Succubus Revealed (6 page)
I cut him a look. “It was a fondue party at a vampire’s. Everything about that is weird.”
“I’m trying to help you!” There was a strained, agitated quality to his voice as he leaned toward me. “Just hold off on the jokes, okay?
Think
. What happened—to you specifically? What did you talk about? What did they say to you?”
Think
. What happened—to you specifically? What did you talk about? What did they say to you?”
I was growing increasingly uncomfortable at his intensity. “They were teasing me about my job,” I said.
“Jerome too?”
“Of course. He said me being an elf was an embarrassment and that I should do something else.” A shocking thought hit me. “Roman . . . you don’t think Jerome requested the transfer, did you? Could he really be that upset with me? That embarrassed?”
“I don’t know,” admitted Roman. He absentmindedly ran a hand through his curling dark hair. “It’s possible. Some of the weirdness might be explained away if Jerome was trying to hide that he initiated all this. But then, it’s not like any of your other friends are exactly normal. If something was going to embarrass Jerome enough to get rid of an employee, I kind of feel like there would have been a lot of other opportunities before you. Anything else come up?”
“I asked them about—” I hesitated. The topic was still sensitive for me. It was hard to mention to Roman, and I could hardly believe I’d had the guts to bring it up to the gang that night. Roman caught my uncertainty and pounced. “What? What else? What did you ask them about?”
I waited a few more moments and then decided to tell him. It couldn’t hurt, and besides, for all I knew, Roman had mentioned my name to Seth.
“About a month ago, when we were in bed, Seth called me Letha when he was half-asleep. When I asked him how he knew that name, he couldn’t remember. He couldn’t even remember calling me that. So, I asked the group that night if any of them had told my name to Seth.”
“And?”
“And they all said no. Cody didn’t even know my name. I got berated for being melodramatic again, and the general consensus was that Seth had just overheard it from me or someone else and forgotten.”
Roman was silent, which was almost more unnerving than him grilling me. I straightened up and nudged him.
“Hey, you didn’t tell Seth, did you?”
“Huh? No.” He frowned, caught up in his own thoughts. “What did Jerome think? Did he concur with that theory?”
“Yes. He thought me bringing it up was a total waste of time and didn’t hesitate to tell me. He was so bored by it that he started talking about bowling instead.”
“That’s when he told you about the bowling team? The bowling team that came out of nowhere?”
“Yeah. . . .” Now I was frowning. It was clear that Roman’s thoughts were running off to a place I wasn’t at or able to follow. “Why? What are you thinking? Is this related somehow?”
“I don’t know,” he said at last. He stood up and paced the living room a couple of times. “I need to think about this. I need to ask some questions. What are you going to do now?”
I rose as well and stretched, suddenly feeling weary. “I need to talk to Seth. I have to tell him what happened. And I suppose . . .” I made a face. “If I do have to go to Las Vegas, this weekend is the time to do it.”
“So you don’t miss bowling practice?” teased Roman.
“That, and I have it off from work. Seth’s pretty tied up with his family in town, which makes it another good time to go. Although . . . it’d kind of be nice if he went with me. I mean, if he was going to think about moving, he could check it out too.” Yet, again, that worry returned to me: how could I ask Seth to abandon Terry and Andrea?
“Actually,” said Roman, humor vanishing, “I think it’s best he doesn’t go.”
“Why not?”
“Because whatever the reasons, something’s just not right about this. I don’t know what’s waiting for you in Las Vegas. Maybe nothing. But I just feel like there’s a larger hand in all of this, guiding it, and that it’s safest for Seth if you don’t drag him into immortal drama.” Roman’s face softened. “I’m actually not thrilled about you facing it alone, but I’m not sure me walking into a hotbed of immortal activity is so smart either.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said, trying to not be put off by his ominous words. “No matter how terrible a transfer is, I have to admit, I got kind of lucky with this one. I mean, I’m not saying I trust any demons, but if I had to, it would be Luis. He’s really great, and Vegas is, well, Vegas. Like I said. I got lucky.”
Roman grew thoughtful again. “Yes. Yes, you did.”
The next day, I found Seth later at his brother’s house. Andrea had had another treatment that day and was sleeping it off. Seth and Margaret were helping take care of the household as best they could, cooking a late dinner and watching the girls. I arrived at about the same time as Terry got home from work, and our double entrance was greeted with shouts and hugs. I scooped Kayla up in my arms and kissed her while Terry asked what I had been wondering.
“Where’s Ian?”
Seth and Margaret exchanged looks. “Ian had some things to do,” she said neutrally.
“Yeah,” agreed Seth. “In the form of scoping out ironic parts of Seattle.”
So much for Ian stepping up to help the family. No doubt he’d found new hipster friends at a coffee shop and was now hanging out with them somewhere, drinking PBR and regaling them with stories of all the obscure bands he knew.
Terry smiled good-naturedly. “Well, that’s his loss because dinner smells great. More for us.” He swung Kendall around and kissed his other daughters before going upstairs to check on Andrea. I felt a lump form in my throat as I watched him go. He put on such a good face for the kids, but I knew this had to be tearing his heart apart. My own petty concerns seemed exactly that: petty. Small. Inconsequential.
Nonetheless, news of the transfer weighed on my mind throughout dinner. I’d wanted to wait until Seth and I were alone at his place, but my face must have betrayed my feelings.
“Hey,” he said gently, slipping an arm around me. The family was gathered in the living room, starting a movie, while Seth and I stood in the doorway to the kitchen. “Everything okay?” I hesitated, unsure about bringing it up here. Sensing that, he pulled me into the privacy of the kitchen. “Thetis, talk to me.”
“I got some bad news today,” I began. I tried to think of a clever or funny way to lead into it, but nothing came. So, I just blurted it all out, explaining the inarguable nature of transfers and the details of mine.
“Las Vegas,” he said flatly. He looked as though he’d been slapped. “You’re moving to Las Vegas.”
“Not for a month,” I said, clasping his hands. “And believe me, I don’t want to. God, Seth. I still can’t believe it. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
“Hey, don’t apologize. Not for this.” He drew me near, the kindness and compassion on his face nearly making me cry. “This isn’t your fault. You have nothing to be sorry about.”
I shook my head. “I know, but . . . it’s just so crazy. I thought this was it. Our chance to be together. And now I don’t know what to do. I can’t ask you to . . .”
“Ask me to what?”
I leaned my head against his chest. “Come with me.”
He was quiet for a few moments. “Would they let me? I always thought . . . I mean, whenever you’ve talked about your past, it always sounded like you reinvented yourself. New name, new appearance. I thought you had to leave your past life behind.”
“I have, but that was always just my choice. For you . . . I mean, of course I wouldn’t do that. I’d stay Georgina Kincaid, just as you know her. But you can’t leave them.” I gestured to the living room. “It’s not worth it.”
Seth moved his hands to my head, tilting my face up so I could look him in the eye. “Georgina,” he said softly. “I love you. You’re worth it. You’re everything to me. I’d follow you to the ends of the earth. And beyond.”
“That doesn’t make sense.” I smiled sadly. “And I’m not
everything
. You love them too. And you’d hate yourself for running off with me while they need you so much.”
everything
. You love them too. And you’d hate yourself for running off with me while they need you so much.”
“So, what? You’ve made my choice for me?” he asked. There was a playful note to his voice, despite the deadly seriousness of the topic. “Are we breaking up?”
“No! Of course not. I just . . . I just want you to know that I don’t expect you to come with me. Do I want to be with you? Yes, of course. But I love your family, Seth. I love all of them. My happiness . . .” It was strange, speaking those words.
My happiness
. For so long, I’d been miserable. Happiness wasn’t even a concept I’d imagined for myself in ages. “My happiness isn’t worth theirs.”
My happiness
. For so long, I’d been miserable. Happiness wasn’t even a concept I’d imagined for myself in ages. “My happiness isn’t worth theirs.”
He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. “What about mine?”
I stared in astonishment. “Are you saying you’d abandon them and run off to Las Vegas?”
“No,” he said firmly. “I would never abandon them. But there must be some middle ground here. Some way that doesn’t involve sacrificing us or them. We just have to figure it out. What we have is too important. Don’t give up on us yet, okay?”
I hugged him, losing myself in the sweetness of his warmth and scent. My heart had lightened a little at his words, but I still didn’t want to get my hopes up. There was too much at stake, still too much that could go wrong.
“I love you,” I told him.
“I love you too.” He squeezed me tight and then kissed me again before pulling apart. “Now. Let’s go watch that movie and pretend to be social so that we can leave early.”
“Why?”
“Because if you’re going to Vegas this weekend, then I want to get you home and get some quality time in tonight.”
I grinned and put my arm around him. “Does ‘quality time’ mean what I think it does?”
“Yes,” he said, as we walked back to the living room. “Yes, it does.”
“Well, then, you know that’s against the rules.”
“Rules that you made up,” he pointed out.
“Rules that are for your own good,” I corrected. “It’s not time yet. Remember, we have to ration ourselves.”
It was part of the conditions of us getting back together. Keeping strictly platonic before had strained us, so this time, I’d agreed that some sex was okay . . . even though I cringed at the thought of how each act, no matter how small, would take away some of his life. Seth had told me he didn’t care, that he’d take any risk to be with me. I was still cautious, and he’d yielded to me to set the schedule for our rationed sex life. I still wasn’t entirely sure what constituted proper rationing in this situation, but something in my head said we should have sex only every few months. I hadn’t told Seth that, though. It had been one month since the last—and only—time we’d had sex since getting back together as a mortal and a succubus, and I knew he was getting restless. It was especially difficult for him because although he respected me, he also didn’t think such caution was needed when he was the one who faced the dangers—dangers he swore he didn’t mind.
“Not tonight,” I continued.
“It’s practically a special occasion, though,” he told me. “A big send-off.”
“Hey, I didn’t say we couldn’t do anything,” I replied. “Just not as much as you’d like to do.” One thing we’d inherited from our chaste days was a set of several creative workarounds, mostly involving doing unto ourselves what we couldn’t do unto each other. “The question is, is there going to be a problem with your houseguests?”
“Not if we’re quiet,” Seth said. After a moment, he shrugged. “Scratch that. I don’t care. Let them hear.”
I scoffed. “Oh, yeah. So that your mom can come break down your door with her baseball bat.”
“Don’t worry,” he said, kissing my cheek. “She’s no match for you and that dictionary.”
Chapter 6
F
ortunately, no dictionaries or bats ever came into play, and Seth and I spent a pleasant night together. He sent me off that weekend in a good mood, and during the time I was with him, it was easy to believe this might all end well. Once I began the tedious parts of travel by myself, the doubts began to set in.
ortunately, no dictionaries or bats ever came into play, and Seth and I spent a pleasant night together. He sent me off that weekend in a good mood, and during the time I was with him, it was easy to believe this might all end well. Once I began the tedious parts of travel by myself, the doubts began to set in.
The ride to the airport, security, safety instructions . . . all little things in and of themselves, but each one began to weigh on me. I just couldn’t see Seth moving to Las Vegas—not anytime soon, at least. That left long-distance dating, and it was hard to imagine us going through a trip like this every . . . hell, I didn’t know how often. And that was another problem. What exactly did long-distance dating mean? Visits every week? Every month? Too-frequent visits meant the irritation of travel. Too few put us in danger of out-of-sight, out-of-mind complications.
So, naturally, I was all worked up by the time my flight landed in Las Vegas. And strangely, I took comfort remembering Jerome’s words, of all things. If Seth and I had survived the huge problem of immortal–mortal dating, then really, what was a two-hour plane ride compared to that?
We could make this work. We had to.
“There she is!”
A familiar, booming voice startled me as I was waiting at the baggage claim. I spun around and found myself looking up at the tanned good looks of Luis, Archdemon of Las Vegas. I let him wrap me up in a giant hug, something he managed with remarkable delicacy, considering what a bear of a man he was.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, once those muscled arms had released me. Realization hit me. “You’re not here to pick me up, are you? I mean, don’t you have people who have people to do that kind of thing?”
Luis grinned at me, his dark eyes sparkling. “Sure, but I couldn’t trust an underling to pick up my favorite succubus.”
“Oh, stop,” I groaned. My bag came around the carousel, but when I went for it, Luis brushed me aside and easily lifted it up. As I followed him toward the parking garage, I couldn’t even begin to picture Jerome doing something like this.
“You scoff, but most of the succubi around here bore me to tears. Hell, most of our staff here does,” Luis said. “You get a full range of personalities and talent levels with so many. The exceptional and the unexceptional. You, my dear, are exceptional.”
“You don’t have to try to sweet-talk me into the job,” I said, smiling in spite of myself. “Not like I have a choice.”
“True,” he agreed. “But I want you to be happy here. I want everyone who works for me carrying stories about how awesome I am. It ups my cred at the annual company conference.”
“Jerome’s trying to up his by having us beat Nanette’s employees in bowling.”
Luis laughed at that and led us out to a gleaming black Jaguar double-parked in the handicapped zone. Once he’d stowed my suitcase, he even went so far as to open the door for me. Before starting the car, he leaned over conspiratorially and whispered loudly, “If you want to shape-shift into something else, now’s your chance while we’re still inside.”
“Shape-shift into what?”
He shrugged. “You’re in Vegas. Live the lifestyle. No need to resign yourself to jeans and sensible shoes. Give yourself a cocktail dress. Sequins. A corset. I mean, look at me.”
Luis gestured grandly at himself, just in case it was possible to miss the gorgeous and undoubtedly custom Italian suit he was wearing.
“It’s barely noon,” I pointed out.
“Doesn’t matter. I dress like this the instant I get out of bed.”
With a self-conscious look around the garage outside, I quickly shape-shifted out of my travel clothes and into a one-shoulder minidress that wrapped around me like a Grecian gown. The fabric glittered silvery when it caught the light just right. My long, light brown hair turned equally glam. Luis nodded in approval.
“Now you’re ready for the Bellagio.”
“The Bellagio?” I asked, impressed. “I figured I’d be shoved off to some crappy motel ten miles from the Strip.” I amped up my makeup for good measure.
“Well,” he said, backing the car out, “that
is
actually what the normal budget allows for when it comes to new employee visits. I was able to pull some extra funds—and dip into my own pockets—to upgrade you a bit.”
is
actually what the normal budget allows for when it comes to new employee visits. I was able to pull some extra funds—and dip into my own pockets—to upgrade you a bit.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” I exclaimed. “I could have paid for my own room somewhere.” Yet, even as I said it, I knew that if accruing funds over the centuries was easy for someone like me, it was a million times easier for someone with Luis’s lifespan. The car and his suit were probably bought with pocket change from his income. He waved off my concerns.
“It’s nothing. Besides, my car would probably get stolen if I parked it at one of the ‘budget-friendly’ places.”
The car’s readout told me the outside temperature wasn’t that far off from Seattle’s in December. The difference was in the light.
“Oh my God,” I said, squinting out the window. “I haven’t seen the sun in two months.”
Luis chuckled. “Ah, just you wait until high summer, when the temps hit triple digits. It cooks most people alive, but for someone like you, you’ll love it. Hot and dry. Doesn’t get below eighty at night.”
I loved Seattle. Even without Seth in the picture, I could have been happy there for many, many years. But, I had to admit, my one weakness with the region was the weather. Relative to the extremes of the East Coast, Seattle was a very mild climate to live in. That meant it didn’t get very anything. Not very cold, and certainly not very warm. The hot weather we got in midsummer was fleeting, and then the mildness of the winter was marred with rain and clouds. By February, I was usually ready to start consuming entire bottles of vitamin D. I’d grown up on the beaches of the Mediterranean and still missed them.
“This is great,” I said. “I wish I were visiting while it was warmer.”
“Oh, you don’t have long to wait,” he told me. “Another month like this, and then the temperature will start going up. You can break out your bikini by March.” I thought that might be kind of an exaggeration but returned his grin nonetheless.
We were approaching the Strip and all its glory. The buildings became more flamboyant and expensive looking. Sidewalks and streets grew more crowded. Billboards advertised every form of entertainment imaginable. It was like an adult-oriented theme park.
“You seem pretty happy here,” I said.
“Yup,” Luis agreed. “I lucked out. Not only is the place great, but I command one of the largest groups of Hellish servants in the world. When I saw your name come up, I thought, ‘I’ve got to get her in on this.’ ”
Something in his words put a crack in the rose-colored glasses I was viewing the wondrous sights around me through. “When my name came up?”
“Sure. We get e-mails all the time about transfers, job openings, whatever. When I saw you were being moved out of Seattle, I tossed my hat into the ring.”
I turned toward the side window so he couldn’t see my face. “How long ago was that?”
“Oh, I don’t know. A while ago.” He chuckled. “You know how long these things take.”
“Yeah,” I said, trying to keep my voice light. “I do.”
It was exactly what Roman and I had talked about: the painstakingly long time Hell took with personnel decisions. Roman swore the circumstances surrounding this transfer were suspicious and implied a rush. Yet Luis was behaving as though everything had gone along according to perfect procedure. Was it possible there really had just been some oversight with Jerome’s notification about my transfer?
It was also possible, I knew, that Luis was lying. I didn’t want to believe that of him, but I knew that no matter how friendly and likable he seemed, he was still a demon at the end of the day. I couldn’t allow myself to be lulled into complete trust by his charm. We had a favorite saying among my friends:
How can you tell if a demon is lying? His lips are moving.
How can you tell if a demon is lying? His lips are moving.
“I was surprised to be transferred at all,” I said. “I’ve been happy in Seattle. Jerome said . . . well, he said it was because I was a slacker employee. That I was being moved for bad behavior.”
Luis snorted and pulled into the driveway for the Bellagio. “He did, huh? Well, don’t beat yourself up, honey. If you want a reason for them pulling you out, my guess is that it has something to do with Jerome getting himself summoned and letting nephilim and dream creatures run rampant with his succubus.”
I had nothing to say to that, but fortunately, we reached the hotel’s entrance and yielded the car to a valet driver who seemed familiar with Luis and his generous tips. Entering the Bellagio, I was soon awash in stimuli—color and sound and life. A lot of the people moving in and out were dressed as glamorously as us, but plenty of average “everyday” people walked through as well. It was a mixing of all social classes and cultures, all here and united in search of enjoyment.
Equally overwhelming was the intense wave of human emotion. I didn’t have any magic power to let me “see” emotion, exactly, but I was very good at reading faces and expressions. It was that same knack that had let me pick out the desperate and hopeless at the mall. This was the same, except magnified a hundred times. People swung the full gamut of hope and excitement. Some were joyous and eager, either high off of triumph or ready to risk it all for triumph to come. Others had clearly attempted it—and failed. Their faces were full of despair, disbelief at how they’d ended up in this situation and sorrow over their inability to fix things.
Just as obvious were the good marks. Some guys were so blatantly trolling for a hookup that I could have propositioned them then and there. Others were ideal succubus bait, guys who had come here saying they were going to keep themselves in line—but who could easily step off the edge of temptation with the right finessing. Even with my heart tied up with Seth, I couldn’t help but take in and thrive under all the admiring looks I got. I was suddenly glad I’d taken Luis up on his shape-shifting suggestion.
“So easy,” I murmured, staring around as we waited for an elevator. “They’re just there like . . .”
“Cattle?” suggested Luis.
I made a face. “Not quite the word I wanted.”
“Not much difference.”
An elevator opened, and a cute twenty-something guy gestured me forward. I smiled winningly at him, loving the effect I had. After he exited on his floor, Luis winked at me and leaned over to whisper in my ear.
“Easy to get used to, huh?”
Our floor came next, and Luis nodded to our right when the door opened. A few steps down the hall, I realized something. “I have a suite?” I asked, startled. “That’s a little much, even to make a good impression.”
“Ah, well, that’s what I didn’t get a chance to tell you yet. You have a suite because it has more room. You have to share it with another new employee.”
I nearly came screeching to a halt. Here it was, the catch in what was otherwise a sugar-coated fantasy. I envisioned myself rooming with another succubus and immediately knew I’d be seeking other accommodations. Succubi forced into close proximity put reality show drama to shame.
“I don’t want to impose on anyone’s privacy,” I said delicately, wondering how I could get out of this.
Luis reached a door and took out a keycard. “Nah, the place is huge. Two bedrooms and a living room and kitchen that go on forever.” He unlocked the door and opened it. “You could avoid each other all weekend if you wanted to. But somehow, I don’t think you will.”
I was about to question that, but suddenly, there was no need. We’d stepped into a living room as expansive as Luis had promised, all sleek lines and modern furniture, colored in shades of gold and green with dark wood trim. A long window offered a sweeping view of the city, and a man stood in front of it, admiring the panorama.
I couldn’t see his face, and something told me that even if I could, I probably wouldn’t recognize it. That didn’t matter. I knew him by his immortal signature, the unique sensory markers that distinguished him from everyone else. I could scarcely believe it, even as he turned around and smiled at me.
“Bastien?” I exclaimed.
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