Lethal Blow: (Succubus Hitwoman Book 2) Read online

  Lethal Blow

  (Book 2 of the Succubus Hitwoman series)

  Mortal Blow – Book 1

  Lethal Blow – Book 2

  Fatal Blow – Book 3

  Eliza Hendrix

  © Copyright 2021 Eliza Hendrix

  www.elizahendrix.com

  Edited by Nikki Busch

  www.nikkibuschediting.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Chapter 1

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  Staring up at the ceiling’s intricate swirls, I can’t help but wonder: how long will this last? It feels like I’m living a fantasy, which is saying a lot coming from a thousand-year-old succubus.

  This isn’t the first time I’ve stayed in Las Vegas’s Bellagio hotel, but being here next to Veerka makes me feel like I’ve been reborn. Maybe staying in the most expensive presidential suite has something to do with that, too.

  She presses her icy skin against my body, her bright blue—almost white—eyes fixated on me. Slowly, her white hand creeps out from underneath our silk sheet, and she glides one of her sharp fingernails along my collarbone. I wince as her nail scratches off some of my skin, but I don’t want her to stop. If anything, I want her to press harder. It makes me feel alive.

  When she reaches my bare chest, goose bumps explode all over my body. “What’re you thinking about, darling?”

  You, I want to say.

  “Lucius,” I admit.

  The last person I want to be thinking about while lying naked next to my long-lost lover who, for the last two centuries I thought was dead, is her current boyfriend. Lucius Retnich—the vampire leader of San Halos. He also happens to be pretty damn close to Asmodeus, the oldest and most respected vampire of all time.

  Well, I’m not so sure he’s still the most respected, but he is the most feared. Some vampires even view him as a god. He’s been around since the beginning, and he’s the one who makes all the rules and laws for the vampires of the world.

  When my boss, Jamieson, gave me my latest job, he offered me five million big ones for Veerka’s head. I had no idea Veerka was the woman I once knew as Elizabeth over two hundred years ago. Her being a vampire was a bit of a surprise, too, but it hasn’t taken me long to accept it.

  I’m happy living as a succubus. Way back when, I didn’t have full control over my power, so having sex with Veerka wasn’t even a possibility.

  Now, we have a lot of catching up to do.

  “What about him?” Veerka asks. This time, she runs her fingers through my long black hair and plays with its ends.

  It’s been about a week since Veerka and I took off from the Lotus Hotel—the spot where I was supposed to kill her. Instead, we faked her death and I cut ties with Jamieson after he transferred me three million dollars. He owed me five, but whatever.

  The prick can keep the rest.

  He wanted Veerka’s sapphire necklace, something he called the Eye of Poseidon. I haven’t questioned her on it yet, but I will.

  It’s what happened after I got my money that keeps replaying in my mind… The way Veerka climbed backward onto the California king bed, her naked body looking like snow against the royal purple sheets. And then the way she spread her legs apart—an invitation for me to have my way with her.

  “He must be looking for you,” I say, my mouth drying up at the memory.

  “Of course he is,” she says. “But what does that matter?”

  With all her fingers this time, she scratches downward on my chest, leaving five pink lines, and squeezes my left breast.

  I want to talk about the fact that we haven’t even discussed our plan to take down Asmodeus, but I can’t think straight. I’m the succubus—I’m the one who’s supposed to suck all the life out of people, not the other way around. Her chilly hand slips under the silk sheet and she slides downward over my belly, along my hip, and in between my legs. When her fingernails reach my inner thigh, my eyes close and it feels like the entire room is spinning.

  Then, one torturous touch at a time, she walks her fingers back up between my legs.

  Right before she reaches where I want her to, a loud gunshot explodes down the hall. My eyes pop open and I turn to Veerka.

  “Did you hear that?” I hiss.

  She rolls her eyes as if I asked her to get up and make me a sandwich. Pulling away, she rolls off the bed. “Guess that’s our cue.”

  I lie there for a few seconds, waiting for my brain to turn back on and imagining what I’ll do to the shooter when I see them.

  Fucking bastard.

  I was so close.

  So goddamn close.

  Another gunshot goes off, and this time, it’s followed by a crowd of people screaming.

  Veerka slips into the same dress she wore last night—a lace, knee-length dress that makes her eyes pop even more. I have enough time to grab my leather jacket when the hotel room’s door bursts open and in come two huge vampires with thick faces, black suits that look too tight for their bodies, and bloody chins. They look so much alike I can only assume they’re twins.

  But what the hell are they doing? Everyone knows that vampires aren’t supposed to make themselves known to feebles, and here they are with blood on their faces. But what did they do? Attack feebles out in the open for everyone to see? And the Bellagio hotel isn’t a shadow dweller hotel—that’s reserved for the Dark Hall, a hotel designed for all shadow dwellers to walk about freely.

  I sigh. Maybe Veerka’s right. Things will only get worse from here on out as vampires try to take over.

  The vampire on the right opens his mouth wide, revealing long bloody fangs underneath deep pink gums. He lets out a loud hissing sound and globs of blood and saliva sprinkle out into the air as the sound fills the room.

  The next thing I know, my black wings are wide open on either side of me and my silver succubus hair hangs over my shoulders. Every time I get caught off guard or feel like I’m in danger, I automatically reveal my true self.

  Hissing back, I extend my long, black-nailed fingers, prepared to tear off some faces, when I glimpse Veerka rushing toward the window. What’s she doing? Everyone knows the Las Vegas windows don’t open. Some people refer to Las Vegas as the Suicide Capital of America. I don’t even have the time to tell her though. Using her fist, she punches the window and it breaks apart into a bunch of fragments. With her arms, she scrapes the sides to create a clean opening. The shards cut her skin, staining the window frame with black blood, but she doesn’t seem to care at all.

  At once, both vampires lunge forward, but I don’t give them enough time to reach her. With my wings, I flap as hard as I can toward them, creating a powerful gust that knocks them down on their asses.

  It doesn’t hurt them, but it’s enough to buy me a few seconds.

  Veerka looks back at me, a devious smile on her face that says, Exactly like old times.

  Without hesitating, I propel myself into the air and straight toward the open window. Wrapping my arm around Veerka’s waist, I send us both flying out of the Bellagio hotel’s thirty-fourth story.

  Chapter 2

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  As we fall through the night sky and toward a multitude of colorful lights, massive jets of water come spitting out of the Fountains of Bellagio. I flap my wings in time to dodge the powerful spray of water, and Veerka laughs in my arms.

  Is she insane? How is any of this funny? Vampires are after her, and here she is, lau
ghing her head off.

  With a few more powerful flaps, I fly us to the top of the Bellagio hotel, at the far end, where we no one can see us and land against the hard surface. Veerka stumbles out of my arms with a hand over her mouth and small slits for eyes.

  “That… that was incredible,” she says.

  She’s laughing so hard I can’t help but smile. I forgot how much Veerka loves a good thrill.

  “Those were Lucius’s men, weren’t they?” I ask.

  She nods, but she’s still laughing. Then, she waves a hand in the air as if trying to erase or dismiss the fact that Lucius wants her back. “Oh, live a little, Alexis.”

  “Why were they after you?” I ask. “How does Lucius even know you’re still alive? We faked your death, remember?”

  Finally, she stops laughing and clears her throat. Slowly, the smile on her face disappears like a mint fizzing away in a glass of pop.

  Isn’t Veerka also a leader? When Jamieson asked me to kill her, he told me Veerka and Lucius were a power couple—that the two of them were dangerous and that they were changing the Underworld.

  “Lucius knows things, Alexis. He knows I’m not dead. He may not understand where I’ve gone or what happened, but he knows I’m very much alive. He’s tracking me because he wants me back.”

  “Wants you back? Isn’t it your choice? Not like the two of you are married,” I say.

  If this conversation had nothing to do with Veerka, I’d laugh at the thought of two vampires getting married.

  She averts her gaze, which leads me to believe there’s something she isn’t telling me.

  “You two aren’t a power couple, are you?” I ask.

  She turns away, crosses her arms as if she’s cold—which, obviously, she isn’t considering she’s a vampire—and leans the weight of her body against the wall behind her. Even after a few centuries, I can still tell when Veerka’s got something on her mind. It’s almost like no time has passed between us at all.

  “Talk to me,” I say.

  “I’m nothing but décor, Alexis,” she says at last. “With everything that’s going on these days, Lucius wanted a woman by his side to appeal to both sexes. Female vampires are getting sick of being bossed around by men, so I’m the pretty face that makes them think I’m representing them.”

  “Why you?” I ask.

  It sounds harsh coming out of my mouth, and that’s not at all what I intended. Veerka is jaw-droppingly gorgeous, but I’m wondering why out of thousands of vampires out there, Lucius is so adamant about having her by his side.

  “He thinks he loves me,” she says.

  I’m about to make some comment about how it’s impossible for vampires to love anyone, when I remember that Veerka’s a vampire. So instead, I bite my lower lip. “Thinks?”

  “He’s controlling,” she says. “He makes all the decisions and gets me to announce them.”

  She won’t even make eye contact. This isn’t the Veerka I found in the hotel room last week. When she talks about him, all her confidence is gone.

  “Is that why Jamieson wanted you dead? He thought you were the one causing all the changes?”

  She smiles at me, but it isn’t a happy smile—it’s a look that says, Come on, Alexis, you’re smarter than that.

  When I say nothing, her smile fades. “You honestly don’t know, do you?”

  I get a knot in my stomach. Goddamn it. I hate big dark secrets. This is why I do things when I want, how I want. I like to feel like I’m in control of something, and the only time I’m okay not being in control is when I’m drunk.

  Do I even want to know the truth?

  “Jamieson isn’t who you think he is,” she says.

  “Well, no shit,” I say, recalling how he spoke to me last time. That’s why I told him to go fuck himself. He’s a greedy asshole who will step on anyone’s back to get what he wants. Now that I know that, I refuse to work for him.

  “I’m not referring to his personality,” she says.

  I arch a brow.

  “He’s working with Lucius, Alexis.”

  Now I need a drink.

  I’m too shocked to say anything, so I don’t. Instead, I pace back and forth as a mighty breeze sends my hair flying all over the place.

  “Alexis, sit down,” Veerka says.

  “No. This doesn’t make any sense. Jamieson… Jamieson doesn’t work with the Underworld. He doesn’t like it. Wants nothing to do with it. This… This makes no sense. I mean, I know he’s a prick. But this would change everything I thought I knew about—”

  “Alexis, sit down.” She folds her arms across her chest.

  I stop pacing at the sound of her authoritative voice.

  When I look back at her, she jabs a finger next to her and stares me cold in the face. Sighing, I make my way over, press my back against the wall, and slide my way down.

  “How do you know?” I ask.

  She turns to look at me but stays silent. It’s a look that says, Do I seriously need to explain everything?

  It’s also enough for me to believe her. She’s always beside Lucius, which means she’s privy to information that no one else is.

  “Lucius has refused to pursue certain changes because of me,” she says.

  “What do you mean?”

  “We fight all the time, Alexis. He’s constantly working alongside Jamieson and making changes behind Asmodeus’s back. I’ve told him I don’t agree with certain things, like allowing vampire parents to turn their children. I assume word’s gotten back to Jamieson that I’m the one standing in the way of his changes.”

  “That’s why he wants you dead,” I say, matter-of-factly.

  She remains quiet, which says it all for me. How did I not see it? How has Jamieson been playing me this whole time? I guess my whole don’t ask, don’t tell policy goes both ways.

  “Jamieson’s dangerous, Alexis.”

  While I already knew that, I didn’t realize how dangerous he truly was. I mean, I knew it was bad, but I had no idea he was involved with vampires. That makes things way more complicated.

  Does he know about me? Does he know I’m a succubus? If he does, he’s hidden it pretty damn well these last few years.

  “Let me worry about Jamieson,” I say. “If he comes anywhere near you, I’ll fucking kill him.”

  The corner of her lip twitches like it’s on the verge of forming a smile.

  “What’re we doing, Veerka? Are you going back to Lucius?”

  “I have to,” she says, and I clench my fists. “The only way I’ll get anything done is by having insider information.”

  I know she’s right—she can’t stay on the run. In time, Lucius will catch up to her, and it’s better that he thinks she got kidnapped than know she ran away. She needs to keep playing her part.

  “I need you to do me a favor,” she says.

  I stare at her.

  “San Halos has a few underground vampire groups preparing to stand up against Lucius. He doesn’t know about them, and if he does, he severely underestimates them.”

  “Groups opposed to the Vampire Code?” I ask.

  She nods.

  The Vampire Code is the law established by Asmodeus. While Lucius enforces it, he’s been bending several rules with Jamieson’s help and finding ways to justify them. I guess vampires, like feeble citizens, are sick of old, archaic ways. It’s no wonder they’re pissed off. Rules haven’t changed for several centuries, while everyone else has.

  “I want you to find Devania Arkis,” she says. “You must be discreet in your search and look for the Black Widow. If anyone asks, tell them Phoenix sent you.”

  “Whoa, hold up,” I say. “Who is this chick? And what’s up with the code language?”

  Veerka smirks. “Devania is the woman we need to help us fight this battle. Don’t worry—she won’t be too hard to find.”

  “I don’t get it,” I say bluntly. Veerka isn’t one to talk gibberish, but right now, she isn’t making a whole lot of sense
to me. I get the feeling she’s only giving me half of the information, and I’m not sure why.

  For a split second, my stomach tightens, and I can’t help but wonder if Veerka’s playing both sides. Is this a setup? It doesn’t feel like it, but when it comes to Veerka, I can’t trust my gut. Unfortunately, seeing her again has messed me up. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I can feel my emotions.

  I’ll need more than a drink to get rid of this.

  But at the same time, I don’t want to get rid of it.

  “You need to be more specific, Veerka. Who is this chick? And where do I even start looking?”

  “If you want to find her, you will,” Veerka says plainly.

  I cross my arms and raise both eyebrows—a look intended to say, Finish answering my question.

  That sexy smirk creeps back onto her lips and I can’t help but let my gaze fall to her breasts, her hips, and her thighs.

  “Devania is the leader of the underground rebellion.”

  My eyes shoot back up and my jaw drops—literally. I wasn’t born yesterday. Everyone knows several underground rebellion groups are working together to take down the vampires who run the show. They’ve been around for centuries, and no one knows how it started.

  “Which group?” I blurt. “San Halos?”

  Veerka shakes her head. “All of them.”

  My stare lingers. How does she even know this Devania woman? If she’s working with Lucius, how could she be in contact with his enemy?

  I can’t hold it in. “How do you even know about these groups? You’re supposed to be against them.”

  She tilts her head, her smile never fading. “I created them.”

  Chapter 3

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  There’s so much running through my mind. I get why Veerka wants me to look for this Devania chick, but what I don’t understand is why Veerka would continue to associate with someone who runs the underground rebellion. If Lucius finds out about this, she’s a dead woman… and for good this time.

  I’m also dying to know what happened to Veerka way back then. I saw it with my own eyes—the castle crumbled on her. How on Earth did Devania save her from that?