Sexy As Hell (8 page)

The kiss was amazing. Finally getting a chance to experience Camille, to know how she tasted and how she’d sigh against his lips, was a fantasy come true. He wanted to reach through the bars and touch her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and press his body to hers.

"
How about right now?
"
she whispered against his mouth.

Seth’s heart nearly stopped in his chest. This was even worse than
Isra's
tricks. At least then he knew Camille wasn't truly offering herself to him. This was completely different and just as dangerous.
"
We can’t. Not until the morning.
"

"
Come on,
"
she urged.
"
There’s only a few hours left and
Isra’s
given up. I’ve been given a second chance at life and I want to start making the most of it right away.
"

"
No.
"
Seth wouldn’t allow himself to be convinced, even with her reassuring blue eyes begging him.

"
It would be exciting. We’d have to get really creative.
"
Camille arched an elegantly curved eyebrow at him as her fingertip slid down the length of one of the bars between them.
"
We can let our imagination run wild.
"

"
We can’t.
"
Just the thought was enough to turn his entire body against him. How many unfulfilled erections could a man stand in one day?

"
How about a compromise?
"
She pulled away from him and slid down onto her knees in front of him. Her arms reached through the bars to unbutton his pants.

The pain from his white-knuckled grip on the cell bars was the only thing keeping him grounded.
"
Camille...
"
he began, but was interrupted when her hand slipped inside his pants and grasped the length of him. He should pull away. He should tell her no. He just couldn’t make himself do it.

She tugged at his clothes, giving her just enough access to what she wanted. Seth squeezed his eyes shut and groaned aloud as he sprung free of his pants into her eager hands.

"
Camille,
"
he said again, but the words changed from a protest to a moan of pleasure as her pointed tongue encircled the head of his shaft. He had to stop this. He only had to wait a few more hours. Just a couple more and he could indulge without fear.

"
It’s okay, it’s just me,
"
she cooed before taking him into her mouth.

Seth couldn’t take much more of this. His mind raced through his years of experience as she moved up and down on him in a slow, agonizing pace. Could oral sex with a succubus kill him? Damn it, he couldn’t remember.
Probably.
The end result was the same. He’d always been so sure he could resist the temptation, regardless. Now, he couldn’t pull away from her greedy mouth.

He’d just have to stop, he reasoned with himself, before it went too far. He could wait just a little bit longer. Just a couple more strokes. His heart was pounding in his chest, his groin tightening. He didn’t have a few more left in him.

Seth wasn’t about to lose his soul on a technicality. Not when he was so close to winning his life back.

"
No!
"

With all his might, he pushed himself off from the bars and flew backward onto the stone floor. Camille watched with a mix of confusion and disappointment as he scrambled to close up his pants and regain his sense of control.

"
What’s wrong, Seth?
"
She wiped her chin and shook her head.
"
It’s just me.
"

Seth walked over to the cell and reached through to grip Camille by a handful of hair.
"
No, it isn’t,
"
he growled through clenched teeth.

Camille cried out in pain,
and
then started cackling with mischievous laughter. Her voice morphed back into
Isra’s
as her whole body shook with amusement. Seth let go, throwing her back onto the ground. She continued to laugh as she lay there.

"
I hope you enjoyed that,
"
he fumed.

"
You certainly did.
"
She crawled back onto her knees and grinned, wickedly. Her eyes were still blue. Apparently she'd used some kind of illusion to convince him it was really Camille's willing mouth on him.
"
I almost had you, too.
"

Seth shook his head. She was right. Despite the risk, he'd fallen into the trap. He had very nearly let himself be killed for a damn blowjob. It was a great one, and after the night he'd had, he might've died happy. But his death wasn't the only consequence. Aside from Camille continuing to be possessed, the creation of a
potentially immortal
cambion
couldn't be ignored.

He was an idiot. He couldn’t trust himself anymore.

Seth made a quick dash to a drawer and retrieved a set of moldable wax earplugs. He stuffed them in, blocking out any sound she could make. He didn't care which of the temptresses in that cell was speaking to him. For the next few hours, he was going to sit in silence and read a book without looking at her or hearing a single word she had to say.

"
Almost doesn’t count,
"
he spat and flopped down into his recliner for the last time.

5:19 A.M.

"
Seth!
"
Isra
screamed for the hundredth time.

He was certain she should be hoarse by now. Even with his earplugs he could hear her screeching his name. He didn’t care. He wasn’t about to move from his chair for any reason.

Over the last few hours, she’d run the gambit of emotions. She had
cried,
screamed, begged, bribed...nothing had worked. Nothing was going to work. He had mere minutes to go. Without looking at his watch, he could tell the time was running short. Her pleas were slowly increasing in desperation. Now they were downright frantic.

"
Six minutes,
"
he taunted from the security of his chair.

"
Please, Seth,
"
she begged.

He could hear the tears in her voice. She should be crying.
Isra
was moments away from a return ticket to Hell and whatever fate her failure had cost her. It couldn’t be a pleasant experience, he was certain.

He read the last few pages of the chapter he was on and closed the book.
"
Make that two minutes.
"
He got up from his chair and came around to the cell, well out of her reach.

Isra
was lying in a broken heap on the floor of the cell. Her cheeks were red and tear stained from her hours of begging.
"
Are you happy, now?
"
she screamed at him.

Seth shrugged.
"
I’m just doing my job,
"
he said.

Isra
scrambled up onto her feet and threw herself at the cell bars. Her arms clawed at him through the cage, scratching at the air with futility.
Objects started flying off the shelves and launching toward him. He dodged the projectiles, missing a knife from the kitchen counter by bare inches only to have his book slam into his shoulder.

Isra
let out an ear-piercing shriek that reverbera
ted off the walls of the room.
It was the sound of failure.

Even with his earplugs, the sound was like an ice pick driven deep into his brain. He put his hands over his ears and turned back to the clock. Ten seconds to go. Seth watched her furious expression crumble as she watched the last few moments tick away.

"
See you
soon
,
"
she said. Her whole body stiffed as she clenched the bars. She screamed out in agony as her body levitated nearly a foot off the floor and writhed. The soul splitting of the two women was a horrible, violent experience. In a moment, she went limp and collapsed to the ground.

Seth wanted to run to her side and comfort her, but he couldn’t take that risk. He crouched beside the cage and watched.
"
Camille?
"
he whispered. He didn’t dare speak any louder. She would have a righteous headache for several hours. They said the aftermath of a possession was the worst hangover you could ever imagine. He already had some prescription strength painkillers waiting for her.

Camille laid still for a few agonizing minutes before she groaned and rolled onto her back. She brought her hand to her forehead and whimpered slightly. Her chest rose and fell with a few deep breaths before she opened her eyes and turned to look at Seth.
"
Am I me again?
"

"
One hundred percent,
"
he assured.

She pushed herself up and looked around through squinted eyes.
"
I haven’t felt like this since college,
"
she complained and rubbed her forehead again.

"
Here.
"
Seth held out a soda and a couple pills.
"
The caffeine will help, too.
"

"
Great.
"
Camille swallowed the pills and sighed.
"
So when do I get out of here?
"

Seth eyed his watch.
"
The courier is coming back with the key at six, so you’ve got a little while still to go. Are you okay in there? Can I get you a pillow or a blanket or something?
"

"
No.
"
She shook her head and winced in regret.
"
I’ve been on the floor long enough that my butt’s pretty numb now.
"

"
Okay.
"
Seth eased back into his folding chair. Where should he start?
"
I’m sorry you got involved in all this. They used you to get to me.
"

Camille nodded and chuckled softly.
"
I got that. I don’t know why I thought you were a bartender or something all this time. Must’ve been the hours you kept.
"

"
Well, you understand why I have to keep my work a secret from others, don’t you?
"

"
Of course.
There would be panic in the streets if people found out what was really ha
ppening right under their noses. I mean, my sexy neighbor is immortal. That’s just unbelievable. Like something from the movies.
Say,
"
she paused,
"
you aren’t going to erase my brain or anything like that, are you?
"

"
No,
"
he assured.
"
We don’t do stuff like that. We believe the experience you've had is enough to keep you quiet.
Out of gratitude if nothing else.
"

"
Okay.
"
Camille took another sip of her soda.
"
I don’t think anyone would believe me, anyway.
"
She looked down at her can, her brow furrowed with concern.
"
How do you live like this, Seth? Night after night battling God-knows-what, unable to confide in anyone? It sounds absolutely terrible.
"

"
It gets easier as the years go by.
"
Decades.
Centuries.
If Michael did restore his mortality,
he wouldn’t have to cope with it any longer.
He wanted desperately for
Michael to release him
. He didn’t long for death, but he had grown weary of his life. If he could spend the next fifty years growing old with someone like Camille, he would die happy when the time
finally
came.

"
I guess the idea of marriage and children must seem like a far off fantasy. Do you even date?
"

Date was not the right word. Hook up, perhaps. Nothing that would last long enough for them to notice he didn't get sick, or hurt, or age.
"
Not really. I just admire beauty from afar.
"
He smiled and watched a flush rise to Camille’s cheeks.
"
Of course, I’ve never considered dating someone already familiar with my work. Say, a formerly possessed neighbor, for example.
"