Succubus Blues CHAPTER 15

Some epochs you wake up from a dream. And sometimes, e very once in a temporary hookup, you wake up in a dream. Thats what happened to me. I opened my eyes, head room throbbing, vaguely aware of something impassioned and fuzzy in my arms. Bright sunlight make me squint at first, scarcely when I could ultimately focus, I realized I was looking straight into the faces of Cady and ONeill.I shot upright, a motion my head did not approve of at entirely. Surely I was mistaken. Surely, no there they were. Before me, close to the love I sit down in, was a large oak desk surrounded by publicise boards and white boards. Pinned to the bulletin boards were magazine cut starts, faces and faces of people who reflected every nuance of the characters described in Seths books. One section was even tagged NINAcady, displaying at least twenty different cut come out of the closets of slim blondes with cropped, curly sensory hair, while an separate section marked BRYANT ONEILL displayed br ooding, thirty-something men with dark hair. Some of the cutouts were from major ads I recognized, though Id never before machine-accessible the resemblance to Seths characters. Other minor characters from the books also had put ins on the display, though less noticeably so than the leads.Scrawls of notes and speech communication filled the white boards, most make in a bizarre short wad type of unravel chart that made no sense to me. Working Title Azure Hopes fix later supplement Jonah Chap. 7 Clean up 3-5 C&O in Tampa or Naples? Check stats wear down Markosin 8On and on the scrawls went. I stared and stared at them, realizing I was seeing the skeleton foundation of Seths next novel. Part of me whispered I should look away, that I was ruining something, tho the rest of me was too spellbound at glimpsing the way a novel and its world came to life.Finally, the smell of frying bacon made me turn from Seths desk, forcing me to valet de chambre to desexualiseher how Id arriv ed here. I cringed, recalling what an idiot Id been around Doug, Roman, and even Seth, but my hunger won out in temporarily allaying my remorse. It seemed odd that I should expression hungry after what Id put my stomach through populate night, but like Hughs beating, I could bounce back quickly.Disentangling myself from the covers and the teddy bear Id unknowingly been holding, I made my way to the bathroom to rinse my mouth and study my appearance wild-haired and absolute adolescent looking in the T-shirt. I didnt want to waste the energy to shape-shift, however, and trotted out of the bathroom, following the sounds of sizzling against a background of microwave radar Love by Golden Earring.Seth stood in a modern, well-lit kitchen, tending a skillet on a stove. The color scheme was bright and cheery, maple wood cupboards and beams accented with cornflower blue paint on the walls. Seeing me, he sullen down the music and gave me a solicitous look. His shirt to solar day displayed gobbler and Jerry.Good morning. How are you feeling?Surprisingly well. I made my way to a petty, devil-person postpone and sat down, tugging the shirt to cover my thighs. My head seems to be the only casualty thus far.You want something for it?No. Itll relieve oneself up. I hesitated, detecting something through the smell of salty, gr motiveless meat. Is that coffee?Yup. Want some?Regular?Yup. He walked over to a pot, poured a mug of steaming coffee, and brought it to me, along with a cute sugar and creamer sterilize.I thought you didnt drink this stuff.I dont. I just keep it on go past in case caffeine-crazed women wake up in my bed.That happen a lot?Seth smiled mysteriously and re turned to the stove. are you hungry?Famished.How do you like your eggs? over hard.Nice choice. You want bacon too? Youre not a vegetarian or allthing?Im an honest carnivore. I want the works if thats not asking too much. I snarl kind of sheepish approximately him waiting on me, considering e verything else hed already done. He didnt appear to wit.The works turned out to be more than Id imagined eggs, bacon, toast, two kinds of jam, coffee cover, and orange juice. I ate it all, thinking about how jealous Peter would be, still confined to his low- carbdiet.Im in a food coma, I told Seth afterward, service of process with the dishes. Ill assume to go back to bed and sleep it off. Do you eat like this every day?Nah. Just when aforementioned women are temporary removal out. It ensures they dont leave too quickly.not a problem, considering this is all I bring to wear.Not true, he told me, pointing toward his backing room. Looking up, I saw my dress clean hanging on a hanger. The sheer, bikini-cut panties Id worn under it had been looped around the hangers head. It said dry-clean, but I took a run a risk on putting it on extra-gentle cycle in the wash. It came out okay. So did the, uh, other thing.Thanks, I replied, changeable as to how I felt about him washing my u nderwear. Thanks for everything. I really appreciate what you did for me end night you must think Im a total freak He shrugged. Its no problem. But he glanced at a nearby clock I may need to run out on you in short. Remember that one party? It starts at noon. You foundation still hang out here.I turned to the same clock. Eleven forty-seven.Noon Why didnt you wake me up sooner? Youll be lateHe shrugged again, infinitely unconcerned. I figured you ask the sleep.Setting down the towel Id been holding, I darted to the living room and grabbed my dress. Ill call a cab. You go. Dont worry about me.Seriously, its no problem, he argued. I can give you a ride home even, or well, if you wanted, you could come with me.We both froze awkwardly. I didnt really feel up to acquittance to some strange party. What I needed to do was get home and do damage supremacy with Roman and Doug. Yet Seth had been terribly benignant to me, and he had wanted me to go to this thing before. Didnt I owe hi m? Surely I could do this for him. An afternoon party probably wouldnt even last that long.Would we need to pick up anything? I asked at last. Wine? Brie?He move his head. Probably not. Its for my eight-year-old niece.Oh. So no wine then?Yeah. And I think shes more into Gouda anyway.I looked at the dress. Ill be overdressed. You got anything I can put on over this?Seven minutes later, I sat in Seths car, driving toward Lake quality Park. I had the georgette dress back on, along with a mans plaid flannel shirt in shades of white, gray, and navy.The shirt was open save for a couple buttons. I had French-braided my hair in lieu of shape-shifting it into place and now frantically applied cosmetics from my purse as I rode. I suspected I had a sort of Ginger-Rogers-Joins-Nirvana look going.We arrived at the suburban house Id dropped Seth off at a a couple of(prenominal) weeks ago. Pink balloons fluttered from the mailbox, and a mother in jeans and a sweatshirt waved comfortablybye as a small missy disappeared into the house. Said mother then hold backed to the massive, soccer team-carrying vehicle running in the driveway.Whoa, I said, taking it all in. Ive never been to anything like this before.You must have when you were little, Seth amended, parking across the street.Well, yeah, I lied. But its a different experience at this age.We approached the front door, and he entered without knocking. Immediately, four small, blond female forms slammed into him, grappling onto his limbs, nigh knocking him over.Uncle Seth Uncle SethUncle Seths hereIs that for me? Is that for me?Desist, before I have to break out the crosscurrent gas, Seth told them mildly, unclasping one who threatened to rip his left arm off.One of them, all blond curls and titan blue eyes like the others, caught sight of me. Hi, she said boldly, who are you? Before I could answer, she tore out of the foyer, yelling, Uncle Seth brought a girlSeth made a face. Thats Morgan. Shes six. He pointed to a clone of her. This is McKenna, her twin. Over heres Kayla, four. This one he paused to lift up the tallest of the four, a motion that made her cackle gleefully is Kendall, the birthday girl. And I imagine Brandys here somewhere, but shes too civilized to assault me like the rest.A living room extended beyond the foyer, and another blond girl, a few years older than Kendall, watched us over the back of a couch. Other assorted children the party guests, I presumed ran and screamed beyond her. Im here, Uncle Seth.Seth set Kendall down and tousled Brandys hair, much to her chagrin. She wore the affronted dignity only one on the edge of adolescence could have. Morgan returned shortly thenceforth with a tall, blond woman in tow. See? See? exclaimed the little girl. I told you.Do you of all time create such a scene? the woman asked, giving Seth a quick hug. She looked happy but exhausted. I could transform why.I should be so lucky. My fans arent half this ravenous. Andrea, this i s Georgina. Georgina, Andrea. I shook her hand as a slightly shorter, younger version of Seth entered the room. And thats my brother, Terry.Welcome to our chaos, Georgina, Terry told me after Id been introduced. He glanced at all of the children, his own and others, running around the house. Im not sure I fully understand Seths wisdom in bringing you here. Youll never come back.Hey, exclaimed Kendall to me, isnt that the shirt we got Uncle Seth for Christmas?An awkward silence cut down among us adults as we all tried to look somewhere else. Finally, Andrea cleared her throat and said, All right, guys, lets steady down into line and get some games going.I had expected a childs birthday party to be wild, but what proceeded to pass that afternoon surpassed even my imaginings. Equally impressive was the way in which Seths brother and sister-in-law managed to control the brood of screaming, jumping creatures that somehow seemed to be everywhere in the house at once. Terry and Andrea h andled them all with efficacious good nature while Seth and I did little more than watch, occasionally fielding hit-or-miss questions tossed our way. The entire experience stunned me as a bystander I could hardly imagine coping with it on a regular basis. It was fascinating.At one point, catching his breath, Terry saw me alone and struck up a conversation.Im glad you could come, he said. I didnt know Seth was seeing anyone.Were just friends, I clarified.Still. Its nice to see him with someone flesh and blood. Someone he didnt make up.Is it true he nearly lost(p) your wedding?Terry grimaced by way of confirmation. My best man, if you can accept that. Showing up two minutes before the ceremony began. We were on the verge of starting without him.I could only laugh.He shook his head. If you continue hanging out with him, make sure you keep him in line. My brother may be brilliant, but by God, he needs a keeper sometimes.After party games came cake, and after cake came presents. Kend all lifted Seths up expertly and shook it. Books, she declared.Brandy, older and therefore quietest of the group, glanced at me and explained, Uncle Seth ever gets us books.This did not seem to faze Kendall any. She tore open the package and crowed delightedly over three books of plagiariser stories contained within.Pirates, huh? I asked Seth. Is that politically correct?His eyes danced. She wants to be one.As the party wound down and guests were retrieved by parents, Kendall beseeched Seth to read stories, and I followed him, the nieces, and other stragglers into the living room while the girls parents attempted to clean up in the kitchen. Seth read in the same compelling way he had at his signing, and I curled up in an armchair, content to just listen and watch. I was therefore startled when Kaylas small form scrambled up and sat on my lap.Youngest of the girls, she could shriek with the best but tended to speak very little. She studied me with her globes of eyes, touched my Fre nch braid with interest, and then snuggled into me to listen to Seth. I wondered if she understood any of what he was saying. Regardless, she was soft and warm and smelled like little girl. Unconsciously, I ran my fingers through the fine, corn silk strands of hair and soon began weaving it into a braid similar to mine.When Seth finished a story, McKenna noticed what I was doing. Me next.No, me, order Kendall eagerly. Its my birthday.I ended up braiding for all four of the younger girls. Brandy shyly demurred. Not absentminded four copies of me, I elected other styles for the girls, herringbones and plaits that delighted them. Seth continued to read, occasionally glancing up at me and my handiwork.By the time we were ready to leave, I felt drained physically and emotionally. Children always made me feel a little wistful being in close contact like this made me downright sad in a way I couldnt explain.Seth said goodbye to his brother while I lingered near the door. As I did, I noti ced a small bookcase beside me. Studying the titles, I picked out Burberrys New Annotated Bible Old and New Testaments. Remembering what Roman had said about the magnate James Version being a bad translation, I opened this one up to generation 6.The wording was nearly identical, a little cleaner and more modern sounding here and there, but mostly unchanged. With one exception. In verse 4, the King James Version had read There were giants in the earth in those days and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men This version, however, said The Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also afterwards, when the sons of God went to the daughters of menNephilim? A superscript number appeared by the word, and I followed it to the appropriate footnote.The word nephilim is sometimes translated as giants or fallen ones. Sources vary in accounts of these angelic offspring, citing them sometimes simply as neighbors to the Canaanites and other times as Titan- like creatures reminiscent of Greek heroes (Harrington, 2001).Frustrated, I looked up the Harrington reference in the books bibliography, finding it linked to Biblical Arcanaand Myth by Robert Harrington. I memorized the title and author, slithering the Bible back into its place just as Seth turned to go.We drove in silence, the thresh graying early as Seattles winter loomed nearer. I might normally have interpreted the quiet in the car as awkward or weird, but I found it comfortable as my mind pondered the nephilim reference. I needed to get a hold of the Harrington book, I decided.They didnt have ice cream, Seth suddenly noted, interrupting my thoughts.Huh?Terry and Andrea. They had cake with no ice cream. You want to get some ice cream?Not enough sugar for you already?They just go together, thats all.Its only about fifty out, I warned as he pulled up next to an ice cream parlor. Ice cream in inclement survive seemed odd to me. And its windy.Are you kidding? In Chicago, a place like this wouldnt even be open this time of year. This is balmy.We went inside. Seth ordered a double cone of mint chocolate chip. I ordered a more adventurous double of blueberry cheesecake and mocha almond swirl. Sitting at a table by the windows, we ate our sugary confections in more silence.Finally, he said, Youre quiet today.I turned on him in wonder, pausing in my mental dissection of nephilim. Thats a switch.What is?Usually I think youre too quiet. I have to talk and talk to keep things going.Ive noticed. Er, I didnt mean that like it came out. That sounded bad. You talking is a good thing. You always know what to say. Exactly the right thing at exactly the right time.Not last night. I said horrible things last night. To Doug and Roman both. Theyll never forgive me, I lamented.Sure they will. Dougs a good guy. I dont really know Roman, butBut what?Seth suddenly looked embarrassed. I imagine youre easy to forgive.We looked at each other for a moment, and warmth flushed my che eks. Not blood boiling, get peeled and jump someone warm, but just cozily warm. Like being wrapped in a blanket.That looks terrible, you know.What does?He pointed at my cone. That combination.Hey, dont knock it until you try it. They actually go pretty well together.He looked doubtful.I slid my chair over by him and offered him a bite. Make sure you get both flavors.He leaned in for the bite and managed both the blueberry cheesecake and mocha almond swirl. Unfortunately, a piece of the blueberry cheesecake scoop reprehensible off onto his chin in the process. I instinctively reached out to stop it, sliding it back to his mouth. He just as automatically nabbed the wayward piece with his tongue, licking it off my fingers.A blast of amativeness coursed through me, and looking into his eyes, I knew hed shared it too. Here, I said hastily, reaching for a napkin, ignoring the desire to return my fingers to his mouth.Seth wiped his chin with it, but for once, he didnt let his self-consci ousness get the better of him. He stayed where he was, leaning close to me.You smell amazing. Like gardenias.Tuberose, I corrected automatically, dazed by how close he was to me.Tuberose, he repeated. And incense, I think. Ive never smelled anything like it. He leaned a hair closer.Its Michael by Michael Kors. You can get it at any high-end department store. I nearly groaned as the words left my flustered lips. What an pathetic thing to say. My nervousness made me flippant. Maybe Cady could start wearing it.Seth was all seriousness. No. This is you. however you. It would never smell exactly the same on anyone else.I shivered. I wore this perfume because it was reminiscent of what other immortals sensed in my unique signature, my aura. This is you. With just a few casual words, I felt as though Seth had uncovered some secret part of me, looked into my soul.We sat there then, chemistry intent between us like crazy, neither of us acting. I knew he would not try to coddle me as Roma n had. Seth was content simply to look at me, to make love to me with his eyes. absolutely the wind caught the door to the tiny restaurant, forcing it open as a huge gust swept in. Wisps of hair blew into my face, and I slammed my hands down on the napkins that flew up from our table. Other items in the parlor had less achiever as more napkins and scraps of paper drifted around, and a cup of plastic spoons fell off the counter, spilling its contents on the floor. The clerk behind the counter ran to the door, fighting against the wind to make the latch catch. When hed finally done so, he glared at the door resentfully.With the moment whatever it was shattered, Seth and I picked up our things and left shortly thereafter. I asked him to drop me off at the bookstore. I hoped Doug would be there to apologize to, plus I wanted to get ahold of that Harrington book.You want to come in and hang out? Say hi to anybody? I somehow felt reluctant to leave Seth now, in spite of all the things I needed to do.He shook his head. Sorry. Ive got to go. Im meeting someone.Oh. I felt kind of foolish. He could have a discover now for all I knew. And why shouldnt he? It wasnt like I was his only social connection, specially after my no-dating spiel. I was foolish to be reading so much into the ice cream encounter, specially since I was supposedly crazy about Roman. Well. Thanks again for everything. Ill make it up to you.He waved his hand dismissively. It wasnt anything. Besides, you paid me back by going to the party.Now I shook my head. I didnt really do anything there.Seth only smiled. See you around.I stepped out of the car and suddenly stuck my head back in. Hey, I should have asked you this earlier. Do you have my book signed yet? The Glasgow Pact ? Oh man. No. I cant believe I forgot about that. Its still at my place. Ill sign it and bring it soon. Im sorry. He looked sincerely contrite.Okay. Its no problem. I should have ransacked his condo for it.We said goodbye agai n, and I turned into the bookstore. If I remembered my schedule right, Paige should have opened and Doug should be here now as the late manager. Sure enough, he stood at the breeding desk, looking on while Tammi helped a customer.Hey, I said, walking up to him, uneasiness filling me as I recalled my harsh words. Can I talk to you for a minute?No.Whoa. Id expected him to be upset but this?You need to call your friend first.I what?That one guy, Doug explained. That plastic surgeon that hangs out with you and Cody.Hugh?Yeah, thats the one. Hes called, like, a hundred times, leaving messages. Hes been worried about you. His expression turned both soft and juiceless as he took in my dress and flannel ensemble. So have I.I frowned, wondering at Hughs urgency. Okay. Ill call him now. Come talk to me later?Doug nodded, and I started to pull out my cell phone until I remembered Id broken it last night. Retreating to the back office instead, I sat on the desks edge and called Hugh.Hello?Hu gh? messiah Christ, Georgina. Where the hell have you been?I, er, nowhereWeve been trying to get ahold of you all last night and today.I wasnt at home, I explained. And my cell phone broke. Why? Whats going on? Tell me there hasnt been another one. panicked so. Another murder this time, no more friendly beatings. When we couldnt reach you, the vampires and I thought hed got you too, even though Jerome said he could feel that you were fine.I swallowed. Who who was it?Are you sitting down?Sort of.I gear up myself, ready for anything. Demon. Imp. Vampire. Succubus.Lucinda.I blinked. What? All my theories of an avenger of evil shattered. But thats impossible. Shes shes an angel, Hugh finished for me.