"I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I live with a nympho," he said, returning her kiss.
"I'm not a nympho," she said, flushing. She pushed him away playfully. I'm a Cambion-killing machine, fueled in part by my Benefactor's Incubus sex energy. The influence of adrenaline, the superpowers derived from the Professor's magic and the proximity to a Cambion's sex energy normally left her horny enough to pounce on Eric when she got home.
If he asked her to marry him, she'd have to find a way to explain she was a half-Succubus who was able to tap into the energy harvested from sex to fight Cambions. Then explain that the Cambions who looked like guys in their 20s were really psychos who deserved to have their throats cut by someone like her. Oh, and not to worry, because when it looked like she was going home with guys and making out with them, she was actually going to kill them. And by the way, she knew how to kill a man about twenty different ways with a knife and had tried them all at least once. She had a few favorite ways to kill, too, and did Eric want to hear some funny stories about killing Cambions while drunk?
Zoey's chest was too tight to breathe for a long moment as she tried to find some way to express the truth in a way that didn't sound nearly as bad as it was. The Professor was right. She'd have a meltdown, if Eric asked her to marry him. She'd lose him and now, she might lose Vikki.
"Dinner's almost ready. Go get dressed," Eric said. "You okay?"
She forced a smile, realizing she'd been standing in the living room, lost in her thoughts. She grabbed her backpack, changed and lingered in the bedroom. It was quiet, the only sound was that of the rain outside the window. It was almost six. She'd have to eat and run. Packing club clothes in the bottom of her backpack, she loaded it next with her favorite weapons then stacked college textbooks on top.
Exiting the bedroom, she dropped the backpack on the couch and glanced at the tiny space in the apartment dedicated to a dining room. Eric had put candles and fresh roses on the card table they used for meals. She smelled the burnt edges of the cheesy bread from across the room. Eric wasn't much of a cook, but he'd made the effort.
She smiled as she sat in a folding chair, touched by how sweet he was.
"I'll admit, the sauce came from a can," he said, emerging with two plates heaped with spaghetti. "Dig in." He sat next to her.
Zoey relaxed, at ease with her small oasis away from the compound. Vikki had laughed at her when she moved in with Eric over a year ago, asking how one mile made any difference. Gazing at the dinner and Eric, Zoey felt like she was a billion miles from the other life she lived. They ate and discussed their days. Eric managed to make his boring days sound fun: some issue with someone else's figures that made his boss cry, a coworker named Tory that kept hitting on him and today, one of the bathrooms exploded and flooded the main hallway with sewage.
Laughing at his stories, Zoey kept her attention divided between him and the clock, content to be there, but restless to be gone. She finished eating at half past six and was getting ready to stand and leave when Eric glanced up at her.
"I know you're in a hurry. Five minutes, okay?" he asked. "I bought your fave dessert."
"Sure."
He rose and took their plates, disappearing into the kitchen. Anxious to be gone, she glanced at her watch a few times and tapped her foot. She'd have less time to get ready when she got to Vikki's. Mentally, she double-checked everything she put in her backpack. Everything was there, down to her mascara and the paper thin knife she'd wear strapped to her thigh under a dress.
"It's nothing fancy, but ..."
She looked up with a smile as Eric brought in a large dinner plate with two small plates on top of it. Her smile froze as he lowered it to the table. It was her favorite dessert, yes, with one addition. Right in the center of her French vanilla ice cream with chocolate sprinkles was an engagement ring.
"... I know you hate parties and for people to make big deals out of things. This might be way too informal," he said nervously. He dropped to one knee. "This ring comes with a lifetime supply of French vanilla." He joked then drew a deep breath. "Zoey Alexander, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"
Alexander wasn't even her real last name. The Professor gave her his, since it was customary for recruits to assume new identities when they became Hunters. Eric had no idea who or what she was.
Zoey panicked. She stood. "I, ah, this is kind of a surprise, isn't it? I mean we talked about someday." She backed towards the couch and picked up her backpack. "Maybe I, um, can think about it. While at the library. Just to you know ... think about it."
Eric looked stunned.
"Um, so that's what I'll do," she babbled. "Think at the library. Surrounded by books. Library books. They help me study, right? They'll help me think." She was at the door. "So, okay. I'll see you later."
She fled. Only when she'd run two blocks did she register how cold the dusk and rain were. She'd been running the wrong way, away from campus, not towards the dorms where she met Vikki before every mission. Her chest was heaving, as if she'd run for twenty miles, not a couple hundred feet. A car sidled up to her and stopped.
"You'll get sick in this rain." Eric's voice was tense, but steady. "Hop in."
Zoey wanted to refuse and run more, but she climbed in, cold. The tension between them was not the good kind. She glanced at him. He was pale, his hands clenching the steering wheel.
"Eric, I'm sorry. I just freaked out a little," she said.
He said nothing for a long moment. "Maybe it was too soon. I dunno. I thought you wanted this as much as I do."
"I do. I think I do. I mean, I do. You know me. I'm..." She sought the right words.
"An enigma?" he supplied. "It's what attracted me to you originally. I still don't know what you do all day."
"School stuff."
"I was going to say martial arts or something, based on your collection of knives." He pulled up to the curb in front of the dorms. He didn't look at her.
"There are a lot of things I don't feel comfortable talking about," she said honestly.
"Maybe you shouldn't marry someone, if you can't tell him who you are," he said softly. "Zoey, if you're not comfortable talking to me, this isn't going to work. I think you need to figure out what you want."
Zoey hurt. She didn't know why. Was it for him? Was it fear?
"We can talk about it later," he said at her silence. He wouldn't look at her.
She didn't know what to say. Zoey got out of the car and closed the door. Eric pulled away from the curb. She watched, helpless. When he disappeared around the block, she walked into the dorms and to Vikki's room. Fury filled her, and she slammed her fist into the concrete wall, hating the idea of hurting someone who didn't deserve it.
Chapter Four: Declan.
Declan hated to be kept waiting. As the second most powerful Incubus in the Incubatti society, he wasn't used to people ignoring him. When dealing with the passive-aggressive leader of the Sucubatti's IAB on her territory, however, he should have known better than to expect any sort of professional courtesy.
He stood in the Succubae's headquarters building, accompanied by his brother.
"They like to remind us we're on their turf," he said for the ears of his brother.
"We do the same to them," Wes replied.
"We don't. The Councils may play these games," Declan replied. In both societies, the security forces were largely independent of the highly political Councils. He was on tap to assume command of the Incubatti security arm, known as Enforcers. Today was his first jaunt to represent the Enforcers to the Sucubatti, and he was less calm than he anticipated.
"You've been saucy lately, little brother."
Declan said nothing, aware this was true. Half a head taller than Declan with their father's olive skin and mother's blue eyes, his brother, Wes, served as the family advisor. The calm, logical brother was the go-to for their father, who was known for being overly aggressive at times. It was a trait Declan inherited, but managed to temper with hard-learned diplomacy. Wes was assigned to go with him as he gradually took on more official duties representing the Enforcers. Their father was simultaneously transitioning into his new role as one of the five representatives on the Council who oversaw the Incubatti society.
Every time Declan set foot on the Sucubatti's side of the city, he grew short-tempered and tense. He felt the mental tug; it pulled him towards her, the soul-mate he spent the past three years avoiding. Zoey was on campus today. It took a great deal of discipline to stay put instead of trying to find her.
The massive double doors before them opened, revealing the large chamber of the Sucubatti's inner sanctum, an airy room with Grecian columns, wispy white curtains hanging from the ceiling and windows that faced the gray, April morning. The Sucubatti were all about appearances, from the beautiful women on the council to the chairs carved from marble, glittering crystal chandeliers hanging from gilded ceilings and the tables made of perfectly matched petrified oak. A plush, red carpet extended from the doorway to the table at the far end, at which three Succubae sat.
Declan didn't wait to be invited. He strode into the opulent chamber "Declan. It's been ages since I saw you," the woman at the center said. In her prime, Olivia oozed the seductive presence her kind was known for. Her voice was low and soft, her porcelain skin flawless and her blue eyes capable of ensnaring a normal Incubus. She radiated power, a compelling draw that wound into a man's senses and bent him to her will, before he knew what hit him.
"Always a pleasure, Olivia," Declan replied to the leader of the Sucubatti's security arm, the IAB. His polished, Southern drawl clashed with her cultured British accent.
"Why does Ethan send a boy to do a man's job?" the Succubus to her right taunted.
"Not a boy." Olivia studied Declan. She tapped a long, maroon fingernail on the table. "His successor. I didn't know he'd chosen."
"It was made public at last month's meeting between our respective Councils," Declan said.
"When does it take effect?"
"Friday."
Olivia exchanged a look with the woman beside her. Declan sensed her testing him with her sex magic. She could tease him, fill his senses with her elusive allure in a way no other Succubus was able to but she couldn't control him. From his father's warnings, Olivia was lethal in her role as the IAB Chief. One of the women seated at the table with her was all-too-familiar; Declan wasn't expecting to see Heidi, the Succubus he'd been sleeping with for the past two weeks. He expected a private counsel with Olivia, not an audience with ten of the IAB officers.
"The Council reveals what it wishes," she said. "What brings you to my side of town?"
"An issue that requires your attention," Declan replied smoothly. "Before we go to the Councils about it."
Olivia studied him. She rose and circled the table, bringing with her the intense aura of a powerful Succubus. Declan's defenses went up as she pushed into his senses. His brother, Wes, stepped away, well-aware of the danger and that Declan was one of two Incubuses able to withstand the silent onslaught.
Olivia's sex energy was trying hard to seize his senses. His blood was boiling with desire, his eyes sweeping over her willowy form in hunger. He knew what she was doing: trying to blind him, manipulate him, so he revealed information he shouldn't. Sweating with effort, Declan resisted.
"What issue?" Olivia asked at last, finished with her prodding.
He almost sighed as the oppressive magic withdrew. His father was right; there was no way any of his brothers could withstand Olivia the way he could.
"A team of yours whacked an Incubus last night."
"Our street nymphs couldn't possibly kill an Incubus." Olivia gave a derisive smile that was still sexy coming from a Succubus.
Declan withdrew a small tablet computer from his pocket, flipped through to the photographs snapped early that morning and held it out to Olivia. She took it without looking and passed it back to Heidi. Each security arm had an officer whose job was to eliminate internal issues. Heidi was Olivia's on-staff assassin. Sharp, quick and aggressive, Heidi made an incredible sparring partner in bed and out for Declan "It could've been a set-up by your kind to manipulate us," Heidi said.
"Weapons were used," Declan said. "They are forbidden in our society." His eyes went to Olivia's hip, where a knife was discreetly tucked.
"It doesn't mean your half-witted Cambions didn't do a frame job," Heidi countered.
"We kept the body. The sex energy is female. You are welcome to verify."
"That won't be necessary. He's telling the truth, Heidi," Olivia said.
Heidi frowned, gaze lingering on the images. Declan looked between the two. Heidi appeared genuinely surprised at the information, while Olivia was almost bored.
"Who was out last night?" Olivia asked.
"No missions were authorized," Heidi replied.
"Did any occur without your knowledge?"
Heidi's jaw clenched. Her youthful, rosy features and curly blonde hair were at odds with her flat gaze. She didn't answer. Olivia turned to look at her. A silent communication passed between them, and Olivia's expression grew considering. Declan sensed rather than saw the unease of his lover. Heidi suspected the culprit while Olivia seemed to know who did it.
Neither Succubus spoke.
"Have you genetically tweaked your Hunters to the point they can kill Incubuses?" he asked, disapproval clear in his voice.
"You who unleash Cambions to harm the innocent would judge us for trying to build a better Hunter?" Olivia returned.
"Both of our programs hurt the innocent."
"Your half-breeds slaughter women. We stop them."
It was an argument as old as the War. Declan wasn't there to resolve the issue that caused the War a hundred years ago. He sought the flare in Olivia's eyes. His father's advice had been to push her buttons, if she resisted his request. Declan went for the jugular; the issue of Cambions infuriated the Sucubatti, and for good cause. The ruling council of the Incubatti had long since abandoned trying to curb the Cambions' collection of sex energy and instead, used the spoils to increase its power and influence.
"I'm not surprised a few of our Hunters took out an Incubus," Olivia added.
"It breaks the agreement we have about the interactions between Halflings and full-bloods," Declan reminded her. "Which is why I'm here. Once the Councils find out, the peace you and my father have worked to uphold will be tested. It won't be pretty."
"I'm guessing you in your new role as the Enforcer Chief won't try to smooth things over."
"Nope."
Olivia's eyes narrowed. "What do you want, Declan?"
"We are requesting your permission to do an inquiry on the murder. We would like full, unfettered access to those you believe are involved."
"An inquisition of our people?" Heidi snapped.
"I was under the impression that Halflings were viewed as expendable," Declan said. "Unless this was the work of a Succubus, which would elevate the severity. As it is, we might be willing to sweep this under the rug as an accident, if you cooperate."
"You have been more diplomatic than your father," Olivia said with a husky chuckle. "Succubus or Halfling, we do not issue blank checks to terrorize our people."
"We will take no action without informing you and will conduct the interviews on your campus," he said quickly. "You can nominate candidates or let us determine who we will interview."
He waited, unwilling to flinch beneath the scrutiny of Olivia and Heidi.
"We will choose the candidates," Olivia agreed. "You get one day to do interviews, and you report all findings to me."
"Agreed."
"Any sign you're fucking up, and you won't leave campus, Declan."
"Understood."
The two women were not happy, but they were semi-cooperative, which was why he was there. He needed whatever information they'd give him about the assassination.
"Anything else I can do for you?" Olivia's voice took on a mocking note. "Heidi keeping you well-pleased?"
Declan's jaw clenched. His affair with the deadly Succubus was not supposed to be public knowledge. A glance at the gorgeous blonde revealed no sign she was affected. He suspected she was using him. Then again, he was doing the same. It was a dangerous dance, one his father hadn't exactly approved of.
"Very," he replied.
"Good," Olivia smiled seductively, her gaze sweeping down his form. "How is it fucking someone with such an elevated level of sex magic, Heidi?"