Seducing the Succubus (35 page)

“No.” Noah’s quiet word sent skittering panic down Jez’s spine.

“What do you mean, no?” Jez took Noah’s chin between her fingers and turned his face so she could meet his gaze. “Please, Noah. I couldn’t stand it if you died. Please, take the deal . . . and live.”

His features softened and he slowly blinked his eyes, as if it cost him even to keep them open. “Not worth life, without you.”

At the unexpected resolve and strength in Noah’s voice, the tears that had pooled in her eyes spilled forward to streak down her cheeks to fall against his chest. Jez collapsed onto Noah’s chest as sobs wracked her.

“This is your last chance, human. You have only seconds of life left inside you.”

Noah’s body tensed under her, and then his arm settled over her. He had used the last of his strength to comfort her, and that knowledge only made Jez cry harder.

“Lilith . . .” Noah said against Jez’s hair. “Go to hell.”

With those words, all hope drained out of Jez, along with her will to live. Lilith had been Noah’s last chance and now he was going to die.

Lilith’s soft laugh ran over Jez in a skin-tingling rush and then died away with an eerie echo. “So be it.” Lilith vanished, her powerful aura receding from the room and leaving dead, still air behind.

“Noah, please forgive me,” Jez whispered against his chest as hot tears flowed unchecked. “I love you.” Pain washed over her in great waves and Jez gave herself up to it, sobs wracking her body as she vented her pain and anger at the unfairness of the universe.

Finally, she’d cried herself dry. Noah’s chest under her cheek was wet with tears and she felt hollow and empty—a sensation she knew she would most likely carry for the rest of her life. Exhaustion filled her like a sudden overwhelming weight from the emotional toll of the last hour, and she sighed and let her eyes slip closed.

A gentle hand stroked her hair and she stiffened, half expecting it to be Lilith gloating as Jez wept over Noah’s dead body. Jez wiped her eyes and sat up to find Noah smiling up at her, his face full of color, his storm-cloud gray eyes studying her.

“Noah?” She ignored the waver in her voice as she ran a hand through his hair and over his cheek to reassure herself she wasn’t dreaming, and he was very much alive.

“It’s still me.” He shrugged. “I’m not sure how, but I suddenly feel great.” He slowly sat up and flexed his arms and fingers as if making sure everything still worked as it should.

“What happened? You were near death. You turned Lilith down.” Thoughts raced through Jez’s mind, tripping over each other as she tried to make sense of the fact that Noah was alive and well and sitting in front of her.

Noah grinned at her, and the vise around her chest loosened and fell away. “Maybe she had a change of heart?” he asked hopefully.

Jez held back the sarcastic laugh that threatened to bubble out of her throat and dropped her gaze to her lap. There would probably be a price to pay for this miracle, there always was—but she would gladly pay it just for the sight of Noah alive, well, and happy in front of her.

Noah lifted Jez’s chin so she met his gaze. “Yeah, I don’t really believe that either. But I’m definitely not going to complain about the outcome right now.”

Jez couldn’t help but smile at Noah’s playful tone. She couldn’t think of any other being, human or otherwise, who would be so accepting of his own near death. “I’m sorry, Noah. I had no idea the ring wouldn’t work here, or—”

Noah cut off her words by laying his fingers over her lips. “Hey, if I have to die, that tops my list as one of the ways I’d prefer to go out.”

Jez glanced down at his naked body and grinned. “Well, I guess when you put it that way, I’d have to agree.” She reached out to lay a hand against his chest, and joy leapt inside her as his heart beat steady and strong under her palm. “How would you like to spend the night with a succubus? No sex,” she added quickly. “I don’t think I can handle nearly killing you twice in one night—but just some spooning and a nice, long relaxing night of sleep?”

Noah cupped her face in his palm, and she leaned into the offered comfort as she drank in his gentle, loving gaze. “As long as you’re the succubus in question, then sign me up.”

Lilith
returned to her rooms to find Gabriel sitting up in bed, sipping something hot from a ceramic mug. She raked her gaze over the hot springs and the rest of her quarters, but they were alone.

“Raphael just left.” Gabriel shoved damp tendrils of her silver blond hair away from her face and gave Lilith a weak smile. “He said to thank you for your hospitality, but that now that the tough part was done, he could finish recuperating on his own.”

A sound escaped Lilith—a combination sigh and a huff of a laugh. She wasn’t sure why she should be surprised. “I guess he can take care of himself. He’s been doing it for this long.”

“I think he also realized I’d like to be alone with you.”

Surprise and joy twined through Lilith’s stomach, chasing away all the conflicting emotions swimming through her for the past several hours. She sat on the edge of the bed near Gabriel, the soft mattress gently dipping with her weight. “I was really worried. You came through the front portal looking just short of death.”

Gabriel sipped from the mug and frowned as she lowered it to her lap. “I was.” Her tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip. “Not that I excuse Semiazas’s actions, but I know it was accidental.”

“Accidental?” Lilith snapped. “Semiazas doesn’t do anything accidentally.”

A slow, sad smile curved Gabriel’s lips. “There’s a long history between Semiazas and me. Until recently I’d held out hope that he could . . . that he
would
change back to the being he used to be.” She shook her head. “Now I know that won’t happen, and I’ve made peace with it.” She shrugged. “He would’ve gladly gutted anyone in that clearing . . . except me. I saw the surprise and pain in his eyes even as it blossomed inside my belly.”

Lilith had heard rumors about a relationship between Gabriel and Semiazas back before the fall, but she hadn’t given them much credence until now. A slow curl of jealousy worked its way through her. “So what will you do now?”

“I hope to finish my tea, take another dip in those healing hot springs with you, and then we can discuss someone inside your lair who has been betraying you.”

Comforting, soft warmth
and the sweet scent of pomegranate and honey tempted Noah back to consciousness.

He opened his eyes to find Jez spooned in front of him wearing the T-shirt and sleep shorts she’d pulled on so they could avoid the temptation of skin-to-skin contact throughout the night. Surprisingly, that hadn’t been an issue—after the emotional near-death episode, they’d both fallen asleep quickly and Noah had slept hard.

He nuzzled his face against the back of her neck, enjoying the sensation of waking up with her in his arms, her soft hair sliding against the stubble on his cheeks.

“Mmm. Keep that up and you’ll be back on death row.” Her voice was heavy with sleep and Noah’s cock hardened instantly against her ass.

He couldn’t help but smile and pull her tighter against him even as he ignored the urge to roll her over, strip off her clothes, and plunge inside her—death sentence or not. “I agree. But this is going to be very hard . . . er . . . difficult.”

She chuckled and then stretched before turning over in his arms to face him. “You look great.” Her smile faded as she reached out to run her fingers over his stubble.

“What can I say? Alive is a good look for me.” He grabbed her hand and laid a kiss on her palm before laying it flat against his chest.

Her smile returned, but it was almost sad. “We still have to audience with Lilith this morning. She could choose to kill us both for our relationship and be done with it, you know.”

“She could. But I wouldn’t have traded one minute of last night or this morning for anything, no matter what happens. Would you?”

Jez cocked her head to one side, a mannerism he loved. “No. We’re probably both insane for thinking that, but you’re right. I wouldn’t trade it away.”

An hour later, Noah guided Jez out the front door of her quarters, his hand resting possessively on the small of her back as they headed down the hallway toward the throne room. One perk of last night was they no longer needed to hide their attachment from Lilith or anyone else. If Lilith decided to kill them, there wasn’t anything either of them could do about it, so Noah chose to live whatever time he had left as he wished.

The hallways were strangely deserted, but Noah sensed people watching them from the shadows and just beyond doorways, even though he couldn’t see anyone.

When they stepped inside the main cavern where they’d entered the day before, Noah glanced up to see glittering multicolored stalactites covering every available inch of ceiling space, the glow of light emanating from the crystals strong enough to illuminate the entire cavern. The ceiling gave way to smoothly polished black walls dotted with niches recessed at various heights along the walls—each filled with thick candles, glittering gems the size of Noah’s fist, or erotic silver statues.

Surprise made him slow to study some of the contents more closely until Jezebeth tugged on his arm, reminding him Lilith waited.

Evelin, the tiny redhead who had exchanged verbal sparring with Jezebeth yesterday, stood just outside two double doors that were high enough for a semitruck to easily drive under. The woman paused as they approached and then nodded to the two small demons who reminded Noah of dog-sized gargoyles.

Each tiny gargoyle grabbed a large steel ring attached near the bottom of the doors and pulled the doors wide to reveal Lilith’s throne room.

The throne room was smaller than Noah had expected, more the size of a large living room than the huge expanse the doors implied. The soft glow from the ceiling here set a more intimate mood than the brighter lights in the outer cavern.

Lilith’s throne sat on a raised dais, the large chair covered in various colored silks and pillows. A wide runway led up to her throne, and on either side were sunken areas filled with large cushions and pillows. Lilith herself wore black, her long hair curving around her as if it possessed a life all its own. She lounged comfortably on the chair and yet seemed tense at the same time.

The sudden charged silence in the room made Noah glance around to realize that Jezebeth and Evelin lay prostrate on the floor on either side of him while he stood gaping. He glanced back toward Lilith expecting to see her displeasure at his social gaffe, but surprise shot through him when her expression struck him as more amused than angry.

Lilith met his gaze and her lips curved slowly into a sensuous smile of invitation. “Evelin, come before me.” Noah started forward, but froze when Evelin stood in one graceful movement. Only then did his brain catch up and he realized Lilith hadn’t spoken to him.

Jezebeth stayed in her submissive position next to him and Noah remained quiet, not sure what to expect as Lilith broke their gaze, her expression turning to boredom as she turned her attention to Evelin.

Evelin swept forward down the runway that led to the throne like a dignitary expecting praise. She bent low before Lilith, holding the uncomfortable pose for a long moment before speaking. “My queen. What is it you wish of me?” She sounded so smug that Noah wanted to shake her until her eyes rattled around inside her head.

“Rise and face me, Evelin.”

Evelin rose, her satisfied smile making her look like a sated predator.

Lilith returned the predator’s smile and foreboding spilled through Noah in a warm, slow rush. From his limited dealings with Lilith, her current expression couldn’t be good.

“How soon can I expect Jezebeth’s sisters?” Lilith’s voice easily carried to the back of the throne room where Noah stood and Jez still lay prostrate on the floor.

The smile drained from Evelin’s face like melting wax. “My queen?”

“Did you not hear me?” Lilith’s voice was deceptively mild, but Noah heard the steely threat underneath the softly spoken words and was very glad it wasn’t aimed at him.

“Yes, Lilith. I—”

“Let me save you time, Evelin. You betrayed me and your sisters for Semiazas’s lies.”

All color drained from Evelin’s face, and she swallowed hard as her fingers tightened into fists. “No, mistress. I would never betray
you
.”

Lilith raised one dark brow, and Evelin lifted her chin in defiance. “I am your most loyal subject, my queen. I would do anything for you.”

“But not for your sisters? That which injures my succubi and incubi injures me. It depletes my energy and my power, which threatens my survival.”

Evelin swallowed hard but didn’t drop her gaze from Lilith’s. “What proof do you have, my queen, of this slander?”

Lilith raised her right hand and a shimmering form appeared next to her throne. When the form solidified, Noah sucked in a quick breath.