Starved For Love (5 page)

Hoel finished setting his tie with shaky fingers, a dark blush coloring his face right to the tip of his ears. He cleared his throat.

“My wives have informed me they agree with Pia’s decision.” My father crossed his arms over his chest; though not much taller than Hoel, he loomed over both of us. Not as head incubus of Lake City, but worse, as my daddy. “I don’t think it would be a good match. If I wanted Val to court her, she would have been introduced yesterday. Pia’s not on the market.”

“But Da—”

He shot me such an intense glare it burned. “We already discussed this today. This subject is closed. Please, extend my regret to your master and I look forward to seeing him at lunch tomorrow where I’m sure there will be more suitable succubi for him to meet.”

Chapter Six

Woohoo! Back to day one of my cycle

Kneading
bread kept idle hands busy and overactive minds calm, or so claimed my mother Margie. I punched the newly risen dough within an inch of its life and gave it a couple more for good measure.

A long-fingered hand gently landed on mine. “I think it’s dead, honey. You can divide it into rolls now.” Margie’s soft voice still carried in the chaos of the kitchen. We were having lots of guests over for lunch in our greenhouse and my mothers always did the cooking. “Once you do that, you can set the tray by the others to rise. Don’t forget to cover them with a cloth.” She eyed me. “A clean one.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I saluted her with a floury hand, a casualty of today’s baking battles.

The kitchen was divided in three sectors. Margie and I were the baking department, Estelle and Rose worked on hors d’oeuvres, and Sam, my birth mom, and Adele made the main course. I say we helped but Adele was the only one of us daughters who could cook worth a damn. Rose was relegated to assembly only and I was set as a gopher and dough-kneading fool.

“Check the oven and see if the cake is cooked.” Margie waved me away.

“Yes, ma’am.” I did as I was told. How could I tell if it was done? It appeared golden and the scent of vanilla filled the kitchen when I opened the oven door. “It’s done?” I pulled it out and glanced at Margie.

She sighed. “Stick a butter knife in it and see if it comes out clean.” Shaking her head, she poured more flour in her bowl. “How will we ever marry any of you off if you can’t make a simple cake?”

“It’s the twenty-first century. I’ll go buy one at the store.” I set the cake by the rising bread.

Margie gasped. “Pia Marie, take that back.” She winked at me. “Don’t leave the cake there. It will make the bread on that side of tray rise faster.”

Rose met my gaze from across the room and rolled her eyes. Estelle nattered at her too. Something about what kind of crackers to use with oysters. We were serving those? I made mental note to steer clear of the hors d’oeuvres.

I peered over at their table filled with trays of canapés. How many types of crackers could there be? I learned at a young age not to ask unless prepared to listen to the answer. My mind was too flighty to make any sense of the art of cooking.

On top of everything else, my stomach wouldn’t stop fluttering. I thought it was the energy I’d created with Hoel. I’d never had an angel go down on me before. Who knew what the consequences were when our kind met? But I noticed the flutters only grew worse as the luncheon drew nearer.

Valerio Hunan was coming today.

I’d see him again with his soft, demanding lips, firm hands and skilled fingers.

“Earth to Pia.” Adele stood in front of me with a roast in her arms. “I need to use the oven. Can you park your useless ass somewhere else?”

I shuffled over. “Useless?”

“Girls, not now. We’ve—” Sam set a salad in the fridge as she spoke.

Adele put her hands on her hips as she spun to confront me. “This would go much easier if you and Rose would apply a little effort in learning to help out in the kitchen. The moms have been slaving in here for two days. They shouldn’t have to do all the work.”

I poked her in the chest. “I had feeding issues yesterday.” She knew better. I never said
no
when they asked for help.

“You
always
have feeding issues.” She pointed to Rose. “She has to feed today, yet she’s still helping.”

Rose’s eyes went wide as she tried to lead Adele away from me. “Don’t drag me into this. I have plans to feed tonight. I’m also older and more experienced than Pia.”

I grabbed her arm. “What does that mean? You don’t think I can take care of myself?”

The kitchen went quiet.

I stared at each of my family member one at a time. “You don’t.” I blinked. “You gave me the impression last night that you trusted me.”

The door to the main house swung open and my father strolled in with six strange males. “These are my lovely wives and…” He regarded everyone, taking everything in at a glance—Adele glaring daggers at me, Rose inspecting the tiles on the floor and my mothers studiously cooking without a comment.

“This—this is the help I hired.” He pointed at the men.

I stared hard at them. Not men, shifters. They radiated a wild power much like my suitor Cooper. My father believed in keeping the money within the supernatural community.

My father stuck his hands in his pockets and avoided any direct eye contact. Smart man. “Rose, why don’t you show them around the greenhouse so they know the layout of the tables and the bar?”

I brushed pass Adele, heading outside. “I’ll do it. Rose might eat them. Come on, boys. We’ll start with the bar.”

* * *

One of the shifters proved he could make a killer Long Island Iced Tea. I was on my third and checking out the throng of ass-kissers coming to snoop around my parents’ estate. They were throwing this luncheon to welcome Valerio to Lake City and assess him for permanent residence, but really, who was going to kick him out?

If he was powerful enough for my father to offer him two of his more deserving daughters for marriage, then none of these bottom-feeders would complain about his presence in the city. Welcome, my ass. It was more of a let’s-check-out-the-most-eligible-incubus-in-town party. My parents were playing matchmaker, hoping he’d find one of the daughters of the other families more appealing.

I took a big gulp. He’d found me interesting. God knows why.

Rose swayed through the crowd, her long red hair a beacon I could spot in any crowd. She approached me with a sandwich and placed it in my hand. “It’s peanut butter. Your favorite.”

“It’s not my favorite.” I smelled it. Rose was the worst cook this country ever produced. There should be laws banning her from the kitchen, but I could detect a peanutty scent from the bread.

“Look, it’s the only thing I can make that won’t kill you. Eat and soak up some of that alcohol so you don’t puke on Ms. Renway like last time.” She watched as I took a big bite. “Adele didn’t mean what she said. I know she feels horrid—” A bright, loud laugh interrupted Rose.

Rising on tiptoe, I glanced over Rose’s shoulder at Adele entertaining some of the guests. “She looks heartbroken.”

“It’s an act and you know it. She’s always been the practical one.” She motioned for me to eat. “Hurry up. You’re drawing stares. The moms will come check us out to see what’s wrong.”

I crammed a huge bite in my mouth before a mom confiscated it. Drinking wouldn’t make me feel better. It took the edge off but I’d regret it later or in a few days, depending on how much I drank. Maybe I should call Sin and see what he was up to tonight? He could be a douche but he was never boring, and staying home just didn’t appeal to me.

Rose watched as one of the shifter boys bowed low to a guest and referred to her as Mistress Succubus. “Why do they keep doing that? One of your suitors is a shifter. Is it a wolfy thing?”

I shrugged and hid my smirk behind another bite. Somebody had to entertain me tonight. The boys would figure out my little joke eventually though. Shifters were so cute.

Rose drifted back into the throng and I moved farther away until my back hit the glass wall of the greenhouse. I never fit in this crowd. The males gathered to one side and observed their wives as they meandered with their champagne glasses and nibbled on oysters. My people’s beauty came from an evolutionary development for hunting. Only the beautiful survived among succubi and only the powerful among incubi.

“I didn’t see sandwiches being served.” A smooth voice spoke into my ear from behind.

I twirled around. “Valerio. I—I didn’t see you come in.”

“You were too busy flirting with the bartender to notice.”

I swallowed the bite of food in my mouth and tried to calm the flight of butterflies in my chest. Wait, that meant he spotted me when he arrived. Warmth spread around my heart like a thick warm blanket.

“Are shifters more to your tastes?” He took the glass from my numb hand and sniffed. “This isn’t iced tea.” A small smile played on his lips as he took a sip. “Some succubi prefer one race over another.”

“Oh? I don’t have a favorite.” Not that I ever paid attention. I mean, why would I care? “I’m not picky. Well, that’s not true, I’m very picky, but it hasn’t anything to do about species. More of a personality thing than any other trait, they have to make me feel comfortable, you know. I mean the shifter boys here have been nice but they’re a little too young and…”

He raised his eyebrow as he sipped my drink and listened.

“And I’m rambling.”

“Do I make you feel comfortable?”

“Dude, are you kidding me? No way.” I grabbed my drink from his hand and just about ran away, skipping over the large patio stones so my heels wouldn’t get caught. I’d been drinking way too much to deal with the likes of him. What the hell was he doing anyway? He had a party full of succubi with fathers more than willing to give them up. I spotted my mother Sam sitting at one of the tables among the greenery with a couple I barely knew. I plopped down in the chair next to her. “Hey.”

“Pia.” My mom beamed at our guests. “You haven’t seen her since she was a baby.” Hugging me close to her side, she whispered close to my ear. “Get me out of here.”

I blinked at the stiff couple across from me. They sat far apart, backs slightly turned to each other. “I’m not feeling well.”

The wife appeared to have a stick up her ass and the husband must have sucked on a lemon.

“Maybe you should take it easy on those drinks, honey. They’re killer on your hips,” wifey commented.

“Pia’s hips seem fine to me.” Valerio eased into the seat next to me. “Herman.” He nodded to the male. “Though she is a little too quick on her feet for my taste.” He gave me a meaningful grin. “I guess I should work out more so I can keep up.”

“Valerio.” Wifey rolled the
r
in his name like a purr. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. If you need someone to show you the city—”

Herman’s hand clamped down on his wife’s. “I’m sure Val has many available chaperones.” He pointedly stared at the incubus beside me. “I’m sure he won’t need your help.”

“No, I don’t filch.” A warm hand slid onto my thigh.

I tossed him a questioning look. “Did Hoel ever make it home last night?” Did he not get my father’s message with the hands-off notice?

“Yes, a little worse for wear.” His smile turned wicked for a moment.

My stomach turned inside out. He knew Hoel fed me. The stinker told
me
to be quiet, then ran home and squealed to Valerio. “Could he speak?” He couldn’t have been that worn out. Come on, he was an angel, they should have some stamina.

“He reported back fine.” He gave my thigh a squeeze bordering on painful. “Thank you for your concern about my assistant. Aren’t you wondering how I am?”

I shoved his hand off. “I forgot my manners.”

A shifter approached our table with a tray. “Care for some hors d’oeuvres, Master Incubus?” He bowed to Herman.

Everyone at the table grew quiet until I couldn’t hold it anymore and giggled. “I think we’re fine. Keep up the good work.” I giggled again as he turned away to the other guests.

Chapter Seven

“What an odd lad.” My mom stared at the waiter. “Why did he refer to you like that, Herman?”

I finished off my drink. “I need a refill. Nice to meet you both. Mom?” I offered her my hand. I couldn’t abandon her to a dull evening with that couple. Then again, the other wives and husbands weren’t much better. Our people didn’t marry for love. Marriage was for survival, so I wouldn’t witness too many fuzzy moments tonight. The only people with any visible sign of happy attachment were my parents.

Now, why wouldn’t I aspire to achieve this? My family feared for me. Yes, I’d lost my mind the first time I’d fallen in love, but I learned a valuable lesson. Don’t look for such a relationship outside my race. There might be an incubus out there willing to risk his heart on me. My dad had done it with my moms. It’s not impossible.

Valerio rose with us and offered my mother his arm and we took a few steps away from the seated couple. “So nice to see you again, Sam. I see a lot of you in Pia. Is she yours by birth?”

She gave him her motherly smile, though for all I knew they could be the same age. We didn’t age like mortals. Once we reached maturity our clocks stopped. Most humans took my mother for my younger sister. “Yes she is, but I’m already taken.” She winked. “Remember, no filching.” As she left, she pinched his ass.

I sighed. “I love her even more for that.”

Valerio laughed. “Really? No jealousy?” He rubbed the spot as if it hurt, drawing my eye to his delicious ass.

I glanced back up to catch him watching. “You’re a bad boy.” I grinned.

“There it is. That’s the smile I’ve been looking for.” He stepped closer, gazing into my eyes. A look of longing hooded his stare. “Hoel told me you gave your consent for me to court you.” With the back of his hand, he dragged his knuckles along my upper arm.

“What I want doesn’t matter. My father said no. You should go—go shop among the other succubi here.” I waved at the crowd behind him even as the joy surrounding my heart unraveled. Yes, I wanted him but I agreed with my father. Valerio would break me. Just the way my pulse raced at the sight of him was a sure warning sign. None of my suitors made me feel like all the oxygen on planet had leaked into outer space.

He gazed up at the glassed-in ceiling, where the fall sunlight shone through, with a frustrated sigh before meeting my gaze once more. “I’m just asking for a chance.”

“No, it’s more like you’re a spoiled brat and can’t take no for an answer. There’s nothing special about me, Valerio.”

“Call me Val.”

My sister Adele stopped as she passed by. “Dad should hire different help next time. These guys keep bowing and calling me Mistress.” She eyed the one passing us and licked her lips. “I don’t mind the Mistress part though. Think I can housebreak one?” She took the offered champagne glass from a tray. “Hello, Valerio. Nice to see you again. Trying to snag my little sister in your net?”

“Adele.” He nodded but didn’t take her bait.

“Behave.” I nudged her. “Dad wouldn’t let you keep a shifter, housebroken or not. They’re not pets and don’t complain to him about their behavior.”

Her gaze cooled onto my skin. “What do you have to do with this?”

“It’s just a little harmless fun. I was pissed—at you— and there they were all eager and waggy-tailed.” I shrugged. “I told them about a few non-existent customs.”

“You’re such a handful.” She scowled at me, hooking her finger into the nearest waiter’s belt loop and dragged him away with her.

A snort of laughter beside me caught me off guard. Val watched a different waiter bowing to a group of succubi. “You
are
trouble, Pia.” He turned to face me. I expected an expression of distaste but saw amusement and glee instead.

The blanket around my heart suddenly tightened, choking its beat. “I have to go.” I handed him my empty glass and hurried deeper into the greenhouse until I exited out the back. Past the bushes, around the pool, I raced to the swing under the shade trees.
I need air.
Cool, soothing air to ease the hot blood pounding in my veins.

I wrapped my arms around my body and flung myself onto the cushions. My parents would be upset that I ditched the party early, but once I explained why, they’d have to understand. I only had so much willpower. Closing my eyes, I tried to ignore the slight spinning sensation in my head. Those drinks were a bad idea.

A breeze blew across the garden, carrying a tinge of musk. I took a deep breath. Maybe I should nap. When I woke, this day would be over and Val would be out of my head. I could soak in the cold pool and freeze my nether regions until the thought of males of any species was out of my system.

“You say you’re not special but I think you’re unique.” A familiar male voice spoke close by.

I sat up, my eyes springing open.

Val leaned against the tree. “Your relationships with your mother and sister are—different. There doesn’t seem to be any jealousy or competition between either of you.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re a pest.”

“I’m persistent. There’s a difference. I see how your mothers gaze at Flynn. It’s unnatural.”

“No, it’s not. It’s love. What’s unnatural is how everyone else marries in our culture.” I waved in the direction of the party. “You’ve seen them. None of them are
happy
. They’re content or satisfied.”

“Always looking for a better deal or trying to decide if they made the right decision. Thinking about who owns the most power in the relationship, and what they will do about it or with it.” He finished my commentary. “I have five wives. I’m quite aware of how those relationships work,”

“Are you a mean person?”

He blinked. “No.”

“Then leave me alone. Yes, I like you, but you’re not good for me. Okay?”

He rubbed his chin and stared at his shoes. “I don’t understand. I can offer you everything a succubus could ever want. I have money. You could buy your own home. I’d ensure your safety. No one would dare bother you.” He looked up at me, clearly confused. “What am I missing?”

“I’m not like other succubi. I don’t need those things. My father provides them for me.”

“Forever?”

It was my turn to blink. “I guess.”

“Forever is a long time. One day you’ll need a husband. Good incubi aren’t so easy to find.” He came and sat next to me. “Some beat their wives, others ignore them until they need to feed and a few are canny enough to fool others into believing they have wealth so they can clap those wedding tattoos on a succubus’ wrists.”

“Which one are you?”

“None, I hope. Maybe I don’t pay enough attention, but that can run both ways. It’s hard to say who’s ignoring whom at the moment.”

“Are any of your wives here?”

“No, they’ll be flying to the city in a few days. I’m throwing a banquet and they need to attend. You know, show a solid front to the community. Your family’s invited.”

I remembered one of my mothers telling me about a get-together soon. At the time, I hadn’t really cared.

“I could arrange for you to meet them.”

I rolled my eyes and tossed my head against the swing back. “Why don’t you schedule me an appointment to be skinned alive first?”

His laughter touched something inside of me. I was comfortable with him. This was a terrible idea, letting him talk to me in gentle tones of whispered promises of a future.

I twisted to gaze at his devastating profile, his lips so inviting and full of secret pleasures. “A marriage between our families would benefit everyone.”

“Now you sound like a true succubus.” His smile turned a little sad. “Yes. Yes, it would.”

“I’m not interested in alliances. I don’t want my marriage to be valued in dollar signs.”

“Apparently, neither does your father, which intrigues me even more. He’d let either of your sisters come to my bed but not you. I guess my influence is not as valued as I thought.”

“I think our genders have been so conflicted during our evolution that we forgot to develop simple things that even humans have. Trust and love. My parents love me and want to protect me.”

“Do you think I would hurt you?”

“Not on purpose, but then again, you’re a product of a traditional incubus family. You wouldn’t know how to
not
hurt me. I have to trust in my father’s judgment on this. God knows mine is all twisted.” How could I explain that a weakness could be turned into strength to a creature who used weaknesses to hunt his prey? I was young, sometimes stupid, but my naiveté had been destroyed a while ago. Val was using all his skills to lure me, like incubi did. He was good at it too.

He tilted his head to the side. “I don’t understand.”

Patting his knee, I rose and offered him my hand. “You wouldn’t. Come on, you’re missing your party.”

Hand in hand, we strolled back. I wanted just a few minutes to pretend he did understand.

He squeezed my fingers, delight dancing in his eyes. “You, me and your father should sit down after lunch and discuss this further.”

I let that comment skim over my consciousness because my father would never agree to that. Better to soak in Val’s attention and store it in my memory so I could pull it out on rainy days when life seemed too heavy for a slight succubus’ shoulders to bear.

The greenhouse came into view. The guests sat at the tables. I tried to release Val’s hand as we entered the building but he suddenly developed a skill akin to Krazy Glue and wouldn’t let go.

“I can’t find him.” My father came around a bush, almost crushing me in his hurry. “There you are, Val.” His grin faded at the sight of our hands. “What is this?” Unlike most people, my father’s voice grew low and soft when angry.

I shrank away and shook Val’s hand off as if I’d stuck my hand in muck. “I was just showing Val the pool and swing.”

“
Val
is it now?” My father’s eyes narrowed.

“It was nothing.” The last word squeaked out of my throat as it constricted.

Daddy stepped between me and Val. They were of a similar height but where my father was light, Val was dark. A contrast of personalities as well?

A crowd gathered at the edge of the serving area. Their scandalized whispers carried in the small room with growing excitement. Couldn’t say we ever threw a dull party.

“Was him feeding on you yesterday nothing?” A thrum of power surrounded my father. The energy an incubus consumed could be turned into physical strength, faster healing and other useful protectorish-type things. I didn’t think Daddy was interested in lifting garden boulders today. “Do you know what you put my daughter through? I expect better control from an incubus of your experience.”

“Control? She opened herself up to me, she fed me willingly, I never tore a drop from her.”

“She doesn’t know better. You were her first.”

Val leaned to glance at me with a raised eyebrow; his stare traveled over my curves in a show of possessiveness. “I didn’t know. Why didn’t you stop me?”

Because I didn’t want to
. I kept silent, pretty sure that response would make things worse.

Stepping closer to Val, my father forced him away from me. “You don’t understand her and you will only break her. Stay away.”

“Everyone keeps explaining how I don’t comprehend things yet no one will enlighten me on what. So I fed. It was unexpected. It rocked my socks off. I want more and I’m willing to marry her for it. It’s what our kind do.”

I watched as everyone’s gaze shifted from them to me and prayed for the ground to swallow me whole. Did we have to hang my dirty laundry out for everyone’s enjoyment? I wrung my hands and searched for the other members of my family, but none could be seen. My people thrived on weakness and they smelled it here, waiting to see which incubus would come out on top. Dad couldn’t afford to lose face in front of them but neither could Val.

“She won’t feed on just any kind of prey. I had to bend house rules and
force her
to use Hoel last night.”

Val moved into my view, a puzzled expression on his face. “Force her?” He glanced at me. “I know you have suitors. Why not use one of them?”

I cleared my throat. “None of them were available.”

“Of three males, not one could service you last night?” He met my father’s glare and stood his ground. “You’re not monitoring her properly. When we first met about a possible marriage between our houses you mentioned Pia’s eating disorder. That didn’t daunt me then or now.”

“You think you can manage her better?”

“Yes.” Val extended his hand toward me.

My gasp was swallowed by the crowd’s. Clenching my hands together, I pressed them to my chest. I couldn’t let Val destroy my father’s influence but agreeing to this courtship could mean my destruction instead. I stepped between them. “Let him court me?” I met my father’s gaze and pleaded.

“Pia,” he whispered my name, with all the dread he held in his heart contained in that one word.

“Doesn’t mean I have to marry him, right?” I whispered back and pointedly stared at the crowd. I watched as comprehension reached his eyes.

He gave his head a weary shake before turning to the crowd. “Looks like we might be adding a son to my family.”

The party erupted in applause.

Val’s hands skirted around my waist as he pressed himself against me from behind. “I’ll send Hoel this evening to retrieve you for dinner at my hotel.” He pressed a tender kiss to the back of my neck and joined my father at the main table.

Would food be served on this date or would I be the main course?