“And why is that?” I scoffed, hating how he was still so damn stuck on that issue.
“You’re walking the fine line all supernaturals come to at a certain point in their lives.” Randal set his drink down and clasped his hands together in front of him. “Either we stay connected to the humans who don’t know we have been sucked into this parallel world, or else we let our secrets rip them away from us because we know deep down they wouldn’t believe us if we told them what we were.”
My throat grew dry. That was exactly the battle I had been fighting since Bree’s arrival. Instinctively, I knew this visit wouldn’t draw us together, spreading more glue on our friendship so that our bond would be stronger. Instead, it would push us further apart.
There were too many secrets between us now.
I paused in wiping the bar top. “That’s why it’s so hard to figure out how to ask her to leave.” I locked eyes with him. “I’m not ready to let our friendship go like that.”
He turned away as conflicting emotions ran across his face. “I know, but with this situation it’s something that must be done, Kenna.” When his gaze finally drifted back to mine, his eyes were somber and dark. “I can’t stress to you enough the importance of time with this issue. We must find Lexy as soon as possible, and for that to happen, Bree must be sent home.”
“I get that. I do.” I tossed the rag into the sink behind me and moved to rinse my hands, pausing our conversation until I could think of a legitimate excuse.
“Kenna, you can cut out early tonight if you want.” Landon was behind me. The fact that this was the first time I had paid him any attention tonight was not lost on me. My mind was on overload, because this had never happened before.
While I wouldn’t consider myself a stalker when it came to Landon, it was safe to say, when he was within a certain range, I was always zeroed in on his presence.
Tonight was different.
“Okay, thanks.” My stomach somersaulted when I realized how close he actually was.
He rubbed the back of his neck, his incredible blue eyes never leaving me. “I couldn’t help but notice your friends sitting at the bar all night.” His lips twisted into a crooked grin when he spoke. I focused on his yellow-orange aura. Dear God, it always tempted me. “I would have let you leave about an hour ago, but with Trinity being so new and Sage not here tonight, I was a little hesitant.”
“That’s fine. No problem.” I attempted to force my face into a neutral expression, knowing Randal was sitting a few feet away watching. The last thing I wanted was to give him any reason to suspect there was something going on between my boss and me. Those with a guilty conscience were always paranoid, right? Well, in my case, maybe I should say a wishful conscience.
“I’m back,” Bree announced, breaking up the awkward moment. She couldn’t have had better timing.
I glanced at her as she climbed back on her stool. Her face was flushed and a giddy grin twisted at her lips.
“Have a good rest of the night. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Landon said before he started to walk away.
“Wait,” I shouted after him. He backtracked to my side. I knew it was most likely so he could hear me over the loudness of the club, but the movement still caused my body to become hyperaware of him. “Um, my friend, Bree, is in town visiting for a few days. Would it be all right if I took off the next couple days to hang out with her?” I needed to ask now for some time off before I forgot.
My eyes landed on his aura again, and I licked my lips. Temptation was not something I could keep at bay much longer when it came to his aura, especially not with the wraith inside me. Already I could feel it churning, craving to taste his lips and savor a small piece of his energy. Obviously, it was playing on my attraction for him.
“How many days do you need?”
I swallowed hard, gaining control over myself before I answered. “Is three okay?” I was hoping to figure out a way to have Bree leave by sometime tomorrow, but I knew I also would need at least a day or two to find Lexy and ask her for help. Three seemed like a good amount of time. I hoped that I wouldn’t need to ask for more.
Landon skimmed over his clipboard. A craving, an insatiable, endless need to have him, slipped through me. I shifted my focus from his perfect lips to his aura again, which wasn’t any less tempting.
“I think that can be arranged.” Landon’s voice shattered the crazy thirst for him I had become ensnared in. “I’ll give an extra shift out and swap some stuff around. Maybe I’ll even take one. It’s been a while since I was behind the bar.” He grinned.
Coldness stretched through my chest, spreading to my navel. I realized then it was the wraith that yearned to taste Landon’s energy, and not necessarily me. I totally needed those days off; finding Lexy was a must. If I had any doubt in that before, it was clear now.
“Thanks.”
Feeling Randal’s eyes boring into me, I screwed my face into the most neutral expression I could muster.
“Well, enjoy your time off. See you in three days.” Landon walked away.
I ripped my stare away from him and moved to gather my things from the cubby area where we stowed our stuff behind the bar. When I finally risked a glance at Randal, he didn’t seem the least bit perturbed with the scene between Landon and me. A small sigh escaped me.
“Thanks for helping me out tonight.” Trinity stopped me as I rounded the corner of the bar. “I really appreciate it.”
“No problem.” I flashed her a quick smile. “You did great.”
“Thanks.” She shoved a few of her brown curls away from her face. “Tonight was harder than I thought it would be though.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll get it. It just takes some time,” I encouraged her.
“Have a good night.”
“You too.” I rounded the bar to where Randal and Bree were sitting. Bree was dancing in her seat, oblivious to my presence. “Hey.”
“Oh, Kenna.” Bree reached out and wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling me toward her. “I’m so glad I came to visit you. This is so much fun!”
“I’m glad you came too.” I chuckled, shooting a glance at Randal.
His lips were twisted into a smirk. “I imagine it was a good thing you cut her off when you did.”
“I doubt she’ll be sick, but I’m sure she will have a headache in the morning.” I pulled my coat on. “Are you ready?”
Bree’s shoulders slumped. “I guess, if you are.”
“I’m exhausted,” I admitted.
“I’ll help you walk her to your car.” Randal stood and slipped an arm around Bree’s waist. She slumped against him, inhaling heavily.
“Oh my God, Kenna. He smells so good. How do you not just eat him up?” she slurred.
I bit back a laugh. “Will power, I guess.”
My cell chimed with a new text coming through. I wondered if it was Sage telling me about her date with Luke, but I didn’t reach for it, keeping Bree vertical was more important. Once Randal helped me get her to the car, I opened the passenger door and he guided her inside.
“Your drive home should be an interesting one.” He grinned, closing the door for her.
“To say the least.” I leaned against the car.
A bubble of silence encased us. My gaze drifted to the limited amount of stars I could see, knowing there was something Randal was working up to add. I could sense it in the air.
“I’m glad you thought to ask for a few days off,” he finally said.
“It’s important.”
“Finding a way to send her home is as well,” he insisted. His head lowered until his lips pressed against mine. “I’ve already made the arrangements in Avalon Bay for later this week. Please promise me you will try.”
“I will. I promise. I know how important it is to find Lexy and get this thing out. Trust me.” As if what had happened to Sam wasn’t enough to remind me, how tempting Landon’s aura had seemed tonight was.
“Okay.” He cupped my cheek
and pressed his lips to my forehead. “I’ll talk with you tomorrow evening, then. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” The sensation of someone watching me slipped along my skin as I moved to climb into the driver’s seat of Bree’s rental.
I paused, thinking it was Randal, but it wasn’t. I could see his back as he continued through the parking lot toward his car. Scanning the remainder of the lot, I didn’t see anyone, but I had come to learn that didn’t mean there wasn’t someone there.
“What’s the matter?” Bree asked. “Are we not leaving yet?”
“Nothing.” I shook off the strange sensation and climbed into the car. The second I closed the door, my cell chimed with another text.
I dug it out of my purse. It was Sage. I read both messages quickly.
The dinner with Luke is over. I survived. Are you all on your way to find Lexy yet?
Okay, I guess you’re not answering me. You’re welcome, by the way.
I sighed, hating how she could go from normal to pissed in minutes. Her emotions were as bad as whiplash sometimes.
Thank you. And, no, we haven’t left yet. My friend from up north randomly popped in for a visit while her fiancé is away on business. ~ Kenna
I tossed my cell into the cup holder and then inserted the keys into the ignition. Sage responded once I had already shifted into reverse. Whatever she had to say would have to wait. I needed to get Bree to my place before she fell asleep in the car, because then I would have no hope of getting her up to my apartment.
When I shifted into drive, a female figure darting behind a large SUV caught my attention. I slammed my foot on the brake and stared into the area she had disappeared. The creepy-crawly sensation slid along the back of my neck again, and I wondered if that could have been the person causing it, or was I being paranoid?
Bree reached for the radio and turned the volume up. “I love this song!” she shouted. “Let’s go!”
Easing up on the break, I tightened my grip on the steering wheel and started toward my apartment. Was someone still following me, or was the wraith making me paranoid? I cast another glance at the area I had seen the woman disappear; no one was there. Maybe I had imagined it.
Chapter 14
Darkness surrounded me. I was floating in it again. My heart beat like a jackhammer in my chest the second I realized I was dreaming. How had I gotten pulled back here? Uncontrollable trembling wracked through my body because I knew it wouldn’t be long before the wraith appeared. As if on cue, the crazed red light show that always seemed to be in sync with my heart flickered, giving me a slight amount of light to see by. My eyes scanned the area surrounding me. I wasn’t just searching for the wraith; I was also searching for a way out. There had to be one; I must have missed it last time. Every room had an entrance; it wasn’t like this place was a damn cage.
There was nothing though, absolutely nothing.
Where the hell was I?
I rolled my shoulders forward as I wrapped my arms around my middle section. I was naked again. The coldness of the room swept across my skin, giving me chill bumps.
I was trapped in a freaking black box with a red strobe light going a mile a minute, and I was naked.
A noticeable change fizzed through the air. I knew exactly what had caused it, feeling its presence before seeing it. The wraith had entered the room.
I squeezed my elbows into my sides in the hopes of making myself as small as possible. Maybe then he wouldn’t notice me. My heart raced against my ribcage, ready to explode. The red lights flashed with exceptional speed as I stared at the darkness in the corner of the room.
The puddle of dark liquid rolled in on itself, shifting, molding, forming into the monster. My breath caught in my throat as I watched, paralyzed, wondering how I would get out of here this time. There was nothing I could do, no place to run, no place to hide. The room was nothing more than a box devoid of windows and doors.
The flashes of red intensified, blinding me. Stepping backward, I kept my eyes on the wraith as best I could, while watching as he continued to grow in shape and size. My heartbeat thrashed in my ears. I was seconds away from being pawed at by him again. I had to do something.
The moment my back pressed against the cool wall behind me, I relaxed. It gave me a false sense of safety in knowing he would always remain in my view, that he could not sneak up behind me.
“My little succubus,” he cooed. “How nice to see you again.”
I couldn’t breathe. I heard myself whimper and bit down on my bottom lip to keep it from happening again. He had completed his transformation from oily liquid to shadow man a few feet away from me.
“Please, just leave me alone.” I had never been one to beg, and I hated how my fear of him laced my words, but in this situation, I was willing to overlook it all. “I didn’t ask for any of this. I didn’t ask for you to be trapped in here, if that’s why you’re doing this.” I was grasping at straws in assuming that was what he was so pissed about.
Where exactly was here? Was this my mind? Some strange place within my body? Maybe it was an alternate plane, like a space-between type thing.
A wicked laugh vibrated through the air. “I’m not trapped here, my sweet. This isn’t a cage for me; it’s my home. Can’t you see how large it’s become since the last time you were here?”
His home? I blinked, and forced my eyes to glance around, noticing for the first time the amount of distance spread between us. He was right; the room had gotten larger since the last time I’d been pulled inside. What did that mean? I was positive it couldn’t be anything good.
“Each time you return, it will be larger.” There was something off about his tone. He wasn’t saying the words to inform me. He was gloating, rubbing it in my face how easily he was taking me over.
The wraith stepped forward, and my spine ached as I pressed myself harder to the wall behind me. I wanted to keep as much distance between us as possible.
“Are you feeling hungry yet, little succubus of mine?” A wolfish grin appeared on his face, which seemed to be made entirely of shadows—lights and darks, grays. It was the most disturbing thing I had ever seen. “Are certain energies becoming harder to resist since my presence inside you?”
I shook my head, hating how he seemed to know my struggles as though he had felt them. “No.”
It was a lie. Even as he asked, I could feel my stomach twisting in knots. I pressed my hand there, forgetting I was naked and allowing him full view of my breasts.
“Such a pretty thing you are.” Coldness slipped along my skin. I imagined it was his stare, taking me in. It unnerved me even more than the gnawing feeling overtaking my stomach.
The wraith stepped close, and I slipped along the wall, in a sideways motion, to avoid him. I knew it wouldn’t matter, but I still had to try.
“Jesus, just leave me alone.” My words sounded small, weak, scared. I hated them the moment they slipped past my lips.
“My name isn’t Jesus, sweetness,” He glided across the distance between us faster than I’d ever seen him move. “But you can call me that if you like.”
I attempted to sidestep him once more, continuing along the wall behind me. It was cold against my bare skin, but I knew anything in here would be. This guy was the epitome of winter.
“What do you want from me?” There was no point in talking with him; it would only stall the inevitable. Then again, that might be a reason to do just that. Maybe I would be able to buy myself a few more minutes to think. I needed to think of a way to wake myself up from this nightmare. “Can you at least tell me that?”
“Hmm. What do I want from you?” His hand, made completely of shadows, flickered in the red light as it made its way to his face. I watched, baffled, as it rubbed against his chin. “Darling, isn’t that obvious at this point?”
I shook my head. My throat had become so dry it was hard to form words. I’d reached a corner of the room, but still didn’t step away from the wall. Instead, I bruised my shoulder
as I continued against the wall, pressed as firmly against it as ever. I refused to move even an inch closer to him than I absolutely had to.
His head tipped to the side as though he was studying me. “Why, I want to savor your soul of course.” He lunged at me then, becoming nothing besides vapor and smoke before morphing into a solid directly in front of me.
My breath hitched in my throat, and I flinched back from his sudden movement, bashing the back of my head against the wall behind me. Pain radiated from the area, but I couldn’t bring myself to reach up and rub it away. There couldn’t have been more than two inches between his mouth and the end of my nose now.
Tears threatened to overflow from my eyes, because the pain I was feeling reminded me this wasn’t some twisted nightmare. Somehow, this was real.
The epiphany made my heart pound forcefully in my chest; it hurt with every beat. The wraith’s hand reached out to smooth along the side of my cheek. I closed my eyes and turned away.
“One day you won’t even have the strength to do that.” His breath was like an icy wind slashing me in the face. Chill bumps spread across my entire body. “And when that day comes, that is when I will take you completely.”
My stomach rolled at the thought, and I nearly dry heaved. Fear prickled through my mind, sharp and jagged. Was he going to overtake me until he became me, or was he planning on doing something far more sinister?
His frozen fingers gliding down the side of my neck pulled me back into the present. “Oh, and I’m going to enjoy it unlike anything I ever have before.” His voice was rough and raw, as though he was thinking about doing just that and it turned him on. “This I can promise you.”
I sniveled as tears made tracks down my face. My thoughts raced as I tried to think of a way to wake myself, to get myself out of here.
“Don’t cry, sweet little succubus.” Something wet and cold replaced his fingers, erasing my warm tears. It took me a second to realize the wetness was his tongue. He was licking away my tears. “Even your tears are pure and sweet. You have to be the purest succubus to ever walk the Earth…and you’re mine…all mine.”
Succubus Kiss The Complete Series Page 24