“Why, then? Why are the humans I know being targeted all of the time?” His voicing of my deepest fears rattled me.
“Because of you,” Peter said. I gaped at him, horrified, even though he had stated exactly what I had been thinking.
“Stop looking at me like that. You made yourself known for being… soft when it comes to humans. They know you have a heart, know what affects you.”
“And Carl’s been in a position to hear things you wouldn’t want anyone else to know,” Eddie added.
“What… what do you mean?” I found it difficult to breathe all of a sudden.
“I told you, she can see through him. We don’t know how long she’s been able to spy, but that had to have something to do with her choice. I’ve been wondering how word about you spread so fast after the trial, even when Fionnuala ordered everyone to keep it quiet. This might be the answer.”
I chewed on my knuckle to keep myself from freaking out completely. Yet again, while I had been worrying about one thing, something completely different had been going on. “Fine. I’ll find out,” I snapped.
“Where are you going?” Peter asked.
“To find out what the hell is going on.”
Peter followed me outside. “Why are you so upset?”
“Are you mad? Carl’s gotten a death sentence, and we can’t even help him.” I didn’t mention the vulnerability I had shown to Carl, the things he had found out about me. The things the sex demon probably knew, too.
Peter bowed his head. “Ava. This is Carl. He’s always going to get into some kind of trouble. Bit like you really. We’ll figure something out in the end. We always do.”
“I have some time until Becca shows up again. I’m going to see if there’s anything I can do.” I turned to leave, furious with myself for being so absolutely blind.
Peter pulled at my arm to stop me.
“What?”
He searched my face before answering. “Need my help?”
“I’ll be fine. I’m going to talk to Esther. See if she can tell me anything. But Peter… I told Gabe something.”
“What do you mean?”
“Last night, after Becca disappeared, he gave me a lift home, and I told him about the shadows.”
Peter narrowed his eyes. “And what did he say?”
“Acted like he didn’t believe me. I regret saying anything now. It’s been bugging me because he didn’t act surprised. He sounded like I was a little kid making up stories or something, but it was like a story he had already heard. Think I’m making too much of it?”
His frown deepened. “I don’t know. Be careful around him. I don’t trust him.”
“He’s weird. Like, not a real person. He’s like a robot in a human mask or something. I can’t explain it really.”
“He still needs you. When he doesn’t anymore, then worry.”
I tried to smile. “That’s very reassuring, thanks. If this succubus, what’s her name, Alannah? If she’s been spying, then she knows about the shadows, about what I can do. Think she has anything to do with Coyle?”
“It’s possible. Doesn’t mean much until we find out more, though.”
I nodded, trying to digest everything. “I had better go. If you see Carl… kidnap him for me, okay?”
His eyes twinkled with amusement. “Not a problem.”
I turned to leave, but he called me back again. “Listen. I’m sorry about before. Back at my place, I mean. Blame the succubus.”
My cheeks flushed. “Um, it’s not… never mind. See you.”
I felt his eyes watching me as I broke into a run. I was so full of thoughts of Carl, Peter, and succubi that I made it to the clinic quicker than I expected. I hoped Esther was still there, because I didn’t fancy knocking on Aiden’s door to find her.
Luckily, the receptionist with purple-toned skin remembered me. She walked me to Esther’s room, let me know she was alone, and congratulated me on a job well done with Becca. Good news spread fast. Funny how everyone but me seemed to think it was a result.
Esther looked extremely bored, but brightened when I walked in.
“Hey, I heard about last night,” she said before I made it to her bedside. “Great news! It’s such a relief to know she isn’t out there.” She gave a little shudder, but the grin on her face belied her fear.
“She could show up again tonight,” I said, confused. “I didn’t kill her or anything.”
“She ran away, though. She isn’t willing to face you, and who cares why? It means she’s gone. People are celebrating today. I mean, nobody died last night. Any night she doesn’t feed is amazing. It’s great news, Ava.”
I realised how much people had been living under the cloud of Becca’s blood-draining spree. Before, it hadn’t quite hit home. If only I had drank the blood sooner. If only I had been more determined earlier.
“I’m not just here on a social call,” I said. “I have a problem.”
She perked up immediately, as if anything was better than the boredom of sitting in that room. “Anything I can do to help?”
“Are you getting out of here soon?”
“They don’t want to chance it yet. So come on, tell me what’s going on.”
I hesitated. “The thing is… it’s Carl. Again. He’s been acting pretty strange lately. Yesterday, I saw a mark on his chest. Peter had a smaller version of it. Like a hickey, but all raised and infected-looking.”
Her jaw dropped. “Oh, no. I’m so sorry, Ava.”
“Hold on, it’s not that bad, surely.” But her expression made me doubt.
“You’re talking about the mark of a succubus, right?” she asked.
I nodded. “Peter’s has gone, but Carl’s got worse, and now he’s gone missing. Eddie’s the one who told us about the succubus. He’s pretty sure she has Carl for good now.”
“That sucks,” she whispered.
“We figured out she lives in my building, and that she’s been messing with Carl since before the trial. So I thought I’d come to you. See what I can do.”
She looked sorry for me. That filled me with more dread than anything else.
“There’s not a whole lot you can do. Unless she’s exceeded her quota. And if she had, it would be on record. The succubi rarely get into trouble. They keep it low key, so it’s strange she’s starting trouble with you.”
“This really has something to do with me?”
She bit her lip. “Why else would she go for people you know? It’s pretty rude, actually.”
“I didn’t have a clue about her, Esther.”
“I wondered why you had no problem living next to her. Have you spoken to her? Maybe she’d do you a favour.”
I rubbed my eyes with my knuckles. “I never thought about the people who actually lived in the building,” I muttered, thinking about the talismans scattered around it. “Besides, I doubt asking her would help. We aren’t friends.”
“It’s still worth having a chat with her. Perhaps she’ll trade.”
“For another human?” I couldn’t believe Esther’s suggestion.
“Not necessarily. Money, work, protection, lots of things have value.”
I stared up at the ceiling, feeling even sicker than before. “I think she hates me, Esther. Can’t I just threaten her or something?”
“Oh, no. Don’t even think about that! She might not get into trouble very often, but those succubi are the moaniest bitches I’ve ever come across. I do not want to deal with the lodged complaints afterward. Threatening her won’t work. She’s a stickler for her quota. She makes sure she gets every bit of what’s hers. Sucking up to her is literally your only option right now.”
“I’m not good at sucking up. What about Peter? Is he in any danger?”
“Nah, not if the mark faded. A temporary mark is usually to get other people going, a little extra something when she’s reached her draining quota.”
I was sure my face turned purple with embarrassment. “What would happen if she let Car
l go?”
Esther shook her head. “She’ll choose someone else, and Carl may never be the same again. She’s sucking the goodness out of him, his hopes and dreams, as well as the sexual energy. She’ll drain him of everything that makes him Carl, and if this has been going on for a while, his time is running out. I’m really sorry, Ava. This might be a ‘say goodbye’ mission rather than a rescue mission.”
“No way.” I jumped to my feet, feeling my panic rise. “I’d rather kill her than let her kill Carl.”
“You’ll be arrested, and Carl will die anyway. And this time, there won’t be a trial. Even if you make it that far. Those succubi are all connected. They all know you by sight because she does. If you kill her, they’ll all come after you. That’s how it is. Keep out of it if you want to live, Ava. I’m telling you this as a friend.”
“And what about Carl?”
“Like I said. Talk to her, try and persuade her, make a deal with her. That’s how this world works. You’ve obviously seen how allegiances are built and repaid. You’ve been working for Daimhín long enough now. Be sensible about this. I know you’re hot-headed, but all of this acting without thinking can only lead to trouble. Trust me this one time. You can only plead for him.”
“I hate this world sometimes.”
She shrugged. Losses didn’t seem to affect her the way they did me. “You should probably get out of here. Aiden’s coming to visit me at some stage. He’s not your biggest fan at the moment. He’ll get over it, though, especially if Becca’s gone for good.”
If.
Chapter Ten
I had never been so reluctant to go home. Since I knew Alannah was a succubus, a lot of other things had slipped into place. That overpowering perfume was her natural scent. The strange energy I had often seen in my own building was her. Carl was with her, and I couldn’t do much about it. In saving him from a vampire, I had managed to throw him in the path of a sex demon. Life was truly bizarre.
I gave Peter a quick phone call to update him on what Esther had told me and how I was going to plead our case. I didn’t tell him what Esther had said about Carl never being the same, even if the succubus let him go. Which she probably wouldn’t. Alannah and I had never gotten along, and I wondered if she had always known about me.
It annoyed me that people like Aiden acted as if I were the problem when I had never hurt anyone who didn’t hurt me first. Maybe I shouldn’t have told a Council Consultant/Head Guardian/Shifter Alpha that he didn’t know what he was doing.
Still fuming, I remembered the time I had come across Carl and Alannah outside my flat. She might as well have taken a piss to mark her territory. All along, I had been fighting a battle I didn’t even know existed. If anything good came out of the situation, it was my new determination to learn everything I could about myself and the other beings around me. I would never again make such a big mistake as allowing a demon to take my friend right under my nose.
Swallowing my anger and fear, or at least trying to, I took heavy steps up the stairwell of my building, knowing full well that I would never feel comfortable there again.
The scent of the succubus filled my nostrils immediately. And Carl was there. Having something to focus on helped me see it clearly. Until then, I had hoped we were mistaken. But I was forced to acknowledge the truth.
I knocked and waited for the murmurs and giggles to stop. When she finally opened the door, Alannah’s honey-coloured hair was mussed and her cheeks pink with exertion and heat. I barely controlled the urge to vomit.
A satisfied smile lit up her face when she saw me. Any thought that it might have nothing to do with me was violently murdered with that smile. I stared at her for a couple of seconds, trying to see behind the human mask, but I couldn’t push past it. All I wanted to do was tear her apart. When had I gotten so damn angry?
“Well, hello there, neighbour,” she drawled.
“Is he here?” I almost fooled myself with the calm in my voice.
“Who would that be?” But she was unsettled. Perhaps she had expected me to go for her throat.
“That would be Carl. Is he here?”
“Oh. Of course he is.” She arched an over-plucked brow, waiting for me to react.
I heaved a sigh. “Look. I don’t want to do this in the hallway. Can I come in for a few minutes?”
“Of course you can,” she squealed in a faux-girlish voice.
I followed her inside. Her apartment was larger than mine, but danker somehow. Stuffy, suffocating. The air was inexplicably heavy. Carl lay on a chair, his eyes half-closed, a smile on his face. He hummed to himself, looking absolutely stoned.
“See? He’s so happy with me.” She sat next to him and patted his face, but she leaned on him with her elbows digging into his ribs as if he were part of the furniture.
“What do you want?” I asked.
She blinked a couple of times.
“For him,” I clarified. “What do you want for him?”
Her mouth opened and closed again. She clearly hadn’t been expecting an offer of a trade. “I don’t want anything for him. I want him.”
“Why him? And why mark Peter, too? What the hell is it exactly that you’re looking for here?”
She cocked her head to the side but didn’t reply. I decided I wasn’t leaving until I got answers, so I waited.
Finally, she shrugged. “You know, lots of beings have quotas. Limits. Things that were pressed upon us after years of freedom. Most of them are starving. You can never truly live when you’re constantly thinking about your next meal.” She frowned as if choosing her next words carefully. “My kind don’t murder freely. But to live, we have to take a human life in its entirety. The last drops are the sweetest, the most satisfying, the hardest to resist. Once the mark takes hold, it can’t be undone. That other one, the one with a price on his head, I marked him to distract you for a day or two. You really are quite pathetic, by the way. Even with my help, you couldn’t get your bit.”
I totally ignored the last part. “Why? Why do you care about me?”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re just so delicious. And you never die, no matter how many times I take from you.”
“You… take from me? I thought you were a sex demon,” I said, my skin crawling.
“I am. That’s the most intense emotion, the one that we live on. But other emotions are like nuggets, snacks. Maybe extras is the right word. There’s no quota, as long as the person survives it.”
“So the whole time I’ve been living here, you’ve been feeding off my energy?” Then I remembered something. “McGreavy. Did you do that to him? Make him the way he is?”
“He was such a big strong man when we first met. So full of everything. Instead of marking him, I took my time because I like to settle down, and I hate living with my sisters. He was a good source for a while.”
“So why is he still alive?”
“Because before I finished with him, you came along. You carry all of these emotions around with you. It’s such a feeding ground. I haven’t hungered in years. You gave so much, then you made some friends, and things were even better. You know, you’re such a little worrier, and all of that pent-up sexual tension… you’re really a dream come true.”
Her words sickened me. All those years, I’d been constantly drained by a demon and never even realised. No wonder the street we lived on was one of the darkest in the city. The area was slowly dying, and everyone was suffering at the whims of this greedy succubus. “If I’m so bloody satisfying, why are you even bothering with your quota?”
Her nostrils flared. “It’s my quota. I get to take it. No point letting it go to waste.”
“Okay, but I’ve lived here for what, almost seven years? Why Carl? Why now?”
“It isn’t just now. I had you all to myself for so long, and then you had to get stupid and let everyone know you’re here. The world is watching you now, and people aren’t happy about that. That in itself might have been workable, but then you st
opped feeling.”
“That’s not possible,” I mumbled.
“It must be if it’s been happening. I’ve been tasting Carl for ages. He’s so easy to take from, thanks to you. And when you shut down like the little ice queen you are, I had to do something about it. So I upped my game and gave you something to worry about. I didn’t realise it would be this satisfying, but you’re giving me something to live on for years to come. Even now, it’s a constant stream of emotion. I can’t tell you how much of a kick I’ve gotten from draining the stuck-up judgemental bitch from next door.” She laughed, almost hysterically, and planted a kiss on Carl’s cheek.
“If I’ve done so much for you, then maybe you want to pay me back,” I said, still unsure of how to play this, how much was truth and how much was just her trying to bug me even further.
“Not really. Even now, you’re feeding me. He’ll die. You’ll cry for your human toy. As for me? I’ll win a jackpot, and you’ll be so distracted, you’ll keep out of everyone’s way. But if you behave, I won’t touch anyone else you know.”
“I’ll move. You won’t get to feed on me.”
She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. It’s too late for him. Besides, there are other empaths out there. They might not be as hardy as you, but you’re not the only one of your kind either. The best part is that you can’t even do anything to me. I win.”
I shook with anger. “If he dies, you better start running. I don’t give up on my friends. I don’t give up on a chase. I will never let you enjoy your life.”
She rolled her eyes. “You don’t give up? So you caught the beast, then?”
“Don’t act like you know something about it. I’ve offered you anything you want for Carl, but you’re too greedy and stupid to see it. Well, guess what? You just spited yourself. And if I find out you managed to use this to help Becca, I mean, the beast, get away from me, then I really can do something to you.”
“Oh, get out, you annoying little pest. And close the door after you. I’m too full to get up.”