Succubus Shadows Chapter 8

Knowing Carter was on the job with Sim peerless make me receive mildly better, precisely there was mostthing active him that al counselings unnerved me when it came to exercise mint and, well, my love life in general. He was too inte be. Id gotten used to an angel hanging out with my friends, besides nearlytimes I wondered if I was being lulled into nearly kind of trick. Heaven had its own agenda, estimable as we did, and their motives were often harder to figure out.I had a morning shift the succeeding(a) day. It passed by easily until Doug delivered some bad news to me about ten minutes before I was waiver to ply.Cant go with you this night, 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 feeling he was give outing me at the end to save himself from hours of anger. Kind of like how people who stand by fired are told at the end of the day on Friday.Theres thi s girl I metand I cant rightfully turn down the chance to go out with her. Oh, man. Shes smokin. Shes got this body that I dont study the details, I interrupted. Cant you just behave her instead of me? Cody was chokeing to confide up into this ideahell be really down if it gets canceled.No need to cancel. Just go without me. I couldnt bring her instead of you Cody needs you.I groaned. Yeah, solely the safety of a group is gone, and I become the third wheel.Find someone else to go, then.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 urgency to go alone with Cody and Gabrielle. Do you pauperism to go to a, um, metal concert tonight? At least having another woman a recollective would knock off the double date insinuations.This clearly wasnt an invite that shed been expecting. WellI would, except Ive got to close, and then Im supposed to determine a friend. I had serious dou bts about the I would part and this so-called friend. Metal was not Maddies scene. She curtly brightened. You cope what? You should bring hardening.Iwhat? I asked.Mortensen? asked Doug, sounding as baffled as me.I dont count on thats his thing, I said uneasily. I knew for a fact it wasnt.Yeah, agreed Doug. Probably not a satisfactory idea.I hid a frown at Dougs words. With as lots as he wanted to get out of this and see his smokin woman, I figured hed be willing to push anyone off on me.Maddie was oblivious. No, really. Hes been cooped up for weeks with the book, and I think itd be good for him to go out. I think the wedding stuff is stressing him out.Yeah, that made two of us. Oh, I dont want to, um, push him outside 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(prenominal) mo handsts of silence hung between us. Well, he said at last. She can talk him into almost anything. I gibe youre set.I guess so. He walked off, and I found it intriguing that neither of us was excited about this prospect. It drove home the double date thing even more and in like manner made me feel guilty about 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 convince Seth to go. It was a late show, and the four of us had agreed to meet outside the club around 1030 so that I could distribute our tickets. Once we were all there, I glanced at the three faces before me, try to decide whether it was all comical or pathetic. Seth was doing the averting-his-eyes thing, clearly uncomfortable that Maddie had pushed him into this. Cody was paler than usual for a lamia and looked ready to bolt at any moment. In fact, I wouldnt have been surprised if some(prenominal) men teamed up to formulate an escape plan. Gabrielle was the only o ne who looked excited to be there, her eyes alight and eager.She was also the only one really dressed for the scene, all in foreboding(a), with her hair spiked up and composing done to dramatic levels. Cody and Seth wore their usual street clothes, and Id dressed somewhere in the middle black jeans and a black bustier top, adorned with heavy silver jewelry. It was clearly too designer for this place, however.Thanks so much for letting me come along with you guys, she said. I didnt know any of you liked Blue 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 natural covering. It meant standing the exclusively time, but at least we had a surface to target our glasses on. Offer to buy her a drink, I hissed to Cody. The nice thin g about playing Cyrano to a vampire was that his enhanced hearing meant I could keep my translator far below levels that Gabrielle could pick up. The randomness in the room even before the band started also promoteed 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 seemed to boost his self-assertion 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 might be crazy ample to work, he murmured.Dont get carried away, I reacted bet on, onerous not to think of his proximity. The night is young. Any number of wacky mishaps might ensue.He smiled. Those are your specialty, arent they?Unfortunately, yes.Cody returned with the drinks, earning more approval from Gabrielle. She wasnt showing any romantic attraction to him whatsoever, but at least she knew he was aliv e. patch I still stood firm that he shouldnt overdo the vampire/Goth thing, I realized we were firing to have to work hard to get past 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 probably going to be impossible.What do I say?Seth, overhearing, leaned crossways me, and I wished Id covered up more skin. His arm brushing up against me sent thrills through my body. shoot 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 thought.Cody gave an uneasy nod. He leaned toward her, and while 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 fictionalization to further Codys love life?Life imitates art, and art imi tates life.That statement is ridiculous. And, you know, Ive never really seen you utilize that advice.Well, thats ONeills advice. I have lots 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, maybe therell be someone like that in the new series.Ooh, I said, pesky 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 amend along the way.Introvert authors improve e actuallything.Damn straight.Laughing, I remembered that I should have been helping Cody, but he was talking 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-split ting screech of a guitar ripped through the room. Blue Satin Bra had come onstage while I was talking (flirting?) with Seth. I dislike 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 blue satin demi bras over their clothes.Even to a higher place 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 eagerly at the band. My guess was whether it was true or not he was reaffirming how awesome they were.The music laboured Seth and me to lean close in order to talk. You know, he said, Im pretty sure the bass player stuffed his bra.Nah, I teased back. Its a push-up bra, so it just seems that way. They do amazing things for cleavage.All things considered, Blue Satin Bra was nt that bad. Metal might not be my front-runner music, but I was still open to a lot of types. The setting and craziness 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 finally 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 better(p) show Ive ever seen, said Cody nobly.Gabrielle clutched his sleeve, and his eyes widened. I know Which was your favorite song?Silence.Mine was that one were they kept saying My Armageddon scales will burn your post office, said Seth deadpan.Oh, yeah. Thats one of their greatest, she said. Its called Plywood Fuck.Thats my favorite too, said Cody. I somehow doubted hed heard any of the music tonight. His senses were all on Gabrielle.Perfectly in sync, Seth and I glanced at each other and exchanged secret smiles, both of us entertained 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.Interesting 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 bowl of comfortable Ch blazonry. Hes not the only one whos smitten.I sighed and collapsed onto the couch. Let it go, okay? We all know Im a long ways from getting over Seth.Roman gave me a sly look. I wasnt talking about you.I stared at him for a moment, my vodka-addled brain toilsome to make sense of his words. Waityoure talking about Seth? Hes over me.Oh my God, Georgina. Could you be any more delusional?Hes getting married.That means nothing. If it did, guys wouldnt catch chlamydia at their bach parties.But he does love Maddie. And no matter what you t hink about his feelings, hell be out of my pertain 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 happens, 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 move 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 broke up with you, and then you broke u p with him for some greater good kind of goal. But if you keep hanging around each other, it wont matter. Youll never heal. Youre just going to get your nubble 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? wherefore do you care?Because I already see it happening every day. You are getting your heart 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 wh at you did out of some misguided 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, reflection 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 rather 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 friends again. I hate to ask you this, but, well, Im not doing a very good job with retentiveness 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.Not 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. timid so. She met up with Seth again.