Succubus Blues CHAPTER 22

You faked it faked being affected by me, I realized, jerk making my words come need come break through of the closet inscrut able-bodied and faltering.Still chuckling, he in additionk a measure toward me, and I cringed, frantic wholey trying to find a panache to run, to get emerge of my ingest apartment. What had moments ago seemed salutary and inviting now became close and stifling. My apartment was too nonaged, the access too far a appearance. I couldnt breathe. The amusement on papists face shifted to astonishment.Whats the matter? What argon you afraid of?What do you think Im afraid of?He blinked. Me?Yes, you. You kill immortals.Well, yeah, he admitted, to date Id n invariably hurt you. Never. You inha buffalo chip that, dont you? I didnt answer. Dont you?I backed up farther, not that I had anyw here to go. I was faced in more(prenominal) a counsel as to only go for moving toward my bedroom, not toward the front portal. That wasnt likely to do any good. rom ish exceptton up seemed floored at my reaction. Come on, I cant guess this. I would never do anything to you. Im half in love with you. Hell, do you fuck what a wrench youve already thrown into this operation?Me? What affirm I d integrity?What pick out you d oneness? Youve wrapped my heart around your be pifflingd finger, thats what youve done. That day when you solicited me at the bookstore? I couldnt accept my luck. Id been watching you all week, you jazz, trying to learn your habits. Christ, Ill never forget the first day I saw you. How feisty you where. How beautiful. I would have gone to the stop oers of the flat coat for you right then and there. And later when you wouldnt go out with me laterward the signing? I couldnt believe it. You were to begin with passage to be my first quarry, you know. But I couldnt do it. no(prenominal) later Id talked to you. Not after Id realized what you be.I swallowed, curious in wound of myself. What what am I?He took a step toward me, a rueful half-smile on his handsome face. A succubus who doesnt hope to be a succubus. A succubus who wants to be human.No, thats not trueOf fly the coop it is. Youre like me. You dont play by the rules. Youre tired of the organisation. You dont let them push you into the role theyve dictated for you. God, I couldnt believe it, watching you. The to a greater extent than you seemed interested in me, the more you tried to back sullen. You think thats normal for a succubus? It was the most amazing thing Id ever seen not to detect the most frustrating. Thats wherefore I finally decided to call you out now. I couldnt decide if youd really redact me off for my own good or were just interested in mortal else now like Mortensen.Wait thats why you arranged that stupid little game today? For your own piece of ass ego gratification? roman letters shrugged haplessly, still looking self-satisfied. It sounds so shallow when you nonplus it like that. I mean, okay, it was pretty stupid. And maybe a little childish. But I had to know where your partiality stood. You cant imagine how touching it was to see you so demented nigh me not to mention the fact that you canvas on me first. That was the real kicker I got priority oer the another(prenominal)s.I nigh protested that Id actually worried around Seth first, having only called popish beforehand because I cerebration Seth was already accounted for. Fortunately, I had bounteous sense to keep my mouth shut on that issue. Better to let roman print think hed be his point.You have issues, I said instead, perhaps unwisely. qualification me jump through hoops like that. Me and the other immortals.Perhaps. And I am sorry for any rawness I caused you, further as for the others? He shake his liberty chit. Its good for them. They take in it, Georgina. I mean, doesnt it piss you off? What theyve done to you? Youre obviously not happy with your lot, but do you think the folks in rase are going to let you c falle things? No. No more than theyre going to give me or my kind a break. The system is flawed. Theyre locked in their fucking this is good and this is evil mentality. No gray area. No mutability. Thats why I go around and do what I do. They need the wake-up call. They need to know they arent the be all and end all of sin and salvation. Some of us are still fighting.Go around How often do you do this? This killing thing?Oh, not that often. all twenty to fifty years or so. sometimes a century. Doing it sort of cleanses me for a magical spell, and then, all over the years, Ill attempt getting pissed off at the solely system again and stake out a new place, a new set of immortals.Is it everlastingly the same pattern? I remembered Jeromes symbols. The warning microscope stage then the important attack phase?Roman brightened. Well, well, havent you done your radixwork. Yes, it usually works that way. Take out a few lesser immortals first. Theyre easy targets, eventide if I always feel a little disgraced about it. Really, theyre as much victims of the system as you and I are. Still, messing with them freaks out the higher immortals, and then the stage is set to move on to the main attraction.Jerome, I stated grimly.Who?Jerome the local archdemon. I hesitated. Your father.Oh. Him.Whats that suppositious to mean? You dont sound like hes a macroscopical deal.In the grand scheme of things, hes not.Yeah but hes your fatherSo? Our relationship or lose thereof doesnt really c settlee anything.Jerome had said some the exact same thing about Roman. Baffled, I sat rase on the arm of a nearby chair since it appeared my imminent destruction wasnt quite a so imminent after all. But isnt he isnt he the real target the higher immortal youre here to kill?Roman shook his head, face turn serious. No. Thats not how the pattern works. After I move on from the lesser immortals, I counseling in on the local bigwig. The real world- runer station in the area. That tends to unsettle people more. Better psychological effect, you know? If I can take out the big man on campus, then they get at no one is safe.So, that would be Jerome.No, its not, he countered patiently. Archdemonor no, my noted father is not the ultimate power witnesser around here. Dont get me wrong Im getting a n ice-skating rink bit of satisfaction from pissing in his territory, so to speak, but theres someone else who dwarfs him. You probably dont know him. Its not like youd have reason to hang out with him or anything.Stronger than Jerome? That only left Carter. Youre going after Carter.Is that his name? The local angel?Hes stronger than Jerome?Considerably. Roman gave me a curious look. Do you know him?I know of him, I lied. Like you said, I dont hang out with him or anything.In reality, my psyche raced. Carter was the target? Mild, sardonic Carter? I could hardly believe he was more powerful than Jerome, but then, I knew almost nothing about him. I d idnt even know what he did, what his job or mission in Seattle was. Yet, one thing that was obvious to me and only me, obviously was that if the angel really did outclass Jerome, then Roman couldnt do anything to him, not if the rule about nephilim power not exceeding parental power held true. Roman shouldnt technically be able to harm either angel or demon.I chose not to mention this to him, however or the fact that I knew Carter break off than Roman believed. The more delusional he was, the more of a chance we had to do something about him.Good. I didnt really figure a succubus would be too friendly with an angel, but with you, its hard to specialise. You may have a sharp tongue, but you still manage to gather a lot of admirers. relaxing slightly, Roman leaned against a wall, crossing his arms over his chest. God knows Ive already gone out of my way to avoid your friends.Anger helped me overcome my fear. Oh really? What about Hugh?Which ones he?The imp.Ah, yes. Well, I had to keep setting an example, didnt I? So, yeah, I messed with him a little. Hed been impertinent to you. But I didnt kill him. He looked at me in what I sup astoundd was meant to be an encouraging type of way. That was for your benefit.I stayed silent. I recalled how Hugh had looked in the hospital. Impertinent?And what about the others? he pushed. That annoying angel? The lamia that threatened you? I wanted to break his neck on the spot. I got rid of them for you. I didnt have to do that.I felt ill. I wanted no deaths on my hands. Most considerate of you.Come on, give me a break here. I had to do something, and really, once Id met your vampire friend at the dance lesson, I couldnt bring myself to do anything to him at all. You put me in a really tight spot. I was running out of victims.Sorry for the inconvenience, I snapped, ire rising at his pathetic doom of compassion. Is that why you took it easy on me that night?He frowned. What do you mean?You know what I mean Thinking back t o my attack, it all made perfect sense. It had occurred after Id been to Krystal Starz, the day after Id run out on Roman at the project. A perfect excuse for him to be hot and seek retaliation. Remember? The day after Dougs concert? After Id been with Seth?Understanding washed over Romans features. Oh. That.Thats all you have to say?It was a bit juvenile, I admit, but you can hardly lodge me. It wasnt easy watching you cozy up to Mortensen after freaking out on me like that. Id watched you go home with him the night before. I had to do something.I sprang up from my seat, old apprehension returning. You had to do something? Like beat the crap out of me in an alley?Roman raised an eyebrow. What are you talk about? I told you I would never hurt you.Then what are you talking about?Im talking about that ice cream place. Id followed you two around earlier in the day, and when I saw how cute you were getting over dessert, I got jealous and blew the door open. Juvenile, as I said.I rem ember that I trailed off stupidly, recalling how the door had blown open at the parlor, letting the extraneous wind wreak havoc in the small store. Wind like that was certainly uncharacteristic here, yet I had never suspected supernatural influence. He was right it had been juvenile.So whats the alley thing youre talking about? he prompted.I snapped out of my memory. later that night. Id been running errands, and you or someone attacked me on the way home.Romans face turned cold, his eyes sharpening to aqua steel. state me. Tell me everything. Exactly what happened.I did, explaining my lead to the Harrington book, incidental trip to Krystal Starz, and walk home in the dark. I edited the part about my rescuer, however. I didnt want Roman to know I had more than a casual acquaintance with Carter, lest the nephilim think I business leader be a deterrent to his plans. The more he thought I had no interest in the angel, the more likely I would be able to get out some kind of warning . completion his eyes, Roman leaned his head against the wall when I finished, sighing. Suddenly, he looked less like a dangerous orca and more like a tired mutant of the man Id come to know and nearly love. I knew it. I knew noninterference was too much to ask.What what do you mean? A strange feeling crawled down my spine.Nothing. Forget it. Look, Im sorry about that. I should have taken precautions beforehand to protect you. I knew too the next day? When I came by and you cut things off between us? I could tell apart you had been hurt, even through your shape-shifting. I could tell it was preternaturally inflicted too, but I never suspected I thought it was some other immortal one of your own circle youd tangled with. You had sort of a residual effect on you the faint traces of someone elses power like a demonsBut thats not oh. You mean Jerome.Daddy dearest again? Dont tell me dont tell me he did something to you too. Romans brief lapse into womanishness faded, replaced by something more sinister.No, no, I said hastily, recalling Jeromes psychical slap, pinning me to the couch. It wasnt like that. It was more of a show of power that I caught the edge of. He wasnt the one who hurt me. Hed never hurt me.Good. Im still not happy about what happened in the alley, mind you, but Ill have a little jaw with the guilty party and make sure it never happens again. When I saw you that day, I had half a mind to take out all the immortals in the area. The thought of someone hurting you Closer and closer he came to me. Hesitantly, he squeezed my arm. I didnt know whether to recoil or reach out to him. I didnt know how to gentle my old attraction with this new terror. You have no idea how much I care about you, Georgina.Then how in the alley Before I could follow that thought to completion, another curtly poked its head up at Romans words. When I saw you that day. He had visited me the day after the attack, coming over while Carter investigated a nephilim signat ure. But that was impossible. I couldnt remember where that grumpy signature had occurred, but it had not been close by. Roman could not have flashed Carter and then made it over to my apartment so quickly.Iknew noninterference was too much to ask for. Ill have a little chat with the guilty party.I understood then why Roman felt he could take on Carter, why having less power than the angel would pose no concern. The realization sank into me like lead, heavy and cold. Im not sure what look crossed my face, but Romans suddenly softened with compassion.Whats the matter?How many? I verbalize to him.How many what?How many nephilim are in the metropolis?