Lethal Blow: (Succubus Hitwoman Book 2) by Eliza Hendrix (best motivational books to read TXT) 📗

This can’t be happening.

It isn’t possible.

“What’s the matter, Alexis? Were you expecting someone else?”

“Yeah, actually.”

He pushes his sword forward again and I wince. In any other scenario, no way would I be so complacent with a man threatening my life, but right now, I’m too taken aback to think clearly. If he’s still standing after what happened, what else is he capable of?

Through the room’s massive window, the golden sun disappears behind San Halos’s tallest towers, filling the room with dreary darkness. His face, now shaded and seemingly featureless, moves closer to me. Although I can barely see him now, I hear him smile—a wet clicking sound that has me picturing that striking face of his. “This is the last place I expected to find you, Alexis, but now that you’re here, let’s have some fun, shall we?”

Chapter 1

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For a moment, I wonder if maybe I’ve walked into the wrong apartment.

Rachel warned me there was a lot of damage after she accidentally summoned a griffin, but I didn’t expect this. Both Ace and Drax stand behind me with arms crossed over their chests and their lips as tight as fresh wounds bound together by a dozen stitches.

I mean, it shouldn’t bother me, right? It’s not like I own this place. Besides, it wasn’t eye candy to begin with. But as I trace the massive claw marks across my living room—three-inch grooves cutting straight through my parquet floor—I can’t help but feel a bit bummed.

My couch, old as hell itself, is split into two as if someone took a giant pair of scissors and snipped right down its middle. On the left piece is a pile of wiry white hair—Mr. Mushroom’s hair. Poor little guy. He’s going to be distraught when I tell him his favorite couch is done for.

Sighing, I walk over big chunks of drywall and debris, and make my way into my bedroom.

“Where’s she going?” Ace whispers behind me.

Drax says something about supplies, and he’s right.

I blast my closet door open and start throwing piles of clothes out until I see the latch—something even Drax doesn’t know about. Using my thumb claw, I break apart the lock and open my poorly designed secret compartment. It’s a hole I punched through the floor that I later covered with a few pieces of plywood and two sturdy latches.

It may not be perfect, but hey, it’s not like anyone would ever suspect anything unusual about a woman’s pile of laundry. I reach inside the hole, grimacing as spiderwebs tickle the back of my hand, and extract a sturdy plastic bin you’d use to store construction tools.

The closet’s dim overhead light reflects off my weapons as I place them next to my shoe collection.

“Everything okay in there?” Ace asks from a safe distance.

See? No one wants to go near a woman’s closet.

“All good.” As I stare at my two Glocks sitting atop a pile of daggers, grenades, tasers, and brass knuckles, I inhale a deep breath. After I lost Jamal—the young boy I saved and viewed as my own son—I swore I’d never use guns again. He told me many times how much he hated guns being that he came from a rundown neighborhood where gunshots went off almost every night. But I never listened to him. All I did was assure him that these were for our protection. It was only after he died that I honored his wish and stuck to bulletless weapons.

But now we’re at war.

I reach inside, pull out the guns, and wipe off a layer of dust coating the cool metal.

Man, I missed these things. While I may be good with a crossbow, or any other weapon for that matter, I’m one hell of a shot when it comes to guns.

Smirking, I push aside a handful of wooden stakes and pull out my weapons belt. “Haven’t seen you in a while, either,” I say. I stand up and clip the belt around my waist before loading it with my Glocks, some stakes, and a few other weapons I’ve collected throughout my lifetime.

The second I walk back out into the living room, Ace’s eyebrow pulls up and Drax’s jaw hangs slack. But before they can say anything, I stiffen my back, plant my hands over my belt, and say, “Why’re you guys just standing there? We don’t have all day. Let’s get this show on the road.”

Chapter 2

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“Why isn’t she back yet?” I say, pacing across the remains of our motel room.

Ace reaches inside the broken refrigerator and pulls out a water bottle. Calmly, he opens it, takes a sip, and wipes the water bubbles off the dark scruff on his face.

If I weren’t so worried about Rachel, I’d throw him through the wall again and have my way with him. He stands there, his round shoulders drawn back with such confidence you’d think he had it all figured out. When he catches me staring, he narrows his eyes on me—a seductive look that makes me wonder if he’s using his Incubus Lure on me.

But I’m sure he isn’t. We made a pact that neither of us would use our seduction abilities to manipulate the other, and after the stunt he pulled a few hours ago—allowing me to feed off his life force, which almost killed him—I know I can trust this man.

“We knew this was a risk,” Drax says, his eyes inspecting every inch of the motel room as if searching for sprinkles of weed.

Mr. Mushroom jumps up onto my lap and snuggles his face into my side.

I dig my nails into the loose skin of his back. “I’m glad you’re safe, buddy.” Loving every bit of it, he throws his head back and lets out a raspy howl.

Both Drax and Ace stare at me, likely