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FOR ONCE, EDEN’S LATEST target wasn’t hosting a party. She was so used to the wealthy fae acting frivolously that it was almost a shock to find the house so quiet. Only a few windows shed light as she circled around to the back of the property. Most of the rooms were dark.
She sensed her quarry on the second floor, somewhere in the center of the mansion. He was alone and she couldn’t feel or hear anyone else in the building. There were no magical wards protecting the place, so she leaped over the stone wall and crossed the backyard. Snow crunched beneath her boots, sounding far too loud to her. Elves had exceptional hearing, so her target had to know someone was on his property.
Eden sent her succubus magic into the house. It floated upwards as the elf came to investigate the noise she’d made when she’d entered his yard. After Crowmon’s stone hounds had managed to infiltrate so many houses on Halloween, the citizens of Nox were understandably wary. Her power sank into him, drawing him to her.
The succubus sensed her magic didn’t have a strong hold on her target, but at least he was partially beneath her spell when he reached her. When the door opened, she saw he had a few lines on his handsome, distinguished face. That meant he had to be ancient. Elves and fairies lived for thousands of years before they showed any signs of age. “Yes?” he asked in a slightly dazed tone. “Can I help you?”
Just as Eden had figured, his magic was still strong despite the Energy Tax. “I’m lost,” she said in a helpless tone all females could utilize when they needed to. “I can’t find a carriage to take me home.”
He stared at her in puzzlement, possibly sensing that she was lying. She strengthened her magic and it reluctantly sank into his mind to ensnare him more deeply. “Come in,” he said in a stupefied tone.
Eden stepped past him and headed for a cozy parlor just down the hall. She walked over to the fireplace to warm her frozen feet and hands. She never wore gloves, just in case she needed to cast her fire spell. “Have you done anything to anger the Immortal Triumvirate recently?” she asked as the elf joined her.
He stopped a couple of feet away to stare at her in devotion. “I opposed Onvier’s appointment to the position of Guild Master,” he replied. “The Magic Guild will not be better off in his hands. He’ll only make things worse for all magic users in Nox.”
“Figures,” Eden muttered when her hunch was confirmed. “Does Onvier have an alliance with the Triumvirate?”
Her target hesitated before shrugging. “I assume so, my lady.”
Now it was Eden’s turn to hesitate. “Your magic is still strong?” she asked. He nodded, eyes dreamy and lost in befuddled desire. “Can you sense a spell that was placed on me?” she asked.
His gaze sharpened slightly. “What sort of spell, my lady?”
“A binding spell of some kind,” she replied. “Lord Dallinar cast it on me when I was a small child.”
Even in his daze, his upper lip curled at that news. “Lord Dallinar is a foul, drunken sot. Only someone with evil in his heart would bind a child against her will.”
A lump formed in Eden’s throat and tears burned in her eyes. He had no idea how depraved the fairy lord was. “Can you sense the spell?” she asked him again.
He stepped closer and lightly rested his hand on the top of her head. She almost flinched, but forced herself to be still. “I can sense it,” he confirmed. “But I can’t dispel it,” he added before she could ask him if he could get rid of it.
“Why not?” she asked with a hollow feeling in her gut.
“Only a powerful fairy will be able to undo this,” he said sadly. “You would need someone with enough power to rival Lord Dallinar’s to undo what has been done.”
“Of course I do,” Eden said in despair. “Trust him to find a way to turn me into his personal slave.” She looked up at her mark and rebellion rose inside her. “The Immortal Triumvirate ordered me to kill you,” she told him and withdrew some of her succubus magic so he could think again.
His eyes cleared a little and he nodded. “I suspected as much,” he replied. “You must obey their order.”
“Why?” the assassin asked in bewilderment. “Can’t you just hide from them and pretend I killed you?” The thought of disobeying her kill order made the insistent prodding in the back of her head worsen.
A sad smile flitted over his face and he shook his head. “The spell that Lord Dallinar cast on you has a specific purpose.”
“I was told it allows the Immortal Triumvirate to know every thought that goes through my head,” she said. “It alerts him whenever I think about disobeying an order.”
He shook his head again. “Whoever told you that lied,” he said. “The spell is designed to allow you to know who to kill. It notifies the person who sent you the order when you’ve completed your mission. If you disobey the command, the spell will drive you insane as punishment.”
Eden’s shoulders slumped at that knowledge. Wort had warned them about what the enchantment would do. It was one of the few things the satyr hadn’t lied about. “So, I have to keep killing my targets?” she asked forlornly.
“I’m afraid so, my lady,” he confirmed. She took a deep, shuddering breath and he brushed his knuckle across her cheek. “There’s no need to feel guilt over my death,” he told her. “I’ve lived for many thousands of years and I’m ready for my life to end.” He looked around at his house with a haunted expression. “Crowmon’s hounds killed my wife and my children. I’m the only one left now and I wish to join my family in the afterlife. You’re a succubus and you can end my suffering with oblivion’s kiss.”
“You know what I am?” she asked in shock.
“I’ve met your kind before,” he replied. “I knew what you were when your magic touched me and drew me to you.”
Eden had never been in this situation before. Her target had been marked for death and he wanted her to kill him. For the first time, the succubus was about to perform a mercy killing rather than a murder. He held his hands out and she took them. He bent down to her and she lifted her face to meet him. Her kiss was reverent, honoring his decision as her magic seeped into him. He willingly surrendered to her power as she siphoned his energy from him.
In a few short minutes, Eden’s target was reduced to a shell. His pain had ended, but hers was sharp and fresh. Until she found a fairy who was powerful enough to undo Lord Dallinar’s spell, she was going to have to keep on killing the men her evil overlords deemed to be a threat to them.
With a heavy heart, the assassin picked up the husk and carried it over to the fireplace. She placed it on the flames and watched the elf’s remains and clothing burn to ashes. The magical candles were snuffed out and the fire died as the magic that had sustained the house faded along with its owner.
Eden walked through the dark, lightless and lifeless mansion to the front door. She wasn’t surprised to see the image that had once adorned it was gone when she stepped outside. The house would eventually be assigned to someone else by the magic of Nox, but until then, it would remain cold and empty.
