Succubus Happens

Chapter Six

I avoid everyone’s gaze as I walk through the house and exit through the front door. We’re back in the main part of town, so I know how to get home from here. Not that I really want to be there. I don’t know where I want to be, actually. I spot a bench next to the street and go to sit down. I put my head in my hands and squeeze my eyes shut. Of all the things in the world to be.

“Daphne?”

I don’t look up as Carter joins me.

“You should go,” I say.

“Why?” he asks, starting to rub my back.

I jerk away from his touch. “Don’t do that,” I say.

“Daphne, what is going on?” he asks. “Why won’t you let me comfort you?”

“Because you don’t really want to,” I say. “You don’t actually want me.”

Carter quirks a brow. “Excuse me?”

I shake my head. “It’s not your fault,” I say, getting to my feet. “It’s my powers. You only want me because of my powers. I can’t shut it off.”

“Daphne, what are you talking about?’

“You were at the same table I was, Carter,” I say. “You heard your grandmother. I allure to people. That’s my power. There’s no shutting it off. People want me because of what I am. Not because of who I am.”

Carter grins. “Oh, that’s why you’re freaking out.”

“This isn’t funny,” I say, narrowing my eyes at him.

“Actually, it really is,” Carter says, grabbing my hand and pulling me to sit next to him again.

“I don’t see how.”

Carter holds his wrist out. “You see this bracelet?” he asks, gesturing to a thick white strap of fabric that is tied around his wrist. I nod, waiting for him to continue. “This bracelet is charmed. This allows me to be immune to people’s power. I can’t be affected. Jake has the same one in green.”

“I’m not following.”

“Your powers don’t do anything to me,” he says. “I want to be with you, because I like you. Not because I’ve been spelled to do so.”

I furrow my brow. “Does everyone have these?” I ask him.

He shakes his head. “No, actually it’s just me and Jake,” he says.

“And why are you so special?”

Carter grins. “Granny is actually the one who spelled them. She was actually the one who put the charm around the town.”

I lift his arm so that I can rest against his side and he presses a kiss to my head.  “How long ago was this?” I ask, looking up at him.

He looks nervous. “A couple hundred years ago.”

I stare blankly at him. “So…how old does that make you?”

“Do you really want to know that?”

I let out a breath. “No,” I say. “I don’t think I do.”

He laughs and squeezes my hand.

“Is Aurelia mad at me?”

“Why would she be mad at you?”

“Because I walked out.”

“Don’t worry,” he says. “Granny understands.”

“What about the rest of town?” I ask him. “What are people going to say Monday? What are we going to tell them?”

“What would you like to tell them?” he asks.

“Well, you said that we were involved,” I say.

“We are.”

“And what does that mean?”

“That you’re my girl.”

I blush and can’t contain my grin. “Yeah?”

“Damn right.” He kisses me again and I am completely at ease.

“And what about Alex?” I ask.

He stiffens and glares at me. “You just ruined the moment.”

“I’m sorry!” I tell him, squeezing his hand. “But we can’t avoid the topic forever.”

He sighs. “I know.” Carter runs his free hand through his hair. “I’m always going to be there for you.”

“No, you’re not,” I tell him. I continue before he can argue with me. “Jake even said this on Friday. There’s going to be a time when you’re not around and I’ll have to take care of myself.”

“Let me rephrase,” Carter says, narrowing his eyes at me. “I want to always be there for you. And when I’m not, I’m going to try like hell to get there.”

I look at him. “When I wake, you wake.”

“Yeah,” he smiles. “I know it’s all confusing and scary and weird, but I believe there’s a reason for things like this. You and I connected your first day at school. When I saw you in math, I knew I was going to be in trouble.”

I quirk a brow. “Trouble?’

“I’m not going to tell you how old I am, Daphne,” he says, smirking. “But it’s been a long time since I’ve felt like this.”

The words cause my nerves to set on fire. I want to kiss him again, like we did in the car, but I’m scared. I don’t know how my powers will react and I don’t know how to control them yet.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” I say softly, meeting his eyes.

He presses his lips to my forehead. “So we’ll work on it. It always takes some time getting used to…who you are.”

“Well how would you know?” I ask him, crossing my arms over my chest. “You probably don’t even remember going through this.”

Carter laughs and kisses the side of my head. “Man you get cranky when you don’t get what you want.”

“Maybe that’s just a side effect of being a succubus,” I say. “Crankiness.”

“Daph, shut up and kiss me.”

I look over at him. “What?”

Carter takes the bracelet off of his wrist and I watch the look in his eyes change. “Kiss me.”

“No! I’m already affecting you! Put that back on.”

“Kiss me,” he says, taking a breath. “It’ll make you feel better.” I stare at him dubiously, but Carter just nods and moves closer to me. “I’m serious. Just kiss me.”

And then suddenly I’m kissing him. And it’s different than our kiss in his truck. It’s…much different. I kiss him hungrily and when I pull back, I take part of him with me…like an essence. And everything in my body comes to life. I kiss him again and pull more from him, the sensation waking everything inside of me up. And then he pulls away, putting the bracelet back on his wrist. I put my hands on my knees and gasp for air.

“Whoa,” I say.

“How’d you like that?”

“It was good. Really good. But scary,” I turn to look at him. He looks like he’s lost a bit of color. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he says. “”Do you feel better?”

I nod. “Yeah,” I say. “Much better. Different…more alive.”

Carter grins. “Power can do that do you.”

“This could be dangerous.”

“Only when I’m not wearing my bracelet. We can still kiss and you won’t take any of me with you when we do, but there will be times when you need it. To keep your energy up. And we’ll have to take it slow so that you don’t kill me.”

My jaw drops. “Is that a possibility?” I ask him, horrified.

“With us supernatural creatures, death is always a possibility.”

I shake my head. “I don’t want to kill you. I don’t want to kill anyone.”

He takes my hand. “Which is why we’re going to take it slow. Don’t worry about it, Daph,” he says, kissing my knuckles. “I’m gonna be here every step of the way.”

I smile at him and then jump when my phone vibrates in my pocket. It’s a text message from my mom asking when I’ll be home. I sigh and look at Carter. “What am I supposed to tell my parents?”

“You can’t tell them anything,” he says. “You just…pretend that everything is the way that it was.”

“Is that why you guys still go to school and everything? Even though you clearly don’t need to?” I ask. “Because the parents of the supernatural don’t know about you?”

Carter nods. “That, and there’s nothing really else to do in this town.”

“What happens when you get bored?” I ask.

Carter grins. “Video games. Lots and lots of video games.”

I groan. “Why couldn’t you have said reading?” I ask.

“What’s wrong with video games?”

“Nothing,” I tell him. “According to every boy in the world, there’s nothing wrong with video games.”

Carter narrows his eyes at me. “Are you stereotyping me?”

I grin. “Probably.”

“I’m a werewolf, Daphne. You can’t stereotype me.”

I laugh and raise a brow. “Yeah, okay. I’ll rise to the challenge. So do you not howl at the moon?”

Carter laughs. “Okay, okay fine,” he says, holding his hands up defensively. “I howl at the moon. But only when I’m a wolf. Just once a month.”

“My moon boy.” I cover my face with my hands. “You are…so great,” I tell him, dropping my hands so I can kiss him. “I really like you.”

“I really like you.” He rests his head against my own. “And not just because of your exceptional kissing skills.”

I roll my eyes. “Flirt.”

“Of course I am,” Carter says. “That’s how I got you.”

“Excuse me, you didn’t get me,” I tell him.

“I sort of did.”

“No, you sort of didn’t,” I argue. “We’re together because I got you.”

“Oh really? Is that how we’re going to play it?”

“That’s absolutely how we’re playing it,” I counter.

Carter shakes his head before pulling me in for a kiss again. “You’re kind of perfect.”

“Only kind of?” I tease.

“Well, you’ve got this neurotic thing about you and that takes you down a few points.”

“Neurotic?”

“Don’t worry, it’s a cute neurotic.”

“I don’t actually think that’s a real thing,” I tell him. “But thanks for playing.”

Carter just smiles and pats my leg. “Come on, then,” he says, getting to his feet.

“Where are we going?”

“Back inside,” he says. “You didn’t finish your tea.”