by Lizzy Ford
“They taste like shit, but they work so well,” Vikki said. “I never go on a mission without a couple.”
They made small talk all the way to the club. Zoey concentrated hard on not telling her best friend what she knew about her. She was grateful for the distraction of the crowd when they entered the club and went to the tables near the bar. All were full, so they crowded the bar instead.
Vikki ordered two bottled waters then made a face that elicited a laugh from Zoey. They leaned back against the bar to watch the people. Zoey sipped her water, trying to pretend it was something else.
“So, along with my vodka, did you steal my diary?”
Vikki’s casual question made Zoey spew the water in her mouth. She coughed. Vikki patted her back hard enough that Zoey knew she was pissed.
“Yeah,” Zoey managed finally.
“I figured. Not sure whether to thank you or…” Vikki searched her face.
“What makes you think I read it?” Zoey tried to be casual.
“Because you can’t lie for shit.”
Sighing, Zoey met her gaze. “Dude, what do you want me to say?”
“I want you to say you didn’t turn it over to the IAB. And then, I want you to say you did, because if you didn’t, it means I’ll drag you down with me.”
“I didn’t,” Zoey said. “You know me. There are only a few people I trust and care about. I’m not going to turn on you.”
“You may not have a choice if the Enforcers summon you.”
“I don’t care.”
“You’re too stupid for your own good sometimes,” Vikki said, irritated. “I have a way out of this. You don’t, so don’t do anything stupid.”
“Liam is the way out?”
“Yeah.”
“But you won’t take it,” Zoey guessed. “If they take you out, I’m going, too.”
They gazed at each other, each in pain. Zoey flung her arms around Vikki, not wanting to lose her friend.
“You fool,” Vikki murmured, hugging her back. “You would sacrifice yourself for me, wouldn’t you?”
“Duh. My plan is to piss them off enough, they kill me fast.”
Vikki laughed. “If anyone could do it, you could. The Professor will protect you. You’re like a daughter to him, and he’s in real good with the Incubatti. My guardian, Dimitri?” she shook her head as she pulled away. “He’ll be happy to see me go.”
“What a dick.”
“What about Eric? Any chance he’ll take you back?”
Zoey said nothing. She turned to the bartender and waved him down.
“I take it that’s a no. Didn’t I tell you so?” Vikki asked.
“I don’t fit in. I want to be normal.”
“How’s that working out for you?”
“Two vodka-cranberry and four shots of tequila,” Zoey told the bartender.
“I’m on water tonight,” Vikki said firmly.
“No way.”
“Way.”
“Whose orders?” Zoey asked, eyes narrowing. “You don’t give a shit what Dimitri says.”
“Yeah, well, a soul-mate is a whole different ballgame,” Vikki said.
Zoey studied her, wanting to ask questions, but terrified of the answers. The less she acknowledged the Professor’s words, the more she could deny the idea that some strange Incubus was going to knock at her door and demand to marry her.
The drinks came. Zoey waited ten minutes for Vikki to crack.
“You’re serious,” she said at last, incredulous. What did it take to keep someone like her from alcohol when the drinks sat in front of her? She loved the Professor and still couldn’t resist.
“You have no idea.” Vikki said with a shake of her head. “You were mostly sober last night. Doesn’t it feel weird? Like, this place is annoying.”
Zoey laughed. “Yeah. Wait ‘til you go to kill one. You know, my aim is so much better when I’m sober.” She chewed her lip, humor fading. “Vikki, if you can’t drink alcohol, can you still … you know. Go out with me on unscheduled missions?”
“Absolutely.” Vikki leaned forward. “Zoey, no matter what happens, we have a plan. It’s a good one. The fucked up rules the Sucubatti make us follow only let more people die. We have the power to stop it.”
“What about Liam?”
Vikki hesitated. “Well, I kinda told him.”
“You what?”
“He’s okay with it,” Vikki said, troubled. “For now. Something is up. I can’t figure it out, and he’s not sharing.”
“Why’d you tell him? It’s supposed to be our secret,” Zoey said, upset.
“Zoey, he reads my mind. It’s not like I can hide things with someone else in my head.”
Irritated, Zoey began to wonder if the final piece of her life was being destroyed. How could they run a secret Cambion-killing group, if the enemy knew about it? She started drinking the untouched alcohol in front of Vikki.
“It’s not that bad,” Vikki said.
“Yeah, it is. Everything’s gone to shit.”
“Any room at your pity party for me?” Vikki giggled. “I’ll be back. Running to the restroom.”
Zoey lifted her drink in acknowledgment and watched her friend weave her way through the crowds. The beverage was halfway to her mouth when she felt it. She froze.
An Incubus was in the club. She tried to ignore him, aware of their rules of engagement that forbade Halflings from having anything to do with the full-blooded bastards. Unlike the Incubuses she occasionally crossed paths with in clubs, this one didn’t want to be ignored.
If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was purposely summoning her.
Declan used his magic to nudge the two blonde models occupying the table in the corner out of their seats. He settled on a barstool at the newly abandoned table, gaze seeking out the woman he sought. The two girls whose table he stole huddled together a couple of steps away, staring at him for a long moment, before they started towards him with familiar fire in their eyes. He sent them away with a flare of magic and waited.
His soul-mate’s shoulders were hunched. She sensed him the same way he did her: strong enough to cause alarm. Only she didn’t know why; she was out when he touched her last night. Dressed in a slinky maroon dress and four inch heels, she was even more gorgeous awake. Her aura was stronger than any Hunter’s he had ever seen. Based on the additional research he did this day, she was the most lethal Hunter in the Sucubatti, and she was armed with more than sex energy. While he understood why, he eyed the subtle placement of her weapons with disapproval.
Incubatti didn’t use weapons. Period. It was a tasteless display of power that the Sucubatti were known for. She’d have to learn that rule quickly, if she was going to fit in.
She was fighting him already. He released more of his magic, enough that she jerked visibly at the silent summons.
Declan watched her maneuver through the crowd. Her step was sure, her cheeks flushed from the heat of the club, her understated make-up rendering her striking. She had blue eyes, and he found himself trying to define their color. It was between ocean blue and the night sky, just before sunset, an intriguing hue that matched the contradiction she was. Angelic features nonetheless held a wild woman with a disciplinary record that appalled him. Her curls were captured in a clip at the top of her head, except for one that bounced against a gold-tinted cheek.
She stopped on the other side of the table, wariness in her gaze.
“Do I know you?” she asked.
“Is that your best pick-up line?” he returned. “We can start over, if you’d like.”
She pursed her full lips together in reluctant amusement while drawing a knife under the cover of the table. She was assessing him. From what he knew, she was not the kind who hesitated to strike. She sensed their shared destiny without knowing that’s what made her pause.
“You want to hear my favorite?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“Nice shoes. Wanna fuck?”
> “I like it,” Declan smiled “and yes, I do.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t fuck your kind,” she replied.
“You will before the night is over.”
Interest and suspicion crossed her features. If she had an inkling she stood before her soul-mate, she didn’t show any sign she recognized him.
“I came with a couple of messages for you,” he started and leaned forward.
“I’ll take the bait,” she said mockingly and mirrored his movement. She drew closer, holding his gaze in a way that made his blood heat.
“First, don’t draw your weapon on me,” he said.
“Fuck you.” She said and drew another; one she held inside her wrist in plain sight and the other in the hand below the table.
“That better be an invitation.”
“It wasn’t.”
He released a small trickle of power. Her face flushed, her pupils dilating in response. She didn’t back down. In fact, she circled the table and stopped beside him, staring directly into his gaze with open challenge.
“You have rules about hurting me. I have none about hurting you,” she whispered. “You sure you want to throw down with me right here?”
“I’ll consider it foreplay.”
Declan wasn’t intimidated by the lethal vixen in front of him; he was totally turned on. He didn’t expect a wild animal like this one would make his blood burn hotter. He entered the club expecting to collar and drag out someone he was determined wouldn’t stir his interest. Instead, he found himself caught up in her blue eyes and the back-and-forth of their sex energy in the air between them. She was tugging at his then releasing it back at him in an attempt to influence him.
“I only need one strike to end your life.”
“If you wanted me dead, you wouldn’t be talking to me.” He smiled. “You have no idea who I am.”
“I’m not afraid of you,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to see if I could kill an Incubus.”
“I’ll give you a chance tonight, before I fuck you.”
“No deal, jackass. You can fuck yourself, though.”
Declan touched her then. He let the fingers of one hand trail down her arm lightly then gripped her wrist while his other hand rested possessively at her neck. His thumb slid across her full lips once, twice.
Zoey didn’t move. She tensed at his touch, but it wasn’t the tension of a warrior about to strike. Confusion crossed her features. The direct contact of their skin eased his discomfort, but he wasn’t as considerate with her. He let his magic tease her from the inside out. The images in his mind were carried across to hers through his touch and magic.
Her eyes went to his mouth as vivid images filled her mind, fed by his sex energy.
Teeth grazing her nipple before he took it into his mouth and teased it into a hard bud. Hot kisses trailed down her stomach. Gently separating the petals of her sex with his fingers so he could give a long, hard stroke of his tongue against the aching bud hidden between them.
Zoey shuddered. Her gaze took on a dreamy quality.
“Now that I have your attention,” Declan continued in a low voice. “I came with a warning. You’re going to be outmanned by Cambions tonight. You may want to leave, before you end up in trouble.”
With effort, she shifted away from his touch and shook her head. The sharpness returned to her blue eyes.
“I kill Cambions for a living. There’s no such thing as something I can’t handle,” she replied.
“You really think so?”
“I know so.”
“Alright. I’ll make you a bet. If you get in over your head tonight, and I have to interfere, you fuck me. If you don’t, you don’t,” he said casually.
“You interfere?” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll take that bet any day of the week.”
“Then we have a deal,” he said. “I promise to be gentle, the first time at least.”
“I can handle the Cambions, and I can handle someone like you,” she replied.
“Then go fight, my little kitten. We’ll see what happens.” He smiled, satisfied with the deal.
“Believe it or not, I can fight pretty damn well.”
“We’ll see.”
“We have met, haven’t we,” she said with more conviction.
“Not officially.”
“I’m sorry you’ll have to find a new girl for your bed tonight,” she said. “It’s a shame. Your accent is sexy as hell.” She winked.
“Trust me. You’ll have your chance soon enough.”
With a shake of her head, she whirled and walked away from him, her hips and ass sashaying in a way that made him sweat.
Declan almost laughed in surprise. No one had ever spoken to him – or probably any Incubus – like this! He thought a spirited soul-mate was going to repulse him, because she was the opposite of the discipline and training he’d been drilled in since he was young. Instead, she made him want her bad.
His attention was snagged by the gathering of Cambions outside the club. He couldn’t stay here and interfere in what happened. After all, if he scared them off, Zoey wasn’t going to lose their bet.
Declan reached the hallway leading to the rear exit and then paused. There weren’t a couple dozen Cambions. Their numbers were closer to a hundred. Paul, the leader of the Cambions now seated on the Incubatti Council, was taking no chance of allowing the girls to escape this trap.
Declan pushed the door open and stepped into the back alley. It was cold and smelly. He gazed around. The alley was clear of Cambions; the bulk of them were waiting in the buildings on either side of the club. The club was surrounded on three sides by alleys, one of which was blocked. By the scent of cement in the air, it had recently been blocked off. It made him suspicious, especially after finding Zoey unconscious outside a club the other night. Was this a set-up of some sort? After all, the two girls in the club were two of the top three most wanted Cambion killers.
Declan gathered his magic and leapt on top of the building, sensing he was going to be needed shortly.
Zoey struggled to clear her mind of the Incubus’s strange magic. It almost seemed like she was stuck in his grip, as if his magic had dug its claws into her and wasn’t letting go. The ache between her legs made it hard for her to walk straight.
He touched her with the assured familiarity of a man who knew he wasn’t going to be rejected. Worse, her body responded with yearning unlike anything she’d ever felt. Like she was his or something. The interaction left her rattled and battling the sex energy that craved the touch of some stranger who seemed to be able to see straight through her. The images of how he’d pleasure her in bed turned her thoughts into confetti in a stiff wind.
Whiskey-hued eyes flecked with green, light brown hair, chiseled features, a body he clearly took care of and expensive clothing. He was quietly confident with a presence that blew her away and a low, husky voice that made her breath quicken. The instincts bred to be sensitive to sex energy were quivering at the depth of his power. He’d let her pull his magic, fully aware she couldn’t influence him, even if she soaked up everything he had.
Zoey didn’t like that at all.
She tried to shake it off and was grateful when Vikki returned. She didn’t have time to tell her friend about the strange interaction before they both turned towards the door, sensing the Cambions. Zoey tossed back another two shots of tequila to clear her head and waited to see who entered.
“Vikki, that’s more than five,” she said, counting. “There’s a dozen.”
Vikki looked surprised. “Dimitri said our intel indicated maybe five. I’m thinking they brought reinforcements, since we’ve figured out where they’re going.”
“We can do it,” Zoey said, thoughts on the bet she made with a random Incubus. “I’m up for it. God, I need this.”
“We probably can. I’m calling for back-up on this one, just in case.” Vikki pulled her phone free and texted someone quickly. “How many do you think you can take?”
&n
bsp; “I’ve done six at once.”
“I bet I can do seven.”
Zoey held out her hand at the bet. As the top two Hunters, they were always competing. Alcohol was out for tonight, but killing wasn’t.
“Okay, plan of attack.”
“If we each take half, I bet we can take them,” Zoey considered. Their sex energy reached her. With one or two, the effect was gradual. With a dozen, it was immediate. The magic lit her blood on fire and fed her tumbling emotions. Zoey wanted them all dead. Now.
“We’ve got two alleys.” Vikki assessed. “You take one, I take the other?”
“Sounds like a plan.” Zoey stretched up and loosened her dark curls, letting them cascade around her bare shoulders. Vikki grinned, her eyes lit with the same fire Zoey felt. They could project the magic to radiate the same sort of sex appeal that drew the girls to the Incubuses.
“I’ll go first,” Zoey said. She drew a deep breath and tested the magic in her blood. Killing the bastards there to prey on innocent women was a perfect release, especially after the weird attraction she felt to the sexy Incubus who somehow managed to prevent his own death with a smile.
“I’ll wait five minutes then go,” Vikki said. “Good luck. Meet up at IHOP?”
Zoey nodded. They bumped fists, and she stepped away. Zoey waited until she was closer to push the magic out of her body. She walked towards the group with the steady pace of a confident seductress, unafraid. They sensed her before she reached them.
Ignoring them, she wound through them at a pace that allowed her to commandeer their senses. When she’d reached the one closest to the door, she faced them and smiled. Those nearest her started forward. Zoey danced out of their reach and paced to the door and into the street. Certain to stay a few steps ahead of the few she’d drawn out of the club, she went to the alley where she’d kill the Cambion the night before, recalling how good the lighting was.
Looking up at the lights, she didn’t realize the other end of the alley was sealed off until she’d walked halfway down it. Surprise then irritation filled her. The same city that waited three months to fill a pothole had built a wall in her alley overnight?