Page 4 of Wicked Succubus
These new murders look like someone was practicing. Whoever did this wasn’t sure how to use a knife. I would’ve been able to make a cleaner cut. Maybe he isn’t my mother’s murderer, but to have such a similar style of killing women, the man responsible for this mess may have the information I’ve been hunting my entire life.
Agent Cooper slams his hand over the photographs and pulls them away from me. “She’s not going to talk.”
Agent Cooper faces his colleague. He thinks I’m not speaking to avoid incriminating myself; he has no idea why this photo makes me want to puke. During my escape, I was too focused on my survival to let myself feel the grief that crime scene brought up, but now that I’m staring down at the photos, all I can think about is my mother. She was murdered in the same way, but telling him that would bring up a lot of questions I can’t answer safely. I’m afraid they’ll start connecting the dots.
So, I face them once again, sucking in a deep breath to steady myself. “I don’t know who killed these women.” Agent Cooper scoffs, but I ignore him and continue. “But I can help you find out.”
Shit, where did that come from?
“And what makes you think we need your help?” Agent Cooper asks.
Because I feed on the lives of the bad men I track down.
“Because I kill human men for a living. I can get into the person’s head, think like this killer does.” It’s all lies. I want to puke at my words. I know this doesn’t put me in a good light, but faking a disregard for humans gives us something in common, even if I am part human myself.
“Let’s bring in Radnor,” he relaxes back in his chair with a smug smile. “Lucky for you, Radnor is in one of his more . . . friendly moods today.” I give him a neutral face and lace my fingers together, using that movement to mask the trembling.
Agent Rodriguez leaves the room, and a moment later, she comes in with a blue-haired guy with a septum piercing mirroring my own. He has a ponytail on top, and the bottom of his head is shaved. He shows off his delicate pointed ears, letting me know he’s fae, but he’s something else too.
He walks in smiling without a care in the world, and I wonder how the hell he got mixed up with these people. He looks like a laid-back guy with intricate tattoos over his entire body. He leans against the wall and watches me.
“Hello, gorgeous.” He winks, and I try not to blush. The fae know they’re beautiful, and they know how to use their power. It’s how so many humans and supernaturals fall at their feet to be with them.
“This is Radnor. He’s half fae and half demon. Consider him a living lie detector.” Agent Cooper motions his hand in Radnor’s direction.
Oh no, not what I wanted or needed right now. I try to control my breathing for fear that they’ll hear how nervous I am.
“He’ll ask you a couple of questions, and you’ll respond truthfully. He can tell whether you’re lying or not,” Agent Rodriguez says as she takes her usual spot.
“We’ll finally be able to find out if you’re the killer, and if you are, we’ll lock you up until you rot in your cell.” Agent Cooper sneers at me, and I wonder how he can make such an ugly expression with such a pretty face.
“And when you find out I’m not?” I push the seat back with my bare feet and try to lean back in my chair to mimic his position, but I’m quickly pulled back, reminding me that my wrists are still cuffed.
“We’ll figure it out once we get there,” he says. He already believes I’m guilty. I’m ready to prove my innocence.
“She’s all yours, Radnor,” Agent Rodriguez says.
He props one leg on the wall. Reaching into his pocket, he grabs a sucker and takes his time opening it.
I look back at Agent Cooper as his eye twitches again, just the slightest bit. He hates to be kept waiting. My stomach turns from the wait. I’m not sure if he’s doing it on purpose or if he really is craving something sweet.
Radnor clearly senses my distress. “Relax, it’ll only be a couple of questions and afterward you’ll be off the hook.”
I snap my gaze back to Agent Cooper when he scoffs.
“Is your name Zelyah Gomez?” Radnor asks, and I can feel his magic tingling down my throat.
I want to see what would happen if I lie, but the truth comes out instead. “Yes.”
“Was your birthday yesterday?”
Again, I can’t lie. “Yes.”
It’s his magic that prevents me from telling him anything but the truth. All I can do is hope he doesn’t ask me if I’m a shifter, or I’m toast.
“Did you kill your boyfriend?”
“Yes.” I squeeze my eyes shut, and a bitter ache pierces my heart, but I take a deep breath and force my eyes open, meeting Radnor’s gaze.