Succubus Blues CHAPTER 25

sometimes you fire up up from a dream. Sometimes you wake up in a dream. And sometimes, every once in a while, you wake up in some peerless elses dream.If he cute to carry me off and make me his love slave, Id do it, so ache as I got advance copies of his books.My first words spoken to Seth as I passionately discussed his work. Seths initial impression of me. Head held high, hair tossed oer my shoulder. A flippant remark of all time at the ready. Grace under fire. A cool social confidence introverted Seth could neer mustinesser but envied. How can she do that? neer miss a beat? Later, my rambling explanation of the five-page rule, a goofy habit he found infinitely endearing. Some angiotensin-converting enzyme else who appreciated literature, viewing it same(p) fine wine. Smart and deep. And beautiful. Yes, beautiful. I saw myself now as Seth had seen me that night the short skirt, the high purple top, brilliant as a birds plumage. Like some exotic creature, hopelessly verbo ten of household in the bookstores dreary landscape.All of this was in Seth, the past of his growing feelings for me mingling with the present, and I drank everything up. non undecomposed beautiful. Sexy. Sensual. A goddess made flesh whose every move hinted at passion to tote up. The dress strap slithering off my shoulder. Faint beads of perspiration on my cleavage. Standing in his kitchen, clad entirely in that ridiculous Black Sabbath shirt. No underwear on under that. Wonder what itd be like to wake up with her next to me, messy and untamed.It all spilled into me. More and more.He would watch me at the bookstore. Loved watch me interact with customers. Loved that I seemed to live on something about everything. The witty dialogue he pondered for his characters coming to my lips without hesitation. Amazing. Never met anyone who talks like that in real life. My bartering with the used book store owner. A charisma that displace in shy, quiet Seth, made me glow in his eyes. Ma de him feel more confident.Still his feelings cannonball along through me. I had never felt anything like it. Certainly I had felt attraction and gist in my victims, but never such love, non directed at me.Seth fantasy I was sexy, yes. Desired me. But that raw lust juxtaposed with something softer too. Something sweeter. Kayla sitting on my lap, small blond idea against my chest as I braided her hair. A brief shifting of the image as he momentarily considered his own daughter on my lap. Fierce and witty on one trade, gentle and compromising on the separate. My inebriated state at his condo. A swell of protectiveness as he led me to bed, reflection me hours by and by Id gone to sleep. He thought no less of me for the weakness, for my lapse of control and judgment. It was a permit down of my walls for him, a sign of imperfection that made him love me more.Further and further I drank, my dreaded and weakened state unable to stop.Why doesnt she date? Seth asked Cody. Cody? Y es, there he was, in the buttocks of Seths mind. A memory. Cody secretly giving Seth swing lessons, neither of them revealing me, instead making up vague excuses for why they al fashions had to be somewhere. Seth, trying so hard to make his feet obey so he could dance with me and be closer to me. Shes afraid, the vampire replied. She thinks love causes pain.Love causes pain.Yes, Seth loved me. Not the crush Id imagined. Not a superficial attraction I thought Id dissuaded. It was more, so much more. I embodied everything in a woman he could ever imagine humor, beauty, intelligence, kindness, specialisation, charisma, sexuality, compassion His soul seemed to put up recognized mine, drawn uncontrollably toward me. He loved me with a depth of feeling I could non in time begin to tap into, though believe me, I tried. I wanted it. I wanted to feel it all, to suck up that burning within him. To consume it. Set myself on fire with it.Georginasomewhere far away, someone called to me, b ut I was too into Seth. Too into absorbing that strength within him, that strength fused with his feelings for me. Feelings brought on, amplified even, by kissing. Lips soft and eager. Hungry. Demanding.GeorginaI wanted to become one with Seth. I ask to. I needed him to fill me up physically, mentally, spiritually. thither was something there something concealed inside him I couldnt quite reach, hovering in the okayground. A tantalizing piece of fellowship I should have long since recognized. You are my life. I needed to get in farther, reach out for more. Find out what was hiding from me. That kiss was my lifeline, my connection with something large than myself, something I had been aching for all my life but never admitn. I couldnt stop. Couldnt stop kissing Seth. Couldnt stop. Couldnt Georgina permit goRough hands tore me away from Seth, like flesh ripping from my own body. I cried out in agony at the broken connection, fighting the hands that pulled me and held me. I clawe d at my captor, needing to find out the secret lurking beyond that kiss, yearning for the comple cristaless of that union with Seth Seth.My hands dropped, and I blinked, manner of speaking the world back into focus. Reality. I was no longer inside Seths wellspring I was still in my apartment. A feeling of solidness settled in me, and I didnt have to quality down to know my body had stopped its shifting, my form snapping back to a short, slim woman with honeyed brown hair. The girlfriend I had been long ago was buried within me once more, never to come out if I could help it. Seths life force now filled me to overflowing.Georgina, murmured Hugh behind me, letting his hands ease up on my arms. Christ, you scared me.Looking across the room, I saw Carter, bedraggled as usual, leaning over Seths body.Oh God I sprang up and moved to them, kneeling beside the angel. Seth lay on the floor, skin sentinel and clammy. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. Is he ?Hes alive, Carter told me. Barely.Stro king Seths cheek, feeling the fine golden-red haze of his near-beard, I felt tears brimming in my eyes. His breathing came shallow and jagged. I didnt basal to. I didnt mean to wad so muchYou did what you had to do. You were in bad shape, could have died.And now Seth mightCarter shook his head. No. He wont. Hell need recuperation time, but hell pull through.I drew my hand back, half-afraid my touch might harm Seth more. Glancing around, I became aware of the disheveled state of my apartment. It looked worse than Jeromes. Smashed china and glass. Broken tables. Over dark chairs and couch. The unstable bookshelf in pieces at last. From the kitchen, Aubrey hunkered down under the kitchen table, wondering what was going on. I wondered myself. The nephilim were nowhere in sight. What had happened? Had I authentically missed it all? The epic, divine battle of the one C, and I had missed it for a kiss? Admittedly, a rattling good kiss, but stillWhere is everyone else?Jeromes off doin g, uh, damage control with your neighbors.That doesnt sound good.Standard practice. Supernatural battles arent plain quiet, you know. Hell do a superficial mind erasing, make sure no authorities get notified.I swallowed, afraid to ask my next question. What about what about the nephilim ?Carter studied me, gray eyes holding me long and hard.I know, I know, I said at last, looking for down, unable to return that gaze. Theres no ten years and parole, right? You destroyed them.We destroyed one of them.I looked up sharply. What? What about the other one?He got away.He.My looming tears slipped out now I could not control them. For you, Ill walk away. How?Carter laid a hand on Seths forehead as though taking vital stats and then turned back to me. It all happened really fast. He masked and went invisible in the confusion, while we were taking on the other one. And honestly The angel looked at my disagreeable front door, then at Hugh and me.What? I whispered.Im not Im not entirely con vinced Jerome didnt let him get away. He wasnt expecting two. I wasnt either, though I should have, in retrospect. aft(prenominal) killing the first one Carter shrugged. I dont know. Hard to say what happened. Then hell be back, I realized, panic and relief blending weirdly in me over the thought of Romans escape. Hell be back and he wont be happy with me.I dont think thatll be a problem, the angel observed. Gently, he lifted Seth up and walked to my overturned couch. A moment later, it flipped over untouched, righting itself. Carter laid Seth on it and continued speaking. He took a real beating the other nephilim. A really bad beating. I cant believe he had the indicator left to hide himself from us I still keep expecting to feel him again any minute. If hes smart, hes cartroad as fast and far from us as he can right now, getting out of our range out of any im someones range so he can drop his shields and rest.Then what? asked Hugh.Hes in bad shape. Itll abridge him a long time to recover. When he does, he knows he doesnt have the mount to return here again.He could still take on me, I noted, shivering as I remembered Romans wrath toward me at the end. It was hard to believe wed been wrapped in each others arms, caught in the throes of passion, less than cardinal hours ago.He could take you on, agreed Carter. But he cant take me on. Or Jerome. He certainly cant take both of us on. That was what decided it, in the end. They didnt expect that. Us teamed together. Itll give him pause to just come bursting back here, even if you alone pose no threat.I didnt find that reassuring in the least. I thought of Roman, passionate and rebellious, always eager to make a point against the system. That personality type add itself well to revenge. I had tricked him, made love to him, and then betrayed him, resulting in the annihilation of his plans and his sister. Thank God for my sister. Shes the only one I have, the only mainstay in my life.He might pause, as Ca rter had suggested, but not for long. Of that, I was certain.Hell be back, I whispered, more to myself. Someday hell be back.Carter gave me a steady look. Then we get out deal with him then.My front door candid, and Jerome entered. He looked neat and prim, hardly like hed just been in an apocalyptic battle with his own offspring.Housekeeping all done? asked Carter.Yes. The colossuss eyes darted over to Seth. Hes alive?Yes.Angel and demon locked eyes then, and a tense moment of palpable silence hung between them.How fortuitously unexpected, Jerome murmured at last. I could have sworn he was dead. Well. Miracles happen every day. I suppose well have to wipe him now.I stood up. What are you talking about?Nice to have you back with us again, Georgie. You look lovely, by the way.I glared at him, angry at his joke, knowing it was Seths energy giving me the succubus glamour now. What do you mean you have to wipe him?What do you think? We cant let him walk away after everything hes seen. Ill diminish a little of his affection for you while Im at it hes a liability to you.What? No. You cant do that.Jerome sighed, putting on the look of one who suffered long and hard. Georgina, do you have any idea what he was just uncovered to? He has to be wiped. We cant let him know about us.How much of me will you take from him? Pieces of Seths memories my memories, now glittered in my head like jewels.Enough so that he forgets he has any more than a passing knowledge of you. Youve been even more negligent with your job than usual these last few weeks. I hardly thought that was Seths fault Roman had helped too. Both of you will function much better if he finds some mortal woman to obsess on instead.Dont you want to stand out in some way? Carters taunt question from what seemed like an eternity ago whispered in my head. You dont have to do this. You dont have to take me out with the rest.If Im already in there, I might as well clear you too. Theres no way he can just go on as u sual after being exposed to denizens of the divine realms. Even you have to agree with that.Some mortals know about us, I argued. Like Erik. Erik knows, and he keeps it to himself.In fact, I realized suddenly, Erik had kept Helenas secret to himself as well. He had figured it out after working with her over the years but had never revealed the full truth, only doling out small clues for me.Erik is a special case. He has a gift. An ordinary mortal like this one couldnt handle it. Jerome walked over to my couch, looking at Seth dispassionately. Its better this way.No. Please, I cried, running over to Jerome and pulling his sleeve. Please dont.The archdemon turned to me, dark eyes cold and shocked that I would dare grab hold of him like that. I knew then, cringing under that gaze, that something in our fond, indulgent relationship had channeld forever something small, but important nonetheless. I didnt know what had done it. Maybe it had been Seth. Maybe it had been Roman. Maybe it h ad been something else altogether. All I knew was that it had happened.Please, I begged, ignoring how desperate I must sound. Please dont. Dont take me from him out of his head like that. Ill do anything you want. Anything. I brushed a hand over my eyes, attempting to look calm and in control, knowing I was failing.One eyebrow shifted ever so s piano on Jeromes face, the only hint that I had piqued his interest. The term deal with the devil had not arisen lightly few demons could resist a bargain.What could you possibly offer me? The sex thing only worked on my son, so dont even think about trying it now.Yes, I agreed, voice growing stronger as I plunged forward. It worked on him. It works on all sorts of men. Im good, Jerome. Better than you know. Why do you think Im the only succubus in this city? Its because Im one of the best. Before I hit this funk this, I dont know, whatever mood Ive been in for a while now, I could have any man I wanted. And not just simply for their strength and life force. I could manipulate them. Make them do anything I asked, talk them into acts of sin they never would have dreamed of before meeting me. And they would do it. Theyd do it, and theyd like doing it.Go on.I took a deep breath. Youre tired of the all lowlifes, all the time, right? Me being negligent? Well, I can change that. I can raise your stock higher than youve ever dreamed. Ive done it before. All you have to do is let Seth go. Let him keep his memories intact. All of them.Jerome studied me a moment, mind working. All the stock in the world wont do me any good if he runs around blathering about what hes seen.Then well see if he can handle it first. When he recovers and wakes up, well talk to him. If he doesnt look like hell be able to divvy up with it all well, then you can erase his memories.Who will make the call if he can get it on or not?I hesitated, not wanting that decision in the demons hands. Carter will. Carter can tell if someones telling the truth. I loo ked at the angel. Youll know if its okay, right? Okay for him to know about us?Carter gave me an odd look, one I could not interpret. Yes, he finally admitted.What about your end? asked Jerome. Will you hold it up even if Carter decides hes unsafe?That was harsh. I had a feeling Jerome wouldnt negotiate on this one, but I was willing to risk it, so confident did I feel about Seths capacity to process immortal activity. I opened my mouth, about to agree, when I caught Hugh shaking his head at me out of the corner of my eye. Frowning, he tapped his watch, mouthing something I couldnt see to it at first.Then, it clicked. Time. I had listened to the imp talk about his job enough to know the rules of negotiation never make an open-ended deal with a demon. If Seth keeps his memories, Ill walk the succubus straight and narrow for a century. If they have to be erased anyway, then Ill still do it for a third of that.Half, countered Jerome. We arent mortal. Even a century is nothing on the face of eternity.Half, I agreed dully, but no more than survival dictates. Im not going to do this every day, if thats what youre thinking. Ill only get fixes as I need them, but theyll be strong ones. Very strong loaded with sin. With men of good caliber, thatll be oh, every four to half-dozen weeks.I want better than that. Extra credit. Every couple of weeks, whether you need it or not.I closed my eyes, unable to fight anymore. Every couple of weeks.Very well, said Jerome, a warning note in his voice. But you will be held to this agreement unless I choose to terminate it for some reason. Not you. There will be no wiggling out for you.I know. I know, and I accept.Shake then.He protracted his hand to me. Not hesitating, I took it, and power crackled briefly around us.The demon smiled thinly. We have a deal.