MacRieve (Immortals After Dark) (26 page)

She stopped. “So my new feeding m.o. is to roofie men, then get them hooked on me like heroin, so they’ll keep coming back to the dealer? That’s just messed up.”

He couldn’t disagree. He remained silent, giving her time to work through all the angles.

“I’m going to be dependent on guys,
really
dependent on them, for the rest of my life?” She looked like she was about to be sick. More to herself, she said, “I was making a great living. I had my future planned out.” Another group passed them, casting her hesitant looks. “What are you gawking at?” she snapped.

Munro told her, “News spreads fast around here, I’m afraid.”

“Well, they need to keep their eyes in their heads.”

Before, she’d appeared woeful. With each second that she grew accustomed to all these surprises, her expression grew more mutinous.

Succubae were known to be fawning. They coaxed and beguiled men wherever they went. Chloe looked like she was on the verge of head-butting unsuspecting bystanders.

Munro tilted his head, a flare of hope rising. This female acted like a wee bruiser. She’d made a living as a professional athlete, about the least likely career Munro could imagine for a succubus.

His own innate wariness toward her was fading. Just because she was a halfling succubus didn’t mean she’d be anything like Ruelle.

There was a spark in Chloe’s eyes, a toughness in her demeanor that was so radically different from Munro’s memories of that other creature, so different from any succubae he’d encountered over his long life.

Which meant Munro still believed her a fitting match for Will.

“What about pregnancy?” she asked.

“Full succubae have a few cycles of fertility in a year. I doona know what will happen with you. There’s a soothsayer we can contact to determine more, but it will likely take time.”

“I’m going to wake up, and this will all be a bad dream.” She rubbed her temples. “Is there
any
upside here?”

“You’re immortal now. You could live forever.”

“Live forever as an out-of-work, roofie-dispensing, drug-dealing skank? If that’s my upside . . .”

“You’ll be stronger. You’ll regenerate from any wound. Other than decapitation, of course.”

She perked up. “Stronger?”

“Take a swing at me.” He patted his upper arm.

She shrugged, then launched her good fist.

He gritted his teeth, saying, “Aye. Stronger.” The pain was pleasant to him. It meant his newfound sister might survive in the Lore.

She frowned at her other hand. “It’s healing really fast.”

He rubbed his nape. “You and Will, uh, your morning together would help that along.”

Her skin flushed again. “What would happen if I never did that again? I’m a halfling. Maybe I could still exist on food. It used to stave off the worst of my symptoms.”

“It might be possible.”

She narrowed her gaze. “If it’s even
remotely
possible, I’ll make it work.” Her hazel eyes flickered then gleamed green with determination. “If I want something bad enough, it’ll happen.”

Chloe was like the anti-Ruelle. Suddenly, this didn’t feel like a tragedy in the making. This might be . . .
workable.

At that moment, they heard an agonized roar from the woods. Trees crashed down.

Will. Sorting out his issues.

Chloe gazed up at MacRieve’s twin. “That’s him, isn’t it?” As if she could ever forget that horrifying sound.

“Aye,” Munro said, surprising her by telling the truth.

She’d sensed he was well-meaning. And at least he wasn’t violent. A huge improvement over the other one.

She still couldn’t believe the way this morning had gone to hell. Before that monster had showed—talking to her like it was from Aesop’s
fucking Fables—she’d been happy, feeling desire and being desired. She’d
liked
MacRieve, had found him to be a sexy, exciting lover.

I lost everything today.
Her dad had freaked at the
possibility
of her transition. How would he feel about his detrus daughter now? Olympics? Forever out of reach. She’d been paranoid about her drug tests in Florida; now she could only imagine how wonky they would be. Not to mention her newfound strength and glowing eyes.

She wanted to blame MacRieve for all this—he deserved nothing less—but now she realized how inevitable her change had been. Considering the nature of her dreams and her awareness of men, sooner or later she would’ve found a guy and been triggered—with or without MacRieve.

“Are there any succubae I can talk to about all this?” To say it was a lot to take in . . .

At least now she knew why she’d felt that sense of dread each time she’d even considered embarking on a flirtation. Because, evidently, her first boyfriend could’ve triggered her with his semen.

Maybe her human half had tried to keep her from going down that path? Chloe was brave, physically at least. But she’d been too cowardly to explore her dread, to try and overcome it. It’d been easier to make excuses.

Too busy. Too driven. Too committed.

So why hadn’t she felt dread with MacRieve?

“Chloe, any succubae I’ve ever encountered have proven to be evil and malicious,” Munro said. “I would no’ recommend reaching out to them.”

She frowned. “So my mom was evil?”

If possible, Munro looked even more uncomfortable about that question than he’d been about the sex talk. “I canna say.”

If Dad hated Loreans, why would he ever be with one? “Maybe my dad hates immortals
because
he was hurt by my mom?” She recalled how he’d peered at that picture of Fiore. Had Chloe’s mother
forced
him to love her?

“It’s possible. Though it’s more likely that he was already a member of the Order. From what we understand, your father has been at this for decades.”

What if her mom had been his prisoner? As usual, her feelings toward her father were in turmoil. Last night she’d been outraged that anyone would want to hurt people like MacRieve and Rónan and other Lore kids.

This morning she’d realized why MacRieve was a danger to society. Had her mother been one as well?

Hunt for the upside, Chlo.
After lifelong blood tests, she no longer had to worry about the big C. No, she could potentially live forever.

She grimaced. She was an independent female, yet she was now expected to depend on males to survive—not just for one lifetime, but for
eternity.

Another thought struck her. Those “womanly instincts” she’d experienced earlier . . . they were
succubus
instincts, instructing her how to land the best score. Ugh!

The idea of living forever like that appealed to her not at all.

“We should get you back,” Munro said. “My brother will no’ like that you’re gone.”

“He’ll be angry? Wonder what that’ll be like!”

“Again, he will no’ harm you.” Munro raked his fingers through his dark hair, reminding her of how handsome the twins were.
And
what lurked beneath.

“What makes you so certain?”

“He would’ve already. I have no’ seen him so out of control in memory. I think it’s much worse because of the timing, coming on the heels of his torture in an Order prison. He’s no’ been right since he returned.”

“He was vivisected, right?” She recalled last night when MacRieve’s shaking hand had covered his heart. As she’d kissed his chest, she’d vowed to herself that she’d never let anyone hurt him again. How much had changed so quickly. “He was tortured by my dad’s people?”

Golden eyes flickering, Munro admitted, “One doctor showed him his beating heart.”

She pressed the back of her hand over her mouth. Even after everything, she felt sympathy for MacRieve. God, she’d never been so confused in her life. After seeing MacRieve’s beast, she understood why the Order
feared Lykae. But then she gazed up at Munro—serious, grave Munro—and couldn’t imagine anyone harming him. “So your brother could get past
that
to be with me, but my transition makes him want to kill me? You need to tell me why that is.”

Munro’s expression was stark. “Chloe, it’s—”

“Complicated. Got it.” She sighed, tempering her tone. None of this was Munro’s fault. He was just trying to be helpful. “Look, I can’t stay here. There has to be a way for me to get past those creatures at the wall.”

“I’m sorry. That’s no’ possible right now.”

“Okay, I might be stuck in this compound, but that doesn’t mean I need to be staying at his house. I’m not
living
with him!”

“No one else would take you in.”

“Because I’m a succubus?”

“Because you’re Will’s mate. His Instinct will demand he keep you close. Even if he hates it at the time.”

She’d been as good as abducted again. From the witches’ clutches to the Lykae’s.

As her situation sank in, Chloe repeated to herself,
Rub some dirt on it, rub some dirt on it.
But this was so far beyond the realm of
I’m just happy to be here.

Some things she knew for certain?

She couldn’t change what she was, so to be punished for it by that werewolf wasn’t happening.

She’d be planning to escape as soon as possible. In the meantime, she didn’t have to live by their rules at ye olde compound.

She refused to be afraid of MacRieve. All her life, she’d faced bigger opponents. When they’d attacked, barreling down upon her on a field, she’d trained herself to stand her ground. Once she’d mastered that, she’d trained herself to strike back. She’d marched into myriad stadiums all over the world, turning herself into a fucking gladiator. Even knowing what horror roiled inside MacRieve, Chloe would not falter.

And finally, she’d starve to death before she ever “fed” off him again.

“Munro, you’ve been decent to me, so I’m going to level with you. I’m
not planning to brave that wall by myself.” Yet. “And I understand that my lodging choices are limited. But I also don’t plan on putting up with any more wolven bullshit from your brother. He pulls any stunts like this morning, and I’m going to shiv him with the shard of mirror I’m carrying.”

He looked startled, then . . . heartened?

“I’m not kidding,” she insisted. “Somehow, someway, I’ll nail his balls to that wall.”

Munro’s golden eyes widened. “I think that’s a great idea—no reason to tamp down any ferocity, now, is there?”

Um, okay.
“And another thing. I want a matehood divorce. I want no tie to your brother.”

Munro’s delighted look faded. “He’ll change your mind once he’s recovered from the shock.”

I wouldn’t take that to the bookie, Munro. . . .

She glanced up; clouds were moving in, just as they had yesterday afternoon. They reminded her of the idyllic time spent with MacRieve. Which made bitterness churn inside her.

As they approached the lodge, she spied MacRieve at the entrance, gripping the doorframe with outstretched arms. His claws sank into the wood, his body seeming to take up the entire width of the doorway.

His eyes were still that icy blue, but there was no shadow of his beast. He appeared on the ragged edge of control.

His bare chest was splashed with mud, heaving from his deep breaths. His face was streaked with
blood.

She noticed passersby slowing near the lodge. Loitering to see the show? If MacRieve screwed with her, she’d give them a show worthy of a stadium.

Without a look at her, MacRieve lunged toward his brother. “Where the hell were you?” he snapped, bowing up to Munro. “You took her from here?”

Just like Munro had said. Chloe rolled her eyes and continued on toward the house, passing Rónan and Benneit, who gave her a wide berth.

While they were all outside pissing on each other for dominance, or whatever they did in times like these, she would move her things out of MacRieve’s room, then raid the kitchen. As she’d told Munro, she fully intended to eat like a human.

She had to believe it was possible.

Munro said, “I just got her out of the house for a walk.”

“You doona take her out without my permission!”

Chloe stopped in her tracks, turning on them. “Whoa, hold on! I’m
Chloe
; I’m not
Pop’s motorcycle.
Nobody’s giving permission or receiving permission to do anything with me!”

Her four new roomies frowned at her, as if surprised she’d even address them. They were in for a lot of surprises.

Every word booming louder, MacRieve said, “You’d do well to get the
fuck out of my sight,
succubus
!”

“And you’d do well to shut your whore mouth!”

He lunged forward—like the biggest, baddest fullback she’d ever imagined. Picturing him like that enabled her to hold her ground.

His eyes narrowed, his voice vibrating with rage. “I beheaded the last five succubae I encountered. Keep talking shite, and you’ll be the sixth!”