Descended from Dragons: an Urban Fantasy (Moonlight Dragon Book 1) by Tricia Owens
Authors: Tricia Owens
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explain why he would move out here in the first place," I said, dogged. "His kind will always yearn for naturally formed bodies of water."
"Mmm, maybe you should ask him. But I'd be careful if I were you: he carries the taint of brimstone."
I exchanged a look with Melanie, who had slapped both hands against her cheeks. You only ever smelled brimstone when you were in Hell or when you were dealing with demons. Vegas could feel as hot as Hell sometimes, but my money was on the demons.
"So Christian is the one who locked the demon in the gargoyle statue with Vale."
Now I really didn't like red-heads. However, I still couldn't figure out one thing.
"Say he dumped the statue with me in the hopes that some tourist would buy it. It would be an easy way to get it far away from him. But if that was his plan, why give me his number?" I pointed at the phone Liliana still held. "Why give me the chance to trace everything back to him?"
She opened her hand and studied the background of my phone. It featured a photo of me and Melanie with raccoon eyes while the rest of our faces was covered with the white dirt of the playa at Burning Man.
"Cute," she said. When she smiled, I got a little wobbly in the knees. "I have no idea, Anne." She handed me back the phone.
I slumped. There went my hope for a last-minute, come-from-behind epiphany. "Okay, well, thanks for trying."
"You're a friend, and I hate to see you leave here unhappy." Liliana unwound herself and stood. With her heels she was well over six feet tall. She was striking and intimidating and I couldn't wait to get out of there, friends or no. "Come along, my bitches."
I laughed before I could stop myself. It was a good release of tension and Melanie seemed to appreciate it, too. She mouthed 'Wow!' at me as we followed Liliana out of her dressing room and down a hallway to the back entrance of the club. Muffled music followed us out. I made a mental note to catch Liliana performing one day. Hers must literally be the most entrancing show in the city.
Out in the alley again, I looked for signs that our earlier skirmish had caught the attention of the authorities, but all seemed quiet. Liliana remained framed within the doorway, her eyes on the shadows farther down the alley.
"I once attended Burning Man," she told me, surprising me. Her smile was fond and slightly wistful. It was the most human expression I'd ever seen her wear. "I met a human there who was obsessed with fire. For four days, he kept a pyre of wood burning and danced around it. I danced around his fire, too. We danced together."
You fell in love with him, I thought, amazed. I'd thought succubi were impervious to the emotion, subsisting only on desire and lust.
Liliana shook her head and the dreamy expression faded from her face, replaced with a look of cunning.
"This is only temporary," she warned me. She stared out at the shadows. "You'll need to find a permanent solution soon, or else he'll revert. But just for this little while…I think you will appreciate this." She extended her hand and curled her finger in a come hither motion. "Come along, darling. Don't be shy."
I hastily scanned the shadows, afraid of another ambush. A second attention-grabbing battle with the baddies wasn't ideal, so I called Lucky to me only in his weakest form.
However, nothing moved out in the alley that I could see.
"Mmm, but you're a strong one, aren't you?" Liliana sounded delighted. Her voice changed, growing softer, huskier. She was seducing someone, and I was damn glad it wasn't me because I would have tossed aside all shame and done whatever she'd asked of me. "Stop resisting me, darling. I don't want to take a bite of you. Not just yet. I need you to come out for Anne's sake."
Then: the sound of a halting footstep.
The moment I heard the hesitance in it I knew whose it was. "Vale," I breathed.
The shadows took on a shape. Then he separated from them, entering the light of a streetlamp. He appeared exactly as he
"Mmm, maybe you should ask him. But I'd be careful if I were you: he carries the taint of brimstone."
I exchanged a look with Melanie, who had slapped both hands against her cheeks. You only ever smelled brimstone when you were in Hell or when you were dealing with demons. Vegas could feel as hot as Hell sometimes, but my money was on the demons.
"So Christian is the one who locked the demon in the gargoyle statue with Vale."
Now I really didn't like red-heads. However, I still couldn't figure out one thing.
"Say he dumped the statue with me in the hopes that some tourist would buy it. It would be an easy way to get it far away from him. But if that was his plan, why give me his number?" I pointed at the phone Liliana still held. "Why give me the chance to trace everything back to him?"
She opened her hand and studied the background of my phone. It featured a photo of me and Melanie with raccoon eyes while the rest of our faces was covered with the white dirt of the playa at Burning Man.
"Cute," she said. When she smiled, I got a little wobbly in the knees. "I have no idea, Anne." She handed me back the phone.
I slumped. There went my hope for a last-minute, come-from-behind epiphany. "Okay, well, thanks for trying."
"You're a friend, and I hate to see you leave here unhappy." Liliana unwound herself and stood. With her heels she was well over six feet tall. She was striking and intimidating and I couldn't wait to get out of there, friends or no. "Come along, my bitches."
I laughed before I could stop myself. It was a good release of tension and Melanie seemed to appreciate it, too. She mouthed 'Wow!' at me as we followed Liliana out of her dressing room and down a hallway to the back entrance of the club. Muffled music followed us out. I made a mental note to catch Liliana performing one day. Hers must literally be the most entrancing show in the city.
Out in the alley again, I looked for signs that our earlier skirmish had caught the attention of the authorities, but all seemed quiet. Liliana remained framed within the doorway, her eyes on the shadows farther down the alley.
"I once attended Burning Man," she told me, surprising me. Her smile was fond and slightly wistful. It was the most human expression I'd ever seen her wear. "I met a human there who was obsessed with fire. For four days, he kept a pyre of wood burning and danced around it. I danced around his fire, too. We danced together."
You fell in love with him, I thought, amazed. I'd thought succubi were impervious to the emotion, subsisting only on desire and lust.
Liliana shook her head and the dreamy expression faded from her face, replaced with a look of cunning.
"This is only temporary," she warned me. She stared out at the shadows. "You'll need to find a permanent solution soon, or else he'll revert. But just for this little while…I think you will appreciate this." She extended her hand and curled her finger in a come hither motion. "Come along, darling. Don't be shy."
I hastily scanned the shadows, afraid of another ambush. A second attention-grabbing battle with the baddies wasn't ideal, so I called Lucky to me only in his weakest form.
However, nothing moved out in the alley that I could see.
"Mmm, but you're a strong one, aren't you?" Liliana sounded delighted. Her voice changed, growing softer, huskier. She was seducing someone, and I was damn glad it wasn't me because I would have tossed aside all shame and done whatever she'd asked of me. "Stop resisting me, darling. I don't want to take a bite of you. Not just yet. I need you to come out for Anne's sake."
Then: the sound of a halting footstep.
The moment I heard the hesitance in it I knew whose it was. "Vale," I breathed.
The shadows took on a shape. Then he separated from them, entering the light of a streetlamp. He appeared exactly as he
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