the middle. Both wanted me to pick sides, but I refused.
Like right now. I lifted my chin, trying to angle my face so Noah would kiss me again. “Do we have to talk about Zane right now?”
Noah just gave me a long look. “Tell me the last time you saw Zane.”
That was low of him. Noah had just given me a direct command, so I had to obey it. I sighed, sensing where this was going. “A few hours ago, asleep in bed.”
That killed the conversation fast. Anger tightened Noah’s face. “I see.” He began to pull away.
“No, you don’t. You never see. Why did you ask that, unless you wanted to know the truth?” Honestly, this silly tug of war between the two of them just ticked me off. They hated each other passionately, and sometimes it made me think that they didn’t like me nearly as much as they liked fighting over me.
“I thought perhaps we were ready to commit to each other.”
Yikes, the “C” word? I stared up at him in shock. “Noah, I’m a succubus—”
“And I’m a Serim,” he interrupted. “It is in my nature to want you only for myself, that is who I am. And vampires are my enemies. So to think of you rushing from my bed straight to his . . .”
He didn’t finish the sentence, and I didn’t rush in to do so, either.
After all, what could I say? Noah’s kind went into a deep sleep at the sight of the rising moon and didn’t awaken for the next twelve hours or so. Vampires were the opposite; they slept through the daylight hours and prowled through the night.
I didn’t sleep at all, being a creature of both worlds. So it seemed ideal to me to have one Serim lover and one vampire lover. Judging by the scowl on Noah’s face, I was the only one thinking that way.
“I can’t do this, Jackie,” he said, shaking his golden head like an angry lion. “We are not going to keep playing these mind games. I’m not going to play along.”
So I wouldn’t be having sex with Noah unless there was some sort of commitment involved, like I won’t sleep with Zane ever again? I couldn’t keep that sort of vow.
Rats. I leaned up on my elbows as he pulled away from me, straightening his shirt. He wouldn’t look at me, but he didn’t move away. He was waiting for me to say something to make him change his mind. But I wasn’t going to.
I sighed and gave Noah a gentle push on the shoulder. “If we’re not going to do this, let me up. I think I’m lying on a stapler.”
He moved back with a frustrated glance at me, and we fixed our clothing in silence. My body still throbbed with need, but Noah’s movements were angry and jerky. Easy for him to forget about sex—Serim only needed it monthly.
I tried to slide my hand into his once he had shrugged his jacket back on. “Noah, are we good?”
Normally Noah was my solid one, my rock. Normally he’d give me a faint smile, apologize for hurting my feelings, and we’d be friends again. Friends and lovers, the best kind of friends. He was always there for me.
He shrugged my hand off and shook his head. “I need time to think about all of this, Jackie. Maybe it’s best if we keep things at a more professional level.”
Professional—like master and succubus. Not lovers. Not friends.
He wanted to be strangers.
That hurt, but I forced a smile to my face. “Sure. Whatever you want.”
He nodded and let himself out, leaving me alone, rubbing the stapler-shaped bruise on my butt.
CHAPTER TWO
Though Noah politely took me home after the party, he didn’t come in. I stewed in my frustration for a while. Who was he to try and dictate my life? Then, after I calmed down a little, I tried calling him to talk things over. Or to yell at him.
But he hadn’t picked up, so I left a message. That was hours ago.
Noah always returned my phone calls, and I started to worry that he was taking this far more seriously than me. It couldn’t be over just like that . . . could it? I left him a few concerned voicemails as the hours passed. I even caved and told him that I’d think about his unhappiness with the situation. What he wanted was impossible, but I was willing to let him come over and try