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  Oblivion’s Kiss

  Nox: Succubus: Book Two

  J.C. Diem

  Copyright © 2021 J.C. DIEM

  www.jcdiem.com

  All rights reserved. Published by Seize The Night Publishing Agency.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Titles by J.C. Diem in chronological order:

  Chapter One

  EDEN STOOD BENEATH an awning of a boutique in the City Square. It shielded her from the snow that slowly blanketed Nox. Winter was half over and they’d only suffered through a couple of blizzards so far. Neither of them had been bad enough to shut the city down, but it was gearing up for another storm.

  Being half fae and half succubus gave the assassin some protection from the cold, but her feet still felt frozen inside her dark red boots. Her dress was the same shade of crimson. It looked like dried blood now that she thought about it. Her coat, purse and umbrella matched her dress and boots. While her coat had a hood, it blocked her peripheral vision too much, so she left it down. The umbrella was a better option and it could be used as a weapon as well.

  Eden’s attention was focused on her target. He was a high-ranking member of the Magic Guild and her orders had been more specific than usual. She’d been instructed to make sure he vanished without a trace, but she wasn’t allowed to lure him out of the guildhall. It would be too obvious that he was bewitched if he left the building in a dazed state. She hadn’t been given his home address, so she’d been stalking him for the past few hours. He’d finally left the guildhall half an hour ago. He’d walked to the boutique she was currently watching. Unfortunately, he wasn’t alone. A beautiful young fairy had joined him just around the corner from the Magic Guildhall. The target had taken her shopping for lingerie. The blonde fairy taking her sweet time to choose something.

  At last, the door opened and the lovers emerged. Eden’s target was a fairy who had enough power to still have his wings. His companion was far weaker. Her wings had vanished from the annual Energy Tax that drained her magic.

  A carriage stopped beside them as they paused to share a passionate kiss. The assassin tensed when her mark opened the carriage door. She relaxed slightly when he helped his girlfriend inside, then closed the door. Apparently, he’d just been taking a break from work. He waved goodbye, then turned to walk briskly along the sidewalk back towards the Magic Guildhall. He drew his wings around himself and shivered from the cold.

  Glancing around to make sure they were alone, Eden sent her succubus magic after her quarry. His back stiffened, then he turned to look at her. His expression was dazed and slightly confused rather than rapturous. “Do I know you?” he asked when she reached him.

  “We’re old friends,” Eden lied and put her arm through his.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before,” he refuted with a frown.

  Eden’s magic increased and swirled around the fairy. It seemed strangely reluctant to sink into him. She’d been having trouble controlling her innate talents lately and she knew exactly when it had started. The master vampire who had rescued her several times was to blame. He’d gotten under her skin and had worked his way into her mind. He was lodged in there and the succubus didn’t know how to get rid of him. She didn’t even know if she wanted to expunge him from her thoughts. A single kiss or touch from him was enough to set her blood on fire in a way she’d never felt before.

  “I need to return to work,” her target said and attempted to tug his arm free.

  The assassin wasn’t about to let her quarry escape. It was her job to eliminate him and she couldn’t defy her orders. Until she found a way to break free from the Immortal Triumvirate, she had to complete her missions. “Come with me,” she said and her seductive magic finally sank into him. As always, the kill order created a niggling sensation in the back of her head. It became an insistent prodding now that she was so close to him. It would eventually drive her mad if she didn’t fulfil her mission and assassinate him.

  His confusion cleared and he became besotted with her just like every other victim she’d ever ensnared. She led him into an alley that was partially protected from the snowfall by an overhanging roof. It was dark and secluded and she couldn’t sense anyone else nearby. Her target eagerly bent down when she gestured at him to lower his head. She was taller than full blood fairies, but he was still a couple of inches taller than she was. She pressed her lips to his and her power struck. In a few short minutes, the handsome fairy had been reduced to a withered ruin. A gust of wind whistled down the alley, shattering his brittle wings and scattering the pieces.

  Looking down at the mummified shell of her mark, Eden had to smother a stab of guilt and horror. She’d learned to lock her emotions deep inside her when she killed, but it was getting harder and harder for her to switch off. She hadn’t asked to become a murderer. Her destiny had been thrust on her by the Immortal Triumvirate and she had no choice but to obey them. “I can’t keep doing this,” Eden whispered as she conjured up a weak flame and set fire to the remains.

  A Night Cursed fortune teller had foretold that she would meet a tall, dark and handsome stranger who would sweep her off her feet. He would give her a choice between being good and evil. Eden desperately wanted to change her life, but it would entail breaking her ties to her evil overlords. So far, she hadn’t found anyone she could trust to help her. She felt trapped and she feared she would never be free.

  When the fairy and his clothes had been reduced to ash, Eden scattered the remains with her boots so they were no longer lumped into a pile. The streets and alleys were filthy, so the ash blended in with the dirty gray snow.

  Now that her mission was complete, Eden walked home with the ashes of a dead man clinging to her boots. They became coated in snow, but it wasn’t enough to wash them clean. Like her soul, they were stained. Unlike her soul, the magic of Nox would clean her boots until they looked brand new.

 
Eden entered her mansion through the back door. The Assassin Guildhall, as Malachi had nicknamed it, was quiet tonight. She couldn’t hear her half-brother, or Sorcha in either the training room, or in the living room. They were either out on missions, or they were sequestered in their apartments.

  Feeling dispirited, Eden trudged up to the fourth floor and entered her apartment. She hung her umbrella on the hook among her collage of umbrellas, then headed to her bathroom. When she stepped out of the shower to dry herself, she noticed the clothes she’d dumped in the hamper were gone. Her dress and coat would be back in her closet, hanging up neatly. Her boots would be pristine once more. They would be in their usual place lined up on the floor of the closet beneath her clothes. Her underwear would be in the dresser.

  “Nothing ever changes,” the succubus said forlornly as she made herself a snack, then sat down on her favorite chair. Delicate and antique, it was made from sturdy dark wood. The padded high back and seat were covered in dark blue fabric, with small gold diamond shaped patterns on it.

  She gazed out through the window at the solitary streetlamp. The glow was hard to discern through the steadily worsening snow. As she ate her food, Eden’s thoughts once again strayed to the handsome master vampire who was never far from her mind. She wondered where he was and what he was doing right now. It was inevitable that he was somewhere in the City of Night. After all, no one could leave this dismal place. Once they stepped through the invisible barrier into Nox, they became imprisoned here forever.

  Chapter Two

  SEBASTIAN HAD TRIED to forget about the black-haired half fae woman who had bewitched him with her beauty. His focus was supposed to be on finding a match who could boost his power once they became bonded. Even though he knew how crucial it was for him to find a suitable partner, he couldn’t get her out of his head. Her dark eyes had captured him and he didn’t know why. He’d met many beautiful women over the past millennia. None of them had affected him the way she did.

  Several weeks had passed since he’d last seen her, but her allure hadn’t lessened. He’d done his best to avoid the areas where they’d previously met. His hopes that he would eventually forget about her weren’t coming to fruition. If anything, his longing for her was growing stronger. “What is this strange hold she has over me?” he murmured, but he didn’t have an answer to that question.

  Snow was falling thick and fast. It was blanketing the Fae District and was making it hard for him to blend in during his search. He’d debated about switching to wearing white clothing, but instead stuck to the shadows as much as he could. Few people were walking around in this area, but he wouldn’t find anyone suitable in the Vampire District. None of the inhabitants there possessed a soul. The only way he was going to find his match was to go out and search for one.

  Sebastian could hear voices coming from the elven woods a short distance away. He’d heard the elaborately landscaped woods used to be brightly lit with fairy lights, but the magic had dimmed to almost nothing now. Only fae creatures were allowed to enter the woods, all other beings were banned. Once, magic had kept interlopers out. Now, anyone could enter, but they would face the disapproval of the fairies, elves and other fae beings who visited the grove if they dared to intrude.

  The master vampire figured this would be a good place to search for a female. Surely, there had to be someone with enough power to boost his strength as Xiara Evora had stated. She was the Guardian of Nox, so Sebastian and his allies felt they could trust her word. Ms. Evora’s job was to protect the inhabitants of the city. No one had caused more harm than the Immortal Triumvirate. She wanted them gone and she’d helped the rebels as much as she could. She’d even informed them that they would have to kill her before they could take down their enemies. That didn’t sit well with Sebastian, but he would do whatever he needed to in order to get his revenge on his nemesis, even if it ultimately led to the destruction of the City of Night.

  Hushed voices intruded on his thoughts as he drifted closer to the elven woods. They drew his focus back to his mission.

  “Padavion should have become our new Magic Guild Master,” someone was complaining. “I’m sure Onvier cheated during his duels.”

  “How could he cheat during a magical duel?” another person asked.

  “I don’t know, but you saw what his opponents looked like when he was done with them,” the first person said darkly. “No elf with a conscience would ever treat others like that.”

  “It doesn’t matter if he cheated,” a third person said harshly. “We’re stuck with him now and he’s already starting to make changes in our guild.”

  “Guild Master Hahn was crazy and unpredictable near the end, but even he wasn’t as cruel as Onvier is,” a fourth guildmember muttered.

  Sebastian wasn’t surprised to hear dissent among the fae beings. Guild Master Onvier was ruthless and ambitious, from what he’d heard. The master vampire was glad he and Kade Sinclair hadn’t formed an alliance with the elf. Then again, the third member of their trinity was Raum and the demon lord was far from a saint. No one really knew what went on in the catacombs beneath Nox. The Demon District was a mystery and outsiders weren’t welcome there.

  The voices receded as the fairies and elves moved deeper into the elven woods. Sebastian and his two allies needed to choose powerful women to become their partners. Thanks to the Energy Tax, most of the population had been drained of their magic or energy over the past two and a half decades. New arrivals to the city still had their full strength, but finding someone suitable was the hard part. Kade was a member of the Magic Guild, but he was a low-ranking lackey. He had to hide the fact that he was half warlock. If the Immortal Triumvirate ever discovered how strong he truly was, they would see him as a threat and they would have him eliminated.

  Sebastian’s upper lip curled in amusement at the thought of a secret Assassin Guild. “Do they have a lair somewhere in the city?” he mused quietly. Dozens of assassins had been hired to try to hunt him down after he’d been branded a murderer and a traitor to the Vampire Council. None had even come close to succeeding. He’d left their broken, drained bodies hidden in the woods so they would never be found. Their disappearances struck fear into the hearts of even the most hardened killers.

  Eventually, the assassinations had petered out. They’d stopped completely fifty years ago and Sebastian now knew why. Lord Kreaton had created Nox, along with his allies, and he’d become imprisoned in the city. He couldn’t send any messages out to order more assassination attempts.

  Now their roles had been reversed and Sebastian was hunting for Lord Kreaton. The only difference was that he wasn’t going to use an assassin to complete his task. He planned on being the one to end his rival’s life. First, he and his allies needed to figure out how to use the silver tablet that Xiara Evora had given to Kade. Jardine hadn’t heard from the person who had brought the artifact to Nox in several decades. Either the mysterious person was dead, or they were staying under the radar to avoid being branded as a rebel.

  Time seemed to be speeding past faster than normal as Sebastian searched for a candidate. He needed to find his match and convince her to join with him for eternity. He now only had nine and a half months left to pull off the feat before Halloween would be upon them.

  He continued to lurk near the elven woods until dawn drew near, then he used his phenomenal new speed to race home. His mansion lay on the outskirts of the wealthy area of the Vampire District. He entered the house moments before the first rays of sun filtered through the snowfall. A fire was crackling merrily in his favorite living room. He shucked off his cloak and tossed it onto an armchair, then sank down onto the couch. A glass of fresh warm blood appeared on the coffee table. He drank it down before it could go cold.

  Sitting in his huge, quiet house, Sebastian realized he was lonely. He missed his kiss, who had been like a family to him. Once he’d become strong enough to be a master, he’d chosen ten humans to be his fledglings. He’d taught them how to contro
l their bloodlust and had guided them through their first few decades as vampires. They’d shared his values that they didn’t need to drain their meals to death and he’d loved them all like his children. His kiss had been slaughtered without mercy and the pain of losing them was still raw a century and a half later. One way or another, Lord Kreaton was going to pay for his treachery.

  Sebastian’s fingers clamped down on his glass and it shattered. Black blood dripped to the carpet for a few seconds before the wound healed. The shards of glass vanished and the blood disappeared from the rug. He looked at his unwounded hand, wishing the magic of Nox could find him a mate as easily as it had fixed the mess he’d just made.

  Chapter Three

  MALACHI STUCK HIS HEAD out of the living room when he heard Eden descending the stairs. “Hey, sis,” he said in greeting. “Step into my office for a minute, will you?” he added when he saw she was wearing workout gear rather than one of the tight dresses that was her usual garb.

  “What’s going on?” Eden asked warily when she followed her half-brother into the living room and saw Sorcha sitting on the couch. “This isn’t another intervention, is it?” she added. “I haven’t seen the vampire in weeks.”

  “It isn’t an intervention,” Sorcha replied. Tall and slender, she had blonde hair and silver-gray eyes. Her natural skin tone was tinged with gold, as if she spent her days sunbaking rather than sleeping like everyone else in the city.

  Malachi sank down onto an armchair and slung a leg over the armrest. Like all fae beings, he was gorgeous. His hair was short, black and spiky. His eyes were pale yellow and his ears were slightly pointed from his half elven heritage. He and Eden shared the same father. Tannic had passed on his incubus talents to both of his progeny. “We’ve been testing our bonds to the Immortal Triumvirate,” he told his half-sister as she took a seat on the couch next to the sorceress.