Succubus Lost (Files from the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency, #2) by Tiffany Allee Page B
Authors: Tiffany Allee
Tags: Someone is kidnapping and incinerating otherworlders beyond recognition, and detective Marisol Whitman, a succubus, races to find the murderer before he claims another victim. But her pursuit is derailed when her responsible younger sister vanishes. Marisol suspects foul play and enlists support from an unlikely source: an agent from the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency, Valerio Costa.
When the trail pointing to everyone from vampires to witches dries up, Agent Costa admits to knowing more than he’s shared. Marisol’s sister’s kidnapper harnesses more magic than she can imagine—and they’re running out of time. To find her sister before her powers are drained and twisted beyond recognition, Marisol must connect the dots between cases and put her trust in Costa, a salamander who may burn her before she can solve either case.
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“Wendy?”
“I’m sorry, Marisol. She’s dead.”
Chapter Six
“She’s—” My voice caught in my throat, and I tried to swallow around the lump that had formed. A deluge of feelings crushed me, and I couldn’t breathe. Wendy was dead. Gone. The brave girl who’d defied her parents and culture to attend college. The smiling friend who’d helped bring Elaine out of her shell. The understanding siren who’d helped make my sister whole.
Costa pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me in an inescapable hug. I struggled to breathe evenly. I couldn’t lose it, not now.
“Elaine?” I gasped out.
“No sign of her yet. I’m sorry, but that’s a good thing.
Really. She’s out there and we’re going to find her.” I didn’t move for a few moments. For those brief seconds I leaned against his hardness and took in his clean scent. I hadn’t known Wendy all that well, but she had been a regular visitor to our house lately. She’d always been kind to me and as far as I could tell, to Elaine. And by helping Elaine, by becoming her friend, she helped me more than the sweet siren could have known. She alleviated the pressure of being the only one to care for Elaine, the only one who tried to bring her out of her shell.
And for that, I loved her.
I pressed my hands against Costa’s chest and pushed myself back. I could feel the heat of his skin beneath his shirt, and it struck me that for once, he wasn’t cold. I steeled myself and met his gaze with as level a look as I could summon, ignoring the wetness I could feel on my cheeks that now marred his otherwise dry shirt.
“How do you know she’s dead?” I asked.
“That’s complicated.”
“Complicated? You haven’t told me everything,” I said. It wasn’t a question. “You’re going to tell me what you know. Now.”
“Look, there are things I can’t—”
“Now, Costa!” My voice cracked and he took a step toward me. I waved him off.
He sat down heavily on the bed and rubbed his face.
“Fine. Sit down,” he said.
I pulled the office chair from the desk and turned it to face him. I sat, keeping my posture straight, careful not to lean toward him. I had to concentrate, keep my mind on finding Elaine.
“We’ve recovered one succubus out of who knows how many that he’s taken.”
I took a deep breath. “He?”
“Yes, she confirmed the kidnapper was a man, but she couldn’t recall what he looked like. A spell, we suspect. But if he used a spell, it was clever enough that our Covenant witch couldn’t undo it.”
“Not surprising,” I said, relieved that my voice sounded far stronger than I felt.
He blinked at me. “What do you mean?”
“Magic’s a helluva lot easier to do than undo. I mean, if her memory were wiped, it would be like cleaning a car.
Even though you knew the mud was there, could find it in the drain it washed down, you still couldn’t paint it back onto the car and make it exactly how it was before you cleaned it.”
He pressed his elbows against his knees and leaned forward. “That’s what our witch told us. But it took him two hours and a fucking whiteboard to explain it.” I shrugged, uncomfortable. “I studied witchcraft, amateur stuff mostly.”
“Why?”
I shook my head. “Elaine had some bad history. I just...I tried to find a way to undo it.” He gave me a quick nod. “I read the file.” My eyes were suddenly moist again, and so I examined the wall to his left.
“Anyway. The girl we rescued had been sold to a man—a human. We recovered her because his private plane was randomly searched as he was leaving the country.”
I snapped my head back to him. “What? A human couldn’t control a succubus—even a weak one—for long.
I mean, it might take her a few times but eventually she’d drain him if he touched her. That doesn’t make any sense.” He rocked back on the bed, stretched, and resumed sitting. I tried not to notice the muscles moving under his shirt.
“Wendy?”
“I’m sorry, Marisol. She’s dead.”
Chapter Six
“She’s—” My voice caught in my throat, and I tried to swallow around the lump that had formed. A deluge of feelings crushed me, and I couldn’t breathe. Wendy was dead. Gone. The brave girl who’d defied her parents and culture to attend college. The smiling friend who’d helped bring Elaine out of her shell. The understanding siren who’d helped make my sister whole.
Costa pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me in an inescapable hug. I struggled to breathe evenly. I couldn’t lose it, not now.
“Elaine?” I gasped out.
“No sign of her yet. I’m sorry, but that’s a good thing.
Really. She’s out there and we’re going to find her.” I didn’t move for a few moments. For those brief seconds I leaned against his hardness and took in his clean scent. I hadn’t known Wendy all that well, but she had been a regular visitor to our house lately. She’d always been kind to me and as far as I could tell, to Elaine. And by helping Elaine, by becoming her friend, she helped me more than the sweet siren could have known. She alleviated the pressure of being the only one to care for Elaine, the only one who tried to bring her out of her shell.
And for that, I loved her.
I pressed my hands against Costa’s chest and pushed myself back. I could feel the heat of his skin beneath his shirt, and it struck me that for once, he wasn’t cold. I steeled myself and met his gaze with as level a look as I could summon, ignoring the wetness I could feel on my cheeks that now marred his otherwise dry shirt.
“How do you know she’s dead?” I asked.
“That’s complicated.”
“Complicated? You haven’t told me everything,” I said. It wasn’t a question. “You’re going to tell me what you know. Now.”
“Look, there are things I can’t—”
“Now, Costa!” My voice cracked and he took a step toward me. I waved him off.
He sat down heavily on the bed and rubbed his face.
“Fine. Sit down,” he said.
I pulled the office chair from the desk and turned it to face him. I sat, keeping my posture straight, careful not to lean toward him. I had to concentrate, keep my mind on finding Elaine.
“We’ve recovered one succubus out of who knows how many that he’s taken.”
I took a deep breath. “He?”
“Yes, she confirmed the kidnapper was a man, but she couldn’t recall what he looked like. A spell, we suspect. But if he used a spell, it was clever enough that our Covenant witch couldn’t undo it.”
“Not surprising,” I said, relieved that my voice sounded far stronger than I felt.
He blinked at me. “What do you mean?”
“Magic’s a helluva lot easier to do than undo. I mean, if her memory were wiped, it would be like cleaning a car.
Even though you knew the mud was there, could find it in the drain it washed down, you still couldn’t paint it back onto the car and make it exactly how it was before you cleaned it.”
He pressed his elbows against his knees and leaned forward. “That’s what our witch told us. But it took him two hours and a fucking whiteboard to explain it.” I shrugged, uncomfortable. “I studied witchcraft, amateur stuff mostly.”
“Why?”
I shook my head. “Elaine had some bad history. I just...I tried to find a way to undo it.” He gave me a quick nod. “I read the file.” My eyes were suddenly moist again, and so I examined the wall to his left.
“Anyway. The girl we rescued had been sold to a man—a human. We recovered her because his private plane was randomly searched as he was leaving the country.”
I snapped my head back to him. “What? A human couldn’t control a succubus—even a weak one—for long.
I mean, it might take her a few times but eventually she’d drain him if he touched her. That doesn’t make any sense.” He rocked back on the bed, stretched, and resumed sitting. I tried not to notice the muscles moving under his shirt.
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