Awakening (44 page)

“It kind of amazes me that your mother would let you work here.”

Gen looked at her with something close to pity or amusement. “Celeste, honey, my mom is a succubus. She thinks it’s weird humans tell their children to abstain from sex until marriage, another concept she thinks is weird. Her theory is with so many delectable people out there, how can a woman tie herself to just one?”

“Right.
I forgot for a moment,” Celeste stammered. Realizing that she was twisting the material of her shirt together in nervousness, she asked casually, “So, how’s it going?”

“Okay,” Gen answered simply. “We’re having some minor difficulties with the local police, one detective in particular, but you’re not here to talk about my problems. What’s up, Celeste?”

After taking a moment to put her thoughts in order, she frowned, “It’s complicated.”

“It usually is.” Gen smiled, encouraging her friend to continue since the ability to read her had vanished as the girl grew into her power. “Shall we talk about something else until you’re ready to tell me?”

There wasn’t really time but Celeste needed a few minutes of normalcy. It would be nice to take her mind off of the fact that Adam hated her, Auberon had been banished, her best friend was also a Guardian Angel who apparently hated the
Apocritae
, and in a few hours, she was going to be facing the Queen. Some idle chit chat might not be so bad. “Please.”

“Hmm, what would ease that frown from your face?”
Gen leaned back in her chair, studying Celeste with consideration. With a smile, she said, “Did you know that a few years ago, it would have been impossible for Rachel and Kim to be friends? They would have inherently hated one another.”

“I did not know that,” Celeste said slowly, wondering why Genevieve decided to discuss Kim and Rachel but willing to go with
the flow. “What happened?”

“I guess the prophecy is coming true,” she said, as if Celeste should know what she was talking about.

“What prophecy?”

“The one about the beginning of the end,” Gen answered lightly, her tone completely at odds with her words. “There is something about angels and demons bleeding together
. Of course it’s not a literal translation – angels and demons don’t bleed. Or, at least, they didn’t until a few years ago. Whatever. I mean, there is still animosity, of course there is animosity. You can’t change attitudes that have existed since the beginning of time just because one part of the prophecy has been fulfilled. But now there are also… friendships, truces of sorts.”

“Kim and Rachel,” Celeste murmured, trying to comprehend what Genevieve was telling her. It was definitely taking her mind off of other
, more dreadful, things.

“Exactly!”
Genevieve beamed, pleased with Celeste’s quick understanding. “Which reminds me, have you seen or heard from Mary or Clare recently?

“Um, no,” Celeste said, feeling the familiar heat creep into her face. “I’ve been a little preoccupied. Why?”

“I don’t know,” Gen admitted, twisting up her pretty face in an attractive frown. “It’s just a feeling I have that has been pestering me for weeks.”

“Does this have anything to do with the troubles you’re having with that detective?”

“Maybe,” Gen answered, letting her thoughts drift away for a moment, to the damn detective that kept sniffing around. Laughing, she returned to the present, “I don’t know. Now, are you going to tell me what you’re doing here or do I need to come up with another diversionary conversation?”

Celeste smiled sadly as she looked into Gen’s compassionate blue eyes. “Auberon has been banished.”

Gen’s eyes grew wide in alarm as she grabbed Celeste’s hand. “No!”

Celeste moistened her suddenly
dry lips with the tip of her tongue, turning her hand over and taking Gen’s hand for support. “I bound him to me before he left.”

Impossibly, Genevieve’s wide eyes grew wider as Celeste continued, “In order to have enough power to complete the spell, I… I had sex with him and now
Adam is pissed.”

Gen bit down on her lips but was unable to prevent the burst of laughter that exploded from her mouth anyway.
“Oh, Celeste! I knew when you tumbled from the shelf of virginity you would be an extraordinary creature to contend with! I think I might be jealous!”

“Gen, please, this isn’t funny,” Celeste groaned, the strain broken as her lips quivered and she unwittingly smiled. “If I screwed up, I
could have killed Auberon.”

“The only way to kill him is to pierce him through the heart,” Gen laughed.

“Yeah.” The sarcasm was not lost on Gen, who sobered considerably. “Gen, I need power; that’s why I came here.”

“Okay, you’ve lost me.” Genevieve frowned. “You’re the Queen, or you soon will be. Why come here of all places for… power?”

Celeste’s blush returned with a vengeance. “Um, it seems I experience a rush of power during sex, enough that I am able to do complicated spells. With Adam, I am able to retain a little bit afterwards, but nothing like with what happened with Auberon. After he and I…. Well, I was able to create clothes from nothing AND teleport to the garage. In fact, I can still feel the pulse of energy trickling through me.”

“Hm
m, interesting,” Gen said clinically, gazing at Celeste and taking everything into consideration. She was silent for a long moment, processing the information when it finally hit her. With a triumphant grin, she asked, “Do you always orgasm with Adam?”

Heat prickled all along Celeste’s cheekbones, her jaw, her neck, “Um, yeah.”

“And with Auberon?” Gen’s excitement grew as the pieces slid into place.

“No,” she mumbled, the burn starting to blister her skin.

“Don’t you see, Celeste?” Gen was practically bouncing on the couch, pleased with herself for figuring it out so easily. She was surprised it hadn’t occurred to Celeste. But of course, Celeste was practically a virgin, with little knowledge of sex beyond the basics. Celeste's mother wasn’t a succubus. “Orgasm is powerful. Adam feeds your power but then you expel it immediately afterwards; you don’t give it time to… get comfortable, make itself at home.”

Unfortunately, Celeste understood what Genevieve was getting at. Dejected, she muttered, “So I have to refrain from orgasm.”

Gen laughed, “Not every time, just… every once and a while, until it’s no longer necessary. You’re still young, Celeste; it takes time for power to feel comfortable in a new body.”

“But I need power now,” she implored, remembering the purpose to this whole visit.

Genevieve smiled wickedly, “Well, I am part succubus; creating lust is what I do best.”

Without warning,
sexual hunger slammed into Celeste’s body and she felt all the tell-tale signs. Her nipples puckered almost painfully, rasping against the lace of her bra until she wanted to tear the blasted thing off and ease the suffering by pinching the buds. Moisture pooled between her thighs, the scent of her musk filled the room and her breathing became labored. Her body temperature was rising quickly and her hair became damp, sticking to her flushed skin, “It’s too much.”

“Refrain, Celeste,” Genevieve ordered breathlessly, feeding off Celeste’s lust. She had never felt anything like it before and she found it to be intoxicating!

“It’s…. I’m so close,” Celeste cried, feeling the pulse of impending orgasm. Bending forward, the seam of her pants rubbed against her engorged clit and she almost cried out. Her fingers itched to grab her crotch, to push her body that last little bit over the edge and into oblivion.

“Celeste!” Gen’s voice dragged her back from the
brink. “Hold on.”

Curling her fingers into fists, digging her nails into her palm,
Celeste breathed through the pleasurable torment. Genevieve was panting, her own face flushed. Her hand reached out and Celeste instinctively grabbed it, feeling the pleasure arcing between their bodies. She felt the sharp point of fangs against her tongue as Genevieve’s panting became ragged. Power surged through her body and she could grasp the glory of passion.

“Oh, God,” Genevieve cried out, her head falling back. “I’m coming.”

Without thought, Celeste pounced. Grabbing Genevieve by the hair and holding her head back, keeping her neck exposed as she sank her teeth into the tender flesh. Blood and energy rushed into her mouth, the metallic sweetness flooding her senses until craving exploded in a flash of color and sensation. The world spun around her and she was lost in the rush of ecstasy.

Her body pressed against the soft curves of her prey and she slid her leg between the girl’s thighs, pressing down. She felt the body beneath her moving up and down, rubbing
itself against her leg. Reaching between their bodies, Celeste slid her hand into the girl’s skimpy panties, finding the swollen clit with ease as she continued to drink. Rubbing it, demanding every drop of pleasure, she feasted on sex and power.

The body beneath
her stiffened, bowing, thrusting upwards with the force of its release. Ecstasy swamped Celeste’s mouth, filling her with hot-blooded power. Her head jerked, wanting more…. More. An orgasmic scream yanked her back to the present.

Horrified, Celeste
yanked her teeth out of Genevieve's neck. Hurdling backwards, she covered her mouth with her hand, smelling Gen's feminine musk on her fingers. What did she just do? “Genevieve! I’m so sorry!”

Breathless, Genevieve collapsed back onto the couch, completely boneless with the unexpected, extremely powerful orgasm. With a sigh
of contentment, she smiled lazily, letting her eyes drift shut. “I don’t think I’ll be able to finish work tonight.”

“Gen?”
Celeste asked hesitantly, relaxing a bit at her friend’s languor. Unless Gen was suffering from a lack of blood; did she take too much? It had been such a rush and she completely lost control; in that moment Genevieve had been just a body, not one of her best friends. If this was any indication of the nature of the
Apocritae
, she understood the animosity. “Are you… okay?”

“Better than,” she smiled, opening her eyes and looking at Celeste with eyes nearly black with sexual gratification. “I’m just exhausted; that’s never happened
to me before.”

“But you’re okay.” Celeste had to be sure, leaning forward to examine the puncture wounds on her friend’s flawless neck. Already they were healing
and in another moment or two they would be gone. The only evidence that Celeste had attacked – molested! – her best friend would be their memories.

Gen abruptly sat up, grabbing Celeste’s hands in her own. Blood rushed from her head and she felt woozy, but…. “Celeste, your eyes…. They’re beautiful, swirling with color; there’s no white at all.”

Calmness fell over her as she heard Gen’s words. It was time and she straightened her shoulders, prepared. “Then I think I’m ready to face the Queen.”

“Celeste,” Genevieve breathed in alarm. “That’s what this was all about?”

The door burst open and the woman who Celeste first met upon arriving at the House of FAB appeared, slightly breathless as she took in the situation. “What the hell happened in here? There was a surge of lust and half, hell all, of my clients just came with enough force to power a small country.”

“Sorry, mama,” Genevieve said, sinking back in
to the couch and smiling faintly, smugly. “My friend and I were just… screwing around.”

“Genevieve, my baby!” the woman gushed, crossing the room and wrapping her arms around her daughter, hugging Gen with fierce pride.
“You’re finally accepting your place amongst the Succubae! I’ve been waiting for so long and, oh! If I had only known your tastes were for the feminine….”

“Mom, it’s not like that,” Gen protested, a blush stealing across her face.
"Despite recent events, I still prefer men And if you must know, we didn’t have sex; I just helped Celeste out a bit. She’s the one that caused the surge.”

The woman turned her gaze on Celeste. Narrowing her eyes, she studied the girl with lowered lashes, smelling the sensual power that coursed through her veins. “Yes, well, perhaps you would like a job? We could use a person with your… unique
attributes.”

Genevieve laughed out loud at the thought of her mother offering the young Queen a job as a mistress. “Mom, this is Celeste; her destiny is far grander than
becoming a dominatrix in the House of F.A.B.”

Celeste raised her lashes and looked at the madam, seeing the shock that instantly came across the beautiful woman’s face. The woman nodded
and slowly murmured, “I see.”

“I don’t think you do, mom,” Gen said gently, as if talking to a small child and not her mother. “Celeste is the girl everyone has been talking about.”

Her pale green eyes grew round in her head as she began to truly see. Lacking the little voice that controlled speech, she gushed, “But you don’t smell like a vile
Apocritum
.”

“That’s because I’m human,” Celeste said, turning away as if considering her words. “At least, I was human. I’m not sure what I am
anymore.”

“You are….” The succubus closed her eyes and breathed deeply. A slow smile spread her lips into one of lust. Opening her eyes, she looked at Celeste, “Delicious. I have several clients who would die to get a taste of you.”