His teeth broke the skin of my wrist, and he was unable to hold back any longer. I felt a soft, gentle pull as he sucked on my skin. Desire flared through me white-hot, and I moaned and rubbed my hips against his harder. His tongue moved against my wrist, and just the barest of sensations drove me wild.
“Zane,” I begged, “I want you.”
No response.
“I need you,” I pleaded.
Still no response.
I pulled my wrist away and leaned in for a fierce kiss …
And a gentle snore came from his lips.
“What the-” I shook Zane slightly, in total disbelief that he’d fall asleep at such a crucial moment. As anger cleared my fog of passion, I realized that sunlight was streaming through the panes.
“Goddamn it! This no-daylight shit is pissing me off.”
I stared at his beautiful face with longing. Something inside him was noble, even if he didn’t like to show it, and that part of him called to me like nothing I’d ever felt before.
I finally hauled myself off him and headed for the bathroom and a cold shower. On the way, I grabbed the breakfast plate.
If I couldn’t have the man, pancakes and bacon was the next best thing-right?
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Several long, agonizing hours later, I sat with Remy in the hotel restaurant, clutching my coffee cup in shaking hands. “I don’t know what to do with myself. My whole body aches; it feels like I’ve been beaten with a stick. I’m exhausted, frazzled, and tense, and I know it all has to do with the Itch.”
Shrugging, Remy licked her fingertip and ran it along the empty baklava tray, catching a few crumbs and bringing them to her mouth. “I don’t see what the big deal is. It’s just sex.”
“It’s not just sex,” I protested. The waiter came to refill our water glasses, and I whispered, “It’s the principle of being enslaved to your loins.” The waiter smiled at me, his eyes clearly interested, and my mouth began to water. I forced myself to avert my eyes and gulp the liquid down.
Remy shook her head. “Consider it self-preservation, then.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you’re on a one-way ticket to Hell if you keep this up.” She paused, waiting for the waiter to leave.
He slid a napkin under my water glass, and I noticed he had a room number written on there. Cute. Real cute. He bowed and left.
Remy leaned in. “So tell me, what do you think destroys a succubus?”
My Itch-induced squirming ceased immediately, and I stared at her. “Destroyed? Why are we talking about being destroyed?” This roller coaster of an Afterlife might suck, but that didn’t mean I wanted it to be over.
Remy licked her fingertips languidly. “I’ve seen it happen two different ways. One,” she flicked a finger up, admiring her shell-pink fingernail. “Both of your masters bite it. They go, you go. It’s the rules of the game I’m afraid.”
“Well, I don’t plan on destroying Noah-we’re on this whole sorry trip to save his ass. And since I don’t know who my vamp master is, there’s not much chance in destroying him.”
“Oh, he’s around, if I don’t miss my guess. Vamps wouldn’t miss out on the opportunity to have a succubus at their beck and call, trust me. Enough succubus blood, and even they get immunity to our powers-so I’m sure the queen’s itching to get you back in hand.” There was a note of pain in her voice, and she cleared her throat. “Anyhow, the second way for a Suck to die is by starvation.”
“You mean …?”
She nodded, all seriousness. “You’re just hurting yourself with this hold-out, kiddo. If you plan on seeing this abstinence thing through, it’s all downhill from here. Your hair will get dull and fall out, your skin will wrinkle up, and you’ll crack under the pressure. Pretty soon your body’s going to be in intense pain, too, if I don’t miss my guess.”
My throat went dry. “How … how long does that take?”
“A couple of weeks,” Remy said.
A few weeks? I cringed at the thought. I was going stark, raving nuts after being overdue a day and a half. “I’d go mad,” I admitted, hating myself for conceding to the Itch.
“Yeah, that’s usually one of the first things to happen,” Remy agreed cheerfully.
So I was truly trapped in this lifestyle for eternity. I forced my shaking fingers around my coffee cup and tried to breathe like a normal woman. “How long have you gone without?”
“Five days,” Remy said flatly. “Not by choice, and trust me when I say it’s not something you want to go through.”
Numb with misery, I felt unable to focus my brain. “I miss Noah.” I thought of his warm smile and his protectiveness of me. His ass that wouldn’t quit. “I didn’t realize how good I had it with him. So right now basically I’m stuck with Zane, then.”
She snorted at me. “Not hardly, girl. If I were you, I’d avoid the fanged persuasion and find yourself a little piece of Egyptian tail. Like this one.” She pushed the napkin with the phone number toward me. “Or Stan. He’s damn good in the sack, and I’m not the jealous type. You’re welcome to borrow him for a few hours.”
The thought left me slightly nauseous. “I’ll pass, thanks. Where is he anyhow?”
Remy waggled her eyebrows. “He’s catching up on some much-needed rest.”
I raised a hand in the air. “Spare me the details, thanks.”
She lifted her coffee mug with a grin. “The offer’s on the table if you want it, and I’d recommend this afternoon.” Remy sipped, then continued. “But since I’m sure you won’t take me up on it, what do you plan to do this afternoon to kill some time?”
The first real enthusiasm I’d felt for this excursion bubbled over. “My boss at the museum mentioned that the Museum of Antiquities here has one of the best Old Kingdom collections to be found. She suggested that we look here for stuff about Queen Nitocris.” My hands clasped together eagerly. “I can’t wait to go spend the day there among the treasures. I thought I’d head there after I picked up my film.”
Remy looked like I’d suggested going to the dentist. “Riiiight. Boy, that sure sounds like fun.” She checked her watch. “Wow, is it noon already? I-”
I laughed. “Nobody said you have to come with me, Remy. I don’t mind going by myself.”
Relief showed on her face. “Are you sure? With those slavers you were telling me about …”
“That’s why I’ve got this.” I reached into the tote bag at my side and pulled out a new black burqa I’d bribed a bellhop into buying for me. Boobs were sometimes a good thing. “This is the best disguise a girl could ask for.”
Remy raised her coffee mug. “Cheers to that, then.”
I clinked my mug against hers, my smile forced. “So what are you going to do while I’m gone?”
A wicked smile curved her lips. “I think I’ll see if Stan’s awake.”
“We’ll take a quick break before proceeding to the next portion of our tour, the Amarna period and Akhenaten, the heretic king.” The tour guide’s voice was monotone with boredom.
I dog-eared the page on my guidebook and sat on a nearby bench. No one sat next to me. I expected as much; the museum was filled with American and Canadian tourists, all of whom gave me a wide berth at the sight of my burqa.
It was nice to fade back to invisibility, even if just for an afternoon.
While the tourists milled around me, I reached into my purse and pulled out my newly developed photos and began flipping through them.
The images from the tomb were backlit with blackness, courtesy of the cheap flash camera. I stared at the painted figures in each photo, wondering if I had missed a clue. There were several of what must have been Nitocris, her hands upraised to the heavens. Her face looked just like every other Egyptian queen, but I now recognized her black cloak as a stylized image of wings. The next photo was a larger shot of the queen’s wig-covered head, the Double Crown and Uraeus on her brow. Her thin mouth curved up in a half smile, which creeped me out a little. In the other pictures she was unsmiling and grim. The elongated hands were raised to the sun, and in the center of the sun there was a faded symbol that reminded me of the one on Noah’s wrist. The angelic alphabet-how curious.