Tempt (Ava Delaney #3) (13 page)

“
Are you getting out of here soon?”

“
They don’t want to chance it yet. So come on, tell me what’s
going on.”

I
hesitated. “The thing is… it’s Carl. Again. He’s been acting pretty
strange lately. Yesterday, I saw a mark on his chest. Peter had a
smaller version of it. Like a hickey, but all raised and
infected-looking.”

Her jaw
dropped. “Oh, no. I’m so sorry, Ava.”

“
Hold on, it’s not that bad, surely.” But her expression made
me doubt.

“
You’re talking about the mark of a succubus, right?” she
asked.

I
nodded. “Peter’s has gone, but Carl’s got worse, and now he’s gone
missing. Eddie’s the one who told us about the succubus. He’s
pretty sure she has Carl for good now.”

“
That sucks,” she whispered.

“
We figured out she lives in my building, and that she’s been
messing with Carl since before the trial. So I thought I’d come to
you. See what I can do.”

She
looked sorry for me. That filled me with more dread than anything
else.

“
There’s not a whole lot you can do. Unless she’s exceeded her
quota. And if she had, it would be on record. The succubi rarely
get into trouble. They keep it low key, so it’s strange she’s
starting trouble with you.”

“
This really has something to do with me?”

She bit
her lip. “Why else would she go for people you know? It’s pretty
rude, actually.”

“
I didn’t have a clue about her, Esther.”

“
I wondered why you had no problem living next to her. Have
you spoken to her? Maybe she’d do you a favour.”

I rubbed
my eyes with my knuckles. “I never thought about the people who
actually lived in the building,” I muttered, thinking about the
talismans scattered around it. “Besides, I doubt asking her would
help. We aren’t friends.”

“
It’s still worth having a chat with her. Perhaps she’ll
trade.”

“
For another human?” I couldn’t believe Esther’s
suggestion.

“
Not necessarily. Money, work, protection, lots of things have
value.”

I stared
up at the ceiling, feeling even sicker than before. “I think she
hates me, Esther. Can’t I just threaten her or
something?”

“
Oh, no. Don’t even think about that! She might not get into
trouble very often, but those succubi are the moaniest bitches I’ve
ever come across. I do
not
want to deal with the lodged complaints
afterward. Threatening her won’t work. She’s a stickler for her
quota. She makes sure she gets every bit of what’s hers. Sucking up
to her is literally your only option right now.”

“
I’m not good at sucking up. What about Peter? Is he in any
danger?”

“
Nah, not if the mark faded. A temporary mark is usually to
get other people going, a little extra something when she’s reached
her draining quota.”

I was
sure my face turned purple with embarrassment. “What would happen
if she let Carl go?”

Esther
shook her head. “She’ll choose someone else, and Carl may never be
the same again. She’s sucking the goodness out of him, his hopes
and dreams, as well as the sexual energy. She’ll drain him of
everything that makes him Carl, and if this has been going on for a
while, his time is running out. I’m really sorry, Ava. This might
be a ‘say goodbye’ mission rather than a rescue
mission.”

“
No way.” I jumped to my feet, feeling my panic rise. “I’d
rather kill her than let her kill Carl.”

“
You’ll be arrested, and Carl will die anyway. And this time,
there won’t be a trial. Even if you make it that far. Those succubi
are all connected. They all know you by sight because she does. If
you kill her, they’ll all come after you. That’s how it is. Keep
out of it if you want to live, Ava. I’m telling you this as a
friend.”

“
And what about Carl?”

“
Like I said. Talk to her, try and persuade her, make a deal
with her. That’s how this world works. You’ve obviously seen how
allegiances are built and repaid. You’ve been working for Daimhín
long enough now. Be sensible about this. I know you’re hot-headed,
but all of this acting without thinking can only lead to trouble.
Trust me this one time. You can only plead for him.”

“
I hate this world sometimes.”

She
shrugged. Losses didn’t seem to affect her the way they did me.
“You should probably get out of here. Aiden’s coming to visit me at
some stage. He’s not your biggest fan at the moment. He’ll get over
it, though, especially if Becca’s gone for good.”

If
.

I had
never been so reluctant to go home. Since I knew Alannah was a
succubus, a lot of other things had slipped into place. That
overpowering perfume was her natural scent. The strange energy I
had often seen in my own building was her. Carl was with her, and I
couldn’t do much about it. In saving him from a vampire, I had
managed to throw him in the path of a sex demon. Life was truly
bizarre.

I gave
Peter a quick phone call to update him on what Esther had told me
and how I was going to plead our case. I didn’t tell him what
Esther had said about Carl never being the same, even if the
succubus let him go. Which she probably wouldn’t. Alannah and I had
never gotten along, and I wondered if she had always known about
me.

It
annoyed me that people like Aiden acted as if I were the problem
when I had never hurt anyone who didn’t hurt me first. Maybe I
shouldn’t have told a Council Consultant/Head Guardian/Shifter
Alpha that he didn’t know what he was doing.

Still
fuming, I remembered the time I had come across Carl and Alannah
outside my flat. She might as well have taken a piss to mark her
territory. All along, I had been fighting a battle I didn’t even
know existed. If anything good came out of the situation, it was my
new determination to learn everything I could about myself and the
other beings around me. I would never again make such a big mistake
as allowing a demon to take my friend right under my
nose.

Swallowing my anger and fear, or at least trying to, I took
heavy steps up the stairwell of my building, knowing full well that
I would never feel comfortable there again.

The
scent of the succubus filled my nostrils immediately. And Carl was
there. Having something to focus on helped me see it clearly. Until
then, I had hoped we were mistaken. But I was forced to acknowledge
the truth.

I
knocked and waited for the murmurs and giggles to stop. When she
finally opened the door, Alannah’s honey-coloured hair was mussed
and her cheeks pink with exertion and heat. I barely controlled the
urge to vomit.

A
satisfied smile lit up her face when she saw me. Any thought that
it might have nothing to do with me was violently murdered with
that smile. I stared at her for a couple of seconds, trying to see
behind the human mask, but I couldn’t push past it. All I wanted to
do was tear her apart. When had I gotten so damn angry?

“
Well, hello there, neighbour,” she drawled.

“
Is he here?” I almost fooled myself with the calm in my
voice.

“
Who would that be?” But she was unsettled. Perhaps she had
expected me to go for her throat.

“
That
would be Carl. Is he
here?”

“
Oh. Of course he is.” She arched an over-plucked brow,
waiting for me to react.

I heaved
a sigh. “Look. I don’t want to do this in the hallway. Can I come
in for a few minutes?”

“
Of
course
you can,” she squealed in a faux-girlish voice.

I
followed her inside. Her apartment was larger than mine, but danker
somehow. Stuffy, suffocating. The air was inexplicably heavy. Carl
lay on a chair, his eyes half-closed, a smile on his face. He
hummed to himself, looking absolutely stoned.

“
See? He’s so happy with me.” She sat next to him and patted
his face, but she leaned on him with her elbows digging into his
ribs as if he were part of the furniture.

“
What do you want?” I asked.

She
blinked a couple of times.

“
For him,” I clarified. “What do you want for him?”

Her mouth opened and closed again. She clearly hadn’t been
expecting an offer of a trade. “I don’t want anything for him. I
want
him
.”

“
Why him? And why mark Peter, too? What the hell is it exactly
that you’re looking for here?”

She
cocked her head to the side but didn’t reply. I decided I wasn’t
leaving until I got answers, so I waited.

Finally,
she shrugged. “You know, lots of beings have quotas. Limits. Things
that were pressed upon us after years of freedom. Most of them are
starving. You can never truly live when you’re constantly thinking
about your next meal.” She frowned as if choosing her next words
carefully. “My kind don’t murder freely. But to live, we have to
take a human life in its entirety. The last drops are the sweetest,
the most satisfying, the hardest to resist. Once the mark takes
hold, it can’t be undone. That other one, the one with a price on
his head, I marked him to distract you for a day or two. You really
are quite pathetic, by the way. Even with my help, you couldn’t get
your bit.”

I
totally ignored the last part. “Why? Why do you care about
me?”

She
rolled her eyes. “You’re just so delicious. And you never die, no
matter how many times I take from you.”

“
You…
take
from me? I thought you were a sex demon,” I said, my skin
crawling.

“
I am. That’s the most intense emotion, the one that we live
on. But other emotions are like nuggets, snacks. Maybe
extras
is the right
word. There’s no quota, as long as the person survives
it.”

“
So the whole time I’ve been living here, you’ve been feeding
off my energy?” Then I remembered something. “McGreavy. Did you do
that to him? Make him the way he is?”

“
He was such a big strong man when we first met. So full of
everything. Instead of marking him, I took my time because I like
to settle down, and I hate living with my sisters. He was a good
source for a while.”

“
So why is
he
still alive?”

“
Because before I finished with him, you came along. You carry
all of these emotions around with you. It’s such a feeding ground.
I haven’t hungered in years. You gave so much, then you made some
friends, and things were even better. You know, you’re such a
little worrier, and all of that pent-up sexual tension… you’re
really a dream come true.”

Her
words sickened me. All those years, I’d been constantly drained by
a demon and never even realised. No wonder the street we lived on
was one of the darkest in the city. The area was slowly dying, and
everyone was suffering at the whims of this greedy succubus. “If
I’m so bloody satisfying, why are you even bothering with your
quota?”

Her nostrils flared. “It’s
my
quota. I get to take it. No point letting it go
to waste.”

“
Okay, but I’ve lived here for what, almost seven years? Why
Carl? Why now?”

“
It isn’t just
now
. I had you all to myself for so long, and then you had to
get stupid and let everyone know you’re here. The world is watching
you now, and people aren’t happy about that. That in itself might
have been workable, but then you stopped feeling.”

“
That’s not possible,” I mumbled.

“
It must be if it’s been happening. I’ve been tasting Carl for
ages. He’s so easy to take from, thanks to you. And when you shut
down like the little ice queen you are, I had to do something about
it. So I upped my game and gave you something to worry about. I
didn’t realise it would be this satisfying, but you’re giving me
something to live on for years to come. Even now, it’s a constant
stream of emotion. I can’t tell you how much of a kick I’ve gotten
from draining the stuck-up judgemental bitch from next door.” She
laughed, almost hysterically, and planted a kiss on Carl’s
cheek.

“
If I’ve done so much for you, then maybe you want to pay me
back,” I said, still unsure of how to play this, how much was truth
and how much was just her trying to bug me even further.

“
Not really. Even now, you’re feeding me. He’ll die. You’ll
cry for your human toy. As for me? I’ll win a jackpot, and you’ll
be so distracted, you’ll keep out of everyone’s way. But if you
behave, I won’t touch anyone else you know.”

“
I’ll move. You won’t get to feed on me.”

She
shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. It’s too late for him. Besides, there
are other empaths out there. They might not be as hardy as you, but
you’re not the only one of your kind either. The best part is that
you can’t even do anything to me. I win.”

I shook with anger. “If he dies, you better start running. I
don’t give up on my friends. I don’t give up on a chase. I
will
never
let
you enjoy your life.”