Craved
Chapter 38

Damon:

Tonight, at midnight on his birthday, Damon would have to leave and never see Renee again. His knees buckled as a vise squeezed his chest. What was he going to do without her? How could he stay away? Her laugh and mischievous eyes would haunt him. Even his breath seized in his throat, unable to move past the aching pain in his chest. He wanted to be as far from Renee as possible when the change that would turn him into a monster like Clive happened. Gravel crunched under Damon's boots as he hustled to meet her for lunch. Today, he would spend every second he could with her despite the fact she agreed to fill-in for this late summer school class. She had given her notice to quit teaching, but the school begged her to stay through the winter holidays while they interviewed and found an adequate replacement. Selfishly, he wanted her all to himself. Renee, though, didn't want to abandon her students. At least Sunday, he and Renee had spent most of their time in her apartment. Learning about each other and their bodies.

Across campus, several students milled outside, while some carried trays of food. Damon pushed his sunglasses back in place. Most of the young ladies stared at him while a few wolf whistled.

"There you are. I'm starving." Renee stood up near one of the concrete tables surrounded by a horde of students. Her small, sultry smile showed him she meant for more than food.

Three of the boys glared at him, but one nodded with a smirk. Competition? Their crush on Renee was cute. "Brought your favorite: chicken and pepperoni, extra cheese." Damon set two extra-large pizza boxes in front of her.

The kids cheered. Even though they received their lunch, pizza was always better than anything a school cafeteria could serve.

"There's enough for everyone to have a slice." She slapped the hand of a boy passing by. "My class only."

At once, Renee and her class tore into the pizza. Damon knew she would miss teaching. Not this year, but next autumn he bet. The conversations at the tables around them merged with chattering squirrels.

No matter how much she protested, he wouldn't make the same mistake he had with Cynthia. He'd wipe Renee's memories of him so she wouldn't live with the heartache which even now threatened to choke him. Even if he had an eternity, his heart wouldn't heal. Not being around Renee, touching her, kissing, hearing her voice and arguing with him dug a hole in his chest he doubted he'd have anything left.

She wiped her mouth and hands. "Settle down. If you don't behave, the principal will ban us from having lunch out here ag-" She glanced behind him.

Unease spread over Damon from Renee's abrupt halt in the conversation. He pushed away from the table to stand near Renee. Ready for a fight.

Out from behind a maple tree, Adeline came into view. "I've searched everywhere for you both. Finally located your gossipy plumber neighbor who told me Renee worked here. And got a pass from the front office." She tapped the name sticker on her blouse and stalked closer, her black hair flying behind her. She wore a violet bustier and snug black pants stuffed into her boots. The crystal was still wrapped around her wrist. "We need to talk."

Once inside Renee's empty classroom, Damon lounged on the edge of her desk. She sat in her teacher's chair, and he fought the visions of playing the naughty student and her, the teacher. Against the blackboard, Adeline rested with her arms crossed.

"Did Sofia have any information on removing that?" Maybe there was still time for him. If Sofia knew how to extract the gem, she'd figure out how to use it and he could stay with Renee.

"This," she jangled her bracelet arm, "won't come off. I've tried everything. At first, I could still use my powers, but little by little this leech has sucked them dry. I thought Sofia might unlock it somehow, but she said she couldn't."

"Have you tried a blowtorch?" He kept his face neutral.

"Funny." She glared at him. "It's merged with me as it did with her."

"But Renee's human. Why would it do the same thing to you?"

"I don't know, but I haven't been able to get the blasted thing to budge." Her bright eyes clouded with unshed tears. "I'm so sorry, Damon. You need this more than I do right now, and I can't remove it. I've tried everything." Renee rose and hugged Adeline. "God, I'm sorry."

"How did you get it off?"

Renee glanced back at Damon. Claimed. The necklace hadn't broken from her until they admitted they loved each other. Until he claimed her. He ran a hand through his hair. Oh gods, how to explain love to a cynical succubus? Renee nodded. "It came off when Damon said he claimed me... loved me."

When Adeline's face shifted from red to purple, he softened his next words. "It's no big deal. I'm sure you'll replace-" He cringed at her glare.

"No big deal! It's blocked my powers!" Spit flew from her mouth, and she shuddered. "I can't feed or even convince a waiter to forget the tab. What am I going to do?"

The crystal obstructed her succubus abilities? He'd been taught it amplified them. Was it different for everyone? "What did Sofia say?"

Adeline scrubbed a hand over her face and moved out of Renee's embrace. "She said the same as you, that it claims an incubi or succubus until its satisfied, then moves on, sometimes hiding for thousands of years as it did before now." She scowled at the bracelet. "I wish it had stayed buried. I don't need anything but my freedom."

Damon sucked in a breath. "Wait. Sofia said it only works with incubi or a succubus?"

Adeline laughed, but it was bitter. "I asked. If a human is in close proximity to a succubus or in your case, an incubus, and offers blood, a crystal will adhere to them."

"What?" Renee asked.

He'd heard of a crystal attaching itself to humans who spent a lot of time in close proximity with a succubus, but he only thought it was a myth. "Did you cut yourself or anything before you touched the crystal?" Renee's mouth dropped open, then she quickly closed it. "Yes, I did, but what about my bringing Damon into my dreams?"

"Have you had vivid dreams before?" Damon asked.

She nodded.

"My guess is the crystal just enhanced your natural ability, in addition to allowing you to view a person's true nature and how you were able to see Julia as a cyclops. Or the crystal sensed we were to be together, to love." Rarely did an incubus and succubus fall in love. They were made to crave humans and the love and sexual energy from them. An incubus and succubus couple couldn't feed from each other.

"Okay." Damon paced before Renee's desk. "Did Sofia tell you anything more?"

"She said you'd figured it out on your own as would I." She mumbled under her breath, then gawked at Renee's chest. "What's that on your skin?"

"What?" Then he noticed a gleam like a sliver of glitter just below her throat, right where the light reflected off her.

"Is there something on me?" Renee glanced down at her blouse.

"No, it's..." Damon squinted, his breath washing over her chest. "A piece of crystal is embedded in your skin." Is that how Dax and his human lovers survived his fifth millennia without him going insane? Hope surged. She dug into her purse for a mirror. "I can barely see it." She scraped a fingernail over the sliver. "It won't come off."

"If you figure out how to dislodge your splinter, please share so I can break this thing off me." Adeline waved her crystal-wrapped wrist at him.

"I wish I could give you more, but I don't think the crystal will leave you until you fulfill its requirement." He tried not to smile. This changed everything. He could be with Renee, because she still had part of a crystal with her, and he wouldn't become a monster and harm her if he stayed in a relationship with her. Being near her, he could gain the medicinal properties of the shard through her, whenever they were intimate. "The chip is tiny enough. We can get Sofia to cloak it against any other of our kind recognizing it. My guess is the sliver didn't shine until near the vicinity of the full crystal." These last days with her, he'd felt whole... as though their love had cured him. So, the shard worked on its own, but he didn't want to take the chance of another discovering what Renee had. They'd go see Sofia this weekend.

"How the hell am I supposed to replace true love? Anyway, forget it. I'll get this thing off myself." Adeline stomped toward the door. "Forget about me doing either of you any favors in the future. Both of you owe big time for this," she shook the bracelet toward them, "cousin." The door rattled when she closed it.

Not able to wait another moment, Damon drew Renee into his arms. He kissed her, unable not to taste her. His tongue swept into her mouth leaving him heady like he was drunk on expensive brandy. He had to stop before this went too far and they were arrested for lewd conduct when her students came drifting in at any moment. Reluctantly, he ended the kiss and set her on her feet.

"What's that for?" Renee gazed at him with half-lidden eyes.

The woman had no idea of her allure. Back at camp, she'd been able to draw him into her dreams twice, shoved him away once, and left him trapped there another time. Stood to reason she'd have protection against him and his power even in the dream world with the crystal. No one said an entire crystal was needed to stave off his demon side. Him claiming Renee, loving her, met the crystal's requirement and kept him from turning.

"Our love keeps me from becoming a demon. I think your fragment gives you an advantage no other human has." He ran a hand over the embedded crystal. "And this is our insurance. If you'll have me, I'll be the one to drive you crazy instead of me going nuts."

"Oh?" Her breath eased out of her. "I'm going to hold you to your promise."

"My heart claimed yours, Renee. You are mine: body and soul. And I am yours for all time." His smile wouldn't stop, and he swung her around the room. "That piece you have protects you from my power and reins in my demon side. It links us." "Meaning?" she asked.

"My life-force is connected with yours. As long as I live, you will too. So, we can do anything you wish."

"I'm immortal?"

"In a way.... Immune from natural death. But even incubi can be killed." He looked at her examining how she was taking the news. "The crystal may even heal you like I'm able to self-heal, but you won't be invincible."

She paused for a few seconds, then grinned wickedly. "And I can have anything I want? Like entering my dreams and making love to me just to wake me up to do it physically?" She blinked bedroom eyes at him.

"Of course, but for now, you need to convince me not to throw you on your desk and have you screaming my name when I make you orgasm before your class returns."

"Promises, promises."