Counterpart (Succubi & Incubi Assn.) (17 page)

I shook my head, ignoring my thoughts from going to a place that
really wasn’t necessary and continued walking. I made it to the park and
noticed how little people there were. It was weird. Normally the park would be
crowded—then again, it was summer and half the students were gone, so that
could be it.

But it was a public park. What is everyone doing?

My ears picked up the sound of footsteps, and I knew it was coming
from behind me. Was this Ethan guy still behind me?

The image of the man flashed in my head and I remembered how his eyes
were so dark, his lean build, golden skin, dark glossy hair—it was like he was
an angel.

I almost dropped the iced coffees when I felt realization hit me. The
guy from Melinda and Stuart’s day out. I didn’t even need to question it. There
was something off about him from the moment I saw him.

Oh, that's just fucking great. Now the stalker's stalking me!

My eyes scanned the area around me, trees, trees, grass,
bench—nothing that could help me. Why did people choose today to have a day off
from the park?

I could feel my own heart pace pick up and his footsteps never
stayed out of sync with mine. I needed to alternate. I cut through an opening
of trees and a table sat just around the corner. I placed the drinks on the
wooden top and quickly pressed my back against one of the trees.

His footsteps crept forward—slower—like a lion stalking its prey.
What did he want? He can't be the CIA—I mean they would be stealthier if they
wanted me—so that got rid of the officials. Maybe it was some guy Melinda and I
had sex with—separately—and now he's mad that neither of us called him back. Or
maybe, Tori hired a hit-man to kill the one who almost fucked her boyfriend.

They all seemed logical to me.

There was only one way to find out.

His steps got louder as he got closer. I could feel my pulse reach
my ears at the anticipation of his arrival, or it could be the adrenaline rush
kicking in, I don't know. I clenched my fists to my sides and prepared myself
for what I was going to do. He's tall and muscular, but let's just hope he
didn't know how to defend. Somehow, I doubted that he didn't.

I recalled a memory when Tristan taught me how to defend myself.

“How would you get out of this hold?” Tristan murmured. He had his
arms wrapped around my waist and his lips were brushing against the skin behind
my ear.

It didn't help that I was dressed in short shorts and a tank top,
while he had no shirt on. My clothing was so thin that I could feel every
single ab he had. Every time his chest moved up and down, so did mine. Every
breath that whisked over my skin left goose bumps.

I was almost breathless, and he wanted to know how I would get out
of this hold?

“Well, when you're the one doing it, I don't think I would want to
get out.”

Okay, so it was the wrong memory, but it was the first one that
popped into my head.

I needed to hurry, and I didn't have time to try to remember what to
do in a situation like this. I actually don't think anyone was taught how to do
this. Usually, they would just say run. But I wasn't going to run. Maybe I could
try the whole knee kick, groin kick, and elbow to the face trick.

I kept my back against the tree and he stepped into my view and
stopped. His head slowly looked around for me and before his eyes could spot me
behind him, I made my move.

The space between us filled quickly as I grabbed his hands, forcing
them behind his back and turning us around to push him up against the tree. I
had seen this many times on CSI, and frankly, it worked.

My forearm pressed hard against the back of his neck and I made sure
I barricaded his body around the tree, so he didn't break free and attack me.
“You have three seconds to explain who the fuck you are, and why you're
following me and my friend. Go.” I was surprised at how hard my voice was and I
was proud of my attitude. Go me, so far so good.

He didn’t answer and I added more pressure on his neck, causing him
to grunt quietly. His hands struggled slightly but he was making no move to get
out. He was making this easy for me—or he was testing the boundaries.

Why?

Turning his face to the side, he let out a long breath. The slow
smirk that crawled onto his features sent chills down my spine and I was sure
he was about to turn the whole thing around. Then he said, “Is this normally
how you greet an SIA agent, Ms Simmons?”

Oh shit.

I quickly let go of him and took a few steps back. No, it can't
be—it can't—but he knew who the SIA was, he knew who
I
was and that was
scary enough.

My mind raveled around the information. This is why my demon didn’t
have any interest in him. He wasn't the CIA or the FBI. He was much worse. He
was the SIA.

I just attacked an agent.

Oh, I am so dead.

My mind jumbled with things to say, and eventually, I blurted the
first thing that came to my head.

“I didn't do it!”

Smooth, Maya. Real smooth.

“I just wanted to say again, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that
to you but you really should have seen that coming. You shouldn't stalk a
woman. They do jump to conclusions and get defensive.”

As soon as I had blurted the four words that would normally give
someone away, Ethan introduced himself as an SIA agent—which I already knew. He
didn't tell me what he was here for. He didn't tell me why he was following me
around the park. Instead, he insisted that he spoke to Melinda and I.

On the way to my dorm, I had repeatedly apologized.

Basically, I just didn't want to be in trouble.

Actually, I was hoping the CIA would've showed up instead. At least
with them, I could attempt to sex my way out of it. The SIA were different. They
were demons like us, so nothing worked on them.

“You need to stop apologizing.”

Did I mention that this guy hadn’t said much to me, besides '
Please
stop apologizing
'? Well, it’s true. He hadn’t really said a full sentence
to me on the way, and that made me anxious. I hope they didn't have laws
against assaulting the SIA.

“Okay, I'll stop.”

We walked to the door of my dorm and I unlocked it. I didn't know if
Melinda was awake yet and I hope she didn’t react weirdly when she saw him.

“Melinda is really cool,” I started blabbering again, placing the
melted iced coffees on the table in the living room, “so like, she didn't do
anything bad either, by the way. I just thought you should know that. She's
innocent. She's perfectly normal.”

Just stop, Maya. Just stop talking.

“Melinda!” I called out, “I’m home.” She better come out here and get
the attention off me.

I heard the toilet flush and soon enough she was backing out of the
bathroom, closing the door. “Oh my God, sometimes I swear when I pee I sound
like a man.” She turned around and froze when she spotted our guest.

“Well, she's
kind
of normal,” I muttered. But alas, the
attention was off me. At least she's wearing clothes. Kudos to her.

Melinda took a few seconds to realize that she was standing there in
a stilled state. A fast smile came upon her face and she slowly walked towards
me. “Hey, it's nice to meet you. Maya, can I talk to you for a minute?” I
didn't get a chance to say anything before I was pulled into my room.

“What the hell are you doing? Do you know who that is?” she hissed.

I arched a brow. Did she know that this guy was an agent? “Do
you
?”

“Yes, he's the guy that was watching me from across the road.
What
is he doing here?
” Ah, so she didn't know who he was.

“Well, I'm sorry, but what did you want me to do with an SIA agent?”

“I don't know, maybe give me a little—wait, what did you say?”

I needed to be subtle. Lay it down on her slowly. Let her process
it. “We're fucked, Melinda.” I can be subtle some other time.

Her mouth was agape and I could see her chest starting to move up
and down at a fast pace. I couldn't tell what was going through her head but
whatever it was, it was starting to make me think she was about to
hyperventilate.

Then she wasn't in front of me anymore.

But I knew where she went.

“I didn't do anything! I did nothing! I swear I'm innocent until
proven guilty.”

I walked out of the room and crossed my arms over my chest. “You're
a demon. You should be basking in the guilt.”

“Not the time, Maya,” she snapped. She was stressing out. I could
see it all over her face. God, I hoped she wasn't going to say anything else.
People usually blab when they're under pressure. And well, with Melinda... she
usually just let it all out right there and then.

Ethan stood with a hard face, his eyes narrowing on Melinda. “Are
you done?”

I wanted to shake my head at this guy. Melinda was never done until
she had made her point. I walked up to the back of the couch and sat on it.
Somehow, I had a feeling this was going to take a while.

“No. Do you know what I've been like the past 2 years? I've been
loyal to the rules. I've been faithful to the SIA, and I've kept my demon
happy. I have nothing to be guilty about, and I certainly don't know why I'm
making myself look guilty right now and Maya should have shut me up eight
sentences ago because now I'm starting to feel like an idiot,” her voice calmed
down in pace with her words and they eventually faded off.

The emotionless expression didn't leave Ethan's face, and he had
crossed his arms over his chest at some point during her plea.

“Look,” I started, “if you were here for us, you would have taken us
in by now. Why are you here?”

His eyes flicked back to mine. “How do you know I'm not just here to
question you?”

He held a challenge in his face and I held my own. “Because like I
said, you would have taken us in by now. An agent, like you and don't take this
offensively, but we can take you down. There's two of us, and only one of you,
so—”

In the blink of an eye, he had vanished from the spot he was in and
reappeared right in front of me, little fragments of black smoke lingering in
the air around him.

“Want to try that again, succubus?” His voice was low and sent
unwanted shivers through me.

I swallowed the surprise that overcame me and his eyes darkened in a
way that sent fear right through every nerve in my body. “What are you?”

He took a step back from me when he noticed the message he sent was
clear. “I'm an incubus.”

“Uh, last time I heard, an agent could only transport from here and
the underworld,” Melinda pointed out.

Ethan turned his head to the side but not fully towards her. It was
like he was trying to watch both of us at the same time. When his eyes flicked
to Melinda, I took that opportunity to slowly back away without tumbling over
the back of the couch. “Give me credit. I’m a bit more advanced than that.”

“Care to explain?” I said, crossing my own arms over my chest.

Ethan walked over and took his place back by the counter, sighing
loudly. “There are three types of incubi and succubi. There are the lower,
middle and higher rankings, but that's not why I'm here so I really don't know
why I should be explaining this.”

“You're in
my
dorm, so therefore you explain. And as a
succubus I have the right to know.” Considering I just had the shit scared out
of me, I was doing this interrogation thing pretty well.

He nodded like he was satisfied with my remark. “Touché.” Then he
went silent again. Did this guy have a slow concentration span, or was he just
doing this to piss me off?

“You don't talk much do you?” Melinda spoke the question running
through my head, except her way seemed a bit more subtle. She walked around the
couch and took my side. At least she had calmed down from her defensive side.

Ethan chuckled shortly. “Actually no, I do what my job entitles me
to do. Talking isn't on my contract, neither is answering to succubi.”

Now, he was just being a jerk.

“Why are you here?” I asked again.

“I'm here on business. There have been two deaths in the past couple
of weeks linking to a succubus in this area.”

Okay, so he was here for the deaths. It had been a consideration in
my head, but now that it was confirmed, I was ready for him to say '
Yeah,
and I'm here to take you to the SIA. You've been terminated
'. But I didn't
do anything. Like, Melinda said, innocent until proven guilty.

“Is that why you've been following us around?” Melinda asked.

“Sure is,” Ethan replied.

These short answers were starting to piss me off. I needed to get
away from this guy before he actually has a legitimate reason to take me in.
“This is a waste of time,” I muttered, heading towards my room.