“The Council is so stupid. Why can’t they see there’s no proof that Nicolette is guilty?” I shifted in my seat, irritated.
“They see it,” Oanen said, not looking away from the door, “but they don’t care. My guess is that they’re thinking if she’s not guilty yet, she soon will be.”
Before I could reply, one of the men from Nicolette’s group stepped out of the restaurant. He paused on the sidewalk and reached into his pocket. From down the street, a set of headlights flashed and he headed that direction. An engine purred to life a few moments after I lost sight of him.
Nicolette strolled out of the restaurant, surrounded by her entourage, as the car pulled up in front of her. Her gaze swept over the street, and Oanen quickly turned his head toward me.
“Don’t let her see your face,” he said softly.
I shifted slightly so his head blocked me from Nicolette’s view.
We waited as she got into the car, and the men disbursed to their own vehicles. It wasn’t hard to follow her line of lovers to her place, a high-rise apartment in Manhattan with underground parking and a guard. Nicolette’s car led the way underground. Each car after her stopped to speak to the guard.
Oanen hesitated then went around the line and parked on the street.
I looked at the building’s front door where another man guarded the entrance.
“I can take him,” I said with confidence.
“So could I, but we don’t need to.”
He shrugged out of his jacket and handed it to me. I groaned.
“I really don’t like when you do this.”
“Why? Because all the ladies will see my man-stick?”
“I regret ever saying that.”
His lips twitched as he unbuttoned his shirt and kicked off his shoes.
“You’ll need to carry my clothes,” he said. “There’s a bag in the back.”
I twisted in my seat and grabbed a backpack laying on the backseat along with his winter jacket. His lips brushed my neck before I could straighten. My eyes closed, and I held still to enjoy the feel of him for a moment.
“What was that for?” I asked when he stopped.
“A reminder that what I feel for you is real.”
“I already know that.”
He exhaled slowly and looked up at the building.
“I just don’t want you to forget it when we get inside Nicolette’s apartment.”
“I won’t.”
He handed me his jacket, shoes, and socks, then got out of the car. I had everything in the backpack by the time he opened my door and offered his hand.
I accepted his help and grinned when he held the bag so I could put his jacket on while he stood there barefoot in an unbuttoned shirt.
“Careful, you’re only adding to my growing princess complex. I’m going to want peeled grapes next.”
“I’ll feed them to you tonight. Ready?” He held out his hand, and I threaded my fingers through his.
“Where are we going?” I asked as he started down the sidewalk away from the building.
“Somewhere less public.”
We found a quiet place in a nearby park. Oanen led me into the trees and stepped back to strip out of the rest of his clothes. I caught everything and folded it into the backpack. When I once again had the bag on my shoulders, Oanen stood before me in his beak and feathers.
“Let’s go, bird boy.”
He bent a knee so I could climb on his back. The skirt of the dress didn’t have enough room so I ended up bunching it around my waist. My legs prickled with the cold, and I frowned.
“Don’t take too long in the air,” I said as I ran my hand down his neck.
He clacked his beak and turned his head to nuzzle my bare leg. A moment later, he lunged into the air and broke free of the trees.
I would never tire of flying with Oanen. My heart soared, seeing the lights and cars below us and the stars above. I held tight as he made his way back toward Nicolette’s building, circling it slowly.
“There,” I said, pointing to a balcony at the top.
The French doors were open, and the apartment was filled with people in various stages of undress. Most of them were men. But there were a few couples doing things publicly that hinted at a succubus’s playhouse.
Oanen went right for the balcony. His landing went unnoticed by the couple on the lounge.
Averting my gaze from the man’s naked backside as he rapidly thrust into his moaning partner, I slid off Oanen and dug in the bag for his pants.
He put them on quickly, while keeping his gaze on me.
“It’s likely to get worse,” he said quietly.
The sound of skin against skin almost drowned out his words.
“How can it get worse than this?”
The woman started yelling, “Yes, yes, yes!” at the top of her lungs then wailed in rapture. My cheeks heated, and my legs no longer felt so cold.
I waited for the couple to notice us as Oanen put on his shirt then socks. But they didn’t. Instead, they started up again.
I stared at Oanen in shock.
“We can’t feel it, but what they’re doing is giving off sexual energy. It’s what nourishes a succubus,” he said softly. “With Nicolette being pregnant, she’ll be hungrier than a typical succubus. Like I said, it’ll be worse inside. Are you ready?”
Now fully dressed and with the empty bag over his shoulder, Oanen held out his hand to me.
I swallowed hard and nodded. Together, we walked inside.
A man holding a tray of champagne walked our way. He wasn’t wearing a thing except a bow tie.
“These formal affairs are amazing, don’t you agree?” he said, giving me a heated look.
Oanen’s fingers tightened around mine.
“Incredible,” I said with a smile. “Can you point us toward our hostess?”
The man nodded toward the center of the room and walked away with a wink.
“Do not leave my side,” Oanen warned.
“I won’t.”
We moved in the direction the server had indicated, weaving our way through people, until we saw the pile of pillows in the center of the room. People lay on the cushions. While there was an obvious imbalance of men to women, the few women there didn’t seem to mind that they were being petted by several men at once.
I tried to focus on Nicolette, who lounged in the center of it all, sipping a glass of green liquid. Her black gaze flicked from one pile of sweaty bodies to the next.
“I think Paulette would be more comfortable on all fours,” she said to the group on her left.
The men immediately moved away from the woman so she could change position. A molten heat filled my face as one man knelt behind Paulette and another lay down under her.
“Much better,” Nicolette said.
Even if Oanen wasn’t in over his head in all of this, I sure was. I nudged him, desperate for him to do whatever he needed, so we could get the hell out of there.
The move caught Nicolette’s attention, and her gaze flicked to us.
“Aren’t you two just adorable,” she said. “Are you here to have some fun?”
“No,” I said quickly.
“We’re here on behalf of the Council,” Oanen said. “They would like to speak with you.”
“Really?” Her amused tone was gone. “I think not.”
She stood in one smooth move, her dress shimmering in the light.
“I think you’re here to satisfy some urges, Oanen. Look at her.” Nicolette’s voice turned sultry. “Her pretty eyes. Deep pools pleading with you to end her longing.”
Oanen turned to look at me, his eyes already a deep gold.
“Oanen?” I said, hesitantly as he dropped the bag.
“Megan.” His voice was a rough rasp as he caressed my cheek. “Be strong for both of us,” he said a moment before his lips crashed upon mine.
I trembled under the intensity of his kiss.
“That’s right,” Nicolette cooed. “You have so much suppressed passion for each other. Let it free.”
A heat pooled in my stomach and drifted lower. I threaded my hands in Oanen’s hair and kissed him back with as much passion as he kissed me.
“Bring her to the cushions, my darling Oanen. And remove your shirt so she can touch you.”
His lips didn’t leave mine as he picked me up and moved us. But they did when he removed his shirt. Panting, I stared up at the golden expanse of his chest. I wanted to touch him. To run my tongue over every ridge and dip. I wanted to fill myself with Oanen and to be filled by him.
“Megan, my dear. I think that beautiful dress is in his way. Take it off.”
The heat surged. I wanted to be under Oanen. Naked. Waiting. Exposed.
I blinked.
Exposed?
My gaze shifted from Oanen’s loving face to those of the people around us. Even as part of me knew that what was happening was wrong, my fingers found the clasp at my neck.
“The Council wants you to go to Uttira,” I said, unhooking the back.
“Focus, my love. Bare your breasts to him. Let him taste you.”
My skin heated further, and a tingle started between my legs. But something changed. A spark ignited in my chest. Anger. My fury didn’t like that it was being forced to do something that wasn’t its own choice.
“Don’t you understand?” I asked, fighting the urge to slip the top of the dress over my arms. Oanen’s gaze tracked the material as it started to lower. I swallowed hard.
“I understand that you’re trying to fight this. Don’t. You both want it.”
Oanen’s hand found my leg under my skirt. Slowly, he skimmed his way up to my knee.
“The Council has kept you out of Uttira. Away from Eliana. Now, they want you there.”
Oanen paused, his hand on my inner thigh, his fingers skimming the line of my panties.
I began to burn. Two ends of a Megan candle. One passion. The other rage. Around us the couples continued with their public orgy in earnest. The gasps and groans of pleasure weren’t helping me maintain my focus.
“Eliana won’t have a say whether or not you stay this time,” I said. “You’ll finally be with your daughter.”
The black in Nicolette’s gaze faded.
“You’re smart,” she said. “And also very resistant. It could have been fun.”
Nicolette snapped her fingers.
“Finish and leave.”
The sex around us turned frenzied. I gazed up at Oanen. The look in his eyes was as tormented as it was hopeful. I gently withdrew his hand from under my skirt, gave it a pat, and righted my dress, doing my best to ignore the escalating, screaming pleasure.
Everything slowly quieted and people picked up their clothes on their way to the door. One man in particular drew my attention. Like most males here, he was young, lean, and naked. However, he was also wicked as hell. A new kind of tingle started under my skin.
“You like the naughty ones?” Nicolette asked, watching me.
“No. Not at all.”
When I turned toward her, orange reflected on her skin, and black briefly consumed her eyes before disappearing.
“Be careful with displays of power, Fury. Some of us can’t help but rise to a challenge.” She looked at Oanen. “Call your parents. I’m ready.”
His hands shook as he retrieved his phone from his pants and dialed a number.
“We have her,” he said then hung up.
Nicolette laughed. “You don’t have anything fledgling. But, you almost did.”
She winked at me just as a portal appeared beside Oanen. Adira stepped through and held out her hand to Nicolette.
“See you soon, darlings,” Nicolette said before she ignored Adira and stepped through the portal on her own.
Adira looked at us.
“You don’t look well, Megan.”
“Don’t even try to say I look pale because I know my face is on fire after what I witnessed here.”
“No. It’s not that. It’s in your eyes. They’re missing their spark.”
“Well, it’s been an exhausting night. I think I’m allowed to be non-sparky.”
She dipped her head in acknowledgment then disappeared.
Alone in Nicolette’s plush apartment, I glanced at Oanen’s flushed face as he finished buttoning his shirt. Guilt laced his expression.
“Your fighting skills need improvement,” I said.
“Megan, I—”
“Your make-out skills are A plus, though.”
His lips twitched, and he picked up the empty bag and reached for my hand. Threading my fingers through his, we left Nicolette’s apartment and waited for the elevator together. I could still feel the tremble in his hand.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“No. I’m still fighting the urge to carry you back to the cushions and slide that dress off of you.”
“I’m sorry she did that to you.”
He turned toward me, the dilated pupils in his golden eyes making my pulse skip.
“That was me, Megan. She barely nudged me to do what I’ve been dying to do…what I’ve been holding back. My fingers are desperate to feel the soft skin of your thighs again. Tell me you’re ready, and I’ll stop fighting this.”
Hearing that didn’t fill me with fear. But as much as I wanted to say yes, I couldn’t.
“I want our first time together to be special, not on some well-used cushions in a succubus’s playhouse. And not in the middle of a murder investigation.”
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
“Are you mad?” I asked.
“Never. You’re right. Now isn’t the time. This isn’t what I want to remember, either.”
When he opened his eyes, there was more blue than gold in them.
“Let’s go home,” he said.
The elevator finally dinged and opened for us.
“You mean back to the apartment, right? We both know that Nicolette isn’t the killer. We need to find the hooded man.”
He nodded and pushed the button for the first floor.
“Back to the apartment. We’ll start again tomorrow.”
He studied me for a long moment.
“Adira’s right. Your eyes are different. There was something more to them before. A warmth. A hidden fire before they ever started glowing orange. I don’t see it now.”
Damn Adira for bringing it up.
“Maybe my eyes changed when my power did.”
“Maybe. Maybe we should forget about this hooded man, since the Council doesn’t care, and leave for St. Louis first thing in the morning.”
“No way. We can’t do that to Eliana. She’s going to freak out when she finds out her mom is in Uttira because of me.”
“No. Her mom is there because of the Council and will be under Council custody,” Oanen said.
I shook my head and looked at the polished door.
“I don’t know about that. The Council isn’t stupid. Annoying, yes. Stubborn, yes. But not stupid. There’s too much evidence to say Nicolette didn’t do it. So why bring her back to Uttira? There’s obviously something else going on there that they aren’t telling us.”
Another thought occurred to me.
“Text Adira and say that we’re choosing not to pursue the hooded man and see what she says,” I said.
The elevators opened up to the lobby, and we stepped out. The night man at the door opened it for us and said nothing as we left.
Oanen sent a quick text off after we were settled into the car then drove us home. There was a response by the time we reached our building.
“They want us to follow up on our lead,” he said.
“That’s what I thought.”
We walked inside, and I veered for the elevator.
Oanen frowned at me. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m wearing heels. All of me is fine, except my feet, at the thought of climbing all those stairs.”
While standing by the elevator door, Oanen kissed my temple and wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we watched the floors count down. The doors opened, and Oanen stepped back, guiding me with him. If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have moved.
My Fury reared its head. But it felt different this time. The compulsion to yell at the guys stepping out of the elevator was there as was the anger. However, the power felt unreachable, somehow. My lips ached with the need to call out a man’s name. To demand his confession. My fingers twitched to grab his neck as he obliviously strode past me.
Oanen guided me forward. My steps were slow, each one harder than the last because it was taking me further away from the man.
“Are you okay?” Oanen asked, already reaching to press the button for our floor.
The urge to strike out and slap his hand away road me hard, creating a physical ache on my hip. I frowned as the ache turned into a burn.
The door closed, blocking the man from me and snapping the draw on my power. I almost wilted in relief.
“I’m fine. Just tired.”
I was more than tired. I was ready to fall to the floor. More than that. I knew I was running out of time.
The weight of Oanen’s arm pinned me to the mattress. Warm and comfortable, I could have slept forever. However, the phone ringing near my head insisted that wasn’t an option.
I reached out and swatted in the direction of the sound. My fingers hit something, and I heard a thump on the floor a moment later. Everything went quiet.
Oanen’s phone started to ring next.
“I think it’s unavoidable,” he said before kissing my covered shoulder and rolling out of bed.
Without opening my eyes, I listened to his rough “hello.”
“Yeah. She’s right here. Hold on.”
The mattress moved as he leaned toward me.
“It’s Eliana,” he said. “She’s upset.”
I rubbed my hand over my face and opened my eyes but didn’t move from my side-sleeping position. Everything hurt just like each time I woke up after trying to send someone to hell. Only this time, it was a little less intense. As much as I wanted to take that as a good sign, I had a feeling it was because I hadn’t actually acted out what my fury wanted last night.
Taking the phone from Oanen, I set it against my ear.
“Hey, Eliana.”
“My mom’s here,” she said. I could hear the panic and anger in her voice.
“I know. And I’m sorry for my part in that. Oanen and I have been telling the Council that we don’t think she had anything to do with what’s going on.”
Eliana snorted.
“Of course she doesn’t. She doesn’t kill; she just destroys lives.” She made a sound of annoyance. “Stop touching yourself when you’re on my bed. I saw that smear on my pillow this morning, and you’re lucky I didn’t kill you in my sleep.”
“Uh…Eliana?”
“Sorry. Piepen and Elbner arrived last night. Elbner’s at your place with his honey-milk. Piepen’s here.”
“That’s great.”
“No. It’s not.”
I could hear a door close.
“He’s in a horny, adolescent phase and keeps touching himself. While on my pillow. Brownie lust does not taste like you’d think. You need to get your butt home as soon as possible. The brownie and my mom both need to go. Mom’s staying here, Megan. At the Quills’. She’s already found my stash of chocolate and eaten half of it. Once the chocolate’s gone, she’s going to turn her attention on me. She already commented that I look underfed.”
I could hear a tapping in the background.
“I told you, I need privacy while I’m in the bathroom,” Eliana said. “If you can’t respect that, we’ll need to find you somewhere else to stay while Megan’s away.”
She lowered her voice.
“I caught him showering in the run off from my pubic hairs this morning. When I went to kick him, he thanked me for the view of my flower.”
As much as I hurt, I couldn’t stop my laughter.
“This isn’t funny, Megan. It’s traumatizing. Help me. No one sees my flower. Ever!”
I bit my lip and struggled for control as Oanen watched me.
“I am helping. I swear. We’re going to follow up on a lead we have that links someone else to the trolls’ deaths.”
“Who?”
“We don’t know his name. He’s just a hooded man who talked to the victims at the Goose and Gizzard before they died.”
“Piepen mentioned a nice man who helped his grandparents find peace. Maybe it’s the same guy.”
“Maybe. Talk to Piepen and see if you can get anything useful out of him. A name. An address. What the hell the guy looks like.”
“I will. Just hurry.”
I heard the door open on Eliana’s end before she yelled.
“Put down my underwear!”
Then, the line disconnected.
