S and Murder (Hannah Graves Spin-off One)

s*x and Murder The Succubus Files Book One One: When you awake in fear that your guest from the previous evening might not be living, you have entered my particular shade of hell. As sleep quickly deserts me, and I rub my eyes clear of the fog, I heave an audible sigh of relief at the snoozing naked redhaired vixen I met the previous evening. I’m not a picky eater, any kind will do, but this ginger honeycomb was particularly succulent! Her right breast peaks out at me, and I am tempted for a second course. However, I quickly admonish myself, and I force myself to my feet. The art of waking in someone else’s bed is one I have been working on for a long time. Longer than is strictly legal in the state of New York. However, try explaining to my chi appetite that I need to be over a certain age to feed. My phone buzzes in my pocket and I see the ID, it’s one of my Hidden Royal Guard watchdogs. “Spencer here, what happened now?” I ask as I nudge the door open with my shoulder. My knickers still in my hand, as I make my oh so spectacular dash of shame. A lot of girls might feel slutty, me, I make no apologies about my need to eat. “It’s Spencer, who else would be answering your mobile phone?” Ren said, the dark masculine tone told me he was not going to tolerate any of my usual BS, so I did what I always did, I went on anyway! “Well, could have been a smoking redhead or one of the guys I did in the bathroom before that, who the f**k keeps tabs on their phone while they're vertical?” There was no pause, just a thundering roar that almost deafened me. “Dammit, there is a dead woman here and she has your number in her mobile, and she looks like she’s been fed on.” My heart almost stopped in my chest for a moment. “Ren, who is she, and where are you? I am coming to you.” “We don’t make a habit of inviting suspects to the murder scene!” Ren fired back at me, and I swiftly amended, “Technically, you cannot possibly be working a Succubus related case and working for the NYPD. That’s exposure suicide, your apex would rip your spine out and beat you with it.” I said, reminding him of the ramifications. He did not speak for a moment and I was certain it was because he was currently looking for a bottle large enough to contain the fury he was not feeling towards the most obnoxious solo immortal in the community—and don’t forget sexy! “Precisely, and now you realize how ardent this situation has become! I am standing here, with my partner and I only have a minute before I cannot explain why I am on the phone and not hovering over the dead body looking for evidence, or why I cannot contribute to the investigation properly.” I felt my pulse jump and I sighed. “Well, I just woke up, and the only people I ate last night are all still amongst the living begging for seconds. You can track my activities and my small three-person debauchery that followed via CCTV.” I explained to him, he had accused me of murder more than once. Unfortunately for me, he wasn’t always wrong. It’s been years, but my hands are far from clean. Mortals have died in the past, and I almost ended my existence after that nightmare. “Text me the details, and I still need you to present yourself at court today. You are due for a check-up anyway.” He said, and his tone made it clear this was not a request. I knew Ren pretty well now. He had been one of my watchdogs for all my teens and now into my early twenties. I am twenty-one, and I honestly look closer to seventeen visually speaking. If other species are any indication, I will not age much more if at all. Some beings even look like perpetual high school juniors. Most of us tend not to think about it too much. Age is not measured in any manner that humans would fathom. To us, age is measured in experiences, changes of the times, and the tides of violence and turbulence around us. All of this is consistent if you live long enough. The endless dance of the human and immortal species. “Can’t we just go to a regular gynecologist like a normal twenty-something?!” Ren growled into the line, which was strange, considering Nix can phase-shift into lizardmen of a sort. Their apex family some of them can fully transform into dragons. In my opinion, they have it so much better, no need to feed the inner chi hunger. Their dragon form does not control them, merely alters them, and amplifies their abilities with expression and power. “Dammit, if any of us were approaching normal, none of these restrictions would be in place! Besides, remember prom!” I growled at him and exclaimed, “You promised you would never mention that night again!” “We had to send a full unit of magi to clean up and wipe your drunken s*x orgy on the dance floor from their minds!” Ren snarled at me and I winced slightly. “In my defense, we both learned that alcohol and succubae are not advisable in combination! Besides, how was I supposed to know that they spiked the damn punch!?” Ren growled again and murmured, “Even I know to expect that. It is a teen movie cliché for a reason!” I sighed and I leaned against the hallway near the exit to the apartment building. “Look, I need coffee before this escalates any further. How about you text me the address, and I will show up after I make a quick trip to my local barista. Who I will leave very much alive, by the way!” I added, and I ended the call without waiting to see if he replied again. He was not an apex, but he was an alpha male, so I had to really shake his horns to get him to cooperate properly. With that said, I was now left with the ominous contemplation about which girl I have given my number is now dead, and when I may have seen them last. My food is usually rotated weekly, at least. Some I had to drop after once or twice if their chi levels seem to regenerate too slowly. My hunger is rather extreme and managing it has been a never-ending nightmare. Even so, I have not killed someone since well before I was an adult. The court of Hidden made it clear that if I did, then I would be executed. I was alone in this life—in this foreign world, devoid of anything kindred. My phone buzzed even as I was pushing it back into my purse. Four condoms sprang from my clutch purse as if in an escape bid. The woman walking with her young son did not look amused at all. I managed to give her a sinister smile, nonetheless. I don’t apologize; besides, a girl does not need kids when she can barely feed herself! My leather skirt and my grey and pink crop-top tee were more club-worthy than kindergarten friendly. I probably looked like a dom to this vanilla lady. Her scathing gaze traveled with me all the way to the door. I could feel her heated eyes on me like molten solar beams of doom. If she had been solo, I would likely have hit on her, just to amuse myself as she pounders why she feels sexually attracted to a girl. I don’t play with humans or abuse the gifts of my expression, but something like that just helps loosen up a blouse button or two. The way I see it, that is community service right there! After another scathing glare, and what sounded like a huff or some indignant variety, I opened the main door to the building. The sounds of New York City rush to greet me all at once, like a litter of kitten jockeying for attention and food. While I do not subscribe to the whole cat lady notion, I am a proud owner of four kitties myself. They just seem to find me. It’s like the mothers and fathers of these kittens put them right on my door because I am such a sucker for a cute kitten. Besides, it is cruel to leave things abandoned without love care, or food. I know a thing or two about that myself. The best part of technically not being a human at all, the technology. I have a personal chore unit in my apartment that runs in a stealth setting while I am using it above ground in the human city. Think Stepford Wives, just not creepy or used for s*x at all. Unfortunately for me, robots cannot satisfy my main need for s*x, aside from getting off. My unit should have just fed my kitties about twenty minutes ago, assuming nothing terrible has happened. I named my unit Rita because it made sense when I was twelve. Note to self, never let twelve-year-old’s name things! At least with a robotic chore unit, a girl can be a border-line cat owner. I am gone a lot, but I do make up for it with loads of loves and cuddles and treats when I am back and I’m not starving my head off. Today I was planning to spend some time with the kitties after I grabbed food. Bully that, but I had to figure out who was dead and why Ren seemed to think I looked good for it. This was hardly even close to my first rodeo with the whole suspect thing. Every time looks even remotely like a succubus feed, I am the first one who gets a visit from the world’s grumpiest Nix detective. Ren was one of those guys who didn’t like things out of place, and well, I am a perpetual loose wheel in the immortal community. I also believe he loathes this duty because it is too close to babysitting for his taste. Already too busy trying to handle my own life, and my problems. I don’t have time to figure Ren’s out as well. Part of me was insulted, but I could hardly blame Ren, not if I am even being remotely honest with myself. My phone buzzed again, and I groan, and I press the talk button. “Hello?” I asked, and a gruff voice boomed through the line. “Spencer Kacey?” He asked, and I recognized his voice from my time around Ren. He was Francis, or Frankie, Ren’s partner, and a very tall, burly Italian guy with a widow’s peak and greying black hair. He was about forty-five, a little chubby, but still handsome. And, I have already pictured him naked in my mind twice since I answered the line and ID the voice—there is something seriously broken in me! “This is Spencer, how can I help you?” I asked, playing as if I didn’t know him from Adam. He shouldn’t recognize me, since Ren is very careful about not letting anyone in his human job see me or anyone else from the immortal community with him. The only two people Ren has introduced to his partner, that I know of, are his daughter and his eternal mate—wife. Being an alpha-male, with a strong Nix female offspring, that is comparable to the way human men often view producing a male heir. “Do you know a Sara Dupre?” My blood froze, I knew her alright. She had been my girlfriend for a long time until she realized I was never going to be serious or settle down anytime this century. No wonder he could sense succubus on her, we may have been over for months now, but I had been feeding on her regularly and leaving my distinct expression signature on her metaphysically, that was like marking your territory. It helps when you are trying to keep other immortals off your things or your people. Sara had been my girl for about a year, even though my hunger made it impossible to be monogamous. My eyes were burning with tears. I swiped at them, and I cleared my throat and began to discuss Sara with Frankie.