Mesmerized

least I did until I met you." She looked away. 
    "What do you mean?"
    "It's hard to explain. I've always seen the way others have reacted to me because of what I am, but I've never felt the pull in the other direction,” she paused. "I'm sorry this was a bad idea. You wouldn't believe me if I told you." 
    "It can't be that bad." 
    "You saw what I did to Ben. He could be dead for all we know." Lily wrapped her arms tightly across her chest and paced around the room. 
    "Earlier you asked why I was still standing after we kissed," he encouraged her to go on. "Lily, you don't have to tell me. I've figured it out on my own."
    "Oh really? What do you think I am? An alien or a vampire?”
    “Guys making fools of themselves and the girls hating you. A boy kisses you and he ends up in the hospital.” Jake turned Lily to face him. “Kiss me, Lily. We both know you want to.”
    Jake placed his hands on hers sending an electrifying feeling through her body. 
    Lily shuddered. “I'm scared. I like you, Jake. I don’t want to hurt you.”
    Jake pulled her close. “Let me prove you wrong. Give me three seconds, and if I feel weird I'll stop.”
    Lily knew this was not a conversation she could win. "I warned you." 
    "Yes, you did.” He ran his fingers down the side of her face and gazed into her eyes.
    Lily’s heart was beating fast. She wanted to kiss him more than she had ever wanted anything. But, she didn’t want to kill him.
    Lily bit her lip. "Please forgive me if I hurt you."
    Jake stared down at her beautiful face. He ran his hand behind her neck. Lily shivered under his touch. He ran his thumb along her jawbone. Her mouth fell open and Jake leaned in for the kiss. She didn't try to resist him. They kissed deeply and much longer than three seconds. 
    He pulled away leaving her breathless and wanting more. 
    "Are you okay?" she asked.
    ''I'm fine. I told you. I'm different too.” 
    “First, you have to tell me what you think I am?”
    Jake grinned. “That was an easy one. I’ve been around a long time. I’ve heard all kinds of things, met all kinds of people. I thought I knew what you were, but I wanted to be sure. All I had to do was look up dreams and men acting crazy. Typed it into Google and got hundreds of hits on the same thing. You’re a succubus.”
    Startled, Lily looked up. She didn’t know what surprised her more. The fact that he knew what she was, or that he had been dreaming of her. "You’ve been having dreams about me?”
    "Yes, since before you moved here.”
    "I'm sorry. That has never happened before. In fact, I didn’t think it was supposed to happen. My parents gave me this necklace to prevent that sort of thing. I’m not sure why it doesn’t seem to work with you.” Her head snapped up. “Wait…you said you’re different too. What are you?”
    “Oh, I’m human,” he said with a smile. “But, I’m cursed.”
     

Chapter Seven
     
     
     
    “Cursed?” Her eyes widened. There had to be a story behind that one.
    “I’ll give you the short version. My father did something stupid. He had an affair with a woman who happened to be a powerful witch. When he refused to leave my mother for her, she put a curse on him. Which was really a curse on me. She cursed his firstborn son with immortality and I was lucky enough to be the firstborn son,” he explained looking into her olive-green eyes. "Thankfully I was seventeen at the time. I can't imagine if I had been stuck in the body of a child." 
    “Wow…” For once, she was speechless. “You’re immortal?”
    “Yup.”
    “I don’t see how that’s much of a curse,” she said. He couldn’t die, so what? Wasn’t that a cool thing? At least he didn't have to worry about killing someone by a kiss. 
    “It is when you’ve been around long enough. Watching everyone you care about get old and slip away.”
    Lily stared up into his eyes. “So, you’re like…old?”
    He laughed. “Yeah. I guess I am.”
    “How old?”
    “I stopped counting many years ago. The last birthday I recall was my 203rd.”
    “No way!”
    He just shrugged, wondering what she was thinking. 
    “When you say you’re immortal, does that mean nothing can kill you?”
    “Nothing that I’ve found. I can get injured and feel pain, but I can't be killed. So, you can see why I knew you couldn’t hurt me. What about you? I couldn't find information on if succubi were immortal or not."
    She looked away, deep in thought. "I'm really not sure. I