Dahlia's Kiss

“Who the fuck are you?” I asked. “How do you know who I’m feeding from at all?”

He dug into his back pocket and removed a billfold. Inside was a detective’s badge. He held it up so I could see the writing on it. “I’m Detective Russell Sterling of the New Orleans Police department. The only reason I knew a Succubus was involved, was because I could smell the hormones you left behind. I was grabbing coffee this morning when I smelled that same smell, and I came face to face with you. I didn’t even know you were in the city before that.”

“An Incubus detective.” I smirked. “That’s new.”

“You act like it’s unheard of.” He didn’t seem amused by me. “Is it any harder to believe than a Succubus working for an attorney?”

“You can’t think I’m involved in these deaths,” I told him. “I fed from them, sure, but I always leave my meals alive and well. It wouldn’t do me any favors to leave a trail of bodies where I live. Besides, death isn’t necessary. You know that.” I tried to think back to every person I’d fed from since moving to this city. There were more than a hundred people. There was no way I could remember every name and face. “It must be a coincidence that I’d fed from both of them.”

“I thought that too, but the killer left his calling card, and it seems to lead right to you.”

“What do you mean?”

Sterling looked at the floor for a second, carefully formulating his response. “Underwear. A pair of silky black underwear were in each of the deceased’s mouths. I can smell your scent on both pairs.”

“What the actual fuck?” My voice was higher than I anticipated, and I had to take a breath to remind myself that my coworkers were on the other side of the door. Knowing CeeCee, she was probably casually nearby, trying to see if she could hear anything. “In their mouths?” I repeated incredulously.

He nodded as he extracted a business card from the billfold and placed it in my hand. “I don’t want to alarm you for no reason, but you might be in danger. I don’t think you did this, and I’ll make sure no one ever thinks you did, but there was another scent on the panties you should know about.”

“Okay?” I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. What was he going to say? Long-lost, jealous sister? Perverted brother? Maybe my father? I didn’t know any of them, but until today, I didn’t know any of my kind. Since I was sixteen years old, and the aunt who raised me was tragically killed in a car accident, I hadn’t met a single other Succubus, let alone an Incubus.

“It was another Incubus. I can’t pinpoint his scent, only that he’s like me. I’ve only ever been able to distinguish your scent from another. Perhaps because you’re my intended mate.”

I sighed and crossed my arms. “Don’t say that. I’m no one's mate.”

“Look,” he started. “I’m not thrilled about it either, but it's going to be damn near impossible to stay away from you now that I know you exist. Especially since you might be in danger. A Succubus is almost as good as a unicorn these days, and it’s even rarer for a mated bond to happen since there are so few of us. Just do me a favor and be careful? You never know when you might decide to take fate up on its offer, and it would royally suck if you died before that could happen.”

“I’m always careful.”

Sterling jolted forward, took my throat in his large palm and forced my mouth open with his tongue. My body melted under him, and I found myself kissing him back even though I’d intended to stand my ground. When he pulled away again, my body begged for more.

“If you were careful, I wouldn’t have been able to get close to you just now.” He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and looked at me hungrily. “Try harder.”

“That was a cheap shot.”

“If this person is really after you, he’s not going to announce his arrival. They will all be cheap shots.” Sterling looked at my mouth and licked his lips. My flesh tingled where I knew his glance fell. “I need to go before I put you in a compromising position at your work. I can’t get the taste of your tongue out of my mind. My cell number is on the card. If anything happens at all, or if you just want to talk, or fuck, call me.”

I stepped out of the way for him to pull the door open and exit the room. As I’d thought, CeeCee was a few feet away, doctoring a cup of awful office coffee from the small employee nook around the corner. She didn’t look as if she’d heard any of the good parts.

“Have a wonderful day, Sterling,” she called out after his retreating form. He threw a hand up as he left without turning back to her. She approached me, stars in her eyes. “That was one of the most beautiful men I’ve ever seen. Did you see the size of his arms? Please tell me that was your cousin, that he’s single, and you can hook us up.”

Human women were nuts. “No such luck, I’m afraid. That was the first time I’d ever met him.” I looked at the business card in my hand and raised it to my nose. His scent was all over it, and I felt the hormones fluctuate in my body. Before CeeCee could think I was doing something odd, I slid the strip of paper into the small pocket in my skirt.

“What did he want with you?” she asked.

I looked at her. “Russell Sterling is a detective and thought I might have information on a case he’s working on.”

“Did you?” she asked.

“No.” It wouldn’t do her any good to know any more than that.