Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

CLIO

Helpless to do anything to help Lyre, Clio could only watch as the succubus kissed him, her face plastered against his. With his arms bound, all he could do was stand there, not that Clio could expect him to resist when he was so deeply caught in?—

Zinnia shrieked and reeled backward, her hand flying to her mouth.

"He bit me!" She slapped him hard in the face and he stumbled away from her—opening a gap between him and the two succubi.

Clio flung the door open and charged into the room. Her swift blast knocked them over, and her second spell shoved Lyre clear of the fight. Pivoting back to the succubi, she began a binding spell.

A flash of movement in Jessamine's corner. A golden surge slammed Clio off her feet. She hit the floor and rolled, holding on to her in-progress cast. Lurching to her knees, she flung the spell at Rosa and Zinnia, catching them both in the binding.

Jessamine raised her hands to cast another spell. Clio cast a reflective barrier—the one she'd learned from Lyre's brother Viol—and the attack bounced off. Jessamine yelped as the power rebounded and crackled over her. Clio curled her fingers, another binding spell almost ready to throw.

A magical blow hit her in the back. She landed on her face, her arms bound to her sides.

A shoe—one with a stiletto heel—came down on her back and threatened to punch through her rib cage. The person standing over her tsked softly.

"Incubus," the newcomer purred, her voice like harmonized bells and brimming with power. "Do not move."

Panting shallowly, Clio glimpsed the blond hair of the woman pinning her down. A fourth succubus.

"Jessamine, free Rosa and Zinnia."

"Yes, ma'am," Jessamine mumbled, hurrying to her friends.

Clio gritted her teeth. She'd been so close . Thirty seconds more and she would have been ready to fight the unexpected arrival.

Jessamine broke the binding spell, and Zinnia and Rosa launched to their feet. Rosa hurried to the corner where Clio had shoved Lyre. The foot disappeared from Clio's back, then she was hauled up and thrown onto the sofa. Her back hit the leather and she sat awkwardly with her arms still bound.

The fourth succubus put her hands on her hips. Unlike the others, she wasn't wearing skimpy club clothes. Her pencil skirt, fitted red blouse, and matching four-inch pumps were reminiscent of a businesswoman. She had pulled her hair into a high ponytail, and dark makeup gave her a sultry look. Her lips were the same cherry red, vivid and inviting.

She scanned Clio from head to toe, then glanced at Lyre, who knelt with his wrists still bound. Rosa was in front of him again, resuming eye contact so he couldn't throw off the mind-controlling aphrodesia.

"Who," the new succubus said, "might you be, my dear?"

"She came in with the incubus," Zinnia answered.

"Oh? A companion of his?"

Clio surreptitiously wiggled her arms, testing the binding. "Yes. And those three kidnapped and assaulted him."

"He invaded our club," Zinnia snapped.

"Did we miss a ‘no incubi' sign on the door?" Clio retorted. "He hasn't done anything to harm you or this club. We were about to leave."

"Hasn't harmed us?" Zinnia pulled her lips back to reveal her bloodstained teeth. "He bit me."

"You forced yourself on him."

"He wanted me to?—"

"If he wanted you, he wouldn't have bitten you."

"Impertinent chit," Zinnia snapped. "Lilith, what should we do with her?"

The businesswoman tapped a glossy red fingernail against her full lower lip, then shrugged. "Have the bouncers throw her out."

Clio jerked upright. "I'm not leaving without my friend!"

"Your friend ?" Lilith's eyebrows rose. "An incubus is no woman's friend. Have you slept with him yet?"

Clio's cheeks heated. "No. We're not?—"

"She's a virgin ," Jessamine gasped in what might have been shock or delight. "You are, aren't you?"

"I—I'm not?— "

"Oh, honey," Lilith sighed. She glanced at Lyre, then back to Clio. "You have no idea the game he's playing, do you?"

Clio stiffened at Lilith's condescending pity.

The succubus lowered herself onto the sofa beside Clio. "Let me explain something to you, girl. You have a superficial ability to resist an incubus's power and that makes you feel safe around him, doesn't it?" She leaned closer to Clio, her caramel eyes intense. "But the truth is an incubus is more dangerous to a virgin than any other woman."

Clio set her jaw, determined to disregard everything the succubus said.

"If he unleashes the full scope of his aphrodesia on you, you'll overdose on his power," Lilith told her grimly. "He'll warp your mind, tear apart your senses, and ruin you for sex forever afterward."

Madrigal's insidiously beautiful voice whispered in her memory. I'm going to destroy you with pleasure.

Clio shook her head. "He would never do that to me."

"Even if he has the best intentions—which I sincerely doubt—he could still accidentally damage you. Incubi naturally release their aphrodesia when aroused, and they don't normally have to worry about controlling it since an experienced partner isn't at risk."

"He wants to toy with you," Jessamine added unexpectedly. "They enjoy the chase. Most women give in to them immediately, so incubi will target inexperienced girls instead."

"He hasn't bedded you yet because he's still having fun," Zinnia added. "Look, girl. Take it from us, would you? We know what incubi are like."

Clio pressed her lips together.

Lilith rose to her feet. "There's no reasoning with a virgin in love, is there?"

Clio scowled. She wasn't in love with Lyre. She hadn't even known him that long.

"Well," Lilith murmured, "I suppose in this case we will?—"

A high-pitched moan rose over Lilith's words.

In the corner, Rosa had her mouth glued to Lyre's. He held her jaw with one hand as he kissed her—but hadn't his wrists been bound? The sound coming from the succubus rose even higher, no longer sounding like pleasure.

He drew back, pulling on her lower lip—held between his teeth. Blood ran down her chin. She yanked away from him with a pained cry, splattering the floor with red droplets.

"Rosa!" Zinnia cried.

All three succubi lunged at him, and power sizzled the air. Clio didn't need her asper to know they had unleashed their aphrodesia on him, and the uncomfortable warmth she'd felt since entering the room flashed hot in her veins. Breathless, Clio couldn't react as Jessamine grabbed Rosa and pulled her away. Zinnia took her place, her blazing eyes locking on Lyre's black irises as she crooned a constant stream of commands. " Hold still. Stop using magic. Don't speak. "

"Rosa, what happened?" Jessamine asked, holding her companion tightly.

"I—I was listening to you talking." Rosa sniffled as she held her mouth, trying to staunch the blood. "I didn't notice he'd started to hum. His voice is…" She shuddered from head to toe. "We shouldn't have made him drop glamour."

"No, you shouldn't have," Lilith reprimanded, her tone sharp. "You shouldn't play with toys you can't control. Concentrated aphrodesia makes some daemons violent instead of passive. You know this."

"But that's not usually an issue with incubi," Jessamine protested in a small voice as she glanced nervously at Lyre. He knelt with Zinnia in front of him, once again submissive, his magnetic true form luminous and irresistible. "He's… different."

"You should have been prepared to stay in control regardless." Lilith strode to Lyre and grabbed his chin, pulling his face up. "And he isn't any different from?—"

She broke off, her gaze fixed on the dark tattoo on his cheekbone. For a long moment, she stared at the marking. Then she snatched her hand back as though his skin had burned her.

"Lilith?" Rosa asked worriedly .

The succubus inhaled, her breath trembling and shoulders shifting, then she pivoted. "Everyone out."

"W-what?"

"You three should never have touched this incubus." Lilith's eyes darkened with fear. "Out. Now."

"But we can't just leave him here like this. He'll?—"

"Some time alone will settle him down. Just hope he decides to leave without indulging in revenge." Lilith snapped her fingers. "Move."

Wide-eyed, Jessamine and Rosa hurried to the door.

Lilith waved at Clio. "Hurry up, girl."

Clio folded her arms. "I'm not leaving without him."

"Once he's free of Zinnia's control, he'll go for the first female he sees. I'm going to lock him in until he calms down. You can wait outside the door."

Clio shook her head, not trusting the succubus.

"Are you not listening ?" Zinnia said without looking away from Lyre. "She's saying your incubus friend will attack you the moment we're gone."

"I can handle him," Clio replied stiffly. Whether Lyre would attack her remained to be seen, but if he came after her, she knew what to do. In Chrysalis, when she'd used aphrodesia on him and Madrigal, all it had taken was a few minutes under a sleep spell to return him to his senses.

"You can't." Jessamine hovered in the doorway, her voice soft with concern. "You won't be able to stop him. He'll?—"

"If she wants to stay, fine," Lilith snapped. She flicked Clio's arm, dissolving the binding spell. "Let's go, ladies. I have much to explain to you about your reckless lack of due diligence."

Rosa, still holding her bleeding mouth, disappeared from the threshold, but Jessamine hesitated, her perfect forehead wrinkled.

"But Lilith, that girl has no idea what?—"

"Go, Jessamine."

Jessamine's throat bobbed as she gulped back another protest, then she vanished as well. Zinnia gave Lyre a final command to hold still, then hastened out with a pitying look at Clio .

Lilith stepped up to the door. "Last chance, girl. You don't want to be in this room." When Clio didn't move, the succubus snorted softly. "Virgins. Fools, every one of you."

She swung the door shut. Golden magic webbed across it, forming a strong lock spell.

Clio pressed against the sofa as Lyre lifted his head. His black eyes, burning with mindless lust and rage, locked on her—and there was nothing submissive left in his stare.