Page 29 of The Succubus's Song

“Exactly.” He smiled, holding his arms out. “I’m all yours…and, in all of this, if you just so happened to realize that we’re compatible and there’s nothing for you to be afraid of… Well, then that’s a bonus for me.” He winked and finished his beer, Mara feigning shock.

“Oh, that’s what your play is.”

“I’m pretty good at those, allegedly,” Finley joked, but some of the hurt returned to his eyes. Mara stood up and walked around the kitchen counter, wrapping an arm around Finley’s waist, and cupping his jaw in her hand.

The heat in the room blossomed again, and Mara’s heart stopped. She’d never get used to the devastating effect Finley had on her up close.

“Finley,” she whispered, “I mean it. You’re too good for me. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“You won’t hurt me,” Finley insisted, turning his head to kiss her palm. Mara shuddered as the subtle movement sent chills down her back. She couldn’t remember the last time she exchanged the simplest of intimate gestures with a man.

Now that Mara had successfully fed off Finley for a second time, she was more worried about breaking his heart.

“It does seem that I can…feed off you, somewhat successfully.” Mara cringed over the word but continued, “I’m more worried about you. I can’t make any promises right now. I need to see this thing with my family through to the end. It’s only just begun. If I must walk away from you… I can’t be another person who broke your heart, Finley McEwan.” Mara’s voice broke and dropped to a whisper. “I’d never recover.”

“Stop,” Finley admonished gently, tugging Mara closer until she rested her head on his shoulder. He pressed a soft kiss to her hairline. “We’re both scared. So let’s be scared together for a little while. After all of this is over, if something changes, let’s just…talk to each other, okay?”

Mara feigned a dramatic gasp, pulling back slightly from Finley. “What, like adults?”

“I know.” Finley nodded slowly in mock horror. “What an insane idea.”

“I like it.” Mara smiled sweetly at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I like you, Finley. I always did.”

Finley squeezed her tightly and trailed his hand down her back. Mara’s hunger started to come back to life again, his scent overwhelming her as she pressed up against his bare torso. Finley let go of her slightly, and Mara thought he was prepared to kiss her—until his cell phone started trilling obnoxiously in the living room.

“Who’s calling you this late?” Mara hissed, a surprising tide of jealousy quickly whipping through her veins. Finley chuckled in amusement as he untangled himself from Mara and grabbed his phone.

“It’s set to ‘do not disturb’, which means someone has been trying to call repeatedly before it rang… Oh…” Finley’s face fell, and he trailed off. Mara could tell immediately that something was wrong.

“What is it?” She rushed to his side.

Finley slowly turned the phone towards her, showing her the screen. His face was pale. “It’s Emmett. Someone… Someone was murdered on campus.”

“What?” Mara shrieked, nearly breaking the screen glass as she ripped the phone from Finley’s grasp.

Finn, get to my office as soon as you see this. There’s been a murder at the library. I suspect Alice. If you see Mara in the city, tell her to answer her fucking phone.

“That bitch,” Mara hissed as her talons snapped out with a click. “Let’s go,” she stormed towards the door. She heard Finley grab some clothes and follow her out.

“What do you think happened?” Finley asked, his voice sounding less confident and frightened. Mara was ready to commit a litany of crimes. All the heat in her body turned up to an inferno, except this time, it was from rage.

She nearly broke Finley’s door off its hinges as she threw it open, checking to make sure no one was waiting for them in the hallway. She beckoned for Finley to follow her, and without having to ask, he tossed her his car keys.

“We have one stop to make first,” Mara grunted as they stepped out onto the street.

“Where to?” Finley looked confused but wasn’t stupid enough to assume Mara didn’t have a plan.

“I’m calling in reinforcements.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Finley waited in the car as Mara ran inside her apartment to grab her phone. He wasn’t sure what she meant by calling in reinforcements, but if it made her feel better, Finley would let Mara do whatever she wanted. When she emerged from the complex and practically jumped back into Finley’s car, he could sense the urgency that radiated off her.

Mara said nothing as she sent a series of text messages, leaving Finley to navigate their way to the university. The streets were practically empty at that time of night. Luckily, that meant for once, it was easy to find parking. Mara was halfway out of her seat before Finley managed to throw the car into park, but she at least waited for him.

“Let’s go,” she muttered quickly, her fingers practically twitching with anxiety. Finley rounded the front of the car and grabbed Mara’s hand, giving it a squeeze as they started jogging towards the library.

If Mara had any concerns about holding Finley’s hand in public, she didn’t voice them, and Finley was simply grateful she’d use him in any way possible.

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