“Me too.” I agreed.
We sat in silence for a while. When it grew awkward, I tried to think of something to break it. It would have helped if Lexy and I were better friends. Sure we texted one another, and I received packages from her in the mail, but it was all based around magic and this damn wraith. An idea came to me.
“This is going to sound totally impractical and like a complete waste of time considering all that’s going on, but do you want to pop some popcorn and watch a movie?” I needed to do something normal. My emotions were on overload. If I didn’t do something mindless, I would continue adding to the list I was making of things to get done before the summoning ritual or thinking of new ways to tell Bree what I was without freaking her completely out.
A laugh bubbled past Lexy’s lips. “You know what, if you add in a glass of wine, it might tempt me enough to agree. I mean, there isn’t anything more we can do tonight.”
“Yup. And I think I have some wine in the fridge.” I stood and made my way to the kitchen. “I hope you like kettle corn, because that’s all I’ve got.”
“I do.” Lexy followed behind me. “Sweet and salty, what’s not to like?”
I found the box of popcorn in my pantry, and pulled out a bag. After placing it in the microwave, I searched my fridge for the wine. A half-empty bottle from the last time Randal had spent the night caught my eye in the back. I missed him. I hoped Kyra undid her cloak fast. My time was truly running out now; tomorrow would be five days until the waning moon.
I poured a glass for Lexy and handed it to her before pouring one for myself. She took it, but her teeth sank into her bottom lip, and her face fell. Guilt clouded her blue eyes. I figured she was thinking about Luke. Maybe wine, popcorn, and a movie wasn’t the best idea.
“He’ll be okay.” The words fell from my mouth.
“I hope so.” She released a long sigh, and then took a sip of her wine before starting back to the living room. “Where are your movies?”
“Under the TV in the cabinet, unless you want to pick something from Netflix.”
A girls’ night while your lover boy is still missing, the wraith startled me by saying. Has my influence ripped all sympathetic traits from you already?
I tipped my glass back, and downed a large swig of wine as I tried to ignore him. Randal was fine. I knew he was. I’d seen him. The wraith was only trying to place more seeds of doubt in my head. I refused to let him get to me.
Bending at the waist, I opened a lower cabinet and searched for my popcorn bowl. The wraith wasn’t going to ruin this moment of normal for me. Luke would be fine. Randal was unharmed. And tonight I was going to relax as best I could.
“Did you pick anything yet?” I situated myself on the couch, staring at Lexy’s back as she rummaged through my movie selection. It was strange to have a girls’ night, I had to admit. I hadn’t sat back and relaxed like this in forever. Sage and I used to every once in a while, but I couldn’t remember when the last time was, it had been so long ago.
“I love Pulp Fiction!” Lexy turned to face me and wiggled the case in the air. “Is that okay?”
“Absolutely.” It was a favorite of mine. I tossed a few pieces of popcorn in my mouth and stood to put the movie in for us.
A few hours later the movie was over, and I was yawning like crazy. “As much as I would love for this movie fest to continue, I’m exhausted. I think I’m going to head to bed. Make yourself at home. The guest room is just down the hall, to the right of the bathroom. I’ll see you in the morning.” I stretched my arms above my head.
“I could use a little sleep myself.” She glanced at the clock on the wall, and my eyes followed. It was after eleven.
I headed to the kitchen to prepare my dreamscape tea. After a few nights of drinking it, I learned it was best to consume it while in bed. Not only was the stuff potent tasting, but it also worked quickly.
Stirring my tea, I started down the hall toward my room. Even though I was physically exhausted, my mind had resorted to creating a list of things I needed to do before the summoning spell. I closed my door and crossed the room to set my tea on the nightstand. I dug through the top drawer until I found a pad of paper and a pen. After situating myself on my bed, I began to write my list, placing Bree at the top. I was thinking of how I should confess to her, when something caught my attention.
A black envelope lay in the chair beside my window.
My heart lurched to my throat. I knew who the letter was from without having to open it, but I had no clue what she could possibly have to say. The last time I saw my mother was the night I took Christopher Moore’s life and became fully awakened. She had looked me in the eye while telling me how disappointed she was.
I slipped out of bed and crossed the room. My fingers shook as I scooped the envelope up. Running my thumbnail along the edge to open it, I wondered if this would be a goodbye letter. Maybe I had disappointed her so much she wanted nothing to do with me.
I held my breath as I pulled the cream-colored paper free. While I was unsure how much more I could handle for the night, curiosity always seemed to get the best of me when it came to her cryptic letters.
The paper was the same as always, thick and expensive. My eyes locked on the blood red letters making up her message, and I read silently:
Club Lure
Midnight Tonight
Come Alone
I flipped the note over. There was nothing else. Her entire message consisted of six words. Cryptic and straight to the point, as always, that was my mother. I reread her note. Why did she want to meet tonight? And why at Club Lure of all places? I understood she was the owner, but still, the place was not one I preferred to frequent, even though I couldn’t deny there was a strange pull.
My gaze shifted to the alarm clock on my nightstand; it was nearly midnight now. I wasn’t sure what I should do. Did I want to see her after our last encounter?
The words come alone stood out to me. She must know Lexy was here. The hair along the back of my neck stood on end. I didn’t care for the feeling of someone watching me, even if the person was my mother.
The faucet in the kitchen turned on. Lexy hadn’t gone to bed yet; how was I supposed to leave with her still awake? It would be rude to say I was going out and not invite her to tag along. I thought about what I could use as an excuse. Maybe I could say I needed to feed.
I stared at the card again. Did I really want to meet with her now? I already had enough on my mind. I wasn’t sure I cared to hear her tell me again how disappointed she was in me for allowing myself to become fully awakened.
She had to know it was beyond my control. The wraith had forced me to continue siphoning energy from Christopher, not me. I would never hurt someone. I would never kill. If she had been around while I was growing up, she would have known that about me.
I flung myself back against my mattress. What if this was the last chance I had to talk with her, to learn more about her and the reasons she had for walking away as though I didn’t matter when I was five? Closure. This could be my only hope to get it from her before the summoning spell, before I died.
Choose your own adventure, sweetheart. My father’s famous words fluttered through my mind. They could be applied to this scenario. I could stay home and miss out in finally asking the questions I wanted, or I could go and get answers for once.
Seconds later, I was looking for something to wear. Meeting with my mother was too good of an opportunity to pass up. I wouldn’t let her ridicule me. I was an adult, damn it. She would answer my questions, and if we parted ways never to speak again, I would be okay with it. I liked to think I would be at least.
Chapter 17
Lexy was in the kitchen, sipping on a mug of hot tea when I passed. She didn’t ask where I was going, but I offered her information regardless, telling her the emotions from everything had taken a toll on me, and that I was headed out to feed. If she thought I was lying, she didn’t let on.
When I stepped o
utside, I noticed how amazing the air felt rushing through my lungs. I hadn’t realized how strangled I’d felt until then. It wasn’t Lexy’s presence, but everything else. Things seemed as though they were coming to a point, and I wasn’t sure I was ready, or equipped, to handle whatever came next.
After I climbed into my car, I cranked the engine and headed in the direction of Club Lure. The hairs along the back of my neck rose on end as I thought of the life that had been lost in the backseat—the life I had stolen.
Christopher Moore would forever be tattooed on my heart.
Christopher Moore was a sacrifice; his death was a moment of glory, the wraith snapped.
His words sickened me. I would never think of what happened to that poor guy as a moment of glory.
If it weren’t for his life, you wouldn’t have wings, my sweet succubus, which, as I’ve said, are something you should embrace.
I ignored him as best I could, hoping he would take a hint and shut up. Having no way to block him out now was nearly unbearable. With my hands locked at ten and two, I gassed it, ready to get the remainder of my night over with.
When I pulled in front of 2271 West Ashton, I stared at the crumbling building, still impressed with the cloak hiding the underground club. I cut my engine, walked to the rusted gate, and said the magic word: origin. In the span of a single heartbeat, the rundown building started to wash away, revealing the erotic Club Lure in its wake.
The haunting melody I heard the last time I was here streamed from the club and pulsed through the air. I thought of Madge, wondering if the music was her doing since she was a siren. Did the music have an effect on the humans inside? Was it what kept them content within the walls of Club Lure?
My eyes swept across the building, taking in the people dancing in seductive ways while standing in the tall windows. It was as though they were caged inside the outer walls of the club, meant to help lure those who stared on with hesitation past the entrance.
The strange pull I felt toward the club the previous time I visited had my feet moving forward without much thought. Warmth caressed my skin. As I ascended the stairs, the club forced my senses alive with the feel of its pull and the sound of its captivating music. I reached for the handle and opened the door. As I stepped inside, I forgot about my worries and the message from my mother that led me here, and submerged my senses in the seduction tainting the air.
A sea of people dancing in provocative ways filled my line of vision. I zeroed in on a human male dancing with a female werewolf. Her golden aura clung to her every move, adding a majestic look to her already alluring features. I watched the couple, who were lost in their movements and pure desire for one another.
“You came back.” A voice, sultry and full of desire, swept across the sensitive skin at the nape of my neck. “Are you here to dance with me, just as I knew you would?” The slight British accent was a dead giveaway, even if the sensation coursing through me from his nearness hadn’t been enough.
I spun to face Darius. I could pick his voice out of a crowded room instantly. There was something so commanding, yet sensual about it. It oozed sex and pleasure, drawing me straight to him. He was a damn good incubus. A flash of anger swept through me. I wasn’t sure where it had come from, but it was there nonetheless, burning away at my mind. Or was it my emotion at all?
You could be that powerful and all-consuming if you would let me have some fun, the wraith hissed.
The jealousy and anger I felt was coming from him. He wanted me to be as seductive as Darius. He craved it actually. I could feel his thirst for power of that caliber burning through me. It singed the inside of my stomach and tightened my muscles.
“I didn’t come back for you.” I avoided looking at him, but couldn’t help staring at him from the corner of my eye. “I came to see my mother.”
His head lowered as a heavy sigh escaped his beautiful lips. “I figured as much, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to ask.”
A woman dressed in a white lace teddy bumped into me from the side. I shifted out of her way, putting myself closer to Darius unintentionally. He took full advantage of the movement in stance and grazed my hip with his hand. My lips parted at the feel of his touch and the heat of his stare.
This guy could make any woman melt.
It wasn’t because of the way he looked—with his baby smooth face, sculpted body, and eccentric eye color—but because of his personality. A person’s personality meant everything, and Darius had the most confident, commanding, sexually charged one I had ever encountered. He was the type of guy who screamed to be licked and devoured like a rich, decadent piece of chocolate.
“I’m not sure that’s the entire truth, love.” His grip closed down on my hip tighter, pressing me closer to his solid body.
My hand came up in an effort to create distance between us, but the second I touched his rigid abs, the desire for more space faded. My eyes trailed over his muscular torso. It glistened in the pulsating lights of the club. I licked along my bottom lip, struggling to force my eyes elsewhere.
Darius had a pull on me I had never felt before. I didn’t quite understand it, considering supernaturals weren’t supposed to be able to force such things on one another.
“There you go, love.” His fingers lifted to reach beneath the edge of my shirt and stroke along my heated skin. Lust consumed my mind as I leaned into him further. “Relax. You know you want me. No more denying it.”
All the breath left my lungs as I watched his beautiful lips inch their way toward mine. His tongue darted out to moisten them, and I felt my stomach coil in on itself as my knees weakened.
“Darius, you will stop seducing my daughter if you know what’s best for you.” The sound of my mother’s voice snapped me back to reality.
I pushed him away with more force than necessary and placed my fingers to my burning lips. They yearned to be pressed against his.
You should have given into him, sweet succubus. His energy would have been tasty.
“What the hell was that?” I demanded. The heat of embarrassment crawled across my skin, but it quickly shifted into something else. I gritted my teeth as I stared into Darius’s eerie white-blue eyes. “What are you?”
“I thought you knew, love.” His lips twisted into a wicked smile.
“Knew what?” I dropped my attention to smoothing my clothes out, because his smoldering eyes seemed to be drawing me back to him the longer I stared into them.
“That I was an incubus, of course.”
I scoffed. “I did.”
“But that’s not the entire truth, now is it, Darius?” my mother added. There was a knowing lilt to her voice that piqued my curiosity.
“And what truth would that be?” I was missing something, but I couldn’t place my finger on what. Was he truly some god of lust like I had originally thought?
“I’m Himeros.” There was such pride riddled within his words, but I had no idea who Himeros was, so they had no effect on me. When I didn’t fall at his feet or swoon the way he obviously wanted me to, he elaborated further. “The god of sexual desire.”
I blinked. So not only were supernaturals real, but now so were the gods? What else were the humans of the world blind to?
“Okay, so you’re a god…” My words trailed off. “What are you doing here, then?” I gestured to the club.
“Enjoying the fruits of my labor.” His lips curved into a charming smile.
The fruits of his labor? Was he trying to say he was the creator of succubi and incubi?
“He’s a fun one to have around.” My mother moved to his side and trailed her fingertips along one of his biceps.
I pursed my lips together. It looked as though my mother and Darius had something going on. Yuck.
“Let’s head back to my office so we can talk.” She shifted until she was glaring at me with a serious expression. “There is so much we need to discuss now.” She was still disappointed in me for what I had done, for what I had become. It was writ
ten all over her face.
You mean what I did, sweet succubus. The credit is all mine, the wraith corrected me.
It was the one time I was glad he was in my head and able to speak to me, because he had reminded me it wasn’t something I couldn’t have controlled. It had been him all along, and I needed to let my mother know that. I needed to remind her.
“Yes, we do,” I insisted with a new determination. I wasn’t going to allow her to make me feel bad. She had no right. I planned to explain everything the second we reached her office.
She peeled herself away from Darius and started walking through the crowded dance floor. I moved to follow her, slipping past Darius. He caught my wrist and held me in place.
“I’ll be here when you are finished, love.” He leaned in closer to me, his lips nearly brushing against mine as he spoke. “If you should decide you want to pick up where we left off.” I could feel the heat of his breath slip along my lips in a teasing way.
“I don’t think so.” The words were like little daggers stabbing at my throat and tongue as they left my mouth. It was hard to get them out. “But thank you for the offer.”
“Suit yourself.” He released his grip on me and backed away, disappearing into the crowd.
My eyes drifted to find my mother. I spotted her near the far wall. People seemed to part ways, creating a path for her as she walked. Squaring my shoulders, I continued in her direction.
Chapter 18
My mother’s office wasn’t an office, per say, but more of a lounge with walls made of windows overlooking the club below. There was a plush couch wrapped around the length of the room made of dark leather and a matching ottoman in the center.
“Have a seat.” My mother sauntered to the far edge of the couch.
I crossed around front, my eyes shifting to the wall of windows before me. Bodies of those on the dance floor gyrating against one another vied for my attention. I skimmed over them as I situated myself in the center of the couch. One person in particular captured my interest and held it.
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