Richelle Mead - Succubus Shadows

“Georgina’s always being stalked.” Jerome sighed. “What is it this time?”

He kept his features neutral, but as we explained the situation, I saw something spark in his eyes…some sort of interest. At the very least, speculation.

Silence fell when Roman and I finished our story. I glanced at him, both of us waiting for my overlord to offer some sort of explanation.

“Your job with Simone is done,” Jerome said at last.

“Thank God,” said Roman.

“You’re going to follow Georgie instead.”

“What?” Roman and I exclaimed in unison.

“Same deal,” added Jerome. “Invisible, no signature. Except when you’re here, of course. Most know you two are roommates. It’d be odd if you disappeared off the face of the earth.”

The last couple times that siren song had shown up, I’d desperately wanted Roman. I should have been glad to have him now, which is why the outrage that followed next was completely irrational.

“But he needs to follow Simone!”

“Oh?” asked Jerome. “Pray tell why? She’s made no contact with anyone from Hell. Either she is here for innocent reasons, or she’s too good at hiding her reports.”

“But…but…she’s following Seth. We need to figure out why!”

“I don’t think it takes a genius to deduce why,” said Jerome dryly.

“We have to stop her, though.”

The demon snorted. “Georgina, do you have any idea how much I don’t care about your ex-boyfriend? There’s more in this universe than your absurd love life—or lack of one.” I flinched. “Especially since he’s sleeping with someone else now. If he’s so in love with her now, Simone shouldn’t be an issue. And don’t glare at me like that,” he added. “You already screwed his soul over when you fucked him last spring. Simone won’t make any difference.”

I gritted my teeth. “I still don’t think—”

“No.” Jerome’s voice was hard, and he was using that tone you didn’t argue with. He turned his attention to Roman. “You’re done with Simone. You’re with Georgie now. Understood?”

Roman nodded, not sharing my outrage. “Understood. Do you know what this is? What’s happening to Georgina?”

“I’ve got a few ideas,” Jerome growled. And like that, he vanished.

“Son of a bitch,” I said.

Roman swallowed a bite of egg and looked remarkably relaxed, compared to his earlier state. “Was that a general statement of frustration or a slander on Jerome?”

“Both. Why do you look so pleased all of a sudden? You were ready to go on a rampage earlier.”

“Because I’m done with Simone. And I get to chase better prey now.”

“And because you don’t care about Seth at all.”

“That too.”

I stared at my food without really seeing it. My appetite was gone. “I need to see him. I need to see her and find out if she’s following him.”

“No good can come of that,” warned Roman.

I didn’t answer. My mood had crashed. I was grateful for Roman’s protection now, but in a lot of ways…well, I wanted to put Seth before myself. I wanted to defend him from…what? Having his life shortened by a succubus? Having his soul further darkened? Or were my motives more selfish…did I just not want him to sleep with another woman? Accepting him and Maddie was hard enough…and yet, if Simone did woo him, would that break up the impending marriage? No, I decided, Seth would stay true to Maddie. He wouldn’t cheat on her. Wouldn’t he? a nasty voice in my head asked. He cheated with you….

“Damn it. I wish you wouldn’t look like that.”

I glanced up at Roman. “Huh?”

“That pathetic look on your face is killing me.” He turned his gaze downward, moving eggs around his plate. With a sigh, he looked back up. “I know where Seth will be today. But I don’t know if Simone will be there.”

My eyes widened. “Where?”

Roman hesitated only a moment later. “The art museum. He mentioned it to Maddie yesterday…. Some exhibit he wanted to see that she doesn’t. He was going to swing by there today. I’m not sure of the time, but Simone might have overheard. If so, it’d be the perfect time.”

I stood up, and my appearance instantly shifted, ready to go. Hair styled long and wavy. Jeans and a T-shirt. Makeup perfect. “Well, let’s go. We need to stake the place out.”

“Whoa there, speedy. Some of us can’t get ready that fast. And some of us aren’t done eating.”

I sat back down, not bothering to hide my impatience. He ate on, pointedly ignoring me and chewing every bite with care. A thought popped up. “Can you hide my signature? I’ll go invisible. Lure her in.”

Roman shook his head in exasperation. “I was hoping you wouldn’t think of that.”

I expected him to refuse me, but to my surprise, he did indeed hide my immortal signature when we finally set out to the museum. After shifting invisible, I was as incognito as he was by my side.

It was a pretty day to be out in downtown Seattle. The morning clouds had burned off, and the sun had nothing to hold it back. It was deceptive, though. The sky was a clear radiant blue, but fall’s chill was starting to finally take its grip. So while the weather looked gorgeous through windows, a coat was required once outside.

The Seattle Art Museum—or, as it was affectionately know by locals, SAM—was massive, and its regular collection held exhibits from every place and period imaginable. Roman had told me the exhibit Seth wanted to see was a special one, only in town for a few weeks. It was a display of Late Antiquity jewelry, and I would have wagered good money that Seth was there to do research for Cady and O’Neill.

But when we arrived, there was no sign of Seth. Plenty of tourists—even on a weekday—filled the place, wandering aimlessly and pausing to study or read about the pieces. This period of time was near and dear to me, and I couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy. It was the era I’d grown up in, the era I’d spent my mortal days in. Seeing those items—rings, bracelets, and necklaces—was surreal. Many were from the Mediterranean region of the Roman Empire. Sometimes, when I thought about my past, it would make my heart burn. Other times, I felt removed, like I was watching a movie about someone else’s life.

I’d been studying each piece in detail, intrigued at how some had been polished to brightness and others were corroded with time. A gentle nudge at my shoulder made me look up. I saw no one near me and realized it had been Roman. Turning around, I surveyed the gallery and found what—or rather who—he’d spotted. Seth stood on the opposite side of the room, face thoughtful and inquisitive as he studied one of the cases. A notebook and pen were in his hands. He’d come for research, as I suspected.

I studied him with equal fascination. As far as I was concerned, he was as rare and precious to me as any of the jewelry surrounding us. Shit, I thought. I was an idiot if I thought I was over him. Just standing there in the same room, I felt more drawn to him than ever.

I backed up to a wall near me, staying out of the way of patrons and simply keeping an eye on Seth, wondering if Simone would show her traitorous face. After a half-hour went by, my impatience grew. It was stupid, I knew. Seth would likely be here all afternoon, and she might arrive later. But…suddenly, talking to him seemed more important. I knew it was foolish, knew it was wrong…but, well, I’d done more idiotic things in the past.

I stepped out of the gallery and into a stairwell that was momentarily empty. It only took a second to go visible again. In my ear, I heard Roman’s voice hiss, “Are you crazy?”

“Keep my signature hidden,” I snapped back. “If she shows, we’ll sense her before she sees me.”