Succubus Shadows Chapter 8

Knowing C inventioner was on the job with Simone made me tactile sensation mildly better, except there was adjacentthing ab turn up him that al focuss unnerved me when it came to hardening and, well, my love bearing in general. He was too interested. Id gotten used to an angel abeyance come on with my friends, still approximately clocks I wondered if I was macrocosm lulled into somewhat descriptor of trick. Heaven had its own agenda, just as we did, and their motives were often harder to figure reveal.I had a morning shift the next sidereal twenty-four hour period. It passed by easily until Doug delivered some bad news to me slightly ten minutes before I was going to leave.Cant go with you tonight, Kincaid.I looked up from my spreadsheet in disbelief. What?He shrugged, hovering near the door to my office. Hed had the same shift as me today, and I had a savour he was stateing me at the end to save himself from hours of anger. Kind of deal how people who get fired are told at the end of the day on Friday.Theres this girl I metand I heapt re eachy turn quite a little the chance to go out with her. Oh, man. Shes smokin. Shes got this body that I dont need the details, I interrupted. Cant you just take her instead of me? Cody was starting to get into this ideahell be really down if it gets screwingceled. no.need to sightcel. Just go without me. I couldnt bring her instead of you Cody needs you.I groaned. Yeah, but the safety of a group is gone, and I blend in the third wheel.Find someone else to go, and indeed.It was then that Maddie appeared beside her brother. She was relieving him for the next shift. Go where?My next words made me cringe, but I did non essential to go alone with Cody and Gabrielle. Do you want to go to a, um, metal concert tonight? At to the lowest degree having another cleaning lady along would kill the double date insinuations.This distinctly wasnt an invite that shed been expecting. swellI would, except Ive got to close, and then Im supposed to accumulate a friend. I had serious doubts most the I would part and this so-called friend. Metal was not Maddies scene. She suddenly brightened. You know what? You should bring Seth.Iwhat? I asked.Mortensen? asked Doug, sounding as baffled as me.I dont think thats his thing, I said uneasily. I knew for a fact it wasnt.Yeah, agreed Doug. Probably not a acceptable idea.I hid a let down at Dougs words. With as much as he wanted to get out of this and see his smokin woman, I evaluate hed be willing to push some(prenominal)one off on me.Maddie was oblivious. No, really. Hes been cooped up for weeks with the book, and I think itd be skinny for him to go out. I think the married couple stuff is stressing him out.Yeah, that made two of us. Oh, I dont want to, um, push him extraneous of his comfort zone, I said lamely.She laughed. Like I said, itd be good for him. Ill go ask him now.She was gone before either Doug or I could protest. Several mo handsts of silence hung between us. Well, he said at last. She can talk him into almost anything. I guess youre set.I guess so. He walked off, and I found it intriguing that neither of us was excited active this prospect. It drove home the double date thing even off more than and also made me feel guilty intimately Maddies blind trust. On the bright side kind of I supposed it would take some balls for Simone to crash the concert and continue her seduction of Seth.As Doug had predicted, Maddie did indeed prevail on _or_ upon Seth to go. It was a late sight, and the four of us had agreed to meet outside the club a roach 1030 so that I could distribute our tickets. Once we were all there, I glanced at the three faces before me, trying to decide whether it was all comical or pathetic. Seth was doing the averting-his-eyes thing, distinctly uncomfortable that Maddie had pushed him into this. Cody was paler than usual for a vampire and looked ready to bolt at any moment. In fact, I wouldnt have been surprised if both(prenominal) men teamed up to formulate an escape plan. Gabrielle was the plainly one who looked excited to be there, her eyes alight and eager.She was also the only one really urbane for the scene, all in black, with her hair spiked up and makeup through with(p) to dramatic levels. Cody and Seth wore their usual driveway clothes, and Id dressed somewhere in the middle black jeans and a black bustier top, adorned with heavy flatware jewelry. It was clearly too designer for this place, however. give thanks so much for allow me come along with you guys, she said. I didnt know any of you interchangeabled coloured Satin Bra.Whats not to like? asked Seth, face innocent.I kept my eyes away from him because I had a feeling Id start grinning. I handed out the tickets, and we headed inside, surrounded by a crowd that I decided Id want on my side if I was ever in a street brawl.We managed to snag a high-top table in the back. It meant standing th e on the unit of measurement age, but at least we had a surface to put our specs on. Offer to buy her a drink, I hissed to Cody. The nice thing about playing Cyrano to a vampire was that his enhanced tasteing meant I could financial support my voice furthest below levels that Gabrielle could pick up. The noise in the style even before the band started also furthered the covert nature of all this.Cody dutifully obeyed, and when Gabrielle started to dig out cash, he assured her the first round was on him. The smile she gave him expected to boost his confidence as he headed off.Seth leaned toward my ear. He stood on the opposite side of me from Gabrielle, and she was too entranced by the sights to even notice us. This superpower be crazy enough to ca-ca, he murmured.Dont get carried away, I responded back, trying not to think of his proximity. The night is young. either number of wacky mishaps might ensue.He smiled. Those are your specialty, arent they?Unfortunately, yes. Cody re sullen with the drinks, earning more blessing from Gabrielle. She wasnt showing any romantic attraction to him whatsoever, but at least she knew he was alive. While I still stood firm that he shouldnt overdraw the vampire/Goth thing, I realized we were going to have to work hard to get ancient the ordinary facade she saw.Talk to her, I told him. Hed slipped back to his place between me and Gabrielle. Once they start, its in all likelihood going to be impossible.What do I say?Seth, overhearing, leaned across me, and I wished Id covered up more skin. His arm brushing up against me sent thrills through my body. imply her if shes ever seen them live before, Seth said. If she says no, tell her about this one time you saw them atI dont know. A private party. If she says yes, ask her what she fancy.Cody gave an unsatisfied nod. He leaned toward her, and date I only caught bits and pieces of the conversation, she grew animated as she spoke. I leaned back to Seth.When did you become an expert in dating advice? I asked incredulously.Its what ONeill would do.I scoffed. Youre using fiction to further Codys love life?Life imitates art, and art imitates life.That statement is ridiculous. And, you know, Ive never really seen you utilize that advice.Well, thats ONeills advice. I have dozens of characters I can draw from.Funny, I dont remember any introverted, stammering writers in your books.I dont stammer, he said defensively though there was a smile under his words. Besides, perhaps therell be someone like that in the new series.Ooh, I said, mocking his melodrama. Whats with the maybe? I thought you had the premise for this whole fantastic new thing figured out.I do. But it can always be improved along the way.Introvert authors improve everything. diddly-squat straight.Laughing, I remembered that I should have been helping Cody, but he was talk to Gabrielle on his own, which I took as a positive sign. I turned back to Seth. So does this mean youve figured out the ending to Cady and ONeill?No. He still held his good humor, despite a small frown on his brow. One of these days, Ill have to His words were cut off when the eardrum-splitting snivel of a guitar ripped through the room. blue-blooded Satin Bra had come onstage while I was talking (flirting?) with Seth. I loathed stereotypes, but truthfully they looked like what youd expect from an all-guy metal band. Black clothing, piercings, and hair that ran in extremes shaved or super long. The one thing that differentiated them was, well, the fact that they were wearing vipers bugloss satin demi bras over their clothes.Even above the deafening music that followed, I could hear Gabrielle shrieking, Oh my God Her face was ecstatic, and when Cody said something to her, she lit up further and nodded thirstily at the band. My guess was whether it was true or not he was reaffirming how awful they were.The music forced Seth and me to lean close in govern to talk. You know, he said, I m pretty sure the bass player stuffed his bra.Nah, I pester back. Its a push-up bra, so it just seems that way. They do amazing things for cleavage.All things considered, Blue Satin Bra wasnt that bad. Metal might not be my favorite music, but I was still open to a lot of types. The setting and madness that ensued throughout the night gave Seth and me lots of material to joke over. We were both in really good moods when the show last ended and we walked out with Gabrielle and Cody.That was awesome, she exclaimed. Thank you so much for sharing the tickets.No problem, I said. My ears were ringing, and I wasnt sure if I was still shouting.I think that was the best show Ive ever seen, said Cody nobly.Gabrielle clutched his sleeve, and his eyes widened. I know Which was your favorite rime?Silence.Mine was that one were they kept saying My Armageddon scales will burn your suffer office, said Seth deadpan.Oh, yeah. Thats one of their greatest, she said. Its called Plywood Fuck.Thats m y favorite too, said Cody. I somehow doubted hed heard any of the music tonight. His brains were all on Gabrielle.absolutely in sync, Seth and I glanced at each other and direct secret smiles, both of us amused at Codys love. I wasnt as far gone as he was, but when our group finally split up, I found myself walking on air too. arouse night, Roman told me when we got home. Hed been along in spy mode. I think Cody might actually have a chance.Maybe, I said. Hes clearly smitten, but she only seems mildly interested. In a friendly way, though.Roman rummaged through the kitchen and poured himself a curl of Lucky Chweaponry. Hes not the only one whos smitten.I sighed and collapsed onto the couch. allow it go, okay? We all know Im a long ways from acquiring over Seth.Roman gave me a sly look. I wasnt talking about you.I stared at him for a moment, my vodka-addled brain trying to make sense of his words. Waityoure talking about Seth? Hes over me.Oh my God, Georgina. Could you be any mo re delusional?Hes getting married.That government agency nothing. If it did, guys wouldnt catch chlamydia at their unmarried man parties.But he does love Maddie. And no matter what you think about his feelings, hell be out of my reach once theyre married.The fact that theyre dating means he should already be out of your reach but past evidence shows thats not true.I scowled and kicked off my shoes. Dont bring that up. I feel bad enough and so does he. If youre just going to taunt me, then Im going to bed.But to my surprise, Roman didnt wear that mocking look that had become so typical for him since returning to Seattle. His eyes were serious, his expression almost concerned. Im not trying to taunt you. Im just stating the facts. No matter what leads, you and Seth cant seem to stay away from each other. You should put in a transfer request.What, out of Seattle? I asked incredulously. I love it here.Youll learn to love some other place. Honestly, its the only way youre going to be able to break on the only way either of you can move on. Youre in a situation where you see him every day tonight being a prime example. He bust up with you, and then you broke up with him for some greater good kind of goal. But if you keep hanging approximately each other, it wont matter. Youll never heal. Youre just going to get your feeling ripped out every day.I was so stunned that I couldnt even respond for several seconds. The old taunt danced in my head circles and circles. Iwhy do you say that? Why do you care?Because I already see it happening every day. You are getting your affectionateness ripped out over and over, and it kills me to watch it happen.Again, I fell speechless for a moment. I thoughtI thought you hated me. I thought you wanted to destroy me.He finished his cereal and set the bowl down. I didnt have the will to shoo the cats away. I dont hate you, Georgina, he said wearily. Am I upset about what happened to Helena? Absolutely. Am I upset about you lying about loving me? Yes. Do I want some kind of revenge? Maybe. Honestly, my feelings change from day to day. Some days I do want something awful to happen to you. Some dayswell, I know you did what you did out of some lead astray sense ofI dont know. You thought you were doing the right thing.I wanted to tell him that I had loved him, in a way. But that probably wouldnt be useful right now. Well, watching this Seth drama unfold is probably giving you lots of material when it comes to something awful happening to me.No, he said, with a weary head shake. I dont like this. Like I said, Id quite an see you leave and start a new life. Every time I see you now, its likeits like watching you die. Over and over.I stood up, suddenly wanting to sleep. Yeah, I said softly. Thats kind of what it feels like. I hesitated. Thanks for listening. And understanding.Anytime, he said.This also caught me by surprise. Somewhere in these last few crazy months, I realized, Roman and I had become frie nds again. I hate to ask you this, but, well, Im not doing a very good job with charge an upbeat mood tonight. Would you He rose as well. Yup. Ill watch you sleep. If you can handle the creepy factor.Its an acceptable trade, I said with a smile. Thanks.And maybe it was the vodka, but I stepped forward and hugged him. He was stiff for a moment, clearly caught off guard, but then he relaxed and wrapped his arms around me. I rested my head against his chest, taking small comfort in someone warm and alive who wasnt a stranger. He smelled like I remembered, the clean, sharp scent of his cologne surrounding me in a way very different from Seths woodsy smell.I was just thinking I should pull away when a voice asked, Am I interrupting anything?I jerked away from the embrace and found Carter standing in the living room, arms crossed and one eyebrow arched. Roman seemed equally flustered and took a few steps back as well, getting as far away from me as he could.Dont you ever knock? I asked. non sure youd answer, said Carter good-naturedly. Especially with the news Ive got.I groaned. That was fast. Does it have to do with Simone?He nodded. Afraid so. She met up with Seth again.