Page 35 of The Howl
“I’m looking for a frost giant currently wearing her human form. She looks normal under regular lighting, but if you can talk to whoever's in charge and get the black lights turned on, you’ll see something that will blow your mind.”
“It’s not my mind I want blown,” he said, leaning in. “You’re a special kind of crazy, but the pretty ones usually are.” He lifted a hand to touch me.
“The black lights,” I said firmly. “Those come first.”
He grinned.
“You got it, darling.”
He’d barely stepped away from me when Adira appeared from the depths of the crowd.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Giving you a choice,” I said calmly. “You can take me home now, before the black lights come on and everyone sees you for what you are, or you can continue to try to force me to feed.” Her expression hardened. “Pseudo-choices aren’t very fun, are they?”
She took my hand, and with a nausea-inducing stomach twist, I found myself once more in my bedroom. Alone.
With a sigh, I sat on my bed. I’d played mean with Adira at the club, meaner even than the night I’d threatened her with Megan because of Eugene. I dreaded what Adira would do in retaliation now.
That dread stayed with me as I watched TV then changed for dinner.
As I slowly made my way downstairs, I caught a hint of raised voices coming from Mr. Quill’s office. Changing direction, I went to listen at the open door again.
“Her increasing defiance is a result of Megan’s influence. With Megan’s mother focused on her, we’re free to focus on Eliana. We’re making the right choice, Anwen. Never doubt that.”
I stepped into the room.
“And what choice is that?” I asked.
Mrs. Quill’s expression started to crumble, and Mr. Quill quickly hugged her close. My stomach churned with fear. Adira’s gaze flicked to her distraught sister than settled on me.
“You’ve been coddled too long. As of now, you will no longer feed from Mrs. Quill. Like other succubi your age, you will need to find your own food source. And since you don’t like leaving to hunt for human prey, you’ll need to make do with your peers.”
I stared at her, unable to process what had just happened.
“Perhaps we should discuss this further after dinner,” Mr. Quill said, looking from Adira to me. “Anwen picked up the pizza you love from Chicago.”
“Dinner?” I echoed numbly. They wanted me to eat after telling me I couldn’t eat. I struggled with the irony while reminding myself I wanted to be a good person no matter how others treated me. I didn’t manage to curb all my anger when I spoke, though.
“A succubus doesn’t need human food. I’m going to my room unless I’m no longer welcome there, either.”
Mrs. Quill’s tears cut me as deeply as her abandonment. Hardening my heart to both, I left the room.
Chapter Seven
I knewI was dreaming the moment my tranquil forest walk turned into a skunk riddled sex fest. Everywhere I looked, they were paired up and humping like crazy. I always dreamed about sex in some way, but this was a new level of awful for me. The scent of skunk lust was as rancid as their spray, and it filled my nose with an intensity that made it hard to breathe. However, despite the smell and the taste, my hunger demanded their lust.
I shook and fought against the urge to feed. One of the skunks looked at me, mid-humping.
“You’re like a sleeping princess,” it said.
“What?”
The moment I opened my mouth, the skunk-lust filled me. I swallowed it hungrily even as I gagged, and I was about to inhale more when I woke to a small mouth frantically licking my earlobe.
I squealed and scrambled from the bed while wiping at my ear.
“Don’t go, princess,” a tiny voice said from the darkness. “Let me try again. I can do better.”
