Succubus Shadows (8 page)

I didn’t say anything for several moments. I wondered if Brandy’s resentment toward the wedding was because she had greater devotion to me than Maddie—or if it was part of some romantic ideal girls her age often had about love and soul mates.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “Love in the real world doesn’t usually work out the way stories make us think it should. We don’t always get fairy-tale endings. People split up and move on. Just because you love someone doesn’t mean you can’t love someone else.” I shivered. This was remarkably similar to a conversation Carter and I had once had, shortly after the (first) break-up with Seth.

“It’s still not right,” said Brandy obstinately.

Seth and Maddie retrieved her shortly thereafter, for which I was grateful. I really didn’t want to have to play devil’s advocate and defend a marriage that I was hardly thrilled about myself. I felt that sorrow that always seemed to plague me when I thought about them surface…and then remembered Erik’s comments. Don’t give in to it. Stay away from it—that was what kept leading me into trouble.

Easier said than done, just as I’d told him. Distraction seemed to be the key to it all, and I just didn’t feel up to another liaison tonight. I certainly didn’t need the energy.

“Distract me,” I murmured when I was seated in my car. “Annoy me with your ‘wit,’ or just make me outright mad.”

No physical evidence of Roman appeared—no signature, no physical appearance—but his voice answered me back just as softly. “Go see your friends. Aren’t they going to that bar tonight? You need to tell Cody he’s going on a double date.”

“It’s not a double date,” I growled back.

But Roman had a point. I probably should let the young vampire know what was in store tomorrow. I was also kind of curious how Roman even knew about the bar outing. I’d received a voice mail message earlier today that one would think would have been out of Roman’s hearing range. He’d either been standing really close, or nephilim just had superhuman hearing. And, well, seeing as they
were
superhuman, I supposed that wasn’t too far off.

Another idea suddenly came to mind about tonight’s social gathering, one that would most definitely provide a distraction—and possibly take care of a nuisance.

“The bar it is,” I declared.

I drove down to Pioneer Square, Seattle’s historic district, and sought out the Cellar, a dive of a bar located in a basement akin to its name. It was a favorite place for immortals—well, hellish immortals. Since most angels didn’t drink—Carter being the exception—you didn’t usually find them hanging out in bars. They were more likely to be found at upscale coffee shops. For inexplicable reasons, a number of them also liked to hang out at the restaurant on top of the Space Needle. Maybe they thought it was bringing them closer to Heaven.

And, indeed, as I walked down the stairs into the Cellar, I felt Carter’s signature, along with those of my usual clique. Best of all, there was an additional signature I’d been hoping to find.

“Hot damn,” I said, striding toward the table where Simone sat with my friends. She burned with the glow of energy that succubi stole from their victims. I hated to admit it, but hers was brighter than the one I still sported. I assured myself that it was just because she’d probably bagged someone today, rather than last night.

Hugh scooted to make room for me, and I pulled up a chair from a neighboring table. “Didn’t think you’d show tonight.”

I waved a waiter over and ordered a vodka gimlet. “You know I can’t stay away from you guys.”

“You’re just in time,” said Carter. His face was neutral, but I caught a mischievous glint in his eyes as he sipped his bourbon. “Simone was just regaling us with tales of the Underground Tour. Did you hear that Seattle burned to the ground and was rebuilt a century ago?”

“Only every time I take the tour,” I replied. Which had been about a dozen times. It was a tourist hotbed, and I’d taken friends and out-of-town victims on it often. I gave Simone a curious look. “Did you do that today?”

She nodded. “Figured I should take in the city while I’m here.” She was still using that librarian voice, but I had to admit she looked more like a succubus than the last time I’d seen her. Her neckline was cut so low, it was a wonder her nipples didn’t show. Her lips were fuck-me red, and unless I was mistaken, her hair was longer and more voluminous than before. I couldn’t decide if she looked like an angel or a beach bunny.

And speaking of angels…Simone had her chair pushed right next to Carter’s, so close that she couldn’t help but brush her arm against his each time she reached for her drink. I suspected her leg was pressed up to his as well.

He glanced over, giving her a look that wasn’t exactly romantic but filled with deep interest I felt certain was feigned.

“I find Seattle’s history fascinating. I haven’t been here that long, so it’s great to keep learning new things.”

Simone beamed. Across the table, Hugh choked a little on his drink. Carter had been in Seattle for a couple hundred years. True—not
that
long for an immortal like him, but he’d most certainly been here for the Seattle fire. Hell, considering how he’d once accidentally burned down my Christmas tree, he might have been the one who set the city ablaze, for all I knew.

My gimlet appeared, and I took a long drink of liquid courage. “From what I hear, you’ve been checking out some of our local celebrities too,” I said sweetly.

Simone dragged her adoring gaze from Carter and fixed me with a frown. “I don’t think I’ve run into many celebrities.”

“Well,” I said, still smiling like a fool. “I guess it depends on how you define ‘celebrity.’ I certainly consider best-selling authors celebrities. You’ve been chatting up one quite a bit.”

Immediately, Cody, Hugh, and Peter eagerly snapped to attention. They could sniff female conflict a mile away and were undoubtedly bracing themselves for a cat fight.

“Oh, that,” she said dismissively. “I thought you meant like an actor or something. Yeah, he’s just someone on my radar. One of many. Pretty cute. Nice enough.”

“And a friend of mine,” I said. My voice was still cheerful, but I could see in her eyes that she was well aware of the escalating tension.

“Still, fair game,” she replied with a shrug. “And what do you care? His soul’s already tainted. He’s not
that
good a catch. Not like I can do much more damage.”

That wasn’t true. Seth might currently be Hell-bound, but he wasn’t beyond redemption—even though the odds of that were allegedly slim. If by some crazy chance Simone got him to cheat on Maddie again, his soul would grow darker and kill any lingering chances to save him. Plus, sin aside, Simone would shorten his life—which was something I was definitely against.

“So, he’s just a random guy you scoped out?” I asked. The politeness was fading from me. It was disappearing from her too. So. Bland Simone wasn’t quite as oblivious as she played. “The fact that he’s a friend of mine
and
someone I used to date makes no difference?”

“You make it sound like I’m trying to get you back for something. I don’t even
know
you. I’m just here on vacation. Getting guys is part of our life—and you don’t have any territorial control like them.” She nodded toward the vampires, who had very well-defined hunting grounds. “Unless,” she added smugly, “you’ve got some kind of arrangement with Jerome.”

I certainly didn’t. In fact, my boss had made it extremely clear that he didn’t care about what happened to Seth.

“No, but I’d think you’d do it as a courtesy when you’re visiting someone else’s city. It’s the nice thing to do.” My smile returned, filled with ice this time. “And it ensures that your visit stays nice too.” Maybe using her favorite adjective would drive home my message.

Simone stiffened, attention totally on me now. “What is this, some kind of warning that you’ll come after me if I don’t back off?”

I shrugged and finished my drink. “Just friendly advice.”

She stood up and slung her purse over her shoulder with such force that it nearly hit Carter in the head. Apparently, he wasn’t on the radar anymore. Well, at least for now. “I’m not going to stay and listen to thinly veiled threats. Especially ones over inconsequential men. If I want him, I’ll get him.”

“You’ll be missed,” I muttered as she stalked away.

“Oh,” said Hugh brightly. “There is nothing I like better than when succubi fight. Puts
Dynasty
to shame. You could have cleaned the floor with Tawny, but Simone might give you a match.”

“Hardly,” I said. “And she’ll have about as much luck with Seth as Carter.”

Carter raised an eyebrow, apparently not agreeing with my statement.

“She’s really hitting on Seth?” asked Cody.

“Yup. In a shy, starry-eyed fan girl kind of way.”

“Isn’t that how you won him over way back when?” asked Peter.

I shot him a glare. “It’s irrelevant. It won’t work.”

“Then why worry?” asked Hugh slyly.

“Because an ounce of prevention—oh, never mind,” I groaned. “I need another drink.”

Hugh and the vampires were clearly amused by all this and weren’t particularly concerned. I think they too believed Seth would prove immovable; they just liked the idea of me making another succubus irate. The sad part was that I’d probably just encouraged Simone to try even harder.

Two drinks later, I decided to head home. I was sufficiently angry that I didn’t fear the siren song’s comfort. Before leaving, I informed Cody about his impending date. Unsurprisingly, he freaked out.

“What? I…I can’t. What will I say? What will I do?”

“Frankly, my dear…” began Hugh in an undertone.

“You’ll be fine,” I said. “Just stop stressing and be yourself.”

“Sounds like a double date,” said Peter. “I can get more black hair dye.”

“No,” I warned. “Do not even think about it.” I could still see faint streaks that hadn’t entirely washed out from Cody’s blond mane. “Just dress like you are now. I’ll meet you at the club.”

I started to turn, and then a thought came to me. “Carter, can I talk to you?”

His lips twitched slightly. If that was his sign of surprise, I couldn’t say. “Anything for you, Daughter of Lilith.”

He followed me outside the bar, where we stood amid all the Pioneer Square partygoers. Once clear of the building’s non-smoking interior, he promptly lit a cigarette.

“If you’re jealous of my relationship with Simone,” he said, “I can assure you, we’re just friends.”

“Oh, be quiet. You know that’s not what this is about. Look, she was lying, right? About Seth being a coincidence?”

Carter took a long drag before answering. Angels could tell when others were lying. “Yep. But she seemed pretty sincere in the last comment about going after him regardless.”

I grimaced. “Why? Why would she target Seth? Is it some kind of way to assert dominance over the local succubus?”

“Not sure. The ways of succubi—and all women—are a mystery to me.”

“Jerome originally thought she’d come to spy. He had Roman follow her, but nothing came of it. She never reported in or anything. He pulled Roman from her—” I paused, suddenly turning over the events and analyzing them in a way I hadn’t considered before. “But it wasn’t until I told him Simone was hitting on Seth. It seemed like that was the moment Jerome pulled Roman. He seemed pretty adamant about leaving her alone.”

“Did he now?” Carter inhaled on the cigarette again, but I could see thoughts churning behind his eyes.

“What?” I asked.

“Just a musing,” he said. A half-truth, typical of angels. “Did Jerome do anything else after that?”

“Yeah, he put Roman on me.”

This elicited surprise. “Why?”

Apparently, Jerome and Carter hadn’t been hanging out recently. I gave Carter the rundown on my latest bizarre situation.

“That is weird,” he admitted.

“Do you know what it could be?”

“Any number of things.” He spoke flippantly, but I knew I’d piqued his curiosity—maybe even his concern.

I sighed. “I wish people would stop saying that. No one’s really helping.”

“I’ll help you,” he said, dropping the cigarette and stamping it out. “I’ll follow Simone.”

That was not at all what I had expected. “Why would you do that? Are you going to stop her from making the moves on Seth?”

This earned his amusement. “You know I can’t interfere with that kind of thing. But I am curious about Simone’s activities.”

An uneasy feeling bubbled within me, one that had troubled me since I’d first met Seth, and Carter had begun taking an active role in my life. “Why? Why do you care so much about Seth? You’ve always been curious about what he does—and how we interact.”

“I’m interested in the creative process of a great artist. It’s fun to watch.”

“Another half-truth.” Like always, he answered the question without really answering it. I was astonished at the desperation in my voice when I spoke next. “I’m serious. Why, Carter? How does Seth—and me being with Seth—concern you?”

He chucked me on the chin. “You’ve got better things to do than worry about the goings-on of a curious angel. Besides, wouldn’t you feel better if someone was reporting back to you on Simone?”

“Well, yeah,” I admitted. “But—”

“Then it’s settled. You’re welcome.”

He turned quickly away and disappeared into a crowd of partiers. I knew better than to go after him because he’d probably literally disappear once no one was paying attention. I sighed yet again.

Fucking angels.

K
nowing Carter was on the job with Simone made me feel mildly better, but there was something about him that always unnerved me when it came to Seth—and, well, my love life in general. He was too interested. I’d gotten used to an angel hanging out with my friends, but sometimes I wondered if I was being lulled into some kind of trick. Heaven had its own agenda, just as we did, and their motives were often harder to figure out.

I had a morning shift the next day. It passed by easily until Doug delivered some bad news to me about ten minutes before I was going to leave.

“Can’t go with you tonight, Kincaid.”

I looked up from my spreadsheet in disbelief. “What?”

He shrugged, hovering near the door to my office. He’d had the same shift as me today, and I had a feeling he was telling me at the end to save himself from hours of anger. Kind of like how people who get fired are told at the end of the day on Friday.

“There’s this girl I met…and I can’t really turn down the chance to go out with her. Oh, man. She’s smokin’. She’s got this body that—”

“I don’t need the details,” I interrupted. “Can’t you just take her instead of me? Cody was starting to get into this idea…he’ll be really down if it gets canceled.”

“No need to cancel. Just go without me. I couldn’t bring her instead of you—Cody needs you.”

I groaned. “Yeah, but the safety of a group is gone, and I become the third wheel.”

“Find someone else to go, then.”

It was then that Maddie appeared beside her brother. She was relieving him for the next shift. “Go where?”

My next words made me cringe, but I did
not
want to go alone with Cody and Gabrielle. “Do you want to go to a, um, metal concert tonight?” At least having another woman along would kill the double date insinuations.

This clearly wasn’t an invite that she’d been expecting. “Well…I would, except I’ve got to close, and then I’m supposed to meet a friend.” I had serious doubts about the “I would” part and this so-called friend. Metal was not Maddie’s scene. She suddenly brightened. “You know what? You should bring Seth.”

“I…what?” I asked.

“Mortensen?” asked Doug, sounding as baffled as me.

“I don’t think that’s his thing,” I said uneasily. I knew for a fact it wasn’t.

“Yeah,” agreed Doug. “Probably not a good idea.”

I hid a frown at Doug’s words. With as much as he wanted to get out of this and see his smokin’ woman, I figured he’d be willing to push anyone off on me.

Maddie was oblivious. “No, really. He’s been cooped up for weeks with the book, and I think it’d be good for him to go out. I think the wedding stuff is stressing him out.”

Yeah, that made two of us. “Oh, I don’t want to, um, push him outside of his comfort zone,” I said lamely.

She laughed. “Like I said, it’d be good for him. I’ll go ask him now.”

She was gone before either Doug or I could protest. Several moments of silence hung between us. “Well,” he said at last. “She can talk him into almost anything. I guess you’re set.”

“I guess so.” He walked off, and I found it intriguing that neither of us was excited about this prospect. It drove home the double date thing even more and also made me feel guilty about Maddie’s blind trust. On the bright side—kind of—I supposed it would take some balls for Simone to crash the concert and continue her “seduction” of Seth.

As Doug had predicted, Maddie did indeed convince Seth to go. It was a late show, and the four of us had agreed to meet outside the club around 10:30 so that I could distribute our tickets. Once we were all there, I glanced at the three faces before me, trying to decide whether it was all comical or pathetic. Seth was doing the averting-his-eyes thing, clearly uncomfortable that Maddie had pushed him into this. Cody was paler than usual for a vampire and looked ready to bolt at any moment. In fact, I wouldn’t have been surprised if both men teamed up to formulate an escape plan. Gabrielle was the only one who looked excited to be there, her eyes alight and eager.

She was also the only one really dressed for the scene, all in black, with her hair spiked up and makeup done to dramatic levels. Cody and Seth wore their usual street clothes, and I’d dressed somewhere in the middle: black jeans and a black bustier top, adorned with heavy silver jewelry. It was clearly too designer for this place, however.

“Thanks so much for letting me come along with you guys,” she said. “I didn’t know any of you liked Blue Satin Bra.”

“What’s not to like?” asked Seth, face innocent.

I kept my eyes away from him because I had a feeling I’d start grinning. I handed out the tickets, and we headed inside, surrounded by a crowd that I decided I’d want on my side if I was ever in a street brawl.

We managed to snag a high-top table in the back. It meant standing the whole time, but at least we had a surface to put our glasses on. “Offer to buy her a drink,” I hissed to Cody. The nice thing about playing Cyrano to a vampire was that his enhanced hearing meant I could keep my voice far below levels that Gabrielle could pick up. The noise in the room—even before the band started—also furthered the covert nature of all this.

Cody dutifully obeyed, and when Gabrielle started to dig out cash, he assured her the first round was on him. The smile she gave him seemed to boost his confidence as he headed off.

Seth leaned toward my ear. He stood on the opposite side of me from Gabrielle, and she was too entranced by the sights to even notice us. “This might be crazy enough to work,” he murmured.

“Don’t get carried away,” I responded back, trying not to think of his proximity. “The night is young. Any number of wacky mishaps might ensue.”

He smiled. “Those are your specialty, aren’t they?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Cody returned with the drinks, earning more approval from Gabrielle. She wasn’t showing any romantic attraction to him whatsoever, but at least she knew he was alive. While I still stood firm that he shouldn’t overdo the vampire/Goth thing, I realized we were going to have to work hard to get past the “ordinary” facade she saw.

“Talk to her,” I told him. He’d slipped back to his place between me and Gabrielle. “Once they start, it’s probably going to be impossible.”

“What do I say?”

Seth, overhearing, leaned across me, and I wished I’d covered up more skin. His arm brushing up against me sent thrills through my body.

“Ask her if she’s ever seen them live before,” Seth said. “If she says no, tell her about this one time you saw them at…I don’t know. A private party. If she says yes, ask her what she thought.”

Cody gave an uneasy nod. He leaned toward her, and while I only caught bits and pieces of the conversation, she grew animated as she spoke. I leaned back to Seth.

“When did you become an expert in dating advice?” I asked incredulously.

“It’s what O’Neill would do.”

I scoffed. “You’re using fiction to further Cody’s love life?”

“Life imitates art, and art imitates life.”

“That statement is ridiculous. And, you know, I’ve never really seen
you
utilize that advice.”

“Well, that’s O’Neill’s advice. I have lots of characters I can draw from.”

“Funny, I don’t remember any introverted, stammering writers in your books.”

“I don’t stammer,” he said defensively—though there was a smile under his words. “Besides, maybe there’ll be someone like that
in the new series.
”

“Ooh,” I said, mocking his melodrama. “What’s with the ‘maybe’? I thought you had the premise for this whole fantastic new thing figured out.”

“I do. But it can always be improved along the way.”

“Introvert authors improve everything.”

“Damn straight.”

Laughing, I remembered that I should have been helping Cody, but he was talking to Gabrielle on his own, which I took as a positive sign. I turned back to Seth. “So does this mean you’ve figured out the ending to Cady and O’Neill?”

“No.” He still held his good humor, despite a small frown on his brow. “One of these days, I’ll have to—”

His words were cut off when the eardrum-splitting screech of a guitar ripped through the room. Blue Satin Bra had come onstage while I was talking (flirting?) with Seth. I hated stereotypes, but truthfully: they looked like what you’d expect from an all-guy metal band. Black clothing, piercings, and hair that ran in extremes: shaved or super long. The one thing that differentiated them was, well, the fact that they were wearing blue satin demi bras over their clothes.

Even above the deafening music that followed, I could hear Gabrielle shrieking, “Oh my God!” Her face was ecstatic, and when Cody said something to her, she lit up further and nodded eagerly at the band. My guess was—whether it was true or not—he was reaffirming how awesome they were.

The music forced Seth and me to lean close in order to talk. “You know,” he said, “I’m pretty sure the bass player stuffed his bra.”

“Nah,” I teased back. “It’s a push-up bra, so it just seems that way. They do amazing things for cleavage.”

All things considered, Blue Satin Bra wasn’t that bad. Metal might not be my favorite music, but I was still open to a lot of types. The setting and craziness that ensued throughout the night gave Seth and me lots of material to joke over. We were both in really good moods when the show finally ended and we walked out with Gabrielle and Cody.

“That was
awesome,
” she exclaimed. “Thank you so much for sharing the tickets.”

“No problem,” I said. My ears were ringing, and I wasn’t sure if I was still shouting.

“I think that was the best show I’ve ever seen,” said Cody nobly.

Gabrielle clutched his sleeve, and his eyes widened. “I know! Which was your favorite song?”

Silence.

“Mine was that one were they kept saying ‘My Armageddon scales will burn your post office,’” said Seth deadpan.

“Oh, yeah. That’s one of their greatest,” she said. “It’s called ‘Plywood Fuck.’”

“That’s my favorite too,” said Cody. I somehow doubted he’d heard any of the music tonight. His senses were all on Gabrielle.

Perfectly in sync, Seth and I glanced at each other and exchanged secret smiles, both of us amused at Cody’s love. I wasn’t as far gone as he was, but when our group finally split up, I found myself walking on air too.

“Interesting night,” Roman told me when we got home. He’d been along in spy mode. “I think Cody might actually have a chance.”

“Maybe,” I said. “He’s clearly smitten, but she only seems mildly interested. In a friendly way, though.”

Roman rummaged through the kitchen and poured himself a bowl of Lucky Charms. “He’s not the only one who’s smitten.”

I sighed and collapsed onto the couch. “Let it go, okay? We all know I’m a long ways from getting over Seth.”

Roman gave me a sly look. “I wasn’t talking about you.”

I stared at him for a moment, my vodka-addled brain trying to make sense of his words. “Wait…you’re talking about Seth? He’s over me.”

“Oh my God, Georgina. Could you be any more delusional?”

“He’s getting married.”

“That means nothing. If it did, guys wouldn’t catch chlamydia at their bachelor parties.”

“But he
does
love Maddie. And no matter what you think about his feelings, he’ll be out of my reach once they’re married.”

“The fact that they’re dating means he should already be out of your reach—but past evidence shows that’s not true.”

I scowled and kicked off my shoes. “Don’t bring that up. I feel bad enough—and so does he. If you’re just going to taunt me, then I’m going to bed.”

But to my surprise, Roman didn’t wear that mocking look that had become so typical for him since returning to Seattle. His eyes were serious, his expression—almost—concerned. “I’m not trying to taunt you. I’m just stating the facts. No matter what happens, you and Seth can’t seem to stay away from each other. You should put in a transfer request.”

“What, out of Seattle?” I asked incredulously. “I love it here.”

“You’ll learn to love some other place. Honestly, it’s the only way you’re going to be able to move on—the only way either of you can move on. You’re in a situation where you see him every day—tonight being a prime example. He broke up with you, and then you broke up with him for some ‘greater good’ kind of goal. But if you keep hanging around each other, it won’t matter. You’ll never heal. You’re just going to get your heart ripped out every day.”

I was so stunned that I couldn’t even respond for several seconds. The old taunt danced in my head: circles and circles. “I…why do you say that? Why do you care?”

“Because I already see it happening every day. You
are
getting your heart ripped out over and over, and it kills me to watch it happen.”

Again, I fell speechless for a moment. “I thought…I thought you hated me. I thought you wanted to destroy me.”

He finished his cereal and set the bowl down. I didn’t have the will to shoo the cats away. “I don’t hate you, Georgina,” he said wearily. “Am I upset about what happened to Helena? Absolutely. Am I upset about you lying about loving me? Yes. Do I want some kind of revenge? Maybe. Honestly, my feelings change from day to day. Some days I do want something awful to happen to you. Some days…well, I know you did what you did out of some misguided sense of…I don’t know. You thought you were doing the right thing.”

I wanted to tell him that I had loved him, in a way. But that probably wouldn’t be useful right now. “Well, watching this Seth drama unfold is probably giving you lots of material when it comes to something awful happening to me.”

“No,” he said, with a weary head shake. “I don’t like this. Like I said, I’d rather see you leave and start a new life. Every time I see you now, it’s like…it’s like watching you die. Over and over.”

I stood up, suddenly wanting to sleep. “Yeah,” I said softly. “That’s kind of what it feels like.” I hesitated. “Thanks for listening. And understanding.”

“Anytime,” he said.

This also caught me by surprise. Somewhere in these last few crazy months, I realized, Roman and I had become friends again. “I hate to ask you this, but, well, I’m not doing a very good job with keeping an upbeat mood tonight. Would you—”