I walked to the other side of the coffee table, putting some distance between Landon and me. I wasn’t sure how he would react once he learned the things I had done.
“It was an accident. I never meant to hurt you. You have to know that.” The words tumbled out of my mouth, because they were the truth. After I pulled in a shaky breath, I forced the rest of the words out in a rush. “I’m a succubus, Landon.” Silence bloomed through the room while I waited for him to react in some way. He stared at me, unblinking, and I wondered if he thought I was joking. Did he know what a succubus was?
“What the hell is a succubus?” He finally asked.
I licked my lips, thinking of how I should describe what I was. “Do you know what an incubus is?”
“They sleep with women and steal their energy or life force, whatever, during the process, right?” His eyes skimmed over me. “Is that what you do? Is that what you did to me?”
My cheeks heated. I could vividly remember wanting to sleep with him. “No, we didn’t sleep together. I prefer to feed through a kiss.” My words sounded strangled as they left my mouth.
“I remember kissing you.” He smoothed his hand along the back of his neck.
No one spoke. I didn’t elaborate on the subject of what I had done for a fear I might overload him with information too quickly, but I waited on edge for him to ask if he was now a succubus.
“And you?” Landon surprised me by shifting his attention from me to Sage, his face devoid of emotion as he pinned her in place with his stare.
“Vampire.” She gave him a tight-lipped smile.
“You?” He nodded to Randal, continuing around the room.
“Vampire as well,” Randal answered him in his calm, composed tone.
All of us glanced at Dex, because he was next to admit what he was. There was a smug smile displayed on his face. He stretched his legs out in front of him, and crossed his arms over his broad chest, getting comfortable, it seemed.
“I feel like I’m at some twisted AA meetin’.” Dex’s grin widened as he cast a pointed glance at Landon. “Hey, my name is Jack Dexter, Dex for short, and I’m a werewolf.”
A snicker pushed past my parted lips. My eyes darted to Landon, wondering how he had taken Dex’s frank, yet comical, admission. Once I saw the smirk twisting his lips, I burst into a fit of laugher, unable to contain myself any longer. God, I was thankful for Dex’s swift ease of tension and comical ways.
“Okay,” Landon said once everyone had calmed down. “I’m in a room with two vampires, a werewolf, and a succubus.” His chest lifted as he inhaled deeply, processing the truth of his statement.
“Sounds like the beginnin’ of a bad joke, right?” Dex flashed him a lopsided grin.
“Pretty much.” Landon chuckled and then lifted his eyes to meet with mine. “So, what am I now? Obviously, I can tell I’m not human anymore. There’s something off about me I can’t quite seem to put my finger on.” His brows furrowed with his confusion. “Everything is louder, sharper, strange. I don’t know much of anything about how a person becomes a succubus or incubus, I’m afraid, but is that what I am now?”
“No.” I moved past the coffee table to sandwich myself between him and Dex, wondering if being close and keeping my voice soft would lessen the blow I was about to give. “I can’t create other succubi, or in your case, incubuses. You’re actually a vampire, Landon,” I whispered, hating there was no better way to break the news to him.
He turned his head away from me as conflicting emotions drifted across his face. “A vampire.”
Same as before, it wasn’t a question, but more him talking out loud to himself, tasting the words on his tongue, searching for the truth in them.
“It’s not as bad as you think,” Sage offered. “I mean, sure there’s a bit of a learning curve, but once you get past that, it’s actually pretty entertaining.”
Randal glared at her, and then shifted his attention to Landon. “There are a few things that might seem a tad overwhelming at first.”
“But, once the initial shock wears off, you’re golden,” Sage interrupted before Randal could continue.
“I was strong enough to complete the transition,” Landon abruptly muttered under his breath. It was loud enough for my meager ears to hear, so I knew everyone else had heard him as well.
Stillness entered the room. How did he know about the transition phase, or that some humans didn’t survive the process? The answer barreled through me, constricting my lungs and making it hard to breathe.
“You’ve been fed on by a vampire before, haven’t you?” My stomach churned as I voiced my question.
I always wished for Sage to be wrong when it came to her theory of him having been awakened to the supernatural world like she claimed he was. The thought of someone using him in such a way sickened me. I couldn’t deny the truth to her theory now though. Even so, I couldn’t help but feel he was too pure and sweet for someone to have done such a thing to him. The memory of what I had done to him crashed through me, reminding me I was no better than whoever had awakened him to this world first. In fact, I was worse.
“You’re lookin’ a little pale there, sweetheart.” Dex patted me on the shoulder. “Got anythin’ in that kitchen of yours to help mellow this situation out?” He stood and walked away.
I didn’t answer him. I was still waiting for Landon’s response. If there was anything in my kitchen that fit Dex’s description, he would find it on his own, I was sure.
A dazed look crossed Landon’s face. “Yeah. I wanted her to turn me, but she always refused. Said she was worried I wouldn’t make it through the transition. My best friend hadn’t when she attempted to turn him.”
I couldn’t believe what he was saying. He obviously knew more about the supernatural world than I ever had as a human.
“I always knew I would make it through the transition. I told her, but she refused to risk it. Maybe if she had, she would still be alive.” His lips twisted into a frown.
“Wine or liquor?” Dex shouted from somewhere in the kitchen. “Who wants what? I’m takin’ orders.”
“Liquor,” Sage answered. “I have a feeling things are about to get intense.”
Randal moved to sit beside me in Dex’s previous spot. “Wine.”
“Liquor,” I answered without moving my eyes from Landon. Had I given him something he always wanted? And what did he mean by ‘maybe she would still be alive’? Did he kill whoever she was because she refused to turn him?
“Nothing for me.” Landon rubbed his stomach. “I’m feeling…weird.”
“It’s normal. You’ll feel strange until you feed for the first time,” Sage offered nonchalantly.
“I will make sure you are set up with a pint of blood before you leave here tonight. I have a card for a local blood bank where you can set up monthly deliveries for yourself.” Randal retrieved his wallet in search of the card for a company I never knew existed. There was still so much about this world I had yet to learn.
“This is insane.” Landon rubbed his hands over his face. “I can’t believe I’m a vampire.”
“I guess it’s a good thing you own a nightclub and not some daytime place, huh?” Dex chuckled as he walked back into the room. “That would have been a real pisser.”
“I guess so,” Landon mumbled, his gaze still fixed on the space in front of him.
I skimmed my eyes over him, wondering what he was thinking. He was handling this too well. I expected him to want to kill me, to become a crazed vampire, driven by an animalistic bloodlust, and rip my throat out for what I had done. Instead, he was almost passive. It was unnerving the way he seemed to bounce from being so placid for such an intense situation to almost happy once he was informed of what he was.
I couldn’t relate, and I damn sure couldn’t understand. Why would anyone want that life? This life? I had wanted to be normal again the second I found out what I was. How could anyone embrace this so willingly?
I excused myself,
needing a moment. My nerves were shot. I knew I should feel a large sense of relief because Landon didn’t want to kill me for ultimately ending his life and giving him a new existence in the course of a few hours, but I didn’t. I felt guilty, responsible, and like an emotional wreck.
My stomach grumbled barely loud enough for me to hear, causing panic to cease me. Was the energy I had gained from feeding off Landon’s aura already fading, or was this some sort of human need for food making itself known? It was becoming hard to distinguish between the two. I held my breath and waited for another sign that might indicate which. Nothing happened. Rubbing a hand against my forehead, I wondered if it was too late to drink the tea Lexy had given me that was meant to slow down my metabolism.
“Are you okay?” Randal’s voice startled me. I hadn’t heard him follow me.
“Yeah,” I lied. “I’m fine, just overwhelmed. I’m exhausted from all the worrying I did waiting for Landon to wake. I guess I didn’t think he would react so well.” I tucked my hair behind my ears, wondering if I sounded silly.
“I can assure you that you were not alone in your assumption.” He moved across the room and placed his hands on my hips. “There is a chance shock could still have him in its clutches. It is not uncommon for it to take a while before the person truly realizes what has occurred.”
I leaned into him, allowing his arms to wrap around me, and pressed my head against his chest. “Have you turned many people?”
“No.” His word vibrated against my ear, causing a tickling sensation. “Turning others was not something I sought out to do the way some might expect.”
Randal smoothed his hand over my hair as I overanalyzed his words. Did he think I assumed he was a monster, changing people into vampires every chance he got?
My head hurt. Tonight had been too much.
“I’m sorry.” The words slipped from my lips on the tail end of a sigh.
“For what?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” I hoped he didn’t notice the hysterical tone of my voice. “For losing control and asking Sage to turn Landon. That should have never happened.”
Randal pulled back to look at me. “What happened tonight was not something you could control. It was the wraith’s doing.” Pure, undiluted hatred reflected through his last sentence.
While I knew he was partially right—it had been the wraith fueling me, making it unbearably hard to stop—I was still at fault. I could have done a few things to prevent this situation from occurring.
“If I had gone home and used the concoctions Lexy made for me, this would have all been avoided, but I didn’t.” I smoothed my hand across his chest, feeling the soft fabric of his shirt against my palm. “So yeah, it is my fault.”
“Something of this nature was bound to happen at some point. It is how the wraith works.” He leaned in and pressed his lips against my forehead. “The waning moon is close. Once you complete the spell, all of this will be nothing but a memory of a time you wish only to forget.”
I closed my eyes, wishing he were right, but knowing how wrong he was.
Chapter 15
“Can I stay?” Randal asked. His eyes smoldered, letting me know exactly what he was asking. “Or would you prefer I went home?”
Everyone had left for the night. Sage had taken Landon back to her place, which was better equipped to dealing with the approaching sunrise than mine was, and Dex had gone on to do whatever it was that he did at this time of night. Even though I tried to hide it, jealousy had still reared its ugly head at the thought of Sage and Landon spending the night together. I hated to admit it, but there was a part of me that wanted to be the person who helped him through everything even if I wasn’t the best suited for the job.
Landon was not my responsibility. Yes, I had been the one to place him on his new path, but I knew nothing of becoming a vampire.
My eyes skimmed over Randal as my traitorous heart beat wildly inside my chest. I needed to focus on him, not Landon.
I pressed my fingertip to my lips and pretended to think hard about my answer to Randal’s question, when in reality I was only trying to steady my heart and shift focus. “I’m not sure.” I pursed my lips together, and stared at him. “Even after everything that happened tonight, I’m still a little upset with you.” I wasn’t, because there were too many other emotions floating through me from the night’s events, but I should be. For Bree’s sake.
“For?” He bent down and skimmed his lips across the side of my throat. It was all in an effort to distract me, which given the night I’d had, I could use a heavy dose of.
“For having your goonies break into my best friend’s house while she was here for a visit.”
“Ah, are we back at that again?” His breath slipped teasingly along my neck. “Is there nothing I could do to make you see how sorry I am?” His tongue licked along my earlobe, causing shivers of excitement to dance along my spine.
I knew I shouldn’t cave so easily to the sensations he caused to hum through my core because of the wraith and what he would be gaining, but the feel of Randal’s body so close to mine, and the way he continued to lick along my ear and neck stamped out any indecision I might have had.
“Oh, I think there might be something we could work out.” I sank my teeth into my bottom lip as he moved his lips toward my collarbone.
“Is that so?” His fingertips dug deeper into my hips. “I am intrigued now, please elaborate.”
Lust clouded my thoughts. “Well, for starters, you can keep doing what you’re doing right now.” I tipped my head farther to the side, so Randal would have better access to the sensitive area along my shoulder.
“As you wish.” The tip of his tongue skimmed the length of my neck, and I wondered what was turning him on most, hearing my blood pumping hard and fast through my veins, or the scent of my arousal hanging heavily in the air.
One more time, I told myself. I needed to have him one more time, and then I would promise to keep my hands to myself and tell him why there could be no more sex in our future, at least until I was free of the wraith. Also, he would need to know me giving in tonight didn’t mean I was forgiving him for what he had done to Bree. I made a mental note to remind him during the same conversation.
Randal’s hand moved to skim along the length of my side, and I thought I might drown in the pleasure of his touch as he trailed soft kisses toward my mouth. “So, what is your answer, then?”
Did he really have to ask? I was panting like a little puppy from his touch. “Yes, you can stay.”
In seconds, the coolness of my sheets was pressed against my back, and Randal was hovering above me. He had peeled my dress off somewhere in the hall and was now working on my remaining bits of clothing. Once the hook on my bra sprang free, his hands greedily cupped my bare breasts. Tingles of pleasure rippled through me as he rolled one of my nipples between his thumb and index finger until it pebbled. His head dipped to take the other in his mouth. The movement was so swift that it surprised me. After his warm tongue pulled it into the hot recesses of his mouth and he began sucking, my back arched against him as a spasm of pleasure slipped through my core.
I closed my eyes, forgetting about everything that happened tonight—the argument between us, the betrayal I felt once I learned of his involvement in Bree’s house being broken into, Natalia showing up at the party, Bianca staring at me so venomously, my questions of whether she was the one responsible for infecting me with the wraith, Landon, especially Landon—and focused solely on Randal, and the unbelievable way he was making me feel.
I tugged at the edge of his shirt, pulling it free from his pants. My hands slipped underneath, feeling his warm skin against my palms. When he moved to show my right nipple the same amount of attention as he had the left, I stopped him. I fumbled with the buttons on his shirt until it was open and I could see his sculpted torso. My hands smoothed along the taught muscles as I stared at him. Pushing myself off the mattress, I leaned forward to kiss along his chest while
unbuttoning his pants. I wanted him naked and inside me like I had never wanted anything in my entire life. He shucked off his shirt, followed by his pants, obviously having noticed the heated desire pooling in my eyes. I hooked my thumbs into the waistline of my panties and pulled them off to speed up the process, but he stopped me.
“Allow me.” His voice was husky, but still controlled, and the darkness in his eyes turned me on.
I leaned back against the mattress as his hands slipped along my hips until his thumbs had taken the place of mine. My breath hitched when he dipped his head forward, his lips pressing against the area below my navel. As his tongue glided across my panty line, shockwaves of pleasure rocketed through me. If he kept this torture up, I might spontaneously combust. I didn’t want slow and sweet. I wanted something that would make me forget about the night, about my life, about the wraith, about all that had happened in the last week. I wanted him to rock my world for one final time.
Randal’s teeth nipped at the elastic waistband of my panties, tugging and pulling until one at a time the sides slipped down while his hands skimmed the newly exposed skin, warming it against the cool air. Once he forced my panties down to about mid-thigh, he tugged them to my ankles and off in a movement so swift that it caused my breath to hitch in my throat.
The warmth of his breath swept over my right ankle as he cradled my bare calf between his palms. His lips glided upward in gentle kisses toward my center. My heart stilled, and for the first time, I thought slow and sweet might be better than hard and fast at making me forget. No one had ever touched me the way Randal was. My teeth sank into my bottom lip as he crept over the sensitive area along my inner thighs. I fought against the desire to entwine my fingers through his hair and unintentionally rush things along.
“Open a little wider for me,” he commanded in a low murmur. I hesitated, knowing what he would do next, unsure if I wanted to allow him to. I had never given someone permission to touch me there in that way, ever. It had always seemed embarrassingly intimate regardless of how much I cared for the guy or how hard he begged.
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