Succubus Diaries 03 - My Fair Succubi

by Jill Myles

  I paused mid-swig and blinked at her. “You know the story? And you haven’t said anything yet?”

  She gave a dainty shrug and tucked her feet beneath her as she resettled on the pillows. “It’s not my story to tell.”

  “Well, neither of those jerks seems to be interested in telling me the story, so why don’t you share it?”

  “Very well,” said Dee. “Though you won’t like it much. Back in the day, both Noah and Zane were a class of angel called a Watcher. The Watchers were charged to mingle with the humans and watch over them from the same plane. Kind of like guardian angels, but they posed as human. They ate at the dinner tables of human men, mingled with humans, and became friends with them. And of course fell in love with human women, since there are no female angels in Heaven.

  “Noah and Zane were assigned the same area, Jericho in old Canaan. They knew each other and were fairly friendly, teasing and ribbing each other like brothers. Or so I’ve been told by Noah.” She shook her head. “I can’t see it, myself. I’ve never seen anything but loathing between those two.”

  Friendly and like brothers? Noah and Zane? They hated each other.

  “Noah told me that he fell in love with a Retenu shepherdess named Rachael. Her family was very poor and her brother was a troublemaker, so one of the angels was constantly stopping by to assist the family.” She gave a small shrug. “To hear it from Noah, there has never been another woman as kind and sweet and gentle as Rachael. Her laugh was musical, her smile was always welcoming, and she always thought of others before herself.”

  My stomach churned uncomfortably. Rachael sounded perfect. I laughed like a donkey and scowled more than I smiled. And I sure wasn’t musical. “She sounds like a paragon.”

  “All that, and attractive and wholesome to boot. Noah fell for her, hard. It turns out that Zane had fallen for her, too. But neither of them knew about the other being in love with the same girl: Rachael was a quiet sort, so she never let on that both of them were courting her.

  “One of the archangels found out about the Watchers mingling with humans when a Nephilim like your friend Ethan was born.” When I paled, she quickly said, “Not Rachael’s child, someone else’s. Anyhow, the Powers That Be in Heaven were totally pissed off that the angels were down here making babies with mortal women. It was forbidden, and the Watchers had a choice. They could give up their human women and continue to be angels. If they did so, they’d be reassigned to a job in Heaven that had no interaction with humans. Or they could choose to fall and be with their girlfriends.”

  “Both Noah and Zane chose to fall,” I said softly. “And didn’t realize they were falling for the same girl.”

  “You see the problem,” Dee said, a sad note in her voice. “When they found out about each other, it was ugly. They fought and nearly destroyed Jericho with their anger—the city had to be rebuilt almost from scratch. Rachael was very upset, and even more upset when they demanded that she choose between them.”

  That sick twist in my stomach got even worse. I thought of the two men’s reactions, and guessed. “She picked Noah?”

  “She did,” agreed Delilah. “And it devastated Zane. Back then he was still one of the Serim. Now, wingless, godless, and womanless, he had nothing left. I’m not surprised he turned to the vampire side, once Joachim did. I imagine the lure of wings was too strong to resist—even if it came with a terrible price tag.”

  The price tag of being the evil lackey of an insane vampiric bitch. Yeah, a definite downside. “Poor Zane,” I murmured.

  “Poor Noah,” she corrected. “You know what Zane did next? He threw a fit, blew out the side of a cliff with his fists, and caused a rock slide. Unfortunately, he picked the hill that Rachael happened to be tending her flock under that day. She died rather horribly.”

  “He wouldn’t do that!”

  “You mean Zane wouldn’t destroy a woman because she picked his greatest rival over him?” she said in a sour voice. “Just like he wouldn’t change a woman into a sex-driven immortal simply because she looks like his favorite piece of ass from ancient history?”

  I flinched and stumbled to my feet. I needed to get away.

  Delilah reached for my hand to stop me. “Look, Jackie, I’m trying to help you. I have yet to meet a succubus who was turned because someone wanted to help her out. You have to face the facts: we’re enslaved to the whims of a bunch of selfish immortals. Forget about your vampire master. He’s bad news—untrustworthy, weak, and bitter. If you can, stay away from him.” She gave me a little smile and squeezed my fingers. “I’d tell you that Noah’s the best of the lot, but he’s just as self-righteous as any other. And besides—I want him for myself.”

  I shook off her hand and stepped away. My head pounded, the horrible story circling round and round in my mind.

  Zane hated Noah because Noah stole Rachael from him.

  Noah hated Zane because Zane had been instrumental in Rachael’s death.

  I’d been turned because the frumpy old me was a stand-in for a girl who had been dead for four thousand years. And there was an element of revenge to my existence. Noah wanted to possess me to keep me from Zane. Zane wanted to possess me because Noah wanted me.

  What about … me? Didn’t anyone want Jackie? My stomach heaved.

  “Are you okay?” Dee asked, behind me.

  “I think I’m going to puke.”

  “Not on the living room carpet,” called Remy from the kitchen. “Ethan just steamed it.”

  Luckily, I made it to an upstairs bathroom before losing my cookies. I found a bottle of water in my old mini-fridge and hung out on the balcony, watching the sun rise and trying to clear my mind of the horrible thoughts that wouldn’t go away.

  I kept seeing Zane’s face, in anguish at the sight of the ring Noah gave me.

  Had he killed Rachael just because he couldn’t have her? What would he do if I went with Noah?

  And despite knowing the horrible secrets of his past, why did I still want to be with Zane?

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  I sighed, staring out over the rolling, landscaped lawn in the early morning light. So beautiful. So peaceful. And we were all so screwed if we didn’t get that halo out of Caleb. We needed a plan to stop him, and I didn’t have one.

  The pool boy was in the distance, standing by Remy’s swimming pool. I watched him for a minute, envious. How simple it must be to be a pool boy, with no bigger worries than skimming leaves out of the crazy rich woman’s swimming pool.

  I watched him stand by the pool for a few moments longer, then leaned forward and frowned. He looked normal, dressed in grass-stained jeans, a white T-shirt, and a backward baseball cap. Young, kind of a thick body, with square shoulders and a deep tan. Normal. Except … he wasn’t working. He was just standing by the pool.

  As if sensing me watching him, he turned and gazed up at the balcony. Then he began to walk purposefully across the manicured lawn toward me.

  A creepy feeling began to stir inside me, and I stood up as he came beneath the balcony.

  “Jacqueline Brighton,” he said in the hollow voice of the possessed.

  The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I had no idea if this was friend or foe—was he possessed by an angel or a demon? I took a step backward. “Who are you? What do you want?”

  “The Angel Gabriel sends you a message,” said the man.

  I should have felt better that it was an angel in the body of the pool boy, but I didn’t. Angels were just as quick to mislead you with their version of the truth, and way more self-righteous than any demon that I’d met. Combine that with the fact that the message was important enough to seek me out at Remy’s house? I was very concerned.

  I raced out of the house and strode across the lawn toward him, the angelic script burning on my wrist. “Who are you? What is the message?”

  “The Archangel Gabriel wishes to remind you that the power of the archangels needs to be removed from this plane and neutralized, or else all of
the world is in peril.”

  “I didn’t forget. We had a bit of an … unexpected snag.”

  “You need to remove the archangel’s power and bring it to Gabriel to ensure the safety of the world.”

  “I know.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on. “It’s not like I willfully decided someone else could just have it. Like I said, we’ll get it back, and then I’ll give it to your boss—if he proves he can be trustworthy.”

  The pool boy pointed at me. “The Archangel Gabriel gave you his word. You should not doubt him.”

  The tattoo on my wrist burned again. “I’m not doubting. And don’t worry, I’m certainly not going to give the halo back to the vampires. Is there anything else?”

  His unblinking eyes stared up at me. “Just that if you do as he commands, you will be granted a boon.”

  I already knew that. Didn’t need a recap. “Any boon?” I asked sarcastically. “Anything at all?”

  “Anything,” intoned the possessed man.

  “Can I go back in time?”

  “If you wish.”

  “What if I want a pony?”

  “If you wish,” he repeated.

  Yeah, that was a joke. “What if I want to bring someone back from the dead?”

  “If you wish,” he said again.

  That made me pause. I could ask for … anything? Good Lord. “That must be one important halo, if I have carte blanche like that.”

  “It is.”

  Well, then.

  “Where is Joachim’s halo currently?” said the possessed man.

  Oh. Er. “It’s safe,” I told him with a big lying smile. I suspected that he wouldn’t care to hear that it was currently attached to one of the fanged persuasion.

  “Where is it safe, currently?”

  Man. I could see where Noah got his annoying stubbornness from. It seemed to be an angelic trait. “Safe,” I edged.

  The possessed man continued to stare at me.

  “Safe inside someone.” When his expression changed, I quickly added, “Don’t worry. I’m going to get it back tonight.”

  That was the deadline the queen had given us to get the halo back, or she’d destroy Remy. Even though Remy was free of the halo now, I wasn’t sure if all the rules continued to apply.

  And what would she do to Zane once she found out that the halo had gotten away again? I swallowed. “Tonight,” I repeated.

  “What is your plan?”

  I confessed, “I don’t have a plan at the moment.”

  The angel-possessed pool boy stared at me, unmoving. “Have you met James Quinton Cooper?”

  “Doesn’t ring a bell, no.”

  “Visit him. He will be able to help you with a plan.”

  Somehow, knowing that James Quinton Cooper had been vetted by the angels made me want to actively avoid him. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for the advice.”

  “You do not want to fail in this endeavor,” he reminded me in a stern, hollow voice. “All of humanity is counting on you.”

  Gee, no pressure.

  “Good luck in your efforts.” His eyes rolled back, and I sensed he was about to exit, stage left.

  “Wait,” I yelped, and grabbed his arms. “I have more questions!”

  Too late—his entire body shivered, then he collapsed to the ground, taking me with him. I climbed over his body. “Hello? Are you okay?” I patted the guy’s cheek. “Speak to me, angel flunky.”

  No answer.

  His face was red and flushed, so I grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him up, trying to elevate his head. Did possession involve a blood rush? Remy’s pulse had moved super fast, so maybe that explained the flush. I gave him a little jiggle, trying to awaken him. “Earth to angel, earth to angel, come in, please. You forgot to tell me how I can find James Quinton Cooper.”

  His eyelids fluttered, and the pool boy awakened. He slowly focused on me, and an adoring smile lit his face. “Hey there, gorgeous.”

  His voice was normal.

  I let go of his shirt, and he fell backward onto the grass. “Sorry,” I said, getting to my feet. “Mistook you for someone else.”

  I headed back inside the house, pondering the advice I’d just received.

  Remy was in the kitchen, sitting up on the counter. Her dusky foot was in Ethan’s lap and he was carefully painting her toenails, a look of intense concentration on his face.

  “Paint a white flower on the big toe,” Remy said imperiously. “And a green one on the next toe. Vary it up.”

  I skidded to a halt at the bizarre sight. “Am I interrupting something?”

  Remy looked up and gave me a cheerful smile, waving me over. “Not at all! I am having Ethan do my toes.” She wiggled her brows at me. “Later on, if he’s good, he can do me, too.”

  Ethan’s hand jerked, splashing white nail polish across Remy’s toes.

  “Clean that up,” she demanded. “I don’t like dirty toes.”

  “Of course,” Ethan murmured, unruffled. As he stood and moved across the room to get a towel, I noticed his eyes flashing like mad.

  I moved to Remy’s side as she scowled down at the splashes on her feet. “You should be nicer to him.”

  “I am,” she said, admiring her foot. “Ethan’s used to orders since he was raised in sanctuary. Giving him orders is the kindest thing I can do for him.” She looked over at me and winked. “Well, second kindest.”

  “I’m pretty sure he’s a virgin, Remy.”

  She pursed her lips, as if thinking about that for a moment. Her nose wrinkled, and then she shrugged, eyes brilliant blue. “I’ll be gentle with him.”

  I shook my head. “Ethan has been a great help to me. Don’t mess him up with sex. Not now, when we need his help getting the halo back out of Caleb.”

  “Let’s make sure we find something else to store it in other than the harem girl, ’kay?” She gave me a chipper look. “Speaking of, any ideas?”

  Boy, she really could compartmentalize. I shrugged and moved to the fridge, peering inside it. We hadn’t had a chance to go shopping, and everything left inside was old and moldy. “I don’t know,” I said, turning a jar of pickles to see the expiration date on it. Last month. Well, they might be a bit tart but still edible. I pulled it out and looked for a fork. “I ran into an angel, though. He was in your pool boy.”

  “Oh? Did he have anything interesting to say?”

  “No deals,” I admitted. I still found that strange. Maybe because I was too used to everyone having their own agenda. Or maybe because my agenda and Gabriel’s were the same at the moment. I unscrewed the jar and speared a pickle, then held it out to Remy. She took it and I speared a second pickle for myself. “He did tell me to go find some guy named James Quinton Cooper and get his help.”

  Remy began to cough, spraying my face with pickle.

  “Too bitter?” I eyed my pickle with dismay. I was so hungry.

  “James Cooper?” she gasped. “That old pervert?”

  I looked at her with surprise. “You know him?”

  She gave me a look of horror. “He’s Dee’s old boyfriend. ‘Old’ being the key word.”

  “Old boyfriend, huh?” I said as Remy, Ethan, and I pulled up to a large, two-story house in an older subdivision named Rolling Acres. Every house on the street was cookie cutter—a cute covered porch, neutral colors, immaculate lawns, and a minivan parked out front. All except the house on the end, which had to be James Quinton Cooper’s house. Here, the charming wood shingling was in desperate need of a paint job and the yard looked like it hadn’t been mowed in six months. Maybe longer.

  Remy nodded, propping her sunglasses on top of her head as she stared at the house. “Yeah, that’s why she didn’t want to come with us. Bad memories.”

  Bad memories for a voodoo priestess? Now that was something. “Do tell,” I said, eyeing the house. A zillion wind chimes filled the porch, yet they couldn’t hide the fact that the windows were boarded up with wood—on the ins
ide. “We sure someone lives here?”

  “It looks uninhabited,” offered Ethan. “Should I go in first and make sure the place is safe?”

  I snorted. Nothing was safe since I’d turned into a succubus.

  “Unless he’s moved his wacky mad scientist lab in the last six months, he’s still here,” Remy said, and pulled something out of the back of the car. “Here, you’ll want this.”

  I caught the piece of clothing she threw at me and eyed it skeptically. “A turtleneck? Really?”

  She was busy pulling a green one over her T-shirt. “You’ll thank me later. Trust me.”

  Ethan held his hand out for a shirt.

  “You don’t get one.” Remy ignored his hand. “You don’t have boobs.”

  He flushed. “I see.”

  “You will,” she said cheerfully. “Now hurry up and dress, Jackie. It’s hotter than a demon’s tit with all these layers on.”

  Dutifully, I pulled it over my Spinal Tap T-shirt. Pink wasn’t my color, but I wasn’t here to be fashionable. I got out of the car and headed for the front door, Remy and Ethan on my heels. I lifted the door knocker and smacked it a few times against the peeling wood door.

  “This is like the house that time forgot,” Remy snarked. “Old James isn’t much of a decorator.”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” I said, reaching toward one of the wind chimes. “He looks like he’s fairly creative.” The metal wind chimes came in various shapes and forms. One was made of gears dangling from fishing wire, but the rest seemed to be made of symbols I couldn’t put my finger on. I pulled at one shaped like a Y that dangled from a dark piece of chewed rawhide. At the touch of it, a tingle swept over my body.

  “Wouldn’t touch those,” said Remy. “Who knows what kind of juju ol’ James has this place spelled with?”

  I dropped it immediately. “These are for protection?”

  “Probably,” she said, moving forward and pounding on the door with her fist. “Hey, old man,” she yelled. “It’s Remiza—Noah’s friend. Open up.”

  “Remiza?” Ethan gave Remy a slight bow. “It is a beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”

  She gave him a saucy wink and a flirty push to the shoulder. He never called her “succubus” or by her full name. He followed her around like a lost puppy. He painted her freaking toenails.