Succubus Kiss The Complete Series

by Jennifer Snyder

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but there’s no way Luke can help you. He makes people feel things and that’s it.”

  “Feel things? Like what? Project emotions onto people?” If that were the case, then I wasn’t sure why my mother thought he could help.

  “Yeah. He also puts spells on people, like love spells and stuff, but he can’t take away anythin’ and that’s what I think you need.” Dex’s words crushed any hope I had of Luke being able to get rid of the wraith. “His sister can though,” he added, surprising me completely.

  Chapter 3

  “His sister?” My heart was pounding in my throat, pumping life back into the hope that this might all be over with soon. “Where can we find her? At Love Potion #9?”

  Dex shook his head. “No. I don’t know where she is. She went into hidin’ a few years ago.”

  I felt sick from the whiplash of my emotions. If she went into hiding, how would I find her? Luke looked like an ass even in pictures, and I was sure the chances of him giving up his sister’s whereabouts were probably slim to none. I knew his type, and they didn’t help anyone unless it benefited them as well.

  “What is she hiding from?” For all I knew, she could be hiding from her damn arrogant brother. If that was the case, then I really was screwed.

  Dex stood and stretched his arms high above his head. The edge of his T-shirt rose up, exposing an inch or two of his tan stomach. I shifted my gaze elsewhere, not wanting to give him any ideas. “Anyone and everythin’, I guess.” He started toward my kitchen. The little smirk on his face let me know he had seen me avert my eyes and found it amusing. “Care if I make myself a coffee?”

  “No, go ahead.” I followed him, glad that I kept not only my favorite teas stocked in the carousal, but also a select blend of coffees for friends. I pulled him a mug down from in the cabinet beside the sink, and then leaned against the counter. “Do you think Luke will tell us where we can find her?”

  “I don’t know. I mean, who’s to say he even knows?” He turned on the faucet and filled his mug with water. “It couldn’t hurt to ask though.”

  I watched him as he spun the carousel beside my coffeemaker, searching through the selection while I thought about what he had said. He was right again. I was learning that my first impression of Dex had been way off.

  Shortly after finishing his coffee and taking a hot shower, Dex left. Apparently, he and Sage had taken separate vehicles last night since he had to work today. I didn’t envy his lunch-shift job. While I wasn’t much of a night owl, I did enjoy sleeping in and taking my time getting ready for work. Generally speaking, that is.

  Tonight, however, I was tempted to call Landon and tell him I wouldn’t be able to make it. The desire to visit Love Potion #9 and speak with Luke was overpowering. There was only one thing that kept me from faking a sickness so I could do just that—the fear that I would learn Luke wouldn’t or couldn’t help me. I chewed my bottom lip while staring at my computer screen, wondering if he even knew where his sister was.

  “Why does her face look so constipated?” Sage’s voice startled me. I hadn’t heard her leave my guest room. “I like the rest of it, but her expression is all wrong.” She yawned and stretched her arms above her head.

  I zeroed in on the model’s face. My creative juices were lacking, so I decided to open up a new document and start from scratch on something without expectations. So far, I thought the cover was one of my better works and had planned to post it in the pre-made section of my website once I was finished shading the border, but now that Sage called me out on the girl’s expression, I felt like scrapping the entire thing.

  She did look constipated. Why hadn’t I noticed it before?

  “You’re right.” I clicked around until I found another image with the same model. Her expression was softer, but the position of her body was still similar. Maybe I could cut the other one out and paste this one in without losing the feel I was going for and having to redo the entire thing. “Does this one look any better?”

  Sage leaned against the back of my chair. “Oh yeah. She looks more pensive than constipated in that one. It goes good with the sunset behind her, too.” She released her grip on my chair and pointed to my coffeemaker. “Can I?”

  “Sure.” I deleted the layer with the constipated-looking expression and cropped the other image before adding it in.

  “Where’s Dex?”

  “He left for work earlier.”

  Sage poured water into the machine. “Oh, right. So, has Randal called you or anything yet?”

  My heart constricted at the mention of his name. I had buried myself in creating covers all afternoon and hadn’t given much thought to the subject of him. Until now. “Nope. Not yet.”

  “Don’t worry.” The sound of her closing the lid on the coffeemaker met my ears. “He will.”

  While I was glad she felt so confident about him coming around, I didn’t share the same feelings. She hadn’t seen the way he looked at me—how sad his eyes had been, the strange stillness that surrounded him, how quickly he had walked away as though he couldn’t stand to be in the same room as me.

  While I might not know Randal well, I could tell this was something he wasn’t prepared to face. Not now, and quite possibly not ever. His leaving me the way he had proved it. Randal didn’t seem like the type to run from things of this magnitude; he seemed like the type people would run to and he would help any way he could. Was it possible that I had gauged him wrong?

  “So, what are your plans until we head to work?” She was gripping her freshly brewed mug of coffee between her hands, blowing on its contents.

  “Nothing much. I’d like to finish this cover and upload it to my website.” Designs by Kenna, my graphic design company, was still holding strong. I wasn’t sure what exactly had changed over the last month, but I wasn’t complaining in the slightest about the steady trickle of clients rolling in.

  “Cool. I think I’ll head home after I finish this. I want to shower and stuff before work.”

  “That’s fine.” I saved what I’d been working on, and then spun around to face her. “Are you up for heading to Love Potion #9 after our shift?” I knew my question was random, but I needed to ask. There was no way I wanted to walk into a club like that alone. While Dex had mentioned he would come with me, I would feel more comfortable walking in there with him if Sage came as well.

  Sage’s nose scrunched up. “Why there?”

  “It’s where I was told to go.”

  She lifted a brow at my cryptic answer.

  “My mom came to visit me last night. She told me I should go to Love Potion #9 and talk with Luke Bloom, that he might be able to help me get rid of the wraith.”

  “Um…Luke Bloom?” There was attitude etched into her words that took me by surprise. I couldn’t decipher whether she was annoyed at the mention of his name, or if she was excited by the prospect of visiting him but didn’t want to let on. Sage could be a hard one to read sometimes. “How could he, of all people, help you?”

  Obviously, it was annoyance I had heard and not the latter.

  “Dex practically said the same thing.” I sighed. “I’m not sure, but I think it’s his sister I need.”

  “Good luck finding her.” Sage scoffed. “No one’s seen Lexy in like five years.”

  “Why?” Dex hadn’t known the answer to that question, but Sage might. At least I hoped.

  “No one really knows. Some say she felt like an embarrassment to the other witches. Others say she didn’t want to practice magic anymore, and that she was running from what she was when she left.” She leaned her hip against the counter and took a sip of her coffee. “Being a supernatural isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. You of all people should be able to understand that.”

  Sage was right. There had been so many times over the last year when I wished for things to go back to the way they were before my trip to New Orleans, before my awakening, and I learned I was cursed forever to be something I h
adn’t been aware even existed.

  “I’ll go with you tonight though, sure.” She smirked behind her coffee mug. “Luke can be a handful.”

  “You sound like you know this from personal experience.” I tipped my head to the side.“And you’re leaving me wondering if his being a handful is a good thing or bad thing.”

  “With Luke, you’ll have to decide that for yourself.” She set her mug on the counter. “I’m out of here. I need to get some things done before my shift at Spark. I didn’t think through staying the night well.” She smoothed her long, inky hair into a ponytail and secured it in place with a hair tie from her wrist.“I need a shower and some clean clothes. I feel like I smell like a damn brewery.” A disgusted look made its way onto her face.

  “Funny thing is, after a few hours on the clock, customers won’t even notice,” I teased.

  “Haha,” Sage gathered her things as she started toward my front door. “I would know, and that’s the whole point. I’ll see you in a few hours. Thanks for letting me crash here last night.”

  “No problem. Thanks for coming over.” My words were laced with so much apprehension. I hoped she could sense it.

  She lumped all her stuff into one arm and crossed back to where I was sitting to pull me into a hug. “We’ll figure this out. If Luke doesn’t know where his sister is, then we’ll find someone who does.”

  “Thanks.” While what she said was easier said than done, it still filled me with hope.

  “See you in a little while.” She started for the door again.

  “Bye.” I stretched my arms above my head as I watched her leave. My body craved sleep, but I was afraid to take even the shortest nap. What if the wraith pulled me into that dark-walled nightmare with him again? I wouldn’t take the chance.

  I stood and rinsed my tea mug from earlier in the sink. Caffeine was what I needed. Moments like these, I wished I could get past the taste and be a coffee-drinker like everyone else. I reached for a Pepsi from my fridge instead, deciding it would be just as good.

  After popping the top, I situated myself back in front of my laptop and opened the internet browser. I scrolled through a few stock photo sites, searching for the right background for a custom cover I had yet to start, but my mind wasn’t in it. Instead I typed in Luke’s name again. As I glanced through more images of him, I came across one that caught my eye. In it, he had his arm draped around a girl with blond hair and features nearly identical to his. I narrowed my eyes. Staring at the picture, I counted the similarities between the two. Hitting me like a bolt of lightning, a question popped into my head: Were Luke and Lexy twins?

  Chapter 4

  Spark wasn’t as busy as I assumed it would be. I wondered if it was because the turn-aways from Red River were dying down. Buzz from its opening and Randal being in town could be fading too. Either that or he had left town without mentioning anything to me, and the groupies who lurked around him had followed him.

  Would he really leave without saying goodbye? I wasn’t sure. We hadn’t known each other long, and with his reaction to the wraith being inside me, I couldn’t rule the possibility out.

  “Hey.” I jumped at Landon’s sudden close proximity. My mind had been preoccupied all night, which had me on edge. “Are you okay? You seem a little off tonight.”

  “Hi, yeah.” I grabbed a glass for the guy to Landon’s right and continued with the order of craft beer he had placed. “I’m fine. Just a little tired, I guess.” Not entirely a lie.

  “Do you need an extra break? I can cover for you, if so.” The concern in his voice took me by surprise. When I lifted my eyes to him again, I could see it swirling through his aura. Muddy yellow dots speckled his natural yellow-orange.

  I hated that my emotions seemed to be on display, but sometimes I couldn’t do anything about it. My mind wasn’t here. Instead, it was trying to find Love Potion #9 and wondering how I should go about asking Luke for help.

  “I think I’m okay.” I flashed him a small smile and handed the guy beside him the drinks he’d ordered. Keeping my hands busy was what I needed to do, not sit in a silent break room alone with my thoughts.

  “Okay, well let me know if you change your mind.”

  His presence irked me. Did I really look that shitty tonight? The muddy yellow spots in Landon’s aura spread as he continued to stare at me. He was worried about me. I fought the desire itching through me to smooth my hands over my hair. I must look like a hot mess. “I will, thanks.”

  “What was that all about?” Sage nudged me once Landon had walked away. “You two looked like you were having an intense moment.”

  I ripped my stare from his back. “He asked if I needed another break.”

  “And why didn’t he ask me, if he was passing them out?” She placed her hands on her hips.

  “Obviously, you don’t look as shitty as I do.” I motioned to myself.

  Sage eyed me. “You really do.”

  “Gee, thanks. Don’t sugarcoat anything, okay?”

  “I never do.” A smirk twisted her red lips.

  A customer stepped to the bar, taking a seat in front of me. I watched as he carefully scanned the top shelf behind me. His eyes were a light honey brown, and his hair was a red color.

  “I’ll take a bourbon on the rocks.” He handed me a folded twenty. “Top shelf only.”

  “Okay.” I didn’t take the money from him first. Instead I poured his drink of choice. “There you go. That’s seven bucks, please.”

  He slipped the twenty closer to me, and I took it. When I handed him his change, his fingertips brushed against mine. It wasn’t uncommon in this line of work, especially when the customer had already consumed a few drinks and was hitting on me, but something was off about the way this guy did it, something that sent a shiver through me. When I felt coldness slip through my chest and the wraith stir, I realized it might not be the guy who was off, but the wraith causing the strange sensation.

  “I’m Kyle.” He flashed me a crooked grin. “What’s your name, pretty little thing?”

  The iciness of the wraith radiated from my heart. Was it intrigued by this guy’s presence or annoyed? “Not interested.” I forced my hand away from his.

  The guy’s eyes flashed with excitement as though my dismissive tone had sparked a challenge between us he was willing to accept. “Ouch, you’re a little hostile. My guess is I’m not the only one who has hit on you tonight.”

  “Yup. None of them got my name or number, and you won’t either, so why don’t you quit while you’re ahead?” My lips twisted into a smirk, not because I wanted to give him false hope and play hard to get, but because I found humor in turning him down so blatantly. He didn’t seem like the type that happened to often.

  “Feisty, just my type.” He took a swig of his drink while keeping his eyes trained on me.

  “Damn right, she is, and way too much for you to handle.” Sage leaned against the bar top, displaying her cleavage for Kyle. “She’s also not interested in you, but I might be.”

  My eyes drifted to take in the guy’s aura. It was changing from a bright orange-red to a solid red before my eyes. He was turned on by us both, but it seemed Sage called to him more than I did. This was fine by me, even if it was rare, considering what I was.

  However, a twinge of sickness followed by a frigid sensation slithered through my stomach, making me wonder if the wraith wasn’t as all right with my decision.

  I was hungry, and it seemed as though the wraith was as well.

  Another ache of hunger clamped my stomach. Generally, it took a while before I felt this famished. Worry darkened my thoughts. How would I put my selection strategy in place if I was pressed for time?

  “Here.” Sage reached around me for a napkin and pulled a pen from under the bar. She scribbled numbers down. “I have to get back to work. Call me tomorrow night.”

  Kyle finished off his bourbon and then slid the empty glass toward me, his eyes still trained on Sage. “Will do. It was nice
meeting you, Sage.”

  I stared at his effervescent aura. It was tempting me far more than I felt comfortable with.

  “Can I get another, cupcake?” Kyle had shifted his stare to me. There was mischief in his eyes. I had turned him down, and he’d found someone just as sexy who was interested. The entire situation had stroked his ego. The orange-red I’d noticed earlier in his aura was becoming the dominant color again.

  “Sure.” I poured him another drink, and then moved on to the next person after taking his money.

  Sage would break him of his arrogance. There was no need for me to. Still, that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to have to feed again soon.

  As the night progressed, the sickness inside me strengthened tenfold. The muscles between my shoulder blades burned and ached with my every move. Each time I lifted my arm to reach something, I could feel the tension in my muscles rebelling against the movement. As if that wasn’t enough, the aura of every guy in Spark seemed to call to me, urging me to come closer for a taste. Either that, or else the wraith was influencing me.

  An hour before my shift was over, I wasn’t sure I would be able to make it without sneaking off into a dark corner with a guy. Any guy.

  “Why don’t you call it a night?” Landon had crept up on me again.

  I had been eyeing the dance floor, attempting to draw my attention away from the guy sitting in front of me at the bar who was trying too hard to get in the pants of the girl he was on a date with. “My shift isn’t over though.”

  Landon leaned closer. I knew it was in an effort to hear me better and vice versa, but being this close to his lips and vibrant aura wasn’t helping my situation. “I know, but you look like you’re about to drop dead any second.”

  He had no idea how close to the truth he was with that statement, even if it did sting a little.

  “Great. Thanks for telling me I look terrible.” The words didn’t come out nearly as sarcastic and humorous as I’d intended them to. Instead, they were bordering on complete bitch. “I’ll be on my way.”