A Ride of Peril

by Bella Forrest

  “Everywhere,” Draven replied. “I suggest we split into groups and take different parts of the house. Search through every nook and cranny until you find something like this.”

  He pulled out one of the books from the duffel bag at his feet. It was a large piece, hundreds of pages wrapped in dark brown leather. I knew it was one of the most important weapons we had in our fight against Azazel. I committed the image of it to memory.

  “Jovi and Vita, you take the eastern wing,” he continued. “Serena and I will take the north. Phoenix and the Daughter can search the west wing. Hansa and Anjani can look in the south wing, and Field, Aida, and Bijarki, please search the grottos underneath the house. Let’s take our time and do this properly. Leave no stone unturned. My father wouldn’t have taken the book outside the protective shield, so it must be in here somewhere.”

  It took me a few minutes to part from Anjani. She swallowed back more tears, stood, and gave me a weak but thankful smile. I didn’t want to leave her side, but at the same time I understood that spending some time with her sister would do her good. It would do both of them a lot more good than crying in my arms. They were warriors. They had to grieve like warriors. I’d read that about the succubi tribes, and I deeply respected that.

  The Red Tribe was a key component of Anjani’s identity. It fueled the fire that delighted me about her in the first place. Whatever I could do to help her stoke those flames, I would do. In this instance, it involved leaving my beautiful succubus with her sister. I took a deep breath and stepped away from her.

  I followed Vita inside the mansion but not before looking over my shoulder to see Anjani watching me, her emerald and gold eyes flickering with a peculiar warmth, a shade I’d never seen before. Something had changed between us.

  Aida

  We started out in the basement. Bijarki led us through one of the three doors that we had yet to explore in that part of the house. These doors were always locked, but Bijarki had a spare set of keys from Draven.

  We followed him through the narrow corridor, carved directly into the limestone, each of us carrying a torch. Bijarki walked in front of me, and Field was right behind. I could almost feel his breath brushing against the back of my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

  “There’s an entire network of these tunnels and chambers beneath the mansion. About ten rooms in total, interconnected. The passage stone is kept in a separate grotto, for good reason though. Wouldn’t want anyone to just stumble upon it,” Bijarki explained.

  We searched the first chamber, which we found on the left side of the corridor, behind a set of heavy black iron bars. It had once been used as a prison cell, from what we could tell. There was a makeshift bed against the eastern wall consisting of several hay bales and a couple of wool blankets. Charcoal lines had been crossed off in a repetitive pattern on the limestone above. I counted at least thirty small lines at first glance.

  There were a few wooden crates in there, along with a pair of broken shackles abandoned in a corner. We started searching through the chamber, opening each crate, turning each stone, checking every drawer and obscured space.

  I finally broke the silence. “Someone was held captive in here.” Maybe Bijarki would know more about it.

  “Almus had a few run-ins with incubi and other friends of Azazel during his campaign to weaken Azazel’s advances on Eritopia,” the incubus replied. “He used these chambers to keep them from running but also to protect them from Azazel. Azazel doesn’t take kindly to traitors.”

  He lifted the shackles from the ground and brought them closer for both Field and me to see the symbols etched into the dark metal.

  “What are these?” I asked, squinting in the dim torchlight.

  “Binding spells, proprietary Druid formulas. Only a Druid can unbind them. Once they’re on, you can’t speak or act against the Druid who bound them,” he explained. “I’ll hold on to these. Draven might find them useful.”

  “There’s nothing here,” Field said, looking at me.

  I turned away and headed straight for the door.

  “Let’s try another room then,” I replied as I made my way further up the corridor.

  Three chambers later, Field and I had yet to exchange another word. I watched him when he wasn’t looking, and as soon as his gaze would find mine, I’d look away, making myself busy with various boxes and crates.

  I could feel the tension building between us, but I couldn’t address it with Bijarki around. But even if Bijarki were to leave us alone, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to clarify anything. I mentally chastised myself as I found another crate to rummage through.

  Bijarki stood up from one corner and let a heavy sigh roll out of his chest. Both Field and I looked at him curiously.

  “You two clearly have something to sort out between yourselves,” he said.

  I froze and gave Field a sideways glance, noticing his straight face and the sudden flush in his cheeks. Bijarki had seen that there was something off between us, making me marvel at both the incubus’s impressive attention to detail and the intensity with which my dynamic with Field seemed to function.

  My face was on fire as I realized just how transparent I was despite my attempts to seem cool and composed. Who was I kidding? Field rattled my senses. Why play that down?

  “So, I’ll make myself scarce and look in another room. You two take the next chamber, and I’ll meet you somewhere later,” Bijarki added.

  He then left me alone with Field, closing the door behind him with a loud screech. The hinges were rusty, probably as old as the mansion above.

  A few moments passed with Field and me looking at each other before we both laughed nervously. He took a few steps in my direction, and I felt my heart racing the closer he got. There was nowhere for me to run or hide. I had to face my insecurities.

  His expression hardened as he towered above me, measuring me from head to toe. I wasn’t sure what to make of the thin line of his mouth or the darkness in his eyes.

  “What’s going on with you, Aida? Talk to me, please,” his voice sounded softer than the look on his face.

  “I…I don’t know how to explain it.” I had a hard time finding the right words. My fingers fumbled behind my back as if I was the nervous little wolf-girl he’d once caught staring at him during GASP training.

  “I’m in no rush,” he replied.

  I sighed, finally accepting that I only had two choices: tell him about my doubts and get the truth out of him, or walk away and forever ruin whatever this was between us. The mere thought of the latter made me feel miserable, so I braced myself.

  “I’m nervous, Field! I don’t understand this sudden interest you have in me. What happened? How come we kissed? What changed?”

  He looked at me for a while, turquoise flames bursting in his eyes as he licked his lower lip, then bit into it.

  My temperature spiked at the sight of his tongue. The memory of its taste teased me.

  “Aida, it’s only now that I can see you for who you really are,” his voice was low and deep, sending heatwaves through my core. “I am sorry I didn’t see you sooner, as the woman you are, as the extraordinary creature you’ve become. It’s like I’ve been blind over the last few years, and it took this unexpected trip into the In-Between for me to realize how utterly stunning you are, both inside and out.”

  He’d said something similar before, and it wasn’t enough for me. It didn’t feel like a good enough reason, not when I could still sense Maura’s shadow chilling my spine. I almost choked up, but I decided to let it all out.

  “I don’t know what this means, Field,” I replied. “I feel like I’m your post-break-up crutch. I feel like I’m the rebound chick, the one you’re suddenly noticing because you need to get over Maura. I don’t know how you feel about me, and I don’t really get why you’d ever be into me in the first place. I mean, look at me! I’m not your average girl for sure. You’ve known me since I was covered in wolf hair, I’ve got too many curves on my
body, and I’m the tomboy of The Shade. I fight and kick my way through almost anything, and—”

  Field’s mouth crashed over mine and shut me up instantly. His lips were soft, and his tongue demanded access. I gave it to him. I opened my mouth and welcomed his hunger. His breath was hot, as was his body against mine. He held me, his hands finding their place on my hips as he pulled me deeper into the kiss.

  This felt different. He emanated desire, and my knees weakened as he gently pushed me against the cold wall behind me. His lips refused to part from mine. His hands, however, moved up and down my sides, kneading the flesh as they slipped upward, high enough for his thumbs to brush against the sides of my breasts.

  I gasped as we tasted each other, as he told me more with his touch than he possibly could with his words. I suddenly felt foolish and lightheaded as his musky smell invaded my lungs, and I couldn’t stop a heartfelt moan from leaving my throat.

  Field raised his head to look at me, his eyes burning straight through my soul. His lips were raw, red, and slightly swollen, and I couldn’t help but lick mine in response, yearning to taste him again.

  “Aida, I’m sorry,” he breathed. “I should have been clearer the other day, but I promise I won’t make that same mistake again.”

  The pessimist in me tried to brace for the worst, expecting this sublime moment to end on a sour note, with Field probably telling me that yes, I was his rebound chick.

  “I never looked at you for more than a minute because I was with Maura…and deep down, maybe I knew I wouldn’t have been able to stop thinking about you afterward if I did look at you,” he said. “I watched you grow before my eyes, and I didn’t fully realize what you meant to me until my scuffle with the shape-shifters. I could have died then. But I didn’t. I got to live another day, long enough for me to notice how you bite into your lower lip every time I get close to you…”

  I felt myself slowly sliding down against the wall, but Field pushed his thigh between my legs to keep me standing. It also sent ripples of electric jolts through my core, tearing ragged breaths from my chest.

  I was speechless, a prisoner under his fiery gaze. His fingers were busy digging into my waist, thumbs brushing over my ribs. I could feel everything through the thin linen fabric of my shirt.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you from the moment I realized it, Aida. You set my soul on fire, which is something Maura never did. I know you better than most, but seeing you like this now makes me feel like I’m barely scratching the surface with you,” he whispered. His teeth grazed my earlobe gently, making me quiver in his arms. “Please, don’t compare yourself to any other woman.”

  His lips traveled slowly down the line of my neck, and I let my head lean backward against the stone wall, abandoning my senses completely. He kissed my collarbone before he raised his head to lean his forehead against mine.

  I was hot against his hard thigh as he wrapped his arms around me and tightened his hold. I could feel his heart thundering. I whimpered in his embrace.

  He watched me carefully, analyzing every line, every movement, every ragged breath I took.

  “Field, I…I’m sorry I doubted—”

  Once more, he didn’t let me talk. Not that it bothered me. He swept me off my feet, taking my lips hostage in a sweet kiss. He gently bit into my lower lip. His tongue worked in passionate strokes, caressing my lips and the inside of my mouth, making me feel consumed with desire for him.

  Any doubt I’d had about him was instantly obliterated. The way his hands held on to my body, the way he enjoyed tasting me, the way he reacted every time I softened under his touch—they were all signs that further confirmed everything he’d just said to me.

  I let the heat of his being burn into my soul, as I opened myself up to him. There was more to this, more to discover about each other. Field was a new experience altogether for me, rattling me on a subatomic level, and I needed to take it all the way. I was his, and he was mine, despite everything else that happened around us.

  After years of pining over him, he was there, holding me, setting me on fire, and making my heart twist with a single touch. Our mouths fused, our tongues met, and our souls demanded more of each other. I was safe, I was desired, and I was truly cherished in the arms of the only man I’d ever loved.

  As much as I’d tried to deny it, that’s what this was. Love.

  I am in so much trouble.

  I mentally chuckled, wishing to never see the end of this incredible moment.

  Vita

  We started our search from the top floor of the eastern wing, which was mostly comprised of bedrooms and a small library. Jovi and I turned each chamber upside down, looking through every box, every dresser, drawer, and shelf, for anything resembling the swamp witches’ third book.

  I noticed the frown on his face, but I didn’t mention it straight away. I guessed it had to do with Anjani, but I wasn’t sure he would be willing to talk about it. We rummaged through two bedrooms in absolute silence, occasionally dropping a “Nothing here!” before moving the search to another corner.

  “Jovi,” I eventually said once we made it into the third bedroom. “I’ve noticed there’s something going on between you and Anjani, and I just want you to know that if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here. No judgment!”

  Jovi looked up from one of the dresser drawers and gave me a weak smile. He was searching one of the two massive mahogany dressers.

  He sighed. “Is it that obvious?”

  “It wasn’t at first, just minor details that otherwise would slip through the cracks,” I replied, my gaze focused on several shoe boxes at the bottom, hidden beneath layers of moldy clothes. “It’s getting serious, isn’t it? I mean, there’s definitely chemistry between the two of you. It doesn’t take a chemist to see that.”

  “You’re right, Vita. There is something going on between Anjani and me, but I’m not sure exactly what it is, if that makes sense.”

  “More than you might think.” I smirked as I opened one of the boxes, thinking of Bijarki.

  My relationship with the incubus wasn’t exactly clear either. There was something, but it was difficult to pin it down beyond the point of attraction. It went further than lust but was still undefined. I understood Jovi perfectly. I crinkled my nose at the sight of an old pair of men’s shoes, worn down by the passage of time.

  “Whatever it is,” Jovi said, “it has the potential to be the most extraordinary thing that I could possibly experience. Anjani is fierce and always on the defensive. It’s a cultural thing, mostly. But I want to get through her defenses. I swear I have never felt like this before, and I’m positive that the feeling is mutual. Her body, her reactions, don’t lie, no matter how cool she tries to play it.”

  I nodded slowly, moving to the second dresser.

  “I’m surprised by your courage,” I replied. “I mean, the incubi, the succubi, their nature is designed to be seductive, to attract. How do you know for sure that these are genuine feelings that you’re experiencing for Anjani and not the effects of the succubus influence?”

  I had asked myself the same question about Bijarki before, so it was interesting to get insights from one of my own about this peculiar race of Eritopians. I was hoping that it would help shed some light on my own situation, to get some kind of confirmation that feeling like this could genuinely be just me, and not the incubus influence.

  “It’s all me, Vita,” Jovi replied, moving to look under the bed.

  “Aren’t you afraid you’ll get hurt?”

  “You mean, get my heart broken?”

  He looked up at me for a moment, amused, before he resumed his search.

  “Well, yes. You’re not made of stone.”

  “I’m positive that I’m not under her succubus influence,” he replied.

  “How do you know for sure?”

  “At first, she wasn’t really aware of her succubus effect being on all the time, and yes, I was under her spell. But the moment she realized that
she was affecting me, she tried hard to reign it in. She was quite frustrated about it, actually. Slowly but surely, she got the hang of it. Anjani’s a young succubus. Even her sister says there’s so much that she still has to learn,” Jovi explained.

  I found nothing in the second dresser either and moved to the vanity table, while he looked through the bedside tables, which were beautifully carved in red mahogany with gold inlays.

  “I can definitely tell whether I’m under her influence or not by now. She’s given me her word that she doesn’t want me under her succubus spell,” he added, the shadow of a smile flickering over his face as he seemed to remember something. “She said that if I was ever to come to her, it would be of my own volition.”

  I stood up, processing all the information he’d given me. A lot of it made sense and resonated with what Bijarki had already told me. But I still found myself in awe of Jovi. He was much braver than I was when it came to his feelings. Personally, I worried about getting my heart broken in the end.

  “How can you tell?” I asked, ready to check potential symptoms off my list.

  “First of all, the one thing I’ve learned so far, with absolute certainty about both succubi and incubi, is that their word is their bond,” Jovi smiled. “If they tell you they’re not using their ability on you, or that they’re trying their best not to, it is the absolute truth. They’re genuine. Well, at least the succubi and one incubus I’ve met so far.” He pulled the bed covers aside, checking under the pillows and the mattress.

  I was finished with my search, so I stood at the foot of the bed, waiting for him to finish.

  “Second, Anjani used her succubus nature intentionally once, and believe me when I tell you, I felt the difference. Your head gets light, you’re off balance, your body tingles, and your heart beats at an alarming rate. You can feel it, Vita. It’s something so intense, it’s impossible to ignore or mistake for something else. Your mind stops listening, and all you can think of is touching, kissing, and feeling everything.”