I sighed in relief, but almost immediately felt my chest tighten again. There was still a very real possibility that the guy on my floor was dead, sucked dry like the vampire. I felt so sated, my vision clear, energy levels reinvigorated—it felt similar to when I succubus-ate Capshaw.
I crawled to the body, one arm clutching my ruined t-shirt to my breasts, but then I realized I was naked everywhere else. I scampered to the dresser and threw on a new shirt and quickly pulled on the sweatpants lying on the floor. I didn’t even want to think about the partially sticky, partially crusty white substance slathered down my inner thighs.
I silently backtracked to the man, holding a shoe as a weapon. If he wasn’t dead, I didn’t want to be defenseless in case I was in the middle of a horror movie and the “dead” guy came back to life for one last jump scare. But mostly I didn’t want to touch him. God, how was I going to get rid of a corpse? There’s no way I could call the authorities. Once they discover my Supe heritage I’d be executed in ten seconds flat.
I gently prodded his back with the sneaker while muttering, “please don’t be dead…”
No reaction.
The guy was laying on his side facing away from me. I decided to just go for it and inched a little closer, just barely within arm’s reach. I wrapped my fingers around the sheet and yanked. The fabric caught under the man, giving it much more resistance than I had anticipated.
The body rolled over with the sheet; its arm limply smacked into my knee.
Startled, I fell back with a girlish shriek. I raised my hand to whack him with the shoe but froze when I realized there wasn’t any further movement. I lowered the sneaker, feeling foolish. It turns out the dead man was not, in fact, attacking me…
I glanced at his face and gasped. Lucas!
His body was pale, probably colder than the room. Some blood was smeared down his chin and chest. I killed the only reason I was alive. The one decent Supe I’d ever met, and I hadn’t even been nice to him.
And now he was dead.
He looked so innocent and peaceful. He had sparse scruff on his chin, like he couldn’t yet grow a beard. God, he looked young in the light of day without his intense stare to age him.
I gently petted his hair as tears brimmed over my eyelids.
“I-I’m s-sorry,” I whispered, voice thick. My shaky hand drifted to his neck. I needed to search for a pulse, had to be sure. I didn’t even want to think about the retaliation I’d have to deal with for killing the Alpha of the Red Crescent pack. I didn’t want to deal with the impact his death would have on my soul.
At that moment an errant tear dropped onto Lucas’ cheek.
His eyes snapped open.
I jerked back at the same time Lucas seemingly transported to the other side of the room, crouched in a defensive stance. His eyes scanned his unfamiliar surroundings, searching for danger.
I didn’t move, just watched as a series of emotions washed over his face, probably similar to the delayed memories I experienced. Evidently, waking up from a fervor-induced sex fest was like the morning after getting blackout drunk. You needed a minute to reorient yourself.
He eventually looked back at me, took in my emotional, disheveled appearance.
“Jesus…” He whispered, horrified. He took a step toward me but stopped. He wrapped his arms around himself like he desperately needed comfort. He looked like he was about to cry. “I can’t believe I… Claire, I’m so sorry. I should have controlled myself better. God, no wonder you’re crying, I’m a fucking monster…”
I frowned. Did he really think what happened last night was his fault?
Lucas grabbed the tipped over desk chair by his feet and held it in front of his groin. I couldn’t tell if he was ashamed or expected his nudity to offend me. Probably both.
“Are you OK?” He glanced guiltily at my crotch. “Down there?”
I didn’t even know how to respond. Between Lucas and I, if anyone had been assaulted last night, it was him. I was the monster in the room. Besides, from my memories it was very clear I enjoyed myself. Maybe his memories weren’t so coherent?
“You’re hurt,” he continued.
I stared blankly at him.
Lucas roughly ran his hand through his bed head, slicking the hair back on one side. If I weren’t in shock, I may have smiled at how adorably messy he looked. If you ignored the blood.
“I know I’m probably the last person that you want to be near right now.” The desk chair creaked with how hard he was gripping it. “But I can fix the physical wound at least.”
Was he talking about his special healing ability? About licking my…? Sudden heat pooled in my belly at the memory of how an unhinged Lucas had manhandled and delved his tongue into me last night. I didn’t know what made me blush harder, the fact that he assumed he rough fucked me to the point of vaginal tearing, or the thought of him eating me out again.
“No I’m fine,” I replied hurriedly.
“I smell blood. I know you’re not fine, Claire.” He whispered, eyes averted. “Please. I need to fix this. I can’t live with the thought of having damaged you.”
“No, really. I swear there’s no damage from—Look, I’m pretty sure the fervor prepared me for… certain events, OK?”
Large clawed hands gripping my waist, making it impossible to escape from the piston-like fucking.
I cleared my throat and tried to focus on the matter at hand. “Any blood you’re smelling is from when you, uh, finished,” I pulled the collar of my shirt away to expose my shoulder. “You kind of bit me.”
His eyes widened. A loud crack pierced through the room. White-knuckled hands had snapped my chair like a toothpick.
“Sorry,” Lucas muttered. “I’ll get you a new one.”
An insane part of me wanted to laugh. The shack was practically falling down around us and he wanted to buy me a new chair? People died because of me. Lucas had killed in a feral rampage and we were talking about a chair?
He glared at the bite mark and started to shake. I had the distinct impression that if I didn’t calm him, he would Shift right here, right now.
“If it makes you feel better,” I added. “You had enough foresight to bite my shirt for most of it. It only happened at the end.”
“Shit,” he muttered. He scrubbed his face with his hands. “Just fucking great…”
“It doesn’t even hurt,” I lied. “It’s alright, OK?”
“It’s not alright. It’s never going to be alright.” He started to vibrate in earnest, muscles spasming, enlarging. “I did this to you. I forced this on you.” His voice got incredibly deep and growly.
“Lucas, stop,” I snapped. He stilled. “You’re not the one at fault here. All of this is on me.” My heart hurt to hear the truth of my statement. I felt naked and ashamed. My eyes started to burn, my voice wavered. “I killed those people.”
Tears blurred my vision. I could feel the lump in the back of my throat. Oh God, I was going to break apart right in front of one of my victims. I didn’t have a fucking right to cry. A sob wracked through my body.
Lucas appeared in front of me and enveloped me in a hug. “Shh, it’s alright.”
I cried harder, nestled my wet nose into his bare chest.
“It’s OK,” he soothed, rubbing my back. “Everything’s going to be OK. I’ll take care of everything.”
I wanted to believe him. But no one could fix this. No one could take back yesterday.
Though, it strangely got easier to believe him the longer he held onto me. I melted into him, seeking his comfort. I’d never experienced such a warmth and soothing presence. In his arms, it felt like I could breathe again.
It was like an invisible rope tethered us together. The closer we were, the less it tugged. I’d never been filled with more comfort until this moment.
After a few minutes, I sniffled and pulled back. I rubbed my eyes. I’m sure my eyelashes clotted together from the moisture.
“Thanks,” I muttered avoiding
eye contact, feeling awkward about the life-altering hug. It was unnatural, his effect on me.
I glanced up to find him staring at me like I was his own personal sun; as if I gave him life, but it hurt to be too close to me. He must’ve felt the same connection and it scared him too.
“Claire,” he said, voice caught with emotion. He gently cupped my cheek and wiped away a tear with his thumb. “I’m going to take care of you.”
I sucked in a shaky breath through my chapped lips. Our eyes met in a soul-rendering connection. In that moment, I knew he would move mountains for me. Our future together laid out before us. My heart thundered and expanded in my chest. It knew this was something big, something irrevocable.
A horn honked out in the street and I snapped out of it.
Staring deeply into my eyes wasn’t the correct response to finding out he’d killed a bunch of people because he got pheromone raped. Something was very wrong with Lucas.
And there was something very wrong with me, too. I wasn’t allowed to have the princess storybook ending after last night’s horrors. It was shameful of me to even try.
“What did you mean by ‘I’ll take care of everything’?”
“It means,” he replied, “I’ll take care of it.”
“So I create this murder and mayhem and you’re just going to clean it up?”
“Yes.”
I frowned at his over confident answer.
“That’s fucked up. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it… but it isn’t right. People died and you’re saying that I won’t have to pay consequences?”
Lucas’ eyes trailed down to my neck. “Oh there are consequences, but I’ll protect you.”
Why was he so set on helping me? He should be condemning me…
Had I somehow enslaved him with my succubus powers? Was he enthralled?
My eyes traced his face for any signs of blue. My gaze caught on his chin scruff.
“Um,” I ventured uncertainly. “How old are you?”
Lucas stiffened. His hand dropped.
“Lucas…”
“Seventeen.” He admitted. After an awkward pause he added, “next week.”
Seventeen next week.
Luca was Sixteen.
“You’re sixteen…” I repeated my inner horror. Oh God, it sounded even worse out loud. I felt nauseous.
He rubbed the back of his neck, smiling guiltily. “Yeah, seventeen next week.”
“What were you doing at the college campus?”
“One of my wolves is a professor, an expert in finance. I was there to consult with him about increasing the employee’s wages for one of the pack businesses. I wanted to see if it could be done without impeding the current growth rate.”
Honestly, I didn’t catch a word of what he said, completely stuck on the age thing.
“God, you’re still a minor,” I continued. “You’re fucking sixteen years old!”
“Practically seventeen.”
“You’re sixteen!”
Lucas shrugged, “I’m also the leader of the largest pack in North America, give me some credit here. I’m not your average teenager.”
No, he wasn’t.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” I muttered.
“Why does my age matter that much to you?”
“Because you’re young. I’m twenty years old and I had kinky monster sex with someone who is only a year older than my kid brother.” I moaned. “It’s official. I’m a predator, a fucking pedophile. Ever heard of statutory rape? Before it was a little murky with the fervor stuff, but now?” I pointed to myself. “Definitely a rapist.”
“Claire, you didn’t rape me,” he replied sternly, grabbing me by the shoulders. “If you recall,” his eyes trailed down my form, “I was more than willing.”
“Ugh!” I threw my hands up in frustration, dislodging his touch. It was like talking to a brick wall.
An annoying, naked brick wall that talked back.
He folded his arms across his muscular chest and leveled me with a stare. I kept our gazes locked, despite an unusual urge to avert my eyes and submit to his will. The weird part is I could actually feel the weight of his Alpha power.
“Secondly,” he laced authority into his deep voice. “I am a leader, saddled with a great deal of responsibility. I’m no child, which is beside the point since human laws don’t apply to us. Nobody has any business sticking their noses in our physical relationship, Claire.”
“When it entails setting off a massacre, I think people are going to ask some questions. Do you even remember what happened?”
He sighed. “I remember enough. Mostly hunting you down, being obsessed with…” His stare grew heated, golden from his wolf. He zeroed in on my lips.
“Hey.” I waved my hand in front of his face. “Keep your head in the game.”
He drew back and the beast faded from his eyes.
“Right.” Lucas cleared his throat. “Sorry. First thing is getting you to a safe location.”
I looked around my destroyed little home. Sure it was in bad shape, but it was still standing. “I don’t think it will cave in anytime soon.”
“I’m talking about keeping you protected. You’ll need to come to the pack house with me.” He dug through my dresser for something to wear.
“How did you know where I live?” I blurted.
He pulled out a baggy pair of basketball shorts I liked to sleep in. He quickly slipped them on. He soon gave up on finding a shirt when it became obvious none of mine could clear his shoulders and arms. “Tracked you by scent. You still smell wonderful, but last night, whatever wafted off you… it was intense.”
It sounded like the blue mist had led a trail right to me. I was lucky no other Supes followed it.
I tossed him a wet towel.
He caught it and raised his brows.
I replied to his silent question by motioning toward his… well everything. “For the blood.”
“Ah.” He began scrubbing his skin clean. “Do you know if anyone besides us survived?” he asked, as if he wasn’t particularly concerned.
I honestly didn’t know. I only saw one other person alive and well during the massacre. “The hyena’s probably fine.”
A soft growl trickled out of Lucas’ throat. “That’s one death I wouldn’t have minded.”
My nails dug into the skin of my palm. I didn’t want to think about the destruction I’d caused last night, but there was one person’s fate I had to know about. “Did you kill the witch?”
“What witch?” Lucas frowned, then reached for my wrist and tore open the dangling pair of handcuffs like it was tissue paper. It didn’t look like he had strained himself in the slightest. “Claire, what witch?” He repeated as he dispatched the second cuff as nonchalantly as the first.
It took me a moment to stop staring at my free wrists.
“The one you chased after when she saved my ass. I think she was a member of The Flock.” Super hero witch based near Denver. The profile fit.
He sighed. “Looks like I’m going to have to add the witches to the damage control list.”
“So she’s dead?” I felt sick.
“Since I’m still alive,” he roughly sifted his hand through his hair again, “that’s a safe assumption.”
I blinked away another wave of tears, felt the burn of emotion in my throat.
Lucas caught my chin and gave me soft yet stern eyes.
“Hey, this isn’t your fault,” he said in a soothing, deep tone. “You didn’t have any experience. If it’s anyone’s fault it’s the vampires for killing anyone who could have acted as your mentor. You are not the bad guy here, Claire.”
I wiped my runny nose on my sleeve. “I’m not sure the people who lost loved ones would agree.”
He didn’t have a reply for that.
And I’m glad he didn’t lie to me. “Lucas?”
“Yeah?”
“That little blonde vampire from the bathroom?” I said. “She saw me suck
the life force out of the professor.”
Lucas’ entire body stilled, even worse than when he saw the bite mark. A muscle in his jaw ticked. His wolf flared in his eyes.
After a tense silence he said in an emotionless tone, “We need to go. Where’s your cell phone?”
I frowned, trying to remember. “Gone, lost it last night.”
“That’s fine, we will pick up a burner.” Lucas grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door. “West will have already started damage control…” He muttered that last part, as if to reassure himself.
My eyes widened as I took in my disaster of a front lawn. Trash. Trash everywhere.
Apparently while driving under the influence I decided parking on the lawn, knocking over bins, leaving the door wide open, and the keys in the ignition, was a good idea.
“Battery’s gotta be dead,” Lucas said.
I glared at him. No, really?
My housemates were going to kill me, but it the grand scheme of things, I guess it didn’t matter.
“Don’t worry, I’ll buy you a new car.” He turned around and bent down. “Hop on my back, we’re running.”
I gaped at him. “What do you mean new car?”
He looked over his shoulder and gave me duh look. “It’s an evolutionary imperative that I take care of my mate.”
My eyes bulged.
“It would be incredibly distracting to know you’re driving an unsafe vehicle.”
“Um…”
“Quite frankly, I’m not letting you leave the house without an entourage of bodyguards and—”
“What do you mean by ‘mate’?” I interrupted.
He paused his speech and turned around. It’s almost like he gathered his Alpha power while he spoke his next words.
“Claire, meet consequences.” He nodded toward my neck. “I marked you. We are bound now.”
I blinked.
“Bound how?”
“Our lives are forever entwined.” He patted his chest. “I can feel you, it’s a direct line. The longer we are together, the stronger the bond will be. I’ll even be able to sense your location if we work at it.”
“No.” I shook my head.
“What do you mean ‘no’? You don’t have a choice here. It’s irreversible.” Lucas frowned.
The Fervor: A Sinful Supes Story Page 9