Sinful Things

17

All angels and demons are attractive, but the Lilim have something else, something irresistible that makes it hard to take your eyes off them, and this succubus is no exception.

“Ah, there’s Olivia now,” Uriel says, as I step inside the room. Will Uriel be attending these sessions too? That could get very awkward. Especially if we start talking about my s*x life. Or how I’m sleeping with his son for sustenance. I glance at Bastien in a panic, but he discreetly exits the room and closes the door as Uriel begins speaking again. “This is Delilah. She’ll be handling your succubus testing, per Baal’s request.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Delilah says, and even her voice is alluring.

Uriel stands. “I’ll leave you two to get started. Feel free to enjoy some tea and cakes.”

He exits the room, and I hesitate a second before sitting in the chair he vacated. On the table beside me there are tiny little yellow teacups and a steaming tea pot, along with some cute mini cakes with pastel frosting. I pour myself some tea, even though the whole moment feels like something from a dream.

“How strange to be having tea in an Archangel’s house,” Delilah says, before bringing her cup to her lips for a delicate sip. “I look forward to teaching you here, in Uriel’s quaint little parlor. It’s so very chaste, and what we’ll discuss is definitely not.”

“Teach me?” I ask, confused. “I’m not sure how much Baal told you, but I already know how to control my succubus hunger and how to feed without hurting anyone. I don’t think there’s much more you could teach me.”

Delilah’s laugh floats through the air like butterflies with gossamer wings. "My dear, you don't know a quarter of what I have to teach you. Besides, that’s not why I’m really here, now is it? We both know I’ve been sent to evaluate you for Baal. Now, what Baal doesn’t know is that I’m also here to watch over you, at the behest of your mother."

My eyes widen. "You know who my mother is?"

“I do. I’m one of your cousins. But don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone who your mother is.” She gives me a wink that could bring humans to their knees.

I sit back with a sigh of relief. It’s forbidden for angels and demons to have relationships, and Mother’s life could be in danger if anyone found out she gave birth to me. Then the other part of her statement registers, and my eyes widen. “We’re cousins?”

“Yes, we share closer blood than most.”

I want to ask more, but I get the sense she is being purposefully vague, and likely won’t tell me anything else. Instead, I ask, “Are you going to test me?”

She picks up one of the little cakes and takes a bite. “No, I already know enough just by looking at you. For one thing, I can tell you’re not feeding enough.”

“It’s not exactly easy on a campus full of angels,” I mutter.

She waves a dismissive hand. “There are plenty of places nearby you could go to find prey.”

“I tried that last year and it was…challenging. I also got attacked by demons, which didn’t make it any easier.” I don’t mention that I would prefer not to feed on strangers anymore, for fear it will make me seem weak or something.

“You don’t need to worry about that anymore. There were rumors of a rogue succubus in the area and a bounty was placed on your head, but that’s all over now that you’re not in hiding anymore. No demon will attack you, not without facing the wrath of the Archdemons.”

That’s good to know.

She c***s her head. “If you’re not feeing from humans, who are you feeding from?”

“Right now, one of the angels on campus.”

“That’s it?” She blinks at me. “No wonder you’re half-starved. You can’t survive on one angel alone—your mother must have taught you that. Not only because it won’t sustain you over a long period, but because eventually you will kill this person, just as you would a human.”

I stare down into my tea. As much as I dislike Bastien, I don’t want to hurt him. “Can we never have a long-term supernatural lover then?”

“No, you can, however you would need many of them. Ideally six to eight, unless they’re very powerful, then you might get away with fewer. That way, when you feed regularly from all of them, you take less of their life force and don’t put them in any danger.” Her lips curl. “Of course, the tricky part is finding multiple supernaturals who agree to share you.”

“Have you done it?”

“I have in the past, but it never lasts. In the Lilim world we call it a harem, and many young idealistic succubi and incubi try to create one, but find it challenging to maintain. Lovers get jealous and fickle over time. Personalities clash. People leave.” Her eyes go distant, and I sense that she’s remembering something in her own past. After a moment, she shakes her head. “It’s a lot easier to keep traveling and feeding on human strangers, as you’ll soon learn.”

I take a sip of my tea and think over her words. She’s saying nothing I haven’t heard before from Mother, but I foolishly hoped another succubus would have better answers for me. But as Mother said, love isn’t for our kind.

“I’ll figure something out.” I’ll have to either start trolling nearby bars again for truckers to bang, or I’ll have to take Marcus into my bed again. And probably a few other angels too. But who? Kassiel is off-limits. Callan hates me, and the feeling is mutual. I can’t think of anyone else on campus I’d sleep with, unfortunately.