Christian wondered if the breathlessness he felt was natural.
“Lilith… that outfit…”
“D-does it look okay?” Lilith looked increasingly embarrassed as he continued staring at her. “I’ve never worn something like this before… the skirt isn’t it too short, is it?” She grabbed the hem of her skirt and tried pulling it down. Christian watched for several seconds before shaking his head.
“No… you look fine,” he said.
“You think so… it… it doesn’t look bad or anything?”
“Not at all.” Christian shook her head. “You look, uh, nice?”
The two stared at each other for several seconds, then looked away with matching blushes.
***
“Oh, for the love of―come on, you two! Get a move on already!”
Hiding behind a lamppost several feet from the mutually embarrassed duo, stood Maria. Her hands gripped the metal railing in front of her. She stared at them with a hard glare, as if doing so would make them start their date.
“Why are we doing this again?”
Standing several feet behind Maria was Stacy. The youngest of Maria’s boarders looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there. Wearing her usual gothic outfit and an expression of the utmost annoyance, the pale-skinned girl stared at her eldest roommate’s back in disgust.
“Ugh, what are they doing just standing there! They’re wasting daylight!” Maria shouted, mostly to herself.
Stacy’s right eye twitched. “Are you ignoring me?”
“Why aren’t they moving?”
“You are ignoring me,” Stacy deadpanned.
“Huh?” Maria looked behind her to stare at the seventeen-year-old girl. “Did you say something?”
“Not a thing,” Stacy grunted, before gesturing at something over Maria’s shoulder. “By the way, I thought you might be interested to know that those two are leaving.”
“What?!”
***
Christian and Lilith eventually left The Crema Café. It became immediately clear once they started moving that not only did they not have a destination in mind, but neither of them had a clue as to what they were supposed to do. Lilith had never gone anywhere with a man, and Christian’s entire life consisted of killing monsters or training to kill monsters.
This would be a first for the both of them.
They walked side by side. Christian would occasionally ask a question, and Lilith would answer, but for the most part, neither spoke much.
“So… what do you think we should do?” Christian asked. Lilith looked at him. She then turned her head to look back down at the sidewalk.
“I… I don’t really know,” she admitted with endearing bashfulness. “This is the first time I’ve ever done something like this. I mean, I’ve gone out before, but I was always with Maria. I’ve never…” Lilith fidgeted with her hands, her voice growing softer as she spoke, until it was little more than a whisper. “… I’ve never been anywhere with a man before.”
Christian coughed into his hand, more to cover his face than for any other reason. He didn’t know why his face felt so hot, but it was completely unbecoming of an Executioner. He was a Warrior who specialized in the extermination of aberrations. He didn’t blush.
“What do you normally do when you and Maria go out?”
“Um.” Lilith pressed her index finger against her lower lip. “We usually go out to get a coffee and then do some window shopping. We did go to the movies a few times, but…”
“I’ve never been to the movies before,” Christian admitted.
“You haven’t?”
“No.” Christian smiled a bit at the shocked look Lilith was giving him. “My job never leaves me much time for recreation, and if I’m being honest, I’d much rather find a nice, quiet place to sit down and read a good book.”
The stare that Lilith gave him made Christian feel a little self-conscious. And when her face broke into a smile that could part storm clouds, his heart skipped a beat.
“Yeah, I can understand that,” she said. “While I do like watching movies, I usually only go to the theater because Maria drags me along when she wants to see one.”
The young woman tapped her chin in thought for a moment, her nose scrunching up cutely and making her look a bit like a chipmunk. Christian wondered how someone so gorgeous could look so cute.
“So, the movies are out,” she said after thinking about it for a moment. “I guess we could walk around and I could show you some of the sights…”
She trailed off and looked around apprehensively. He noticed the expression and wondered what was wrong before he, too, observed their surroundings and realized what the problem was. While they had been discussing what they should do, every male within a twenty-five-meter radius had stopped what they were doing and began following them. Some stared at Lilith with slack-jawed expressions. Those who had more willpower than the average male leered at her, lust gleaming in their eyes. More men arrived by the second, as if they’d been enchanted, and maybe they had.
Christian remembered that werewolf who’d been enamored with Lilith. A succubus’s allure didn’t affect other supernatural creatures, but Christian knew that certain supernatural creatures could, indeed, control other supernatural creatures. Ancestors, the Seven Demon Lords, and a few others had the power to do that.
He didn’t think any of those were present in Seal Beach, but he also remembered Tristin’s words about how something was coming this way. Christian also remembered what Samantha had said, about how many creatures were migrating to the west, almost as if something had spooked them. Could all of these incidents be related? Could this creature who was supposedly coming to Seal Beach be the reason that Lilith received so much unwanted male attention? If it was, then it must be powerful. A curse of this magnitude took a lot of power to cast and even more to maintain.
“C-Christian.” Lilith pressed herself into his back, and Christian realized how frightened she was. Her body was shaking like a leaf trapped within a tornado.
“Don’t worry,” Christian reassured her. “I won’t let any of these guys lay a finger on you.”
Lilith said nothing, merely nodding against his shirt. Christian looked around at all the men, drooling and moaning like zombies lusting after brains. His hands clenched into fists, the knuckles turning white as they shook.
I have to protect Lilith… but how?
***
“Uh-oh,” Maria muttered, biting her thumb as she stared at the scene before her. Christian and Lilith were surrounded by a large group of men—no, not a group. A group would imply three or more. This was a horde; there had to be at least fifty men surrounding them. “Not good, this is so not good.”
Stacy was also staring at the sight of Christian and Lilith being surrounded, though her focus was more on Christian than Lilith. The sound of rustling drew her attention to Maria, who stood up from her crouched position behind the bush that they had been using as urban camouflage.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to help them.” Maria dug through her purse. “I should have suspected something like this would happen. Those clothes that Lilith is wearing really are too much for most men to handle.”
“Then why did you force her to wear them?”
“Because I wanted her date to be special,” Maria informed her younger compatriot. “This is the first time she has ever gone out with a man, and she’s going out with him willingly. I wanted her to look nice for the occasion.”
“I suppose I understand that,” Stacy murmured. She then turned to look at Maria when the older woman released an “ah-ha!” and her expression became dryer than a desert, “Is that a Taser?”
“Yep!” Maria answered proudly. Stacy stared some more.
“Where did you get it?”
“Bought it on the Internet.” Maria winked at her friend. “A girl’s gotta have some way to protect herself.”
Without waiting for a response from Stacy, Mar
ia dashed out from behind the bush and started shouting. Stacy sighed and silently followed her roommate. She would have been better off staying in bed today.
***
Things were not looking good. He and Lilith were surrounded by a bunch of guys, and he didn’t know what to do. He could fight them, of course, but that meant injuring them. They might have been filled with unimaginable amounts of lust, but they were still human, and he was loath to hurt another human—self-defense purposes notwithstanding.
Christian felt Lilith pressing herself against him for protection. A part of him was surprised, but the greater part recognized that out of all the people surrounding them, he was the only one that didn’t look ready to drag her into a dark alley and have his wicked way with her. He was her only means of protection, even if he and the people surrounding them shared the same gender.
His eyes flickered across the sea of heads. He couldn’t tell how many people there were, but he estimated over two dozen at least. That was a lot of people, too many for him to fight off without causing potentially grievous injury.
A soft sob captured his attention. Something wet stained his back. Tears, he realized. Lilith’s tears. These men scared her so much that she was crying.
I have to do something! I have to, but what should I do? What can I do?
“Hey, you! The guy with two different colored eyes!”
He and Lilith turned toward the source of the shout. It was a woman that he had never seen before, though Lilith recognized her immediately.
“Maria?!”
“Here! Catch!”
The woman, Maria, tossed something over the sea of people. It was small, black, and rectangular in shape. It traced a parabolic arc through the air before being caught by Christian.
“A Taser?” he wondered out loud as he looked at the device. He recognized it as a standard Taser that almost anyone could buy off the Internet. They were used mostly by women who needed protection from muggers and rapists while walking the streets at night. What a woman in a city with relatively little crime was doing with a Taser was beyond him.
He supposed he could think about that later. The most important thing was to get himself and Lilith out of this mess. This Taser would help him do just that.
“Lilith.” Christian waited until Lilith nodded against his back to continue. “On my signal, I want you to make a break for it. I’ll create a path for you and keep these guys off your back.”
“But, what about you?” Despite her own fear, Lilith sounded concerned for his safety. Christian felt surprise, but he didn’t let the feeling last long.
“I’ll be fine,” he assured her. “Once I’m positive that you’re out of harm’s way, I’ll make my own getaway, and meet up with you.”
Christian turned his head to look behind him. Lilith had closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she opened them again and gave Christian a determined look.
“Right. I’m ready.”
“Okay then.” Christian steadied himself and prepared for the coming confrontation in much the same way that he did for combat. “We’ll do this on the count of three.”
Lilith nodded and got ready. The group of men no seemed longer content to just stand there looking like a bunch of idiots. Like a group of zombies out of a horror film, the mass of drooling males walked toward them with a slow, stumbling gait.
“One.”
Christian heard blood pounding in his ears, and he knew that Lilith must have felt the same. A trickle of sweat made a trail down the left side of her face, and her wide eyes darted back and forth like a frightened rabbit staring down the barrel of a shotgun.
“Two.”
Christian gripped the Taser tightly in his left hand. What he wouldn’t give to have another Taser so he could dual-wield them. He was always more comfortable with a weapon in each hand.
“Three.”
The mob finally reached them. They were practically knocking on the two’s doorstep. Their hands were outstretched, as if attempting to reach out and snatch Lilith from Christian’s side.
“GO!”
Lilith bolted at the same time Christian slammed the Taser into the nearest man’s chest. The man’s body twitched and spasmed before he fell to the ground with a thud. At the same time as he tased the man, his fist lashed out and caught another in the temple, knocking that guy unconscious as well.
Christian and Lilith shot through the mass of people swiftly, with Christian leading the way. He became a whirlwind of activity, zapping people left and right. His fist blurred, knocking people down as well, helping clear a path for Lilith to run through. It wasn’t long before he had cut a large swath through the crowd.
Lilith burst out of the gathered mob and bolted down the street, her legs carrying her with the swiftness of fear. Christian stayed behind and continued knocking out everyone who dared to follow. One man received a chop to the neck that sent him face-first to the ground. Another got a boot to the face, and still more were given a powerful shock from the Taser. Minutes after Lilith left, the once large group had dwindled to just under a dozen.
Bzzzz! Christian mercilessly stuck the Taser into the next guy who tried passing him. He then pulled back and, before the man could fall to the ground, grabbed him by the arm and swung him around. He let go a second later, sending the unconscious body flying into two others, sending all three of them to the ground.
After taking a quick headcount of the men still conscious, Christian decided that it was time for him to make his own escape. He chucked the Taser at the nearest guy. The close-range-weapon-turned-projectile hit its target with unerring accuracy, and the man was felled seconds later.
With his task done, Christian bolted. He needed to find Lilith before another group of men found her first.
***
“Wow!” Maria whistled as she stared at the young man running from the scene. Her eyes were wide and her mouth wanted to drop. “That was…”
“Hot.” Maria looked over at Stacy. They eyed each other for a moment. The younger of the two shrugged. “What? We both know you were thinking it, too.”
Maria giggled. “Am I that obvious?”
When Stacy just deadpanned at her, Maria turned back to look at the large group of unconscious bodies lying haphazardly on the ground.
“But really,” she said with a contemplative gaze. “I’ve never seen anyone move like that before, except for people in those action movies. I wonder if he’s an actor, or maybe some kind of stunt double.”
“He could be a martial artist,” Stacy suggested. “You know, like that Jackie Chan guy.”
“Hmm… maybe. In any case, I think we’re done here.” Maria stood up.
“Please tell me we’re going home?”
Maria paused to look at the other girl. After silently contemplating what had just happened for a moment longer, she said. “You can go home if you want. I think I’m going to stick around and make sure those two don’t get into any more trouble.” There was an extra Taser in her purse, and she could use it to preemptively zap any male who came too close to Lilith. It was the least she could do for the threatening her friend had endured this morning.
“Thank God.” The goth girl slumped in relief. “I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah, later.”
Maria watched Stacy walk off, then turned and ran in the direction that Lilith and the young man had gone. As she tried catching up to the duo, a grin spread across her lips. This was the most exciting thing that had ever happened in this dull town!
Chapter 15
Lilith didn’t know how long she ran. It could have been minutes. It could have been hours. With adrenaline pumping through her veins, and fear coursing through her body, crashing against her like a tidal wave and spurring her onward, she ran much harder and for far longer than she would have thought possible.
However, fear and adrenaline can only give a person so much strength. It granted a massive boost in stamina and athletic ability, but the effects were notorious for
not lasting more than a few minutes.
It was no surprise that Lilith’s run slowed down to a jog, and then to a walk. Her body eventually became incapable of going any farther, and she found herself leaning against the wall in a nearby alley. She could only hope that no one found her while she rested.
She gasped for breath, her chest heaving as she used the wall to support her exhausted frame, which was covered by a light sheen of sweat. That full-on sprint had drained whatever stamina she may have possessed. Perhaps her lack of athleticism was what allowed so many men to catch up to her with ease.
Maybe I should start running with Maria in the mornings.
Her legs finally giving out, Lilith slid down the wall, until her bottom hit the hard cement. Her breathing evened out, but she still felt shaken from her ordeal. She wrapped her arms around her legs, her body shivering like those times when she had nightmares about her time before coming to Seal Beach.
She wondered what had happened to Christian. Was he all right? Had the mob caught him and decided to hurt him for helping her escape? Lilith still didn’t know what to feel about him, but she couldn’t deny that he was pleasant company… for a man. He didn’t ogle her like other members of his gender did. He didn’t strip her with his eyes, didn’t act like an idiot whenever she was around. She could even talk to him and not worry about him trying to take advantage of her. It was a rather novel experience.
Lilith leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. Even though her breathing had become more even, she suddenly felt a lot more tired. A thick haze clouded her mind, making her drowsy. She felt the temptation to just close her eyes and drift off.
“Lilith?”
“KYA!!”
She nearly fell over in her haste to scramble back to her feet. With her back pressed against the wall, she stared at the person who’d walked into the alley, her heart hammering in her chest. It was only after several seconds had passed, and her pounding heart had slowed down, that she recognized the person before her.
Succubus Page 17