Chapter 1
The day I awakened as a succubus, my boyfriend left me to take care of another girl he met at the university.
I was so hungry I was shaking, about to order a male escort when subtitles suddenly appeared before my eyes.
[No, girl, those guys are nasty. You'll get sick!]
[Check out the new hottie next door. Total alpha material, that bod is chef's kiss!]
Desperate, I shakily went to knock on his door. "I'm starving. Could I get something to eat?"
My new neighbor, wearing an apron and nothing else underneath, froze with a spatula in his hand for two seconds.
"Come in," he said.
*****
I was so hungry.
I lay on the carpet, dazed from starvation.
It was my heat cycle.
But my boyfriend had ditched me to go to the hospital with another girl, who'd been in a car accident.
I didn't want to be the first succubus in history to starve to death.
So I pulled out my phone, ready to order a male escort to save myself.
Just as I was about to check out, subtitles flickered in front of my eyes.
[No, girl, those guys are nasty. You'll get sick!]
[Check out the new hottie next door. Total alpha material, that bod is chef's kiss!]
[Seriously top-tier, with a killer waist and long legs. Bet he's got serious stamina.]
Stamina? I swallowed hard. Was I hallucinating from hunger?
I blinked. The apartment was still empty. There was no Victor Shade.
But that tempting scent was real, burrowing into my nose.
Maybe they were telling the truth.
Hunger drove my instincts.
I pushed myself up and followed the scent to the next door.
I knocked. After a long moment, footsteps approached.
The door opened.
A man held a spatula, wiping his hands on his apron out of habit. "Sorry, I was in the kitchen and didn't hear you."
The black apron outlined the clean lines of broad shoulders and a narrow waist.
My vision blurred. An apron and nothing else?
Wait, no. He was wearing gray sweatpants underneath.
I stared at the glistening oil on the spatula, my eyes going unfocused. "So good..."
It was him, right? The one who smelled exactly like Victor.
Hunger made me swallow again.
The man finally realized how he was dressed. His ears turned red, and he instinctively stepped back half a step. "I'm cooking. Is something wrong?"
"I live across the hall." I pointed at my door, barely holding onto my sanity. "This place has been empty for a while. Are you new?"
"Yeah, moved in yesterday," he replied.
No wonder.
Waves of hunger crashed over me.
I stared at his Adam's apple, my thoughts scattering.
"Hi, I'm Lila Charm," I said. "Your... place smells amazing. I'm starving. Could I get something to eat?"
Maybe it was the way I was leaning against the wall like I was about to collapse. He hesitated for a moment, then stepped aside. "Come in."
My new neighbor's name was Ryan Wolfe. He was a junior in my major.
He led me inside and had me sit at the dining table. "Wait a sec, I'll add a couple more dishes."
Then he turned and went back into the kitchen.
My gaze wandered, landing on his bare back.
The apron strings were tied tight at his waist, showing off his toned physique.
My hunger was starting to spiral out of control.
[That body... I'm literally drooling.]
[Who taught him to wear an apron like that? He's the succubus here!]
The subtitles scrolled wildly.
I clenched my fists, desperately suppressing the restless craving in my body.
But it was so good... a hundred times more tempting than Victor.
Without realizing it, I walked up behind him.
My fingers almost touched the strings at his back.
Then Ryan suddenly turned. His elbow bumped me, sending me stumbling backward.
Luckily, he caught me quickly. "Sorry, I live alone, and I'm not used to people being behind me."
"It's fine," I replied.
I steadied myself, hiding my trembling fingers in a fist.
Just his hand on my waist had me weak in the knees.
And worse, my tail was about to pop out.
[Don't worry, girl, he's a werewolf. He won't freak out.]
[A succubus and a werewolf? I can't even imagine how wild they'd be together.]
[Well, some of y'all are cowards. I can imagine it just fine.]
A werewolf?
The elevated body heat and thick dark hair definitely tracked.
I grabbed a corner of his apron and edged closer. "You always cook like this?"
"Not usually." Ryan didn't turn around. "Just finished working out. Got too hot. If it makes you uncomfortable, I can put a shirt on."
"Oh no, I'm not uncomfortable," I replied.
No woman on earth would be.
Ryan reached for a spice jar, his lats flexing perfectly.
"There's a lot of smoke in here. You should wait outside," he said.
He said it while flipping the pan like a pro.
He was completely unaware that my arms were hovering around his waist.
"I'm good here," I said.
I watched him plate everything with smooth efficiency.
"You're really good at this," I said.
He smiled, a little fang poking out. "It's just tossing food in a pan. Easy."
His resting face looked cold, but when he smiled? He was actually kind of cute.
"You can eat first if you want. Don't wait for me," he said.
"For real?"
"Yeah."
The next second, I sank my teeth into his shoulder.
"Shit!" Ryan whipped his head around. "Lila, is this what you meant by 'starving'?"