by Jill Myles
When he screamed, though, it didn’t make things any easier.
A nonsense string of syllables erupted from Luc’s throat in a rush, and his hand moved in a feeble gesture. He shouted a few more words, then grew still, closing his eyes. Mae looked satisfied, and turned back to me.
“There you go, my pet.”
I didn’t feel any different. Was this a trick? I reached down and undid the clasp on my ankle . . . and nothing happened.
I laughed with relief. “It’s gone!”
“A deal’s a deal,” Mae said sweetly. “We’ll be seeing each other again.”
I took one last look at Luc, then ran out the front door of the small cabin.
His screams echoed in the distance as I ran away, tears streaming down my face.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
I ran until I reached the road—I didn’t know or care how many miles it was. I just ran, and when I my breath caught in my throat and demanded that I stop, I forced myself to continue walking. Anything to get away.
The main road was empty, and after a few more miles I hit a suburban area. Neat houses lined up in rows in the twilight, so innocent and sweet.
I felt dirty as I approached the first one, disheveled, my clothing wrinkled and spotted with blood. An old woman answered the door, and I did my best to seem as meek and terrified. It wasn’t hard; big tears rolled down my face. “Can I use your phone?”
“Of course, dear,” the woman said, a look of concern on her face as she ushered me inside. “Come right in.”
I made a few quick calls. One to Noah’s BlackBerry, but I just got voicemail since he was out cold for the night. I left a message there, and on the Gideon Enterprises voicemail, then I dialed the last number.
“Hello? Jackie?” Zane picked up on the first ring.
I hesitated. Either I could trust him, or I couldn’t. Luc had said Zane wanted me back. But was that so he could turn me in to the queen? I was suddenly tired of running. “Can you come get me?” I said dully.
I gave him the address—somewhere in Mississippi again—and he promised to be there very soon. So I sat down on the afghan-covered sofa, drank some coffee with the woman, and waited.
True to his word, the doorbell rang sometime after midnight. “I bet that’s your young man,” the old woman, Maribel, said sweetly.
I smiled at her and stood. “Thank you so much.” I glanced at the door, then back at her. “May I have one more cup of coffee before I go?”
“Of course, dear.” She patted my hand. “I’ll go get it. You just wait right there.”
As soon as she disappeared into the kitchen, I ran for the front door. I didn’t want Zane and his goons to see poor sweet Maribel, in case they needed a midnight snack. I didn’t want anyone else getting hurt because of me.
When I opened the door, though, Zane was alone. Relief flitted across his face. “Jackie, you’re all right.”
I slipped my hand into his, expecting him to tug me down the sidewalk and into the shadows. What I hadn’t expected was for him to envelop me in his arms, kissing my hair, stroking my face, softly whispering “It’s all right” against my face. I felt the flutter of his wings surround me in their dark warmth, and I wrapped my hands around his waist, loving his body against mine.
“You came alone,” I said softly.
“I did.” Zane pressed another kiss to my forehead. “I told the others I had a few things to take care of before I returned. And I wanted to see you and . . . explain.”
The porch light flicked on behind us, and Zane grabbed me by the waist and lifted us into the air with the ease of one who lived to fly. I wrapped my arms around his neck to anchor myself, and his hands slid to my ass. “Wrap your legs around me, Princess. We’ve got a long flight back to New Orleans.”
I did so, huddling my face against his neck, trying to bury myself against his warm skin. The wind ripped at us, but I wasn’t going to stop it from letting us talk. “Why did you curse me, Zane?”
A ragged breath escaped him. “I didn’t know about it, Princess. The queen had Luc lay the curse on me while I was in daylight hibernation. I didn’t find out about it until you told me at the rest stop, and I suspected the worst. It’s just like her to target someone that I care about.”
I believed him, and nodded against his throat.
“When I found out about your curse, I knew Queen Nitocris had a hand in it. So I left you behind—I thought for sure that you’d be safe with Remy—and I confronted the queen.” He was silent for a long moment, the only sound between us the thumping of his heart against mine, the rasping of our breath in the chill night air, and the steady flap of his wings as we rose and dipped through the air currents. “She admitted everything. She’s proud of the fact that she was able to curse you. It was to get back at me.”
“Luc said she wanted another succubus under her control.” I shuddered, thinking of an eternity in which I was forced to do the queen’s bidding. Living under her rule, her whims, her desires. It would be Hell on earth.
“I think she did, originally. But when I confronted her, she changed her mind. It was the perfect time to make a deal. If I would come back to the fold and be her loyal prince once more, she’d exchange my freedom for yours. I agreed.”
He’d done that . . . for me?
A desperate note entered his voice, made ragged by the wind. “I’m not back with the queen by choice, Jackie. She’s tried to woo me back for many months, and I’ve been able to withstand her tantrums. I wanted to be free to enjoy our life together, but when it came down to choosing between you and freedom, I chose you.” His mouth nudged against my temple, and he pressed another kiss there.
Tears spilled from my eyes. “I apologize for doubting you.”
He laughed, a short, bitter sound. “You had every right to. I would have been angry at me if I were in your shoes. Once I’d spoken with the queen, I knew Luc was on your trail, but he was very evasive. Every time I’d call him to tell him the plans had changed, he’d hang up on me or delete the text messages unread.”
I thought back to my hazy, drugged-out evening in the hotel. Luc’s phone had kept vibrating with incoming calls. We’d almost had sex, but he’d pulled back because of the calls. My eyes widened as I realized it was Zane who’d been desperately trying to get hold of Luc and get him to leave me alone. “So you’ve been looking out for me? And you didn’t tell me?”
His mouth quirked to one side. “I couldn’t tell you the truth until she’d kept her part of the bargain and released you from Luc’s little scheme.”
Which reminded me. “I, uh, did a bad thing to Luc.”
“Nothing that he didn’t deserve, I’m sure.”
“I sold him to a demon in exchange for my own freedom,” I confessed.
He laughed, the rumbles vibrating in his chest. “The queen will love that. I imagine she’ll leave him in the demon’s clutches for a bit before she ransoms him, just to teach him a lesson.”
I perked up a little. “Do you think she’ll free him?” I hated the thought of even Luc stuck in Mae’s hands for all eternity.
“Luc’s her favorite double agent,” Zane said. “She might punish him for a time, but she’ll bring him back to the fold eventually.”
I snuggled back against his chest. “He deserves punishment, that’s for sure.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Zane whispered in my ear. “And if he touches you again, I’ll kill him with my bare hands.”
Even though it was just an expression, it warmed my heart, and I let the rhythmic sound of his wings relax me.
Zane landed on Delilah’s roof about an hour or two before dawn. The house was quiet, and I unwrapped my legs from his body slowly, reluctant to leave him. “Are you coming in?”
“No.” Zane shook his head. “By now, she’s got the entire place warded to Hell and back. I can feel them on my skin.” A hint of a sad smile tugged at his full mouth. “And I need to get back to . . . the others. They’ll be looking for me.
”
My breath hitched in my throat. “When will I see you again?”
“I don’t know.” He touched my cheek, then leaned in to give me a kiss. “I’d say that I could sneak away to see you, except that the queen will be having me watched, and I want to keep her away from you.” He stroked my hair, then softly said, “I think it’s a good idea if we don’t see each other for a while.”
He was sacrificing himself for me, to keep me safe. My eyes burned with tears. “It’s not fair.”
He wiped my cheek with his thumb gently. “It’s never fair in love and war, Jackie.”
I laughed through my tears. “Is that what this is? Love and war?”
“I know it’s love,” he said quietly.
My heart stilled at the soft admission. It was love that motivated him? Not just a master’s affection for his own creation?
“Here,” he said, pulling something out of his pocket. “I want you to have this.”
He held out something shiny on a chain. I took it from his hands, tracing the tiny links and the pendant that dangled from it. It felt like some sort of metal acorn.
“Part of my deal with the queen,” he said, his voice wry. “I asked her for a charm to remove your curse. There was no such thing, but she did have another of her warlocks make a charm to suppress magic. I figured you could use it until I found you a cure.”
Interesting. I wondered what the charm had cost him in favors, and shuddered. I didn’t want to know. “Thank you, Zane. This could have come in handy a few days ago.”
“That’s why I was bringing it to New Orleans,” he said, his hands tracing along my face, my neck, trying to memorize me with his touch. “But since you don’t need it any longer, give it to Remy. It should help her keep Joachim under control.”
My breath sucked in and relief rushed through me. I could save Remy after all. “Zane, I don’t know what to say.” Gratitude and sadness clogged my throat. “Thank you.”
“I’d settle for a kiss before I leave.” A hint of the old, devilish Zane had returned.
That I could most definitely do. I tilted my face up to his and slid my hands inside his shirt, the chain wrapped around one hand. I wanted to give him more than just a kiss good-bye.
There wasn’t much time, and far too many clothes. We sat on the roof, shedding our clothes with haste and reaching for each other with eager hands. I clung to his hot, hard form, my pale white skin brushing against cool black wing. The meeting of our bodies was not gentle; nothing tender in the desperate kisses that fueled us or the way he jerked my leg around his waist and slid his cock into me as I lifted my hips to meet his thrust. This was Zane, this was love, and I was going to be miserable without him.
My ankle slid over his shoulder, my toes tickling against the thick fall of wing-feathers. The mix of textures was sensory overload—his hard fingers wrapped around my ankle as he thrust deep, over and over again, the roof tiles abrading my back as I moaned with pleasure. Within moments I found my release, muscles tensing and body locking as I shuddered, my teeth digging into his shoulder to buy my silence. He came a moment later, wings spreading and arching into the night sky, blotting out the moon with their span.
The whole process had taken only moments.
After we pulled apart, I couldn’t stop kissing his face as he buttoned his shirt and helped me dress.
“Say you’ll send me notes. Or call me. Email. Twitter. Something. Anything.” I didn’t want to think of him leaving me forever.
Forever was so very long when you’re immortal.
Zane gave me a crooked half smile. “I’ll see what I can do, Princess.” Which was guy code for “Don’t call me, I’ll call you.”
I understood—he wouldn’t contact me for my own safety. I nodded, unable to speak for the knot in my throat. I clutched the acorn charm tight in my hand as Zane picked me up in his arms and fluttered slowly to the ground, dropping me in Delilah’s yard with the gentlest of care.
He brushed his hand tenderly along my cheek, then stroked my jaw with his thumb. “A few weeks ago, the thought of you with Noah was eating me up inside. But I want you to promise me that you’ll stay with him, since I cannot be here for you. He’ll keep you safe.”
I didn’t have the words to answer him, so I nodded.
Zane touched my cheek one last time and then was aloft again.
I wanted to say so much before he left me, to explain that I was sorry for everything that I’d misunderstood. But I just waved sadly, then went back into the house.
I would not cry. I would not cry, I repeated, even as I felt tears sliding down my cheeks.
A sad smile touched my face. I’d managed to get the curse removed without anyone else’s help. Sort of. And even though I had to make a deal with a devil to do so, I was pretty proud of myself. At the start of this trip I’d been completely dependent on both Remy and Zane, and now I needed no one in my life. If they were there, it was because I’d chosen them to be there.
Zane had made his own choice, and I could respect that. The ache in my heart was heavy, but I’d bear it because I had to.
And I refused to think that this would be the last time I’d see Zane ever again.
Delilah came running out of the kitchen, a knife and a jar of powder in her hands as I came through the front door. “Oh. It’s you.”
“Nice to see you, too,” I said, wiping my wet face.
“What happened?”
I didn’t feel like explaining it. “Too much. I’ll tell you some other time.”
“All right.” She cocked her head, regarding me, her dainty face perfect. “Did you get those vampires to leave?”
“They’re gone. They won’t be back.”
“Good.” She gestured at her sitting room. “The priest is still in there. Noah’s upstairs in hibernation.” Delilah eyed me. “Your curse?”
“Gone,” I said, a wealth of emotion in that small word. “And so is the creep that put it on me.”
“Nice job,” she said, and then left.
I stood in the hallway a moment longer, surprised at her casual dismissal. Didn’t she care about what I’d gone through?
I guess when you’d lived for seven hundred years as a succubus, you learned to care only about yourself. I didn’t want to become like that. Not now, not a hundred years from now.
Though I longed to go crawl into bed next to Noah and forget about everything that had happened, I found myself drawn to the sitting room instead. The priest was laid out on one of Delilah’s plush velvet sofas, his arms propped on his chest as if he were dead.
I reached out and brushed my fingertips across his forehead. Could I bring him back, now that my powers were under control?
Concentrating, I closed my eyes and thought back to the minds inside my own, separating them apart, willing the priest back into his body.
He coughed, and I opened my eyes.
“I’m back,” the priest said, and smiled at me.
“I’m glad,” I said, feeling a much better.
After the priest left, I got into bed next to Noah, watching him sleep. Having him beside me helped ease the pain of Zane’s loss. Noah was beautiful in the moonlight, and I could see the beauty of Heaven in his face.
What must it be like, to be cursed to spend an eternity in an existence like his? I hadn’t chosen to be a succubi, but I could think of worse things. Like being cast out from Heaven . . . or forced to spend an eternity catering to an evil vampire queen’s wishes. I stroked the blond locks of hair off Noah’s forehead, my mind awash with melancholy thoughts. And even though I knew Zane wasn’t coming back, I couldn’t help looking out the window, hoping for a flash of black wing.
Noah stirred awake a short time later, blinking at me twice before crushing me to him in a giant bear hug. “Jackie! Thank God. You scared the life out of me.”
I let him cuddle me close, enjoying the warmth. “I’m okay,” I said softly.
He ran his hands over me, checking my body with worried
eyes and fingers, and kissing every inch of my skin that he could. “Your curse?”
“Gone,” I said. “It was a long night, though, and I’m tired. Can we talk about it later?”
“Of course. Whatever you want.”
“Just hold me right now,” I said, laying my cheek against his chest and breathing in his wonderful scent. “I’d like to spend a day in bed with nothing to bother us. No vampires, no monsters, no demons, no voodoo. Just a day in bed with TV and food.”
“We can do that,” Noah said, stroking my hair. “We’ll talk about the rest when you’re ready.”
I nodded. Now was the perfect time to ask about De-lilah’s concerns. “Noah . . . are you in trouble with the other Serim? For making me? Dee said it’s forbidden to create a new succubus.”
He cleared his throat. “Ah, yes and no.”
I didn’t like that answer. “How about you go into a bit more detail?”
“Yes, it’s illegal, and no, I’m not in trouble. I paid a fine and reported the misdeed to the council. You’re safe with me.” He rubbed my arm, as if realizing how upset that would make me. “Just trust me, Jackie. It’s all taken care of.”
Misdeed? How depressing, to be considered an unfortunate accident. “Speaking of misdeeds,” I said, changing topics. “The priest is back in his body.”
Relief washed over his face. “You figured out how to put him back? That’s wonderful.”
“I need to go see the others, too, and put them back in their bodies.” I wasn’t asking for permission before doing what I wanted this time.
“We can do that,” he agreed.
That was why Noah was so wonderful—supporting me, no matter what. I gave him a soft smile. “I saw Delilah downstairs. She looked good.” Like she’d never been in a knock-down fight with a vampire or possessed by a demon. “How is Remy?”
“Delilah’s always fine; she heals fast. As for Remy, Dee tried but she still can’t make contact with her. She might be lost for good.” Sadness seeped through his voice. “My poor friend.”