Page 6 of The Succubus's Song

Mara froze.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Mara spat, taking a step back but refusing to drop out of her defensive position. She’d hoped to never see the woman standing across from her ever again, but when Scotland’s curse was broken, the countdown started.

The figure walked towards Mara, gently plucking the fingers of her gloves as she removed them to reveal her own claws. She was wearing a perfectly tailored, black-on-black suit. She tucked her gloves into her pocket and adjusted the silk tie at her throat.

As she stepped into the low light of the alley, she flicked a glossy wave of brunette hair over her shoulder and adjusted the dark patch she wore over one eye. She looked Mara up and down like she was studying her, and the look on her face said she didn’t approve of what she saw.

“Is that how you’re going to greet your sister? I’m disappointed,” she made a tsk noise. “After all these years?”

“It would take more than a few centuries to soften the ice block in your chest that you call a heart, Alice.”

“That’s where you’re always getting it wrong,” Alice sighed mockingly before flashing Mara a grin that was all teeth. “You assume I even had a heart in the first place.”

“What do you want?” Mara hissed, struggling to keep a grip on her nerves. She hadn’t fully processed that it was her sister standing in the alley. When Mara abandoned Faerie for the human world, she’d hoped to never see her family again.

“I think you know what we want,” Alice pulled a cigar out of her jacket and began to light it, slowly rotating it over a lighter.

“We, is it? Are you speaking for the family now?”

“I am.” Alice didn’t hide her pleased smile, taking a long drag of her cigar. “Trust me when I say that I didn’t want to come here.”

“Why did you come then?”

“I was outvoted.” Alice shrugged. “The veil between worlds has been lifted again, and Mother wants you to return.”

“I can’t possibly imagine why,” Mara growled. She crossed her hands over her chest, assuming an entirely different sort of defensive position.

“It’s advantageous.” Alice looked around the alley with disgust. “For some reason, the rest of the family wants to expand back into Scotland. They’d like your insight on the modern landscape, or something like that.”

“Ah, of course,” Mara chuckled darkly. “It couldn’t be because they miss me.”

“Do you miss us?” Alice tossed back accusingly, and Mara didn’t respond. “That’s what I thought. You were the one who left.”

Mara’s face flushed at the accusation. A sick, nauseous feeling started building in her stomach as memories started replaying in her mind that she’d tried to forget.

“I left because you horrible, wretched bitches—”

“I know.” Alice rolled her eyes and tapped some ash off the end of her cigar, “We murdered your ‘true love’.” Alice put air quotes around the phrase, and Mara’s nerves hardened back into rage. She pulled her face into a tight, closed off expression, shaking her head as Alice kept talking.

“We’ve also heard,” Alice mused, “that you’ve grown rather close to Calum and would appreciate it ever so much if you petitioned him on our behalf to allow us to hunt in Edinburgh again. The family wants new territory. We need a challenge.”

Mara saw red. One second, she was standing across from her sister, and the next, she was pinning Alice to the wall. Alice sputtered as she dropped her cigar and Mara tightened her grip around her sister’s throat. Mara had lost control of her glamour; her eyes were bright red as she studied Alice, running her tongue over her pointed teeth.

“You will never hunt in Edinburgh,” Mara hissed. “This city is mine.” Alice’s feet kicked aimlessly in the air where Mara held her above the ground. “Do you understand?” Mara sneered and dropped Alice.

Alice caught herself before she could fall, and the sharp, stinging pain of Alice’s talons raked across Mara’s cheek. Mara let out an angry hiss and stumbled backwards, wiping the blood from her face.

“You’re pathetic,” Alice snapped, storming towards her. “You never did have the strength to finish the job.”

“Go fucking home,” Mara sneered. “You aren’t going to be successful. This isn’t the Scotland all of you remember, Alice. The humans know we exist. Calum liaisons with their government now, for fuck’s sake. When people go missing these days, it’s not blamed on the weather or the faeries or whatever the fuck else.” Mara’s control started to slip as her voice got louder. “You’re not welcome here.”

Alice bared her teeth at Mara. “And do they welcome you, sweet sister? Are they happy to give you a seat at their table?”

Mara paled for a brief second as the first century of her exile flashed before her eyes. She shook her head to clear it of the lonely vision before shoving her sister away from her.

“They’re my family now.”

“Ha!” Alice laughed cruelly. “Are they? Do you drink from them, Mara? Does your special little family know what you do to survive?”

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