Carnal (Her Dark Desires #1) (13 page)

“Would
you have any reason to hurt Delilah?” Rhodes asked.

“No,”
I said. “She was a pain in the ass, but I wouldn’t want this to happen to her.”

“But
you don’t mind that it did,” Rhodes interjected.

I
glared at him. “I know exactly what you’re insinuating. And no, I didn’t hire
anyone to kill her.”

“I
never said you did,” Rhodes said icily.

“All
right,” Hector said, jumping in. “I think that’s enough. If you have more
questions, you can contact us in the morning.”

Rhodes
looked like he was about to protest, but Harris clamped a hand down on his
shoulder and smiled pleasantly. “Thank you so much for your assistance. We
greatly appreciate it.”

I
heard them arguing as Hector led me away. I couldn’t wait to get out of this
room, away from the smell, Special Agent Asshole, and what was left of Delilah.
Students began whispering loudly as he escorted me through, and I couldn’t
bring myself to meet their gazes head-on. Great. As if I wasn’t already a hot
topic for dirty gossip, this would propel me into legendary status.

Hector
stopped to request a few guards follow us. They formed a shield around me as he
walked me to the elevator and punched in a code. “1-7-1. This will take you up
to the private quarters only visiting high-ranking officials stay in. It’s
pretty quiet up there - and safe.”

Ha.
Safe. Right. Who was really safe in a school in the middle of nowhere where
anyone could be the serial killer?

I
got chills as we walked. It didn’t sound like anyone else lived up here at the
moment, which terrified me more than I already was. I hadn’t stopped shaking,
even when Hector had shown me into a room and had situated me on the bed. This
apartment was twice the size of my old one, with more high-tech furnishings,
including-

“Oh,
thank God,” I said, going over to the mini-bar and pouring myself a shot of
whiskey. I downed it in one gulp, enjoying the burn because it briefly took my
mind off what I’d witnessed earlier. Something told me that image wasn’t going
away anytime soon.

“You
should get some rest,” Hector said, coming up and leaning his elbows on the
bar. “I’ll post two guards outside your door at all times, and two more to
escort you to your sessions and back here.”

“Don’t
leave.”

He
went still.

Tears
began leaking out of my eyes. I could feel my shell-shocked exterior starting
to crack. “Please don’t leave me here.”

He
swallowed hard. “Okay,” he said. “I won’t.”

After
telling the guards he would be staying at my request, he found me some comfy
pajamas. I showered for a long time, feeling like I had blood all over me,
despite the fact it only coated the bottom of my shoes. When the bathroom was filled
with steam, I finally came out. Hector helped me into bed and tucked me in, but
it didn’t make me feel like a child.

With
his heat at my back once he’d settled in beside me, I felt protected.

Safe.

He
stroked my head, playing with my hair as I stared at the wall, unable to fall
asleep. “Poor Delilah,” I said. “She wasn’t winning any Roommate of the Year
Awards, but she didn’t deserve that.”

Hector
took in a deep breath and sighed. “No one needs to die that way, in my book.”

“What
do you think did that?”

“Not
sure. Were, maybe. A very big, powerful were. She was a packmaster’s daughter.
I’m sure her father had enemies. Children of the Moon tend to inherit them.”

All
right, in addition to being alive, I had another thing to be thankful for -
that I wasn’t born or made into a were.

We
didn’t speak after that. I was glad he didn’t ask me if I was okay, because I
honestly wasn’t. I didn’t think I was going to be okay for a while. All my
problems with Elias and getting fired from Vixens sounded like a cakewalk
compared to this.

Hector
rested his head against mine. “You’re safe now,” he murmured into my hair. “No
one can hurt you. I won’t leave you.”

I
smiled, feeling the first pull of sleep. “That’s nice.”

“Sally…”

My
eyes had started fluttering shut, and exhaustion dragged me under an ocean of
darkness. Only in the morning did I realize it wasn’t Hector who had said my
name.

SCREAMING
THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT is not the best way to try to get sleep. In fact, I didn’t
sleep at all. And poor Hector certainly didn’t. I elbowed him in the face with
my thrashing more times than I could count, but he stayed anyhow.

Around
dawn, he ordered a sedative for me, which I fought at first. “This will help
you rest,” he said, sounding ragged. “I’ll cancel our field observation
tonight-”

“No,”
I said at once. “No, don’t cancel it.”

He
raised a brow. “Are you sure?”

I
nodded. “I need to get away from this place for a while, somewhere off campus.”

He
studied my face, then nodded.

I
don’t know what he gave me, but I was out like a light until he roused me later
to get ready. While my emotions still felt raw, my mind was at least clearer.
Donning something “sexy” at his insistence, we took one of the facility’s cars
and headed out into the city.

The
drive was quiet and a bit cool. I hadn’t worn a bra again. Hell, I might not
ever wear one again, I was so comfortable. Monique had a sense for comfort and
style. The glittery, black leather dress was short with long sleeves. I’d worn
big earrings, curling my hair and brushing it over one shoulder, and fuck-me
red heels.

Hector
had elevated himself from delectable to divine. Wearing nothing but dark jeans,
a black leather jacket, which he wore open to reveal his bare chest, and a
fedora, he was hotter than sin.

And
he smelled so damn good too, like cinnamon.

 “Do
you believe in love at first sight?” I asked out of the blue.

He
looked at me, startled. “I think it exists. Why?”

I
shook my head. “I dunno. Last night’s brush with death got me thinking about
how vulnerable we all are, I guess. Love is a very human, natural emotion.”

“But
we aren’t natural.”

“We
were both human at one point, though. So why is it such a crime to fall in
love?”

His
grip tightened on the steering wheel. “Because they don’t want our emotions
interfering with our jobs. We need to have sex to survive. It’s how it’s always
been for our kind. Succubi and incubi relationships rarely pan out because of
the cheating aspect. One party or both always feels slighted, and rightly so.
It’s just better if we keep things strictly professional.”

I
balled up my dress with my fists. “Is that why you kissed me the other night?
To teach me another lesson?”

His
gaze met mine, the depth of emotion swimming in his eyes making my breath
pause. “No,” he said at last. “I kissed you because I wanted to.” His eyes
turned back to the road, and his business demeanor dropped into place. “We’re
here.”

“Here”
was a quaint house in a typical suburban neighborhood, probably upper middle
class judging by the neat lawns and average cars in the driveway. One house had
a lot more cars than the others, and a pair of red balloons was strung to the
mailbox.

Hector
parked along the side of the road, and we both got out. “What are we doing
here, again?” I asked.

“One
of two monthly observations to make sure our newly released succubus is doing
well. After they complete the program, the mentoring succubus or incubus
completes two observations a month to make sure they’re slipping back into
society all right.”

Music
drifted out of the front door, heavy metal from what I could tell. Parties were
a great way for one of our kind to get a quick fix, since at least one couple
ended up hooking up by the end of the night.

Hector
rang the doorbell, and a bald man in his fifties answered the door. He was
wearing what appeared to be a toga, complete with a gold crown.

“Hector!”
he said, shaking the incubus’s hand as we stepped inside. “Welcome. You here
for Cassandra?”

I
raised my brows. Some humans knew about us, but the D.P.I. usually had vampires
or witches glamour them to make them forget about paranormals. Others were on
some sup’s payroll, as I assumed this guy was. Hector wouldn’t be so nonchalant
with him otherwise.

“Good
to see you, James. Yes, I just need to check in with her, and then my friend
and I will be on our way.”

James
scoped me out from head to toe. “Well, hello there,” he purred, taking my hand
and lifting it to his lips. “And you might be?”

“Off
limits,” Hector said in a low voice, stepping between us.

James
gulped and hastily backed away. “Uh, right this, um, way, sir.”

Hector
took my hand, and I followed him through the house. There were about twenty
people here, all middle-aged and wearing Greek-inspired fashion.

And
all engaging in some sort of open sexual intercourse, some with multiple
partners.

I’d
never been to an orgy. Monique frequented them, saying they were “a great way
to meet new friends.”

I
raised my brows when I saw a naked woman sprawled on her back across the dining
room table. Two men were sucking on her tits, while a woman ate her out and
another swallowed her screams, their tongues tangling in a dance that was
mesmerizing to watch.

We
walked up the stairs and into the master bedroom. Cassandra’s paranormal
signature buzzed on my radar at once. Upon seeing the threesome on the bed, my
jaw dropped.

Cassandra,
for one thing, was gorgeous, and of Latino descent it looked like. She rode a
guy like one of those bull machines, her voluptuous breasts bouncing up and
down with her rhythm. Another man kneeled in front of her, his toga lifted up
while she moved her mouth along his swollen shaft. He griped her head as she
sucked and pulled, moaning and grunting like the guy she rode.

Color
me impressed - the girl was screwing two guys at once. I couldn’t imagine the
energy charge she’d get from that. It would be enough to last a whole month.

“Wait
here,” Hector said, stepping into the room and closing the door.

I
crossed my arms, feeling bare as patrons skirted past.

I
tapped my foot, checking my watch. Ten minutes had passed. How much longer was
this going to take?

“Hey.”

I
looked up, seeing a well-toned guy about my age. He was handsome, looking like
a young Caesar. Or maybe an Adonis. But the cold look in his eyes left me
chilled.

I
nodded, hoping my lack of a spoken greeting would make him go away.

If
anything, it pissed him off. He grabbed my arm and jerked me toward him. “Hey,
bitch. When someone speaks to you, you say something back.”

I
yanked my arm free. “First of all, I’m not your bitch. Secondly, I don’t have
to speak to you if I don’t want to. It’s a free fucking country. So piss off.”

My
head hit the wall so hard I saw stars. Scrambling to get my senses about me, I
fought to press the heavy weight off my back but had no luck. Adonis’s breath
came hot on my cheek. “I’m going to fuck you six ways to Sunday, and you’re
gonna scream my name when you come.”

His
hand started hiking up my dress, getting a palmful of my bare ass.

I
squirmed, fighting to break free. Maybe I could kick him.

The
door flew open then. I couldn’t see what happened, but there was a blur,
followed by a
pop
as someone pummeled their fist into Adonis’s face. He
released me, sprawling backward and crashing into a hallway table.

Hector
pulled me to him. “Are you all right?” he breathed.

“I’m
fine,” I said, adrenaline making me shaky. “He just caught me off guard.”

Hector
growled, stalking toward Adonis. The guy looked dazed as Hector grabbed a
fistful of his toga and picked him clear up off the floor. His feet dangled in
the air.

“Get
out. Now,” Hector growled.

He
threw Adonis down. The man cast one last terrified look at Hector, than
scrambled down the stairs, tripping and falling over his toga as he flew out
the door.

I
let out a breath, and Hector took my hand.

James
came around the corner, crying out at the broken table. “That was my
great-grandmother, Francis’s! What happened?”

“Sorry,
James,” Hector said. “I’ll send you some money to replace it. Thanks again.
Cassandra’s doing fine.”

He
hurriedly led me back downstairs and out the door. He didn’t stop his
lightning-quick pace until we were in the car and speeding away.

“Thanks,”
I said breathlessly.

He
grunted in response.

I
studied his rigid back and tense jaw. “Hey, are you okay?” I said.

He
growled a sigh. “That man… he had his hands all over you. I couldn’t stand it.”