WiredinSin (8 page)

“No, I’d hurt you.” The words slipped out before she could
call them back. She gritted her teeth in frustration. A demon who admitted
weakness was already sealing her fate in the eyes of other supers, but to then
admit to caring about the welfare of another super was a double slap of “pansy”
across her name. She sucked in a breath then tried to salvage the conversation
any way she knew how. Lowering her voice and purring with a hint of seductress
she whispered, “I mean, I’d probably ravish you until you were aching and sore.
But I want your cock ready for later. Wringing you of every drop of cum now
would leave me wanting. Not what I had in mind seeing I have an entire night
with you, lover.”

There were a couple of heartbeats of silence. “Oh, sweet.
Why do you always do that? You don’t need to hide behind the sexy voice and the
bullshit. Be yourself with me, not this simpering female that you portray.” He
sighed. “I have to go. I’ll talk with you this evening. Be well.”

She didn’t get her muddled thoughts back together in time to
stop him from hanging up. She wanted to be angry that he’d hung up on her, but
she deserved his upset. When
was
the last time she’d interacted with a
male as herself? The question stumped her for a moment. She lowered herself to
a park bench.

After long minutes of trying to sift through her jumbled
thoughts, Victoria came to a conclusion. She’d been running for long enough.
Either Dominick was getting under her skin, which she was fairly sure he was,
or she was finally coming out of her depression. She’d hidden behind her
succubus nature and her supposed failures for long enough. Time to step out of
herself just a little, and she could do that for Dominick.
Maybe.

Victoria sat for over an hour staring across the green lawn,
watching children play in the midday light, carefree and innocent. She could
feel the crossroads, the proverbial fork in the road. Ahead of her was the
chance to try something different, to reach for some semblance of happiness.
Fear of the unknown and fear of her past slowed her movement along her path.

Memories of her first feeding and kill invaded. They were
never far from her thoughts. She’d been a succubus for less than twenty-four
hours before she attached her first victim. In the scheme of things, that made
her exceptional, powerful, gifted. In her mostly human mind that had made her a
murderer. She’d woken in the hospital, hooked to all sorts of equipment. Tubes had
been in her arms, down her nose, in unmentionable places. Her mouth had tasted
of acidic chemicals, smells had stung her nose. None of that was what caused
the greatest amount of grief. It was the human man who had smelled delectable.
The poor man who’d happened to be helping the nurse to prepare water for a sponge
bath. The slight amount of lust he’d been leaking from his pores had sealed his
fate.

Victoria didn’t even remember moving, but from one moment to
the next she’d sprouted wings large enough to wrap around her victim. She’d
jumped from her bed, naked and leathery, at the man, grasping him around the
head. Her demon had latched on to him, delving her long forked tongue into his
mouth. He’d tasted sinfully good, like coffee and peppermint. Using her
newfound pheromones, she’d brought him instantly to orgasm, shaking on unsteady
legs. He’d wrapped his arms around her, lost to the pull of her succubus. Moans
of pleasure had turned slowly to whimpers of pain as her demon had drained him
of every last ounce of energy. She’d watched, like a voyeur, as his aura had changed,
dimmed and finally winked out.

Without a concern for the shrieking nurse or the body that
fell heavily at her feet, she’d launched out of the window and flown home. It
had taken her days to realize that someone else must have paid to have the
staff’s minds erased and the man’s body taken care of. It had taken even longer
to realize that it hadn’t been a dream, that she had actually killed a man by
absorbing his essence.

The scream of a little boy as he chased a Frisbee broke her
from her macabre thoughts. Those thoughts wouldn’t help her to solve her
dilemma. They’d hold her back as they’d done since that horrible day. As had
the other kills she’d made in the first few weeks of her new life.

Conviction and a new direction had her standing and striding
toward her office building. She’d prove that she deserved to have something
more than emptiness. But first she needed to get some of her work-related stuff
in order. She wanted to be completely ready for her date and that meant
clearing up a few things in her office. A shiver of anticipation warred with
nervousness in her stomach and she swallowed a few times to ease the nausea. An
all-powerful, supernatural succubus getting sick to her stomach over the idea
of a date.
Pathetic
.
She laughed at her own inner thoughts and
walked with purpose into the foyer of her building.

“You’re sure?” Gynger stood, wariness evident on her pixie
face.

“Definitely sure, at least until things change.” Victoria
sat back against the couch, relaxed for the first time in years. Now that she’d
made some decisions she felt more at peace.

“Okay, if you’re sure then I’m obviously good with it. Have
you told Tabatha yet?”

Vic reached forward and picked up her teacup, pleasantly
surprised that it still felt hot. The fine china that Gyn preferred felt light
and fragile in her hands, but for once she enjoyed the seduction of something
so simple. A cup of tea had never smelled so good or tickled her taste buds
with such contentment. She used the time it took her to take a sip of the
imported herbal brew to collect her thoughts. With a nod she answered her
friend’s unspoken question. “Yes, and she’s in agreement. This won’t affect her
workflow at all, really.”

Gynger made an unladylike
humph
in the back of her
throat then stared intently at Vic for a few moments. “This is good for you.
You already seem better. I’m cool with whatever you decide, you know that,
right? I want you happy and if this will do it then so be it.”

Victoria glanced at her watch and stood quickly. “I’ve got a
lot to get done before tonight.” She surprised herself and Gyn with a quick
hug. “Thanks for pushing me. I’ve needed it and I’m glad that it came from you.
You are a great friend. I’m sorry I’ve been so horrible.”

“Stop. You haven’t been anything other than sad and lonely.
Go. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

The trip to her office took only moments, but each step
seemed to be defining her future.
You’ve inherited a sense of drama from
Gyn.
She snorted and looked around to make sure no one caught her lack of
decorum.
Snorting, laughing, grinning…you’ve gone from miserable to
off-the-deep-end happy.
Things had definitely changed for her in the last
couple of days.
Now to see if that’s a good thing or a bad one
.

Once in her office she hummed a strange little song she’d
heard Sedric croon sometimes. The thought of her little dragon had her smiling
again. He was in good hands and hopefully Dominick would have more time to
spend on the little critter than she ever had.

Dominick. She shook her head. Dominick Danforth.
Techno-wizard extraordinaire. One of the many men who had worked on her
telephone system. The head of a large group of the most highly skilled
techno-supers in the nation. Dominick, who’d been in the meeting at which she’d
sensed her mate. She should have guessed when he’d told her his name and she’d
connected him to Technix, but she her mind hadn’t been firing on all cylinders.
Oh, she and Mr. Danworth were going to spend a little bit of time chatting over
his glaring lack of information. Omissions like the fact that they were mates
or that he’d not only met her but had worked for her for weeks. She had work to
do and very little time to do it. First, research.

She grinned. She had a mate and he’d spent time, energy and
endless effort in getting to know her. When she’d walked back into her office
from the park she’d searched their database for every known Dominick who had
ever been involved with Sin. Finding him hadn’t taken long, but digesting the
information had taken longer. She had wanted to be mad with him for the lies,
but she’d been honest enough with herself that she’d made his behavior
necessary.

The Guild Guide, much like a high school yearbook, didn’t do
much for him. She’d pulled the techno-wizard book from her shelf and flipped
through it until she’d found him. The picture they had did showcase brilliant
green eyes. They shone with intelligence even from the flat, faded page. His
dirty blond hair had been pulled back into what she assumed was a ponytail. She
wondered wistfully how long his hair was. Long enough to hang around them like
curtains while he hovered above her? A rush of heat and the telltale dampening
of her panties told her that she needed to switch to a new topic of thought.

His face was masculine but in a rugged kind of way. He’d
look good in a ball cap or flannel shirt. The shirt and tie he was sporting for
the picture look uncomfortable. She would put money on him wearing polos and
jeans to work every day. That seemed to fit his looks much better than the
starchy white dress shirt. Would he be muscular under those clothes? She found
it interesting that she didn’t care so much what he looked like. He’d already
captured her mind with his.

After perusing the guild’s book she decided to do some other
digging and found that her paramour was a wealthy, educated and giving male.
Charities seemed to benefit greatly from his coffers. She found it endearing
that most of the organizations he donated to were for supernatural children or
children affected by supernaturals’ interference. She too gave yearly to those,
hoping to help others who had suffered at the hands of other supers. Atonement.
That was what Gynger called it.

Three hours. That was all she had left before her date with
him. A flutter of nerves made her clasp her hands over her belly. It was
flavored with just a touch of fear. She plopped into her desk chair and looked
into the little terrarium. Her Etraza tree was in full summer. Tiny leaves
waved in a magical breeze and the sounds of songbirds came quietly from the
glass enclosure.

There was nothing to fear from a date with a man who would
give her something so priceless. He wanted to get to know her, so she’d show
him
her
. She hoped in turn he’d finally give in and tell her about
himself. And she’d have to do the same. At some point she’d have to let her
other self out to play. All seven feet of wings, forked tongue and all. Would
he run screaming from her? If she’d seen something like that when she’d been
human, that was the exact response she would have given. A memory of that from
her past tried to rise in her thoughts but she ignored it. No point in looking
back at her turning. Nothing good would come of once again playing her attack
through.

The conversation she’d just finished with the Elder had helped
to alleviate some of her worries. She’d have to believe that even her demon
wouldn’t hurt her mate when they were together, in the flesh as it were. Elder
Janis had explained, in grueling detail, how her demon would react and had
promised that all would be well. A shiver skated down her back. If she never
had to hear that old woman speak of sex again it would be too soon. There was
nothing like having a grandmotherly person explain how penetration would feel
while in her demon skin.

She pushed the little intercom button on her desk and waited
for Tabatha to respond. It didn’t take more than a heartbeat or two. “Yes,
Victoria. Can I get you something?”

“You have everything set and the paperwork filed?”

“Yes, of course. Everything is set.” There was a slight
pause. “You’re sure you want to do this?”

Victoria sighed and caught herself rolling her eyes. “Yes,
I’m sure. I’m a grown demon, I know what I’m doing.”

“Very well. Do you need anything else, then?”

“No. Thank you, Tab. Have a good night.”

“You too, Vic. Have fun tonight on your date.”

“Thanks.”

The click of the intercom signaled that her assistant had
gone back to doing whatever it was she’d been doing before. She sat back in her
chair and just rested for a few moments, letting her day settle around her
shoulders. At least the stress was lighter now that she’d made some decisions,
and she was excited enough for the evening that it helped to ease her mind.

Now to finish up work and get ready.
She turned to
her computer and forced herself to concentrate.

* * * * *

Victoria stood outside Dominick’s apartment building and
tried to collect herself. She knew that Tabatha would be transferring the call
to her cell within moments. She needed to be off the street, away from the
sounds of traffic before it rang. Part of the plan was for him to be surprised
and he wouldn’t be if he caught an earful of his own doorman, street noise, or
the elevator cutting her reception off.

She pulled a bit at her demon to give her the courage she
needed as she walked through the front door to the elevator. The wait felt like
an eternity. She flipped her phone around in her hand over and over again,
anticipating the call in equal parts to the dread coursing through her body.

When the door opened and an elderly couple exited the metal
contraption, she walked sedately in and pushed the button that would take her
to Dominick’s floor. The eleventh floor. Her mind wandered over her day. She’d
come to many decisions since lunch. Were they rash? Perhaps, but she was ready
for something new. Were they asinine, considering she was about to meet someone
who was potentially her mate, or potentially a stalker? Maybe. But as Gynger
had told her repeatedly, if she wasn’t going to let go of the past and do some
living, what was the point of being an immortal?

The metal doors opened on a silent hallway that looked very
much like every hotel in America. Beige walls, cream carpet and fake flowers
gracing a nondescript table welcomed her to his floor. Two steps down the
corridor, her phone rang. She jumped, then laughed at her nervousness. Taking a
deep, fortifying breath helped to clear her mind and with Dominick’s door in
sight she answered the phone.