Succubus Lost (Files from the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency, #2) (17 page)

“I missed you,” he said.

“Me, too,” I whispered. He lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me gently, and I pressed myself against him, my body suddenly soft and in great need. Only the knowledge that Elaine was probably listening to us upstairs allowed me to break our kiss. When I pulled back, his intense expression almost made me decide I didn’t care what Elaine did or did not hear. But I gave him a small smile and stepped back.

“I’m sure you know, but Koslov didn’t make it,” he said, and I nodded, still unsure exactly how I felt about that.

“Leon?”

“They’re saying he died in there, too. The whole warehouse went up, you know.”

“You don’t sound convinced.”

“I’m not sure fire could kill a salamander, even at those temperatures. Well, not most salamanders anyway.

The OWEA also interviewed some of Leon’s family.”

“And?”

“Apparently he and Koslov were in a relationship for nearly a year. It ended right around the time Koslov started his succubi experiments.”

I shuddered. “So Koslov decided to siphon a succubus’s power for himself, to get back at Leon.” I knew it was true; it fit Leon’s mixture of emotions and the brief flashes of memory I’d gotten from him while thrilling the salamander.

Costa didn’t ask how I knew that, but worry creased his brow. “Seems like it. And from what we could gather from his staff, Koslov has been growing seriously unstable the last couple of years. Not that the man could have ever been totally right, being willing to do what he did, but it’d been starting to show.”

“Maybe because he took the power? A power his mind and body weren’t built to handle.”

“Maybe.” He paused. “How are you doing?” I shrugged. “I’m okay.”

“You drained some energy from Leon, didn’t you?” I stiffened and headed for the kitchen. Costa trailed behind me. “Yes, but not enough to make a lasting connection. I’ll be fine.” That wasn’t entirely true; I could still feel a bit of Leon, and that would never go away. But the presence was small, and so unformed it wasn’t worth mentioning. I knew it would fade—if not disappear—in time. “Want some tea?” I asked.

He gave me a disgusted look. “Coffee?” I smiled. “I guess I could dust off the coffeemaker.” He sat down at the kitchen table while I looked for the old tin of coffee I knew I had somewhere. “How is Elaine?”

“She’s better than I expected her to be.” There. An old tin of coffee hid behind a bag of flour. I turned to face Costa and waved the coffee at him. “She’s already talking about going back to class. I think she’s handling this better than I am, to be honest.”

“So there are no lingering magical effects?”

“Not that Natalie could find. She doesn’t think Koslov had long enough to complete the spells.” I looked away from Costa’s intense gaze and focused on my kitchen window. The sun was out, sparkling against the grass. The first sunny day I’d seen in a while. “I talked to Natalie about Koslov.”

“What did she say?”

“Apparently he’s always had a bit of an issue with women. Natalie said that no one realized how deeply disturbed he was. He took Natalie when she started looking into that list of potential suspects for us. Guess he got nervous.”

I heard footsteps against the tile, and the next thing I knew, Costa stood next to me. “Where does this leave us, Mari?”

I turned to face him, and his expression was open, full of emotions I couldn’t name, and something in my heart twisted. But I didn’t know what to say. I cared about him—

far too much considering our short time together and the mobile nature of his job—but there it was.

He leaned in, and murmured against my ear, “I’m falling in love with you,
bella
. I’m afraid I’ll crash and burn without you.”

I grinned. “Well, I certainly wouldn’t want you to burn.”

This time, when he kissed me, I had a hard time letting him go.

Acknowledgments

There are so many people I owe a thank-you for their help and encouragement with this project. I want to give a huge thanks to:

My family, for always being there for me, and for supporting my choice to try this writing thing. I love you all so much!

My husband, Sash, who accepts my crazy writing hours in stride, and has been willing to entertain himself virtually every evening and weekend for the last two years.

Thank you for believing in me.

Regan Summers, who not only gives up precious vacation time to read the stories I send her at the last minute, but who also continues to inspire me with her wonderfully written stories and awe-inspiring work ethic.

Your friendship and support have made this whole thing possible for me.

Joshua Roots, who offers sage advice when it comes to improving my stories, and who encourages me with his own tenacity and hilarious writing. Thank you, my friend.

The rest of the Cantina crew on Absolute Write, for always being funny and kind. You are my haven.

Barbara Rogan, and my workshop group, for helping me strengthen my writing and for being amazing during releases. You are all talented and awesome.

My editor, Kerry Vail, for being a marvelous editor and friend. You have been my biggest cheerleader and my rock, and you have helped me grow so much as a writer.

More than that, you’ve been such a good friend. There are no words to express how much your support means to me.

The rest of the Entangled team, especially Heather Howland, for seeing potential in my stories and helping me develop and market them.

Biography

Tiffany Allee currently lives in Phoenix, AZ, by way of Chicago and Denver, and is happily married to a secret romantic. She spends her days working in Corporate America while daydreaming about sexy heroes, butt-kicking heroines, and interesting ways to kill people—for her books, of course. Her nights are reserved for writing and bothering her husband and cats (according to them).

Her passions include reading, chocolate, travel, wine, and family.

Find out more at: http://tiffanyallee.com/

Do you love steamy paranormal romance? Keep reading
for an excerpt of Nina Crofts’s latest novella,
REMEMBER ME

Unable to bear the thought of losing his mortal wife, Caden Wolfe steals the Elixir of Life and offers her eternity. But the theft is discovered, his wife is slain, and Caden is stripped of his angel wings and cast down into the Abyss.

Having drunk of the Elixir of Life, Phoebe Little’s soul is tied to the earth in a perpetual cycle of death and rebirth.

Unaware that she has lived countless lives, Phoebe is haunted by the loss of a love she has no memory of.

Caden has spent a thousand years searching for his wife. Now he has found her, and only Phoebe’s love can redeem them both. But Phoebe fell in love with an angel, and Caden is now a demon of the Abyss. Can she see past what he has become, remember the love they once shared, and have a second chance at forever?

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110 BC…

Cade offered the golden goblet to Eleni. “Drink.” Hands wrapped around his, she raised the cup to her lips. Cade held his breath—his hopes and dreams within his grasp. But at the last moment, she glanced up at him, and uncertainty flickered in her dark eyes. “If I drink, will we be together for always?”

“For eternity.”

Her sweet mouth curved into a smile as she leaned toward him and sipped the liquid. Cade watched the movement of her throat as she swallowed, the tension drained from him, and his silver wings spread in triumph.

There was no going back now. Right or wrong, the deed was done.

He had betrayed his own people in stealing the Elixir, but he had no regrets. He would gladly forsake Heaven if that was the price he had to pay to be with Eleni. He’d found his own heaven here on Earth, and he knew his brothers felt the same.

He dropped the goblet to the ground, cupped her beloved face in his hand, and lowered his head to kiss her.

The sharp, bittersweet tang of the elixir lingered on her lips, and a shudder of unease ran through him. He shook off the feeling. There had been no other way. “Come, we need to leave. The others will be waiting.” A small frown formed between her brows. She nodded at the goblet, where it lay in the sand at their feet. “Will you be in trouble for this?”

He forced a smile. “Not if they don’t find us.” He had arranged to meet his brothers at a small clearing close to Eleni’s village. Clasping her small hand in his, he pulled her against his side, and fought the urge to take to the air—but they couldn’t draw attention to themselves. The theft would be discovered soon enough; they had to be away from this place before that occurred.

The sun blazed high above them. An unnatural silence hung in the air. Cade couldn’t dismiss the nagging sense of disquiet, and he increased his pace.

They were almost there—he could see his brothers and their wives gathered, waiting—when a clap of thunder sounded overhead. The sky opened, and a host of angels appeared, blocking out the sun. The beating of a thousand wings filled the air. In seconds, they were surrounded.

Cade cursed. How could they have discovered the theft so soon?

“Cade!” Eleni’s high-pitched scream tore into him.

Hands were reaching for her. Cade tried to wrap her in his arms, but they wrenched her from his grasp. He fought, then. Furiously. But there were too many, and too strong, and he could only scream his rage as they dragged her from him.

All around, his brothers were fighting. Cade drew the sword from the scabbard at his back, whirling and countering the blows that came from all directions, desperate to reach Eleni. But for each one he cut down another took his place. Finally, his strength failed, and the sword dropped from his fingers. He hung exhausted in the grip of two of his captors, his breath coming hard and fast, as despair swamped him.

He lifted his head. Gabriel stood before him, golden wings spread. “You broke the rules, Caden. This time you’ve gone too far. You stole the Elixir of Life.” The words were softly spoken, but beneath that, Cade could hear the outrage.

“How did you know?” he asked.

“You should have remembered that humans are fickle, jealous creatures.”

Cade’s mind frantically searched for a way out. “My wife? Where is she?”

“The human?” Gabriel shrugged. “Her own kind will deal with her as they see fit.”

The fighting had died to nothing, but Cade couldn’t see Eleni, and panic clawed at his guts.

“Cade!”

Through the confusion, she cried out his name, her voice hoarse with terror and panic. The host parted, and he caught sight of her. They had tied her to a stake—people from her own village, people she had cared for—and piled brush wood around her. She was struggling wildly against the restraints, but to no avail, and fear stopped his heart. It couldn’t end like this. He tore at the hands that held him, screaming her name.

For a brief moment, their eyes met and some of the panic faded from her face. “I love you.” She mouthed the words.

“For eternity,” he whispered.

Then the flames licked at her bare legs, and she screamed in agony.

He lost sight of her as they closed in around him. The acrid scent of smoke, burning pitch, and roasting flesh clogged his nostrils, and he fell to his knees and gagged as Eleni’s shrill screams filled his mind.

Finally, she fell silent.

Cade’s heart shattered. He threw back his head and howled.

Long minutes, he knelt there, unsure whether he could even move. His mind reeled in disbelief. She couldn’t be gone, but there was a huge gaping hole inside him, where she had been for so long.

He pushed down the pain and allowed ice-cold fury to envelop his heart. Struggling to his feet, he saw that they had gathered his six brothers together. Their faces reflected his own despair.

“For violating the laws of Heaven, you are banished.” Gabriel waved his hand and a portal opened, a break in reality.

Cade sensed the shadows reaching up to him, and he embraced them.

He stood immobile, barely feeling the pain as they ripped his wings from his back, and then he was plummeting through darkness. He fell for an age, until he finally crashed to the ground.

His mind was numb as he stumbled to his knees. He’d wanted Eleni to live forever, be at his side for eternity.

Instead, he had brought about her death, and he would be alone until the end of time. A scream welled up inside him. He knelt in hell, but it was nothing compared to the darkness in his soul.

An icy wind blew across his skin, and he looked up from his torment. In the half-light, a woman stood before him. “I’m Lilith, Queen of the Damned. Welcome to the Abyss.”

“Tell me why I’m here again?” Cade had to shout over the whir of the helicopter blades.

“Here” was about twenty miles south of Kabul, the environment an inhospitable mix of low rocky outcrops and scrubby bushes beneath a washed out blue sky and a pale yellow sun.

“Press conference,” Finn replied. “You’re talking; I’m your bodyguard.”

Cade examined him—Finn certainly looked the part in his camouflage gear and more weaponry than could ever be needed. But then Finn did love his toys. “I don’t need a bodyguard.”

“Maybe not.” Finn grinned. “Okay, definitely not, but it wouldn’t look right for the big boss not to have a bodyguard around here. You might not have noticed, but we’re in the middle of a war zone.”

The helicopter was slowing now. Below them, Cade could make out the vague outline of manmade structures, the same pale ochre as the landscape, so they merged with the rocky terrain. They circled the compound once, hovering above the small crowd of people in the wide open central area, before coming to land on an open rooftop off to the side.

A faint hum of excitement vibrated deep in his gut—

maybe he’d been missing this. As CEO of Stormlord Securities, he spent way too long in the office. What he needed was something to take his mind off the fact that time was running out for all of them.