Succubi Are Forever (8 page)

The skin on the back of my neck prickled. Why was Sophie so interested in Zane? I didn’t like it. How did we know that she wasn’t going to betray us to Phryne?

I stroked Zane’s hair harder, growing more and more upset at the thought of him being bound and chained in Phryne’s basement. Yue had asked me how many masters I had left. She’d been planning on killing Zane, but wanted to ensure that I remained alive.

I’d never let her touch a hair on his head.

“Almost there,” Remy said sometime later, and I glanced out the window. The afternoon sun was still high, the waves of Lake Erie rippling on the right side of the window. We drove up a long, winding path, seemingly deserted.

As we turned into the driveway, another car zoomed by and I frowned. Had I caught a glimpse of peach-colored hair in the Mustang that had just rolled past? Was Phryne on to us, even now? I shuddered at the thought.

“Yup, this is the right place,” Remy said, dragging my attention back to her. She pointed out the car window to a privacy fence that ran through the thick trees and ended in an open gate. She revved the engine, frowned, and then revved it again. Our wheels spun in place.

My skin began to tingle with awareness even as Remy swore, pressing on the pedal.

“Sensor wards,” Sophie said in a soft voice. “They know we are here, and they know we have arrived with a vampire. You will need to park here and continue on foot. Our car cannot move forward as long as the vampire’s in it.”

“Well, then we stop here,” I said, my fingers clutching into Zane’s coat protectively.

I waited for someone to protest, but Remy only sighed and shut off the car. “Come on, then. Let’s go get my man.”

“I don’t know if we should go in,” I said after a moment. “If this place is warded against vampires, I don’t know that succubi are particularly welcome.”

“I don’t care,” Remy said stubbornly. “Ethan won’t let them hurt us.”

The look Sophie gave her worried me. And I worried anew when Sophie glanced back at Zane. Damn it. Why couldn’t it be late afternoon so he’d awaken? I stared at the distant monastery. Farther down the drive, a large, stately stone manor sat surrounded by trees. As I stared from the gates, the front door opened and several men stepped out and my hackles rose. They wore the monastic robes I’d seen on Enforcers, but these carried crossbows and the flasks strapped to their waists were not, I guessed, for wine. More like holy water.

In other words, they were expecting a fight.

I slid out of the car, shutting the door carefully to protect the still-sleeping Zane, and moved forward. Sophie did the same, though for once I was glad to see that she’d drawn her blades. Remy trotted behind us.

A man approached, his skin golden, his hair a dark shock of curls set off by a well-trimmed goatee. He wore one of the pure white monastic robes, but his belt was full of armaments. As he strode forward, he gestured for the others to stay back. He looked at me, then at Sophie. “You are not welcome here.”

“Bullshit,” Remy said, pushing forward. “Where is Ethan?”

“The Enforcer is being detained,” the man said in a cool, detached voice. “Drop your weapons, and give the vampire over to us.”

“Detained?” Remy said, her voice rising. “Oh
hell
no. Do you not see how horny I am right now?”

The Serim continued to stare at her impassively. “You may only enter the monastery if you are unarmed and the vampire is given to our keeping.”

“Those terms are not acceptable,” Sophie said in a calm voice. She drew her sword and brandished it.

Behind the front Serim, the other three drew up their crossbows, aiming at us.

“Look, we don’t want any trouble,” Remy said. “We just came here to pick up my man and hide out for a night or two.”

“Ethan will not be joining you.”

Remy’s lips curled into a snarl. “You are kidding me.”

“Hand over the vampire,” the Serim said, “and you shall be our guests.”

“No,” I said, stepping in front of the car protectively. “You can’t have him. We’ll go.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” the man began. He reached out to grab Remy.

Sophie danced forward, her blade slicing through the air.

The man’s hand landed on the ground.

“Oh shit!” Remy said, just as I turned to stare at Sophie in surprise. The other three Serim approached, weapons ready, as the first one backed up and hissed, clutching his bleeding stump.

Sophie spun, tossing a throwing star at the first one and slamming it into his chest. He groaned and paused, digging the blade out of his chest. The other two continued to advance.

“You bitch,” the man grated, holding the stump of his arm. “You’ll pay for this.”

“Behind me,” Sophie said in that same cool voice, ignoring the man.

I didn’t have to be told twice. I skidded to a stop behind her, keeping out of reach of one of her longer blades. If Sophie wanted to do all the fighting, I was totally okay with that.

Remy ran to my side. “Are you sure this is wise?” I called to Sophie.

“They will not take the vampire on my watch,” she proclaimed, and began to do another little spin that marked the throwing of another star.

“Stop!” A hard, authoritative voice rose above the crowd.

I groaned. I knew that voice.

Remy gasped with delight.

“Put down your weapons,” the man said, striding forward down the long driveway. The Serim parted to allow him a look at our party, and I got my first look at the newcomer, confirming my suspicions.

Noah. Goddamn it.

“Noah,” Remy cried in delight, running forward to hug him. “It’s so good to see you!”

He accepted Remy’s hug, but his gaze remained locked on me.

Noah Gideon, my other master. Zane’s rival. And he did not look pleased to see me.

The feeling was mutual. It wasn’t that I didn’t like Noah, it was that Noah wanted me to fall in love with him, and I couldn’t.

I was in love with Zane. I cared about Noah, but in a friends-with-benefits sort of way. Noah wanted it to be more, and when I’d chosen Zane over him, he’d been furious and abandoned me. Delilah—my fellow succubus—had followed him, but I didn’t see her around.

Noah seemed different. Hard. Gone was the warmth and understanding in his eyes. Though his thick, collar-brushing blond hair was the same, his tan looked deeper, his clothing a bit less crisp. As he moved forward, I gasped. His clothing shifted, displaying tattoos. They covered his skin at his collar, and I saw the hint of more at the cuffs of his long sleeves.

One hundred tasks of servitude,
Ariel had told me with a smug smile on his face.

In exchange for the “sin” of creating me, Noah had been found guilty by the Serim council and sentenced to one hundred tasks to be meted out by his Serim brothers. Did Noah wear their promises like the one I wore on my wrist? I’d promised the Archangel Gabriel that I’d retrieve two haloes for him, and he’d tattooed his name on my wrist as a reminder of my promise.

Noah was… covered. I swallowed hard. I was guessing he regretted ever seeing me right about now. His hard gaze swept over Remy, who was still bouncing with excitement at the sight of him. Over Sophie, her tall, strong form bristling with blades, poised to strike. Over me, standing in front of the car as if that might somehow protect Zane. His cool, hard gaze didn’t speak of friendship or kinship at all. He looked at me like a jilted lover.

“Is the vampire with you?” His words were clipped. Furious.

“He is,” I said softly.

“Then why do you come to me?”

He thought we’d come to him for protection? “Remy’s here to pick up Ethan,” I began lamely. “And we thought since we were in the area…”

His gaze flicked over me. “So you did not know I was here?”

Boy, did I
not
know. If I had, I’d have suggested going anywhere but here. Old boyfriends made things a little awkward, especially when those old boyfriends could command me with a word. And since Noah was my master, I had to obey his slightest command. He wasn’t shy about giving them, either.

“Why are you here?” He approached me, his voice going soft, his gray-blue eyes scanning me as if he hadn’t seen me in years, instead of mere months.

“Remy and Sophie are in need,” I blurted.

His gaze went to my bleached eyes. I was most definitely
not
in need. “I see,” he said brusquely. “You are welcome here, but the vampire will not be allowed into the monastery proper.”

“Will he be hurt?”

Noah gave me a hard look. “I would not wound you like that, Jackie.”

And he turned and walked back into the monastery.

So he said. I hesitated, torn. I didn’t want to leave Zane with these jackasses. He was too vulnerable while the sun was up. And I couldn’t help but think of the car that had driven past, and the glimpse of brightly colored hair I’d seen as it had zoomed by. What if Phryne was here, just waiting for a chance to strike? “I don’t know, Noah.”

Noah paused as he passed Sophie, giving her a long look, eyeing her amber skin covered in tattoos, her weapons, her wild ponytail. She met his gaze with a frank, open one of her own that seemed to irritate him. He glanced back at me and saw I still hadn’t moved. “Jackie, come.”

Goddamn it.

Gritting my teeth, I moved to follow after him, compelled.

Remy followed close behind me, bouncing with every step, her eyes incredibly blue. “Can we move this along, already? I am Itching like mad.”

The Serim glared as I passed by, and one moved forward to scoop his hand off the ground. The others didn’t look thrilled either. Combine that with a pissy ex-boyfriend and the fact that Zane was unable to rise for hours?

“Promise me that Zane is going to be safe,” I blurted.

Noah didn’t turn around, didn’t stop walking, which meant I had to keep moving forward as well. “I make no such promise,” he said. “Nor will I. My brothers are free to do as they please.”

That was
exactly
what I was afraid of. “I will hate your guts until my dying days if you let something happen to Zane.”

“Undying days,” Remy said helpfully, still bouncing in place, unable to contain her excitement at seeing Ethan.

“Undying,” I corrected. “I’m not leaving Zane unguarded.” Just the thought made me skittish as hell. Not that I could stop from following Noah after he’d commanded it, but sometimes you had to push him to get the point across.

“Do not worry,” Sophie said in her calm, accented voice. “I will remain outside with him. He will be safe with me.”

As I looked at her in surprise, she twirled her sword, as if admiring the way it gleamed in the sunlight. Or admiring its ability to lop off heads? Who knew with Sophie.

“You’ll stay with him?” I glanced back at the car where Zane slumbered, then Sophie’s tall, statuesque form. I wasn’t sure that I trusted her, but I couldn’t think of anyone better qualified to guard Zane than a six-foot-tall Amazon, bristling with weapons.

Who had also just cut off the hand of the nearest immortal. I had to admit, that had pretty much rocked my world.

She gave a firm nod, planting the tip of her sword in the ground in front of the car and standing straight and tall behind it, as if daring any to approach.

“You’ll be cool out here?” Remy asked.

Another firm nod. “You may send someone my way to tend to my needs later.” And she gave a blatant look at Noah’s retreating back.

“Dinner?” I asked, because I was afraid of the mental image otherwise.

“Sex,” Remy stage-whispered.

“Thanks for that,” I muttered dryly.

Remy moaned, holding her own breasts. “Can we just go inside already? My body is dying here.
Dying
.”

“You’re not dying because you’re a few hours overdue,” I grumped, casting one last look behind us at Sophie as we followed Noah into the monastery.

“Says the woman who we had to wait on this morning.”

I was surprised to find myself blushing, especially when Noah turned back to glare at the two of us. Awkward.

All of that was forgotten as we entered the cool marble foyer and Ethan appeared at the end of the hallway, his long black hair pulled into a taut ponytail atop his head. He wore a plain white robe, belted at the waist—a far cry from the too-tight Diesel jeans and tees that Remy insisted on dressing him in.

She gave a little squeal at the sight of him and bolted down the hall, bounding toward him.

Ethan stoically put his arms out for her and she leapt into them. Her legs wrapped around his waist and she climbed him, breathless little pants echoing in the hall. A second later, her mouth planted on his. Her jeans rode low on her ass, exposing half of her backside as she rocked her hips over his. Moans of delight filled the air as she began to kiss him wildly, her hand tugging his long ponytail. “God, you sexy beast,” she groaned. “Take me.”

Ethan kissed her back, at first reticent, but under Remy’s onslaught, he began to warm up, kissing her back with abandon. The acolytes behind him stared with shock at the two of them.

“She’s overdue,” I explained, then cleared my throat. “And they probably need a room.”

“This way,” said one of the Serim.

Remy and Ethan didn’t look up as they staggered after the Serim, Remy dry-humping Ethan all the while.

Noah turned to me and gestured at one of the nearby doors. “I believe you and I should talk.”

“Really? Because I’m pretty sure we’re just here to pick up that one,” I said, thumbing a gesture down the hall. “No time for the meet and greet. I imagine she’ll be done with him in about ten minutes and then we’ll be on our way.”

Sophie could always pick herself up a nice trucker at a rest stop or something.

“I would like for you to stay for dinner,” Noah said persuasively.

My stomach rumbled. Damn you, stomach. I crossed my arms over my chest, thinking. “I don’t know, Noah.” Just being here with him, with Zane so close nearby, knowing they hated each other… it made me edgy.

“Stay for dinner,” he said in a harder voice, and it wasn’t a request. It was a command.

Damn him. “Staying,” I said in a flat voice. “What’s on the menu?”