Page 42 of Wicked Succubus

I sit up from my bed and nearly fall back down. I glance down at my torso, and it still looks pretty raw. Purple and red bruises stain my sides. My body is still sore from the two fights I had last night, but my wounds will heal. Others weren’t so lucky. Edwin’s face flashes in my mind, his laugh, his unwavering loyalty. He was a good friend, a reliable carriage driver, and he died because of me. The ache in my heart burns like a raging inferno, and I know that no amount of healing can mend that wound.

I think about calling Diana, my healer, to expedite the process, but decide against it. I have too much work to do, and all she’s going to do is make me take the day off. I shower and get dressed slower than usual but I manage, then head to my office downstairs. I try to avoid Zelyah’s room at all costs. If she is awake, she could be getting ready for her date with Easton, and I’m not in the mood to see her happy. Plus, I now have two idiots living in my pool house that I need to avoid. Those prickly bastards get on my nerves, and I can’t say that I wouldn’t jump on the chance to throw a few more punches if they get in my way.

How the hell did I get myself into this mess? Oh, right . . . Zel. She is the only reason I’m letting them stay here. I still need her help, and my hope is that they will leave for their next assignment soon.

My office has been cleaned up. My books are picked up from the floor, and my broken vase, seats, and shelves have all been replaced. I have housekeepers that maintain my house and keep it tidy. My father made me bring them to this realm as help. He said no royalty should subject themselves to doing lowly chores, but I’m starting to think they report to my father. There’s not much I can do about that situation. My father will bring me back to Faerie if I tell him I no longer want them here.

I sit in front of my computer to log in, and as I glance down at my phone, I see a missed call from Tyler. He must have called when I was in the shower. I hope he has some good news. Something that I can use to find exactly who this person is. So far, we only have one witness who doesn’t remember anything. Radnor is going at it nonstop trying to push her for answers. I call him back, and he picks up on the fourth ring before it goes to voicemail.

“Hey, Coop.” He’s panting. He probably went out on a run in his shifter form.

“Hey Tyler,” I reply.

“That was a cheap shot,” he yells. “Sorry man, just sparring with Benji, and since he was getting his ass kicked, he decided to lay one on me while I was distracted.” The other man on the line chuckles. “I’ll be back to finish what I started,” he says, talking to his brother.

I wait about a minute before I start to talk again. “What did you find out?”

“Any idea why they’re covering up a human case?”

I’m eager to find out what he knows. “Nope, no idea why.” I rest my head in the chair. “Did you find anything?” I ask hopefully. I’ve hit every dead end on this case. I’m coming up empty everywhere I turn. I’m starting to believe I’m losing my touch. Nah, can’t be. This fucker is just too good.

“All the document says is keep out and stop looking.” O . . . kay that’s a first.

“I uh—I’m not sure what this means.” I’m completely baffled. “Was there a name or some other type of information?” I ask eagerly, but I already know the answer to this question.

“Not a single name. There is no other information but that document. It was tough to get into this file, so whatever this is must be really serious.” His breathing is even now. “I’ll send you the proof so you can take a look.”

I log in to my email and open the file. There’s nothing there except those words. Whatever this was, they wanted it hidden badly, but why? We don’t get involved in human affairs.

“I dug deep, and that was the only thing I found. I was surprised that the only thing in here was that useless note. The real details may have never been uploaded in the first place when they were scanning the files to the computer. They used this note as a fake placeholder to make it seem like the information was there. Maybe there’s a paper trail somewhere.”

“Thanks, man, I appreciate the help.” I can count on Tyler; I know he’ll be discreet with this information.

“No problem. Let me know if you need more help or if you need me to hack another file. I’m intrigued by this case.”

“Yeah, so am I.”

After our goodbyes, I hang up the phone and stare at the photo a moment longer to see if I can find anything out of place or any other clues, but I come up empty. I spend the evening looking through the FBI human database, but there’s nothing out of the ordinary that matches this case. So, this case never made it to the human FBI. Some cases don’t when it involves a supernatural, so this was most likely done by a supe, not a human. The supernatural women have nothing in common besides being murdered the same exact way. Why is this individual so important that I don’t even have access to the photo? There’s no name, no description, absolutely no information to go on to try and find this woman’s family. Is this a coincidence, or is there something more that I’m missing?

Chapter 23

Killian

The faster we find the Succubus, the faster we can spend time with Zel. I’m conflicted. I want to get to know her, but I know we can’t have a relationship since I work for the Arcana Society. Maybe if I can convince her that we’re good for her, she’ll wait for us until our contract with them is up. It’s wishful thinking on both parts. If you’re good at your job, the society doesn’t want to let you go, and even if we were able to find our freedom eventually, a woman as beautiful as Zel might find someone who actually has the time to spend with her. It wouldn’t be fair of me to ask her to wait for us until we’re no longer bonded to the people we work for.

I linger a couple of extra minutes outside the pool house. I don’t want to leave the house without catching a glimpse of Zel. I can almost feel the remnants of walking into her dreams. The way her beautiful skin shimmered against the bright sun. The way she caressed my cheek. Her lingering touch stuck with me throughout the evening. I’ve had a small taste of her in the dream world, and now I want her in the real world.

It’s about eight at night when I take a seat in a patio chair and stare into the kitchen of the main house through the big glass doors. Even these damn cushions match Agent Cooper’s eyes. That man is full of himself, but that’s just the way the fae are.

We’d left early this morning to search for the Succubus while Agent Cooper and Zel slept. I wanted to invade her dreams earlier than I did, but she’d had a long night in Faerie, and dealing with Agent Cooper must be exhausting for her. I’ve only just met him, but fuck, he’s so uptight. We’d gone back to the motel and searched the neighborhood, but we hadn't found any more dead bodies. We looked through dark corners and abandoned houses, yet we still came up empty. We still need to search other motels in the same area.

I hope I can get my head in the game, but I can’t seem to focus. All I can think about is Zel and what I did to her in the dreamscape. I can still feel her smooth, soft skin beneath my touch as I’d explored her body. The way she gasped at every sensation. It was like she’d never had any sexual interaction with anyone, and I feel some sort of relief. As I’d thrust into her with my fingers, she’d shattered around me in ecstasy. Her slick folds had begged for more attention as my fingers moved lower, rubbing her clit faster and faster until she’d convulsed around me in an orgasmic frenzy. She’s absolutely perfect, and I wouldn’t want anyone else but Rhett and me to be able to make her come.

Fifteen minutes pass, but she never comes back down to the kitchen. I’d hoped to catch her before she went on her date. I try not to dwell on it too much because I know I’ll want to crash it. I want to finish what we started in the dream—if she’ll let me. With a sigh, I stand up and head inside. Moving through the house, I grab my keys and make my way to the car. The night air is cool as I step outside and unlock my vehicle. I slide into the driver’s seat, feeling the leather beneath me, and take a moment to collect my thoughts. I turn the engine on but leave it in park as Rhett climbs in beside me. He gives me a curious look, noticing the grin on my face.

“What has you in such a good mood this time of night? You’ve been chipper since we got in the car this morning.”

“I brought Zel into my dreamscape.”

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