CHAPTER 3
Isabel woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside. She opened her eyes and blinked repeatedly, the room swimming in and out of focus. The light bounced off the gold-plated furniture, the rhinestones and the mirrored walls, illuminating the entire room. Isabel stretched out and rolled over, her eyes roaming over Oz’s naked body as it shimmered in the light. His skin was so pale it looked like porcelain. She pulled the covers up to her chin, the chill in the weather making her entire body shiver. “Hey,” she said, stroking Oz’s cheek with the back of her hand.
“Hey,” he said, opening his eyes. “Oh, it’s too bright in here, could you maybe draw the curtains, Isabel?”
“Alright,” she said, throwing her feet off the side of the bed. “I had fun last night.”
“Oh, we’re just getting started,” he said throwing the covers off and clasping his hands behind his head. “We’re going to go out into the city tonight,” he said, eyeing Isabel as she skipped back in his direction.
“Oh, I’m excited,” she said, her lips coming to a smile. “What are we gonna do?”
“You don’t have to worry about that right now,” Oz said. “All I want you to do is to kick back…” He leaned in close to her and pressed his lips to hers. “And relax.”
The hunger was gnawing at Isabel, even more than before. “I’m looking forward to that,” she breathed against his lips.
“But you gotta know something,” Oz said, suddenly serious. “Whoever you choose to mingle with, you don’t get to feed on them, ever.”
Isabel nodded. “I know, and I’m okay with that,” she said. “Is your back feeling better now?”
“It’s a bit better, look, my wings are already growing back,” he said, rolling over on his stomach.
Isabel squinted at the feathery trails running down Oz’s back. “Are they supposed to be this black at the roots?” she asked.
“Yeah, it’s just some clotted blood,” he said. “When they grow out, they turn gold again.”
“Do they still hurt?” she asked, her eyebrows furrowed.
“Like hell,” he said with a smirk.
***
Isabel heard a knock at her door. “Who is it?” she asked. But there was no answer. She walked over to the door. Please, God, let it not be Aden. “Oh my God,” she gasped. “Gavin!”
“Hey, Izzy,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “I see you’ve coped with being naked 24/7,” he teased, spanking her lightly.
“Oh, don’t do that,” she said, turning around and walking to the bar. “Do you want something to drink?”
“Thanks,” he said. “I just dropped by to check up on you. I heard Oz took really good care of you last night.”
“As always,” Isabel smiled. “I’m still trying to get used to the whole exile thing, though.”
“Exile?” Gavin asked, almost offended. “Isabel, you’re here because you deserve to live a good life; you’re here because you’re special.”
“And I believe you,” she said, undoing her braid so her thick curls were left unbound to tumble down to her waist. “You sure you don’t want anything?”
“I do want one thing,” he said, his eyes fixated on hers. He placed one hand on her hip and the other behind her back, and then he smoothed his way up the length of her spine. “You’ve got goose bumps, that’s a good sign,” he smiled.
“I’m always hungry for you,” Isabel whispered. She could feel that jolt of arousal course through her again, so she tilted her head sideways and worked her way down Gavin’s neck.
“Nuh-uh-uh,” he said, cocking his head away from her. Isabel just stared at him, confused.
“We’re going to have to wait until Oz is here,” he said, a smug look on his face. Isabel rolled her eyes.
“Did you just bring me here to torture me?” she asked, her face drooping into a scowl.
“Don’t say that,” Gavin said, brushing a hand through her hair. “Your hunger is a good sign, it means your transformation is basically complete.”
“Well, what if I don’t want to wait until Oz is here?” she asked, grazing at the base of Gavin’s scalp with her nails.
“You’re practicing your abilities on me… not the smartest choice, Isabel,” he said. “You’ll never be able to control me, although you can try.”
Isabel let out a sigh of frustration. She turned around and crawled under the sheets again. “I want to be alone right now,” she said. A part of her was starting to wonder if she’ll ever be free again. It was true that both Oz and Gavin were giving her what she wanted— her life depended on it— but what she didn’t understand was why Gavin was holding back. She had been fantasizing about him ever since she got here, and having him pull away from her like that was torturous, even humiliating.
“Don’t be like that,” Gavin said, sitting down next to her. “Tonight, we’re taking you out. You’re going to see all the sights of Paris, all the clubs, all the nightlife. You’re never going to want to go back home again.” Isabel rolled over to her side and buried her face in her pillow. As soon as she caught Oz’s scent in the satin pillowcases, she held back, getting up and making her way for the door.
“I know, I believe you,” she said. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to take a shower now.”
“Alright,” Gavin smirked. “I understand your frustration, but it’s only necessary. There has to be a balance,” he said. “I’ll see you soon, Isabel.”
She nodded at him and then slammed the door shut. Why’s he doing this to me? And what’s wrong with me? I’ve become a monster! The truth was, she couldn’t control herself anymore. It was like she was starving. Isabel was starting to think this was all one big game, a game of control. Her head was pounding, and she could feel a trickling sensation between her legs. She clutched her stomach with her hands, and then she worked her way down, her fingers dancing around her pelvis. “This is torture,” she said out loud. Suddenly, there was another knock at her door. Oz?
She rushed over and found Aden standing in the doorway, a tray in his hands. “I brought you some coffee,” he said.
“Come here,” Isabel said, snatching the tray from him and setting it aside. “Shut the door behind you.”
“Okay,” he said, eyeing her as she undid her robe and let it drop at her feet. He stepped closer to her, his lips curving to a smile. Isabel couldn’t wait any longer. She brushed a hand through his hair and pressed her lips to his. He wrapped both arms around her waist, pressing her up against him. Suddenly, the door swung open, and Isabel bounced back, instinctively picking her robe off the floor and throwing it back on.
“Isabel!” Analise exclaimed. “Aden, mind if I had a word with her?” she asked, nodding towards the door.
“No, not at all,” he said, a smile plastered on his face. “I’ll be back with your breakfast shortly.” He pursed his lips and then turned to leave, and Isabel was left standing there, humiliated.
“Isabel, what did Gavin and Oz tell you about feeding on other people at the mansion?” she asked, her head cocked to the side. A kind of Cheshire cat grin was tugging at the corners of her mouth, and she spoke to Isabel in a way that could only be described as patronizing. “Isabel,” she said again. “I won’t tell Gavin any of this, only if you promise it will never happen again.”
“They’re letting me starve,” she said. “I’m in pain.”
“It’s a test for you,” she said. “It’ll all pay off eventually.”
Isabel nodded, but deep down, she wasn’t convinced. “I can’t wait for tonight,” she said, falling back onto her bed.
“Oh, it’s going to be quite interesting, for all of us.”
***
Isabel was told to be ready by nine. She had a walk-in closet now, one that Oz had filled up with all the clothes he had bought her. Isabel had spent a good two hours trying to decide what to wear before finally settling on a shimmery champagne colored mini dress and a pair of matte crimson red pumps. “I look like a definite slut,” she said to herself, twirling around in front of the mirror. “An elegant slut, that is.” Isabel was starting to get used to looking at her own reflection and not being dumbfounded. And the truth was, it felt great. She had been waiting to go out for the past couple of days, and right now, all she wanted was for either Gavin or Oz to show up at her doorstep and take her away. She opened up her drawer and took out a bottle of foundation, squirting out a little bit of the latte colored lotion onto the back of her hand. “Gotta look a bit tanned tonight,” she smiled to herself, spreading it all over her face and neck. She took out her blender and smoothed it over her face, adding just a little bit of highlighter to bring out her contoured cheekbones. “And just a little bit of perfume,” she muttered, sprayed a little bit from the Chanel no. 5 bottle Oz had bought her. “Alright, I’m ready to go.”
Isabel made her way back into her room, sitting down over the edge of the bed and smoothing out the sheets with her hand. The door creaked open and she turned around, only to find Oz standing there, a smile on his face. “You look stunning,” he said. “Have you had anything to eat this morning?”
Isabel nodded. “I’m starving though,” she said, rather shamelessly.
Oz looked at her knowingly. “Just hold on a little longer,” he said. “Tonight, everything falls into place.”
“Alright,” Isabel said. “Where will you take me?”
“We’ll start off at the Eiffel tower, and then Gavin and I will take you to the underground scene.”
Underground? “And by that, you mean?”
“Just some clubs, where you can meet new people,” Oz said, nodding towards the door. “Now, let’s go, the car’s waiting for us outside.”
Isabel nodded, throwing a black fur coat on and following Oz down the stairs that seemed to spiral forever. As excited as she was to “meet new people”, as vague as that sounded, she was mostly looking forward to what Gavin and Oz had in store for her. Her mind kept going back to how hungry she was, but she decided she wasn’t going to beg anymore. She trusted them, after all, despite their inexplicable behavior. “Oops, sorry,” Isabel said, stumbling a few feet backwards. She had bumped into someone or something on her way down, and when she raised her eyes to look at who it was, she saw a black-haired girl with ashen porcelain skin, staring back at her.
“That’s okay,” the girl said. “Have I seen you around before?” A sudden wave of silence broke over the three of them. Isabel opened her mouth to speak, but when she realized the brunette wasn’t paying attention to her anymore, she let her words slip back into her throat. ” Never mind,” the black-haired succubus said, shifting in her place for a bit before she squeezed past them, her head ducked down and her eyes fixated on the floorboards. Isabel was stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the back of her head as she floated down the stairs.
“What’s wrong with her?” Isabel asked, hoping Oz could answer her. She couldn’t see his face but she could tell he was smiling.
“She’s just a troubled young girl,” he said, almost to himself. Isabel shrugged, following Oz out into the courtyard.
That girl sure did look terrified. It was like Oz’s presence threw her off balance, and she just ran off. Isabel ducked her head down and slid into the limo, only to find Analise sitting there, grinning.
“Good evening, Isabel,” she said, patting the cushion next to her. “Come, have a seat. You’re in for a wild ride.”
***
As always, Isabel didn’t get IDed when she walked into the club. In a way, she felt like she was in her element again. So many people dancing everywhere, flashing fluorescent lights, music blasting from the speakers. Gavin and Oz walked by her side, almost like bodyguards. “So, what are we doing here again?” she asked, turning to Oz.
“Well, there are lots of humans in here, as you can see,” he said with a smile. “Gavin and I are looking to… recruit them.”
“Recruit them?” Isabel asked, her eyebrows furrowed. “I thought only succubi and incubi were getting recruited?”
“Yes, and?” Oz asked, his eyes darting from Gavin, to hers, and then to Gavin again. Something about the way they were glancing at each other made Isabel uncomfortable. It was like they knew something she didn’t. “Isabel,” Oz started again. “How did we make you?”
Isabel wasn’t sure if that was a trick question. “I had sex with the two of you in one night,” she said.
“That sounded more like a question than an answer,” Gavin said, amused.
“Just tell me what’s going on, put me out of my misery,” Isabel said, turning on her heel to meet Gavin’s gaze.
“Well,” Oz started. “We want to create more succubi, and we’re going to start by tonight.”
Isabel was stopped dead in her tracks. For a second, she couldn’t really process what was being said to her. “So, what you’re saying is that you’re going to try and hook up with more people tonight?” she asked, her eyes darting frantically. She could barely hear them over the sound of house music blasting in the background, but she was adamant she must know the answer. Isabel never really liked to admit it, but she was growing a true connection to not just one, but both of them. She didn’t really want to see them sleeping around with someone else.
Oz nodded. “It’s kind of our job, at this point,” he said, rather coldly. “You understand that, don’t you, Isabel? It’s not like we want to do this, it’s just the only way we could recruit more succubi to our cause.
“You know what, no, I don’t understand,” she said, stomping her foot against the floor. “You’ve been starving me all day, and now you want to go out hunting for other people to feed on while I stay behind?!” Isabel was so angry, she could feel the hunger eating her alive. She didn’t know whether she really was developing an emotional connection with them, or if this was just the instinct talking. All she knew was that she really needed to feed on someone, even if that meant going up to a random person at a club in Paris.
Oz reached his hand out to Isabel. “Listen to me,” he said. “You remember why you’re here, don’t you?” Isabel didn’t answer. “We’re here to summon as many of our kind as we can. To come together, as succubi, incubi and angels to beat the vampires at their own game. You remember that, Isabel, don’t you?”
She paused for a second then, feeling Oz’s eyes bore into her, looked away. “But I’m starving,” she said again. Suddenly she could feel the power surge through her. It was such a foreign feeling to her, this feeling of utter and completely control; it was her instinct, manifesting itself in the form of unbreakable determination. She met Oz’s gaze and held it, focusing all her abilities on trying to get him to give her what she wanted. He stared back at her, not blinking, and for a moment Isabel thought she had him like a ring around her finger. She smiled at him and tilted her head to the side. “So, Oz, are you going to feed me or no?”
Oz was caught in a trance. His hands were balled up into fists at first, but then they fell limp to his sides. His lips were slightly parted, like he was about to say something, but they were frozen that way. It was like Isabel had cast some sort of a spell on him. Gavin reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, and then suddenly, Oz jumped. “Whoa, there,” he said, his lips curving upwards. He let out a giggle, and then his giggle turned into uncontrollable laughter. Isabel shook her head, unable to absorb what was happening. Had Oz gone mad? “You think you can control me?!” he asked, his pearly teeth showing through his smile. “Isabel, my love, you’re still a young succubus! You haven’t mastered the skills to control vampires… or angels.”
Isabel rolled her eyes. She was starting to hate him, little by little. But she knew she couldn’t. It was like Oz had her on a leash, and it was hard to get away. She could feel his eyes piercing into her again, like they were infiltrating her consciousness, her deepest utmost desires. She knew what she wanted, but she still wasn’t so brave to go out and get it. “This is all fun and games to you, isn’t it?” she asked, folding both arms across her chest. “Anyway, just go out and do what you have to do… I’ll be around, I guess.”
“This is a test for you, Izzy,” Gavin said, leaning in close to her, his face only inches from hers. “You’re going to go out there and mingle, with the promise of not feeding on anyone else here. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got some hunting to do… and soon, those people will be our allies.”
Isabel nodded, as always. “This is going to be a long night,” she thought.
As the night dragged on, Isabel was getting increasingly more drunk. She had been sitting by the bar for almost two hours now, reminding her more and more of what her life had looked like before she turned into a succubus. Except she was in Paris. A lot of men (and women) had tried to make advances on her, but the truth was, she was too drunk to respond. In her mind’s eye, she knew she couldn’t feed on any of those people, so what was the point? She was growing weaker by the second: her body felt like it might dismantle at any point. In a way, it felt like she was dying.
“Oh my God, what the fuck?” she heard a voice say from across the dance floor. Despite the loud music, Isabel could still hear the woman’s shriek. She looked over to identify the source of the sound, and then her eyes landed on a pair of swinging doors that led to the bathroom. A red-headed woman had barged outside, pulling her coat together and throwing her handbag over her shoulder. She was holding onto her side, as though she was in pain, but despite her high-pitched shriek that seemed to echo all across the club, no one really paid her much attention. Isabel followed the woman outside.
“Oh my God, oh my God,” the woman muttered to herself, fumbling with her phone. “Hello??” she yelled into her phone. “Amelie, you won’t believe what just happened.” Isabel smiled at how convenient it was that she was speaking in a language she could understand. “I’m pretty shitfaced right now,” the woman said, slumping down on the sidewalk. “I met this really attractive guy, you won’t believe how hot he was, but anyway, he lured me into the bathroom… it was pretty empty, and then we got into the stall and made out for a while… then it got more intense and the next thing I knew we’re helping each other out of our clothes.” She paused for a moment, cradling the phone to her ear. “And then he pushed me up against the wall and started kissing me… then.”
Isabel moved even closer. Stop eavesdropping, Izzy, she thought to herself. Her inner voice was starting to sound a lot like Gavin. She shook her head, trying not to let her curiosity get the best of her, but there was something about that woman, something that made Isabel eager to know what she had to say.
“He was on his knees,” the redhead said, her hand flying to her mouth. She was louder than anything else, and soon enough, Isabel didn’t even need to eavesdrop. “And then, oh my God, Amelie, he looked up at me, and I swear, his eyes were red.” She flipped her hair to the side and started fumbling with her earring. “No, not bloodshot, just red! The whites of his eyes… and that’s not even the worst part.” She placed a hand on her hip again, this time, clenching her eyes. “Amelia, I don’t know what kind of freaky shit he’s into, but he bit me and I think I’m bleeding.”
Isabel felt her heart skip a beat. She had to move in closer to make sure she heard right. “He fucking bit me, Amelia! It’s not even funny… I think I’m gonna go to a doctor… well, not now, but first thing in the morning.”
No, it couldn’t be. But no matter how much she tried to dispel the thought, it was still nagging at her, and she had no choice but to believe it. Suddenly it all came back to her. It was true that Isabel was pretty drunk, but she had one hell of a photographic memory. That woman didn’t run out of that bathroom alone. Isabel closed her eyes, and what she saw terrified her. Those broad shoulders, that stiff gait. In her mind’s eye Isabel could see Oz staggering out of that bathroom stall, his hands stuffed into his pockets. “Oz? No, that can’t be,” Isabel said out-loud. She wanted to lie to herself that it wasn’t him she saw coming out of that stall. She closed her eyes again but it was still him. What did he have to do with the bite marks on that girl’s hip? Isabel needed some answers. Was Oz responsible for this? And if he was, since when did angels dig their fangs into other people? Since when did angels have fangs? “Goddammit!” She looked around and a couple of people outside the club were staring at her. “Great, now they think I’m crazy,” she said again. She reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out her cigarette pack. “It’s been a long time.” Suddenly Isabel felt uneasy, like something was nagging her to go back inside and confront Oz. She tried to resist the urge, but then the feeling got the best of her, and she broke the cigarette in half and crushed it in her hand. Alright, I’m going back in there.