Page 19 of The Succubi's Choice

She sips at the appetite quencher, and it’s not like it’s a substitute for actual hunting and sex, but it’s nice. Soothes something deep in her physique that she doesn’t understand.

The machines beep, and Lundy writes down the results, as if this is something significant. “I’m fine,” she says, as he puts a pulse reader over a finger.

“Copper’s still categorized as a class three stressor to succubi, with compounding repeating symptoms.” He settles back in his seat, staring at her. “Miri, you had no other contact?” His voice is soothing, non-judgmental, like a high school counselor trying to soften some bad news.

She just shakes her head. “I don’t want to?”

His face relaxes, and he nods, busying himself with the pulse reader. “Your adrenaline is all over the place,” he says, because of course it’s not just a pulse reader. It probably has the ability to find all sorts of invasive information about her that she doesn’t want to have people know. “Drink up.”

“Why would someone like him show interest?” She asks, instead of following his orders, and his lips purse. He doesn’t say anything, just waggles his eyebrows at the bottle, until she takes an obvious gulp.

“We don’t know,” he says, as if he’s trading information with her having drinks. “But I don’t like it, and I don’t like them putting you in that room again.”

She toasts him with the bottle. “Thanks.”

“Text me if he gets close, or contacts you,” Lundy says, quick, like he’s getting it all out. “This could be bad, I don’t want any of my wards caught in the middle of another power struggle. Do you have any weekend plans?”

She squints at him, but nothing approaching guile appears on his face. “Katya wants to go shopping for a formal dress, I’m gonna help her,” she says, settling for the truthful answer. “She feels she couldn’t wear a suit to a wedding.”

Lundy nods, as if it’s the most fascinating thing. “She going to the Iakov wedding?” He asks, because of course he knows the same gossip she does. “I heard it was in Europe.”

“Which is why I’m not going, but Katya can.” Miri says, feeling a bit more like she has the world firm underneath her feet. “I say she should shop for the dress in Paris but she wants to be prepared.”

“Just make sure to take this weekend easy,” Lundy says, his voice kinder than comfortable. “Stay on the couch as much as possible, avoid being too cold, and let me know if you feel anxiety or if your heart is beating too fast.”

“Great, thanks,” she drawls. “There’s an Archdemon interested in me and you want me to tell you about anxiety.”

He smiles and pulls another drink out for her, tucks it under his arm. “You’re going to be massively hungover tomorrow. Take this. For later.”

She scoots off the cot. “Sure. For later.”

* * *

Gabriel’s upwaiting for her when she walks through the door, and raises the eyebrow at the two-fisting of bottles.

She just shakes her head at him, trying to get away without explaining anything, but the crinkle in Gabriel’s brow stops her cold. “I swear I’m okay.”

He nods at the drinks in her hands, and she swoops it behind her back like it’s something to be ashamed of. “Whatever it is, Lundy thought it was okay give you that when you literally just fed?” He asks.

Staring up at the popcorn ceiling and trying to not find patterns in it, she sighs. “Some assholes in the Org put me in the copper room, and it’s bullshit,” she says, as quick as possible, as if forcing the words out makes them easier. “Lundy got concerned and made me drink this cause he’s such a dad.”

Gabriel blinks, slow, as if he’s missed some key info somewhere. “Copper room?”

“Have I not told you about that?” She lolls her head to look at him, and he shakes his head blankly. “Copper hurts a lot of people like me. That’s why I have that pistol.”

“I thought that was just aesthetics,” he says, because yes she’s totally the person who would do something like that.

And there, sitting on the couch, she’s faced with yet another dilemma after a night of awful dilemmas.

She’s known him for years. He’s known what she is for nearly half a decade, and her secret’s never gotten out. After Katya and Lundy, he literally is the only human who is actually a friend.

And yet…

“Yeah it’s a thing, it’s minorly awful.” She pushes up, rubbing her eyes. “Are you up for a reason? Or just me?”

“I have a thousand undergrad term papers to read, and no one likes writing about math.” She can see the disappointment in his eyes, but she shrugs that off. “Won’t want to pull an all-nighter Sunday night.”

“I need to crash and then do nothing all weekend.” She shoots him a smile, but he doesn’t return it. “Doctor’s orders.”

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