EIGHTEEN
Phoenyx slipped inside her apartment as quietly as she could and found Cortez snoring softly on the couch. She arched a brow and made a mental note that Sand Demon’s slept. She stood momentarily in the open doorway and looked around the tiny space she called her home. There’d been more people living in it in the last few days than there were people that had even seen it over the last five years. The life of an assassin was truly a lonely one, she’d been taught that her whole life, prepared for it almost cruelly, with isolation tanks and white torture. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t alone, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
Leaning over the couch, she gently nudged Cortez with her fingertips. His eyes snapped open in panic and then relief flooded them when he saw it was her.
“Fresa, you’re back.” His voice was hoarse from sleep as he sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes with his fingers. “I crashed. Normally I can go days without getting some shut eye, but these last two have been crazy, yo.”
She smiled. “Why don’t you go home to Kassandra and get some real sleep, if you need it.” A shadow crossed her face when Cortez’s eyes faltered. “What’s wrong?”
Cortez’s face screwed up slowly as he struggled to find the words. When he finally did, they spilled from his lips unheeded. “H made me promise not to leave tonight, so you wouldn’t be alone, and I could watch over you.”
A bubble of laughter, rare as it was, escaped her lips. “No offence, but––you, watch over me? Are you fucking joking?”
The shock of indignity flashed in his eyes and then he shrugged. “I help.”
Phoenyx smiled sympathetically. “I know you do, C. Look, I just want some quiet. I can handle Judas. He’s tied up. You and H don’t need to worry about me. I’m a big girl.”
She could see the indecision rolling around in his head as he weighed the pros and cons of listening to her and going against Hutton’s wishes. As sweet as it was, quite frankly, she was irritated that Hutton would even suggest she needed a babysitter to begin with.
Grasping his elbow gently, Phoenyx lifted him from the couch and began to usher him toward the door. Cortez made the appropriate amount of protesting before he finally sighed and let her escort him out. When she promised to call him tomorrow night and that she would make sure to lock all the doors up tight, she waved him off with a weak smile and closed the door behind him.
A heavy sigh lifted her chest and she found her eyes dragging to Judas––the sleeping vampire with a pulse. She gnawed on her lip anxiously. Pulling the elastic from her tight ponytail, she stifled a soft groan as it escaped her lips at the relief it gave her scalp.
Running her hands softly through the long strands of strawberry blonde hair, she gently massaged her aching scalp and decided a shower was exactly what she needed. As she passed Judas on the way to the bathroom, something told her to stop. Her eyes caught the open sores on his wrists from where the silver chains had cut into them, small tendrils of smoke curling upward from the bindings. Her hand automatically went out, pausing only momentarily in her uncertainty before slowly, gently, unchaining him and easing his aching arms down onto the bed. He didn’t stir. A couple of hundred years without any sleep will do that to someone, I suppose.
Quietly, she stepped into the bathroom and flicked on the light switch. A hard light filled the small room, glaring off the awful turquoise tiles that lined the walls and floor. Making quick work of her clothing, she turned on the shower until steam filled the air before stepping beneath the heavy stream of hot water.
A soft moan of pleasure escaped her lips, a hand going to the tile in front of her as the warm water sloshed down over her aching body like a baptism. The water poured into her face and eyes, and she opened her mouth to catch a breath. Leaning forward, Phoenyx pressed her forehead against the cool glass tiles and rocked her head from side to side, allowing the full realization to dawn on her.
Lazarus Morelock is my father.
Phoenyx felt the beginning of white-hot rage begin to creep outward from her chest, setting her skin on fire. She was furious––no, beyond furious. Hatred blazed within her like the fire of a thousand suns. She was angry at her mother for letting it happen in the first place, at Hutton for keeping it from her for all these years, and at Lazarus for existing in the first place. Her origins were still painfully unclear to her. Was she a half-witch, half-vampire, was she simply an empath, or was she something more––like her grandparents?
There was so much confusion in her heart, but unsure as she was, she knew one thing for certain––there wasn’t a damn human cell in her entire body. Not one.
She slammed her fist against the tile, a satisfied glint taking root in her eyes as the grout crumbled slightly, and a tile cracked beneath the pressure. I’m still strong and still smart. Her lip quirked upward in a half-smile at the thought.
Although Hutton had lied to her for so long, she needed him to help her figure it all out. She couldn’t do it all alone. She knew that now.
The sound of movement in the other room brought her out of her thoughts and she frowned. How had she even heard that?
Squeezing her eyes closed, she turned the water off before reaching for a towel and wrapping it around her wet body. Grabbing a smaller towel to dry her long hair, she turned the knob on the bathroom door and let the steam spill out. A blast of cool air hit her skin causing it to prickle. With her head down, she crossed the threshold and entered the bedroom. A throat cleared, and she looked up, startled.
“Sorry,” Judas said, as he stood up slowly, having been seated on the edge of the bed, his eyes awkwardly riveted to her legs. “I woke up and no one was here. The shower was on.” He held up his wrists and grimaced. “Thank you for unchaining me. I wasn’t going to go anywhere. I just needed to stretch.”
Her eyes were drawn to the two empty blood bags on the table next to him, but she said nothing. He was still a vampire, no matter how good he looked with his shirt hanging open like that.
Swallowing, she tossed the towel she’d been drying her hair with aside and padded barefoot to the dresser, pulling the drawer open with one hand, while she clutched the towel like a shield to her chest with the other. She could smell the remnants of the blood in the bags, as if it were under her nose and her nostrils flared.
“I see you found the blood Cortez had sent over for you,” she threw over her shoulder. She could feel her heart in her throat.
She felt, more than heard, the small laugh that escaped Judas’ lips and swallowed thickly as it travelled down her spine. Phoenyx was afraid to look at him. She wasn’t feeling like herself again and panic was beginning to grip her. She could almost taste the molecules in the room, and the pheromone’s Judas was exuding were like a direct line of electricity between her brain and her throbbing sex. She squeezed her legs together and her eyelids fluttered shut.
“Yeah,” Judas said softly. She could hear him shuffling from side to side, her senses becoming sharper. “I hope that’s okay.”
Phoenyx chanced a look over her damp shoulder and found he’d somehow gotten closer to her. She quickly turned her head back and continued rummaging through her drawers, suddenly unsure of why she was in there in the first place. “It’s fine,” she said. “Thank Cortez for having it brought here.”
Her skin pricked when she heard his voice merely a foot from where she stood. Her nostrils flared again at the scent wafting off him, her eyelids drooping heavily, and her lips parted. A spark of electricity ignited in her eyes, the crackle bringing her brain to a heightened sense of awareness. Her tongue snaked out to lick the delicate skin on her lower lip and she choked back a groan.
It was happening again.
She could feel a longing building between her thighs and her nipples pinched eagerly. This wasn’t making sense. Judas wasn’t in the throes of bloodlust. She shouldn’t have been feeling the way she was. She closed her eyes tightly and fear gripped her. Fuck. I shouldn’t have sent Cortez home. There is no one here to talk me down this time.
“Phoenyx?”
Pushing against the dresser, she propelled herself back and away from the intoxicating scent that was coming off his skin. When she was at a safer distance, she turned to face him. He made no move to hide the way his eyes were travelling her body. She could feel something building within her as those steely, blue eyes of his touched her skin in the most intimate way possible.
She swallowed hard. “Yes?”
Judas moved closer to her and Phoenyx couldn’t help but notice how his muscles bunched and strained beneath his clothes, almost as if he was fighting something bigger than himself. The closer he got, the more the air began to hiss and crackle. When he was finally in front of her, he reached out with trembling fingers and traced the outline of her collarbone. His touch was like fire.
“How did you get this?” He whispered.
Dropping her eyes to his hand, her heart jumped at the sight of his veins pulsing beneath the skin there. It was almost as if she could see the blood coursing through his body, even though it defied everything she knew about vampires.
Tracing a scar she’d gotten years before, the puckered skin vibrated under his touch. Lifting her eyelashes, she licked her lips and met his gaze with heavy eyes.
“Wendigo. Came after me and H one night on a stake-out.”
Her pulse was racing, making her blood sing as his fingers lingered softly on her skin. Where his touch should have been cold, all she felt was intense warmth coming off him.
Her lips were dry. She wanted to lick them so badly, but the sensation was almost too much to bear and she feared it would send her right over the edge.
“Hmm,” Judas murmured, his eyes travelling slowly to another scar at the base of her neck. His pupils had taken over the blue of his irises, startling her only a little. His fingers brushed the damp hair away and they were instantly on her skin, grazing the delicate skin. The tiny hairs there lifted.
“And this one?” He whispered, swallowing thickly.
The air was becoming heavier, intoxicating, and Phoenyx was having a hard time taking air into her lungs. The neurons in her brain were going off like firecrackers every time he touched her, and her skin felt like it was about to catch fire.
“Vampire,” she shuddered.
Judas arched a dark brow with interest.
She took a moment to clear her throat. “Cut me open and filled a chalice with my blood.”
“Why didn’t he just bite you?” The way he said the word bite made her stomach flutter wildly, and Phoenyx could see his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed.
A thin blue veil began to surround them as a fog seemed to pass through her skull. Sweat was beading her skin.
“It was for a ritual––to open a gateway to Hell.”
The moment the words slipped past her lips, Phoenyx wished she could have taken them back. Not many people knew what it took to open a gate to Hell these days, but something told her that Judas may have had a pretty clear idea. She hoped his garbled memory wouldn’t put two and two together and figure out she’d never been with a man before. She could feel the color pooling into her cheeks at the mere thought. It shouldn’t have even fazed her.
What did it matter whether she was a virgin or not? It’s not like she’d even had the urge before these last few days. So, the vampire had needed virgin blood for a ritual, and to save the young woman bound to die, Phoenyx had offered herself as replacement. Big deal.
Just as he had been preparing to spill her blood over the pentagram on the floor of the warehouse, she’d staked him. She had a ton of scars just like it. Her body was a map of almost every enemy she’d ever killed––except for one.
She jumped out of her memory when he spoke again.
“I never properly thanked you for keeping me here, and taking care of me like this,” Judas murmured, his voice so low it was barely above a whisper. “I think I’d be dead by now if it weren’t for you.”
Phoenyx felt the pull taking over in her body, a kind of ancient need threatening to set her aflame. She couldn’t block out his scent or the wicked emotions she was connecting to as they coursed through his body. He wanted her. Every cell inside of him, dead and alive, was screaming out for her. It was almost too much for her to bear.
Her mind was fogging delightfully, and she felt the ruthless predator inside of her trying to claw to the surface. He moved in closer and all thought dropped away. She was present, but not really there, just as she’d been with Cortez when she’d almost––well, she still wasn’t sure what she’d almost done to him. Her body was willing her to do things that were out of character, and as if her hand had a mind of its own, she reached up and unknotted the towel. It slipped to the floor, pooling around her feet. Judas drew in a sharp breath.
“So, thank me,” she said, standing naked and unabashed before him, all other thoughts flown away.
Quietly, she took Judas’ hand and brought it to the swell of her breast. Phoenyx fought the urge to arch her back like a cat in heat. Desire pooled between her thighs and a jolt slammed through her body as his thumb tentatively brushed across her taught nipple. Bending his head, Judas touched his lips softly to the tight bud before swirling his tongue slowly around the light pink tip and sucking on it softly. Phoenyx’s fingers dove into the mess of chestnut curls on his head and pressed him closer, gasping.
She needed more. It just wasn’t enough.
Lifting his head with her hands, his mouth detaching from her aching nipple with a sloppy pop, she dragged him up her body for a hot, searing kiss. Their mouths melted together like lava, tongues snaking around one another in an ancient dance. His essence, his emotions, were pouring into her as their mouths moved frantically as one, kindling the hot spark into roaring flames.
Phoenyx tore at his shirt, fully exposing the thick black letters tattooed across the top of his pecs. His muscles bunched with anticipation, but they never broke that heated kiss. It was almost as if a cord was tying them together, refusing to let them part.
“Take off your pants,” Phoenyx commanded against his lips as she fumbled awkwardly with his belt buckle, even as Judas groped every inch of skin he could get his fingers on. His pants came down to join her towel, and one of Judas’ hands quickly moved between them to delve into the slick folds of her aching sex. Phoenyx hissed with pleasure against his lips. It was at that moment the switch went off in her head.
She pushed him backward onto the bed and followed. As if her body belonged to someone else, she crawled over him, throwing a leg over his hips and sank down onto his thick, hard shaft. Judas let out a growl of pure animalism, his eyes shining with recognition when he met resistance there. His eyes shot to hers, green and glowing. He filled his hands with her hips to hold her steady, but Phoenyx was too far gone. Without warning, she sank down the rest of the way until Judas was buried deep inside of her.
***
“Your eyes––” Judas choked out as her slick heat surrounded his impossibly hard cock.
Judas felt as if the room was vibrating, alive, as electrical currents coursed around them in a wild vortex of sharp light and energy. He groaned as Phoenyx tipped her hips up and back, sinking down over him wordlessly as the blue veil closed in on them. She was emanating electro-magnetic pulses of pure pleasure with every sensual movement she made. It was almost as though her body was being fueled by whatever he was feeling.
Judas could feel her desire and heat surrounding him as he watched her move over his body like lava. His hands slid up her body to play with her breasts and she gasped, her voice an eerie echo. A tension was building, coiling, as she rocked his hard cock in and out of her body.
Within the veil, a storm had begun, electricity and static building with every movement. The wind picked up her hair, flinging it up and behind her body as she moved faster over him, seeking out her pleasure. When she looked down, Judas had bared his teeth. Her excitement was pushing him over the edge and he wasn’t sure he could contain himself any longer. He wanted nothing more than to spill into her, and sink his teeth into the soft, tender tissue of her lovely neck.
She bit her lip hard, drawing a drop of blood from the tender flesh, before surprising him by leaning down and molding their lips together. He inhaled sharply at the tangy taste of her blood on the rough surface of his tongue. He half laughed, half moaned into her mouth.
Pulling her lip into the wet cavity of his mouth, he suckled softly, his eyes rolling back in ecstasy. She moaned, again that strange echo bouncing off the walls as she swirled her hips over him, riding him harder to the finish line, seeking release. Suddenly, she let out a wild, keening sound of agony and he felt her sex clamp down hard upon his erection.
Her head lolled back, clearly in pain, but instead of deterring her, the pain seemed to spur her on. She shot upright, Judas’ hands gripping her writhing hips like life support as she pumped her sex over him wildly. Her body tightened against the onslaught of pain. He could feel it ripping into her as an Earth-shattering orgasm spiraled her body into the atmosphere.
Judas gazed up at her in awe as the pleasure overtook them both. Just as her orgasm peeked and he spilled into her, one of the most intense sensations he had ever experienced before gripped him. A strange sense of euphoria rushed over him. It was then that two enormous wings, made of flames, spread out behind her with a wingspan of at least six feet, beating the air with a loud thunder. The heat coming off them scorched his skin, but he’d never felt more whole in his entire life. Her eyes were that strange neon green again as she seemed to look right through him, a fearsome vision of flame and electricity as it crackled around her. Phoenyx stretched her wings, the air around them warping from the heat and Judas quickly retracted his fangs.
“What are you?” He hissed, feeling his shaft spring to life once more. Confusion and lust firing through him.
A slow, sensual smile spread across Phoenyx’s face and her hips began to move over him once more, this time more forcefully. A pained look spread across his features as she dug her nails deeply into the raw flesh beneath his tattoo, anchoring herself as she used her sex like a weapon.
Judas could feel his energy slowly depleting. He could barely lift his arms to stop her. The room was beginning to go dark and all he could see were those bright, flashing green eyes as they bore into his.
“I am Succubus,” Phoenyx echoed in that lulling, hypnotic voice, running her hands sensuously over her writhing body. With a breathless laugh, she threw back her head––and roared.