~ Chapter One ~
After our deer hunt, Clive and Stuart
shifted into their human forms and dressed. They each kissed me on the forehead
before leaving, which I found endearing. I was on the floor, on a soft
sheepskin rug, wrapped in Gerard’s arms, while a fire crackled, giving off a
golden light. The wolves had shared me, and I had found the encounter
surprisingly pleasurable, but I had so many questions.
I’d only met Gerard yesterday, when
he had walked into the diner where I worked. He’d arrived with two other men on
motorcycles, their magnetic, testosterone laden energy had left me buzzing.
Being a succubus, I had already taken far too much energy from the customers
and the employees. I sensed that there was something different about him right
from the start. When he had touched my hand, as I was taking the dishes away, I
had felt a jolt.
Being the supernatural creature that
I was, it was difficult for me to be around people, because I siphoned energy
from them without their knowledge or consent. I hated this affliction; it was the
family curse, my mother’s suffering had been acute, and a warning of what my
future might look like, if I wasn’t careful. My first sexual encounter had
ended with the death of my partner, and the trauma of that night haunted me to
this day. As a result, I kept to myself, preferring to isolate and roam the
woods at dusk for comfort and energy. I was able to feed off the life force of
deer and other animals, giving me some of what I needed to survive.
After my mother had left, I had been
forced to seek employment, and I worked at a local diner now, unintentionally
weakening those around me. I’d already resolved to find another job, perhaps
something that didn’t involve the general public. My mother had been a janitor
for years, cleaning office buildings in the middle of the night, thereby not
injuring anyone with her succubus tendencies. She had fought the affliction for
decades, sometimes giving in to the urges and draining men completely. It was
so easy to do…I couldn’t blame her for these relapses. It would be like telling
a lion he couldn’t eat meat anymore. Our bloodline had been cursed a long time
ago; my grandmother had also been afflicted. I’d never known my grandfather or
my father because these men had died at the hands of their lovers. The guilt of
the ages continued…the sadness and loss lingering.
I glanced at my wolf lover, who was
sleeping, and felt a surge of tender, yet conflicting emotions, which were
tempered by a fair amount of caution. He was a stranger after all. He had
followed me into the house of mirrors at the carnival, and we had engaged in a
lusty encounter. I hadn’t been with anyone in years, and the sex had been
incredible. Then he had taken me to this cabin and we had made love again,
although we had been joined by his pack, Stuart and Clive. For a girl who had
been starved for companionship and craving the closeness of a man, I had just satisfied
that need, and the aftereffects lingered pleasurably.
“There’s a lot going on in that
pretty head,” murmured Gerard. He glanced down at me with one eye open.
“I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“I wasn’t asleep. I gotta keep on my
toes where you’re concerned. I might wake up missing a finger or something.”
“Ouf! That’s so not true. I’ve never
eaten a human.”
“That don’t mean you’re not capable
of it.”
“You’re joking.”
His arm tightened around me. “What’s
wrong?”
I sighed. “Nothing.”
“That’s not true. Something’s bugging
you. I can feel it.”
I don’t want you to leave town, and if you go, take me with you. “It’s just really nice to be with
someone. Since mom left, I’ve nobody to talk to. That’s all.”
“I understand what you’re sayin’, but
getting involved with a pack of wolves is probably not a good idea.”
I raised myself on his chest, feeling
the heat of him. “It’s the best idea yet. I don’t affect
Learning to Kill: Stories