Page 35 of Wicked Succubus

“Shhh . . .” I say, putting my index finger against her lip.

“Hey . . .” She starts getting angry that I’ve told her to be quiet.

I lean in closer to her ear and whisper, “Someone’s here.”

As soon as those words leave my mouth, she freezes and looks around my room again, searching for an intruder. Her brown eyes light up, and there’s a speck of a different color like they want to change to a whole new shade, but they immediately go back to her normal brown. The way she bites her cheek tells me she’s trying to stay in control. It’s as though she’s barely keeping herself reined in. She’s no shifter. Zel is something else—something far more dangerous than she lets on. A chill runs down my spine at this realization. What deadly power does she harbor inside that delicate frame?

Maybe I should be afraid of her, not for her. The thought is as thrilling as it is unsettling. Can she be trusted, or will she turn that lethal power upon me? I search her shadowed eyes but find no answers there. For now, her secrets remain her own.

Chapter 17

Zelyah

Cooper is watching me likes he wants to unravel my deepest secrets. I can’t let him know what his father has planned, and I can’t outright tell him what I am. They both mean slavery or death. I’m stuck. He’s still gazing at me, but it’s probably because I’m still lying on top of him. I scramble off and stand up, missing the closeness and comfort I felt while my body was pressed against his. I quickly shake myself off, trying to get rid of those thoughts along with the feeling of emptiness.

No, Zelyah, it can never be him.

As soon as Cooper says someone is watching us, I feel the same electric energy that I feel when I’m around the sour patch. He reaches for me, and for a split second, I think he feels it too, but then his expression closes off. He abruptly stands, slipping on his mask of indifference again.

“Stay in the room,” he whispers as he goes to his closet.

Fuck no. I’m not staying behind. We’ve just been attacked. It’s better with numbers, although Cooper didn’t do shit to protect us the first time we got attacked. All he did was have a moment with nature while I was trying to keep us alive. I trail Cooper as he strides into an enormous walk-in closet, evidently custom-designed for a prince. Rows of fine suits in rich fabrics hang neatly together, far more than any normal man would own. The shelves gleam with rows of polished leather shoes, all shined to a mirror finish. One section houses boxes likely containing cufflinks, watches, and other accessories fit for royalty. In the back lies a climate-controlled room housing a safe. Nothing is out of place in the meticulous space. I run my hands along the smooth mahogany shelving, taking in the sheer abundance of upscale apparel. His silk ties probably cost more than I’ve ever made in my lifetime. This lavish closet was crafted with money as no object.

He opens a safe, and I try to take a peek at the numbers he’s punching in, but he’s too quick. He closes it even faster.

“Zel, I’m a federal agent for the supernatural community.” Yeah, and apparently a prince too. “I have a lot of targets on my back. You might get caught in the crossfire.”

“Yeah, I bet you’d be happy about that one,” I reply, knowing that it sounds bitter.

“Actually, I’d feel pretty fucked up,” he says, surprising me. My heart flutters unexpectedly at his words. “You’re helping with the case, why would I want you gunned down?”

Of course. It’s his case he’s worried about. He grabs a Glock 19, checking the clip, and instead of regular bullets, he has the kind that actually harms supernaturals. It’s the same one he used the night he found me.

He snatches up his cell phone from the closet shelf and dials swiftly. “Father,” he greets curtly when the line connects, his tone icy.

I suppress a shudder at the mention of his father. Our brief but memorable encounter left me with little desire to cross paths with the Fae King again.

“I can’t talk much, but there was an attack. They had hoods on. Zel and I are fine, but Edwin didn’t make it,” Cooper says, his voice cracking slightly at the mention of Edwin. It’s the only hint of emotion he allows.

Cooper’s knuckles turn white from his tight grip on the phone as he provides terse updates. His father likely demands a full report after the attack.

“I’ll give you a call later.”

It was a quick thirty-second call. Maybe he just wanted to assure his father that we made it out. When the call ends, Cooper’s neutral expression gives away nothing, but the lingering tension in his shoulders reveals his unease. He looks at me one more time after he’s done checking his gun.

“Stay here, Zelyah.”

I smile sweetly before he turns around, and my smirk turns devilish. Not a chance. I should really listen to him and stay put, but . . . I’m not one to stand still, so I follow behind him. He gives me an annoyed look before he turns and walks slowly. I guess he realizes arguing with me won’t help.

He takes notice of his room. “They were here.”

How can he tell? I look at the area around his room, but it all looks the same to me. Maybe he has a good sense of smell. Oh, shoot! That reminds me, I’ve got to act like a shifter.

“I can smell them,” I say, as I sniff the air. Really, the only thing I scent is Agent Cooper’s expensive Gucci Cologne. He lifts his brow like he knows I’m lying through my teeth.

“They didn’t touch any of my belongings,” he says as he searches his valuables. “They’re most likely here to kill me. Probably someone I locked up, or a family member of a person that got locked up.”

Oh shit, I guess I never expected people to come after the agent.

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