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  SUCCUBUS STUDIES: THE BREACH

  Copyright © 2018 by L.L. Frost

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the writer, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover design by L.L. Frost

  Book design by L.L. Frost

  Printed in the United States of America.

  First Printing, 2018

  The (un)Lucky Succubus

  Succubus Bargain

  Serial Parts

  The Offer

  The Deal

  The Terms

  The Rules

  The Gain

  Succubus Studies

  Serial Parts

  The Torch

  The Blaze

  The Inferno

  The Vortex

  The Breach

  Table of Contents

  The Breach

  Full House

  (un)Encouraging

  New Rules

  Baby Steps

  The Breach

  “I’m here,” I call and push against the back of an incubus who stands in front of me.

  Fear scents the air as my cousins part to form a living path to evil Cassandra. I don’t blame them in the least. No one wants to get on her bad side, especially not with the evidence of her ire tucked under one arm.

  Julian watches my approach. At some point between Wednesday and now, he lost his contacts and his pink eyes fixate on me with feral hunger as I walk closer.

  I stop a foot away from the pair, within easy reach. “Cassandra, glad you could make it tonight, but the party’s just winding down.”

  “It doesn’t look that way to me.” She scans the room, and her red eyes pause at the kitchen.

  Instinct keeps my focus on her, so I have no idea what Tobias and Emil make of this situation.

  Lips parting, she drags in a deep breath, and her smile widens. “Baby Adie, introduce me to your new roommates.”

  Without waiting for my reply, she drops Julian and struts toward the kitchen.

  My cousin collapses, too weak to support his own weight, and uncertainty washes through me. Stand between her and the guys, or help Julian? But Tobias said he can take care of himself.

  I fall to my knees at Julian’s side.

  “Stay. Back.” The wheeze comes out like torn paper, and despite the warning, a skeletal hand creeps closer to curl around the material of my slacks.

  “It’s okay,” I croon as I inch forward. “I have enough to share.”

  Leaning over him, I gather his frail body in my arms, tucking his face into the crook of my neck. He struggles weakly for only a second before bony arms wrap around my waist and he latches on.

  The energy in my stomach spirals out, eager for a stronger host. Despite his current state, Julian is centuries older than me, and power calls to power among our kind. A sigh of relief rattles in Julian’s throat as it seeps into him, and his hold tightens painfully, his fingers digging into my flesh.

  The pull strengthens, faster as the pathway between us widens into a flood. My skin shrinks against my bones, and fear spikes through me. I don’t have enough to fill Julian. He’ll suck me dry, then go for the spark that makes me a demon before he comes back to reason.

  Warm hands touch my arms, and new energy floods into me to replenish what Julian takes. Surprised, I glance up to find a cousin on either side, their faces set with determination. Others stand behind them, hands linking them into a chain that funnels power through us and into Julian.

  In my lap, his body becomes heavier as his flesh fills out, his skin turning from papier-mâché to a healthy pink flush. His arms loosen, then fall to his sides, and he nuzzles affectionately against my throat before he pushes away to curl into a ball on the hard floor.

  I push his hair back from his face to stare into sleepy eyes. “Julian, are you okay?”

  His eyelashes flutter and close. “Imps are safe.”

  One of my cousins, Alexander who smells like the ocean, crouches next to Julian and lifts him easily. “I’ll make sure he gets home.”

  “Thank you.” I push to my feet, the rolling press of unfamiliar energies uneasy inside of me.

  With a nod, he hyper-speeds out of the house. A few others follow, the act of feeding one of our own the limit to their altruism for the day. It leaves me and a handful of others to face Cassandra.

  I’m actually surprised anyone stayed. She’s one of the oldest of our kind and best to be avoided.

  How long did Julian slip her grasp before she finally caught him?

  A month? Longer?

  I remember how he looked at Fulcrum when we met there before. Sallow under a foundation of makeup that gave him the appearance of health.

  Why didn’t he ask for help? But who of us would have stepped up?

  Slowly, I turn toward the kitchen archway. Only a minute passed, not long enough for Emil and Tobias to truly grasp what was happening.

  Cassandra stands close to Emil, her claws on his arm as she leans close to him. She tosses back her long hair with a husky laugh, oozing seduction.

  My wings razer blade against my spine. Mine. She’s touching what’s mine, even though I scented them. I rise up on my toes, my legs shaky with the restraint it takes to hold myself back. She’ll crush me, and like with Julian, no one here will stop her.

  But when she reaches out to stroke Emil’s chest, my wings burst from my back as I hyper-speed across the room. Feathers flared wide, I cut between them, shoving her back in the process.

  She stumbles in surprise, then throws back her head and laughs. “You can’t be serious.”

  My wings clatter in warning as I hiss at her, “Mine.”

  Everything happens in a blur, too fast for anyone except fellow succubi to follow.

  Cassandra’s talons sink into my arm, and with no effort at all, she flings me across the room. I bounce off the fireplace mantel and land in a heap on the hearth. Knives sink into the place where my feathers connect to my spine, and she yanks me up to my knees.

  “You think you can challenge me, little Adie?” she coos into my ear. “I think it’s time you go back to dreamland and let the adults take care of these demons while you grow up.”

  Beneath my knees, the house shakes, and I stare through the screen of my hair at Tobias and Emil, still on the other side of the room. They run toward us, but despite the small distance, they won’t make it in time.

  Hooks sink into the energy inside of me, deep enough to yank it all out with one pull, destroying my corporeal form.

  From the corner of my eye, yellow light flares to life, and Landon yanks Cassandra away from me. The hooks in my energy remain behind, a tenacious tether that Landon severs as he steps between us.

  His monarch wings spread to fill the room from one stairwell to the next, blocking me from view. “Enough, Cassandra.”

  Red light pushes against him. “You think you can stand in my way, Landregath?”

  I flinch at the ancient name, eyes widening in shock. Landregath is a boogeyman among our kind, as ancient as Cassandra. He almost destroyed dreamland in his gluttonous indulgence. The higher-ups locked him away, or so I’d been told. Now, I stare at my mentor’s back as new terror makes my bones rattle.

  “You’ve outstayed your welcome in this city,” Landon states. Hi
s voice lacks the lazy drawl it usually holds. Instead, power crackles through it as black bleeds around the outer edges of his wings.

  I cower against the hearth, afraid I’ll be swept away in their battle of wills.

  “While you’ve become lazy in your hidey-hole, I’ve continued to feast as we’re meant to,” Cassandra hisses. “You’re no longer a match for me. I will take this city from you.”

  A cold hand touches my arm, and I flinch back before I recognize Emil. White films over his eyes and the air above his skin crackles with ice. Slowly, he drags me out from behind Landon, out of the way of immediate danger.

  Once I’m free, Tobias stands on my other side, the heat of banked volcanoes seeping into me. “What’s going on?”

  I shake my head, equally confused. What power struggles have been going on while I’ve been oblivious, going about my own business?

  Tac chooses that moment to come bounding out of the kitchen, and Emil catches him by the scruff of the neck to hold him back. The giant cat monster strains against his hold, his narrowed eyes focused on Cassandra as a low growl fills the room.

  For her part, Cassandra ignores us, all of her focus on my mentor. Her scarlet wings glisten wetly as she stretches them in a show of power and dominance. They’re equal in size to Landon’s, but while butterflies flit around his, the blood of her conquests seeps from hers. Behind her, the few remaining stragglers of the party creep out the door, unwilling to be caught in the crossfire.

  She cocks her head, her red eyes serious. “You’ve ignored me for so long and let me feed within your territory, why make a fuss now? Go back to your quiet life, to your video games. You’re tired, let me take this burden from you.”

  “Leave. Now.” Landon points to the door at her back. “Go back to Russia.”

  Her hands curl into fists. “I’m done with being cold.”

  “Then, go to Mexico.” Landon’s wings retract until he looks small and human once more. “I don’t care as long as you’re not here.”

  Her lips peel back from her teeth to reveal sharp incisors. “You think so little of me that you would sheath your wings?”

  Landon’s hands shove into his pockets as he stares at her. “Yes.”

  “How dare you!”

  Ignoring her for a moment, he turns his attention to us. “I apologize for the disruption. We will leave now.” His yellow gaze lands on me and softens. “Boo, I expect to see you at my house sometime this week.”

  Shivering in fear, I sidle behind Tobias, using his body as a shield. Hurt flashes in Landon’s eyes before his focus shifts back to Cassandra. He takes a step toward her, and a wall of power pushes from him to drive her back.

  “No!” She leans into the invisible force. “You can’t make me leave again!”

  Calm, Landon continues to stride forward, and she skids across the floor. “I’ll escort you to the border of your choice.”

  She crouches to sink her claws into the hardwood. “Damn you, Landregath!”

  “I no longer answer to that name.” He reaches her and curls a hand around her neck, yanking her free of her hold. “It’s time you entered the new world, cousin. Your ways are becoming a danger to our kind.”

  As soon as the door shuts, Emil releases Tac. The giant beast leaps forward to land where Cassandra stood and proceeds to scratch and stomp at the floor.

  At my side, Tobias releases a frustrated sigh. “Please don’t have your family over again.”

  My shoulders hunch. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Are they always like that?” Emil demands.

  Shivers skate through my body as the adrenaline rush from earlier disappears to leave me weak and tired. “No, not usually.”

  “Thank goodness for small favors.” Emil walks to the couch and grabs it by one arm to drag it back into place.

  Tac, deciding it’s a game, leaves his place by the door to latch onto the other end of the couch and tug it in the opposite direction. A hiccupping laugh escapes me as they play tug-of-war with the furniture.

  In the next instant, the laugh turns into a sob, and I crumple to the floor with a wail. “I’m so sorry!”

  The guys freeze and even Tac drops his end of the couch, his ears swiveling in distress. I cover my face with my hands as ugly sobs shake my shoulders. Hunching forward, I bury my head against my knees, unable to stop the puddle of goo I’m turning into.

  A tentative hand pats my shoulder, and Tobias’s soft voice whispers, “It’s okay, Adie, don’t cry.”

  “It’s not okay!” I shout against my knees. “Everything I do goes to shit!”

  “It’s not that bad.” Emil joins Tobias to huddle on the floor next to me.

  “If I hadn’t almost died, then you guys wouldn’t have drained yourselves so low to save me!” My wings beat against their arms to drive them back. “You wouldn’t have been in danger with cousin Cassandra!”

  “We were never in danger, Adie,” Emil soothes.

  I throw back my head, eyes shut tight so I don’t have to look at them. “She was going to eat you!”

  “She was never going to eat us,” Tobias rumbles, and a hint of earthquake shakes through me. “I told you we can take care of ourselves.”

  My hands rise to my head, and I clutch at my hair. “Kellen almost destroyed the city! Because he was recharging on thunderstorms for me!”

  Emil’s hand finds my shoulder once more. “The city’s still standing, so everything’s fine.”

  “And Tally’s”–I hiccup out a gasp–“a better cake decorator than I am!”

  “I don’t even know what that means,” Emil mutters.

  “That’s it.” Hard arms circle around me, bringing with them a cloud of sulfur, and Tobias lifts me from the ground and tosses me over his shoulder. “This pity party needs to end.”

  “Don’t touch me!” My wings bat against his head. “I’m bad luck!”

  Ignoring me, he strides from the room and up a flight of stairs, his shoulder digging into my stomach with every step. At the first landing, he veers right, and I find myself tossed through the air for the second time that night.

  The cold, cast iron tub catches me hard against my ass, and I blink up at the two men in confusion. It takes a moment to register what’s going on, then Emil aims a cold spray of water into my face.

  Shrieking, I try to scramble out of the tub, but Tobias blocks my escape. Cold water hits my back, and my wings flap, splashing water all over the place, including on my two tormentors.

  “Stop!” I shout as more water pours down on top of my head.

  Emil lowers the shower wand. “Are you calm now?”

  My fingers curl around the lip of the tub as I twist to glare at him. “Are you trying to piss me off?”

  He lifts an eyebrow. “Better pissed off than whatever that was downstairs.”

  Anger warms my chilled body. “You have no heart, do you?”

  “Nope.” When I shift to find stable footing, he aims the wand back at me.

  “Stop!” I throw a hand up to block the spray from hitting my face. “I give, I give!”

  “Good.” As Emil shuts off the water, Tobias throws a soft, warm towel over my head.

  When I clutch it close, the scent of volcanoes rises from it. Did he use what little power he still retained to heat it for me? My anger fizzles out.

  Emil crouches next to the tub and lifts one edge of the towel to dry my face. “You’ve had a long day.”

  Tobias drops onto the lid of the toilet and braces his elbows on his knees. “Hell, you’ve had a long month.”

  “And we haven’t exactly made it easy on you.” Emil settles down with his back against the medicine cabinet, his knees cramped by the tiny space.

  I stare at the two of them, flabbergasted. “No, you really haven’t.”

  Emil’s fingers knead against his thighs. “I don’t like change.”

  Tobias scrubs a hand through his hair, mussing the dark chestnut locks. “Our last succubus was really...”

&
nbsp; “Annoying,” Emil supplies. “We might have gotten into the habit of everything being a battle.”

  Tobias releases a deep breath. “We shouldn’t have assumed you would be the same.”

  My fingers tighten on the edge of the tub. “So, what you’re saying is that your assumptions turned you into assholes?”

  Tobias’s eyes narrow on me. “We’re trying to apologize here. Don’t ruin it.”

  I hunch lower in the tub with a meek, “Sorry.”

  After a long pause, Emil says, “Knowing more of who you are now, it was inevitable that you’d break down, and we’re sorry we played a part in that.”

  Despite the cold, I perk up at this. Could this be the beginning of something more for us? Maybe they actually care about me? Warmth fills my chest, and my heart skips into a fast beat.

  Emil leans forward to flick one of my feathers. “So, what’s up with your wings? Why are they so small?”

  My happy mood fizzles as my wings snap into hiding. “There’s nothing wrong with my wings.”

  His eyes narrow into slits. “I didn’t say there was.”

  “But they are...smaller than normal,” Tobias adds, his voice delicate as he tries not to come off rude.

  Emil forges on with far less regard for my feelings. “And they don’t have any distinguishing pattern or power to them.”

  I lean out of the tub, face close to his as I hiss, “You think I don’t know that?”

  He raises his hands with his palms out in self-defense. “We’re just curious.”

  Interested, Tobias’s head tilts toward me. “Is that why you can’t get back into dreamland?”

  “If I knew that, I wouldn’t be struggling so much!” I flop back into the tub to stare at the ceiling, the towel snuggles behind my head as a pillow. “I’m looking into it.”

  Emil peeks down at me. “With those books from the library?”

  My glare shifts to him. “What do you know about it?”