“What did you mean I’m in trouble?” Isabel woke once again, without knowing how long she had been out to find Gavin in the bed next to her.

 

“The people who snatched you have big plans,” Gavin said. “Maybe Oz told you a little bit about them?” Isabel shrugged.

 

“Assuming they were vampires like you?” Gavin nodded.

 

“They were,” he said. “Vampires, but not like me.”

 

“What do you mean by that?”

 

Gavin smiled slightly.

 

“The politics of my people can’t be summed up in one session,” he said. “We’re not as simple as the angels are.”

 

“Okay,” Isabel said, dismissing the other questions she had. “So why am I in trouble?”

 

“Because you are the perfect little succubus,” Gavin said, reaching out to claim one of her still-naked breasts in his hand. “Even before you started transforming, you were probably pretty sex-hungry, right?” Isabel blushed and looked away, trying to squirm free of Gavin’s touch. “You had sex with me no more than fifteen minutes after you left Oz,” Gavin pointed out matter-of-factly.

 

“That’s …” she scowled at Gavin. “I only barely remember that.” Gavin chuckled.

 

“I have some responsibility for your forgetfulness,” he admitted. “In my defense, it’s standard operating procedure.”

 

“Explain,” Isabel said. Gavin raised an eyebrow.

 

“Because you were so good,” he said, letting go of her breast and sitting up on the bed next to her. “I was assigned to follow Oz, to see if he fucked a woman, and then to seduce her myself.”

 

“To create a succubus,” Isabel concluded. Gavin nodded.

 

“So, you’re in league with the people who abducted me,” Isabel said. Gavin made a face.

 

“Yes and no,” he said.

 

“You’re not going to tell me anything useful, are you?”

 

“I’m going to tell you that if anyone else, other than me, comes into this room, you need to use whatever you can of your abilities. Just don’t give into the temptation to feed on them.”

 

“But you told me before not to neglect to feed.” Gavin smiled.

 

“You won’t be,” he said. “Vampires and angels are not as susceptible to your charms – at least, the mind-bending aspect of them – but enough time in your company and they’ll fall.”

 

“Okay,” Isabel said. “So how am I supposed to use that?”

“By insisting that you’ll only feed from me,” Gavin said. “They’re hoping that since I can control you, and since you will need to feed nightly, that they can use me to bend you.”

 

“Bend me?” Gavin nodded.

 

“With the succubi they find out in the world, they have to starve them,” Gavin explained. “Keep them locked up alone until they’re willing to do anything to be allowed to feed, and until they’ve lost the ability to control minds.”

 

“But not me.”

 

“That was why they started sending us to dog angels’ steps,” Gavin said. “If they knew when a new succubus would be created, they could snatch her up, imprison her, and use her makers against her.” Isabel shivered.

 

“Oz said … he said that the vampires want to be in the open?” Gavin nodded again.

 

“Some of them do,” he told her. “I’m not one of them, personally – what good is developing years of hunting skills if I can just grab someone off the street and feed on them?” He shook his head irritably. “We’re better off being mythical; something that the higher ups don’t seem to understand.”

 

“So, you’re not on their side?” Gavin smiled.

 

“I’m on my side,” he told her. “For the moment, that means getting you out of here, and getting Oz away from them.”

 

“It does?” Isabel stared at Gavin as he climbed out of the bed and began dressing.

“You will tell no one,” Gavin said, meeting her gaze. “You will refuse to feed from anyone other than me that the vampires send to you. Do you understand, Isabel?” Isabel nodded. “Say it.”

 

“I understand,” she said quickly. She tried to look away, annoyed. “You know, this whole ‘unquestioning obedience’ thing is irritating.” Gavin laughed.

 

“I’m selling the idea of you as my own personal succubus, to train you up properly until you can be used,” Gavin said, moving closer to her. He kissed her lightly on the lips and tweaked one of her nipples with rough, playful fingers making Isabel gasp and shiver. “I’ll be back tomorrow night to feed you, greedy little thing.” He kissed her again, one hand straying down to the curve of her ass. Isabel felt him smiling against her lips.

 

He let go of her and turned away, leaving the room so quickly that even if Isabel had had the presence of mind to try and follow him, she couldn’t have. The lights stayed on for a moment longer, and then – abruptly – she was in darkness again. Isabel sighed and laid back on the bed, staring up blindly in the direction of the ceiling, trying to understand what had happened to her, and what she could possibly do to get herself out of the situation she was in.