Page 18 of Inheritance
As he approached me, he gestured towards the bed, "May I sit next to you?"
"It's your castle. Do as you please," I answered, unable to keep the sarcasm from dripping from my words.
A part of me was deeply wounded by the knowledge of his active role in inciting the war against my kind. Why were we fated to be together? Did the Fates truly think it was fair to tell me this man—who’d caused an almost near genocide of my people—was meant to be one of my soul mates?
I didn't think I was capable of seeing him in any other light now. Forgiveness for such a vile transgression wasn't something I thought I would be able to give him. He had literally caused the violence and following resentment that had brought about my own damned bullying and harassment.
The bed dipped with his weight as he sat on the edge and placed a hand on my shoulder. Instantly, I felt the warmth of my powers flooding my body and rolled my shoulders in bliss at the feeling. I hadn't realized just how damned empty I’d felt without them.
Standing up, I stretched languidly as some of my strength returned, but as I reached to pull my powers to the surface, they felt stunted. It was as if I could feel them simmering beneath my skin but was unable to use them.
Luce cleared his throat, his golden eyes pleading with me to understand.
This motherfucker.He had returned my powers to me but had some sort of lock on me actually using them.
Throwing my hands up, I scoffed, "Still trying to control me? Shocker! Selfish, Luce. This is still being selfish. How foolish of me to think you were actually doing the right thing for once. But nope—you still have to have what you want in the equation."
He quickly stood and reached for me, which I evaded easily by taking a few steps back. "I just want to keep you, Ama. I can't lose you," he whispered, his voice sounding broken, but I wouldn't allow him to get under my skin.
Crossing my arms against my chest, I shook my head at his deluded statement and corrected it for him, "The funny thing about that is, you can't lose something that was never yours to begin with."
His shoulders sagged as he tried to rationalize the situation in his favor, "I saw you slowly accepting me before the hybrid revelation, and I am in no way saying I was in the right…It was before, Ama. We all change and grow, so why can't you forgive me for my past and let me prove that I am a better man now?"
Was he seriously that dense?
Frustration welled within me, and I yelled, "I have given you a chance to prove it, and you aren't a better man! The only difference is that you went to sleep and then woke up thinking that suddenly you were a good person because you were given the fated mate bond you've so desperately wanted!"
His eyes dropped from my face to the floor as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his slacks.
"Look at me," I demanded. When his gaze lifted, I let the shield on my emotions crumble long enough to show him how deeply I was hurt by his actions. My tears welled with anger and fury at his blindness. "How could you ever think I could forgive you for the hybrids? You're the reason Pura has so much power and I was ostracized my entire life. You could have changed that. You could have truly righted your wrongs and ensured that this kingdom flourished with equality for everyone. But you didn’t! You fucking went to sleep."
His jaw clenched and his eyes hardened as he argued back, "I chose leaders who would keep the peace in Pura! I gave the hybrids a sanctuary! I could have let everything burn to the ground, but I didn't!"
"That's bullshit," I snapped. "Do you seriously want a pat on the back for having the smallest shred of decency? For a situation you caused?"
I had really pushed his buttons, but I wasn't going to back down, even as he closed the space between us and seethed down at me, "Don't act like you're perfect, Amare. No one is. Not you, not your other little playthings, and definitely not me."
My lips curled back as I tilted my head up to meet his eyes, refusing to back down. "I never said I was perfect, but I know damned well I'm a better person than you.Boo hoo, you didn't have a soulmate. You're no better than a child who doesn't get his way."
The floor beneath us began to shake, and Luce’s eyes changed from a bright gold to a deep red.
"Is this your temper tantrum?" I goaded, wanting to prove my point. "I'm not rolling over and giving you what you want, but I am calling you on your shit, so you're going to tear this castle down?"
In the blink of an eye, his lips were on mine, harsh and unforgiving as he pushed his tongue into my mouth and threaded his fingers into my hair. Something about the tension and anger boiling between us in conjunction with feeling my Succubus powers flaring had me kissing him back like a damned idiot.
While I did feel more energized than before with my powers flowing through me, I still felt an overwhelming desire to feed and satisfy that part of me. It was making my brain fuzzy and my actions questionable.
I knew the moment he lifted the lid on my powers as he dropped his hands to my ass, hauling me up onto him and wrapping my legs around his waist. I could feel his energy pouring into my mouth with every passing second of our kiss.
The truth of the matter was that I needed to feed if I wanted to be at my prime, and with no souls to reap, this was my only opportunity. When he’d ripped my powers from me, he’d also kept me from seeking out my men to feed from in my dreams—and deep down, I knew he knew that.
He had dream-shared with me before and knew I was capable of it. He had sensed when Drayven and I’d shared my last dream and had taken my powers, not wanting me to have any contact with my men. As if he could wipe them from my memory as time went on and I wasn't able to see or speak with them.
That's how I knew this access to my powers was only temporary. So, I would use him just like he was using me right now. It wasn't a healthy situation by any means—I knew whatever this was between us was toxic, and he would never change.
My back hit a stone wall as he ground his hard cock against my core, lighting me on fire with my Succubus powers at an all-time high. No part of me was holding them back for once, wanting to get my fill of energy as quickly as I could before this had a chance to go further.
A heady feeling quickly swept through me. It was a euphoria like no other. Drunk on the power I had collected from him, I was floating in the clouds.
