Evidenced by Snow now levitating her spoon from the pint of ice cream, shakily directing it to her mouth.
“Talon runs hot, so clothes are pretty uncomfortable,” I explain. “The fae leathers are really protection for others, but he needs the ventilation.”
“Lucky us then, huh?” Ariel says, shooting a wink at me.
Snow’s spoon flops midair and splats ice cream onto the floor. She curses. “I wish I had real powers. Like Red or Goldie.”
I’ve heard about the previous Lost Girls. Apparently, Red’s grandma is the same little old lady on the box of our snacks and slipped the previous Lost Girls some cookies that turned them from human to level five mages.
“What about Cinder?” Ariel asks.
“Blood magic?” Snow wrinkles her nose. “I mean, if she hadn’t been so involved with vampires, she might not even have known she had blood magic, and it doesn’t seem very useful.”
“You want to be like Goldie?” Ariel shudders as she puts her camera aside. “Have the attention of every single person whether you want it or not? Have people so obsessed they propose to you on the spot? No, thank you.”
I stiffen, fear snaking through me. That sounds a little too much like my own power, except I’m not a mage. My natural fae ability is cursed and twisted into a Succubus.
In another life, I could have fed off Snow’s hyper energy, or Ariel’s anxiety. They’d feel relaxed, I’d be full, and we all could be hunky dory.
“Is Goldie a...Succubus?” I ask, trying to keep my voice casual. My throat goes dry.
“No way,” Snow says, busting out laughing. “Everyone knows people witch-hunted Succubae and Incubi and killed them all off by the end of The Great Culling. Goldie would probably be strung up if that’s what she became.”
My stomach twists like a wet rag drenched with fear and shame.
The thought of people stringing me up and setting me on fire, like they did in The Great Culling, flashes in my mind with vivid violence. It seemed like so long ago, but the attempted purge of fae and mage presence in the Common World was less than a hundred years ago.
I focus hard on the wrapper in my hands, but my fingers won’t cooperate. Ariel notices, rolls her chair closer, and gently takes it from me. She peels it open, then lifts out of her chair to settle in beside me on the couch.
“Goldie is a level five mage,” Snow explains, “but her power definitely has Siren-like qualities.”
“I thought Sirens were fae,” I say. “Or…are they Mermaids? Are Sirens and Mermaids the same?”
“They arenot,” Ariel says, more sharply than I expect.
Snow and I blink at her. As if realizing she came off a bit harsh, Ariel’s shoulders slump as her pale cheeks turn bright pink. “I mean, Sirens are fae who want to lure sailors to their death, and Mermaids aren’t murderous Harpies.”
“Calm down there, tiger.” Snow soothes. “No murderous Harpies here.”
I place my uneaten morsel on the coffee table, growing increasingly queasy from the conversation.
Part of me thought I might tell them what I am. A secret part that hoped I’d be accepted. That part sinks into the pit of my stomach.
Who am I kidding? I’m a killer. Who would ever want to be friends with a Succubus?
Maybe I should go back to my apartment. With my murderous magic and all...
“We need to get back to the more important question,” Snow says, turning her attention to me before I can excuse myself. “Why in the hell you aren’t banging hot boy.”
Ariel perks up at that. “Yeah, why haven’t we talked about this before?”
Snow shoots her a dark look. “Because she dodged the question the first time, andyoutold me not to ambush her until after she’d gotten more used to our weirdness.”
“Oh, right,” Ariel nods before looking at me.
They’re both looking at me, waiting for some kind of explanation.
“He’s...and I…” I stammer. Sweat breaks out on my brow, and I feel as though I’m under a bright, hot spotlight. “We can’t touch. He’s a Dragon.”
