Page 15 of Pike

“The wind’s dying down. Take a second to breathe, man, because even I can smell her now.” She squeezed his shoulder. “Stop panicking. Your little meal ticket is half a block down that-a-way. I suggest, once you have your spat, you tell her how you feel.”

Pike nodded even though he was already walking in the direction she’d pointed out. “Tell her what?”

“That you love her!”

He turned around to look at her as he walked backward and held his hands out to the side. “That’s the thing, Mal. I don’t.”

Her laughter echoed in his ears as he turned back. The moment he took time to draw air into his lungs, he did catch a whiff of Lavinia’s scent. It did little to still his racing heart, or the building dread, or the anger at his own stupidity. Here he was getting worked up over a woman. It wasn’t like him.

Try telling that to his insides, which were churning like an ice cream machine flipped to high.

The rapid slap of his own feet on pavement assaulted his hearing. It took mere seconds before he rounded a corner and ran face to ass with a furious Lavinia. Stalking away from him surprisingly well, despite the stripper heels she wore.

He watched the bobbing motion for a second too long before speaking. “Hey,” he managed, reaching out for her arm. Unsurprised when she kept it out of reach.

“Hey nothing,” she bit back.

“I know you’re mad—”

“Mad? Ha! I’m not mad. I’m furious.”

“It was just a little succubus,” he said in a teasing tone.

“So you’ve said before!”

She was fuming. Standing ramrod-straight and staring at him as if he’d grown a second head and it had just burst into a rousing rendition of the “Macarena.” Pike prayed he hadn’t compromised their friendship with the display at the club. Or his continued meals.

Aloud, he said, “Succubus or Incubus, depending on gender. They are demons, this time in female form. Usually appearing in dreams to seduce men. It’s how they feed. They survive by assimilating the lust and desire of human beings.”

“They aren’t supposed to be real!” she sputtered, her ability to articulate on an uphill swing. “I mean, come on. You said dreams. We weren’t dreaming. We were dancing. You wanted to feed me to that thing without any kind of warning. And unless I look like a man, I am not a lesbian, and there is no reason a succubus would come on to me. I can’t believe you.” She shot him an outraged glare. “Am I not good enough to warrant a male succubus?”

“Incubus,” he corrected, and his superior look had her clenching her fists in rage. “Knowing your terms will save your life. I thought you wanted me to teach you.”

She suddenly slumped, shoulders hunching and hair drooping to hide her face. A shudder passed through her. “At this point, I’d rather save face. I can’t believe what you made me do tonight. I can’t believe I almost left with that…” Trailing off, she and Pike spoke in unison. “Succubus.”

“I called in a favor,” he said. “She’s a friend of mine. Told her you needed some help. She was happy to oblige.”

“If I need to get help with sex, then I know who to dial on my cell. I don’t need you calling in favors with your demon friends. Especially when I don’t swing that way. Don’t do it again.”

“Help with sex? No, love. Help with your steep learning curve.”

“I don’t care how talented she is, or what kind of favor she owed you. I’m completely embarrassed—” Lavinia broke off on a jagged inhalation. “How could you do this to me, Pike? Look at me. Look at what I’m wearing.” She gestured down to her dress before wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “I feel so stupid.”

He didn’t tell her she’d smeared her makeup. It wouldn’t do to have her start crying. Pike sighed and reached out to grasp her hand when she struggled to hold back a swell of emotions. “Why be embarrassed? A sexy, half-naked woman wanted to give you the pleasure of your life with no commitment. If I wasn’t there to stop her, she might have. You would have been a little drained, but I doubt she’d do any permanent damage.”

“I was mistaken in asking you to help me.” She swiped her free hand through the air decisively. “Don’t help me. I’ll manage for the rest of my many, many years without you. Trust me.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “You’re crazy.”

“Crazy I may be, but at least I’ll be alone and content with my sexuality. Then I can get back to my comfy pants and sweatshirt.”

“You’ll be a hermit for eternity.”

“I can live with it.”

It was in his nature to be alone, as she said. To be alone until companionship became necessary. There was no such thing as mating for life with his kind. Not when his humanity was in the toilet and didn’t allow for relationships. Lavinia was the one person who could challenge that. The minute he came to the realization, he should have packed up his bags and left. Found another city, another country, and settled there for as long as the natives allowed.

Yet here they were, walking down the street on their way home, and he kept hold of her. He drew in a deep breath and his belly only marginally filled. Tonight would be lean, for sure. That’s how he knew she was pissed.

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