Not What She Seems (17 page)

She
gritted her teeth and turned on the charm. “You’ve been a very naughty boy, Thomas. I think you’d better stay after school alone as punishment until you learn to do your work properly.”

Fifteen minutes later naughty Thomas had his head under
the teacher’s dress and was pleasuring her orally, or so he thought. Sylvia was bored to tears. This man did nothing for her. He didn’t light her on fire as Keith did with a simple look or make her tingle all over as Mason could with a simple caress. Despite his best attempts she was not turned on at all, though she hid it well. She was just happy he couldn’t see her face as his head was between her thighs, under her dress. At least she didn’t have to fake facial expressions of pleasure for now, even if she had to sound excited. Unable to stand his sloppy technique any longer she pushed his head roughly away from her and stood.

“A+ for that, but you still have make-up work to do if you want to pass this class.” She leaned over the bed and flipped her dress up while parting her legs to give him a good look at
what she had to offer him. It had the desired effect. Her client dropped his pants and clumsily smashed into her.

She
drained what little energy she could from him as he pummeled her. To her great disappointment she found that while she had never exactly enjoyed lower grade energy in the past, after sampling Mason’s pure Innocent energy this man’s energy felt stale and dirty in comparison. It was all she could do to force herself to take it. She felt sullied by it but as an opportunistic creature she took what she could get, even if it was less than ideal.

When the clumsy sex was finished she excused herself to use the restroom and tex
t Keith while she was in there.

“What was your name again?” the client asked as he r
e-buttoned his shirt when she came back to the bedroom.

“
Elora,” she replied without hesitation. Let her deal with him next time, she mused to herself. “You be sure to ask for Elora next time you’re in town.”

“You bet
I will, that was fantastic!” The client paid her a generous tip as she left and Sylvia tried to convince herself it had been worth it. Prostituting herself for money had never bothered her in the past, but somehow, with this client, she felt dirty and used. It wasn’t even anything he had done, specifically. Perhaps sleeping with Keith had reminded her how good it could be, when it was from the heart instead of for the wallet.

Stepping out into the hallway she was pleased to see Keith waiting for her by the elevator. “Did you get what you wanted tonight?” she asked him casually, referring to his wish to hunt.

“Yes, I found a sour little thing none of the men would go near. She took to my attention right away. It was okay,” he shrugged nonchalantly. “What about you?”

“Yup.”
She waved the stack of twenties the client had given her. “We both got what we came for. Let’s go home.”

The night was unseasonably mild, a chaser to the warm day they’d enjoyed. The weather was such a treat they agreed to walk home as it wasn’t far, roughly a mile or so away. Sylvia wouldn’t dream of walking it alone, but with K
eith by her side she felt safe.

He
had just finished filling her in on the time he had spent in Charleston when he leaned close to her, so he could speak softly in her ear as they walked. “I don’t mean to alarm you, but that guy back there’s been following us since the hotel, and I’m pretty sure I saw him in the lobby when I came to collect you.” Her first instinct was to whip her head around to get a look at him, but Keith’s strong hand squeezed her arm in warning. “Don’t look at him. Just keep going. I’ll get us a cab if one comes by.”

She
sped up her pace as her heart jackhammered in her chest. There weren’t a lot of people out on the street in this quieter section of town, but now that Keith had brought it to her attention she could swear she heard the footfalls of their pursuer. Sweat lined her brow as she suddenly felt vulnerable and exposed out on the sidewalk, even with him by her side. It had been foolish of them to walk instead of taking a cab.

“Hang on a second, I want to try something. Stop and dig around in your purse like you’re looking for something. Let’s see if this guy passes us.”

She
did as he requested, casting a furtive glance behind them to see if she recognized the man following them and if he was still on the move. He wasn’t, and she couldn’t see his face. While she pretended to search through her purse the man dropped down on one knee to fiddle with his shoelace. Between the shadows cast in the dark despite the street lights, and the hood pulled up over his head, Sylvia couldn’t see any of his features. Somehow being unable to get a good look at his face deepened her fear.

Inspiration suddenly struck her. “I’ve got an idea.” She pulled out her cell phone and sent a quick text to Lilith.
He’s following us. Send car ASAP 911
and included the general location of their whereabouts.

Not a minute later Lilith replied.
Walter on the way, should be there in soon. Be safe!

“Let’s go, I don’t want this creep to change his mind about approaching us.”

She couldn’t have agreed more. No sooner had they started walking again then their stalker began moving again as well.

“Is he getting closer?” she
asked as quietly as she could, her voice cracking on the last word. It sure sounded like he was closer than he had been before, but she didn’t dare turn around to check.

“Just keep walking, and keep that phone in your hand, ready
to go.” Keith slid his hand into the front pocket of his jeans and discreetly pulled out a switchblade. He kept it hidden in his palm as he linked elbows with Sylvia.

She wanted to run, to just take off into the night
to go back home and deadbolt the door behind her, but Keith’s steadying presence kept her in check, at least on the outside. Inside, her mind was reeling with all the ways the Hunter might kill them both. There may have been two of them and only one of him, but the number of succubi he had already killed spoke of his skill and dedication to his calling. Given his special obsession with her, she didn’t trust Keith’s presence was enough to keep him at bay, though it seemed to be for the time being. She didn’t want to find out when that might end.

They walked a few more blocks in silence, arm in arm, as the man continued to follow them. Just when Sylvia felt as if she might break and sprint away home
, a dark sedan with tinted windows pulled up to the curb next to them. Before the driver even had time to roll the window down to greet them Keith had opened the passenger door and pushed Sylvia inside before slamming the door and hopping into the back seat.

“Lock
it up!” he barked before she had time to even open her mouth to address the driver. The automatic door locks clicked with a dull thud as the car pulled away from the curb into the light traffic.

“Thanks man, you have no idea how close that was,” Keith told the driver. Sylvia wasn’t paying attention to the conversation beginning within the car. She stared at the side view mirror, transfixed, as the hooded figure on the sidewalk stood
in place, watching the car move away.

“No problem, it’s good to see you again, Karl. And do I see the lovely Miss Sylvia with us tonight?”

At the sound of her name she jerked her gaze away from the side mirror and took a good look at the driver for the first time. “Hey, Walter,” she managed feebly. “Long time no see.” She had only hazy memories of Walter, an incubus she had met through Keith back in the day when he was known as Karl. He looked much the same now, with his slightly too-long hair and crooked but charming smile. “Thank you for picking us up, I’m so glad you were nearby.”

“It’s no big deal,
I was just out cruisin’ anyway, looking for some good tail around town when Lilith sent me a text demanding I pick you up right away. She said it was an emergency. You two okay?”

“We’re fine, thanks. You got us out of a tight spot,” Keith replied without elaborating.

His vague answer seemed to be enough for Walter. “So where are we headed? The office, or what?”

Sylvia’s head spun as she tried to determine the safest place to go. A few moments ago, out on the sidewalk, she wanted nothing more than to go home. Now that she had escaped the
Hunter, she wondered if it was really a good idea to go home after all. She could go home, bolt the door and set the alarm, but with him in the neighborhood she knew she still wouldn’t feel safe. She wasn’t sure she could feel safe anywhere until he was caught, but there was nowhere else to go. At least home was familiar, if not Fort Knox.

She gave Walter her address and with traffic as light as it was he dropped them off in front of her building a few minutes later. They both thanked Walter profusely a
s they scurried out of the car.

“Think nothing of
it, it was fun to be the Knight in shining armor for a pretty lady.” He smirked at Sylvia and waggled his eyebrows dramatically.

“She’s mine, Walt.”

“Oh, sorry, brother, I didn’t know. But you can’t blame me for trying.”

Keith ushered Sylvia quickly through the lobby to the elevator. To her relief she noticed the roses from Mason were no longer in the lobby w
here he had left them. Just as they had hoped, someone had scooped them up and brought them home to enjoy. She didn’t care if she never saw a rose again. They were things of hideousness to her now.

Once they were in the apartment, locked up with the alarm set, Keith turned off the living room lights and approached the front window.

“Do you see him?” She hugged herself as she waited for his answer.

“No,”
he replied after a moment. “I don’t.” He moved away from the window and turned the lights back on.

“Are you okay,
Sylv?” He approached her and rubbed her forearms as she continued hugging herself. Sylvia shook her head. He studied her a moment then headed into her bedroom. She remained where she was and heard her whirlpool tub filling up. He came back to her a minute later.

“Come on.” He held his hand out to her. “You’ve had quite a scare tonight. You’re home now, and safe. He can’t get in here, not without going through me first. You’re safe, Sylvia. You need to relax a bit. I’ve taken the liberty of starting the tub for you.”

She stood rooted in place, silent.

“A nice hot soak, a glass of wine
… come on now, I’ll take care of everything, you go unwind.”

She finally
relented and allowed him to lead her to the bathroom. She undressed and slid into the warm tub.

“I’ll be ri
ght back with that wine.”

She
closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation of the warm jets soothing away her tension from the evening. Keith returned shortly with the promised wine.

“
I’ve got some things to tend to, you call me if you need anything, okay?”

“Okay.” Sylvia kept her eyes closed and let the warm
th of the tub envelop her. He had been right, this was just what she needed. She was home, and safe, and had a man who cared for her looking after her. The Hunter would be caught by the police eventually; she just had to stay safe until he was put away.

Chapter 18

The morning light poured in her window, warming Sylvia’s face as she slowly opened her eyes. Keith slept on next to her, his burly arm draped casually over her
midsection. There had been no sex between them the night before. He sensed she just needed some comforting physical contact and had spent the night spooning her close without ever making a move to turn it into something else.

She rose carefully,
trying to let him sleep some more. Once she had checked that the alarm was still set, she went to start her coffee. Her cell phone blinked with multiple calls and messages from Lilith.

Best to call her back right
away and be done with it, she decided. Since the Hunter had come to town she found she dreaded speaking with Lilith; she never knew when the topic of conversation was going to be whose life the Hunter had taken most recently. Avoiding her didn’t change the reality of the situation but it did nothing for her nerves to constantly hear about the Hunter’s latest victim.

“You called?”

“Yes, I’d like you to come into the office today, with Elora. She’ll be here at 2:00, can you make it then?”

Sylvia unconsciously tightened her grip on her coffee mug at the mention of
Elora’s name. “Did she do it? Did she sleep with an Innocent?”

“Calm down, Sylvia, I can hear you
’re getting all wound up. No, not that she’s announced to me. I’m calling this meeting, and I want you here for two. Will you be here?”

“Sure thing.”
She hung up her cell phone and stood staring into space, mulling over what Lilith could want now. She didn’t hear Keith come up behind her and she flinched when he wrapped his hands around her waist from behind.

“Easy now, it’s just me. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Sorry, guess I’m still a little jumpy. I have to go to the office today for 2:00. Does that work for you?”