His hands slipped against the exposed skin of my back, and I felt as though I were drowning in his touch. My fingers moved beneath his hoodie to graze along the warm skin there. I could feel his stomach muscles quiver at my touch, which turned me on. I loved having power over him, making him feel on the edge of the world about to leap off into a weightless sensation of ecstasy.
I was in control of the situation, of him, of myself, and I felt on top of the world because of it.
When I opened my eyes, dots of gray were making an appearance in Landon’s aura, and the sense of control I had been basking in slipped away. The red in his aura burned deeply and beautifully, diming out his natural yellowish aura, but gray had swept in and was threatening to take over.
Keep going…we need this…you want this…you want him…all of him…you know you do, my sweet little succubus, the wraith whispered to me.
I did want him. I wanted every inch of this man, and I was tired of waiting, tired of telling myself no. My fingers curled around the back of Landon’s head in an instinctive motion meant to hold him in place. The taste of his lips had spurred a divine hunger deep within me, which I found to be insatiable and endless.
My mouth filled with Landon’s groans as I continued to brush my lips against his, pulling out more of his energy while siphoning it into myself. I closed my eyes, so I couldn’t focus on his dulling aura. The same prickle of alarm, the nudge of reason, from earlier pinched through me. My heart kick-started, and I snapped my eyes open. No. I should stop; this wasn’t right.
It feels right though, doesn’t it? So right, the wraith purred, persuading me to continue.
Concentrate, that was what I needed to do, just a few more tastes of his essence and I would be done…just a few more…
Landon’s hands fell from my sides. His groans of pleasure had turned to anguish-filled moans. When he slumped against me, unable to hold himself up any longer, our lips parted and reality came rushing back. It was as though the wraith had eased up on his influence now that the siphoning chain had been broken, giving me back full control and lifting the emotional shield from me.
I stared at Landon. He was slumped in the grass at my feet, unblinking. My mouth pooled with saliva as nausea rolled through my stomach. Wrapping my arms around my middle, I glanced around the park, wondering if anyone had witnessed what happened. Thankfully, those within view seemed to be in their own world, oblivious to the supernatural mess I had made.
Landon moaned again, and I shifted my attention to him once more. As I bent at the knees, I attempted to lift him onto the bench behind us. If I could at least get him into a sitting position, it might stave off suspicion and worry from passersby. Lifting him took everything I had, but eventually Landon sat slumped on the bench beside me.
How in the hell had this happened? How had I let it?
My insides grew frigid, reminding me of the answer to that question. The wraith had latched on to the feelings I had for Landon and used them against me to get what he wanted most—energy. I wanted to curl up into a ball and cry. The sound of Landon wheezing stopped me cold. Seven dots, that was all that remained of his vibrant aura. The rest was a solid, unmoving gray.
I had killed him. If I didn’t get him help in the next few minutes, I had killed him.
Fear flowed through my veins, thick and powerful. Without hesitating another second, I dug through my clutch for my cell, and dialed the only person I felt could help me.
“What’s up? Regretting leaving the party so early now that you’re home sitting on your couch again?” Sage answered after the fourth ring. I could hear low jazz music in the background and knew she was still at Randal’s party.
“No.” My voice trembled like a scared little girl, which was exactly what I felt like. “Sage, I really need your help.”
“Hold on a second, okay?” She must have pressed her hand over her phone, because whatever she said next wasn’t directed at me and sounded muffled. The noise of the party faded, quickly becoming replaced by silence. “What’s the matter? You’re freaking me out.”
My eyes scanned Landon. How could I put into words what I had done? I chewed along my bottom lip, struggling with how to word things.
“Kenna? Kenna, are you there?” Sage sounded spastic. “Stupid cell service. Hello?”
“Yeah, I’m here,” I said. “I did something horrible, Sage.” My body shook with emotion as the words slipped past my lips.
“Um, care to elaborate on that a bit?”
I closed my eyes and swallowed hard before I spoke. “I think I killed Landon…” My voice was a whisper, but I was positive Sage had heard me.
“You did what?” I could hear the confusion in her tone.
Another odd wheezing noise escaped from Landon’s parted lips, drawing my attention back to him. The largest spot of red disappeared from his aura, becoming replaced by the ominous gray of death. I closed my eyes and exhaled a shaky breath. “I drained him. I think I drained Landon.”
“Where are you?” An emotion I couldn’t name charged her words.
“West Mill Park.” My voice cracked as I spoke.
“I’ll be there in a second.” She hung up without another word.
Even though I was in a dress, I still pulled my knees up to my chest. After I wrapped my arms around them, I rested my head against the tops. My eyes flickered to Landon. I took in the shallow rise and fall of his chest, while listening to the strange wheezing sound floating from between his parted lips. There were only five spots of color left in his aura.
The reality of the situation hit me hard and fast: Landon might not have a few seconds left.
I debated whether I should call 911 or scream for help. The only thing stopping me was that I didn’t know what I would give for an excuse as to what had happened. While I was thinking this, Landon’s body convulsed for a few seconds before growing still.
“No, no, no!” I whispered. He couldn’t be gone. “Sage is on her way. You have to stay with me.” My mind raced. What I should do? Would CPR help? Was there a way I could reverse what I had done?
Your first kill, sweetness. Enjoy the moment, my little succubus, and know that things are about to get a hell of a lot more interesting.
A rush of blissful energy burst through me—the effects of Landon’s lustful essence—dulling my worries and calming my fears. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to keep the aftermath of feeding from his vibrant aura at bay for a little while longer. I balled my hands into fists and dug my nails into my palms. Unwanted tendrils of giddiness floated through me. This was the last thing I wanted to feel, but it was out of my control. Aftereffects were part of the succubus package, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
What felt like hours later, Sage called my cell. I had been staring at the final two spots of color in Landon’s aura, waiting for them to fade to gray while my insides were drowning in a seductive energy that wanted nothing more than to jump his bones, even if he was unconscious. I was sick and demented, or maybe it wasn’t me but the wraith.
I answered my phone on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Hey, where are you? I’m at the entrance to West Mill, but I don’t know which way to get to you.” Sage was frantic, which was what I should be feeling, but I wasn’t. I could picture her in my head—her long, silky ponytail swishing this way and that as she glanced from side to side, her dark eyes determined to find me.
“I’m across the street from Beans and Brew,” I informed her. “Which, by the way, is another place Landon owns. Did you know that?” My voice was husky, a sexy kitten purr that sounded completely wrong for the situation.
“Um, no.” There was annoyance in her voice. “What exactly was Landon feeling when you drained him?”
“Lustful, he was very lustful.” My tongue licked my bottom lip, causing an electric spasm of pleasure to slip through me.
“Wonderful,” Sage grumbled. If she were in front of me, I knew there would be a big eye roll tacked on. “I’
m headed to you now. How is he?”
I glanced at Landon. My eyes zeroed in on the remaining two specks of color in his aura before shifting to his chest. It was shaky, but I could still see it rise and fall, albeit slowly. “Still knocked out, but I think he’s breathing.” A loud beep rang out in my ear. Sage had hung up.
Milliseconds later, she appeared in front of me. Her expression fell as she took in Landon. “Oh my God, Kenna, what have you done?”
Chapter 12
Sage darted to where Landon was slumped over on the bench beside me. Her hands smoothed over his face and chest as though she were assessing his vitals without any equipment. “He’s barely breathing, Kenna. I don’t know what you want me to do.”
I wasn’t sure either, but I knew we needed to do something. Another wave of seduction swept through me, and the wraith burst free to bask in it. My body pulsed with desire I had no control over as my eyes zeroed in on the remaining spots of color in Landon’s aura. They were so tempting, not only to myself, but also to the wraith. I could feel his urge to devour them.
“Hello?” Sage whistled at me and waved a hand in front of my face. I pulled my eyes away from Landon and focused on her. “I’m not sure there’s anything I can do. Why did you even call me?”
“I don’t know, because I thought you could save him.” I took in a shaky breath, the remorse for what I had done outweighing the aftereffects of siphoning Landon’s energy. “He can’t die because of me.”
“But I don’t save people; that’s not what I do.” Her words sounded clipped and sharp.
Tears tracked down my cheeks as my mind went to war. One side of me was swimming in bliss while the other was being torn to shreds. I hated the wraith for what it had done. How would I ever be able to live with myself if Landon died?
“I thought you needed me to help you get him to your apartment or someplace where no one would see him, because the park is a bit public.” She shook her head. “But I had no idea the situation was this dire, Kenna.”
A group of teens passed us, coinciding with Sage’s words. I watched them to see if they seemed concerned by what they saw here. None of them did. Each of the guy’s auras appeared to be milky blue, and if I were able to see female auras, I was positive the two girls would match. They were high on something.
“Do you want me to save him?” Sage broke my concentration. “To really save him, the only way I know how?”
I snapped my eyes to her. She was staring at me, her face solemn. A weight settled between us, and I knew then what she was asking me—if I wanted her to turn Landon into a vampire. A wave of cold slipped over me, but for the first time in a while, it had nothing to do with the wraith. I attempted to breathe calmly so I could focus on the situation, but the energy I had taken from Landon, mixed with the triumphant glory from the wraith inside me, made it nearly impossible.
“There isn’t much time left,” Sage insisted, though her words were soft. “If you want me to attempt this, then I have to do it now. He’s nearly gone.”
He’s nearly gone... Her words repeated in my head.
My conscience added, and it’s your fault, at the end.
I was at a crossroads. If I said no, then Landon would die. There was no way to get him to the hospital in time, and I was certain they wouldn’t be able to help him anyway.
As I thought this, one of the two remaining spots in his aura faded to gray. Time was something neither Landon nor I had. A decision needed to be made.
Either live with the guilt from having killed the one person I worked so hard to never hurt, or have Sage turn him into something completely different from what he was. My body shook as the tears I had been holding in fell from my eyes.
“If you don’t tell me to do it now, it will be too late.” Sage’s words were a whisper in the night, but they still held enough force to choke me. “It might already be. I’m not sure. This isn’t something I do every day.”
“Do it.” The words slipped out of my mouth before I had truly committed to them, making my heart pound in my throat with so much force I thought I would be sick.
Sage didn’t hesitate. She leaned over him and buried her face into his neck.
Out of all the time I had been a part of the supernatural world, I never witnessed a vampire feed from a human in front of me. I’d known Sage for over a year, and while I had always known there was this side to her, I had never seen it firsthand. Until now.
From where I was sitting, I could see blood trickling down Landon’s neck, pooling against his hoodie and staining it a darker color than what it already was. Dizziness swept through me from the sight, but I nearly lost it once the copper smell met my nose. I blamed the lightheadedness and queasiness on being overwhelmed, and shifted my attention elsewhere.
People walking on the sidewalk across the street caught my attention. Panic raced through my veins. I wondered how many people had seen what happened to begin with, and how many where witnessing what was taking place now. None of them appeared to care. Maybe from their point of view we were three twenty-something kids who had too much to drink and were sitting in the park, waiting for it to wear off so they could get home. Maybe to them I appeared to be the third wheel, and Landon and Sage a couple who had forgotten they were in a public place. At least I hoped that was the case.
Shock. Was this what it felt like? My mind seemed to be racing with thoughts so quickly I couldn’t keep up. I knew I should be feeling something, anything, but instead I had drifted into a frozen sense of numbness. I blinked, focusing on myself for a moment.
Nothing. I felt nothing.
No seduction or intense desire ran through me anymore. No chills from the wraith parading around my insides slipped along my spine. He had grown still, quiet even, and I wasn’t sure why. Maybe he was satisfied for the time being, or maybe he was waiting to see how this situation would pan out.
“I can’t make any promises this will work.” Sage leaned back.
The light of the streetlamp a few feet away illuminated Landon’s face. His eyes were still closed, his lips slightly parted, and his face was slack with the peace that comes while sleeping. He looked boyish and young. Did everyone look younger while sleeping, or was this something my fragile mind was adding to make me feel even worse about what I had agreed to, what I had done?
“But, it’s worth a shot.” Sage put her wrist to her mouth and bit down. Blood trickled from the wound, dripping onto Landon’s shorts.
I watched her, unmoving and hardly breathing, as she pressed her wrist to his lips. Bile rose up my throat. Blood was everywhere. The scent of it hit me again—coppery and strong. I swallowed hard, struggling to keep the nausea at bay.
“I hope that was enough.” Sage gripped the edge of Landon’s hoodie and wiped her wrist clean, before doing the same to his mouth and neck.
“You don’t know?” I flinched at the sound of the words. Even though they had come from my mouth, they sounded nothing like me. My voice was hysterical and fragile, the voice of someone on the brink of insanity.
Sage locked eyes with me. “I’ve never done this before. I don’t know the ratio of blood I was supposed to take and then give. Randal would have been a better person to call for this situation.” Her brows pinched together. “Why didn’t you call him instead?”
“Because I was supposed to be at home.” Was that a stupid reason? It sounded like it, but at least it was the truth. “I felt like I was doing something wrong by being with Landon and not where I told Randal I would be.” I wrapped my arms around my middle as my stomach continued to churn. There was a tiny drop of blood at the corner of her mouth that I couldn’t look away from. It glistened in the light from the streetlamps.
“You really think he would have cared?” Her tone made me feel as though I was blowing the situation out of proportion. She noticed where I was staring and licked the drop of blood away. “He knows what you have to do to feed, and I doubt he has any idea about the feelings you have for Landon. Unless you’ve to
ld him.”
I shook my head. “I haven’t mentioned anything to him about Landon, because there wasn’t anything to mention.”
There wasn’t. Things had always been platonic and professional between us, which was difficult at times, considering what I was. God, what would working for him be like after this?
If he makes it, that is, the wraith added.
My heart thundered at the sound of his hissing voice bouncing through my head. He wasn’t dormant. I had been right. He was anxiously awaiting how this would turn out.
“Then I don’t see what the problem is.” Sage stood and wiped at her mouth once more before pulling out her tube of lipstick. Her hand moved steadily and smoothly over her lips, painting them their signature red shade. I wondered how she could be so calm at a time like this. She must have nerves of steel. “He will have to be told anyway.”
My heart dropped to my toes. “Why?”
“Because, if Landon does make it through transition, Randal will be the best one to train him.” There was softness to her words, and I knew she was thinking back to when she had been a new vampire and how gentle Randal was while opening her eyes to the world as a vampire.
As much as I hated the thought of telling Randal what I had done, Sage was right. My only hope was that he wouldn’t be too angry with me, and that he agreed to help Landon get through whatever hell I was sure I had tossed him into.
“We need to move him. It won’t be good for him to wake up here.” Sage capped her lipstick and tucked it back into her purse. “Let’s take him to your place.”
“Are we calling a cab, or were you planning to walk him there?” My legs felt like Jell-O. I wasn’t sure I could walk that distance myself, let alone while carrying the weight of someone else. Sage had super strength, but she was forgetting I didn’t.
“Walk, it will be fine.” She cast a quick glance at my shoes. “You’re not in heels, so it’s doable.”
“Right.” I stood and draped Landon’s arm over my shoulder, mimicking Sage’s movements. As we forced him into a standing position, his head lulled to the side and a weak moan escaped his lips. I wondered if this was a good sign. Maybe it meant he would pull through the transition phase Sage had mentioned.
Succubus Kiss The Complete Series Page 42