Page 30 of The Succubus's Song

The campus was somehow even quieter than the city. There was an eerie stillness to the air, like all the trees were holding their breath. It was a full moon, which added to the unsettling feeling building in Finley’s gut, and even he could sense the uptick in magic in the atmosphere.

The bright light of the moon cast long shadows, illuminating the ancient stone buildings of the various colleges. Their ivy-wrapped towers created menacing figures in the dim light, which caused Finley to second-guess if every shadow was a building or a monster. He shuddered and refocused his attention on Mara, who was nearly pulling him across the lawn.

When the university library came into view, it appeared unchanged.

Until Finley noticed a handful of fae males loitering around the front steps. At first glance, they looked like students milling about, hanging out in front of the public campus building. As they got closer, Finley could see the way their eyes swept the courtyard and surrounding streets and how they were moving intentionally.

This was a patrol.

“Where’s Emmett?” Mara snapped, walking straight up to the soldiers as if she was their commanding officer.

A shiver went down Finley’s spine at the tone she used. Mara had a firm control on her glamour, but she looked radiant, nonetheless.

They all turned to look at Mara and, in an instant, the air was permeated with the sounds of weapons unsheathing and harsh, guttural growls. All the guards were now pointing their swords at Mara, practically baring their teeth.

Mara grabbed Finley and pulled him behind her, only then extending her claws and hissing in response.

“Hey, hey,” Finley raised his hand, poking his head over Mara’s shoulder, “we’re here to see Emmett, guys. You know. Big guy, real softie, loves a biscuit.” Finley’s poor attempt at humor did nothing to lighten the mood.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Mara sneered, her gaze flicking between each of the fae guards. Finley was a little dumbstruck at the way she evaluated each opponent, from their size to whatever weapon they were holding. He could practically see her mind working.

Fuck, she’s exquisite.

“How do we know you aren’t the murderer we’re looking for?” one of the guards jeered, taking a step closer to Mara. Finley felt Mara’s body tense against his, a little bit of her red magic dancing over her skin.

“Excuse me?” Mara’s lip curled, and she advanced. “Do you want to come out and accuse me of something? If you’re going to say something, say it, coward.”

Her voice was deathly calm, and Finley shivered—not from fear. The other guards retreated a few paces, and their weapons trembled as they held them in the air.

“Knock it off!” A booming voice cut through the tension and rang out through the square.

Finley had never been more relieved to see Emmett emerging from the library’s main entrance, rolling up his sleeves as he took the steps two-at-a-time to meet them.

Emmett looked furious.

His hair was haphazardly tied up, as if he had done it in a hurry, and his shirt was partially unbuttoned. Even though he was dressed in dress shirt and trousers, he still had a pair of fur-lined slippers on his feet. The look on his face was as murderous as Finley had ever seen it—which was the most shocking of all.

Holy shit, Finley kept his face stoic. I’ve never seen Emmett mad…ever. Jesus. He’s terrifying.

“Oi!” Mara pointed at the guards. “Tell the Paw Patrol to fuck off, yeah?”

Emmett rolled his eyes and grunted at her in response before turning on the guards surrounding them.

“Swords down, men,” Emmett commanded, every inch of him looking like a general. “Mara didn’t do this.”

“How do you know?” one of the men argued, still posed to strike. “She’s one of them!”

Mara turned towards the naysayer and took a step closer…and then another…until the tip of his blade was resting against her chest. Finley cursed under his breath and fought the temptation to tackle the fae.

“Because,” Mara growled quietly, “if it was me…”

Finley watched as Mara took another step, pressing the blade into her skin. Blood welled up on her pale skin, looking black in the moonlight.

“You’d never find the fucking body,” Mara hissed, advancing until a steady trickle of blood dripped down her chest and the fae’s blade. His eyes went wide with shock as he dropped his sword, falling over backwards to get away from Mara.

“That’s enough,” Emmett snapped, his voice leaving no room for argument. “Get back to work.”

The soldiers responded immediately, sheathing their weapons and scurrying off to various points around the lawn to resume their watch. They stared at Mara with fear in their eyes as they passed.

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