Richelle Mead - Succubus Blues

I leaned back into him, feigning being caught up in passion. All right, I wasn't exactly feigning.

" Mmm..." I turned my face toward his, brushing our lips together. "I could call in sick maybe... not that they'd believe it. I'm never sick, and they know it."

"Fuck them," he mumbled, pushing me back down into the bed, his hands growing bolder. "Fuck them so I can fuck you again."

"Then let me up," I laughed. "I can't call in like this."

Reluctantly he released me, and I slid out of the bed, grinning back at him as I went. He watched me hungrily, like a cat sizing up prey. Honestly, I liked it.

That desire quickly melted into apprehension as I walked into the living room and picked up my portable phone. I had left all the room doors open, acting as casual and relaxed as possible, giving Roman no cause for alarm. Knowing he could probably hear me in the living room, I mentally rehearsed my words as I dialed Jerome's cell phone number.

Not surprisingly, however, the demon did not answer. Damn him. What good was our bond if I couldn't use it at will? Having anticipated this, I tried my next option: Hugh. If I got his cell's voice mail, I would be out of luck. I could not pull off my plan if I had to call his office number and wade through his arsenal of secretaries.

"Hugh Mitchell speaking."

"Hey, Doug, it's Georgina."

A pause. "Did you just call me Doug?"

"Look, I can't come in today. I think I've caught that bug that's been going around."

Roman wandered out of my bedroom, and I smiled at him as he made his way to my refrigerator. Meanwhile, Hugh tried to make sense of my nonsense.

"Uh, Georgina... I think you dialed the wrong number."

"No, I'm serious, Doug, so don't get smart with me. I can't come in, okay?"

Dead silence. Finally Hugh asked, "Georgina, are you all right?"

"No. I already told you that. Look, will you just pass it on?"

"Georgina, what's going on—"

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure out something," I continued, "but it'll have to be without me. I'll try to be in tomorrow."

I disconnected and looked up at Roman, shaking my head. "It would figure Doug was there. He definitely didn't believe me."

"Knows you too well, huh?" he asked, drinking a glass of orange juice.

"Yeah, but he'll cover for me, despite his complaining. He's good like that."

I tossed the phone onto the couch and approached Roman. Time for more distraction. I doubted Hugh would fully grasp the situation, but he would at least assume something wasn't right. As I had noted in the past, one couldn't live as long as an immortal did and be stupid. He would suspect something and hopefully hunt down Jerome. My job now was to keep the nephilim busy until the cavalry came.

"So what exactly was it you wanted to do to me?" I purred.

A number of things, as it turned out. We wound up back in my bedroom, and I discovered waiting out the time until Hugh could take action wasn't nearly as difficult as I had feared. Slight twinges of guilt tugged at me over enjoying Roman so much, especially now that I'd made my decision and called for help. He had murdered untold numbers of immortals and had designs on a near-friend. Still, I couldn't help my feelings. I was attracted to him—had been for a long time, even—and he was really, really good in bed.

"Eternity doesn't seem so bad with you in my arms," he murmured later, stroking my hair as I curled up against him. Turning my face toward his, I saw a somber expression in his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Georgina... do you... do you really want me to leave this angel alone?"

"Yes," I blurted out after a moment of surprise. "I don't want you to hurt anyone else."

He studied me for a long time before speaking. "Last night, when you asked me, I didn't think I could. I didn't think I could let it go. Now... after being with you... being like this. It just seems petty. Well, maybe petty isn't the right word. I mean, what they did to us was terrible... but maybe if I keep going after them, I let them win. I become what they say I am. I let them keep dictating the parameters of my life. I'd be conforming to nonconformity, I guess, and missing what's really important. Like loving and being in love."

"Wh-what are you saying?"

He cupped my cheek. "I'm saying, I'll do it, love. The past will not rule my present. For you, I'll walk away. You and me. We'll go today and leave all this behind. Get a home somewhere and start a life together. We can go to Vegas."

I turned rigid in his arms, my eyes widening. Oh God.

A knock sounded at my door, and I nearly jumped ten feet. Only about forty minutes had passed. No, no, I thought. It was too soon. Especially in light of this sudden turnabout. Hugh couldn't have acted so fast. I didn't know what to do.

Roman raised an eyebrow, curious more than anything else. "Expecting anyone?"

I shook my head, trying to hide the racing of my heart. "Doug's always threatened to come get me," I joked. "I hope he didn't finally decide to act on it."

Getting out of bed, I went to my closet, urging every nerve in my body to look nonchalant. I put on a deep red kimono, ran a hand self-consciously through my messy hair, and walked out to the living room, trying not to hyperventilate once out of Roman's sight. Oh Lord, I thought, approaching the door. What am I going to do? What am I going to —

"Seth?"

The writer stood outside, a bakery box in hand, his own face registering as much shock as mine undoubtedly did. I watched his eyes quickly slip up the length of me, and I suddenly became aware of how short my robe was and just how much the clinging silk revealed. His eyes snapped up to my face, and he swallowed.

"Hi. I.,.that is..."

One of my neighbors walked by, stopping and staring when he saw me in the robe. "Come in," I urged Seth with a grimace, closing the door behind him. Having expected a cavalcade of immortals, I felt more confused than ever now.

"I'm sorry," he managed at last, trying to keep his eyes from drifting to my body. "I hope I didn't wake you..."

"No... no... it's not a problem..."

Naturally Roman chose that moment to make an appearance, coming down the hall from my bedroom in only boxers. "So what's—oh hey, how's it going? Seth, right?"

"Right," said Seth flatly, looking from me to Roman and then back to me. In the wake of that gaze, I didn't care about nephilim, immortals, or saving Carter. All I could think of was how this must look to Seth. Poor Seth, who had done nothing but be nice to me since I'd met him, yet who nonetheless managed to get hurt over and over by my insensitivity—not to mention an unfortunate set of circumstances. I didn't know what to say; I felt as mortified as he apparently did. I did not want him to see me like this, all of my lies and inconsistent signals coming to light.

"Is that breakfast?" the nephilim asked cheerfully. He was the only one of us at ease.

"Huh?" Seth still looked stunned beyond words. "Oh yeah." He set the box down on my coffee table. "Keep it. It's a coffee cake. Maple pecan. As for me... I'm going to... I'm just going to leave now. I'm sorry to bother you. Really sorry. I knew it was your day off and just thought we could... I don't know. You'd said yesterday... well. It was stupid. I should have called. It was stupid. I'm sorry."

He started to turn, but the damage was done. Of all the possible scenarios, this would be the one in which short-spoken Seth chose to ramble. I knew it was your day off. Shit. Roman turned on me, the incredulity on his face transforming to fury before my eyes.

"Who," he gasped, voice barely coming out in his anger, "who did you call? Who the fuck did you call?"

I stepped backward. "Seth, get out of—"

Too late. A wave of power, not unlike the one Jerome had used on me, slammed against both Seth and me, thrusting us against my living room wall.