Succubus Heat CHAPTER 23

Dante wasnt some(prenominal)what when I got home, nor was he reachable by phone. That relieved me of any wickedness I had intimately liberation out with curing, core my alone new(prenominal)(prenominal) obstacle was the accu sit downory look roman print gave me when we p stratagemed. I had no image how he would sp collapse notice his until at presenting, and honestly, I didnt re al unitedlyy indigence to k this instant.The problem readiness and I had with passing out was that we pretty much had to avoid the city. We k refreshing sight in the suburbs too, notwithstanding the odds of running into anyone were a set smaller. The wet weather Roman and I had experienced in the subsequentlynoon had short-winded all over, and we suddenly found ourselves in semi-warm conditions that made it almost possible to go without a coat. I would stomach read the fortuitous weather as a divine blessing, if not for the fact that Id foundern up on such beliefs long ago.To my asto nishment, though, band verbalize he precious to go downtown and felt pretty confident we wouldnt be spotted. He control us over to Belltown, parking underneath one of the many storeyed a dissolvement buildings that keep in linemed to be sprouting up thither every day. A mysterious key let him inside, and the elevator took us all the steering to the top floor.What is this? I asked when we entered a sprawling penthouse suite. It kind of made me enquire if I should hasten been setting my real estate aspirations in a different direction. I gave him a startled look. You dont own this, do you? Seth having a secret vacation home wasnt entirely improbable.Belongs to someone I cognise whos out of town. I called in a favor.You have friends I dont jockey?He gave me A Look, and I let the study go. Besides, the channelise was so beauteous that I had plentitude of distraction. The colors were all do in shades of navy and gray, and the furniture was plush and expensive. I especially liked the fact that the walls were decorated with huge reproductions of pre-Raphaelite work. Nowadays, abstract art was the trendy way to go, and it was nice to study something a diminutive different.Waitll you follow with the rest, itemize Seth, beckoning me out to the balcony.Or, strong, balcony was the closest word I could come on up with. It was practically half the size of my apartment and grimaced west, showing part of downtowns glittering array of lights and all of Pu stand Sound. I st bed in wonder, watching a ferry move across the dark region of water.Wow. That about summed it up.We stood in that location for a a couple of(prenominal) twinklings, and Seths arm slipped close to me. This high up, the unseasonable affectionateness had dour to seasonable gusts and froreness. I shivered, and Seth enwrapped me in a blanket that had been neatly folded on a wrought-iron chair.Have a seat, he say. Ill be back with dinner.I grinned at the gallantry and sat at an ornate, placedlelit glass table that still allowed me to egress in the view. Waiting for Seth, I felt all manakins of strange feelings stir to life within me. This was it, I agnise. I didnt chouse how I knew, moreover this was the end of whatever it was that we had rightifiedly at a time. Maybe something new would take its place. Maybe wed never have anything again. Regardless, this moment was crystallized in term for me. Nothing like it would ever come again.Dinner turned out to be an array of tapenade and bread, as well as-to my shock-a bottle of wine. Is that whole thing for me? I asked.He shook his head. Ill have a glass.What? Starbucks, now this? I peered at the bottle to make positive(predicate) it wasnt some kind of weird alcohol-free kind. Nope.Its a special occasion, he said with a smile, and I knew hed gotten the same vibe that I had, that this was the end of something. Besides, how tin I live out the Rubaiyat if I dont have all the accoutrements?Of course. You r uber-romantic realize would be based on a poem. I could already see him getting into quotation mode. He cle atomic number 18d his throat to speak.Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the BoughA Flask of Wine, a phonograph record of Verse-and ThouBeside me singing in the Wilderness-And Wilderness is paradise enow.I tsked. Youve got the bread, wine, and me entirely no bough. And hardly the wilderness.Its the urban jungle, he argued.And no book of verse, I continued, liking my contrary usage. and then I reconsidered. Although, I did finish on the whole Fools Night .Seths expression immediately grew serious. And?You already sleep together. It was beautiful.No, I dont. Its a mystery story every time-no pun intended. The words come out, besides in the end He shrugged. You never know how theyll be received, what people will take. Im always kind of affect.What did the opening quote have in mind? The Kate Bush lyrics about do a deal with God?You should discover the cover of tha t song that Placebo did. Itll desolate you off. Seth gave me a knowing look. You think theres some hidden meaning?Theres always a hidden meaning. You added it in after you met me, didnt you?YeahI mean, it relates to the book obviouslyto ONeills revelation at the end. But I gibe it relates to us too. His eyes drifted away, lost in the vista around us. I dont know. Weve had to deal with so many complications. Were still dealing with them. And what fire we do? Nothing-well, unless we take your sides point of view and make deals with the devil. But wherefore? why cant we make deals with God?People do all the time. God, if you do this for me, I promise to be good. Stuff like that.Yeah, but I dont see any contracts like you guys have. No hard evidence that it works. If I wasnt mistaken, there was a dinky bitterness in his utterance. How come we can only get the things we compulsion by beingness bad? Why cant we get them by being good?Ill ask Carter the next time I see him, I said dryly. But I have a feeling hed say goodness is its own reward.Wed picked over the tapenade by now but hardly touched the wine. His claims excursus, I wasnt sure Seth had heretofore sipped his. He turned back toward me.You and I arent being very good, are we? he asked. That was an understatement.You and I are the victims of unfortunate timing. I paused. And a kettle of fish of other(a) unfortunate things.Would have been a lot simpler if this stasis thing had happened when we were dating. Or if wed just given in then.No, I said. No way. I dont parcel out if this is a mess. Its worth it that I didnt end up hurting you. You spared him carnal pain , a nasty voice inside me taunted. But what about Maddie? Pain isnt always physical, you of all people know that. What about the brokenheartedness youve caused her? I ignored the voice.I dont care, said Seth. I would have do it. I would have sold my soul for you. You and meI told you. nearthings always going to keep us near each othe r tear down if we arent together.I rose from my chair and sat on his lap, wrapping my arms around him and wondering how it was possible that my heart was both swelling and breaking at the same time. I leaned my head against his shoulder.I love you, I said softly. And I forgive you. Something weird about those words made me shiver, as though Id never said them to anyone. And I understand now why you did what you did. I didnt elaborate on the what. I didnt fate to.Seth kissed my case. Do you ever feel likewere reliving this moment over and over?I thought about our troubled past. If we are, I dont want to fuss about it. Not right now.I think he was going to say more, possibly even correct me, but I didnt give him a chance. I kissed him, and like every other time, it was mellisonant and effective and the most right thing in the world. We wrapped ourselves together, and somehow, despite the cold weather, we got plenty clothes off and made love with the wind slash our hair and the stars shining down on us. And like that first time, I still had that smack that we werent close enough. point when our bodies joined and he locomote in me, it still felt like I could never, ever be close enough to him. Maybe it was this mystical connection he unploughed talking about. Or maybe it was just a metaphor for our lot in life.We sat together for a long time afterward, draped in blankets and saying little. I wanted to stay there all night. Forever, even. In this affair, it was the one thing we hadnt through with(p) spend the night together after sex. We always had to part and go on to the rest of our lives.He finally dropped me off at my car, and we kissed for a long time before get through I could finally extricate myself. Seth ran his hand along my cheek and hair, reluctant to let me go. I shared the sentiment.What will you do now? he asked.I dont know. iodin more search tomorrow, I guess. If theres even time. I expect Ephraim to name somebody any minute now.Seth n odded, eyes dark and thoughtful. Well, if you need company againI smiled, faint if that was a smart idea or not, but it wasnt a finish I wanted to make tonight. I didnt know if I wanted the balcony to be our last moment together in this fling or if I wanted to cling to another few precious seconds, even on the beach.Ill let you know, I promised. I kissed him one last time and then left to find my own car. I had just unsecured it when a voice spoke to me out of the darkness.Can you give me a lift?I sighed. I really didnt like the way everyone could hornswoggle up on me lately. Of course, with Carters sick ace of humor, I wasnt entirely shocked. Hed lurked musical composition hiding his aura plenty of times in the past because he liked the element of surprise. Still. I didnt even have a contend chance now.I opened my door. Sorry. I dont pick up hitchhikers.Undeterred, he slid into the passenger seat and put on his seat belt. Did you have a good evening, madam? He spoke in an ol d-fashioned, genteel demeanor of way.Dont take that tone with me.What tone? I was being polite.You know on the nose what Ive been doing, so dont act like youre making pleasant conversation.Why are they mutually exclusive?I refused to look at him. I dont want to be judged.Am I judgment you? Sounds more like youre judging yourself, which really, is the way it should be. The best jury of your peers that youll ever find iswell, you. Only you know what youre capable of and what you want to be.Did you find me just to delve into the philosophy of my morals? I grumbled.Nah, he said. Whenever I find you, I just sort of go with this free-form thing and see where the mood takes me.Maybe the mood could take you to Jerome.Thats your quest, not mine. Any luck?Again, I faced that dilemma. Who could I notify what? embroider, Romanso many players on the board now and no clear opponent. Some, I said at last.Oh-ho, he laughed. You could be an nonpareil with an resolving like that.Well, I dont think its going to be enough to find Jerome, not unless a miracle happens. The drive was short. I pulled up outdoor(a) my building, getting a lucky front spot.Carter turned and winked at me. Well, you know my take on those. Thanks for the lift.Wait, I said, realizing he was about to teleport away. I have a question.He arched an eyebrow. Oh?How come when mortals want things, their only option is to make a deal with Hell and remove their soul? Why cant they make deals with God in exchange for good behavior?It was another of those rare moments when Id surprised Carter. I waited for the glib answer Id mentioned to Seth, something along the lines of goodness being its own reward. The angel considered for several seconds. man make those deals all the time, he said finally. They just dont make them with God.Then who are they making them with? I exclaimed.Themselves. He vanished.Fucking angels, I muttered.I arrived in my apartment only minutes before Dante showed up. Oh, Im in luck, he sa id, seeing me on the couch with Aubrey. You seem to always be crabbed lately.I felt a small pang of guilt at what Id done tonight. A lie was still a lie, no intimacy who you were lying to.Im saving Seattle, I explained, making room for him beside me.He sat down, clean-shaven for a change and looking at good in his plebeian jeans, thermal shirt, watch, and boots. His insecurity was driving him to buy me gifts lately, but I realized Id need to step it up and get him some wardrobe smorgasbord once all this madness ended.And hows that going exactly?Everyone kept communicate me that. Seth. Carter. Dante. And my answer was lame each time. Not so great, actually. I think tomorrowll be the day it all resolvings, and Jeromes going to be lost forever. Even if hes not, itll be too late for him to get his old position back. His best-case scenarioll be someones lieutenant in northern Michigan.Dante put his arm around me and his feet on my coffee table. Well, succubus, dont take this wrong way, but Ill be glad when this is over, new archdemon or no. Im old-hat of you being stressed all the time, and Im tired of not getting any face time with you. He toyed with the strands of my hair. Im likewise kind of tired of how frizzy this is. Isnt there some product you can use?Hey, I said. Not funny. What happened to internal beauty?He seemed undaunted. Youve got plenty of that. I just want the whole package. Besides, the look on your face was great when I said that.His hand slipped from around my waist to spook patterns between my hip and thigh. It wasnt overtly sexual but I had a feeling that between that and his good mood-which I was happy for, dont get me wrong-there was an romanticist advance in my future.Will you read my post-horses? I asked abruptly.He gave me a shocked look. Tarot cards?Yeah.You know thats all bullshit.It is when you turn of events the truth for your clients. Please? Just do a quick one.Fine. Ill give you a card-of-the-day one. All the mysteries of the universe in one card. I could hear the eye roll in his voice as he got up to get his cards out of his satchel. He usually kept them on him in the event of an impromptu client opportunity.Dont lie to me, I warned. I know more than your clients.Wouldnt dream of it, he said, deftly shuffling the cards. Id seen him gyp clients plenty of times, telling them what they wanted to hear. Seeing as I didnt know what I wanted, I supposed that excluded me from that category. After the cards were thoroughly randomized, he had me cut them, and then he neatly restacked them. Draw.I took the first card off the top and flipped it over. Fuck.The Five of Cups. Spilled chalices. Lost hopes and dreams. Dante affirmed as much.Disappointments ahead, the firing of something you had. It can be a failure or inability to resolve a recurring problem. Pretty typical reading for you.Whats that supposed to mean?Doom and gloom always surround you. I didnt make up that palm reading for you. That had been ev en worse than this. Its probably just confirmatory that Jeromes gone for good-if you even want to gestate in this. And, hey, look. He tapped the card. One cup stayed upright. Not all hope is lost.I wondered about that as I thought about losing Seth and the man in the dream. I wondered also if Roman was right, if it was true that I wouldnt know what to do if I ever was actually happy.As I suspected, Dante did make sexual moves on me, but I demurred as I had all week. I knew it didnt matter at this point. My cups had emptied, and the ride with Seth was over. Yet, our time on the balcony had been so sweet and so compelling that once again, I couldnt be with someone else after an encounter like that. Soon enough my sex life with Dante would shine to normal-but not tonight. He didnt seem angry at being turned down, so much as hurt. I felt a little bad about that but realized Id rather feel vicious about betraying him than Seth.Dante was up and gone before me the next morning, but Ro man was sitting in my living room eating cereal and more a good deal than not making himself at home. He had to know I was standing there, but he kept his eyes on the morning news. When he correct the cereal, he clicked for Aubrey and set the bowl down for her.Hey, I said, scooping it up. Milks bad for cats.You need to let her live a little, he protested, still watching the news. So whats the plan today?I dont know. Im still in stasis, so I guess that gives us time. Want to throw a dart at the map and go somewhere? I gestured to the atlas of the Pacific northwesterly lying on my coffee table.Might be the most cultivable method weve tried, he mused.He had that light tone he often used, but I could hear the disappointment too. It was still a mystery to me as to why hed be so into helping find Jerome. It was a mystery best solved with coffee, I decided, and while the pot brewed, I rummaged for my own breakfast. I unearthed Pop-Tarts and again wondered about weight gain.Um, Georgin aIf youre asking if you can feed her anything else, the answer is no.You need to come see this. His voice was deadly earnest. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I speed back into the living room. Roman pointed at the TV.You have got to be kidding me, I groaned.The Army of Darkness had struck again. We were watching a Seattle station, but apparently, this north-of-the-border pipit had been deemed newsworthy. The prank had actually taken place over in Victoria, a city on an island just west of Vancouver but still in British Columbia. There were some very famous and very beautiful gardens there, and the Army had apparently broken in at night and done their best to clip a pentagram into a huge expanse of bushes. Theyd enhanced it with spray paint.Jesus Christ, I muttered. The pentagram job was bad, but the group had been savvy enough to get out of there without being caught. One shot of a courtyard there showed where theyd spray-painted ALL cost THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS .Glad to see they havent lost their touch, Roman said wryly.I sank down onto the couch beside him, my mind spinning. Why? Why now? Id toyed with the theory that the Armys activities had been an absurdly elaborate distraction to take everyones attention away from Seattle. By that reasoning, their shenanigans should have stopped once Jerome was summoned. Yet here they were again. Had they acted on their own, just for the fun of it? Had Blake discovered a spray-paint sale? Or had Grace directed them again-and if so, why?Most of their other activities had lined up with some other significant part of the seals creation or Jeromes summoning. Without wasting another moment, I picked up my cell and called Cedric. I actually got through to him rather than Kristin.What? he demanded when he answered.This is Georgina. I just saw the news.Look, I do not have the time for you. In fact, youre the last person I want to talk to right now, seeing as how none of this would have happened if youd done your j ob in the first place.Yeah, yeah, I know, but get windwas anything important going on today?His voice was incredulous. What, you mean aside from those idiots embarrassing me again ?No, I meanany events or, I dont knowjust anything important, um, demonicallyWell, if you consider my evaluation with Ephraim important, then yes. The sarcasm dripped through the phone.I froze. Thank you. Thats all I needed to know.He actually seemed surprised by that. Really?Yeah, no, wait-when I talked to Kristin the other day, she said that you came to Seattle the day Jerome was summoned, but then Ephraim said when you got here, he was already gone. Is that true?Yes, of course. Do you mistrust him?No, nojust making sure I heard right. And you were in Seattle for a while?Yeah, was with Grace and Mei dealing with the aftermath. Look, if you want to pass across my activities, wait until Kristins back in the office. He sighed in frustration. Fuck. I handle she was here now.I hesitated, then figured I co uldnt make things worse. Hey, just some friendly advicebut the next time youre looking at Match. com or asking out succubi, why dont you look a little closer to home?What the hell are you talking about?Kristin. If youre looking for someone who gets you, youve already got her. See you later. I hung up before I could hear his response. Roman gave me a bemused look.Are you matchmaking in the midsection of this crisis?Just doing a good deed. I tossed my cell phone from hand to hand, thinking. Okay, so. The Army did a prank today-while Ephraim was interviewing Cedric. Not good for Cedric.Which is going to pause his candidacy for Seattle.Likely, even though he claims he doesnt want it. Still, it makes sense that Grace would have them do it today if she had them do it and they didnt act haphazardlyHe shrugged. Makes sense, but whats it matter? You already know shes got a role in this. All this does is clear him.I frowned. I had the same sense I had the other day while analyzing the cult s activities, like I was so close but couldnt grasp all the threads. Against my better judgment, I dialed Evan. He flipped out when he realized it was me.Georgina Weve been wondering what happened to you. Man, you will not believe what we did today, it was this-I already know, I interrupted. It was on the news down here.What? Blessed shit. Hey You guys I pulled the phone away as he yelled at whoever was with him. We made the Seattle news A moment later he returned to me. Wow, thats awesome. worldwide recognitionLook, Evan. I need to know something. Did the Angel actually tell you to do this? And when I say that, I mean, did she actually appear in one of those visions or did you presume she wanted this?She was here. Told us to leave our curb at Butchart Gardens, so the world would know her glory. Cool too, since you know, its a powerful place and all. No wonder its having such far-reaching effects.Powerful place My fist closed around all the threads. Evan, listen to me. Are you f amiliar with other places of power around you? Id always dismissed this groups arcane knowledge, never considering they readiness know a few things about the unseen world.Of course.Romans eyes were flash-frozen on me so hard, I thought theyd shoot lasers right through me. He could tell I was on to something. I took a thick breath. Do you know of any place up there thats by a beach-on the ocean-that has white rocks or gravel or sand or anything like that? Thats infused with power?White rocks? he asked. There was a few seconds silence. Welltheres White Rock.What?Its this town that has, well, a giant white rock. Some kind of glacial thing, but the Indians thought it came from the gods or something. Always been a holy place.White Rock, I repeated flatly.Yup.No, no. It could not be that obvious. Balancing the phone with one hand, I opened the atlas with the other and flipped to the section on British Columbia. There it was, on the coast, just hardly north of the American border.White Rock.Son of a bitch, I said.