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He pushed. He kicked. Thane tried every move he knew of, from ducking to stepping sideways, and the monster matched him. The whole time, she sucked. Not at his mouth, but at his life, pulling his vitality away so fast that Thane could feel his muscles weakening.
Out of habit, he reached for his waist, but the clavum weren't there. He'd left them locked in Dahlia's apartment, safe, so he wouldn't give the wrong impression to the people he'd hoped would be his allies. Now, he was unarmed, too weak, and at this creature's mercy.
He bit. He shoved. Once again, he managed to break her mouth from his, but it didn't last long. The scent of her was almost intoxicating. The very air around him was making it hard to concentrate, but he could push through that to keep his senses. And yet, no matter how hard he struggled, all Thane was doing was losing ground.
For the first time, he felt true fear. Try as he might, he wasn't powerful enough to make her stop, and with her tongue so far down his throat, he couldn't speak either of the two Words he had memorized. He was completely helpless as this woman took what she wanted from his body. He couldn't even cry out for help!
Thane's last thought as he grew too weak to even keep his eyes open was that he finally understood why women were scared to walk alone in the dark.
ChapterTwenty-Three
ROARKE
Roarke plugged in the cable to the wall, hoping this really was as easy as the kid at the store had made it out to be. He'd just bought his first smart TV, and while he loved the idea, he wasn't completely convinced it would work like he hoped. Still, the credit card he'd stolen from some guy a few days ago was still working, so why not enjoy it?
He paused to scratch at the back of his arm, then checked the cable again. Next, he plugged the whole thing into the wall, and headed over for the remote. Pausing to scratch at the back of his neck, Roarke debated reading the instructions, but decided he didn't need to. The power would work or it wouldn't. He pressed the button and the screen activated, but it didn't immediately start pumping out sound. Instead, some selection screen appeared.
That wasn't the worst problem, though. His skin was itching like crazy! It was almost like...
Tossing the remote onto his new recliner, Roarke headed for the door. Jerking it open, he was ready to yell when his eyes landed on Isabella with some guy pinned to the wall. For a split second, Roarke almost told her to take it further down - and then he saw the leather cuff on the man's arm. The same leather cuff he'd given Thane.
"Succubus!" Roarke growled, storming into the hall. "Let the fuck go of my cousin!"
She did, but Thane's body dropped, sliding down the wall until he ended up on the ground. Roarke only spared him a glance before rounding on the eidolon, who was at least two hundred years more dead than he was. Still, he pushed at the veil, feeling his body stretch to obey.
His teeth lengthened, his nails grew, and his shoulders broadened as he changed into something a little closer to the black dog he'd claimed as his own. No, he didn't have a dog's head, but he did have the natural weapons to tear this bitch up now. Isabella's eyes went wide and she backed up. Her powers were all aimed at controlling the living. His were meant for destruction - and didn't care who they were aimed at. It was just enough to even the balance of power between them.
"He's not your cousin!" Isabella snapped.
Roarke growled at her, his new throat able to make the sound even easier. "A man's word still means something, and I gave him mine." He took a step toward her. "The valkyrie made it clear. If he consents, you leave him walking."
Isabella just lifted her hands, holding him off, but the smirk on her face said she wasn't really afraid. "Not my fault he tastes so sweet. Besides, if he can't talk, then he can't call his Inquisition down on us. Think of this like me doing my duty to help keep our new community safe." Her smile grew. "Neighborhood watch, right?"
"If you put a hand on him again, I'll - "
Roarke didn't get to finish his threat before Isabella rushed him. The woman's hands were already up, which made it easy for her to grab his wrists. Roarke shoved her back a little more, away from Thane. Isabella staggered, confusion taking over her face as she pressed her palm against him again.
It was like she was trying to slap him, but she just didn't hit hard enough. Roarke caught her arm and pulled it down, only for her other one to take its place. She wasn't really fighting. It was more like... When the realization hit him, he pushed her hard, forcing her down onto her ass.
"You can't drain me!" he growled. "We can't fuel or pull from each other!"
"But that's..." She looked scared now. "That's all I have!"
He just pointed towards the courtyard, refusing to let her walk past where Thane was still slumped. "Go. Get the fuck out of my sight before Dahlia finds out that you touched her lover." Then he leaned in just a little more, dropping his voice to make sure the threat was clear in his next words. "Because unlike you, a valkyrie does have the ability to hurt our kind, their kind, and anyone dumb enough to stand against her."
Isabella scrambled to her knees and ran. Roarke stood there for a moment longer, braced in case she came back, but also allowing his body to relax back to normal. When the sound of her footsteps faded enough, he finally turned to check on Thane.
The man's head was slumped against his own shoulder and his eyes were closed. That was what gave Roarke hope. The dead didn't bother to close their eyes. Their lids always slipped open, so if Thane's were closed, then he'd passed out. And sure enough, once he was close enough, Roarke found a pulse still beating at Thane's neck.
"You dumb fuck," he grumbled under his breath as he pulled Thane's arm over his shoulder, working his friend into position so he could carry him inside. "Of all the people for you to hit on, you went for the succubus?" Then he heaved both of them up.
If he'd still been alive, Roarke never would've been able to do this. As it was, he could feel the vitality he was burning, but it wouldn't make a difference. That girl the night before had given him more than enough, and he had Thane to thank for making sure it happened. This hunk of a man had even been willing to flirt a bit, so Roarke would burn not just a little vitality, but a whole lot of it for someone who'd do that.
Once inside his apartment, Roarke kicked the door shut with his foot, then all but dropped Thane's body down into the new recliner. That, it seemed, was enough to wake Thane's ass back up. The man groaned, rocking his head as he struggled to get his eyes open.
"Your date went bad," Roarke told him. "You're going to feel very weak and tired. Think you can stay awake long enough to eat or drink something?" And he crouched down by the arm of the chair to pat Thane's leg, trying to wake the guy up just a little more.
"Roarke?" Thane asked.
