Succubus Kiss The Complete Series Page 46

My eyes widened as the ghost of a little girl floated to the window. She pressed a hand against the pane, eyeing me. Her aura was my favorite shade of yellow—bright and shiny amid the sea of blues, pinks, and greens. Her eyes locked with mine. I could sense the sadness and pain in them. Her lips moved, mouthing the words, “Help me.”

  Sickness twisted my gut. “Why would you keep them like this? What purpose could they serve you now?” The words tumbled from my mouth without much thought. My hand pressed against the glass pane, covering the little girl’s, wishing I could help her.

  “The same reason most serial killers keep trinkets from their victims.” The wraith ran his fingers through my hair, pressing his body flush against mine. “To remember them by.” His hand reached around and fondled my left breast.

  The sensation of his icy skin against mine was enough to pull me from my rooted state of shock. I attempted to squirm free from his touch, but he pressed against me harder, until my face was pinned against the cool glass of the window and the roughness of the shack. A muffled scream escaped me as I thrashed to get free from his grasp. The souls inside the cabin screamed louder than I was as they rammed themselves against the window I was pinned against. I wasn’t sure if they were trying to help me, or if they were attracted to the noise.

  I needed to wake up! Why the hell wasn’t I? Where was Randal? Couldn’t he hear me screaming, or at the very least moaning?

  The wraith kicked my legs apart as his ice-cold fingers dug into my flesh in an effort to hold me still. I squeezed my eyes shut while another bloodcurdling scream erupted from within me. It was my last effort to wake myself from this horrible nightmare and what was about to happen. I prayed it would be enough.

  “Get away from her!” Randal’s voice was like thunder, booming through the place. “Now!”

  The wraith was jerked away from me, but his grip had been so tight that I went flying with him to the ground. I scrambled to get to my feet and put some distance between us. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, steady and strong, giving me the strength I needed. In seconds, I was shielded from the wraith’s view by Randal’s body. His warmth lapped against the front of me as I pressed myself against him to ward off the chill slipping through me.

  “You may have been able to rescue her this time, but you won’t always be there to save her,” the wraith grumbled.

  “I can assure you, I will not have to,” Randal said through clenched teeth. “Because you will not be around much longer.”

  The wraith tipped his head back and laughed. I could feel the wickedness of it caress against my skin as it floated through the air. “Is that a threat or a promise? Inquiring minds would like to know.” He pointed to the shack.

  I assumed he meant those trapped inside, but when I glanced at the window, there was the soul of a vampire girl staring at us. Something about her seemed familiar. Even though she was midnight blue, there were still certain things I could make out about her features that tugged at my mind.

  “Clara?” Randal whispered. There was so much hope and pain laced within that one word, it broke me. The girl was his baby sister, the one the wraith had taken from him.

  As my eyes skimmed over her, I realized it was her resemblance to Randal and his sisters I had noticed. She had the slender face of Bianca, and the doe-like eyes of Arabella, but the determination of Randal combined in her features. Her head tipped to the side. She continued to stare at Randal as though she knew him, but couldn’t place from where. Had being trapped in the cabin for so long stolen part of her memories? Was that the way they all were, not merely fighting to get free, but also to hold tight to who they were?

  “Clara!” Randal shouted, this time with more vigor. He moved to the window in a flash, stroking his hand along the glass in a loving way. “I can’t believe it’s really you.”

  I watched as her brows pulled together while she shifted through her memories, searching for whom this person was who claimed to know her. Did she know Clara was her name? Abruptly, something shifted in her eyes, and I knew she remembered her brother. Her hand came up to press against the pane of glass, and she smiled.

  “I’m going to get you out.” Randal motioned toward the door; disappointment darkened her features. If he noticed it, he chose to ignore it, because he was attempting to break the padlock off the next instant. I stared at her, my eyes zeroing in on her disheartened frown. She knew he wouldn’t be able to break the lock free.

  “Interesting show, isn’t it?” the wraith murmured against my ear.

  I had been too preoccupied watching Randal and Clara reunite to focus on where he was.

  “Let’s make it even more interesting for him, shall we?” He reached out and clamped his fingers around my throat, pinching off my supply of air.

  I attempted to scream, but all that came out was a gargled cry for help. Randal hadn’t heard me. I watched as he continued to pull at the lock and pound against the door, trapped in his desire to free his baby sister. Clara noticed though. She beat her palm against the window and screamed, her eyes on mine. Randal noticed her pounding and darted to see what she was saying. She pointed to me.

  The moment he realized the wraith had me again, Randal’s expression changed into one I had never seen before. It was feral and dark, sending chills down my spine and making me thankful I wasn’t on the receiving end of whatever he was about to do.

  In a flash, he had erased the distance between us. The wraith let me go and moved to the side seconds before Randal’s fist connected with him.

  “When are you going to realize your girlfriend is mine, same as your sister and all the others inside my treasure box?” The wraith laughed as he dodged another blow from Randal. “There’s nothing you can do about it. You’re a measly vampire, not a god.”

  More pounding against the window captured my attention. Clara was beckoning me. I could see her lips moving, but they were going too fast for me to read what she was saying. I stepped toward her and felt pain slice through my heel. When I glanced down, I spotted more ice crystals protruding from the ground. My vision widened as I noticed the crystals were everywhere. Not only that, but the forest seemed to have grown thicker, the pond larger, and the hill we were on higher.

  It hit me then, what Clara was trying to say—the wraith was gaining power from both Randal’s emotions and mine. I had forgotten how just by being here we were feeding him.

  Chapter 17

  “Randal, stop! Please! All you’re doing is feeding him!” I shouted. This garnered no reaction from him. Randal was in a blind rage. I tried to think of the last time we had been in this situation, of how I had been able to get through to him.

  My feet were moving, and I was at his side in an instant. “Randal.” I gripped his shoulder, but he shook me off. He was lost, consumed by the anger he had harbored for so long against the wraith, and yet the damn wraith kept right on laughing. He was getting what he wanted, more power. I had to find a way to stop him from getting any more than he already had.

  “You’re feeding him!” Panic rose in my voice.

  “So are you, my sweet little succubus.” The wraith chuckled.

  I stood stock-still. He was right.

  In my struggle to gain Randal’s attention, I was only growing more panicked, which was feeding the wraith same as Randal’s rage was. When I glanced around, I realized how apparent that fact was. The soft light that had filled the sky once before had transformed into a swirling of ominous gray clouds, thick and heavy with the promise of snow or icy rain any second. The clouds continued to roll in on themselves as though they were gaining power to create a storm. The red, pulsating fog had expanded. It hovered in the air, dulling my ability to see much of the frozen ground.

  Our emotions were breathing life into the wraith’s surroundings faster than I thought possible.

  I backed against the cabin. As I slumped into a sitting position along the ground, I drew my knees against my chest and wrapped my arms around them. I needed to wake up. It was the only way
to save us. Squeezing my eyes shut, I pushed with my mind. I assumed if I focused hard enough on willing myself to wake up, it would happen.

  Blocking out the noise surrounding me, I filled my mind with an image of myself lying in bed. I visualized my chest rising and falling with easy breaths, my hair swept wildly against my soft pillow beneath my head, and the coolness of the comforter draped across my body. The more I focused on the image, the more vivid it became. I imagined my lids fluttering with thoughts, hanging on the cusp of waking.

  A weightless sensation flitted through me as the image became clearer in my mind’s eye. It was almost as though I were hovering above my body, looking down at myself. When my vision expanded to include Randal beside me, I knew I was doing something right.

  A slight tugging sensation shifted through me. The sound of the wraith screaming obscenities filled my ears, causing my eyes to snap open. It was then I realized the hellish place surrounding me was fading, and fast. Randal spun to glance at me; confusion furrowed his brows.

  I gave into the pulling sensation at the exact moment the wraith lunged for me. He was too late. I was already gone. My smile grew as I felt myself fade away from this nightmare.

  My eyes fluttered open, and I sank into the mattress beneath me. Without the help of anyone, I had managed to free myself from the wraith’s dreamscape.

  “How were you able to disperse us from the wraith’s clutches?” Randal asked. He had bolted into a sitting position, and was staring at me, making it hard for me to determine if he was happy or aggravated by what I had done.

  “I focused on myself,” I said. “All I had to do was calm down. It was our fear and panic feeding the wraith. Your sister reminded me of that.”

  “Clara.” Randal fell back against his pillow. “Again, I was not able to free her from the wraith.” The guilt in his tone tore at the edges of my heart.

  “She knows you tried,” I whispered.

  “How many times must I fail her?” He ran a hand through his dark hair. “It was imperative I control my anger, and yet I could not seem to. Not in those conditions, with Clara and the wraith responsible for her death both within my reach.”

  “Nothing you could have done would have worked. The door was locked.”

  His hand balled into a fist and slammed against the mattress between us. “A simple padlock should not have been an issue for me. It must have been charmed.”

  I envisioned the lock as well as the little shack and decided the entire place must be doused with magic, because the souls should have been able to pass through the walls otherwise. Shouldn’t they? “Can the wraith do that? Charm a lock to be more secure?”

  Randal’s eyes flickered to mine. They were dark and brooding, reminding me of the snow clouds swirling through the sky in the dreamscape we had left behind. “The dreamscape is his alone; he holds all the power within it.”

  Fear weighed my thoughts down. If the wraith was able to charm cabins and locks, I wondered what he would be capable of once he acquired even more power.

  “The waning moon is close. The wraith does not have much more time to torment you.” Randal slipped out of bed. He grabbed his boxer briefs and tugged them on. “I cannot wait until the day when he is entirely gone.”

  I wished I could add to his statement, or even agree with it, but I couldn’t. The mention of the waning moon did nothing besides fill me with anxiety.

  Nine days, now that the sun was up.

  The reminder of exactly how close it was caused my heart to pound. While Lexy had been unsuccessful at finding another spell, I still hadn’t confided in anyone what the spell called for, let alone found someone to pay the price.

  “It might be wise to contact Lexy and mention what occurred tonight. She may wish to increase the potency of your teas.” He picked up his slacks and slipped them on. The anger and agitation that clouded his thoughts seconds ago had already disappeared. He was back in control. His eyes latched on mine, gauging me when I didn’t speak. “It is possible she might overnight them to you, due to the severity of the situation. There is no need to worry.”

  I nodded and averted my gaze to the wrinkled comforter covering my lap. The potency of her concoctions was the last thing I was worried about. “Yeah, I should call her.”

  “If she neglects to mention the vial of potion, you should refer to it as well.” He leaned against the bed, his knees buried into the mattress as his stare bored into me.

  Lifting my gaze, I plastered a small smile on my face, one that I hoped seemed genuine.

  “What’s the matter?” His voice was soft and careful.

  “Nothing.” I shook my head and pulled the blanket up under my arms tighter. “I’m fine.”

  Randal sat beside me. “That’s a lie. Something is bothering you. What is it?”

  The truth burned and danced along the tip of my tongue. “No, I’m fine.” I flashed him another fake smile, praying it was more believable than the last. “There’s nothing bothering me. I’m just a little spooked from the nightscape, or whatever you want to call it, I guess.”

  “I refuse to let this go, Kenna.” He lay down beside me, and propped his head up with the palm of his hand. “Please, tell me what has you so worried and anxiety-ridden. I know there is more to what you are telling me.”

  “The spell Lexy plans to use calls for something I can’t find, something I refuse to even look for.”

  “And what might that be?”

  I forced myself to lock eyes with him. My chest tightened as I lined the words up in my mind. “It calls for someone to willingly give up his or her life for mine in order to keep some sort of balance.”

  Telling Randal might not solve my problem, but it at least lightened the burden I had been carrying.

  “Why was this not mentioned to me before?”

  “I couldn’t even process what the spell called for at first, let alone tell someone else. It was too much.” I ran my hand through my hair, avoiding his stare.

  “You carried the weight alone?”

  “Yes.” I wondered if I should continue laying it all out and tell him I had decided to not go through with that particular spell or wait for him to ask.

  “Someone to willingly give up his or her life,” he whispered the words. “Did she provide any more specifics about the spell?”

  I shook my head. “No. I didn’t ask.”

  Silence filled the room. I wasn’t sure if he was still processing what I had said, or if he was searching for a way around the unthinkable.

  “I asked her if there was another spell we could use,” I offered, when I couldn’t handle the quiet anymore.

  “And what was her response?”

  “She hasn’t found anything yet, but she’s still looking.” There was a hopeful tone embedded in my words. I wasn’t sure if it was for his benefit or my own.

  “She won’t find anything else.” His voice was low and serious. “She would have known about it beforehand. The spell she referenced must be the only way.” His focus shifted to me “Has someone been chosen to take your place?”

  “No. I couldn’t ask that of anyone. My life isn’t worth more than someone else’s.” How could he even think I would toy with the idea?

  Randal’s lips quirked into a smile. “So pure and innocent you are. It’s one of the many things I love most about you, Kenna. Even in times of desperation you still think of others instead of putting yourself, your needs, first the way most would.”

  I opened my mouth to thank him, and mention it was what anyone else with a conscience would do, but he spoke first.

  “I will. Let me sacrifice myself for you.”

  “What?” Surely, I hadn’t heard him right.

  “This wraith took my baby sister from me and locked her soul inside a charmed shack.” Darkness swirled through his eyes, intensifying his words. “The only reason you were infected is because someone wanted revenge against me. At this point, I believe that person to be Natalia.” He paused. I didn’t mention how
I thought it might be Bianca, even though I couldn’t quite figure out a motive. “Let me be the one to end the wraith’s existence once and for all. Let me sacrifice myself to save you while eliminating the thing that has caused me so much pain over the years in the process.”

  “No.” My voice was level and serious. In fact, I couldn’t remember a time when I had been more serious than this. “You can’t. I can’t ask you to do that for me.”

  “You are not asking, I am offering.” He reached out and smoothed a hand along my cheek. It was such a loving gesture it caused all the air to leave my lungs. “Let me have the satisfaction of doing this, not only for you, but for Clara as well.”

  I pushed his hand away. “What you’re offering isn’t something I’m willing to accept.”

  “It is my decision.” While his words were firm, there was still softness reflected in his cool gray eyes toward me.

  I shook my head. “I can’t let you do that.”

  “I apologize for my boldness, but it is not entirely up to you.” He reached for my hand, and brought it to his lips. Pressing a kiss there, he inhaled deeply. “Finding you has opened my eyes to many things, including how much guilt I harbored for Clara’s death, even now, so many years later. This is my way to rectify all of that. Please, Kenna, allow me to relieve my guilt. Allow me to purge my soul of it and finally leave this world in peace.”

  My entire body trembled as the weight of what he was asking crashed into me.

  Randal wanted me to give him permission to die.

  The path to my redemption lay before me, and all I had to do was agree to let him go through with it.

  Was my life worth the cost of his? Could I live with myself afterward, knowing I had allowed the one man I was coming to love sacrifice his life for mine? I knew the answer to that question even before it had fully formed—no.

  I couldn’t let Randal go through with it. I had to come up with another way. The only problem was, I didn’t have much time. The waning moon was nearing, and time was of the essence.