Page 7 of The Succubus's Song

A twisted, sick sense of shame started building at the base of Mara’s spine. It was a sensation she had spent years trying to dispel, an innate disgust with who, or what, she was. She swallowed thickly, rubbing her hand over her face.

“They know,” Mara murmured. She already sounded defeated, and she hated it. Her sister always knew exactly where to poke.

“Interesting,” Alice murmured, walking in a slow circle around Mara. “And how have you survived all these years?”

“Don’t be stupid.” Mara rolled her eyes. “I drink blood.”

“From animals?” Alice scoffed as if it was the most disgusting thing she’d ever heard. Mara didn’t respond. “That’s beneath you,” Alice growled. “You’re a disgrace to the baobhan sith.”

“The baobhan sith are a disgrace,” Mara countered back. “At the very least, our family is.”

“Take that back, you bitch!”

“Never.” Mara walked forward until she backed Alice into a corner. “Now, listen closely, because I’m only going to say this one more time. You and the family are not allowed to hunt in Scotland. Ever.”

“What are you going to do to stop us?” Alice sneered, her fangs elongating. Mara’s face twisted up into a feral smile, shedding the last of her human appearance as she leaned in closely.

“Get the fuck out of here,” Mara whispered the words sweetly in Alice’s ear and then pressed a soft kiss to her brow, “or I’ll take your other eye, sweet sister.”

Alice shoved Mara off and fled to the edge of the alley, readjusting her jacket as she turned back to look at Mara. She didn’t bother to raise her voice; their supernatural hearing would pick it up.

“This was a warning, Mara,” Alice swore. “I am only the messenger. Edinburgh will never be safe again.”

Then Alice vanished.

CHAPTER FOUR

Mara was furious as she stared at the empty alley. She had spent years carefully curating her life—and her reputation—alongside Calum and Scotland’s magical community. Everything she did was to escape her family’s painful grasp.

You knew when the magic returned that they’d come for you. Mara cursed under her breath and tried to regain a semblance of humanity. She closed her eyes and waited for the fiery adrenaline in her veins to fade away. It took several minutes for Mara to calm down enough to restore her human glamour, and she watched in relief when her talons finally receded.

I can’t let them take over Edinburgh. I need to speak to Emmett. Mara’s thoughts raced as she slipped out of the alley and weaved through the city streets, now busy with people pouring out of pubs and night clubs. She dodged each one, careful to avoid every particular human’s scent, in case it triggered her hunger again.

Mara was from one of the oldest baobhan sith families in Faerie. They were rigorous when it came to tradition and protecting their way of life, even though that often meant taking more lives than it preserved. They couldn’t be allowed to return to Edinburgh and expect to feed freely. The fae world was big enough for them to continue living in it—they didn’t need her mortal sanctuary too.

They’re doing this to spite me. Mara’s anger and frustration blurred together, the pain of their betrayal rushing to the surface.

When Mara rounded the corner to the library, a small piece of the tension in her chest eased. It had become her home, and she’d do whatever she needed to do to protect it. She knew it would be a few hours until Emmett came to work, but she’d be waiting for him.

Mara threw the library doors open with a rush of adrenaline, feeling a palpable sense of relief as she was greeted by the sight of bookshelves stretching as far as the eye could see. Even at this late hour, the nocturnal residences were crammed over desks, sharing journals and brewing fresh cups of tea. The normalcy of it all brought Mara peace.

She took a deep breath and let herself get lost in the starry murals painted over the ceilings.

“Excuse me, Ms. Parker?” One of the library attendants, a small pixie, gently tapped Mara’s shoulder.

“Oh!” Mara snapped back to reality. “Sorry, I just…got a little distracted there.” She grinned. “Can I help you?”

“If you don’t mind.” The pixie blushed. “I left some of the adjunct faculty contracts on Emmett’s desk for him to review, and I was hoping to get them back today…” The pixie trailed off, and Mara smiled knowingly.

“I’ll ask him about it.” She winked at the pixie and headed towards the back of the library. Emmett’s office was in the furthest corner of the building, hidden behind some of the most obscure, ancient books in the library’s collection.

Mara spent a little extra time eyeing some of the rare titles before extending one of her talons and using it to pick the lock to Emmett’s office. She slipped inside, turned on one of the table lamps, and climbed into one of the overstuffed chairs to take a nap until Emmett showed up.

* * *

“Oi, Mara, wake up, lass.”

Mara blinked her eyes open, slapping away someone’s hand as they poked her cheek. Once the room came into focus, Mara was ripped from her sleepy daze.

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