by Jill Myles
“A party?” The voice whispered across the gloom and rang in my ears, as loud as gunshots in the silence. “And I see you’ve invited friends, one of whom I have not met before.”
I felt the full impact of the queen’s focus on my body, and I nearly slithered into a boneless heap on the floor. There was something inherently wrong about her, something that made me want to run screaming and sleep with the lights on. This was old, old evil, and it had focused its attention on me.
“A whore-child? Unexpected. What is your name, whore-child?” I heard the clack of heels as she approached, could feel the malice rolling over me as I crouched and whimpered on the floor.
To my surprise, Zane spoke. “Her name is Colette. She’s a succubus like the other one.”
Oh lord, why was he lying to the queen? I wanted to babble out my most fearful secrets to her, even though I knew she’d use them against me. My mind was like a brick of ice as I stood there, paralyzed with fear and unable to function. “I–I …” I tried, and failed. My thick tongue wouldn’t work.
The queen sighed, the sound surprisingly gentle. “Ah, yes. I do remember the other one. I have not seen her in some time, though it is always a treat to see one of her … ilk.” The way she tasted the words made me think that it was not a treat at all, but a huge inconvenience, and both Remy and I would pay the cost. No wonder Remy had been skittish around the vampires, and I hoped I’d never have to see them again.
“It has been so long since your ilk,” she paused, reminding us “ilks” that it wasn’t a good thing to be, “have graced the halls of my own. There must be a reason,” she said, her voice becoming soft and deadly.
“Queen Nitocris,” Adam’s voice babbled up from the darkness. “The red-haired one put me to sleep. She was asking me things. Asking me about what we were doing. What we were searching for. She wanted to know specifics.” The words rolled out of his mouth like an awkward teenager tripping over themselves in their haste to escape his lips. “She was in my mind. I had to tell her.”
That little bastard sold me out! I should have left him to rot in his filthy little mind, where he belonged. Anger surged inside me, only to be washed away by the sound of Queen Nitocris’s laughter.
“What does a sex slave care about our doings?” There was mirth in the queen’s voice, but it wasn’t a good sort of mirth. It was more like oh-shit-you’re-in-trouble-now mirth. I cringed. “Perhaps we should speak to our lovely Colette.”
Icy fingers raised my chin, my eyes still squeezed tightly shut. “Look at me,” she commanded, and I found I had no choice but to obey.
Queen Nitocris was hauntingly beautiful. Dark mahogany brown hair was pulled tight against her scalp, and elegant, aquiline features with a haughty, delicate edge looked back at me. She wore a thin band around her forehead that proclaimed her queenship, and was dressed simply in an elegant red sheath that accentuated her spare, willowy figure and creamy golden skin. She looked like a movie star, a throwback from Hollywood’s golden days.
Except for the eyes. They were black, pupilless horrors that stared at me with malevolence hidden behind the bow of a smile. They filled me with terror, and she grinned at my fear, displaying a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth. A shark’s mouth, a killing mouth, outlined by ruby red lipstick.
I turned away, unable to look at her face any longer, my gorge rising.
She laughed again, the sound tinkling through the too-silent air. “Why, Colette is scared. Very astute of her-she has much reason to be scared, does she not, my Zane?”
“Yes, my queen.” Zane’s voice was smooth and bland, not the teasing darkness I remembered from earlier. All darkness had been swallowed up by the queen herself; she was a black hole in a room full of supernovas.
“What does a sex slave want to know about our doings?” the queen repeated, and I realized she expected me to answer.
I couldn’t tell her about my deal with Uriel. My mind wouldn’t work, though, and I couldn’t come up with a feasible lie. So I stood there quietly and choked on my own saliva, my eyes squeezed shut as I hoped this would all go away.
I didn’t see who flung me to the floor, nor the heel of the queen’s shoe that dug into my back. “She is not speaking, Zane. Make her talk, or I will.”
“You’d better tell her,” Zane told me quietly. “It’s not wise to anger the queen.”
I nodded, unable to look them in the eye. “Someone … asked me to find out what you are doing. Why the vampires are out on the streets lately.” I heard Remy’s sharp intake of breath behind me, but I didn’t have much choice.
“Oh? I can guess.” The queen knelt beside me and forced my face back toward her with those icy fingers. I felt them brush against my forehead, burning when they touched my angel kiss. “My, my. Didn’t your friend teach you not to pick sides, girl?”
My forehead felt like it was on fire, except where the tips of her fingers were touching my skin. It was like being caressed by evil itself. “I … I don’t have a side. He talked me into it, and I didn’t know what he was doing.” It sounded lame even to my own ears.
“Mmm.” The queen’s fingers left my skin, and I rubbed the burning spot with my fingers. The skin felt whole, even if it hurt like a bitch. “It could be that you’re too stupid and young yet to decide what you wish to do-this is true.” Her heels clacked away, and I squeezed my eyes open a crack, watching her go.
Then she turned to face me again, those black eyes fixed on my face. “Of course, if you can do a favor for the Archangel Gabriel, you can do a favor for me, can you not?”
Oh shit. That was the last thing I wanted. “I’m not working for Gabriel,” I protested, my words sounding weak.
“No? Then who?”
Ashamed at the compulsion I felt to respond to her words, I dropped my gaze to the floor. “Uriel.”
Her low chuckle made my skin crawl. “Just as well. He’s been fascinated with our doings for centuries. I just never thought he’d find someone foolish enough to do his dirty work.”
Yay me, for being the biggest fool in millennia.
She took my silence as a good sign. “You may go back to your little friend Uriel and tell him what I am up to. I don’t care. After all, we’ve been dealt the perfect hand. He’s trapped in his church like a holy rat, because he refuses to possess someone to seek what he desires. So it will do him no good to know what we seek.” I felt her burning gaze turn back onto me, even though I wasn’t looking at her. “You do know what it is we want, do you not, child?”
“A halo,” I whispered.
“Not just any halo,” she corrected, her shoes moving back toward me in the low angle of my vision. I cringed. “The halo of Joachim himself. Do you know who that is, little idiot?”
“No.”
“Joachim was the first angel to fall. He was the most beautiful of their kind, and he led the others down the path of sin when they chose to touch human women and know their bodies. Gabriel asked the angels to give up their lovers, but Joachim could not give up his mortal woman-me.”
My eyes shot up to her face. She didn’t look mortal, not one teeny bit.
Her mouth widened into a sharky grin at my surprise, and I flinched away. “It surprises you, little one. Back then I was the greatest queen my country had ever known, and I was a goddess to my people. I destroyed my husband and set Joachim on the throne in his place.
“But Joachim changed. Without his wings, without Heaven, his mind became unhinged, and he descended into darkness. Long years passed, and I looked for ways to please him and make him whole again. I practiced my witchcraft and learned pleasurable things, learned to keep myself young and pretty, but it was all for nothing. Joachim was lost.
“So I struck a deal with Lucifer himself, who knew something of the despair that my beloved was going through. Give him his wings back, and I will give Lucifer whatever he desires.”
Her smile became thin, brittle. “I should have guessed that Lucifer wanted something more, when he asked for noth
ing from me. He gave Joachim his wings, but in return, he warped and perverted the curse that Gabriel had laid upon the Serim. Gabriel’s curse was not a harsh one: to make love every full moon, to remind them why they were there on earth instead of in Heaven.
“Lucifer made Joachim crave blood. He got his wings, but he must drink human blood every day.” Her laughter was harsh and mocking. “Lucifer turned him into a monster. And my Joachim felt despair, even as he exulted in that which had been forbidden to him. What do you think of that, little one?”
I tried to swallow to wet my throat and failed miserably. “It must have been hard on him,” I rasped.
“Wrong,” she snarled, stalking over to me and slapping me across the face so hard that I felt my neck snap backward, making a cracking noise. Blackness bloomed in front of my eyes again, and receded just as fast.
“I gave him everything, and still he was not satisfied. Everything! I seduced the others to the same foul deal, so he would not feel alone. I destroyed my kingdom for him, feigned my own death and went into exile, all for him. I gave up everything I loved for Joachim. I even sold my own soul to Lucifer in exchange for a child of our own, thinking that would please him.
“I let Lucifer twist and manipulate me. I fornicated with his demons, let one possess my flesh, all to bring the shine back to Joachim’s eyes. And do you know what happened?”
I worked my jaw slowly, hearing the bones crack with each motion, shooting pain through my entire face. It sounded like a few things had broken. Did she really expect me to answer? I stared up into her mad black eyes.
“He turned on me. He said that I had turned him into the monster he was today. He did not see the power I had given him.” The wildness in her eyes was replaced by the frightening calm once more. “He took our son and left me, in search of redemption. He went to appeal to Heaven itself, to beg and plead his way back in. My strong, beautiful Joachim, reduced to sniveling, begging for another chance.”
Her lip curled in disgust, making the beautiful face a macabre mockery of itself. “He returned to the first temple consecrated to God, a temple he had built as pharaoh, and entered the doors, leaving my son on the doorstep. And do you know what happened to him?”
I shook my head, ignoring the cracking sounds in my neck. I didn’t trust my throat to answer.
“They destroyed him,” Queen Nitocris said in that horribly toneless, bland voice. “He appealed to them, begging for mercy, and they destroyed him where he stood. My son watched him burn alive, until all that was left was a halo on the altar-the essence of who he once was.”
Nitocris moved over to Zane and began to stroke her fingers through his hair in a maternal gesture, tucking the locks behind his ears. “And when my son returned to me with the news that he had failed both me and his father, I broke him as punishment.”
She focused another hideous smile on me and I cringed backward. “As I do to any who fail me,” she said, her words hissing between her teeth. “I stole his essence, pried it from his living form, and made it part of my own. It dwells inside me, as does the demon I gave myself to when I took what Lucifer offered.”
Yikes. I totally did not want to mess with this woman ever again. Frightened for my life, I wondered if sucking down the soul of a succubus could augment her powers. I hoped not. I hoped we didn’t give anyone anything but venereal disease.
“So what is it that you will tell Uriel, child?”
Oh, crap. On the spot again. She was gazing over at me from where she was draped all over a stiff-looking Zane, her eyes boring into me.
“Uh, I’ll tell him that you’re looking for your old boyfriend because you miss him and you’re lonely?”
The queen laughed again, putting my nerves on edge. “Wrong, my dear.” She stalked over to me and put her hands on my cheeks, as if she were staring down at a lover. “Do you know what you’ll tell him?”
“No,” I said, shying away from the terrible face that hovered too close. “What do I tell him?”
“You’re going to tell him that I want the halo. But not because I want Joachim back. Oh, no.” The rumble of a laugh started in her throat. “Not after he betrayed me. But I do want his power. And when I have his halo, I will absorb his essence into my flesh and become the most powerful creature on either side of Heaven or Hell.”
It was too terrifying to even think about. “I’ll tell him,” I agreed, too scared to do anything else.
“Good,” she purred. “And tell him that you’ll be getting it for me.” Nitocris pressed her lips onto my forehead, directly over the spot that Uriel had kissed me on. My forehead flared with heat once more, then settled into a dull, burning ache.
I jerked away from her, forgetting that she was the hungry shark and I was a mere minnow. “Me?” My voice came out as an angry squeak. “Why me?”
Nitocris studied me, smiling. “Don’t you want to work for me, child?”
“No!” I clapped a hand over my mouth as soon as I realized what I had said. Nitocris raised an eyebrow, and I cleared my throat. “What I meant to say was that I can’t work for you. I’m sorry.”
“You’ll work for me, whore-child. Do not doubt it.” She laughed again, strolling back to where Remy was being held at one of the booths. A feeling of dread began to sweep over me. “You do value your friendship with this one, do you not?” she called over her shoulder, approaching Remy and putting her fingers under her chin.
Remy stared straight ahead, ignoring the queen, her eyes focused on me with a warning look. I couldn’t tell if she was warning me not to fall for the queen’s bluff, or to do what she asked.
“So pretty, isn’t she? But then again, that’s one of the trademarks of your kind. Pretty, and sexual. It’s been a long time since my men have tasted the flesh of a succubus, and I know that they consider it a rare and wonderful delight.” Her smile was turned back to me again. “I think your friend will stay with us while you go and find my halo. What do you think?”
“I think it’s a bad idea?” I offered meekly, trying to be tough and failing miserably.
Nitocris’s smile became thin. “Nevertheless, she’ll stay with us until you bring the halo back and place it in my hands. Understand?” She released Remy and pointed at two of her men. “Take her away and chain her up.”
The vampire pair immediately grabbed Remy, wide smiles creasing their faces. Dread settled in the pit of my stomach as Remy began to kick and scream, snarling obscenities at the two men. “Don’t do it,” she screamed over and over. “Don’t do it!”
I didn’t know if she was talking to me or the queen. I turned wide eyes on Nitocris, who was admiring her fingernails.
“Such a pity that she’s not in a more amenable mood, isn’t it?” She gave me a coy smile. “I’m sure that will change in the next twenty-four hours or so. How often do you girls have the urge? As often as my men must feed, yes?”
That bitch. I watched, helpless, as they dragged Remy away. “You can’t do this. She hasn’t done anything.” Desperation tore through me.
“No, she hasn’t,” the queen agreed. “Which is why you’ll want to free her from her prison. All you need to do is bring me a halo. Simple, isn’t it?”
Remy’s screams grew quieter and more muffled. Tears threatened my eyes, and I had to blink hard to force them away. I didn’t want to cry in front of her.
“Well?” Nitocris regarded me with interest. “What do you have to say, Colette?”
My body was numb. I felt my lips move, but it didn’t register, not even when I heard myself say, “You’ll get your halo.”
Queen Nitocris smiled. “I know.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
As soon as I was released from the nightclub, I stumbled outside and threw up. Shaking, sick, and frightened out of my mind, I wiped my chin and stumbled to valet parking and retrieved Remy’s car. No one seemed to think anything of me leaving by myself after entering with the famous Miss Summore, which made me wonder what kind of life she led, or what sorts of t
hings truly went on in the club.
I got behind the wheel of Remy’s BMW and buckled in, turning the A/C on high. I felt overheated and like I’d been turned inside out. Nitocris’s hideous smile played through my mind over and over, as well as Remy’s terrified screams.
This was all my fault.
My skin crawled, too. Not with fear or horror (though those were certainly running through my mind), but with lust. Queen Nitocris’s kiss had canceled out the angel’s kiss and replaced it with something far more compulsive. My overheated flesh cried out for relief, the soft fabric of my clothing chafing against my skin. The Itch had returned.
I opened the glove compartment and yanked out Remy’s cell phone as I eased the car onto the highway, then hammered my thumb on the down arrow to flip through the saved numbers. Her address book was enormous, but I found Noah’s cell number and pressed the memory dial button. The phone rang once and went straight to voicemail. “This is Noah. Leave a message.”
“Shit!” I screamed into the phone. “Answer the phone, you asshole. I need you!” I slammed my finger down on the Disconnect button and threw the phone into the passenger seat.
Then I smacked my hand against the steering wheel. “Oh, shit-it’s night. Noah’s not up yet.” I winced. He wasn’t going to like my voicemail.
He wouldn’t be too keen on my news, either, come to think of it. The voicemail was the least of our worries.
I drove around for a while, trying to get my mind together. It was still at least an hour or two before dawn, and I wasn’t tired, of course. I didn’t need sleep anymore. I did, however, need a righteous shot of coffee and some headache pills.
I also needed to have a talk with my buddy Uriel, who’d sold me down a river with a smile and a kiss.
Half an hour later, I stormed into St. Anthony’s cathedral with a latte in hand. If I’d thought the church was empty at 6:30 a.m., it was a wasteland at four in the morning. I sat down on the back pew and sipped my coffee. The heat between my legs was uncomfortable, so I crossed my legs back and forth, squirming as I waited.