Page 20 of The Succubus's Song

“You could say that.” Finley’s head dropped back as he looked up at the ceiling, conveniently distracted by a bright neon sign that nonsensically read ‘Where is here’.

“Okay.” Emmett pulled a Kindle out of his briefcase. “Well, if you want to talk about it, I’ll be here.”

Finley grinned, and some of the tension left his shoulders. Emmett had a way of de-escalating any conversation and making people feel at ease. For creatures of Emmett’s size, it was tough getting people to relax around them, but something about a large man holding a very tiny eReader did the trick. Finley was also one of the few people privileged enough to know Emmett had a romance novel addiction, which further endeared folks to him.

“She came over last night,” Finley blurted, immediately picking up his pint and downing nearly half of it, “and…we did things.”

Emmett dropped his Kindle and froze, staring at Finley with a stunned expression on his face. He tried to recover quickly, nodding as he spoke.

“Finley,” Emmett’s voice was serious, “did Mara feed before going over to your apartment last night?”

“No,” Finley admitted quietly. Emmett’s eyes went wide, and his mouth dropped open.

“Listen to me very carefully…” Emmett hesitated. “Are you telling me that Mara came to visit you and she was hungry?” He stressed the last word, and Finley got a sense of rising panic from Emmett, which put him further on edge.

“Yes,” Finley repeated, “but it’s fine! Everything’s fine—”

“It is not fine,” Emmett huffed, interrupting Finley. “You have no idea what could’ve happened…”

“I do know!” Finley snapped, slamming his fist down on the table. His frustration and anger rose to the surface. He was tired of everyone around him assuming he was clueless or couldn’t make his own decisions.

Especially when it came to Mara.

“All right,” Emmett held a placating hand out towards Finley. “You know. Tell me what happened.”

Finley sighed, finishing off the remnants of his pint before continuing. “Mara came over last night, and yes, she hadn’t fed. Her glamour was gone, and y-yes,” Finley stammered, “she used her powers on me.”

“She seduced you?!” Emmett barked, jumping to his feet, and knocking over his stool. His briefcase fell off his shoulder, and papers started raining down around their table. Emmett cursed, and Finley helped him tidy everything up before they sat back down.

Emmett followed Finley in downing the rest of his drink and signaled for another round. Finley could see he was grinding his teeth but trying to exercise restraint and let Finley talk.

“She did,” Finley admitted, “but I’ll tell you the same thing that I told her. I’m fine. Better than fine, even…” he trailed off. “I knew what was happening the whole time. I was conscious of her magic, and I’ve offered her my blood before.”

Emmett looked appalled, letting out an undignified squeaking noise that Finley wouldn’t have imagined him capable of.

“She drank from you?” The color drained from Emmett’s face. He looked like he’d seen a ghost.

I hope I never have to tell this fucking story ever again, Finley complained to himself. I can’t make it through a damn sentence.

“Yes,” Finley grunted, getting increasingly agitated. Emmett seemed to notice this, and he softened his expression.

“Okay, hey, yeah, all right…” Emmett stumbled and ran a hand through his long hair. “So a baobhan sith came to your apartment while hungry, used her powers and seduced you, and then drank from you. Is that correct?”

“Her name is Mara,” Finley gritted out. He knew Mara struggled with her identity, and he didn’t appreciate Emmett referring to her like a zoo animal.

“Of course.” Emmett bowed his head slightly in apology. “You just need to try and understand that…”

“This has never happened before?” Finley finished Emmett’s train of thought, and he nodded slowly. Emmett pulled a tiny notebook and pen out of his shirt pocket and began jotting down notes.

“Are you writing this down?” Finley questioned.

“I have to.” Emmett picked his head up. “I’ve never heard of this occurring. Baobhan sith are designed to kill their prey. They don’t—they can’t—practice restraint like typical vampires.”

“I thought baobhan sith were vampires?” Finley interjected, confused. His head was starting to hurt with the mythological precedent he’d apparently broken.

“They’re a type of fae, technically,” Emmett nodded, slipping into a tone of voice that Finley only heard him use while lecturing, “but they’re really their own species.”

“So it’s surprising Mara fed from me and was able to…”

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