Succubus on the Run

by Jenny McKane

  “Help them,” Sunny cried, pointing to the small creatures being demolished.

  “There’s no help for them,” Plaxo said miserably. “No help.”

  A bright flash in the sky drew Sunny’s attention upward as what looked like a meteor hurtled through the sky toward them.

  “What fresh hell is this?” she whispered to herself, as Kitty and Gideon stepped onto the sidewalk and glanced up.

  In a flash, the meteorite landed about twenty feet from them with a deafening crash. The impact knocked them all backwards to the sidewalk, and when Sunny looked up, she couldn’t believe her eyes.

  It was Fake-Liam. And he had a massive set of wings on his back.

  What in the holy hell was going on?

  Kitty had regained her footing and leaned against the doorframe. Her hair had been mussed, and there was black blood splattered on her cashmere.

  “You always were one to make a dramatic entrance, Gabriel,” she said, a grin on her face.

  Fake-Liam, now known as Gabriel the archangel tipped his head in greeting.

  “Lovely as always, Mrs. Carlisle,” he said. He spoke to the rest of them next. “If you value your eyesight, I suggest you turn around and close your eyes.”

  Everyone else did as Gabriel asked, but Sunny was caught up, staring at the archangel her friend Liam had transformed into. He met her gaze and gave her a smile.

  “We’ll talk, Sunny, I promise,” he said, his voice soft. “But you really need to turn around now.”

  She nodded mutely and did as he asked. Despite facing away from him and having her eyes closed, she felt the brilliant flash of white light that followed, and small lines danced behind her eyelids. That flash must have been insanely bright.

  “It’s safe now.”

  She blinked a few times and turned back to the parking lot. Where there had stood hundreds of infected demons, now stood a handful of surprised-looking dream demons. Gabriel’s flash of light had eviscerated the tainted demons.

  “Thank you, Archangel,” Kitty said as she moved toward him. “We were in a bit of a pickle.”

  Gabriel nodded toward her.

  “It was the least I could do,” he replied. “We’re going to have company soon. Prepare yourselves.”

  Gideon grasped Sunny’s hand at the words and pulled her inside. She was still in a bit of a daze, but followed him in. At the counter, he pushed her back until her back was against it and grabbed her face in his hands. Sunny was giddy from the victory, her mind going over the ways they could now help him track his father--how they both could win. But when she looked in Gideon’s eyes, she saw something that made her stop short. Despite the total victory they’d just won, Gideon had heartbreak in his eyes.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked, frowning. Something wasn’t right. Something was very wrong.

  “I don’t have much time,” he began, his fingers gripping her face. “I have a lot to tell you that I probably won’t get to right now, so I wrote you a letter. Read the letter later, Sunny, when you’ve forgiven me. Do you promise me?

  She shook her head. Why did this sound like a goodbye?

  He gave her a sad smile.

  “You didn’t really think it would have been so easy to kill Seumat, did you?” he asked.

  She knew instantly what he was saying. Seumat had hardly been able to put up a fight against Gideon and had let Sunny slit her throat without a struggle.

  “What are you saying? What are you telling me, Gideon? Do you have to leave for a bit again?”

  He shook his head slowly before leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on her lips. Her fingers curled in his shirt, and she felt her control breaking. This wasn’t a simple goodbye. This wasn’t temporary. This felt permanent.

  “I needed a favor. We needed to make Seumat weak enough to kill, and you can’t get that without a price, love,” he said.

  His voice was so sad, she felt her heart beginning to splinter. Piece by piece. It was falling apart.

  “I made a bargain,” he said, and Sunny’s knees went weak.

  She clung to him and the tears began to flow. He didn’t need to finish. She knew where this was going. She made a sobbing sound as she shook her head.

  “With who?”

  She felt Gideon sigh and hold her against his chest.

  “Azriel.”

  If she could sob any harder, she would. But as it was, she could hardly breathe.

  “Why? Gideon, we could have done this…”

  “No,” he whispered against her hair. “We could not have beaten her. Not now. Not in time. You needed to be free of them.”

  Behind her, she heard a voice she didn’t want to hear.

  “Is it done?” It was Michael.

  “Seumat is dead,” Gabriel answered. Sunny couldn’t bring herself to turn around.

  “Why are you here? What interest do you have in this case?”

  “None of your business, Brother,” Gabriel’s voice was taut, leaving no room for discussion.

  “Well, well, well.” A new voice entered the shop, and Sunny clutched Gideon tighter. No. This couldn’t be happening “What a great night to collect on a bargain. Are you ready to go, Mr. Lafayette?”

  Gideon stiffened against Sunny and broke the embrace. As he turned to face Azriel, he moved Sunny behind him, as though he was shielding her from the archduke of hell.

  Azriel chuckled.

  “I’m not interested in that failure of a Hunter, Lafayette, you don’t have to hide her from me,” Azriel said. “Now, if you’re ready.”

  Gideon was so calm, so resigned.

  Of course he was. He’d been planning this for weeks, likely. But Sunny wasn’t ready to give up so easily.

  “Help him,” she said, pushing herself around Gideon and facing Michael. “Please, Michael. He did the impossible and killed Seumat. Help him!”

  Michael just shook his head and looked at his feet, not bothering to meet her eyes.

  “For me,” she begged. “Please help him.”

  “I can’t involve myself in this,” Michael said stiffly. “It’s demon business. It has nothing to do with me.”

  “Please,” she said pitifully, the tears rolling down her face. “You can’t let them take him back there.”

  “It’s not my place to intervene,” Michael replied. His voice was cold, and he moved away from her as she stepped closer. He wanted nothing to do with any of this anymore. “He’s not a Solomon.”

  “I am,” she said, pointing to her ring. “I’m begging you. What do I have to do? I’ll do anything. Please break the deal.”

  Michael just shook his head.

  “The demon means nothing to me,” he said, his hands up. “I can’t intervene. I’ll be in touch at a later date, Miss Bonnard.”

  He started to leave, and Sunny called after him.

  She tugged the ring off her finger and threw it at Michael’s feet where it landed with a bounce and rolled by the toe of his boot.

  “Don’t bother,” was all she said.

  Michael stooped down to grab the ring and put it in his pocket. Without another word, he walked from the yarn shop. Azriel motioned for Gideon to follow him.

  Azriel stopped short in front of Sunny and gave her an appraising look.

  “Not such a useless Hunter after all I suppose,” he said.

  Sunny finally met his eyes and hoped that all the loathing she felt for him was apparent. She hoped she radiated hatred and rage and she hoped it jammed down his throat and choked him.

  “I like her, Lafayette. I can see how you grew so attached. Pity.”

  “I’ll see you soon, demon,” Sunny said, her voice broken from the emotion and the crying.

  “I hope so, pet,” Azriel said, as he shoved Gideon through the doorway. “I truly hope so.”

  Chapter 37

  Sunshine,

  If you’re reading this, I’m already gone. I’m sorry. You have no idea just how sorry I am that I couldn’t tell you sooner, but I knew
that you’d only try to help and likely would have gotten yourself killed.

  It’s better this way, really. I’ll be immortal in that realm and eventually, I’ll have earned my freedom once again and then I’ll concentrate on getting my revenge.

  My only regret?

  You’ll have been long dead when I am finally free. I can’t tell you how devastating the thought is to me, but if it means you got to have a full life--even one that I missed--this all would have been worth it.

  When you return to school (and you will), you will find the rest of your associate’s degree has been paid for. Finish it. I don’t care what you have to pull off to stay on track after this, finish it. And then get yourself accepted into art school and become the painter you wanted to be. I left a card to my lawyer and all of my accounts are in your name. Please live well and spend it. I’ll make more of whatever currency is used when I’m free again.

  The loft. The cars. They’re all yours now. Along with my accounts and my possessions. The only thing I ask is that you place my sketchbooks into my safety deposit box. The information is attached. The rest? Do what you will with it.

  My blade is in my room. When you’re ready, whether it’s in eight or 80 years, I don’t care, give it to Plaxo to keep safe for me. I’ll find it when I’m free, and I’ll find my revenge.

  I only regret that I didn’t have more time with you.

  Yours eternally,

  Gideon

  Chapter 38

  Six Months Later

  What Sunny was doing could hardly be classified as living.

  Despite finishing the next semester of school at Gideon’s request, she’d barely managed a C average, and she didn’t know if she’d return for her last semester. What good was an associate’s degree now?

  Sunny managed to keep her job at The Little Lamb, despite constant missed shifts and late arrivals. Kitty lectured her constantly, but it never reached her. She did her best to pretend to care about her life, but the truth was, she didn’t give a damn.

  She missed Gideon.

  And despite the fact that she was hoping it would get better with each passing day, the opposite seemed to be happening. With every day that passed, the hole in her heart grew larger and more cavernous. It was like her life was caving in on itself, and she couldn’t do anything to stop it.

  And the worst part? She didn’t care.

  In the beginning, Plaxo had tried to check on her and make sure she was okay. She’d been unresponsive and the harder he pushed, the harder she retreated into herself. She was impossible to reach, and she knew it. She just didn’t care.

  “Lady Hunter needs to get better,” Plaxo had implored her one morning.

  She’d been sleeping in Gideon’s bed since he left, and let’s just say, she’d been doing a lot of sleeping. It was all she could do to pull herself out of bed every couple days and attend one of the three classes she’d begrudgingly signed up for at Kitty’s insistence.

  “I’m fine,” she mumbled into her pillow. “I’m good.”

  “Excuse Plaxo for saying,” he said, “but, but Lady Hunter doesn’t seem fine. She seems sick.”

  She argued with Plaxo daily for at least a month before issues with the dream demons pulled him away. He hadn’t wanted to leave her alone, that much was obvious, but in the end, Plaxo needed to go. The dream demons were on the move again, going into hiding while their numbers recovered from the great loss they suffered at the hands of the succubi.

  So, just like Gideon had, Plaxo had to leave, too.

  It was summer now, Sunny having managed to survive the spring semester and was embarking on her summer break with a shift at The Little Lamb.

  “You showered,” Kitty said a little acerbically. She’d begun to give Sunny a harder and harder time the further into her depression she went.

  “I did,” she said. Sunny hadn’t risen to the bait in months. The fight had simply gone out of her.

  Kitty sighed and left her alone, heading to the back to count stock, or to unpack a shipment--or anything, Sunny figured, to get away from her. Kitty’s patience was coming to an end, it was obvious, and it was only a matter of time before Sunny was fired. She could feel it coming.

  Later that night, she was chewing through a bowl of stale cereal and watching late-night television with Noodle when the doorbell downstairs rang.

  She froze, looking at Noodle.

  Who the hell could be downstairs at this hour?

  The doorbell rang once more, and Sunny figured if it was some sort of demon attack, they’d probably skip ringing the doorbell. She cautiously walked down the steps and peered through the spy hole. She frowned at what she saw.

  It was Fake-Liam.

  The Archangel Gabriel.

  She swung the door open and scowled.

  “What are you doing here?”

  It wasn’t much of a greeting, but then again, she didn’t have much to say to the archangels. In fact, she’d insisted that she never wanted to see one again. She was no longer the messenger or errand girl of Michael, and she wasn’t looking for a new gig with Gabriel.

  “You look like shit.”

  For the briefest of moments, she forgot that she was looking at the original messenger archangel, and not at her friend from English Lit class. Her eyes searched his face and saw his smile.

  “What do you want?”

  Gabriel didn’t wait for an invitation and pushed past her into the staircase and walked upstairs, leaving her staring up after him.

  With a sigh, she closed and locked the door. By the time she got up the steps and into the makeshift living room, Gabriel was seated on the futon and frowning at the screen.

  “Seriously, Sunny? This is what you’ve been doing for six months? Failing your classes and watching Chinese soap operas? You don’t even speak Mandarin.”

  “They have subtitles,” she said a little defensively. “Why are you here?”

  Gabriel laced his fingers behind his head and leaned back.

  “I wanted to see if the rumor was true.” He paused for effect and looked at Sunny.

  She blew out a breath and balled her hands on her hips.

  “What rumor?”

  Gabriel gave a vague motion to her where she stood.

  “That you’d all but given up on life. I didn’t want to believe it, I thought you had more fight in you, but here we are. Sweatpants and soap operas.”

  Sunny felt judged and scowled at him.

  “You need to leave.”

  Gabriel just shook his head.

  “But you haven’t heard me out yet,” Gabriel said, posting his feet on the coffee table and making himself more comfortable.

  “What?”

  She was beyond frustrated and wanted him out of her little sanctuary. The smell of Gideon was fading, and she didn’t want it tainted by an archangel.

  “I’m offering to help you get what you want most in the world,” he said.

  She shook her head.

  “I don’t make bargains,” she snipped.

  “Angels don’t make bargains, either,” Gabriel said, sitting up. “I’ve got a mission of my own, and I need Gideon’s help. Implicitly. I also cannot retrieve him from hell, but you can.”

  Sunny stopped fidgeting at that.

  “What do you mean?”

  Gabriel smiled at that. He knew he had her attention.

  “I need you,” he said, pointing to her, “to go to hell and rescue your boyfriend, who will help me find and perhaps assassinate his father. After that, he’s all yours, if he’ll have you.”

  She frowned, not ready to trust yet.

  “What’s the catch?”

  Gabriel stood and just shook his head.

  “No catch. You’re dealing with an archangel, we’re not built for false deals,” he said. “But I will require you to train. And train some more. No more of this clutching a tiny, dangerous blade and wandering into battle waving it about blindly, hoping it hits the right creature. You’ll be a weapon, Su
nny.”

  She considered it. Feeling weak and helpless all this time had still gnawed at her in her dreams. Her inability to defend herself in the madhouse Ammon stuck her in most of all.

  “Why are you after his father?”

  She hadn’t missed that detail.

  “It’s a long story, but we all have our roles to fulfill. Michael and Metatron, and even Jeremiel, they work with Hunters. They monitor demon activity on this human realm and act as a sort of police force,” Gabriel explained. “I monitor the other archangels and look for suspects.”

  She waited for him to continue.

  “Archangels suspected of what?”

  He held his breath a moment before answering.

  “Suspected of deliberately falling from grace,” he said quietly, with the full impact of what was going on hit her. “Gideon’s father, Camael, was suspected of being a fallen angel.”

  “Don’t you have some sort of early warning system up there?”

  He shook his head.

  “No,” he said. “Not if they fall while they are here in the realm of free will. Only if they try to return home.”

  She considered the offer.

  “And you think I can rescue Gideon from Azriel?” She hardly believed it herself.

  “With the right training, I think you can,” Gabriel said.

  “Why me, then? There are better Hunters out there.” It was true. Sunny was still highly untrained, despite recent successes.

  “Because I like you, Sunshine, and there isn’t another Hunter that I could tolerate like you. Also,” he said, his voice lowering, “you’ve now got the ability to travel into the realm without an escort and undetected. There’s something to be said for that.”

  She thought about her options.

  She could continue on in this oblivion that she’d created and wonder her entire life if she’d done enough to help the one man she truly loved. She replayed their few kisses numerous times since Gideon had been gone, and each one was torturous and beautiful. She could hate school. Ignore her art. Get fired from Kitty’s yarn shop because even her patience was running thin.