He did not say anything, but I saw his eyes soften. His smile became tender and loving. That look caused another wave of heat to spread through my body. I knew in that moment that this was the only man that I would ever allow to claim me like this.
His head came down, his lips pressing against mine in a voracious kiss. I responded eagerly. My arms wrapped around his neck, and my legs opened as he guided himself between them. Breathing soon became a necessity, and he took his lips reluctantly off mine, only to begin paying homage to my neck, sending a delicious thrill through my body.
“I love you so much…”
Not even a moment later, I felt him inside of me, and I wrapped my legs around him. I nearly cried out in joy as our bodies, our hearts, and our souls became one. It was the single most glorious experience I had ever felt.
“… Christian.”
***
Like a drowning person breaking the water’s surface, Lilith woke from her slumber with a loud gasp. She shot up in bed, her body kick-starting awake with a jolt like she’d stuck her finger in a socket.
Her eyes gazed wildly around the room, yet hardly saw anything at all. Her body twitched and spasmed, remnants of her erotic dream. Lilith tried coming to terms with what she had seen, but her brain refused to function, like a computer whose motherboard had short-circuited.
It took her far longer than it should have, but she eventually recognized her location. She was in her room. On her bed. Christian was not there. It had been a dream.
Despite knowing that what she had just experienced was nothing more than a dream, her body still shuddered like an electric current was running through her, sending blissful jolts of pleasure that traveled along her nerves, until they had spread through every region of her body.
She could still feel Christian’s hands exploring her body, tending to her flesh with delightful caresses and gentle fondling. Just the feeling of his phantom limbs stroking her skin caused her entire body to flush with delight. It was all kinds of embarrassing.
Lilith looked down. Her left hand was stuck inside of her panties, showing that she’d clearly been playing with herself in her sleep… again.
Carefully extracting her hand from the white cotton undergarment, Lilith both blushed and grimaced before she wiped it on her bed sheets. They were already sullied anyway, so it wasn’t like getting them dirtier would make much of a difference.
Slipping out of bed, the first thing Lilith did was slide the window to her room open and turn on the fan. This would hopefully drive away the smell that pervaded the room. After that she put her dirty sheets in the wash.
How many times does that make now? Three? Four?
Back in her room, she stripped out of her clothes and stepped under the spray of the shower, although the water felt like sub-zero on her skin. Only then did she allow herself to contemplate her most recent dream.
It wasn’t the first time she had dreamt like this. The dreams had been occurring ever since her date with Christian. However, none of them had ever been this vivid before. Even now, she could still clearly feel his hands as they caressed her body, recall the details of his face, his expression as he stared into her eyes while plunging his―
Whoa, girl! Lilith placed her hands on her cheeks. Slow down. Stop right now. Don’t even go there!
Lilith didn’t want to continue thinking about this. She needed to think of something else, something that would help get her mind off her latest dream.
Perhaps it was a side effect of her dream, but when she tried thinking about something else, thoughts of Christian immediately speared through her mind.
Nearly a week had passed since their first date. Since that day, when they had sat in the shade of a tree and read light novels together, they’d been spending all of their free time with each other. Whenever she wasn’t at the preschool or working on her schoolwork, she was spending time with him, either going to The Crema Café or finding a nearby park. Sometimes they would read, other times they would talk. Lilith couldn’t deny how much she looked forward to seeing him again each time they parted ways.
Maria had begun teasing her even more, claiming that Lilith had finally found the man of her dreams. Her friend’s words made her self-conscious at first, but she had learned not to let the teasing bother her… too much. And it wasn’t like she hadn’t entertained the thought. She would just never admit to having those thoughts … out loud.
She and Christian would actually be going out again today. They were going on what Lilith considered their first official date.
A real date. Her first date. Just the knowledge that she would be going out to dinner with a guy gave her shivers that, for once, were not of fear. Lilith wouldn’t deny that she was worried. What if something went wrong? What if they arrived at the restaurant and had a repeat of what happened the first time they went out? She tried not to let this bother her, however, because she knew that Christian wouldn’t let anything happen. He’d become very protective of her, and she was sure that they would have a good time.
After stepping out of the shower and donning in a light purple sundress and sandals, Lilith entered the living area.
Maria stood in front of the stove cooking breakfast; eggs and toast, it looked like. Stacy was nowhere to be seen. When Maria noticed her enter, she gave her a knowing smile.
“I see that you’re cleaning your sheets again.” The comment was so innocuous and innocent that Lilith immediately knew it was anything but. “Pleasant dreams? Perhaps you were thinking of a certain raven-haired young man with intriguing eyes and lady-killer looks?”
Lilith did her best to ignore her friend’s words, and strode into the kitchenette to begin grabbing plates and utensils. She wouldn’t allow herself to be teased anymore. She had no reason to feel embarrassed… or did she? Surely the phenomenon happening to her was a natural occurrence … or was it? Did other women not have erotic dreams that caused them to stain the sheets? She didn’t know, but Lilith was determined not to let Maria get to her.
“Well, good morning to you, too, sunshine.” Maria chuckled when Lilith refused to respond in the usual manner. “So how do you want your eggs? Unfertilized, I hope.”
Now that got a reaction. After Lilith finished choking on the oxygen that she had inhaled, she turned around to glare at her friend.
“How long are you going to keep teasing me like this?” she scowled at her friend.
“Oh, so you can talk,” Maria chirped. “That’s good. I was beginning to worry that you’d forgotten how.”
“Whatever,” Lilith replied morosely.
“Aw, come on. Don’t be like that. You know I’m just messing with you.”
“I know that.” Lilith didn’t look at Maria as she set the table. “But that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with, and it’s no less embarrassing either.”
Maria walked over to the table as Lilith finished setting it. She put the pan of eggs onto a cooking mat, then walked behind her, arms wrapping around Lilith’s neck. Because Maria was taller than her, the brunette’s chin rested on the crown of her head.
“I’m sorry. Forgive me?”
In spite of herself, Lilith sank into the comforting embrace of the first female she’d befriended since junior high.
“I guess I can forgive you this once, but only if you stop teasing me.” She tried pouting, but since her friend couldn’t see it, she realized that there wasn’t much point and stopped.
“All right, I’ll stop teasing you.”
“Thank you.”
Unspoken between them was the unstated “for now” that they both knew Maria was thinking.
***
“… And in other news, there are still no leads in the disappearances of Officers Stan Malaci, Kyle Ferdinand, and Kenny Kreimer, and Deputy John Holland, the four police officers who mysteriously vanished while investigating the site of what appears to be a battleground. With us live is news anchor Lisa Solvers who may be able to shed some light on this strange case.”
>
“It looks like they still haven’t found those cops.” Maria said to Lilith. She chewed her food with a thoughtful expression as she watched the TV. Unlike Lilith, who sat at the table while she ate, Maria had taken her plate to the living room after turning the television to the local news station. “This is so strange.”
Though Lilith didn’t say anything, she agreed with her friend. Seal Beach had no real criminal activity. There were a few gangs, but they mostly consisted of high school kids who thought vandalizing property was funny. The disappearance of four cops was definitely an unusual occurrence.
She wondered what had happened to them, but most of her thoughts were on the coming date with Christian. The disappearance of four cops, while troubling, didn’t really involve her.
Interlude 3
The room was dark. No light could be seen from inside. No light could enter from outside. The cracks in the doorway had been sealed shut, the windows were boarded, and the curtains sewn shut and lined with duct tape. The person who did this for him, a young woman that he had found wandering the streets and enthralled into doing his bidding, lay on a couch several feet away. Her pale and unbreathing body was deathly still.
As he basked within the darkness, his mind turned over matters of the utmost importance. He’d only been in this city for a few days, but several problems had already come to his attention, courtesy of his slave.
The first issue came from those cops that he had killed. An area-wide search had begun. He conceded that feeding on them might have been a hasty decision. He could ill afford to have someone discover the truth.
Another issue came from all the rabble that he'd run into; werewolves, incubi, undines, succubus, and several low level vampires had noticed his presence. He'd been forced to kill many of them, but that had only created more problems. The Executioners had cottoned on to his presence, or rather, the fact that someone powerful was stirring up trouble. He couldn't afford to have them discover him yet, so he needed to remain ever vigilant—vexing.
Of more importance, however, was the matter of his Eve. He had located his Queen easily enough. Her presence glittered like a diamond in a landfill, but even that news, which should have been monumental, did not please him.
It seemed his Queen had found herself a plaything. This was not necessarily wrong; he’d had plenty of those, but she had become far too attached to hers for his liking. He would have to do something about that, and soon. A King such as himself could not allow his Queen to be sullied by the likes of anyone else.
Chapter 18
The afternoon sun blazed overhead. Christian had spent much of his day reading—or trying to. He’d actually been staring at the same page for the last few hours while thinking deep, complex thoughts on his newest moral dilemma. He had tried to read, really, and even finished two chapters of Stigma of the Wind, volume two, but that was about it.
Thinking back on this past week made Christian wonder if all this, traveling to Seal Beach and meeting Lilith, was nothing but a dream. It certainly seemed so in some ways. Aside from his battle with the werewolf, and a minor footnote at the beach where he'd been forced to fight against an undine, the rest of his time here had been relatively peaceful.
A part of him wished his life could remain like this. Another part was just waiting for the hammer to fall, and this life of tranquility to end.
Christian looked around his hotel room, just as neat and tidy as it had been when he had first moved in, maybe even more so. His bags were now stashed away in the closet. The clothes they contained had all been neatly folded and put away in the dresser that served as a television stand for the wide, flat-screen TV that he had never bothered using.
Realizing how fruitless his reading attempts were, Christian took a quick shower and got dressed for the day. He had a date with Lilith this evening. They were going out to a small Japanese restaurant called Restaurant Koi for sushi.
Had anyone told him several weeks ago that he would be going on dates with a woman, he would have shot them in the face. The idea, the notion that he would allow himself to become that close to someone, to anyone, was preposterous. At least it had been.
The twists and turns that life can take is funny sometimes. God must have a sense of humor.
Worse than simply going on dates with his target, Christian was beginning to really like Lilith. He loved spending time with her. She was intelligent, compassionate, and determined to live her life to the fullest despite the hardships that she had—and would—face. That they shared the same passion was just the icing on the proverbial cake.
Whenever they were together, he and Lilith spent hours just reading or talking. Sometimes they discussed light novels, other times they discussed topics that had nothing to do with books, but shed light on the other person.
Through these conversations, Christian had learned that Lilith was an incredibly bright and passionate individual. She was enrolled in Fullerton College for Graphic Design and Illustration. Her dream was to be a freelance web designer. She’d shown him some of her designs and they were all stunning. She had a keen eye for detail and drew impressive illustrations. Her hand drawings were some of the most beautiful that he had ever seen.
He had also discovered that she worked part-time as a preschool teacher. She apparently loved working with children, and enjoyed coming up with new and fun ways to help facilitate their learning. Christian found this to be an endearing quality. He understood the importance of educating the young well—better than most, in fact.
He really was growing fond of Lilith. Too fond. Even though he no longer worried about having to kill her, the knowledge that they would eventually part ways tore at him. He didn’t know what to do. What would he do when Tristin called and confirmed that Lilith wasn’t a succubus, and that he could go home? Leave the idyllic life that he and Lilith shared? Could he do that? Did he even want to leave?
Christian didn’t know. He thought about it often, what would happen when the call came. His mind always came up with the same answer, and it never failed to leave him shaken.
He looked at himself in the full-length mirror, more to dispel the thoughts clinging to his mind like winter’s chill than to check on his appearance. He wasn’t wearing anything too fancy, just a white long-sleeved button-up shirt, a black coat, black dress pants, and a pair of comfortable black shoes. The shoes clashed a bit with the rest of his clothes. They were running shoes. But, having already nearly died once because he was unprepared, Christian felt determined not to make the same mistake twice.
After ensuring that he looked nice, Christian walked to his bed and stared at the weapons laid out on it: his handguns, Gabriel and Phanuel, and two longer-than-average knives, both shining a bright silver under the sunlight streaming in through the window.
After nearly getting killed by a single werewolf, Christian had made sure to keep several weapons hidden somewhere on his person. He wouldn’t allow himself to be caught unaware like that again.
He picked up one of the knives and twirled it around in his hand. He really wished he could bring Michael and Raphael with him, but they were too conspicuous. They couldn’t be hidden on him like these knives. At least the blades were made of silver. They weren’t as strong or effective as his Orichalcum swords, but they still worked against most abominations.
Lifting his left foot and setting it on a nearby chair, he pulled his pant leg up to reveal a holster strapped to his calf. He slid the knife into it, and then repeated the process with the other knife on his other leg. After rolling his pants legs back down, he picked up his guns and slid them into his new holsters.
The holsters strapped across his chest as opposed to his thighs, which meant that his guns were hanging from his back instead of his front. They were a pain to unholster. After years of merely reaching down to unholster his guns, having to reach behind him required conscious thought. He actually practiced unholstering them for two hours each night to ingrain the action into muscle memory.
Afte
r securing his weapons to his person, he slid on his jacket, and looked himself over in the mirror again. The last thing he needed was for his weapons to be visible.
Vibrating suddenly erupted from his pocket and music started playing, alerting him to an incoming call. Pulling his phone out, he glanced at the caller ID and grimaced. On the screen was an image of Tristin’s grinning face as he held up two fingers in the peace sign. Just how that idiot had managed to put this photo on his phone was beyond Christian, never mind the fact that Tristin somehow made his ringtone “Dirty Deeds” by AC/DC.
Clicking his tongue, Christian accepted the call and held the phone to his ear. He opened his mouth, prepared to demand an explanation as to why this idiot was calling him―
“Hey, hey, hey! How is my favorite cold-blooded killer doing?” The loud, obnoxious voice emerged, cutting off the snappish words that had been on the tip of his tongue.
“Tristin,” Christian grunted. “What do you want?”
“What kind of greeting is that? Here I am, calling in to see how my best buddy and partner in crime is doing, and all you can say is ‘what do you want?’ like I’m some kind of annoyance.”
“You are an annoyance.”
“You’re so cruel! How could you be so mean to this humble intelligence agent, who has done nothing but offer you the most accurate and up-to-date information available?”
Christian gritted his teeth, his aggravation reaching a new peak. He quickly tried to calm down by taking a deep breath, holding it, and then releasing it. It worked, at least a little bit.
“Is there a reason you’re calling me, or are you just trying to get on my nerves?”
“Um… a little of both?”
“I’m hanging up now.”
Succubus Page 20