by K.N. Lee
"I'm glad it worked out," I said, holding back my own laugh. I hesitated, and then added, "Did Christian mention that woman who came up to him and Vale?"
"Woman? What woman?"
"I don't know who she was, but she was strange. She came up to me first and then to the guys. I think she said something to them."
"He didn't say anything. Now I'm totally curious!"
"I wish you'd been there, Melly. She actually had the balls to tell me that I wasn't good enough for Vale."
Melanie blinked her big, brown eyes. "I hope she didn't have balls."
It was my turn to shrug. "I couldn't tell you." I wasn't being snarky. That redhead had been a magickal being which meant she could have been anything, including a hermaphrodite. "I worried for nothing, though. She slunk away with her tail between her legs when Vale wouldn't give her the time of day."
"Huh. That's so weird that she would be up in your face about it, though. Maybe she was like, one of those people who are obsessed with danger and she'd read about you in the paper. She wanted to poke you and see if you'd try to bite her."
The possibility that last night had been about me, not Vale, hadn't previously crossed my mind, but it should have. People were strange. Tell them not to open a box and suddenly they couldn't wait to tear it open. Or point out a dangerous sorceress and someone decided they wanted to see just how dangerous I was.
"Huh. Maybe you're right, Melly. It would explain why she gave up so fast. I didn't give her the reaction she wanted so she lost interest."
"You were a dud."
"That's not what Vale would say after last night," I said, sending my own leer at Melanie.
We laughed like a couple of pervs.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully, which was a relief. For a few weeks there, my friends and I had exhausted ourselves battling dark spirits that wanted to turn Las Vegas into Hell on Earth. We'd put a stop to it, but I still sometimes had nightmares about all the things Lucky and I had been forced to do to save the world. People were wrong to think I enjoyed using my sorcery. Nearly every time I had to it was in defense of someone I loved when they were endangered. I'd just as soon never use my dragon again. This quiet spell that we were enjoying was something I hoped extended into forever.
Melanie left around five o'clock to take her turn at driving the family food truck through the city. Left alone, it was business as usual for me. I sold some hiking boots, bought a couple of watches from a pair of down-on-their-luck gamblers and later, accepted a guy's scooter for pawn with promises not to sell it until Monday because he was sure he'd win the money to buy it back before then.
A teenager who I was sure was a shapeshifter of some kind because of his continuously twitching shoulders (usually sign that he possessed wings in his other form) bought a magicked Clue game board which came with sound effects and disappearing blood puddles. I sold a starter set of cauldrons to a young, shy witch and gave an older woman fifty bucks for a pen light that offered whispered descriptions of what was concealed in the dark.
Vale had spent the night again, so I wasn't startled when warm, masculine hands slid up and over my shoulders around dinner time. I'd been dusting some shelves but I turned with a smile to find him fully dressed and with the sort of bed head that made me want to tumble him right back into that bed.
"Morning, sleepy head," I said.
He plucked the duster from my hand and placed it on the dust-free shelf. "Morning," he murmured and then kissed me.
It startled me. There was a customer in the shop with us. Vale had never initiated PDA here out of respect for my business, yet his hands came up to frame my face and his lips sucked at mine with the sort of slow, sensual deliberation that heated my blood. It was the kind of kiss that led to heavy petting and more.
I laughed a little, probably because I was self-conscious. He smiled against my mouth and swept his thumbs over my cheekbones.
"Your laugh is adorable," he said against my lips.
It took effort, but I leaned away from him so I could focus on him. "Someone woke up on the absolute right side of the bed," I remarked, letting him hear my approval. His hands still cradled my face, so I settled with putting my own hands in a neutral position on his hips. "You know we're not alone, right?" I whispered.
He blinked. I could practically see the fog of arousal fade from his consciousness. A tiny line appeared between his eyebrows before he lowered his hands and took a step back. I let my hands fall away.
"Not that I was complaining," I said before he got the wrong idea.
The smile he gave me was bemused. "I didn't think you were, but you were right to tell me. I apologize, Moody. I don't know what got into me."
"It tends to happen around me," I said breezily as I picked up the duster again. "Can't help being irresistible, sorry."
He chuckled. "I guess you can't." He drifted to the counter to watch me as I finished dusting.
The sole customer, a rather bedraggled-looking guy, ended up browsing for nearly twenty minutes, meticulously inspecting nearly every piece of merchandise in the shop. I was used to looky-loos, and Vale was as patient as the Sphinx, but I sensed a rising tension in him. As I sat on my stool behind the counter, Vale alternated between standing beside me and pacing slowly near the front door.
Vale wasn't a pacer. He occupied whatever space he was in just as a boulder or a tree would—as though he'd been there for years and was perfectly comfortable remaining there for another few decades. I watched him walk from one wall to the other and I wondered: had that crazy redhead done something to him after all?
By the time the customer heaved a disappointed sigh and let himself out of the shop, I was convinced that something was up with my boyfriend.
I stood up. "Vale—"
Anything else I'd planned to say evaporated from my brain as he surged across the room and surrounded me, one hand cupping the back of my head, the other at the small of my back, pulling me in against him. My gasp was caught by his lips and he groaned softly as if in agreement. I could almost hear his voice in my head, murmuring lowly, Moody, Moody.
He sucked sensuously at my lips, the light tease plucking at my arousal, coaxing it to climb. I shivered at the slow, lazy sweep of his tongue. I could do nothing but open for him, and then moan as he filled me with heat and wetness. He didn't thrust; he swept inside and then ebbed like the tides. And like a piece of seaweed caught in the foam I could do nothing but follow him out to sea, slipping between his lips to lick all the wet, sensitive curves inside his mouth.
His body vibrated against me. One strong thigh pushed between my legs so my hips canted up to his. It was natural to find a rhythm with him, to seek the friction that my body craved. My breath puffed against his lips. His fingers tightened in my hair. I wanted. Oh, how I wanted.
But I couldn't shake the awareness that the shop was open and anyone could walk in on us. Moonlight didn't belong to me. It was my Uncle James', but I ran it for him in his absence. What happened to and within the shop reflected on him, and that was maybe the only thing that stopped me from letting my head fall back and inviting Vale to do everything that he wanted to me.
I broke our kiss regretfully, then had to bite back a whimper when Vale simply shifted his kisses to my jaw and the tender skin below my ear.
"I want this," I panted, "but we can't. Not right now."
"Are you sure?" he whispered back, his voice a low burr, tickling my senses. His lips drifted down the side of my neck. I helplessly tilted my head, baring more of my skin to him.
"I'm…sure," I gasped. "Someone could walk in."
He dragged his teeth lightly over my pulse. "We could lock the door and close the shop."
The suggestion opened my eyes, literally. "Vale, no," I said firmly. I moved my hands to his shoulders, not yet pushing.
He stilled. He raised his head to look at me. Again, his face reflected confusion and maybe a touch of incredulousness that wasn't aimed at me.
"Moody, I-I'm sor
ry," he stammered, which Vale had never done before.
I was a little freaked out. "It's okay," I assured him, even if I could tell it really wasn't. "I'm not mad. I was into it, too." I gave him a flirty smile to prove it.
He wasn't willing to be mollified, though. He carefully stepped back, putting space between us. "No, Moody, it's not okay. I shouldn't have behaved that way."
"Hey, now, don't go making it like you assaulted me or something. You acted like my boyfriend. There was nothing wrong with it. It gave me a good ego boost."
"I can give you an ego boost that doesn't require that I paw you in public," he said darkly. He was upset, angry with himself. I understood, because Vale sort of prided himself on being a sophisticated, respectful being. He could be super sexy, sure, as he'd proven last night, but—
Last night. Was our marathon session between the sheets related to what had just happened?
"I think," I said slowly, "you've been bitten by some sort of sex bug."
"It's not the time for jokes."
"I'm not joking. You've been horned-up since last night. As much as I'd like to attribute it to my not-insignificant charms, the fact that this has happened so suddenly makes me kinda suspicious that it has little to do with me."
"Of course it has to do with you," he muttered. He stabbed a hand through his dark hair and strode away, all restless energy, which definitely wasn't the Vale Morgan that I knew.
"I'm flattered but no, I don't think it does have anything to do with me." I hesitated, but then reminded myself that he was more open-minded than regular men. "I think you've been cursed by a succubus."
He stopped with his back to me. "A succubus."
"Yeah, you know, a sex demon."
"I'm very aware of what a succubus is, Moody." Vale turned to give me a look of impatience. "I'd think I'd know when one was taking advantage of me."
"Maybe. Maybe not. Just because you had that run-in with Liliana doesn't make you an expert," I retorted. "Something happened last night and I think you should know about it."
I told him about the vampy redhead. Gratifyingly, he seemed to take it seriously.
"When she ran up to us, she said to me, 'I need you to do something for me,'" Vale said. "But then she had nothing further to say and she didn't approach us. Christian and I thought she might have had too much to drink or had mistaken me for someone else."
"Yeah, she was definitely up to something. But I don't know how we'd locate her again," I said. "Maybe Liliana knows her. At the least, there's a chance she knows what has been done to you."
He grimaced but nodded. I understood his reluctance to see Liliana again. The first and only time the two of them met, Vale had been locked in his gargoyle form due to a curse. Liliana had used her succubus power to pull him out of it. Though he'd turned back into a man, the process had required that he obey her, and I know he hadn't liked that.
"We don't have to see her," I began.
"No, we'll see her," he cut me off. He sighed and cast a rueful smile at me. "I'll just have to cross my fingers that she doesn't find me interesting any longer."
I smiled and nodded, but inside I was thinking there was no way that that was possible. When it came to succubi, men were chocolate truffles that they just couldn’t help nibbling on.
Liliana worked in a strip club, and while it would have been simpler to go through the front door, with Vale's libido on overdrive I didn't think it would be a hot idea to subject him to the sight of a bunch of nearly naked women. Fortunately, Liliana had met me at the back door of the club before, so meeting her again there wasn't anything unusual.
She opened the back door and then sort of lounged in the doorframe like a cobweb. At the sight of her, Vale took one step backward.
I didn't blame him. Her power worked only on men, and yet even I had trouble not staring worshipfully at her. She looked Namibian, with long, graceful limbs the color of darkest ebony. She could have worn a muumuu and picked up more men than I could have in my sexiest dress.
"You return," she murmured, her voice raising goosebumps and making me more than a tad uncomfortable. I didn't deal well with demons, but I'd once done her a favor so she was partial to me. At least for now.
"Yeah, hey, Lili, sorry to bother you. Um, my boyfriend and I wanted to ask your opinion on something."
"He's delectable and yes, I would enjoy watching you two have sex," Liliana purred.
I choked on my spit. "That's not what we wanted to know!" I took a step to the side, trying to block her view of Vale. "I think we may have run into a succubus last night. We think she did something to Vale."
Liliana laughed. "How amusing. Come along, darlings. This isn't something to discuss in the open."
She melted into the interior of the club, leaving Vale and me no choice but to follow.
Chapter 4
The last time I'd been here was with Melanie and poor Melly had found the experience overwhelming. Having spent a bit of time in Liliana's company, I wasn't completely afraid of her, but I did fear how she'd react with Vale in her dressing room. Rolling racks dripping with lingerie and costumes lined the walls, enclosing us. The low bass of the music playing out in the main room of the club throbbed sensuously beneath our feet.
"Describe this friend of yours," Liliana said as she draped herself over a chair and half of the length of her makeup counter. Her dark legs seemed to stretch for miles. I was envious.
"She's got red hair, she's decently attractive, but kind of a whacko," I said. "She reminded me of girls in high school. Really immature. I wouldn't have been surprised if she'd tried to pull my hair or formed a club of people on campus who hate me."
She laughed one of those laughs that people called "husky" or "whiskey-like". Sexy, in other words, making me feel a touch inadequate. "Anyone who doesn't appreciate you, Anne, is a jealous, small-minded fool. You're extraordinary. It's no wonder you've attracted your delicious gargoyle."
"My name's Vale," he said stiffly.
I was proud of him because standing up to a succubus was no easy thing. All she had to do was curl her finger in a come hither motion and Vale would involuntarily fall to his knees at her feet. I'd seen it happen to other men.
"Mmm, a luscious name, Vale."
Hell, I was ready to fall to my knees at the way Liliana purred his name. I was amazed that he remained standing at my side.
"I know who you are, young princeling," she continued, referring to Vale's status as the youngest heir to the Gargoyle Throne in Paris. Her gray eyes panned over him, pretty much stripping him and tying him to a bed in her mind. "And you are, indeed, compromised."
"What does that mean?" I asked sharply.
Liliana smiled. Hints of her demon nature leaked through as her eyes appeared to glow from within. "Your antagonist is not a succubus. I feel I should be insulted that you believe my kind can act so sloppily."
I raised an eyebrow. "Sloppily? In what way?"
"A succubus doesn't play this way, wasting a delicious male's sexual energy on another female." Her eyes roamed over Vale. "I certainly wouldn't lose one drop of yours."
Vale muttered something beneath his breath, so I quickly spoke up before he could say something that might get us both in trouble. "So if this isn't the work of a succubus what is it?"
"Someone's put a hex on you," she said to me.
I wiggled my pinky finger in my ear. "On me? Not on Vale?"
"Oh, it's affecting him, but it's aimed at you, darling. Someone doesn't like you. What a shame."
"What is it doing to me?" Vale ground out.
I glanced at him and saw the fine sheen of sweat on his brow. His hands were curled into fists by his side. It hadn't occurred to me that simply being in Liliana's presence—especially in the confined space of her dressing room—would be difficult for him. I'd always assumed she had to actively try to affect a man.
"It's stroking your aggression," she said with a seductive smile. "Can you feel it happening? The longer you remain i
n Anne's company, the stronger it will grow until you become violent toward her. This hex's ultimate goal is Anne's death by your hands."
Vale seethed with resentment. "That won't happen."
Liliana continued smiling.
I groaned, exasperated. "So what can we do about it?"
"Remain apart from each other."
"What can we do that isn't ridiculous?" I amended.
She tapped her long, sharp nails against her chin thoughtfully. "I'm of no use to you. You need the assistance of a witch or someone familiar with Wiccan arts."
I had someone in mind that fit the bill so I wasn't completely discouraged, but I'd hoped to fix this here and now. I scrubbed a hand over my face and as I did so I heard Vale release a shaky breath.
Liliana had tuned me out and had focused her attention on him. It sounded as though he was having a difficult time resisting her fixation.
"You can't help it, can you?" I asked her, a bit wryly. She was my friend. Mostly. Our relationship was built on an old debt she felt she owed me, but I wanted to believe she liked me at least a little bit. I didn't think she'd try to seduce my boyfriend and suck his energy from him while I stood right next to him, but…maybe?
She flicked her dark hair over her shoulder, making the action appear both playful and teasing. "I don't know what you mean, Anne."
I snorted. "Okay. I think we should go before Vale bursts a blood vessel resisting you. He's stronger than you know."
"I do know," she murmured, licking her lips. "That's why I want him."
I grabbed his bicep. "And on that note, we're leaving. Thanks for your help, Lili."
"Anytime, darling, so long as you bring your gargoyle with you."
Shaking my head, I tugged Vale out of the dressing room, not that he needed much incentive to escape Liliana's presence. Once we hit the hallway he took the lead, dragging me out of the club and into the alley again.