Vikki laughed and nodded.
Zoey's gaze lingered on her friend's healthy features. She'd never seen Vikki so happy. Zoey felt horrible keeping secrets from her friend.
"Which club?" she asked.
"Same. It's the new spot for them, apparently. I guess after they took us out last night, six of them showed up to cart off girls," Vikki said grimly. "I'm under orders to drink bottled water tonight."
"I can't believe we were poisoned. It can't be the bartender, can it?" Zoey asked, puzzled.
"I'm not sure. It's the same guy who's been there every time we go. I mean, maybe someone paid him off, but aren't there easier ways to get rid of us? I mean, come on, we're human. Sneak into our houses and slit our throats while we sleep?"
"Easy targets at a bar, I guess," Zoey replied. "You're right, though. I lived off campus with a human who posed no threat to anyone who tried to attack me."
"Which begs the question: if they didn't want us dead, what the fuck were they doing?"
"It's not the first night this week I've blacked out," Zoey mused. "I had nothing to drink Friday night, after our mission. I don't remember what happened. I was talking to Heidi and then ... blank. I woke up on the Professor's porch the next morning. I think I had a couple energy drinks, but they didn't work."
"They taste like shit, but they work so well," Vikki said. "I never go on a mission without a couple."
They made small talk all the way to the club. Zoey concentrated hard on not telling her best friend what she knew about her. She was grateful for the distraction of the crowd when they entered the club and went to the tables near the bar. All were full, so they crowded the bar instead.
Vikki ordered two bottled waters then made a face that elicited a laugh from Zoey. They leaned back against the bar to watch the people. Zoey sipped her water, trying to pretend it was something else.
"So, along with my vodka, did you steal my diary?"
Vikki's casual question made Zoey spew the water in her mouth. She coughed. Vikki patted her back hard enough that Zoey knew she was pissed.
"Yeah," Zoey managed finally.
"I figured. Not sure whether to thank you or..." Vikki searched her face.
"What makes you think I read it?" Zoey tried to be casual.
"Because you can't lie for shit."
Sighing, Zoey met her gaze. "Dude, what do you want me to say?"
"I want you to say you didn't turn it over to the IAB. And then, I want you to say you did, because if you didn't, it means I'll drag you down with me."
"I didn't," Zoey said. "You know me. There are only a few people I trust and care about. I'm not going to turn on you."
"You may not have a choice if the Enforcers summon you."
"I don't care."
"You're too stupid for your own good sometimes," Vikki said, irritated. "I have a way out of this. You don't, so don't do anything stupid."
"Liam is the way out?"
"Yeah."
"But you won't take it," Zoey guessed. "If they take you out, I'm going, too."
They gazed at each other, each in pain. Zoey flung her arms around Vikki, not wanting to lose her friend.
"You fool," Vikki murmured, hugging her back. "You would sacrifice yourself for me, wouldn't you?"
"Duh. My plan is to piss them off enough, they kill me fast."
Vikki laughed. "If anyone could do it, you could. The Professor will protect you. You're like a daughter to him, and he's in real good with the Incubatti. My guardian, Dimitri?" she shook her head as she pulled away. "He'll be happy to see me go."
"What a dick."
"What about Eric? Any chance he'll take you back?"
Zoey said nothing. She turned to the bartender and waved him down.
"I take it that's a no. Didn't I tell you so?" Vikki asked.
"I don't fit in. I want to be normal."
"How's that working out for you?"
"Two vodka-cranberry and four shots of tequila," Zoey told the bartender.
"I'm on water tonight," Vikki said firmly.
"No way."
"Way."
"Whose orders?" Zoey asked, eyes narrowing. "You don't give a shit what Dimitri says."
"Yeah, well, a soul-mate is a whole different ballgame," Vikki said.
Zoey studied her, wanting to ask questions, but terrified of the answers. The less she acknowledged the Professor's words, the more she could deny the idea that some strange Incubus was going to knock at her door and demand to marry her.
The drinks came. Zoey waited ten minutes for Vikki to crack.
"You're serious," she said at last, incredulous. What did it take to keep someone like her from alcohol when the drinks sat in front of her? She loved the Professor and still couldn't resist.
"You have no idea." Vikki said with a shake of her head. "You were mostly sober last night. Doesn't it feel weird? Like, this place is annoying."
Zoey laughed. "Yeah. Wait 'til you go to kill one. You know, my aim is so much better when I'm sober." She chewed her lip, humor fading. "Vikki, if you can't drink alcohol, can you still ... you know. Go out with me on unscheduled missions?"
"Absolutely." Vikki leaned forward. "Zoey, no matter what happens, we have a plan. It's a good one. The fucked up rules the Sucubatti make us follow only let more people die. We have the power to stop it."
"What about Liam?"
Vikki hesitated. "Well, I kinda told him."
"You what?"
"He's okay with it," Vikki said, troubled. "For now. Something is up. I can't figure it out, and he's not sharing."
"Why'd you tell him? It's supposed to be our secret," Zoey said, upset.
"Zoey, he reads my mind. It's not like I can hide things with someone else in my head."
Irritated, Zoey began to wonder if the final piece of her life was being destroyed. How could they run a secret Cambion-killing group, if the enemy knew about it? She started drinking the untouched alcohol in front of Vikki.
"It's not that bad," Vikki said.
"Yeah, it is. Everything's gone to shit."
"Any room at your pity party for me?" Vikki giggled. "I'll be back. Running to the restroom."
Zoey lifted her drink in acknowledgment and watched her friend weave her way through the crowds. The beverage was halfway to her mouth when she felt it. She froze.
An Incubus was in the club. She tried to ignore him, aware of their rules of engagement that forbade Halflings from having anything to do with the full-blooded bastards. Unlike the Incubuses she occasionally crossed paths with in clubs, this one didn't want to be ignored.
If she didn't know better, she'd think he was purposely summoning her.
Declan used his magic to nudge the two blonde models occupying the table in the corner out of their seats. He settled on a barstool at the newly abandoned table, gaze seeking out the woman he sought. The two girls whose table he stole huddled together a couple of steps away, staring at him for a long moment, before they started towards him with familiar fire in their eyes. He sent them away with a flare of magic and waited.
His soul-mate's shoulders were hunched. She sensed him the same way he did her: strong enough to cause alarm. Only she didn't know why; she was out when he touched her last night. Dressed in a slinky maroon dress and four inch heels, she was even more gorgeous awake. Her aura was stronger than any Hunter's he had ever seen. Based on the additional research he did this day, she was the most lethal Hunter in the Sucubatti, and she was armed with more than sex energy. While he understood why, he eyed the subtle placement of her weapons with disapproval.
Incubatti didn't use weapons. Period. It was a tasteless display of power that the Sucubatti were known for. She'd have to learn that rule quickly, if she was going to fit in.
She was fighting him already. He released more of his magic, enough that she jerked visibly at the silent summons.
Declan watched her maneuver through the crowd. Her step was sure, her cheeks flushed from the heat of the club, her understated make-up rendering her striking. She had blue eyes, and he found himself trying to define their color. It was between ocean blue and the night sky, just before sunset, an intriguing hue that matched the contradiction she was. Angelic features nonetheless held a wild woman with a disciplinary record that appalled him. Her curls were captured in a clip at the top of her head, except for one that bounced against a gold-tinted cheek.
She stopped on the other side of the table, wariness in her gaze.
"Do I know you?" she asked.
"Is that your best pick-up line?" he returned. "We can start over, if you'd like."
She pursed her full lips together in reluctant amusement while drawing a knife under the cover of the table. She was assessing him. From what he knew, she was not the kind who hesitated to strike. She sensed their shared destiny without knowing that's what made her pause.
"You want to hear my favorite?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Nice shoes. Wanna fuck?"
"I like it," Declan smiled "and yes, I do."
"Yeah, well, I don't fuck your kind," she replied.
"You will before the night is over."
Interest and suspicion crossed her features. If she had an inkling she stood before her soul-mate, she didn't show any sign she recognized him.
"I came with a couple of messages for you," he started and leaned forward.
"I'll take the bait," she said mockingly and mirrored his movement. She drew closer, holding his gaze in a way that made his blood heat.
"First, don't draw your weapon on me," he said.
"Fuck you." She said and drew another; one she held inside her wrist in plain sight and the other in the hand below the table.
"That better be an invitation."
"It wasn't."
He released a small trickle of power. Her face flushed, her pupils dilating in response. She didn't back down. In fact, she circled the table and stopped beside him, staring directly into his gaze with open challenge.
"You have rules about hurting me. I have none about hurting you," she whispered. "You sure you want to throw down with me right here?"
"I'll consider it foreplay."
Declan wasn't intimidated by the lethal vixen in front of him; he was totally turned on. He didn't expect a wild animal like this one would make his blood burn hotter. He entered the club expecting to collar and drag out someone he was determined wouldn't stir his interest. Instead, he found himself caught up in her blue eyes and the back-and-forth of their sex energy in the air between them. She was tugging at his then releasing it back at him in an attempt to influence him.
"I only need one strike to end your life."
"If you wanted me dead, you wouldn't be talking to me." He smiled. "You have no idea who I am."
"I'm not afraid of you," she said. "I've always wanted to see if I could kill an Incubus."
"I'll give you a chance tonight, before I fuck you."
"No deal, jackass. You can fuck yourself, though."
Declan touched her then. He let the fingers of one hand trail down her arm lightly then gripped her wrist while his other hand rested possessively at her neck. His thumb slid across her full lips once, twice.
Zoey didn't move. She tensed at his touch, but it wasn't the tension of a warrior about to strike. Confusion crossed her features. The direct contact of their skin eased his discomfort, but he wasn't as considerate with her. He let his magic tease her from the inside out. The images in his mind were carried across to hers through his touch and magic.
Her eyes went to his mouth as vivid images filled her mind, fed by his sex energy.
Teeth grazing her nipple before he took it into his mouth and teased it into a hard bud. Hot kisses trailed down her stomach. Gently separating the petals of her sex with his fingers so he could give a long, hard stroke of his tongue against the aching bud hidden between them.
Zoey shuddered. Her gaze took on a dreamy quality.
"Now that I have your attention," Declan continued in a low voice. "I came with a warning. You're going to be outmanned by Cambions tonight. You may want to leave, before you end up in trouble."
With effort, she shifted away from his touch and shook her head. The sharpness returned to her blue eyes.