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There was a gasp of murmurs throughout the hive. Multiple voices blended into one another. Edward stood from his seat.
“Is that why you are really here? After all, we’ve heard the rumors. Rumors of ancients and deathwalkers breaking thebylaws. I can assume it’s no coincidence you happened upon my hive.”
I looked back at Oliver, his face urging me not to divulge everything we had been through.
“We’ve heard the same rumors. We fled to stay away from that as a precaution. But we don’t know anything about them, so we’d like to know what you know. You’re the oldest creature alive. That we know of, that is.” I slid a smile on my face, trying to keep my heart rate steady. I could feel his eyes examining me, listening to the thudding of my heart as if to see if I was lying. I obviously was, but he couldn’t tell. Or at least I hoped he couldn’t. This wasn’t my first rodeo with vampires; I was good at hiding my deceit.
His lips pursed, and he almost smiled, like he was holding it back. “I’ll bite. I do love a tit-for-tat. I’ll take your favor and blood for information, though I must warn you that you should bargain cautiously for future reference. I don’t know much about deathwalkers, only that they are gory beasts that have become cave dwellers. They’ve been hiding in the mountains of Canada for centuries. Rumor is they were hiding something. Or protecting, the theories have shifted over the years. Some say the ancients hid there long ago after the rebellion of the demons. Which, I assume you know nothing of as well?” His brow hitched as he acknowledged our blank stares. “Your generation of demons know nothing of our history. I have one last shred of information for you then. The rebellion was against the ancients and the demons they produced. Their creations didn’t want to be ruled. They didn’t want to be deemed ‘lesser’ than their creators, so they hunted them until only a few were rumored to have survived.”
I swallowed, unable to hold my fastening heart. Thisinformation made more sense than Edward realized.
It would make sense why the deathwalker spoke of the ancients, why they were enraged by lesser demons. It might have even given cause for taking our mother, but I still didn’t know where an angel came into the picture. And I sure as hell wasn’t about to mention it. It was at least something—more than what we knew before.
“Thank you.” That was all I said, acknowledging Edward’s information as helpful. Though, my stomach churned at the thought of his fangs on me. I hadn’t been bitten in a long time and knew that this one would hurt painfully. He wasn’t exactly known for his fragility.
“Now, my price.” He grinned, motioning for me to walk up to him.
I gave a last glimpse in Freya’s direction, careful not to look at her for too long. Or long enough that Edward could sense my feelings for her. He was smart enough to know that it was impossible for me to love a human, and it would make him question her. Make him curious of her. And I couldn’t have that.
I approached him cautiously, watching as his worker bees swarmed. I kneeled before him and felt the sharp sting of fangs pierce my throat almost instantly.
It felt like needles eviscerating every vein, every pulse. Like liquid, electric waves fluttered within me, painfully draining me. I didn’t scream out of proudness, but I wanted to. I wanted to shout from the top of my lungs. But I couldn’t stand there emotionless. My teeth jarred, my face grimacing at the pain. The only sound I allowed myself to make was a low growl of discomfort.
I had to be strong for Freya. For myself.
Seconds turned to minutes before he loosened his grip on me. And I had never been more hungry than in this moment. Hungrier than when I killed Stella.
It took everything in me not to run to Freya. Not to feed off her right then and there. I had to curl my fingers into my palms in a desperate plea to remind myself not to cave into the lust.
Out of instinct, I grabbed onto the neck of the nearest girl. It was the tall girl with the blonde streak in her hair that Edward had offered me before, and I let my tongue tear into her mouth, listening to her moan against me. Everything in it tasted wrong and right, tasteless and delicious. I pulled and pulled until she dropped in my arms. And I wished that I had stopped there, but I didn’t. I grabbed onto the other girl, smashing my face into hers, letting my hands explore every inch of her body without the decency to realize that everyone was watching me devour these girls.
Freyawas watching me devour these girls.
And as the second girl went limp in my arms, reality came crashing back to me. And the realization that I didn’t need to fuck them for them to die. I was genuinely becoming an incubus. Soon, my verytouchwould kill.
“Interesting. I would be sure to fix that little trick of yours before an Elder gets a whiff of it.” Edward tisked and then jolted as if to change the subject. “Well then, my home is your home for this evening. I do love that you played along nicely. Please feel free to join us later if you’re up for it. My good friend Trevor is in town, and I believe you are familiar with his wife, Sophie.” He waved his hand as if shooing us, and I sprinted back in the direction we came.
I couldn’t be around Freya. Not like this. Not this derangedand hungry.
Oliver luckily took hold of Freya as the three of them followed behind the wake that I made.
None of us spoke a word until we neared the back corner of the room near the exit, a spiraling staircase welcoming us.
“Are we not going to talk about what happened back there?” Oliver ripped my shoulder back before I could go through the staircase. “That was something anIncubuscan do. Not a succubus.”
“Well, I still have remorse and this fucked up conscience I’ve suddenly developed, so I’m not lost yet!” I snapped back. “If that’s what you were dying to know!”
“I wanted to know if you were okay!” He said as his eyes depressed downward in an attempt to show he cared.
“I’m fine.” I shrugged, narrowing into the slim stairs and spinning until I reached the top.
Tina was sent first, probably of her own accord—that and not wanting me to be alone with Freya, even for a second. Freya soon followed, and Oliver drifted closely behind her.
“I’m not saying you’re lost to the curse. I’m just saying it’s okay if you’re not fine.” His hand squeezed my shoulder, comforting me once he reached the top.
To my surprise, the warmth of Freya’s hand snaked into my fingers. “After everything and everyone you’ve lost so suddenly, it’s okay not to be okay. To lose control. It happens to the best of us. Just some of us aren’t as deadly as you are.” She said as shesmiled up at me.I just killed two people before her very-freaking- eyes, and she was smiling? Howdelusionalwas she?
I pulled away from her hold. “Are you insane? Are you that clouded by whatever charms I have that may or may not beworking on you to realize that I justmurderedthose girls? That I could murderyou!” I could feel my eyes twitching.
