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THE NIGHT BEFORE HALLOWEEN, Eden was given an order to assassinate an elf in the Fae District. He lived in one of the opulent mansions near the elven gardens. She’d heard they’d once grown magical gold flowers that they’d used to make fae alcohol. A creature had gone mad and had torn all the plants up, killing them all in its wake of destruction. Now the fae had to drink alcohol that was created by what they thought of as the lesser species. Lord Dallinar was proof that their bodies couldn’t tolerate the liquor very well. He’d stopped calling the succubus to his bed when he could no longer perform. His ability to cast magic had also been affected, but he was powerful enough to fake his way through his spells most of the time.
Eden’s target wasn’t going to be easy to corner. He was hosting a party and had invited dozens of guests. She stood in the shadows of a large tree in the backyard of the mansion, listening to the revelry going on inside. Drunken laughter and sly slurs were being exchanged. A glass shattered, someone cursed and a female let out a pained screech. Giggles from other elves sounded, so she couldn’t have been harmed too badly.
“Come, my dear, let’s get the wound tended to,” someone said smoothly. The voice was male, musical and self-assured. The assassin instinctively knew he was her mark. She silently crossed the yard and zoned in on the pair. Her link to the mark allowed her to keep track of him as he ascended to the third floor. The succubus tracked him to a room to the right and heard the sounds of the wound being tended to.
“That feels so much better,” the female elf slurred drunkenly.
“You look hot,” the target said. “Why don’t you take your dress off and lie down for a few minutes to cool down?” She giggled and the quiet sounds of rustling fabric ensued along with the door being closed.
A tree was growing close to the mansion. Eden scaled it, then leaped from a branch over to a balcony on the third floor. There was a gap of fifteen feet or so to the next balcony. She would make too much noise in her stilettos, so she took her shoes off and put them in her purse. Backing up to the railing, she sprinted to the other side. She leaped up onto the railing and jumped over to the other balcony. She fell short, but grabbed hold of the railing and pulled herself up before climbing to safety.
Neither of the elves had heard her. They were too busy kissing and groping each other to pay any attention to what was going on around them. Elves were vain, frivolous and they obviously didn’t take their marriage vows seriously. Both of their spouses were downstairs, oblivious to their tryst. Or maybe they knew and they just didn’t care.
The curtains were gauzy enough for Eden to be able to see through them. Magical candles gave her a view of the naked, unnaturally gorgeous pair who were entwined on the bed. Sex had always been an ordeal for her rather than something to be enjoyed. She’d never known what it felt like to achieve the bliss she’d heard about. These two certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves going by the glances she snuck at them. They had to be quiet, so the other revelers didn’t hear them. They smothered their moans and groans with their hands, or with each other’s bodies.
When the pair were done, her target gallantly allowed his companion to clean up in the bathroom first. He waited until she giggled drunkenly and gave him a final kiss, then he entered the bathroom next. He emerged naked a few minutes later and the assassin sent her magic out to ensnare him. Instantly bewitched when her spell sank into him, he was drawn over to the balcony. He opened the door and stepped into her fatal embrace.
Within minutes, the target was a light, almost hollow husk and the insistent spell in her head had faded away. Eden dropped the remains to the ground below and they landed without a sound. Rain was on the way and she wanted to be gone before it arrived. She climbed over the railing, lowered herself down, then dropped to the ground. She barely made any noise when she landed, but she scooped the remains up and took off running.
The succubus vaulted over the fence and sprinted to a grove of trees near the elven gardens. Dense bushes hid her dark deed as she set fire to the shell. It burned brightly for a few seconds before turning to ash. Her feet were filthy and she had to wipe them clean on grass before donning her shoes again. She sauntered out of the grove and ambled over to the curb to wait for a carriage to turn up. She was pretty sure her link to the Immortal Triumvirate gave her precedence over other travelers. Malachi and Sorcha also usually managed to catch a carriage to and from their assassinations.
This close to Halloween, the skeletons were picky about who they allowed to ride in their vehicles. Eden found she wasn’t immune to their whims when the carriage she hailed swept past her. The driver clicked its teeth at her and seemed to grin nastily as the empty vehicle continued on its path. “Stupid Night Cursed bastard,” she muttered.
“I’m shocked, mon cher,” a disturbingly sexy voice said teasingly from right behind her. “I didn’t expect to hear such rough language from a woman as lovely as you.”
Eden spun around to see the cloaked master vampire staring down at her. “I guess I should feel lucky it didn’t run me over,” she said, feeling flustered. She hadn’t even sensed him there. Leeches didn’t show up on her radar as well as the living did.
“I’m fairly new to Nox, but I’ve heard they can’t harm uncursed beings,” he said as he studied her face.
Usually, men began showering the succubus with compliments and did their best to get her out of her clothes soon after meeting her. Either he wasn’t interested in women, or he had tight control over his emotions. It helped that her magic didn’t work on his kind. “Why did you come to this city?” she asked in astonishment at hearing he’d only recently arrived here. “Didn’t you know you’d never be able to leave?”
“Oui, I knew,” he replied and looked away so the hood hid his face. “I came here to settle a score with an old...friend.” His hesitation made her think the person he’d come here to settle matters with wasn’t a friend at all. “Why did you come here, mademoiselle?” he asked, turning back to face her.
“I was born here,” she said, unable to hide the hint of bitterness in her tone. “I’ve never seen the outside world and I guess I never will.”
“Ah,” he said in understanding and what sounded like sympathy. “The outside world isn’t that different from Nox,” he told her. “It’s full of beauty and wonder, but it’s also dangerous and can be deadly. The wealthy live in opulence and the poor struggle to survive.”
“I guess it really isn’t all that different, then,” she conceded glumly.
“Where do you wish to go, mon cher?” he asked.
“I need to get to the City Square,” the assassin replied. She could make her way home from there easily enough. It was too far for her to sprint the entire distance. She hunched her shoulders when wind hit her, bringing the smell of rain with it. It wasn’t the chill that bothered her, but the thought of having to walk all the way home that she was dreading.
“I can take you to the square, on one condition,” the stranger said.
“What condition?” she asked warily.
“I will expect payment in the form of a kiss.” A smile quirked his lips up slightly as he waited confidently for her decision. He hadn’t asked what her name was and she wasn’t about to ask him what his was. They were strangers and it was safest for it to remain that way, regardless of how fast he made her heart race. She’d met plenty of gorgeous men during her missions, most of whom had been her victims. She’d never been drawn to one like she was to this enigmatic man.
“One kiss,” Eden agreed, knowing he would run screaming if he knew what she could do to a man with her lips. He was lucky he was safe from her brand of magic. She could kiss him without the danger of her innate talents draining him dry.
For the second time, the tall, dark and handsome stranger swept the assassin into his arms. She turned her face to his chest as he took off with the incredible speed that only the most powerful of his kind could employ. She didn’t know his exact age, but she knew he had to be old. His power would be diminished in a couple of nights when the Energy Tax went into effect. Eden was pretty sure he was a master vampire, so it wouldn’t affect him badly. It would take decades or maybe even centuries before the tax would sap his reserves enough to weaken him.
