The Hunt

“Is there a problem?” Adira said, appearing suddenly.

The students who’d gathered to watch the spectacle quickly cleared the halls as the second bell rang. I looked at the woman who’d been making my life hell for far too long. Piepen’s rancid taste, Eras’s anger, and Adira’s meddling were pushing me closer and closer to a dangerous ledge I didn’t dare fall from. Only Fenris’s firm grip on my hand kept me anchored. His thumb stroked over my skin, and I took a calming breath before speaking.

“Eras believes I hired druids to wipe his memory.”

“Did you?” she asked.

“Would it matter if I did? Wouldn’t that be the kind of cutthroat behavior expected of our kind?”

“See! She’s admitting it,” Eras said.

“She admitted nothing, Eras,” Adira said calmly. “But she is correct. Druids need practice with memory wipes, and there’s no harm in encouraging their practice. And you know those types of low-level spells don’t work well on your kind. I’m also quite confident that Eliana didn’t hire a mystic druid. The Council would have known if one had entered Uttira.”

Eras flushed an angry red but remained quiet. Likely, we were both thinking the same thing. If a druid spell didn’t wipe his memory, then what did?

“She stole my meal,” he said through clenched teeth.

“You desire the werewolf too?” Adira said, glancing at Fenris.

Eras’s expression shifted. With a sly smile at me, he focused on Adira.

“I think I do.”

Fenris snorted. I found Eras far less amusing and struggled not to step in front of Fenris.

“If there’s nothing else, I think I’ll take my meal to go,” I said, tugging Fenris with me.

“Enjoy him while you can,” Eras said.

My steps slowed, and Fenris took the lead, pulling me away from Eras and his knowing smirk. Behind him, Adira watched us all closely.

As soon as we turned a corner, I jerked my hand from Fenris’s. He paused to look down at me.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“No. I’m angry.”

He studied me for a moment, his smile slowly growing.

“I don’t see what’s funny.”

“You said you took your meal to go; I’m trying to be your Happy Meal.”

I snorted an involuntary laugh then swatted his arm.

“I don’t have time for your humor, Fenris. Why does it feel like everything is happening to me? Why can’t everyone just leave me alone?”

“Even me?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. I know you’re trying to help, but what you did last night was the opposite of helpful. I told you there’d be more pressure on us, and look at what happened in Self-Discovery. You saw that room. That’s only the start. I just know it.”

“Breathe, love sponge. Remember, you’re the one in control.”

I arched a brow at him.

“Love sponge? Really?”

“Given Eras’s argument, I thought it was fitting.”

“Hardly.” I sighed and shook my head at Fenris while thinking of what Eras had said. “I think it’d be better if you and I stayed away from each other for a while.”

“Are you breaking up with me?” Fenris placed a theatrical hand over his heart.

“We weren’t ever together, Fenris.”

Adira appeared beside us again.

“Is everything all right?”

I said, “Yes,” at the same time Fenris said, “No.”

“I see,” she said. “It’s not necessary for you to go to your next class. You can return to the room that I created for you.”

I looked at Fenris and gestured to Adira in a silent, “you see what you did?”

“If you would excuse us, Adira,” Fenris said smoothly. “We resolve our differences best without an audience. It leaves room for us to fully expose our more passionate emotions without reservation.”

“Of course.”

She disappeared, and I narrowed my eyes at Fenris.

“You’re as impossible as she is.”

“But I’m way more fun.”

Throughout the rest of the day, the taste in my mouth was like a slow toothache. Its awfulness crept up on me, turning me more sour by the moment until Fenris teased me out of my mood.

While his good humor helped keep me sane, it wasn’t really resolving the root cause of my irritability. I couldn’t live the rest of my life with Piepen in my mouth.

“You’re frowning again,” Fenris said. “You’re supposed to be coercing me.”

“This is pointless.”

I huffed a sigh and looked at the other paired-up students in Advanced Coercion. This was yet another change, thanks to Adira, as the typically lecture-style class never did hands-on study. Why would we? There were two main reasons to coerce. The need for food and the need to keep our presence unknown. That meant there was no point in trying to coerce each other. So, the instructors lectured about techniques, and the students were then given assignments to try those techniques on Uttira’s minuscule human population.

The bell rang and saved all of us from wasting more time. I moved to stand, but Fenris stopped me with a hand on my arm. He waited until the room cleared before speaking.

“Talk to me. You’re really not acting like yourself today. The changes haven’t been that bad, have they?”

“It’s not just the changes. It’s Piepen.” Fenris gave me a confused look. “His bitter aftertaste isn’t going away. It just crawls under my skin until I’m angry without understanding why.”

“Okay. We’ll figure this out.”

“No. We won’t. I’m going home. I just need some time alone.” I turned but paused to look back. “I know I wasn’t easy to be around today. I’m sorry.”

I left him in the coercion room and hurried for the exit before anything else could happen.

My phone buzzed before I reached my car, and I looked at the number. For a moment, I hesitated to pick up, then desperation won out.

“Mom?” I said instead of a greeting.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

“So much,” I admitted. “I really wish you wouldn’t have told Adira about Fenris.”

“What did she do?” Mom asked sharply.

“She rearranged his schedule so he would be in every class with me.”

Mom was silent for a moment. I closed myself in the car and waited.

“That doesn’t sound awful. Unless the wolf boy is becoming annoying?”

“He’s not annoying. Adira is. It’s like she’s still trying to force-feed me.”

“I understand. I’ll talk to—”

“No, Mom. That’s part of the problem. Just stop talking to her. You’re both driving me crazy.” I realized I was yelling at her and forced myself to take another calming breath. It caught on a partial sob.

“What aren’t you telling me, Eliana?” Mom asked softly. “Does it have something to do with all the cake you ate this morning?”

I groaned.

“Now you’re talking to Mrs. Quill about me, too?”

“She cares about you and wanted me to know you were behaving strangely. You know I don’t care if you eat cake. It’s the reason you’re eating it that worries me. Fenris seemed very willing. Did something happen?”

Setting my head against the steering wheel, I stared at the intricate pattern of woven fibers that made up my jeans.

“I’d rather not talk about Fenris.”

“Okay. If this isn’t about him, then what?”

“I want to tell you, but I don’t want you to freak out and think I’m eating wrong again.”

“I won’t freak out,” she promised.

A wobbly breath escaped me.

“It’s Piepen. He was next to me on the pillow, touching himself again. I opened my mouth to yell at him, and he erupted. It got in my mouth, Mom. And my eye.”

“Baby, you forget I met that brownie. I know full well how annoying and persistent he is, and I was there when he marked you. I saw your reaction. I know you would never intentionally feed on him. Is that why you’re upset? Because you thought I wouldn’t believe you?”

I sniffled as the tears gave way.

“The taste won’t go away. It’s so bad.”

She made soothing noises and listened to me cry until I calmed to sniffles.

“I’m so sorry that happened to you. I can only imagine how awful that tasted. I promise it will go away, though, baby,” she said.

“How? When?”

“One good feeding will cleanse your palate.” She paused then added, “Why didn’t you feed at school?”

“Because it’s school, Mom. I’m not going to feed in public.”

I cringed as soon as the words were out of my mouth.

“I didn’t mean—”

“You did, and it’s okay. Understanding why will only help me help you.”

“Please, no more help.”

She chuckled.

“It won’t be forceful. You have my word. Would you like to come over for breakfast tomorrow morning? I have some exciting news, and your father said he’d make us chocolate waffles.”

It was a breakfast favorite of mine. One I’d often made for myself during my youth because Dad had been too despondent to leave his bed most mornings.

“Dad’s still with you?”

“Of course your father is still with me. I’ll send you the address,” Mom added as her phone cut out, indicating she had another call. “I have to go, baby. I love you and hope we’ll see you tomorrow.” She hung up before I could respond.

Dad was still with Mom, and she had exciting news. Neither boded well for me, Uttira, or Dad.

“Can’t one thing go right in my life?”

Tossing the phone aside, I wiped my face and looked up at the school building.

Fenris leaned against the wall beside the door. My stomach gave a weird flip at his sad expression, and I hurried to start my car. It wasn’t until I was backing out that I realized he wasn’t alone. Jenna and the rest of his her-herd stood with him. They were all watching me with pity.

Perfect, I thought.

Rather than go to the Quills’, where I was obviously being monitored closely, I headed for Megan’s to feed Elbner.

The whole way there, Piepen’s taste seemed to grow more pronounced. I knew the buildup was probably a trick of my subconscious, but that didn’t soothe my increasing irritation. Mom had to be wrong about the taste only going away with another feeding. She’d probably never waited long enough between feedings to see how long it took for flavors to fade. As much as I hoped that was the case, the increasing notes of skunk in my mouth filled me with doubt, which further soured my mood.

Megan’s resident goblin stood on the back stoop and glared at me as I parked. I reminded myself to be polite and forced a smile to my lips as I exited the car.

“I apologize if I’m interrupting. I’m here to feed you, but if there’s a better time, I can come back later.”

“Now is fine. Hurry up about it.”

Elbner’s surly attitude grated at me, but I kept my smile in place. Barely. Thankfully, he stayed where he was while I headed inside.

I quickly made his meal and set the bowl on the table. After making sure he wasn’t watching, I tipped the honey bottle into my mouth. Sweetness coated my tongue, and for a few glorious seconds, I tasted nothing else. However, the moment I swallowed, Piepen’s ugly flavor hit me twice as hard.

The uninhibited brownie would be the death of me.

In an attempt to distract myself, I wandered Megan’s first floor. The last time I’d checked things out, the floors had gleamed and the rooms had been free of dirt and webs. It was all still that meticulously clean. Now, though, the bits of chipped paint that had been on the walls were patched and painted so well I couldn’t see where they’d been.

Tipping my head, I studied the ceiling. Not a crack remained. It looked like new. I couldn’t even imagine how Elbner had managed to get up there.

“Are you done inspecting my work?” he asked from behind me.

I turned to find him with his arms crossed and a shoe in his hand. Had I tried to relax somewhere, I had no doubt he would have lobbed it at my head.

Instead of letting that provoke me, I smiled.

He tilted his head up and sniffed the air. My already strained mood turned brittle. If he said I smelled like brownie, I was going to beat the goblin with his own shoe.

“I smell honey.” He narrowed his eyes at me.

“I tried some of the honey I’d been using to feed you. Given the excellence of your work, I’ll shop for a better brand.” Fenris’s skill at misleading was rubbing off on me too much for my own comfort, and I gestured at the rooms. “Megan will be very pleased when she returns.”

“And when might that be?”

“About two more weeks. Perhaps longer.”

He harrumphed and glared at me.

“I’ll just be going then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I hurried from the house and backed out of the driveway under his scrutiny.

Tapping on my steering wheel, I debated what to do next to distract myself. My first choice would have been Ashlyn’s if she were still here. I could have hidden at her house for a few hours and kept her company while eating through her supply of chocolate. Regret and worry hit me hard, and I hoped she wasn’t lonely or hungry wherever she was.

Without Megan or Ashlyn, the only places left to me were the pathetic selection of shops, diners, and the Roost. None of them interested me. Yet, if I didn’t go to the Roost as Adira had subtly ordered, she’d find a way to make me miserable. With the remnants of Piepen’s sparkles eroding every rational thought I possessed, I couldn’t deal with any more misery.

A few minutes later, I parked at the curb. The thump of music echoed in the air as I got out of my car and headed for the red doors.

Inside, a decent-sized crowd had already gathered. I spotted Fenris and his girls dancing in the throng of bodies straight ahead. A troll couple occupied one of the many couches. And farther back, in the booths, I saw Eugene and the sisters, Kelsey and Zoe. Eugene was talking animatedly, his gaze sweeping the crowd. I rolled my eyes and headed that way.

“Hey, Kelsey and Zoe,” I said. “Great work keeping your eyes down. Zoe, could you remind Eugene why it’s not wise to watch the dancers or me?”

The girl flushed, and I heard a thump under the table a second before Eugene winced.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, dropping his gaze to the book in front of him.

“Without Ashlyn here to supervise, you need to remind yourselves of the rules or one of you will be the next to disappear.” I realized I was taking out my frustration on them and took a calming breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come over and scold. Why are you all here? I thought the Council wasn’t requiring this anymore. Especially with Ashlyn…” An ache started in my middle. Would Megan’s fury hold me responsible for all of their fates?

“Hey,” Eugene said. “I’m sure Ashlyn’s okay. She’s been here a long time and knows all the tricks, right? Don’t worry about her, and don’t worry about us.”

“Speak for yourself,” Kelsey whispered. “Zoe and I need someone to worry about us. We’re two tadpoles in piranha-infested waters.”

“What’s this? The humans want to go swimming?” a female voice asked beside me. “I’ll take you out to the lake any time. Just let me know when.”

I glanced back at the mermaid.

“That won’t ever happen, Lannie. Megan would be furious, and I’d tell her exactly who to question.”

Lannie’s face darkened deeper than her natural color.

“The fury doesn’t scare us. We almost had her once.”

“Keep telling yourself that. Your fantasies will only make her job easier when she returns.”

The mermaid’s scowl turned to a slow smile. “Miranda and River have some interesting ideas about what will happen when Megan returns. Think your friendship will save you?”

I said nothing as Lannie turned and walked away, but inside I was quaking. River was the mermaid who Megan had kicked in the face. That she’d been talking to Miranda, the mermaid who’d presumably told Eras about my involvement with the druids, didn’t bode well for me. What were the two of them planning? One call to Megan that I was in some kind of trouble would likely send her running back to Uttira before I found Ashlyn.

“You okay?” Eugene asked. “You look a little pale.”

“Stop looking at her.” Zoe’s words were punctuated with another under-the-table thump.

“I’m fine,” I said, already reaching for my phone. Once it was in my hand, I hesitated. What would I say? Don’t come home until I tell you? Megan would know something’s up. But I needed to tell her something before the mermaids did.

I thought about it for a moment then sent a text.

Me: River, the mermaid you kicked in the face, apparently still holds a grudge. I think they’re going to try to stir up trouble to bring you home sooner. Mom’s still here. Don’t fall for their bait and become a snack. #MeganisFurynotFood

I waited a bit to see if she’d respond. When she didn’t, I put the phone away and looked at Kelsey, who seemed to have the most sense out of the three humans.

“Watch out for the mermaids,” I said softly. “They’re still mad at Megan for saving Ashlyn.”

All three nodded.

Leaving them, I made my way upstairs where I had a good view of everyone coming and going. While I hoped the druids would make an appearance, I still needed to put my back-up plan into motion.

Dread filled me at the thought of meeting with Tegan, and I blindly stared out over the dancers. Was I willing to make a love slave out of Anne’s brother just to save Ashlyn? No. Guilt ate at me at the thought of not doing everything possible to save her, but I knew making a second mistake wouldn’t fix the first one. Even if Ashlyn was found, I would still be responsible for whatever had happened to her between her disappearance and her rescue. I couldn’t add more to that list.

Maybe appealing to Tegan without a succubus pull would be enough. Even as I had that thought, I knew it was laughable. Ashlyn had told me I lacked the spark that others of my kind had. Yet, despite that lack, I’d still almost lured her in just because of the top I’d worn. No matter how much I tried to hide and suppress it, I had far too much lure.

If I met with him, I’d need to be careful how I enlisted his help.

Nerves twisted my stomach in knots as I finally responded to his text from earlier.

Me: I appreciate the offer. Would you have time to meet with me tomorrow?

Tegan: Just say the place and time, and I’ll be there.

The immediacy of his reply didn’t bode well for his safety.

With a sigh, I put my phone away and watched the dancers. The mass moved to the music in a mesmerizing way. I longed to join them and let myself forget for a while. But I knew better. My peers wouldn’t be laughing and having fun for long if I did. Or rather, they would, but not the same kind. Still, my fingers tapped the beat on the railing.

Fenris took that moment to look up at me. He smiled and waved for me to join them. Jenna glanced my direction and nodded.

I turned away from the railing and went to the bar for a carbonated drink instead. It wasn’t soda. Sugar in mass quantities wasn’t approved by the Council. The light, citrus drink helped distract from the taste in my mouth and gave me a reason to ignore Fenris and Jenna’s invitation.

Avoiding the railing and more eye contact, I leaned against the bar and glanced at Yem, who’d served at the Roost for as long as I could remember. While he was descended from the great Ymir, he wasn’t a frost giant like Adira. I suspected he was the type that had multiple heads because he always seemed to see everything. Yet, despite that ability, he rarely showed any interest in what the youth who frequented the Roost did.

“Aren’t you supposed to be mingling?” he asked, surprising me.

“Keeping tabs for Adira?”

He grunted and went back to washing glasses.

“Didn’t like the question or don’t like the answer?” I pressed.

He sighed and set the glass aside to meet my gaze.

“Both. We all have to do things we don’t like to get by in this world, little succubus. Fighting it just causes more misery.”

He plucked another glass from the suds. I opened my mouth to reply, but a familiar scent tickled my nose and stopped me.

Facing Fenris, I frowned at his playful smile.

“I’m not in the mood.”

“I can see that, which is why I came up here. You look like you could use a dance.” He held out a hand to me. “If you don’t want to join the group down there, dance with me here.”

My gaze flicked to his hand, and my stomach clenched with need. The hunger was so intense it nearly pulled me into that place where I wanted to lash out and tell him to leave as much as I wanted to use everything I had to lure him in. And I hated myself for wanting either.

Swallowing hard, I turned my head and studied the wall for a moment. I could see where someone had wiped something. The slight iridescent sheen barely caught the light, and had my eyes been normal, I would have never noticed.

“Hey,” Fenris said softly. “You don’t need to hide what you’re thinking or feeling from me.”

It was like he was waving a red cape. I couldn’t stop myself from turning the full force of my gaze on him.

“Don’t I?” Ignoring his hand, I stepped close and trailed a finger up his arm. “You want to be my friend, but succubi don’t have friends. They have food, Fenris.” I stalked around him, running my finger over his deliciously muscled shoulders. “Do you want to be my food?”

One second, I was behind him, and the next, I was bent over backward in his arms. He grinned down at me.

“If that’s what you need me to be, then yes. I’ll be your food.” He licked my nose from tip to bridge. The shock of it had me blinking at him stupidly. He chuckled, uprighted us, and playfully twirled me.

“You have no sense of self-preservation,” I said softly, not letting myself fall into his trap.

When he caught on that I wasn’t going to dance, he sighed and pulled away.

“I’ll get you to dance with me yet, and when you do, you’re going to wonder why you waited so long.”

“I doubt that.”

He only smirked in return and nodded to Yem before heading back downstairs. Without looking at the giant, I followed Fenris. Oh, I had no intention of joining the foolish furball on the dance floor. Down was the only way out of this hell. And, given how close I’d just come to feeding on Fenris, I desperately needed to leave.

That dark, dangerous thing inside of me disagreed, though. It made each step drag and each breath heavy. It demanded that I turn around and take what the wolf had offered.

Unable to help myself, I looked over my shoulder just before I reached the exit.

Fenris danced with his girls again, but his sad eyes were on me.

To save us both, I walked out the red doors.