Sinful Cravings: Erotic Paranormal Romance (Lake City Stories Book 2)

by Annie Nicholas

  Not like Val. An empty ach filled my chest. My incubus had captured my heart, not my libido. Well, not only my libido. I wish I could go home and sink into his arms. Tell him everything that had happened and watch him freak out in his overprotective yet adorable way.

  Sin released his bite and eased off my body. A drop of blood hung from his bottom lip before he licked it away as his eyelids drooped with satisfaction.

  I tracked his tongue as it slid with slow precision, leaving a moist trail in its wake. Sin had a kissable mouth and centuries of practice had made him an expert at the art.

  He lowered his face to mine and licked over my lips.

  A shiver ran up my spine with exquisite intensity. My body recognized Sin’s as food and also as pleasure. Being faithful was a succubus’ greatest challenge.

  Sex was food, not love.

  That line was thinner for me than most succubi. Sin never crossed those lines, not until recently. He’d been treating me better and better.

  He ran his hands over my sides until his thumbs rested under my breasts. “I can kiss your tender girly parts and make them feel better.”

  I groaned and arched my back, pressing my harden nipples to his chest. “I can’t.”

  Running his hands over my breasts, Sin kneaded them. “He doesn’t have to know. It can be our secret.”

  “No. Stop making this so hard.” I squeezed my thighs together, an act of supernatural willpower in of itself. There had been a time I dreamed of Sin loving me, but reality finally sank in when I realized he didn’t own a heart. I think he used his black magic to cut it out and hid it on some desert island.

  With a small growl, he let me go and sat in the chair across from me. “You keep secrets for Val.”

  I shook my head as I sat. “That’s different. Val and I are in love. We can’t keep secrets from each other or we may as well not be together.” I rose and placed a tender kiss on Sin’s cheek. “Thank you for the present. It’s the most thoughtful thing you’ve ever done for me.”

  Val had already started keeping secrets from me when he didn’t tell me his wives were starving him. Sin was kind enough not to remind me.

  Chapter Nine

  Day One of My Cycle

  I left Lake City behind and entered the rural suburbs where my parents lived. The night weighed heavy upon my thin shoulders. Thank God, Santa Claus, and Hare Krishna that dawn was peaking over the horizon.

  Glancing at my purse, I resisted the urge to call Val on my cell. He could be asleep. My stomach cramped to the point of almost tossing my apple bits. Or he could be sleeping with someone else. He’d still been hungry when I left.

  Would drinking the vials he’d bought off succubi be enough? Val was an old incubus. He required lots of energy and those vials appeared so small in comparison to the hunger I’d sensed. I rubbed my chest to ease the ache inside. Was this what jealousy felt like? If so, it sucked.

  Feeding off his wives wouldn’t bother me. I’d seen it all my life with my parents but I couldn’t accept him feeding from a stranger. Not the way I was forced to. That violated the precarious relationship we’d been developing. I returned my attention to the road before I steered into a ditch.

  A tear slid down my cheek. How did my jumping Nik differ though? He was a stranger I had to feed upon. I had no choice. The need took control once my body reached critical mass. Call it an evolutionary reflex to safe guard against starvation.

  How could Val hide his lack of vials from me? Just as my reflex to feed had kicked in,so had his and he almost killed me. I hated using some stranger and he placed me in such a bad way. I searched for the phone inside my purse. “Dial Val.” The phone rang once.

  “Pia?” Val’s voice carried over the wireless connection to the speakers of my car.

  I sobbed. “I hate this.” I pulled over and leaned my forehead on the steering wheel.

  “Sweetheart…” His voice softened. “Tell me everything.”

  The ache in my chest grew worse instead of better. I sniffed and wiped my face. “I couldn’t make it to Sin or Cooper in time to feed.” The last word ended in a hiccup.

  Silence greeted my confession.

  “Val?”

  “Did he hurt you?” I could almost hear his phone creek in his grasp.

  “No.” Not in a bad way, but self preservation told me to keep that to myself.

  “Look, you had to feed. It doesn’t matter to me who it is as long as you’re safe. Okay?” He said all the right things yet under those words lay a hint of pain.

  The ache eased and I could breathe easier. He didn’t care who his other wives fed from but with me it seemed to bother him even if he wouldn’t admit it out loud. He really was concerned.

  Or I was reading too much into it. I shook my head. “H-how are you doing?”

  A long sigh answered my question. “My wives have been refusing my calls. I might have to take drastic measures.”

  I swallowed around the growing lump in my throat. “We can break the engagement.”

  “No.” He chuckled. “I thought you would have suggested this earlier.”

  Laughing lightly, I rested back in my driver’s seat. “I’m not letting you go that easily, Mr. Hunan.”

  “I’m never letting you go, even when you beg me to.”

  A silly grin graced my lips. Something I didn’t think I could have done a few minutes ago. “I love you.”

  “No doubt.”

  My smile vanished. “Um…okay.”

  “I’ll send Hoel for you in the afternoon. We can have lunch between my meetings and brainstorm what to do next.”

  “You’re going into work? Is that safe?”

  “There are no succubi in my offices.” He took a deep breath. “And Hoel is securing me more vials to ease the demand of my hunger.”

  “Oh.” That answered my earlier concern. He wasn’t feeding directly from another source. Yet. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.” He hung up and the silence in the car echoed in my heart. No succubus in Lake City would be safe until we found a solution. A hungry incubus was a predator.

  Should I tell my father? As the leader of our people he might have answers we’re not aware of. Maybe my dad had a stash of energy for emergencies? Nah, my mothers would never starve him so he wouldn’t need stored vials. If anything, my dad would have used up the stash since my moms couldn’t keep up with his demands.

  I continued on my journey and pulled into the long driveway by the house. Once it was littered with bikes and toys, now sports cars and motorcycles filled the area. Frowning, I shook my head at the sight. My sister, Rose, made a game of seducing males into buying her cars. Jewelry would be easier to store.

  Parking behind a sky blue convertible, I exited my VW Bug and pulled out my suitcase. The front door was unlocked, which wasn’t unusual. Any burglar who entered became a snack. Kind of like pizza delivery but better.

  I set my stuff by the door and took off my winter coat. A pre-dawn quiet filled the house, while gentle sunlight vanquished the shadows. I could solve only one problem at a time, and my first priority was sleep. Rest hopefully would organize my thoughts and soothe my exhausted body.

  Something clanked in the kitchen. My heart skipped a beat and I peeked inside.

  Daddy stood by the counter slicing a banana into a bowl. His tired gaze rose to meet mine. “Baby?” He wore a wrinkled, dark blue suit with his tie undone and first button opened. Not the usual crisp and clean lawyer image he portrayed.

  “What happened? Did you get mugged?” I hurried into the kitchen and swept my hands over him checking for blood or protruding knives.

  Taking my hands in his, he stopped my search. “I’m fine. What are you doing here so early?”

  I blinked. What should I say? All my planned excuses seemed so lame. “Uh…breakfast?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Val out of town again?” Everyone knew Val and Hoel did all the cooking. I was banned from his kitchen after
setting it on fire while making microwave popcorn. Twice. I wish I’d been banned from all kitchens worldwide.

  “Yes.” The lie slipped from my lips with too much ease, but I didn’t want to explain our situation while exhausted. Daddy had his own feeding problems. Chances were high I’d cry then my dad would go kick Val’s ass. And I couldn’t imagine that would make anything better. “Whatcha making?” I eyed the bananas in the bowl.

  “Bananas Flynn. Want some?” He started slicing more in another bowl without waiting for an answer.

  “Sure.” My dad never cooked. We shared the same burning-down-the-kitchen gene. I eyed the room. “Where are the moms?” They usually guarded the kitchen from us. Maybe they were sleeping off yesterday’s brandy binge.

  “Sleeping I assume.” Searching through the cupboard, he returned with a jar of caramel and a bag of walnuts. Breakfast was looking better and better.

  Assessing his garb with obvious distaste, I leaned against the counter and crossed my arms. “Are you going to make me ask?”

  Dad sighed as he poured a thick layer of caramel over the bananas then tossed the walnuts over the mass of sticky banana heaven in a bowl. He handed me one and watched as I took a huge mouth full. This was cooking. “I have to find another wife.”

  I swallowed it whole and thumped my chest. “Dude.” I’d known this already but wasn’t expecting my dad to be so frank. He usually tiptoed around me as if I’d shatter at the slightest noise.

  “It’s not dude. It’s dad.” He slapped my back until I belched like a linebacker. “Better?”

  “The moms already told me.” I clutched my bowl as my heart chipped at the tired circles under his eyes. This day had to come. I wished it could have waited until I’d died.

  “Baby, we’ve been trying to stretch things by using you and your sisters’ vials but I’m exhausting everyone. I’ll kill them at this rate. I need to add another food source.” He picked up my spoon and fed me a small piece.

  In our culture, when an incubus fed a succubus it was a sign of affection, him offering to take care of her. I gave him a small smile and sank to the floor, leaning my back against the fridge.

  My appetite vanished once more, but I ate out of respect and the need to not waste good caramel. “So were you on a date last night?” I tried not to search his collar for lipstick stains as he sank next to me.

  He shook his head and chewed. “No, not yet. I slept at the office. The moms aren’t happy and I hate being the cause of it. I came to take a quick shower and get a clean set of clothes. Hopefully before they wake.”

  The moms lived within a well-oiled triangle and my dad had tossed sand into the gears. “You can’t run away from your problems. I trademarked that mistake. Get your own.”

  “Who do you think you learned it from?” Glancing at me, he offered me another spoonful. “Are you mad at me too?”

  “No.” I ate his generous gift without tasting it. Each bite weighed like lead in my stomach. “I’m just sad.”

  “Why?” He caught my lowered chin in his hand so I’d be forced to meet his gaze.

  “I just wish I could help so all of you wouldn’t have to hurt.”

  Releasing my chin, Dad scowled at me. “I am not your responsibility, nor your sisters. This has to happen. Your mothers agree but they need to loosen their leashes for a bit.” He gobbled his meal as I watched. Their situation didn’t really differ from mine and Val’s.

  Sexual energy made our world go round. In my case, I was the new wife and Val’s wives were like my mothers. They didn’t want me. I threatened their balance. How could I grease their gears so the family machine could move smoothly once more?

  I handed my unfinished breakfast to him. “I’m full. Do you have someone in mind?”

  He gave me the look. The one dads reserved when their daughters asked too many questions.

  “Come on. I might know someone.” Not really, most succubi avoided me like the plague as if wanting to be loved was contagious.

  Chuckling, he cleaned out my bowl with a few swipes of his spoon. “I do know someone I’d like your mothers to meet but I haven’t approached her yet.”

  The kitchen spun. “Cool.” Not! “Once things calm down between everyone I’d like to meet her.”

  He gave me a small smile. “Thanks, Baby.”

  I crept up the stairs to my room in the attic. Everything was where I’d left it as if my parents had expected my return. Oh ye of little faith…

  Yet here I was with suitcase in hand. I set it by my bed, undressed, and crawled under the thick covers. My moms had even changed my sheets to the winter set. I sank into the soft mattress knowing they loved me, yet this stank of failure. I’d come full circle. In less than four months, I was back in my twin bed, alone, in my parents’ house.

  Way to go me.

  Chapter Ten

  Still Day One

  With a gasp bordering on a shout, I sat up in my bed. Sweat coated my skin and I couldn’t catch my breath. I pressed my hands to my sleep filled eyes and took a deep shuddering breath. It had only been a dream. Thank god. Val had had me pinned in our bed. He kept feeding from me over and over until I’d been on the verge of collapse. My future husband shouldn’t be starring in my nightmares.

  “Bad dream?” The last person I ever wanted in my bedroom asked.

  I pulled the covers to my neck, covering my exposed breasts and checking for the necklace at the same time. I still wore it. “What are you doing here?”

  Amel sat cross legged on my floor, his black wings filling most of the room. “Sin ordered me to guard you since he can’t leave the nest during the day.”

  When the hell did Sin start giving a shit? I stared at the demon taking up all my air space. “I’m fine. You can go back to your cave.” Spending my day with Amel as my shadow would cause problems. Being that he was the scariest person I’d ever met and I was well acquainted with Sin so that said a lot.

  “I can’t. His orders supersede yours. You’re stuck with me. Did you like your dream?”

  My soul shriveled when he smiled. His people lived off bad emotions like fear and pain. “That was your doing?”

  “Call it a talent. Not many of my kind have the finesse to slip into dreams. Most are too brutal to appreciate the delicacy of perceived fear.” He smacked his lips together as if tasting something delicious.

  “Stay out of my head, Amel. That’s a direct order.”

  He scowled. “Like I said, so few understand.”

  I rubbed my forehead while waiting for my brain to truly wake up. A Mazzikim demon sat inside my parents’ house. They didn’t wear necklaces like I did. My heart hammered. “Have you done anything to my family?”

  He picked at the shredded hem of his jeans with his sharp claws and shrugged.

  “No!” I shouted and jumped from my bed, shoving him out of my way as I crossed the room. Tearing down the stairs, I cried out, “Mom, Mom.” What had he done to them? This was worse than any nightmare. I would order Amel to skin himself while I watched if he touched a hair on any of their heads.

  The door to the kitchen swung open and my birth mother strolled out, wiping her hands on the apron she wore. “What?” Her eyes went wide when her gaze landed on me. “Pia? What’s wrong?”

  I flung my arms around her neck and hugged her tight. “Are you okay?” I trembled in her arms. From fear or anger, I wasn’t sure yet.

  Adele strode out, following my mom. “Whoa, that’s a sight I could do without after eating.” She slapped my naked ass with a practiced sting as she passed.

  I glanced down at myself. I’d been so tired this morning I hadn’t bothered with pajamas when I crawled into bed.

  “Honey, did you and Val stay here last night?” Sam leaned forward so she could glance at the empty staircase.

  “Uh…no, just me. I had a nightmare, I think.” I scratched my head. “So everyone is fine? No maiming?”

  Adele shook her head as she slid into her jacket with the kind of grace I envi
ed. “I’m going shopping. I think I’ve seen enough of Pia for the rest of the day.”

  “Everyone is fine, honey. Why don’t you put on some clothes while I make you something to eat then you can tell me all about it?”

  I nodded still a little dazed as the adrenaline left my system. “You sure everyone is fine?”

  She spun me around and gave me a small push toward the stairs. “Yes. That must have been quite a dream.”

  “Yeah.” I stomped up the stairs, back to the attic. “A big demonic one.” Storming into my room, I grabbed the closest piece of clothing and dressed. It was an old sundress from the summer still on my door knob. “Why didn’t you hurt them?”

  “Zur-Sin ordered me not to hurt anyone unless they were harming you.” Amel lounged on my bed now, arms behind his head so his chest muscles flexed nicely. I’d never seen him wear a shirt. It must be hard to find one that fits with those big wings in the way. “You sound disappointed.” He chuckled. “I can change that if you want. You just need to ask.”

  I crossed my arms. “Ask or order?” Obviously I would need to learn the rules of this necklace fast. Amel had all morning to think about the ways he could get around it. I hadn’t given the necklace a second thought since I left Sin’s nest.

  “What’s the difference?”

  “Can you poke yourself in the eye?”

  He jerked and sat on the side of the bed facing me. “I can but I don’t want to.” He held up his clawed hand. “These are sharp.”

  “I command you to poke yourself in the eye.”

  “What?” Then he jabbed his clawed fingertip in his eye. “Fuck.” He roared the word. That answered my first question. If I ordered him to do something, he couldn’t refuse.

  “Pia?” One of my mothers called from downstairs. “What’s all that racket? You’re not supposed to feed in the house, young lady.”

  “Fuck,” I echoed Amel. “I order you to shut up.”

  His jaw snapped shut. He rubbed his injured eye as a trickle of blood rolled down his cheek. The other eye glared death at me. Been there, done that, he had to get over it.