Page 91 of Poison's Kiss
I stagger to the ground, my whole body shaking, and he rushes to my side.
"For a second there, I thought you were going to take me out," he murmurs while scooping me up.
"For a second there, I was. The darkness... it comes with the power. Sorry."
"You just killed a night stalker that was seconds away from killing me. How the hell does a mortal witch do that?"
I groan as I look around at the damage my poor house has suffered, and then I use the magic from my light half to tidy it up. As if it's important.
The shattered pieces of my stairway suddenly shift back to form a pristine line, and the remnants of the splintered coffee table swirl in a small cyclone until reforming the rectangular wooden piece of furniture.
"Are you going to answer me?" Dice prompts, staring at me very intensely.
I decide to go with nonchalance, dismissal, and a touch of deflection. "I come from a strong bloodline. The better question is how did they get past my barrier? More to the point, how didyouget past my barrier?"
"Ah," he says with a smug grin while putting me down and letting me walk on my own again. "They never knew I had been banished to sleep outside in the cold car. I heard your screams. It's a good thing your house isn't soundproof. Once I woke up, I saw the dreamer walking out. I didn't know what he was at the time, but I used my powers of persuasion to dig it out. Good thing he wasn't immune to my charms the way you are. He gave me this very happily-" he hands me a small black stone "-before I tore his throat out. I wish night stalkers weren't so hard to charm. They feel some of our influence, but they're too strong to control for long."
My mind flashes back to the masquerade ball. Kane did feel the seductive air, but he walked away, which was something I couldn't do at all. Gage wouldn't have fought it off if Thad hadn't walked in on us.
"What is this?" I ask while staring at the smooth stone that doesn't appear to be any more special than a common piece of gravel.
"Beats me. It worked though. I walked right in without any problem. Do you have any juice of any kind?"
I tilt my head, confused by his request. "Orange juice. Why?"
"Because I killed the dreamer, so we'll have to wake the others ourselves. I'll also need lavender, coffee beans, and your blood."
"My blood?" I ask, pulling my arms in protectively.
"Yep. You're the owner of this house - the house in which the power to subdue them was used. Ownership means a lot in magic. Or we can wait a few days for the magic to wear off."
Apparently my blood will be spilled again tonight.
"Fine. Take my blood and work a potion."
He staggers slightly, showing a point of weakness, before regaining his balance.
"You're hurt," I murmur while examining him a little closer.
"I'm fine. It takes a lot out of me to throw out enough energy to take down a night stalker. Not to mention, even though I was carrying that stone, crossing your barrier took a lot of my strength as well."
"How exactly do you feed?" I ask curiously as he slowly follows me to the kitchen.
"I usually put food in my mouth," he playfully retorts.
"Ha. Not what I meant. I was talking about how do you feed your incubus power? I know what you feed on, but I don't know how it works. Night stalkers, changers, and lycans drink blood. Dark angels and angels need to absorb energy from the air. Witches and warlocks need contact with the earth... How do you feed?"
"How do you think I feed?" he chuckles out.
"Sex?" I squeak.
"Not sex. I just draw in your sexual energy. Just like you felt back at that masquerade ball." A smile plays on his lips as he gathers all of his ingredients for his concoction.
"Oh. Then take mine. I'm sure I've got some rattling around in me somewhere." I sure as hell don't want it.
He laughs ferociously hard, and then he shakes his head. "You're glowing with sexual energy, but it's hard to draw anything at all from you. Like I mentioned earlier, you're immune. When you're pissed, or almost fucking someone, then I can draw."
As crude and blush-worthy as that comment is, I ignore it.
