look presentable.

  “What’s wrong?” He glanced at me a few times as I futzed.

  “Well I met Meg.” I brushed my faded purple hair out of my face. “And standing next to a goddess like that I feel like a golem.” I hesitated. “She knew what I was, and that Lorcan was the wolf heir. But he doesn’t know what she is. He actually thinks she’s human.”

  “There isn’t a long list of possibilities of what she is. Did you ask her?”

  “Indirectly. And she wouldn’t tell me yet. But I gave her my number, told her to call me so we can chat. If she doesn’t want to actually see Lorcan in person again, I’ll get her to make a video.” I smiled at my reflection. “I totally get why he’s all fucky for her. She’s really hot. And not just hot, like sexy seductive....”

  Eric laughed. “Oh, I know exactly what she is.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Unless you randomly started swinging both ways, she’s definitely used her powers on you. My guess is she’s a succubus. If she could hide it from Lorcan, she’s probably very powerful.”

  “She’s a what?”

  “A succubus. A demon that feeds off of sexual energy.” He shivered slightly. “I have a serious craving for bacon. What can we get that has bacon?”

  “How would Lorcan not know that? Is he not powerful himself as the heir to the pack? Isn’t that kind of important to exert dominance or some shit?”

  He chuckled. “The golden boy can fight, but in terms of power it works differently for shifters than it does for people like us.”

  “People like us, huh?” I smiled, leaning over the centre console and licking the tip of his earlobe.

  “We need to get some meat first. With bacon. Lots of bacon.”

  After a brief search we found a Burger King, and I spent the better part of an hour watching him scarf down a Baconator. Then another.

  “So ‘people like us'?” I bit the tip off a French fry.

  “Are you going to tell me what happened with Jesse?” he asked.

  “Millie should mind her business.”

  “She’s worried you are going to do something stupid.”

  I smiled and bat my eyelashes. “Who me? Never!”

  “So tell me you didn’t summon Lilly Darling as soon as you got off the phone with Millie.” He wiped his face with his napkin while I scowled at him. “I know you, Cas. You can’t fool me.”

  “It’s just a failsafe. I heard her when she talked about karma.”

  “What did he do?”

  My vision blurred as my eyes filled with tears. “He got another girl pregnant when he was with me, and rather than do the right thing he abandoned them. He abandoned a child so he could continue to treat me like shit.”

  “Is that the part that bothers you? The abandoning?”

  “Yes.” I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. “If he had left me to care for the kid, or at least told me so he could be part of the kid’s life he would just be a shitty boyfriend. But abandoning the kid entirely? That’s a dick move. He’s a shitty person. There is no denying once you know he did that. How did I not know that?”

  Eric said nothing, looking down at the greasy paper where his burger once sat and saying “Wasn’t enough. Need more.”

  “Are you good? This is so unlike you.”

  He smiled. “Fine. Just hungry.”

  He left the table without another word, heading back to the cashier. I gathered up our things, told him to get the order to go, took his keys and headed outside.

  “Sorry. I just can’t sit in there anymore.” I told him when he arrived. He put his sack of fast food in the back.

  “And I am sorry that 90% of our conversations revolve around the fuckery that is my life.” My eyes turned away from him, watching the dark shapes move by as we drove.

  He shrugged. “All part of growing up, I guess.”

  “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing.” He sighed. “Absolutely nothing.”

  “Stop the car. I'll take the bus home.”

  “No, don’t be like that. I'm sorry, ok? I didn’t mean it.” He put his hand on my knee. I tried to smile, looking at him quickly. Our eyes met briefly, and then a bright light flashed in the windshield.

  4.

  It all happened so fast.

  Light flashed in the car, then something slammed into its side and we were spinning. Eric put one hand defensively across my body while gripping the wheel with the other. Once, twice, three times before we came to a halt, then complete silence for what seemed like an eternity.

  My neck throbbed. So much that my eyes were watering, and when I turned to Eric he looked horrified.

  “Oh my God, are you OK?” He held out a hand, careful of where he touched me.

  “I think so. My neck really hurts though.” A tap on his window made us both jump. Figures loomed outside, headlights masking their identity.

  Eric touched my cheek. “Stay here. I am going to go talk to this dude.”

  “You don’t need my help?”

  He leaned over and kissed me. “If I do I will get you. I promise.”

  Pain thumped behind my ear and down through my shoulder. Itchy little pinpoints made my hands tingle, like waves of electricity shooting through my skin.

  The flashing red and white lights were comforting; I moved to open my passenger door and got hit by a wave of gut ripping nausea.

  The door suddenly opened and luckily the person dodged
out of the way seconds before I leaned out the door and threw up all over the sidewalk.

  Strong arms reached in and pulled me out of the vehicle. The world began to swim.

  My vision became blurry than faded to black.

  5.

  My memories of the hours following the accident are hazy. My mind didn’t completely clear until I woke up in my bed, the pain in my neck glazed over but still there. With no neck brace in sight a big prescription bottle stood sentry on my bedside table. My hands itched like they'd been bit by ten thousand mosquitoes. Sandpaper felt like it coated my mouth. I moved to get up, that haze turning into a dull ache that forced me back down.

  “Hello!” I called out weakly, my voice cracking like a prepubescent boy. I felt helpless and I fucking hated it.

  The door opened and closed, and I felt a presence beside my bed. Trying to turn my head the pain exploded, Eric’s face splotched out in white as the pain eased.

  “Hey,” he smiled at me as I reached out for him.

  “Can you heal me?” I asked. “I need something to drink.”

  “I'm sorry. My healing seems to be out of juice or something at the moment.” He gently stroked the top of my head.

  I reached up to swat at him. “Drink. Water. Agua. Bullshit later.”

  He chuckled softly, helping me into a sitting position. He produced a water bottle, seemingly out of his ass, and handed it to me.

  I guzzled back half, then gestured to the bottle of pills. “What are those?”

  “Percocet.”

  “Bitchin. Gimme three.”

  “Cas.”

  I huffed. “Am I allowed? I am in pain. What the hell happened?”

  “We were in a car accident. I got sideswiped. We spun, I'm confident that’s how you hurt your neck. Doctor thinks you may have whiplash. You exhibited some concussion symptoms so we are watching you closely.”

  “Ted's ok?”

  He laughed out loud this time. “I’m under strict guidelines. The cat's out of the bag about our relationship by the way.”

  I shrugged. “That's fine. Where are we on the pain meds?”

  “I'm sorry. This is all my fault. You being in pain….”

  “So stop squawking and heal me. Boom. All good.”

  He grabbed the bottle and shook two pills into his palm, passing them to me with the bottle of water. I quickly swallowed them, handing the water bottle over and sliding down till I lay flat.

  “Will you lay here with me for a while?” I grabbed his hand and interlaced his fingers with mine. “Don’t know what Ted's rules are and I don’t care at the moment.”

  “They apply to other things, so don’t worry.” He stretched out beside me, curling his body around so we were spooning. As his arm settled around my waist I wanted him to touch me more.

  You silly shit. You’re injured and drugged and your biggest concern is humpy time?

  He kissed the back of my neck, then slowly down my shoulder. Visions of the hand that currently circled my waist moving lower, exploring, made me smile. That bit of calm put me so at ease I closed my eyes, sleep quickly catching up with me.

  6.

  He stayed. Even during my restless sleep, the medicated haze pulling me in and out as I winced in pain. My magic liked him; sensing his presence, it crept along my edges, trying to get closer to him.

  Leaning in, I breathed deeply and took in his scent. He must have felt me stirring, because he leaned over and kissed my shoulder.

  “Good morning.” His warm breath on my neck gave me goose bumps. “How are you feeling?”

  “Honestly? Like I would rather be having this conversation naked.”

  His lips touched the space where my neck connected to my shoulder. “Soon.”

  “You say that a lot. I am starting to wonder if you're not really attracted to me.”

  “What kind of man would I be if I did that while you were injured?”

  I chuckled. “That's what I thought you would say.”

  “Would it make you feel better if we did it right now?” His hand began to slowly move down my stomach.

  “I don’t need a pity fuck.” My eyelids grew heavy, harder to keep open. “I just want to feel wanted. Like someone really cares.”

  He kissed the back of my neck and I felt warmth spread from his hand throughout my body.

  I giggled to myself. “That's cheating.”

  “You are one of the most frustrating human beings I have ever met.” His lips softly touched the back of my earlobe. “But I love you so much I don’t have the words.”

  7.

  I'd never been one for drugs.

  Living with an addict, drugs lose their allure. Sure I experimented a little but nothing note worthy.

  But when I opened my eyes the next day I enjoyed the comfortably numb feeling that flowed through my body and brain. For the first time, as my eyes adjusted to the light coming in the window, I got it.

  Perfect. You're already a hot mess. Now you're a drug addict?

  SHUT UP BRAIN.

  Eric slept quietly beside me. I turned to face him, wincing in pain as I shifted positions. The movement caused him to stir and he opened one eye and smiled.

  “Good morning.” He leaned over and kissed me softly.

  “Morning. What time is it? We better motor or we'll be late for work.”

  “He gave us the day off.”

  “Oh.” I smiled. “Did you see them this morning?”

  “Yeah. Ted, Cuddy and Maritza.”

  I groaned. “Glad I missed them playing happy family.”

  “She seems like a nice girl.”

  “She's a plant from Bliss's coven.” Shit. “They think I did something to Bliss and are watching me until they figure out what it is.”

  “How come you never told me?”

  “Because it’s stupid. They're blaming me instead of facing the fact that their homegirl is a vampire puppet. Maritza claims to actually like Cuddy though.” I pulled myself closer and kissed him. “But now that we're alone.”

  “Do you want me to heal you?”

  No more pain meant no more drugs. “No. Not yet.”

  We silently stared into each other's eyes for a few minutes. As I leaned in to kiss him both our phones started beeping.

  “Saved by the bell.” He started to speak but I shushed him as I reached for my nightstand.

  Multiple messages from Millie flashed on my screen. Eric must have informed her, by the contents of the message it sounded like she and Nya prepared some healing.

  “Millie and Nya got some witchy healing shit for us.” I grumbled. “But I’m fine. Just give me two Percocet’s and I’ll be good.”

  “Cas....” His eyes narrowed.

  “If I didn’t know you guys this is how I would have to deal with pain from an accident. It’s not that bad. Keep that in mind.”

  He leaned down, cradling the back of my head with his hand and kissing me. I felt warmth spread out of his hand into my head and neck, which after a few moments fizzled out and stopped. Eric pulled away, paused, and set my head back down.

  “That was weird.” He said flatly. The look in his eyes made me think that the healing from Millie wasn’t entirely for me. He handed me two pills and a water bottle, which I happily took.

  “Help me up. I’ll have a quick shower and we’ll go to Millie’s. Ok?” I took his hand in mine, smiling calmly at him.

  He nodded, not looking directly at me.

  “Wanna join me?” I asked as he helped me sit up. Once I was vertical everything felt different, the after effects of the pain tablets leaving everything in a coated haze.

  “I do but I don’t want to hurt you.” He smiled at me when we both stood.

  “You won’t.” I pulled my shirt off over my head in one quick motion, ignoring the sharp pai
n that shot through my shoulder into the side of my neck. His warm hands felt good as they touched my body.

  Before I could say anything he took his shirt off, my hands immediately went to his skin and the lines of the muscles in his stomach. He pulled me to him and kissed me, my nipples hardened when his chest touched mine. His strong arms went around me, and he eased me back onto my bed and crawled on top of me.

  We continued to kiss as we fumbled with each other’s pants, quickly deciding to pause and remove them ourselves. I struggled with mine, and once his came off he helped with mine and we were finally naked next to each other.

  This felt like a big moment, a moment that seemed a long time in the making. I suddenly got nervous, worried that this could make or break our relationship. He was older and more experienced; I hoped I could measure up.

  Eric ran his hand up my side, cupping my breast and slowly rubbing the pad of his thumb on my nipple. I moved to reciprocate, trying to touch him and he eased me back down, moving on top of me so I could only reach his neck and his chest. His exploring hands continued to move down, and I gasped when his fingers found their way between my legs.

  “Are you ok?” He paused, looking down at me.

  “It’s been a while. Sorry.” I pulled him back down to kissing me; he chuckled as his fingers slowly began to play with my intimate parts. He knew exactly where to touch, to push, to stroke, his fingers moving in what seemed like a well choreographed dance that drove me wild. Soon I writhed underneath him, moving my hips in an upward motion in an attempt to meet his hardness. What I could feel drove me wilder, his hardness the largest I ever came in contact with.

  “Now. Please.” I whispered between kisses. He reached up behind my head and pulled a condom out from under the pillow.

  I laughed. “So you were prepared?”

  “Didn’t want to ruin the moment.” He tore open the wrapper with his teeth, and then handed it to me. I smiled, and he kissed slowly down my neck and licked my earlobe as I took him in my hand and rolled the condom on.

  He most definitely won in the size contest.