I could ease into this slowly, but the hunger is intense, and I just want to get this over with. I place my hand on the guy’s arm and lean in close. “Need some company?”
I put some magic into my touch, and he responds immediately to me, looking at me with unveiled desire. His eyes go straight to my boobs, and I nearly roll my eyes, but I keep the smile plastered on. Sometimes it really bothers me that I have to do this, even though it’s necessary for me to live. But seriously, feeding on only light or darkness would be a whole lot easier.
“Hell, yeah,” he says, tipping the lip of his trucker’s hat.
Yes, Hell indeed.
It doesn’t take much work before we’re in the front of his truck and I’m riding him with my eyes squeezed shut while his meaty hands cup my ass. The succubus in me is going yes yes yes while the rest of me is trying not to gag. I have no other choice, I remind myself. I have to do this to survive. But I still hate it.
The only way to make it better is to picture Kassiel’s hands on my body instead. I remember his lips on my neck and the way he filled me up. I moan softly and my nameless partner moves faster, but it’s the memory of Kassiel that is turning me on, not this trucker.
But then it’s not Kassiel I’m riding, but Bastien. He stares at me with those intense, intelligent eyes and presses that sensual mouth to mine. I turn my head and now it’s Marcus kissing me instead, and I weave my fingers in his thick brown hair as he lightly nips my neck. Then it’s Callan, wrapping those big muscular arms around me and holding me close as he pounds into me.
With the four of them on my mind, I make it through the encounter quickly, and my eyes turn black as I feed off the man. Succubi—and the male version, incubi—can feed off of sex, or even lust and desire, in many ways. Having lust or desire directed at us is like a little snack, while sex is a meal—and orgasms are the perfect dessert. And sex with Kassiel? That was like an all-you-can-eat buffet that kept me full for a month. I can only assume that’s because he wasn’t human, but I haven’t been able to test that theory on any other angels or demons since.
When we’re done I say, “Thanks,” and practically leap off him. I clean myself up with some tissues from my purse, and then head back to my car. The trucker calls after me in a haze. Humans get hit hard when we feed off them and get addicted to us fast, even though we can only sleep with them once without killing them. The feeling will pass soon, and he’ll be fine after he sleeps it off, leaving him with a story he can tell his friends about how some hot woman screwed him in the front of his truck.
And me? I’m full enough for a little while. The all-consuming hunger for sex is at bay, for the time being. I just wish encounters like this didn’t leave me feeling so damn empty.
Chapter Twenty
Bastien
“I’m telling you, there’s something suspicious about her,” I say, while idly tapping on the keyboard and staring at the computer screen. I’ve already scoured Olivia’s files, hoping they might have something that will help us unravel her secrets, but they proved to be worthless.
Father must know the truth of who and what she is, but he’s keeping quiet on the subject so far. I’m on duty this afternoon while he’s at some Archangel meeting. All I have to do is sit in his office and answer the phone. Easy enough…and extremely boring. Which is the only reason my mind wandered back to Olivia and what I saw last night, and why I called Callan and Marcus in here. The only reason.
Marcus twirls in an office chair with his head back, his hair wild. “You think there’s something suspicious about everyone.”
“He may be right this time.” Callan looks out over the grounds through the large window, his arms crossed and his shoulders squared. “She’s important to Jonah in some way. We need to find out how they know each other.”
I shake my head. “It’s not only that. Last night when we went back to the dorm, I noticed her car was gone.”
Callan turns away from the window. “Where do you think she went?”
“I don’t know, but we should find out.” As soon as possible.
Marcus shrugs. “Lots of people leave campus at odd hours. There’s no rule preventing them from doing so.”
I shake my head. “But by car instead of flying? And at such a late hour? No, we owe it to Jonah to figure this out. If it’s nothing, then we won’t worry about it and move on. But if it is something, we should uncover it sooner than later.” With her being connected to Jonah, we can’t afford to leave any stone unturned. “I’m going to check the security cameras.”
“Isn’t that unethical?” Marcus asks.
My fingers are already flying across the keyboard. “Father has given me access to them so I can monitor the school for any threats. I think this qualifies.”
“She’s hardly a threat,” Callan mutters, but he also stands over my shoulder so he can watch. Marcus scoots closer too.
It only takes a few minutes to find the footage of the parking lot from last night. I fast forward until it catches Olivia walking to her car wearing tall heels and a dress that accentuates every curve. She isn’t carrying anything other than her purse.
Marcus whistles softly. “Where’s she going in that outfit? On a date?”
I raise my hand to silence him as the footage continues. Callan winces as we watch Olivia nearly take out his car again, and then I switch to the gates as she drives away. We follow her on a few other cameras set up outside the grounds, but lose her down the hill.
A little over an hour later, she returns. She parks, and we use the cameras to follow her as she walks straight to the dorms, carrying only her purse again. Her hair looks a little mussed, but that’s nothing that couldn’t be explained by the wind. She walks a little slower, like there’s something weighing her down, but it could simply be tiredness. She returns to her dorm room and disappears.
“Nothing,” I mutter. Dammit.
Callan rubs his jaw. “Definitely suspicious though. We’ll keep an eye on her, and when she next goes on one of those late-night excursions, we’ll follow her. Meanwhile, keep putting pressure on her to leave the school. Remember, it’s for her own good.”
I nod. “Yes, and we might be able to use what we find to get her expelled.”
“If she’s doing anything wrong,” Marcus points out, as he begins his spin in my chair again. “Have you learned anything from your one-on-one sessions?”
We’ve only had a couple, but they were frustrating, to say the least. “Not yet. But I’ll uncover something soon. There is some sort of magic blocking me from discovering anything about her powers. Could she have fae magic and us not be able to sense it?”
Marcus pauses his spin. “How would she get that kind of magic? Do you think she’s part fae?”
“Could she have a fae-made object?” Callan asks. “Like the Staff of Eternity, the one my dear old dad used to close Heaven with.” The bitterness in his voice creeps in, like it sometimes does when we’re alone and he talks about Michael. Only when we’re alone though.
The office phone rings, and I hold up a finger and answer it. It’s the mom of a Third Year student named Blake who hasn’t been able to get ahold of her precious baby in days. I assure her I saw her son earlier, and I’ll have him call her as soon as possible. After hanging up, I pull out my phone and text him. He’s an idiot, someone I’d never associate with normally, but I keep everyone’s numbers in my phone for just such reasons. Your mother contacted the school worried about you. Call her. Now.
He replies in seconds. I’ll call her immediately. Sorry about the trouble. I didn’t expect him to do anything less than call her that moment. When one of us tells someone to do something, they always do it. Except Olivia.
As I put my phone away, I answer Callan and Marcus’s questions. “I haven’t seen anything indicating she’s part fae or possesses one of their objects, but it’s too early to know for sure.”
“I’ve been trying to put pressure on her to leave the school, but nothing seems to be working s
o far,” Callan says. “She’s very stubborn. I’m going to have to try harder.”
“What you have in mind?” I ask.
“I’m not sure yet, but I might ask Tanwen. She’s good at this sort of thing.”
“Are you going to get back together with her?” Marcus asks.
Callan snorts. “Definitely not.”
Marcus chuckles. “That’s not what she’s been saying. Careful, or she might get the wrong idea.”
“I’ll make it clear.”
I fade out their conversation as my mind goes back to Olivia. I pull up the live security cameras and switch through them until I find her walking out of the dorm. She tucks a piece of dark hair behind her ear as the wind picks up, as it often does at this altitude. My eyes narrow as I watch her move out of view. I’m going to uncover your secrets, whatever it takes. You can’t hide the truth from me.
Chapter Twenty-One
Olivia
The rest of the week passes quickly in a blur of classes while avoiding the Princes and Valkyries as much as possible, and I’m just glad I make it to the weekend without any problems. Saturday night I’m supposed to attend that secret society meeting, or whatever it is, and I’ll hopefully be one step closer to finding my brother then.
As Saturday morning arrives, Araceli busts into my room at the crack of dawn. She throws open the curtains and declares, “We’re going shopping!”
Freaking angels. They’re all such morning people. Me, I was looking forward to staying in bed until noon. I’m still used to a bartender schedule. Or a demon one.
I eye the window, through which I can see a gray sky and trees blowing hard in the wind. It’s the kind of day you can just tell is going to be chilly and miserable.
“Today? It’s way too cold.” I pull the covers up to my nose and hide.
Angels absolutely hate the cold, so I have to pretend I do also. It’s why Seraphim Academy’s school year runs spring to fall, with winter off. Demons, meanwhile, dislike heat. The whole thing about Hell being fire and brimstone? Yeah, that’s angel propaganda. It’s more like a perpetual realm of night, according to my Mother, anyway.
Araceli peers outside. “Can we take your car? It’s got a heater, right?”
“Yeah, sure.” I don’t love the idea since my car is such a piece of crap, but I have to keep up the ruse, and I’m not the greatest at flying yet. “But I’m warning you in advance, I’m not the best driver.”
“Aw, we’ll be fine.” She waves her hand. “Flying would be torture this morning, and I want to go.”
“All right, but give me a few minutes to get dressed and down some coffee. You know I can’t function without it.”
She rolls her eyes but says, “Fine, fine.”
I take a quick shower, chug my coffee, and we’re out the door in an hour. When the cold air smacks us in the face as we exit the dorms, I reconsider flying. With both demon and angel blood, I don’t have a strong hatred or preference for cold or heat, but it’s actually pretty damn cold out today, especially for the end of March.
We walk toward the parking lot, but then I spot the Princes prowling around. I yank Araceli back to hide behind the brick building of the main hall.
“Hang on.” I have not had nearly enough coffee to deal with their shit this morning.
“What?” She looks around in alarm. “What is it?”
“The Princes.” I peer around the wall, watching as they saunter toward Callan’s car. Araceli ducks down to look under my arm, and another student walks by and gives us an odd look. I picture what fools we must look like, hiding behind the building, and I straighten up. “Come on.”
“Why?” Araceli follows me toward the parking lot, but she’s more hesitant than I am. “I don’t want to deal with them, either.”
“If we hide from them, they win.” Even though I believe what I’m saying, I can’t help but let out a little sigh of relief when Callan’s car drives away without them seeing us.
After they’re gone, we hurry to my car. The sooner we get it started, the sooner it warms up. I waste no time pulling out of the parking lot, and it’s only a short drive to Angel Peak, with Araceli giving me directions since my phone’s GPS doesn’t work well up here. Nope, that would be too easy.
We make our way into the tiny town, which has only enough shops to keep us from needing to go to a bigger town. It’s the quaintest thing I’ve ever seen. Each storefront looks like it’s been teleported straight out of the 1950’s, all done in pastel colors with decorative trim. I find a parking spot and as we get out I look around while trying not to let my chin drag the ground. A cobbler, seamstress, office supplies. There’s even an ice cream shop.
I turn in a slow circle. “Wow.”
“It’s a trip, isn’t it?” Araceli grins at me. “My aunt lives here, so I spent a lot of my childhood visiting.”
I can’t help the envy that trickles through me at hearing that. Even the half-fae outcast had a happier childhood than I did. Pushing those thoughts away, I try to suppress the negative emotions toward the person that has been nicest to me since coming to Seraphim Academy. She doesn’t deserve them.
“We should be able to get some fun stuff for our dorm here,” Araceli says.
“Okay, but I don’t have a lot of money,” I say.
Araceli looks up from her purse. “Didn’t they give you your allowance? I know it’s not a lot, but it should be enough.”
“No, although I remember being told that I’d receive some sort of stipend. I wasn’t sure how to get access to it.” And wasn’t sure I wanted to either. Nothing in life is free. I learned that lesson early on.
“Come on.” She grabs my elbow and pulls me down the street. “We’ll go to the bank first. I bet it’s there.”
“There’s an angel bank?” That’s something I didn’t know.
“Yep. In the human world it passes as a credit union for employees of Aerie Industries, and it only has branches in angel communities. Lots of angels have accounts at other banks as well, but this one is just for us, and run by angels. The town is enchanted to ward off humans anyway, so it’d be nearly impossible for one to open an account even if they did find the branch.”
The bank is at the end of the street in a building that looks like an old Victorian house, painted pastel blue. We step onto the front porch and the planks under our feet creak with age. I arch an eyebrow at them, wondering if they’ll hold.
Araceli grins. “Quaint.”
Quaint isn’t a strong enough word. We step inside, and Araceli walks straight to one of the tellers waiting for customers in a little booth.
“Hello,” the lady says in a bright voice. “How may we help you?”
“I need to make a withdrawal from my account, and so does my friend, Liv.”
“I’m not sure if I have an account at all.” I give a little finger wave and an apologetic look. “If you could check, I’d really appreciate it. Olivia Monroe, please.”
“Of course.” The redhead taps away at her computer. “Do you have any ID?”
I hand her my driver’s license and watch her check it. This experience has been such an odd mix of human and angel procedures.
“Everything seems to be in order, Ms. Monroe.” She hands me my license and looks at me with her perfectly manicured eyebrows raised. “How much would you like to withdraw?”
“How much is there?” I ask.
“A thousand.” The redhead’s bland smile is unsettling. To her, a thousand dollars is no big deal. To me, it’s a lot.
I stumble over my words. I have an account that I didn’t open or ask for, with a bunch of money inside. Aerie Industries is paying me a thousand dollars just to attend school. For a second I almost feel bad for deceiving everyone, but then I get over it. I’m here on a mission. The angels can’t find my brother, so they can damn well pay me for doing their job for them.
“Is that for the school year?” I ask. I do some quick math in my head. I have a couple hundred dollars saved up from
my job at the bar. I should be able to make it work for the next year even without a job, considering I can get a lot of things free, and since I’m not paying for an apartment anymore. I’ll need gas in the car, which is paid off at least, plus money for insurance and my phone, even though it doesn’t get service up here.
“No, just the month,” Araceli says as she looks at some paper in her purse. “It’s pro-rated since we’re only here some of March. You’ll get two thousand next month.”
My jaw drops. What in the world am I expected to spend two grand a month on?
Nothing, that’s what. That shit is going in my dorm in case I need to make a quick escape. I might hide some off campus too. If anyone finds out I’m part demon, I’ll need to be ready for anything.
“I’ll take it all, please.” I try to sound confident, like a cool thousand for half a month doesn’t make me want to crap my pants.
The clerk, who I’m suddenly very fond of, hands me ten one-hundred-dollar bills, counting them out into my hand. I fold nine of them three times and tuck them into a tiny pocket in my black jeans. The other one I put in my wallet to spend today. I’ve never carried this much money in my life before, and it makes my head spin.
Araceli withdraws some money too, and then we head out again. “I’ve had this account since I was little. There’s a branch of this bank in Arizona as well.” As we walk out into the cold, her face brightens. “There’s Grace and Cyrus. They flew.”
They land on the sidewalk and Grace gives us one of her warm smiles. “Going shopping? Can we join you?”
“Of course,” I say, as I eye them in their short-sleeve shirts. Araceli and I are bundled up like we’re going out into the snow. “How do you stand the cold?”
“It’s something we learned this week in Light Control, which you’ll take next year,” Cyrus says with a grin.
Seraphim Academy 1: Wicked Wings Page 10