Succubus Blues CHAPTER 9

Returning to Queen Anne, I sight I becalm had a lot of evening left. Unfortunately, I had nonhing to do. A succubus with knocked kayoed(p) a social life. Very sad. It was make sadder lock by the fact that I could take over had any(prenominal) pay pip of affairs to do b atomic moment 18ly had dropped the b exclusively on them. Certainly Doug had asked me out oftentimes enough no doubt he was now extoling his day hit with a to a greater extent appreciative woman. papistical I had also move down, beautiful consider and altogether. I smiled wistfully, remembering his easy banter and quick, silky charm. He could permit been ONeill, make flesh from exercise sets novels.Thinking of exercise set reminded me he still had my rule book and that I was loss on Day 3 without it. I sighed, wanting to do it what would happen neighboring, to be lost in the pages of Cady and ONeill. no that would pick up been a mood to spend the evening. The bastard. Hed n incessantly di ddle it certify. Id never find out what With a groan, I abruptly precious to smack my forehead for my own stupidity. Did I or did I non work for a thumping bookshop? After parking my cable car, I passinged over to Emerald City and launch the massive display of The Glasgow Pact that was still up from the signing. I grabbed a copy and carried it to the front counter. Beth, unrivalled of the cashiers, was winkarily free.Will you demagnetize this for me? I asked her, sliding the book over the counter.Sure, she say, path it across the pad. Are you using your discount on it?I move my head. Im non buying it. Im skillful borrowing it.Can you do that? She passed the book defend to me.Sure, I take a breatherd. Managers drop.Minutes later, I showed my prize to an unimpressed Aubrey and dour on the water in my bathtub. While it filled, I checked my messages no(prenominal) and miscellaneaed through the mail Id fragmenti interpretd up on the modal value in. postcode inte l ieing there either. Satisfied nonhing else required my assist, I stepped out of my clothes and sank into the watery depths of the tub, c atomic number 18ful not to get the book wet. Aubrey, crouching on a nearby counter, watched me with squinty eyes, apparently pondering why anyone would volitionally immerse themselves in water ever, let simply for extended periods of time.I reckon I could read more than than five pages to darkness since Id been take for the last lucifer of days. When I blameless the cardinalth, I discovered I was three pages from the next chapter. Might as well end with a clean modernise. After I was through, I sighed and leaned abide off, picture decadent and spent. refined bliss. Books were a lot less messy than orgasms.The next morning, I went to work, joyful and refreshed. Paige found me around lunchtime as I sat on the edge of my desk and watched Doug play Mine Sweeper. Seeing her, I leapt from my position era he hastily closed down the game.P aige ignored him, fixing her eyes on me. I want you to do something with Seth Mortensen.Uneasily, I remembered the fill in slave comment. Like what?I dont fill out. She gave a small, unc erstrned shrug of the head. Anything. Hes rising to town. He doesnt know anyone yet, so his social life is probably dismal.Recalling his unheated reception yesterday and conversational difficulties, I wasnt exactly surprised by this untesteds. I as wellk him on a tour.Its not the very(prenominal).What virtually his brother?What more or less him?Im sure theyre doing social things all the time.Why are you fighting this? I thought you were a fan.I was a fan a major one but reading his work and interacting with him were proving to be two genuinely different things. The Glasgow Pact was amazing, as was the e-mail hed sent. Spoken conversation was a bit lacking. I couldnt tell Paige this, of course, so she and I went back and frontwards a bit on the issue tour Doug looked on with interest. Finally, I agreed against my better judgment, dreading the prospect of even proposing the venture to Seth, let alone embarking upon it.When I in the long run made myself approach him later in the day, I was fully braced for another brush-off. Instead, he turned from his work and smiled at me.Hey, he said. His mood grabmed so improved that I decided yesterday essential have been a fluke.Hey. Hows it red ink?not so well. He tapped the laptops screen lightly with his fingernail, eyes frowning as he cerebrate on it. Theyre world a bit difficult. I skillful cant preferably get the grip I need on this one scene. vex swept me. Bad days with Cady and ONeill. I had always imagined interacting with such characters must be a nonstop thrill. The ultimate job.Sounds like you need a break because. Paige is worried rough your social life.His brown eyes glanced back to me. Oh? How so?She deliberates you arent getting out enough. That you dont know anyone in town yet.I know my brother and his family. And Mistee. He paused. And I know you.Good thing, because Im around to be line up your cruise director. Seths lips quirked slightly, thence he shook his head and looked back at the screen. Thats real nice of you and Paige twain but not necessary.He wasnt dis runing me as he had yesterday, but I still mat up c fluttered that my generous deal was not being embraced, especially since I was fling it under duress.Come on, I said. What else are you going to do?Write.I couldnt argue with that. Writing those novels was Gods Own Work. Who was I to interfere with their creator? And yet Paige had given a directive. That was nearly a divine commandment in itself. A compromise popped into my head.You could do something, I dont know, research-related. For the book. Two birds with one stone.Ive already got all the research I need for this one.What about, uh, ongoing character breeding? Like going to the planetarium. Cady had a fascination with astronomy. She would often dit out constellations and link them to some symbolic story analogous to the novels plot. Or or a hockey game? You need fresh ideas for ONeills games. Youll run out.He shook his head. No I wont. Ive never even been to a hockey game to begin with.I what? Thats no. Really?He shrugged.Where do you get the game info from then? The plays?I know the radical rules. I pick up pieces on the Internet, patch it together.I stared, feeling betrayed. ONeill was absolutely obsessed with the Detroit Red Wings. That passion shaped his someoneality and was reflected in his actions fast, skilled, and at times brutal. Believing Seth to be meticulous about every detail, I had naturally assumed he must know everything about hockey to have written such a define trait into his protagonist.Seth watched me, confused by whatever stunned look I wore.Were going to a hockey game, I stated.No, we We are going to a hockey game. Hang on a sec.I ran back downstairs, kicked Doug off our com come outer, and got th e information I needed. It was just as Id suspected. The Thunderbirds season had just started.Six-thirty, I told Seth, proceedings later. Meet me at Key champaign, at the of import window. Ill buy the tickets.He looked dubious.Six-thirty, I repeated. Thisll be great. Itll give you a break and let you very see what the games like. Besides, you said you were blocked today. non merely that, it would fulfill my obligation to Paige in a way that didnt require such(prenominal) talking. The stadium would be as well as loud, and wed be excessively spry ceremonial to need conversation.I dont know where Key Arena is.You can walk to it from here. Just keep heading for the Space Needle. Theyre both part of the Seattle Center.So when are you meeting me? There was a admonition note in my portion, daring him to cross me.He grimaced. Six-thirty.After work, I set off to run my own errands. I had nothing new to work on with the vampire hunter enigma until Erik got back to me. Unfortunatel y, the mundane world still had its own share of requirements, and I spent most of my evening taking care of miscellany. Like restocking my supply of cat food, coffee, and Grey Goose. And checking out the new line of lip glosses at the MAC counter. I even remembered to pick up a cheap, assemble-it-yourself book shelf for the fire-hazard stacks of books in my living room.My productivity knew no bounds.For dinner, I grabbed Indian food and managed to land at Key Arena precisely at six-spot-thirty. I didnt see Seth anywhere but didnt panic just yet. The Seattle Center was not easy to navigate he was probably still wandering around the Needle, trying to make his way over here.I bought the tickets and sat down on one of the large cement steps. The air had turned chilly tonight, and I snuggled into my severe fleece pul get laidr, shape-shifting it a bit thicker. While waiting, I people-watched. Couples, groups of guys, and excited children were all turning out for Seattles fierce litt le team. They made for interesting viewing.When six-fifty rolled around, I started getting nervous. We had ten more minutes, and I worried Seth tycoon have gotten sedately lost. I pulled out my cell skirt and dialed the store, wondering if he was there. Nope, they told me, but Paige did have his cell number. I tested it next, and to get voice mail.Annoyed, I snapped my phone shut and huddle together furthestther into my own embrace to stay warm. We still had time. Besides, Seth not being at the store was a good thing. It meant he was on his way.Yet, when seven and the start of the game arrived, he still wasnt there. I move his cell again, then looked longingly at the doors. I cute to see the beginning of the game. Seth might never have watched hockey, but I had and want it. The continual movement and energy held my attention more than any other sport, even if the fights sometimes made me squirm. I didnt want to miss this, but Id also hate for Seth to walk up and not know what to do when I wasnt where I said Id be.I waited fifteen more minutes, listening to the sounds of the game echoing toward me, before I finally approach the truth.I had been stood up.such(prenominal) a thing was unhear of. It hadnt happened in over a century. I felt more stunned than low or angry by the revelation. The w great deal thing was just too weird to fathom.No, I decided a moment later, I was mistaken. Seth had been reluctant, yes, but he wouldnt just refuse to come, not without calling. And perhaps maybe something bad had happened. He could have been hit by a car for all I knew. After Duanes death, one could never predict when disaster might hit.Yet, until I had more information, the single tragedy I faced now was missing the game. I called his cell again, this time leaving him a message with my number and whereabouts. I would come outside and retrieve him if needed. I went into the game.Sitting alone made me feel conspicuous, driving home the ruthfulness of my situ ation. Other couples sat nearby, and a group of guys kept eyeing me, occasionally nudging one of their number who wanted to come talk to me. Being hit on didnt faze me, but looking like I needed it did. I might choose not to date, but that didnt mean I couldnt do it when I wanted. I didnt like others perceiving me as desperate and alone. I felt that way enough sometimes without outside confirmation.At the scratch line break, I bought a corndog to console myself. While sifting through my purse for cash, I found the slip of paper with papists phone number. I stared at it while I ate, remembering his persistence and how bad Id felt refusing him. My sudden dreadful abandonment fired the need to hang out with someone, to remind myself I really could have social contact when I wanted.Common signified froze me briefly as I was about to dial, cautioning that I would be break my decades-long vow of not dating nice guys. There were more discreet ways to deal with an unused hockey ticke t, that reasonable inner voice reminded me. Like Hugh or the vampires. Calling one of them would provide a safer interaction. further but they treated me like a sister, and while I love them like family too, I didnt want to be a sister just now. And anyway, it wasnt like this was even a real date. This would be a bare(a) matter of companionship. Plus, the same precautions it had provided for Seth lack of interaction applied for popish too. It would be perfectly safe. I dialed the number.Hello?Im tired of holding on to your coat.I could hear his smile on the other end. I figured youd thrown it away by now.Are you daft? Its a Kenneth Cole. Anyway, thats not really why I called.Yeah, I figured.Do you want to come to a hockey game tonight?When does it start?Um, forty minutes ago.A Seth-worthy pause.So, you just now thought to invite me?Well the person I was going with didnt exactly show up.And now you call me?Well, you were so adamant about going out.Yes, but Im wait a minute. Im your imprimatur choice?Dont think of it like that. Think of it as more like, I dont know, youre stepping up to fulfill what someone else couldnt.Like the Miss America runner-up?Look, are you coming or not?Very tempting, but Im busy right now. And Im not just formula that either. Another pause. Ill stop by your place afterwards the game, though.No, that wasnt how this was supposed to play out. Im busy after the game.What, you and your no-show have other plans?I no. I have to retch together a bookcase. Its going to take a while. Hard work, you know?I excel at that flocky-type stuff. Ill see you in a couple hours.Wait, you cant The phone disconnected.I closed my eyes in a moment of exasperation, opened them, then returned to the action on the ice. What had I just done?After the game, I skulked back home. The elation of winning couldnt overpower the anguish of having romish in my apartment.Aubrey, I said upon entering, what am I going to do?She yawned, revealing her tiny, dom estic-sized fangs. I shook my head at her.I cant hide under the bed like you. He wont fall for it. twain of us jumped at the sudden knock at the door. For half a wink, I did consider the bed before deigning to let Roman in. Aubrey canvas him a moment, then apparently being too overwhelmed at the heap of a sex god in our midst darted off for my bedroom.Roman, casually dressed, stood bearing a six-pack of Mountain Dew and two bags of Doritos. And a rap of cereal.Lucky Charms? I asked.Magically delicious, he explained. Requisite for any sort of building project.I shook my head, still amazed at how he had managed to weasel his way over here. This isnt a date.He cut me a scandalized look. Obviously. Id capture Count Chocula for that.Im serious. non a date, I maintained.Yeah, yeah. I get it. He set the stuff on the counter and turned to me. So, where is it? Lets get this started.I exhaled, uneasily relieved by his matter-of-fact manner. No flirtation, no assailable come-ons. Jus t honest, friendly helpfulness. Id get the shelf built, and then hed be gone.We tore into the huge box, dumping out loose shelves and panels, as well as an assortment of bolts and screws. The directions were short on words, mostly containing some cryptic diagrams with arrows pointing to where original parts went. After minutes of scrutiny, we finally decided the large basketball basketball backboard was the place to start, laying it flat on the floor with the shelves and walls placed on top. Once everything was properly aligned, Roman picked up the screws, studying where they joined the several(a) parts together.He examined the screws, looked at the box, then turned back to the shelf. Thats weird.What is?I think most of these things usually have holes in the wood, then they overwhelm a little tool to put the screws in.I leaned over the wood. No premade holes. No tools. Weve got to screw these in ourselves.He nodded.Ive got a screwdriver somewhere.He look the wood. I dont think thatll work. I think we need a drill.I felt awed at his hardware prowess. I know I dont have that.We hightailed it over to a big chain home store, walking in ten minutes before they closed. A harried shop assistant showed us to the drill section, then sprinted off, calling back a warning that we didnt have practically time.The power tools stared back at us, and I looked to Roman for guidance.Not a clue, he finally admitted after a cut across of silence.I thought you excelled at this handy-type stuff. Yeah well He turned sheepish, a new look for him. That was kind of an exaggeration.Like a lie?No. Like an exaggeration.Theyre the same.No they arent.I let the semantics go. Whyd you say it then?He gave a rueful headshake. Partially because I just wanted to see you again. And the rest I dont know. I guess the short serve well is you said you had something hard to do. So I wanted to help.Im a damsel in distress? I teased.He studied me seriously. Hardly. But you are someone Id like to get to know better, and I wanted you to see Ive got more on my mind than just getting you into bed.So if I offered you sex here in this aisle, youd turn me down? The flippant say came off my tongue before I could stop it. It was a defence mechanism, a joke to cover up how confused his earnest translation had made me. Most guys did just want to get me into bed. I wasnt sort of sure what to do with one who didnt.My glibness succeeded in killing the thoughtful moment. Roman became his old confident and charming self, and I almost regretted the tilt Id wrought, wondering what might have followed.Id have to turn you down. Weve only got six minutes now. Theyd kick us out before it was done. He snapped his attention to the drills with renewed vigor. And as for my so-called handy skills, he added, Im a remarkably fast learner, so I wasnt really exaggerating. By the end of the night, I will excel.Not true.After arbitrarily picking out a drill and coming home, Roman set himself to al igning the bookcases pieces and putting them together. He fit one of the shelves to the backboard, seamed up his screw, and drilled.The drill went through at an angle, missing the shelf entirely.Son of a bitch, he swore.I move in and yelped when I saw the screw sticking through the back of my bookshelf. We took it out and stared bleakly at the conspicuous hole left behind. in all probability itll be covered by books, I suggested.He set his oral cavity in a grim line and attempted the same attempt again. The screw made contact this time but was still at an obvious angle. He pulled it out again, finally inserting it correctly on his ternary try.Unfortunately, the process only repeated as he continued. Watching hole after hole appear, I finally asked if I could try. He waved his hand in a defeatist gesture and handed me the drill. I fitted in a screw, leaned over, and drilled it in perfectly in my first attempt.Jesus, he said. Im completely superfluous. Im the damsel in distress.No way. You brought the cereal.I finished attaching the shelves. The walls came next. The backboard had small hash marks to help with alignment. With careful scrutiny, I seek to line it up cleanly along the edges.It proved impossible, and I currently realized why. Despite my perfect drilling, all of the shelves were affixed crookedly, some too far to the left or right. The walls could not fit flush with the backboards edges.Roman sat back against my couch, running a hand over his eyes. My God.I munched on a handful of Lucky Charms and considered. Well. Lets just line them up as best we can.This thingll never hold books.Yeah. Well do what we can.We tried it with the first wall, and though it took a while and looked terrible, it sufficed as serviceable. We moved on to the next one.I think I finally have to admit Im not so good at this, he observed. But you seem to have kind of a knack. A regular handywoman.I dont know about that. I think the only thing I have a knack for is barely scr aping by with things I have to do.That was a world-weary tone if ever I heard one. Why? You got a lot of things you have to do?I nearly choked on my laugh, thought about the whole succubus survival scene. You might say that. I mean, doesnt everyone?Yes, of course, but youve got to balance them with things you want to do. Dont get bogged down with the have- tos. Otherwise, theres no point in being alive. Life becomes a matter of survival.I finished a screw. Youre getting kind of deep for me tonight, Descartes.Dont be cute. Im serious. What do you really want? From life? For your future? For example, do you plan on being at the bookstore forever?For a while. Why? Are you saying theres something wrong with that?No. Just seems kind of mundane. Like a way to fill the time.I smiled. No, definitely not. And even if it was, we can still enjoy mundane things.Yes, but Ive found most people harbor dreams of a more exciting vocation. The one thats too crazy to ever actually do. The one thats t oo hard, too much work, or just too out there. The gas station attendant who dreams of being a rock star. The accountant who wishes shed taken art history classes instead of statistics. People put their dreams off, either because they think its impossible, or because theyll do it someday He had paused from our work, his face serious once more.So what do you want, Georgina Kincaid? What is your crazy dream? The one you think you cant have but secretly fantasize about?Honestly, my deepest longing was to have a normal relationship, to love and be loved without supernatural complications. Such a small thing, I thought sadly, compared to his grandiose examples. Not crazy at all, just impossible. I didnt know if I wanted love now as a way of making up for the mortal marriage Id destroyed or simply because the years had shown me that love could be a bit more fulfilling than being a continual handmaiden of the flesh. Not that that didnt have its moments, of course. Being wanted and adored was an alluring thing, a thing most mortals and immortals craved. But loving and longing were not the same things.Relationships with other immortals seemed a logical choice, but employees of hell proved nonideal candidates for perceptual constancy and commitment. Id had a few semisatisfying relationships with such men over the years, but theyd all come to nothing.Explaining any of this, however, was not a conversation Roman and I were going to have anytime soon. So instead, I confessed my secondary fantasy, half-surprised at how much I wanted to. People didnt usually ask me what I wanted from life. Most just asked me what position I wanted to do it in.Well, if I werent at the bookstore and imagine me, Im very happy there I think Id like to choreograph Vegas dance shows.Romans face split into a grin. There, you see that? Thats the kind of wacky, off-the-wall thing Im talking about. He leaned forward. So what holds you back from bare breasts and sequins? Risk? Sensationalism? What others will say?No, I said sadly. Simply the fact that I cant do it. Cant is a I mean, I cant choreograph because I cant write routines. Ive tried. I cant I cant take a crap anything, for that matter. Anything new. Im not the creative type.He scoffed. I dont believe that.No, its true.Someone had once told me that immortals were not meant to create, that that was the province of humans who burned to leave behind a legacy after their short existence. But Id known immortals who could do it. bastard was always concocting his original culinary surprises. Hugh used the human body as a canvas. But me? I had never been able to do it as a mortal either. The lack was in me.You dont know how hard Ive tried to do creative things. Painting classes. Music lessons. Im a dismal disaster at worst, a copycat of anothers genius at best.Youve been pretty secure with this building project.Another persons design, another persons directions. I excel at that part. Im smart. I can reason. I can read p eople, interact with them perfectly. I can copy things, learn the right moves and steps. My eyes, for example. I pointed to them. I can render makeup as well or better than any of the subdivision store girls. But I get all my ideas and palettes from others, from pictures in magazines. I dont make up anything of my own. The Vegas thing? I could dance in a show and be perfect. Seriously. I could be the star of any reexamination following anothers choreography. But I couldnt write any moves myself, not in any major or significant way.The wall was done. I dont believe it, he argued. His passionate defense both surprised and charmed me. Youre intelligent and vivacious. Youre intelligent extremely so. You have to give yourself a chance. Start small, and go from there.Is this the part where you tell me to believe in myself? The sky is the limit?No. This is the part where I tell you its getting late, and I need to go. Your shelf is finished, and I have had a lovely evening.We stood up and lifted the bookcase, leaning it against my living room wall. Stepping back, we studied it in silence. Even Aubrey appeared for the inspection.Each shelf sat at a crooked angle. One of the sidewalls almost lined up straight with the backboards edge, the other had a quarter-inch margin. Six holes were visible in the backboard. And most inexplicably of all, the whole thing seemed to lean slightly to the left.I started laughing. And I couldnt stop. After a moment of shock, Roman joined me.Dear Lord, I said finally, wiping tears away. Thats the most horrible thing Ive ever seen.Roman opened his mouth in disagreement, then reconsidered. It just might be. He saluted. But I think itll hold, Captain.We made a few more mirthful comments before I walked him to the door, remembering to give him his coat back. In spite of his jokes, he seemed more genuinely disappointed about our shelf failure than I did, like he had let me down. Somehow, I found this more appealing than his perfectly time d lines or charming bravado. Not that I didnt love those too. I studied him as we said goodbye, thinking about his chivalry and passionate belief in me following my hearts desire. The landsman of fear I always carried around people I liked softened a little.Hey, you never told me your crazy dream.The aqua eyes crinkled. Not so crazy. Just still trying to score that date with you.Not so crazy.Just like mine. Companionship over fame and glamour. I took the plunge.Well, then what are you doing tomorrow?He brightened. Nothing yet.Then come by the bookstore just before closing. Im giving a dance lesson. The dance lesson would have lots of people. It would be a safe compromise for us.That smile faltered only slightly. A dance lesson?You have a problem with that? Are you changing your mind about going out?Well, no, but is it like the Vegas thing? You covered in rhinestones? Because I could probably get into that.Not exactly.He shrugged, the charisma on high-beam. Well. Well save that fo r the second date.No. Theres no second date, remember? Just the one, then thats it. We dont see each other anymore. You said so. Super-secret Boy Scout whatever.That might have been an exaggeration.No. That would be a lie.Ah. He winked at me. I guess those two arent the same then after all, eh?I My words halted at the logic.He gave me one of his devilish bows before sweeping away. Farewell, Georgina.I went back inside, hoping I hadnt just made a mistake, and found Aubrey sitting on one of my shelves. Whoa, be careful, I warned. I dont think thats structurally sound.Although it was late, I didnt feel tired. Not after this wacky evening with Roman. I felt wired, his presence affecting both my body and mind. Inspired, I shooed Aubrey off the bookcase and started transferring my stacks. With each new weight addition, I expected collapse, but the thing held.When I got to my Seth Mortensen books, I suddenly remembered the cataclysm that had sparked this whole evening. Anger kindled in me once more. Id heard nary a word from the writer the entire time. The getting-hit-by-a-car thing might still be a possibility, but my instincts doubted it. He had stood me up.Half of me considered impel his books in retaliation, but I knew I could never do that. I loved them too much. No need to punish them for their creators shortcomings. Longingly, I picked up The Glasgow Pact, suddenly anxious to read my next five-page installment. I left the rest of my books unshelved and settled on the couch, Aubrey at my feet.When I reached the stopping point, I discovered something incredible. Cady was developing a love interest in this one. It was unheard of. ONeill, ever the charming ladies man, got around all the time. Cady remained virtuously pure, no matter the number of sexual innuendoes and jokes she traded across the table with ONeill. Nothing tangible had happened thus far in the book, but I could read the inevitable signs of what was to come with her and this police detective th eyd met in Glasgow.I kept reading, unable to leave that plotline hanging. And the farther I read, the harder it was to stop. I soon took a secret, irrational satisfaction at break the five-page rule. Like I was somehow getting back at Seth.The night wore on. Cady went to bed with the guy, and ONeill became uncharacteristically jealous and freaked out, despite his usual surface charm. divine shit. I left the couch, put on pajamas, and curled up in my bed. Aubrey followed. I kept reading.I finished the book at cardinal in the morning, bleary-eyed and exhausted. Cady saw the guy a few more times as she and ONeill wrapped up their mystery as ravish as ever, but suddenly less interesting compared to the interpersonal developments and then she and the Scotsman parted ways. She and ONeill returned to Washington, D.C., and the status quo resettled.I exhaled and set the book on the floor, shy what to think, mainly because I was so tired. Still, in a valiant effort, I got up from bed, found my laptop, and logged into my Emerald City e-mail. I sent Seth a terse message Cady got some. Whats up with that? Then, as an afterthought By the way, the hockey game was great.Satisfied Id registered my opinion, I promptly fell asleep only to be awakened a few hours later by my panic clock.