Isabel stared up at the ceiling of her bedroom, feeling the lingering slickness, the tender sensation along her labia. She had retreated to her bed when she had recovered from the encounter with Oz, confused, satisfied, and worried in equal measures. Oz had remained behind, and Isabel was grateful for that; she needed time to think. She needed to wrap her mind around what was happening to her, and what Oz had told her would continue to happen moving forward. “This is so screwed up,” she told the ceiling.

 

She had always had a healthy sexual appetite, but the way she had gone down on Oz, the way she had ridden him, the absolute hunger she had experienced was something totally out of her understanding. Isabel shook her head, baffled by how good the sex had been as well as how much she had not just wanted but needed it. “At least I’m good for a day, I guess,” she said absently.

 

“You technically don’t need to feed again for another two days, if you don’t want to,” Oz said from her bedroom door. He came into the room, and Isabel fought off the sense of irritation she felt; she needed way more answers.

 

“I thought you said I’d need it nightly?”

 

Oz shook his head.

 

“Once you’re fully transformed, you will,” he said. He smiled slightly. “Given your current appetite, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were so voracious you needed it a few times a night.” Isabel groaned, turning over onto her side, away from him.

 

“This is humiliating,” she said, not bothering to look at the man.

 

“It’s definitely something to adjust to,” Oz said. His voice was surprisingly mild. “But there are benefits.”

 

“Oh yes, getting out of tickets and getting my boss to let me leave early for the day with pay are huge benefits,” she said. Oz chuckled.

 

“You’re thinking too small,” he told her. “You can control the mind of any man – well, gay men are iffy. But think about what that means.”

 

Isabel considered it.

 

“If you’re thinking I can just go around getting guys to give me money …” the idea felt dirty to her.

 

“You could,” Oz said. “You could also become a model; no male designer would tell you no. You could go into sex work – that way you’d get paid and be guaranteed to get the feedings you need.” Isabel cringed. He’s not wrong, but going into sex work just because … she shook her head, sighing.

 

“It would feel wrong,” she told him.

 

“There’s a more important concern,” Oz said. Isabel turned over to face him, confused.

 

“What more important concern?”

 

“You’re vulnerable,” Oz told her. “Remember how you ended up like this?” Isabel rolled her eyes and sat up, feeling the slick slither of her fluids mingled with Oz’s against her labia, along her inner thighs.

 

“According to you, by having sex with you and also a vampire,” she said tartly.

 

“Right,” Oz said. “And unfortunately, that fact puts you in more than a slightly awkward position. That’s why I’m here – not just to tell you what you are and to give you a good feeding.” He gave her a faint, almost sardonic smile.

 

“Okay,” Isabel said. She licked her lips and combed her fingers through her hair. “So, explain this to me.”

 

“Vampires and angels, we don’t get along,” Oz said. “Not really, anyway. It’s not exactly a good versus evil thing, though you can think of it that way. It’s more a question of factions. Vampires are creatures of night; they can go out during the day, at least after their first hundred years, but they have to be careful.”

 

“This isn’t exactly explaining the awkwardness,” Isabel told him.

 

“Listen to me,” Oz said. Isabel subsided, taking a deep breath.

 

“Explain that, too; the way you can make me do whatever you want, whether I want to or not,” she demanded.

 

“It’s because I helped create you,” Oz said. “Your body obeys my commands.” Isabel raised an eyebrow at that but decided to let it pass; there were more important things to find out. “Vampires and angels, we both have a vested interest in keeping succubi contained. However, we have different opinions about how to accomplish that.”

 

“How so?” Oz sat down on the edge of her bed.

 

“Angels ... we mostly try to help succubi by setting them up with a host. Someone who can satisfy their needs. Or we steer them into providing sex therapy, or other things like that.”

 

“Okay, and the vampires don’t do that?”

 

Oz shook his head.

 

“The vampires are big in sex work: prostitution, porn, BDSM clubs and so on,” he said. “They’re also invested in some unsavory practices that they use succubi in: blackmail, slave trading, things like that.”

 

“So, apparently, it’s a good thing you found me,” Isabel said, feeling a trickle of fear down her spine.

 

“The bigger issue is that the vampires are amassing an army,” Oz explained. “There are all kinds of paranormal and supernatural creatures on this planet, and the vampires are trying to get as many of them as possible on their side.”

 

“And the angels aren’t?”

 

Oz half-shrugged.

 

“We’re a bit more passive in our recruitment,” he said. “We don’t feed on humans, vampires do.”

 

“And feeding on humans is relevant because?”

 

“Because the ultimate goal that the vampires have is war,” Oz said. “They want to essentially bring the non-supernatural community under the collective rule of themselves and a few other creatures that exist.”

 

“And succubi are part of that?”

 

Oz nodded.

 

“They play an instrumental role,” he said. “After all, the ability to control men’s minds comes in pretty handy for waging war against them, doesn’t it?” Isabel shuddered. She hadn’t fully enjoyed even the little taste of mind control she’d had earlier in the day. The thought of that ability being used as a weapon gave her chills. “There’s basically been a cold war between angels and vampires for centuries. Angels want the supernatural world to stay quiet and hidden. Vampires want to come out and have the right to feed on whomever they want to, whenever they want to.”

 

“And because of that, I’m in danger,” Isabel said, making it not quite a question.

 

“They’ll want to recruit you,” Oz said. “If not willingly, then by force. From what we’ve been able to determine, they starve succubi to make them compliant, and then only give them the opportunity to feed if they agree to do what they’re told.”

 

“So, my mind control doesn’t work on vampires, I take it,” Isabel said grimly.

 

“It’s not as strong, because they have similar abilities,” Oz said. “Angels are also partially immune. And if they starve you, your ability to control minds will weaken.”

 

“Clearly, I need to avoid vampires,” Isabel said.

 

“To that point, I want you to stay in my house,” Oz told her. “I’ll support you financially – there’s no need for you to keep your current job, or even find a new one.”

 

“You must be pretty well off to just suggest taking me in like that,” Isabel said, looking at him skeptically.

 

“I have about ten billion dollars,” Oz said smiling. “It’s not difficult to accumulate wealth when you’re immortal.”

 

“That makes sense,” Isabel said. She fidgeted, looking at the man she had first considered a one-night stand. He was an angel. And now I can’t tell anyone the story about that night, Isabel thought, almost bitterly. I’ll be off the grid until ... well … “How long would I have to stay with you?”

 

“Until this matter is resolved,” Oz said firmly. “Until you’re not in danger anymore.”