Page 32 of Fallen Angels

Or maybe it was something else?

Whatever it is, he knows I’m an intact angel and that’s information that scares me. It’s also information I know I need to tell the others but I don’t feel the time is right. Not yet. Not until we find safety and we’re able to rest and make a plan for what to do moving forward.

I don’t understand Variant at all. Each time he called for me from my prison cell, I was convinced it would be my last living moment. Yet, he just wished to make conversation—mostly small talk. He wanted to know things about my past: how I’d survived on my own, where I came from, what I was running away from—all questions I couldn’t answer, owing to my missing memory.

Unlike our first meeting, Variant was decidedly better behaved during our next meetings. On more than one occasion, he was very curious about my relationships with Dragan and Cambion, but I held those cards close to my chest. He didn’t realize Baron was alive but instead believed Baron was simply a vampire who had coupled his lot with ours. That was fine with me.

Yes, I didn’t and still don’t know what to make of Variant, and that’s unsettling enough. Throw in the fact that I find myself unwillingly attracted to him, and I’m now suffering unnerving feelings of uneasiness.

I’m not supposed to be attracted to my warden and the man who will ultimately kill me!

Cambion orders Dragan to fetch kindling to make a fire while the rest of us catch our breath. The wound in Baron’s arm is gaping and ugly, and he’s lost a lot of blood. He’s weak and he needs to feed. And I know what that means: he needs to feed from me, but I also need to feed...

With every step we’ve taken, this yearning need within me increased and my energy decreased. At this point, I’m fairly zapped of any strength or stamina I had before. Since Variantseparated me from the others, I haven’t been able to feed the Succubus and I’m now paying for it. Yes, Variant gave me an orgasm but that orgasm has done little to decrease this hunger. I’m of the belief that the only way the Succubus can feed is through true sex—a man must be inside of me in order for me to feed from him.

Cambion and Dragan bicker about the kindling chore for a moment, but then Dragan buries the hatchet and leaves me alone with Cambion. Exactly what I don’t want. I don’t want to face Cambion’s questions and his accusations about Variant. Deciding to relieve myself, I move a few steps away from Baron, Flumph, and Cambion to urinate behind a tree.

When I smooth my dress back into place and walk around the tree, Cambion is there waiting for me.

“Eilish, what happened in Variant’s bedchamber?” he asks in a slight whisper as he blocks my path. He stands so close; his light energy envelopes me and I feel invigorated within his company. It’s strange because I don’t feel this way when I’m close to Dragan or Baron. I figure it must be Cambion’s light energy that speaks to the lightness within me.

I scuff bitterly. “So, you’ve decided to use my name again? Not demoness?”

“No, not demoness.”

“Only because you want something,” I mutter.

“I want you to tell me what happened.”

“Why should I?” I demand, facing him with an anger that surprises me. I’ve noticed that the longer the Succubus goes unfed, the worse my temper. I start to push past him, but he grips my upper arm and yanks me back, forcing me in front of him. He doesn’t let go.

“Because you’re afraid and I want to know why.”

That’s none of his business!I yell to myself.Cambion has been nothing but abrasive and cold this entire time! And nowhe’s being decent just because he wants me to answer his questions!

My anger gets the better of me and I feel my cheeks glowing red. I have to ease it back down again. It’s simmering, just beneath the surface and ready to erupt any moment now.

Maybe this is his way of waving the white flag?I reason.

No, it’s not. It’s his way of getting more ammunition he can use against me later.

“Eilish,” he probes, and I pull my arm away from his hand, taking a few steps back as I search for a way to sidetrack the conversation. I’m not going to give Cambion what he wants. I’m not going to further humiliate myself. “This is your fault!”

“My fault?” he demands, anger overcoming his features.

Well… fuck him!He needs to know how badly he made a mess of things.

“If you hadn’t insisted that we trust Raflamir, even when every sign told us not to, we wouldn’t have been captured!” I rage at him. “It’s your fault we were taken prisoner and it’s your fault that Variant...” And then I lose my nerve, fully aware of what I was about to say.

“What, Eilish?” Cambion asks as he takes the step forward that separates us, grabs my wrists, and yanks me into his chest. He wraps his arms around me and holds me there like he’s imprisoning me with a hug. I’m panting and shocked and I’m not really sure what’s going on. Cambion has never wanted to be close to me before so this is confusing, to say the least.

“What did Variant do?” I hear anger and empathy in his voice, but I don’t trust the empathy. It’s fake. It must be. Cambion’s opinion of me changes from irritation to dislike to fury so quickly, it gives me whiplash.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Iwant to talk about it,” he insists. And I can suddenly see the king within him—he’s a man who’s used to getting his way.

“You’ve already made up your mind about me, so let’s not pretend otherwise,” I spit the words out as I try to lean away from him but he holds me tight, forcing my face against his chest. He’s so warm and he smells like the forest surrounding us. His energy seems to leach into me, and I somehow feel restored. I can only imagine what it would be like having sex with Cambion—what the high must be. But I can’t allow myself to think this way. Cambion despises me. “You know what happened.”

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