Succubus Blues CHAPTER 3

Of course, I should clarify at this evince that Jerome doesnt look corresponding a demon, at least non in the traditional expiration skin and horns sense. Maybe he does on a nonher plane of existence, exclusively same Hugh, me, and so illumeary(prenominal) the whatsoever other(prenominal) immortals walking the earth, Jerome wore a human pretext now.One that looked like John Cusack.Seriously. No joke. The archdemon al personal manners claimed he didnt up to now so lay bolt grim sex who the actor was, plainly none of us bought that. Ow, I give tongue to irritably. Let me go.Jerome released his grasp, but his dark eyes still glinted dangerously. You look good, he said after a instant, suck upming surprised by the admission.I tugged at my jumper, straightening it from where his hand had crumpled it. You have a funny focus of showing your admiration. in reality good, he continued thoughtfully. If I didnt whap any(prenominal) better, Id check pop turn out you shine, murmured a voice cigaret the demon. You shine, Daughter of Lilith, like a star in the night sky, like a diamond shine on the bleakness of eternity.I started in surprise. Jerome cut a penetrating glance to the speaker, not liking his monologue interrupted. I also glargond, not liking an uninvited ideal in my apartment. Carter only smiled at some(prenominal) of us.As I was saying, snapped Jerome, you look like youve been with a good mortal.I did a favor for Hugh.So this isnt the start of a new and ameliorate habit?Not on the salary you pay me.Jerome grunted, but it was all part of a routine between us. He would berate me for not taking my job seriously, Id give a few witty quips in return, and the status quo would resume. same I said, I was something of a teachers pet.Looking at him now, however, I could see no more(prenominal) jokes would follow. The charm that had so ravish my customers today had no effect on these two. Jeromes baptistery was drawn and serious, as was Carters, despite the angels usual sardonic fractional-smile.Jerome and Carter hung out together regularly, especially when inebriant was involved. This baffled me since they were supposedly locked in some sort of great, cosmic struggle. Id erst asked Jerome if Carter was a fallen angel, which had elicited a good laugh from the demon. When hed re engender from the hilarity, hed told me no, Carter hadnt fallen. If he had, he wouldnt technically be an angel anymore. I hadnt genuinely gear up that do satisfying and final examly trenchant the two must(prenominal) stay together because in that location was no one else in this theatre of operations who could relate to an existence stretching rearwards to the beginning of time and creation. only the rest of us lesser immortals had been human at some point before greater immortals like Jerome and Carter had not. My centuries were a mere blip on their timeline.Whatever the reasons for his presence now, I didnt like Carter. H e wasnt obnoxious like Duane, but he al delegacys seemed so smug and supercilious. Maybe it was an angel thing. Carter also had the most(prenominal) bizarre sense of humor Id ever seen. I could never say if he was fashioning fun of me or not.So what locoweed I do for you boys? I asked, tossing my purse on the counter. Ive got places to be this evening.Jerome fixed me with a narrow-eyed look. I loss you to tell me nearly Duane.What? I already did. Hes an asshole.Is that why you had him killed?I what?I froze where Id been sifting through water closet contents and slowly turned around to look back at the duo, half expecting some joke. Both faces were in earnest, watching me.Killed? How how does that work?You tell me, Georgie.I blinked, suddenly realizing where this was going. Are you accusing me of killing Duane? And wait this is stupid. Duane isnt exsanguine. He cant be.Jerome began pacing, his voice exaggeratedly civil. Oh, I assure you, he is quite dead. We found him this m orning, just before sunrise.So what? He workd of sun exposure? That was the only way Id ever heard a vampire could die.No. He died because of the stake wedged into his heart. Ew.So are you ready to tell me who you got to do it, Georgie?I didnt get anyone to do it I cant as yet I dont even understand what this is about. Duane cant be dead.You admitted to me last night you two got in a fight.YesAnd you threatened him.Yeah, but I was jokingI think he told me you said something about him never coming near you again?I was angry and upset He was scaring me. This is crazy. Besides, Duane cant be dead.That was the only piece of saneness I could cling to in all of this, so I unbroken repeating it to them and to myself. Immortals were, by definition, immortal. End of story.Dont you know anything about vampires? the arch-demon asked curiously.Like that they cant die?Amusement flickered in Carters gray eyes Jerome found me less funny.Im asking you one last time, Georgina. Did you or did y ou not have Duane killed? Just answer the question. Yes or no.No, I said firmly.Jerome glanced at Carter. The angel analyse me, his lank blond hair falling forward to partially c all over his face. I realized then why Carter was along for the ride tonight. Angels can always discern truth from lies. At last, he nodded sharply to Jerome. jolly I passed the test, I muttered.But they werent paying attention to me anymore.Well, observed Jerome grimly, I guess we know what this means.Well, we dont know for sure I do.Carter gave him a meaning(prenominal) look, and several seconds of silence passed. Id always suspected the two were communicating mentally in such moments, something we lesser immortals could not do unassisted.So Duanes in truth dead? I asked.Yes, said Jerome, remembering I was there. Very frequently so.Who killed him then? Now that weve determined it wasnt me?The two glanced at each other and shrugged, neither answering. Negligent parents, both of them. Carter pulled out a pack of tooshies and lit up. Lord, I hated it when they got this way.Finally Jerome said, A vampire hunter.I stared. rattling? Like that girl on TV?Not exactly.So where are you going tonight? asked Carter pleasantly.To hardening Mortensens signing. And dont change the subject. I pauperization to know about this vampire hunter.Are you going to sleep with him?I what? For half a moment, I thought the angel was asking me about the vampire hunter. You mean Seth Mortensen?Carter exhaled smoke. Sure. I mean, if I were a succubus preoccupy with a mortal author, thats what Id do. Besides, doesnt your side always want more celebrities?Weve already got plenty of celebrities, Jerome said in an undertone.Sleep with Seth Mortensen? Good grief. It was the most preposterous thing Id ever heard. It was appalling. If I absorbed his life force, there was no telling how long itd be until his next book came out.No Of course not.Then what are you going to do to get spy?Noticed?Sure. I mean, the guy probably sees tons of fans on a regular basis. Dont you want to stand out in some way?Surprise washed over me. I hadnt even considered that. Should I have? My jaded nature launch it difficult to find pleasure in legion(predicate) things nowadays. Seth Mortensen books were one of my few escapes. Should I acknowledge that and begin to connect with the novels creator? Earlier today, Id mocked run-of-the-mill fans. Was I about to construct one of them?Well I mean, Paige will probably introduce the mental faculty privately to him. Ill sort of stand out then.Yes, of course. Carter spew out the cigarette in my kitchen sink. Im sure he never gets the opportunity to meet bookstall management.I opened my mouth to protest, but Jerome cut me off.Enough. He gave Carter another of those meaningful looks. We accept to go.I wait a minute Carter had succeeded in derailing me off the topic after all. I couldnt believe it. I want to know more about this vampire hunter.All you need to kno w is that you should be careful, Georgie. Extremely careful. I am not joking about this.I swallowed, hearing the iron in the demons voice. But Im not a vampire.I dont care. These hunter types sometimes follow vampires around, hoping to find others. You could be regard by association. Lay low. Avoid being alone. Stay with others mortal or immortal, it doesnt matter. Maybe you can follow up on your favor for Hugh and build some more souls for our side while youre at it.I rolling my eyes at that as the two walked to the door.I mean it. Be careful. Keep a low profile. Dont get involved with this.And, added Carter with a wink, say hi to Seth Mortensen for me.With that, the two left, closing the door gently tail end them. A formality really, since either of them could have just teleported out. Or winded my door apart.I turned to Aubrey. She had watched the proceedings cautiously from the back of my sofa, shite twitching.Well, I told her, reeling. What am I supposed to make of that?D uane was actually dead? I mean, yeah, he was a bastard, and I had been pretty pissed when I threatened him last night, but Id never actually wanted him to be really dead. And what about this vampire hunter business? Why was I supposed to be careful when ShitI had just glanced at my microwave clock. It coolly informed me I needed to return to the bookstall ASAP. Pushing Duane out of my brain, I dashed to my bedroom and stared at myself in the mirror. Aubrey followed more sluggishly.What to wear? I could just trammel my current outfit. The sweater and khakis combination looked both respectable and subdued, though the color scheme blend a bit too well with my light brown hair. It was a librarian sort of outfit. Did I want to look subdued? Maybe. Like I had told Carter, I really didnt want to do anything that might knock off the romantic interest of my favorite author in the whole world. un kick the bucketedStill, I remembered what the angel had said about getting noticed. I didnt wa nt to be just another face in Seth Mortensens crowd. This was the final stop on his latest tour. No doubt hed seen thousands of fans in the last month, fans who blurred together into a sea of bland faces, making their mindless comments. I had advised the guy at the counter to be innovative with his questions, and I intended to behave the same way with my appearance.Five transactions later, I stood in expect of the mirror once more, this time fit out in a silk tank top, deep vio allow and low-cut, paired with a floral chiffon skirt. The skirt almost covered my thighs and swirled when I spun. It would have made a great dancing outfit. Stepping into strappy brown heels, I glanced over at Aubrey for confirmation.What do you think? Too sexy?She began cleaning her tail.It is sexy, I conceded, but its classy sexy. The hair religious services, I think.I had pulled my long hair up into a romantic sort of bun, leaving wavy locks to frame my face and enhance my eyes. Momentary shape-shif ting made them turn greener than usual. Changing my mind, I let them go back to their normal gold-and-green-flecked hazel.When Aubrey still refused to acknowledge how awesome I looked, I grabbed my snakeskin coat and glared at her. I dont care what you think. This outfit was a good call.I left the apartment with my copy of The Glasgow Pact and walked back to work, impervious to the drizzle. Another perk of shape-shifting. Fans milled inside the main sell area, eager to see the man whose latest book still predominate the bestseller lists, even after five weeks. I squeezed past the group, making my way toward the stairs that led to the second floor.Young adult books are over there by the wall. Dougs friendly voice drifted nearby. Let me know if you need anything else.He turned away from the customer hed been helping, caught sight of me, and promptly dropped the fate of books hed been holding.Customers stepped back, politely watching him kneel down to retrieve the books. I recogniz e the covers immediately. They were paperbacks of Seth Mortensens older titles.Sacrilege, I commented. Letting those steer the ground. Youll have to contract them now, like a flag.Ignoring me, Doug gathered up the books and then ushered me off out of earshot. Nice of you to go home and change into something more comfortable. Christ, can you even bend over in that?What, do you think Ill have to tonight?Well, that depends. I mean, Warrens here after all.Harsh, Doug. Very harsh.You bring it on yourself, Kincaid. He gave me a reluctant, appreciative glance just before we started climbing the stairs. You do look pretty good, though.Thanks. I wanted Seth Mortensen to notice me. hope me, unless hes gay, hell notice you. Probably even then too.I dont look too slutty, do I?No.Or cheap?No.I was going for classy sexy. What do you think?I think Im through feeding your swelled head. You already know how you look.We crested the top of the stairs. A the great unwashed of chairs had been set up, covering most of the cafes normal seating area and bed cover out into part of the gardening and maps section of books. Paige, the store manager and our superior, busily attempted some sort of wiring acrobatics with the microphone and vigorous system. I didnt know what this building had been used for before Emerald City Books locomote in, but it was not an ideal venue for acoustics and large groups.Im going to help her, Doug told me, kindly chivalrous. Paige was three months pregnant. Id advise you do something that doesnt involve leaning more than twenty degrees in any one direction. Oh, and if somebody tries to get you to touch your elbows together behind your back, dont fall for it.I gave him a sharp lick in the ribs, nearly making him lose the books again.Bruce, still manning the espresso counter, made me my 4th white chocolate mocha of the day, and I wandered over to the geography books to drunkenness it while I waited for things to pick up. Glancing beside me, I recognize d the guy Id discussed Seth Mortensen with earlier. He still held his copy of The Glasgow Pact.Hey, I said.He jumped at the sound of my voice, having been absorbed in a travel book about Texas.Sorry, I told him. Didnt mean to scare you.I no, you d-didnt, he stammered. His eyes assessed me from head to toenail in one quick glance, lingering ever so briefly on my hips and breasts but longest on my face. You changed clothes. Apparently realizing the myriad implications behind such an admission, he added hastily, Not that thats bad. I mean thats good. Er, well, that is His embarrassment growing, he turned from me and tried to awkwardly replace the Texas book back on the shelf, upside down. I hid my smile. This guy was too adorable. I didnt run into many shy guys anymore. Modern-day dating seemed to demand men make as great a spectacle of themselves as possible, and unfortunately, women seemed to really go for it. Okay, even I went for it sometimes. But shy guys deserved a break too, and I decided a little harmless flirting with him would be good for his ego while I waited for the signing to start. He probably had terrible chance with women.Let me do that, I offered, leaning across him. My hands fey his as I took the book from him, replacing it carefully on the shelf, front cover out. There.I stepped back as though to admire my handiwork, making sure I stood very close to him, our shoulders nearly touching. Its important to keep up appearances with books, I explained. Image goes a long way in this business.He dared a look over at me, still neuronal but steadily recovering his composure. I go more for content.Really? I repositioned slightly so that we were touching again, the soft flannel of his dress brushing my bare skin. Because I could have sworn a moment ago you were pretty caught up in outside appearance.His eyes shifted down again, but I could see a smile curving his lips. Well. several(prenominal) things are so striking, they cant help but draw atten tion to themselves.And doesnt that make you curious about whats inside?Mostly it makes me want to get you some advanced copies.Advanced copies? What did he ?Seth? Seth, where ah, there you are.Paige turned down our aisle, Doug following behind. She brightened when she saw me, and I felt my stomach sink out of me and hit the floor with a thud as I put two and two together. No. No. It couldnt be Ah, Georgina. I see youve already met Seth Mortensen.